Geog1003 Final Project Essay

I disagree with Amy Koss’s stance for the reason that as an Amazon customer, I do not concur with the statements that suggests that online shopping makes us more indolent. In fact, I believe that it greatly benefits us and could make us more productive. For instance, if you live in a populated city, you’re more likely to become stuck in traffic

The article Deliver It All, written by Anne Goodchild, Erica Wygonik, & Bill Keough, begins its discussion with how our younger generation today perceives online ordering, shipping, fulfillment, etc. Every year, professionals within supply chain departments are challenged to bring quicker, more efficient methods of inventory planning and logistic strategies, while at the same time being aware of environmental influence. The article goes into further discussion regarding how retail sales have been booming over the past decade, and look to continue to grow. Needing to satisfy this demand, companies such as Amazon and Volvo have implemented delivery systems to satisfy their customers to the highest degree. One staggering statistic that really

Consumers must feel that they are making the right decision. Physical stores can not only offer a beautiful place filled with all sorts of aesthetically appealing items, but also they offer a social experience. For many, “going food shopping” has become a ritualistic outing. Thus, online suppliers must counter-act this. In order to do so, not only must they somehow lure the consumer in in the first place, but also they must be mindful that the consumers’ experiences must be perfect. This means that they must first engage the clients without having a location and then be sure that inventory and offerings are totally accurate and that no products are damaged in the process. Online suppliers have tried to differentiate themselves and find a niche in offering something that is more “green” and environmentally friendly. Whilst supermarkets can only tell customers to bring their own bags, online retailers not only can say that they are more ecologically friendly, but also offer even more “green” options at a higher cost. Operationally this translates into a massive online experience that needs qualified programmers, designers, product development experts, able to discern the right online configuration needed to convince

New government regulations geared towards curbing over-packaging in today’s businesses should be implemented, to prevent and increase the focus on the negative environmental impacts businesses cause as a result of disposable products and packaging. If businesses where to make the change from disposable resources to reusable resources, then businesses would be able to significantly reduce their costs and their environmental footprint. In essence, businesses who are concerned with reducing costs and being environmentally conscious shouldn’t need to worry about the implementation of government regulations. Because, if the government were to implement regulations on the use of disposable materials, then businesses would see a financial benefit from the switch to reusable materials. Furthermore, if these policies had efforts aimed toward curbing over-packaging it would significantly increase the world’s abilities to maintain a substantial living environment in the future. Keeping the future in mind, the need for these kinds of regulations will only continue to grow, because as time passes the amount of packages sent out from companies is exponentially growing.

Does the idea of shopping in Italy, France, or Japan at 3:00 am in your pajamas while snuggled up on the couch sound like a good idea? Then internet shopping is the way to go. As of the first twenty five days of the November- December 2011 Holiday season internet sales totaled 12.7 billion dollars, that’s an increase of 15% since last year. Online shopping dominates the brick and mortar with convenience, price, and variety that traditional shopping can’t compare to and research shows why. Now some say they like to see and touch the item in the store and although you may have a valid point but after reading my

The question of how efficiently resources are acquired and used and optimal processes, products and services each retailer could implement in order to control and minimise environmental footprints will also be discussed (Miller, 2008).

The discussion of supply chains going green has become a bone of contention among major stakeholders in the industry. The discussion started after the Carbon disclosure project released a report indicating that supply chains contributed greatly to the emission of carbon in the atmosphere. Due to the report, pressure has been mounting on the administration of supply chains to implement strategies on their carbon management. Analysts have however stated that there are various pros and cons of the supply chains going green, which have to be considered in the implementation of carbon management strategies. This paper analyzes the pros and cons of supply chains going green.

For example, forestry projects are one of the important outcomes of joint implementation in agriculture industry. Planting trees in reforestation or afforestation projects enhances the absorptive capacity of the biosphere and leads to carbon dioxide reductions in the atmosphere(Robert and Sally, 1995). Besides, Tesco, a European supermarket chain, is beginning a program to provide a global warming rating for everything it sells (Scot, 2007). The chain is creating an index to measure the “carbon footprint” required to produce, package, and transport each product in its stores. Consumers can then include the carbon footprint along with price and product quality when making purchasing decisions.

Buying packaged goods could potentially increase the amount of waste generated by the University. More packaging means more energy and

Consumers want to shop by their terms and not by a business’. If they happen to spot something while using their phone, they hope to either purchase that item in the physical store or even on its website. Particularly important to consumers, they want product availability with continuously up-to-date inventory levels. The delivery of orders is another trend, affecting the way consumers shop. Many companies offer free delivery or returns, either through the website or at the physical store when the order came from their site (Kahn, 2014). Consumers expect to receive their orders quickly. Whatever product they want, they also expect delivery in the shortest time possible. Another trend retailers consider is consumers search through many retailers when shopping online, helping those on a limited budget easily find the best deal for their money. Those not on a budget choose products based on their quality requirements by configuring a product to their desired specifications. Retailers must focus on the needs of consumers and adjust to those needs. With the continuing high unemployment, consumers are frugal with their spending (Farfan, 2014). Enticing a consumer to spend the money they possess, using sales and promotions draw those consumers into stores if retailers focus on the products desired by the frugal consumer.

Customers are increasingly seeking to purchase products from companies that are taking care of our environment (Carbonfree). The Federal Trade Commission regulates environmental marketing claims so consumers can be reasonably confident that any promises apply to most of the packaging or contents of the product and not to “minor, incidental components”(Margaret). Excessive paper or wrapping and the harms caused by non-biodegradable materials have become a hot topic and companies have realized the public is equally concerned about the ethics of packaging. Not only having safe and effective packaging equipment qualifies companies as being ethical, but the processes and working conditions of employees are under the microscope as well. As an example, a company that produces sugar can have the claim of being “Carbon Free”. For many consumers, this sounds good and well intentioned, however the claim is not directly for the product but instead meant for how the product was manufactured. Without statements tying the two together the general public will continue to be misled or misinformed. The claim of packaging made out of recycled material when only a small percentage of the container was indeed recycled is a continuation of product misrepresentation and manufacturers point to shoplifting as an explanation for packing items in difficult-to-open containers (Margaret). Margaret points out that even this issue leads to

Companies face a multitude of challenges when it comes to Supply Chain management ranging from profitability and cost management to visibility and customer satisfaction. With the increased awareness of environmental practices, there is an expectation that businesses should evolve to be more environmentally conscious. As stated from a 1987 Brundtland Report known as “Our Common Future”, (WCED, 1987) sustainable development is one that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The influence of environmental performance is a growing decision criteria for customers in the consumption of products/services. This is evident from a survey conducted by the Natural Marketing Institute (Kaiser, 2008) which reveals that 30 percent of American consumers are willing to pay 20 percent more for products made in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way.

The primary aim of logistics is to co-ordinate the transportation, storage and handling of products as they move from the source of raw materials, through the manufacturing system to their final point of sale in a way that it meets customer requirements at minimum cost. In the past this cost has been defined in purely monetary terms. Recently the world has witnessed an increasing awareness about environmental and sustainability issues. This growing concern for the environment has a created pressure on companies to reduce their negative environmental impact. As defined by ISO14001, the environmental impact is “a modification of the environment, negative or beneficial, resulting wholly or partially from environmental aspects of an organization “. Since the transportation of goods leads to air and noise pollution, leads to fatal accidents sometimes and has significant impact on global warming, firms have been trying to render their supply chains and logistics operations more environmental friendly. That this why many Green logistics strategies have been devised in order to achieve an efficient and environmentally friendly distribution and transportation system.

Online shopping is going to be more effective than conventional shopping because it saves consumers money. Clark Wendel from Cesi Solutions proposes that shopping online helps the consumer save money and how one can avoid spending more money than they’re supposed to “Shopping online helps you maintain your budget: Brick-and-mortar stores are laced with deception and hidden gimmicks to entice you to spend money. Stores are commonly laid out with expensive products placed at eye level so you’re more likely to notice them. Look at the lower and higher shelves—you’ll often see the lower-cost items there. According to TIME, retailers often draw you in with enticing scents and offer you free samples and food to cloud your judgment and to keep you in the store longer. You avoid all the drama and save money when you shop online. You don’t have to worry about being tricked into busting your budget by buying something that wasn’t on your shopping list.” This is important because when shopping online you are able to still save money because you are not in that “trap” of being shown the most expensive and nicer looking items so you’re more convinced to buy it, when online shopping you just look for the items you need and don’t need to be distracted. This helps a lot to keep you on a more of a budget so you don’t end up going past your budget and not having any money left to waste on yourself. This quote proves you will be saving money because we won 't be as tempted to buy

Online shopping had gone into business as early as 1992. The number of people that used online shopping had gone up when people started to gain ownership of personal computers. In 2007, 875 million people had at least made one online purchase that year. It continued to grow after that it had been recorded that 9 percent of the United States had been purchasing items online. With the creation of the World Wide Web and a browser sites like Amazon and Ebay had started to come into play. Most of the earliest shoppers were males who know some things about computers and the way they worked, while time passed by in 2001 studies showed that 52 percent of online shoppers were women. Online shopping is a way that retailers could advertise their products and increase sales. Improving the way that we shop today and making it easier for the people. Online shopping is more effective than conventional shopping because it save consumers time, saves consumers energy and consumers would not be as pressured to purchase items.