Assignment: Amazon.com`s E-Business Model To be successful in business, graduates must not only be capable of using various technologies, they must also know how to use the Internet to exchange information with customers and vendors, research market trends, track competitors` products and pricing, and buy and sell goods and services. Amazon.com was founded in 1994 as an online book retailer. Now, the largest retailer of books has also become the largest online retailer with a customer base of over 30 million people. Amazon competes in a vast array of markets including: books, movies, digital readers, computers, consumer electronics, pet needs, groceries, health and beauty aids, toys, clothing, jewelry, shoes, sporting goods, tools, automotive, hardware, building supply, and more. Despite their large product offering, Amazon has maintained its strong brand. Imagine if Toys-R-Us, the largest toy retailer began selling books or if the NBA began selling hardware online. The threat of consumer confusion would rise, thus bringing into question the value of the Toys-R-Us and NBA brands. Some analysts question the wisdom of Amazon.com selling products that are typically sold in the business-to-business markets. For example, you can now purchase industrial, laboratory, and scientific supplies from Amazon.com. Required: 1. Review the most current Amazon.com Annual Report at: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=97664&p=irol-reportsannual 2. Browse www.Amazon.com, www.BarnesAndNoble.com, and www.Borders.com. 3. Create a table to compare and contrast the Web sites: www.Amazon.com, www.BarnesAndNoble.com, and www.Borders.com, using the following criteria: functionality, design, content, originality, professionalism, and effectiveness. Include the table as an appendix to the required paper. You are to write a four to five (4-5) page paper that answers the following: 1. Discuss the pros and cons of Amazon`s growth and diversification of business and specialization, and make recommendations about what Amazon could have done differently. 2. Determine the impact if Amazon.com had split up and become a family of brands (for example, “Amazon” for books, “Supertoys” for toys, etc.), each with a different public face but all run by the same parent company. 3. Determine if it would be possible for Barnes and Noble or Borders to extend their markets in the same way that Amazon.com has. Explain your rationale. 4. Determine what Amazon.com would need to do to expand their distribution chain to include some brick and mortar outlets, and whether or not this would be a good idea. The format of the paper is to be as follows: o Typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman font (size 12), one-inch margins on all sides, APA format. o Use headers for each of the criteria, followed by your response. o In addition to the four to five (4-5) pages required, a title page is to be included. The title page is to contain the title of the assignment, your name, the instructor`s name, the course title, and the date. Note: You will be graded on the quality of your answers, the logic/organization of the report, your language skills, and your writing skills. This assignment will be graded using the following rubric: Outcomes Assessed > Formulate business plans based on an analysis of domestic and global operating environments, market dynamics, and electronic and internal capabilities. > Use technology and information resources to research issues in the functions and processes within a business enterprise and key factors affecting productivity. Criteria1. 1. Discuss the pros and cons of Amazon`s growth and diversification of business and specialization, and make recommendations about what Amazon could have done differently. 2. Determine the impact if Amazon.com had split up and become a family of brands (e.g., “Amazon” for books, “Supertoys” for toys, etc.), each with a different public face but all run by the same parent company. 3. Determine if it would be possible for Barnes and Noble or Borders to extend their markets in the same way that Amazon.com has, and explain your rationale. 4. Determine what Amazon.com would need to do to expand their distribution chain to include some brick and mortar outlets, and whether or not this would be a good idea. 5. Clarity 6. Writing – Grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation, APA usage. references).