The purpose of this memo is to show the affects of how Albertson’s is trying to implement many strategies in order to try, and compete with its powerhouse competitor Wal-Mart. This memo will contain information on steps Albertson’s is taking to gain back some of the market share that Wal-Mart has swallowed up. It will also describe Albertson’s planned innovations that will be what determines their success. Lastly it will discuss how through IT as well as a successful implementation of satisfying consumers demands, will possibly allow them to compete with the ever so powerful Wal-Mart.
Albertson’s is planning many new strategies to try, and grab some of the market share that Wal-Mart has taken from them. The main way they plan to do this is though innovative technology. The reason for this is do to the fact that Albertson’s has vigorously tried to offer many perks to its customers, such as substantially better customer service, as well as convenience. Yet even though this may be true. Wal-Mart’s low prices have seemed to be far superior in generating revenue that has translated into enormous amounts of profits. So this is why now Albertson’s figures that if they cannot beat them on price then they will do it through information technology.
One of the ways that Albertson’s has implemented information technology into their business strategy is to offer self-checkout lines. Albertson’s is currently installing 4,500 NCR self-checkout terminals in its 2,300 stores. This new technology is estimated to cost in the range of $16 million to $20 million. Albertson’s feels that this may give them a needed edge to compete to lower its long run costs, and speed up the checkout process.
Albertson’s also has also taken steps to boost it average sales. Albertson’s goal is to fill every shopping cart to as full capacity as possible, as well as getting to know their customers a lot better. They have installed have installed a $50 million NCR Teradata where house in order to analyze customer data, and what type of products certain customers primarily purchase. They then plan to use their customer loyalty cards, so that they can match individual buying preferences against store inventories. Also through technology this data is available for analysis minutes after customers leave the store. This is a very valuable resource, because now Albertson’s may be able to reach its goal of having the right products, on the right shelves, at the right time.
In Tulia, TX, a five hour drive from Dallas, 46 people were swept up in an early morning drug sting in July of 1999. Thirty-nine of the suspects were black in that tiny, predominantly white town. They represented roughly 20% of the town’s adult black population. The drug sting was the culmination of an 18 month undercover investigation by a narcotics agent, Tom Coleman. He had been hired as part of a federal anti-drug program funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Byrne grant. The local newspapers labelled these suspects as “scumbags” and, based upon a tip from the local authorities, captured video footage of the perp walk as these people were paraded disheveled in their underwear to jail. As a result of such a high profile bust, Coleman was recognized as the Texas Lawman of the Year by the state’s Attorney General in
This allows them to purchase high volume for a lower cost. Bringing over 20,000 products into one convenient location and with over 450 brands they provide a large selection.
Southwest Airlines is one of the best airlines in the United States. It is widely known
Albertsons has many goals to achieve by planning out their technological advancements. They have invested 50 million dollars to study customer buying habits.
Even though Southwest offers no-frills, there is still a high degree of customer satisfaction that continuously builds customer loyalty for the company. As mentioned, Southwest offers low prices on their airplane tickets. Also, Southwest is renowned in the airline industry for its short turnaround time on arrivals and departures. And since people's biggest concern nowadays is money and time, having low price airline tickets to cater their traveling needs in a shorter period of time will surely satisfy them. Moreover, aside from the low prices offered, what attracts to customers is Southwest’s way in dealing with them. The employees of the airline treat their customers well and really listen to their needs.
In general merchandise retailing, Wal-Mart’s primary competitors are Target and Kmart. Retail superstores such as Circuit City and Bed, Bath, and Beyond, also provide retail competition. A survey found that the majority of respondents favored Wal-Mart over stores like Target and Kmart. Respondents claimed Wal-Mart offered lower prices, better variety and selection, and good quality. The needs of consumers is an important economic feature in all competitive environments. What attributes (price, variety, quality, etc.) prompt buyers to choose one retailer over another is very important in the competitive landscape.
More than 37 years ago, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher got together and decided to start a different kind of airline. They began with one simple notion: If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline. And you know what? They were right. What began as a small Texas airline has grown to become one of the largest airlines in America. Today, Southwest Airlines flies over 104 million passengers a year to 64 great cities all across the country, and we do it more than 3,400 times a day.
You may think today “Hey, I totally wonder sometimes what the Middle Ages Churches and Gothic Medieval Cathedrals where like. What were they important for? Were they Churches like the ones today? How long did it take to build? “ Well that may be SOME of the questions you may have but you may have more. In this essay you're about to find out why the Medieval Gothic Cathedrals were so important for, and how much rule and and wide range of power they had over the people in the Middle Ages, and last but NOT least, the creative sublime (I’ll delete this comment later on if you see this but “sublime” is my own words not internet word) of the Gothic style windows of the Cathedral. First, the one I like most, the Gothic stain glass windows of the Gothic Cathedral. Stained glass is argued to an opinion or belief, one of the most important aspects of Gothic cathedrals. As its popularity rose, mainly during the mid 12th century, the increased existence of stained glass presented large changes to the way the general residents were learning about the religion. The windows became illuminated optic (“Optic” is my own wording) talk of biblical stories, which may have had an even greater impact than the spoken word of the priest. In this research paper, I will be primarily focusing on the stained glass windows and architectural styles employed in five Gothic buildings in France, each having their own unique and worthy attention and characteristics to the development of stained glass windows. By looking at the architectural improvements shown in these structures built during the Gothic time frame, we are able to see the impact all over the place to itch for increase...
The airline industry has been full of competition for years. It takes determination, preparation, knowledge, and recourses to start an airline company, and that is just what happened forty-five years ago in Dallas Texas. Southwest airlines is an very successful airline company serving around 100 million customers annually (Southwest Corporate Fact Sheet). Many things stick out about Southwest such as their satellite-based WIFI and free luggage. These accommodations appeal to the customers. The company described its mission as “dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit” (About Southwest). But from a business standpoint it is necessary to look into
The marketing approach of Southwest Airlines is built upon their strong business model. They have successfully managed to target two specific market segments of the airline industry while remaining profitable. Their strategy is simple, to offer frequent non-stop flights with the lowest costs which appeal to both the business and budget travelers. By segmenting their target audience to specific demographics and ticket pricing, passengers know exactly what they are getting for the price they pay.
At the dawn of Gothic cathedral-building, in the 1100s CE, building with rock was dirty and difficult work. And yet, architects and builders of the age were able to build stone monuments of the Middle Ages that dominated skylines for nearly a thousand years, revolutionizing architecture. In the period spanning the 12th and 15th centuries, these Gothic cathedrals borrowed from prior architectural knowledge, formulating a new building system. The gigantic Christian cathedrals took years to build, and were often left uncompleted for decades or even centuries. In fact, few cathedrals were finished in less than 100 years, taking large amounts of money and manpower to build. Despite the monumental task and resources needed, Gothic cathedrals have continued to amaze us hundreds of years later.
Being the primary character, there is a greater focus on Hamlet’s pursuit of revenge, since throughout the play his mind and actions plagued by both uncertainty and angry notions towards his mother’s infidelity rather than the “murder most foul”. Unlike both Laertes and Fortinbras, Hamlet's desire for revenge is not implanted by his own will but rather by his father’s ghost; through his encounter the ghost pleads his son’s loyalty by promising the murder Claudius. Initially Hamlet's interaction with the Ghost was one of curiosity and glee which opposes his prior melanch...
Walmart is a retail giant that just about everyone in America has purchased something from them. It is a one stop shop for anything that a person could ever need. Walmart stores can be found anywhere in fact most people are less than an hour drive away from a Walmart store. Walmart’s success has put many companies out of business. The chains success is primarily from low prices and using an information technology system to meet customer demands giving them a competitive advantage. Walmart’s first major use of information technology came in 1975 when the company leased an IBM computer system to track inventory in warehouses and distribution centers. Computers have come a very long way since this time and are used almost everywhere. But in 1975 this was cutting edge technology and gave Walmart the competitive advantage over other retailers. Another thing that Walmart used to be revolutionary in their supply chain was the use of scanning barcodes in 1983. Before barcodes objects had to be read by a skilled cashier. With barcodes all that was needed was a quick scan and the computer would do all the work. This greatly sped up checkout time and made tracking inventory and data collection much faster and easier for both customers and the employees. Since this time it has become an industry standard for products.
William Shakespeare was the most famous and talented playwright of his time. His brilliant tales of kings, murders, and romance attracted people from all different regions to come watch Shakespeare’s theatrical performances. One of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies, Hamlet, told the tale of a young prince who was depressed over the death of his father, the King of Denmark. Shortly after the death of Hamlet’s father, the Queen quickly remarried her dead husband’s brother, Claudius. When a ghost appeared to Hamlet in the form of his father, the ghost told Hamlet that he had not died of natural causes, but he was murdered instead. Shakespeare continues on to use the character of his play to tell the mystery of who murdered Hamlet’s father and the tragic, but predictable ending of Hamlet. The murder of Hamlet’s father was what made Hamlet the character he was portrayed as during the entire play. In William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, biblical and mythological allusions are used within the play to portray the hatred, judgment, and madness of the main character, Hamlet.
"Architecture of Cathedrals and Great Churches." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 02 Dec. 2011. .