Individual Case Analysis: Wawa

There are several emerging technologies that could help the company to gain a competitive advantage.

These platforms are currently at a 50% installation rate as of March 2016, and Sonic expects to see the rest of its locations operating with these new systems by the end of 2017. Their point of sale system is different than others in the QSR industry in that it offers a more customized experience for customers, while also streamlining service and reducing waste (Murphy). This point of sale system also has the future potential to connect to customer’s mobile phones for further descriptions, while also featuring a touch screen for ease of access. This new technology will replace a system that is currently over 20 years old - Sonic may sometimes brand using their “retro” vibe, but antiquated systems set no one up for success (Kelso). This new technology is also said to drive their average check upwards by several points; Chairman, Chief Executive, and President, J. Clifford Hudson, reported not only a 2.2 percent increase in stores who had begun using this new technology, but also stated a whopping 33.8 percent rise in profits, for the same time period. This increase in profits can be related to the fact that the new POS system is not only beneficial for the customer, but also for the restaurant and employees - while minimizing waste, it also makes some things such as theft, miscommunication, and

The powered milk became such a commodity that the local produce dairy farms couldn’t sell their milk. A memorable scene in the film was when the dairy farmers had to spill out all their surplus milk that was only a days worth to make room for new milk since it wasn’t being consumed. A dairy farm used to produce 3,000 quarts per day and after America subsidized the milk industry, dairy farms were producing only about 600 liters. Dairy farmers were run out of their businesses and it’s sad to say but some dairy farmers were forced to convert to butchering their cows in order to make profit (Black).

SWA built its competitive advantage through the strategic fit of various activities and its value chain, its positioning, and tradeoffs, enabling its

G: CM met with client for weekly case management session and to update ISP goals.

The purpose of this paper is to do a value chain analysis of Costco, identify their resources and capabilities, to conduct a SWOT analysis to identify the opportunities in which they are lagging and to form a strategy to move forward using the recourses and capabilities in the direction of utilizing those opportunities.

The online market offers Wawa great opportunity for expansion. The amazing thing about the online market is that you can advertise to a much wider group of people for less expense than alternate ways. This would be a great way to spread awareness of the company before transitioning into a new economy where Wawa is unknown. Another great opportunity that has come with the upbringing of new technology is mobile shopping. Being able to shop on a mobile phone or laptop and have your products delivered is as convenient as a convenient store will ever get. This tactic by grocery and convenient stores has grown in popularity and attracts clients that do not have time to travel to the store.

The 1960s was a huge year for food. Especially convenience foods. If you’re not quite sure what a convenience food is, it’s basically a complete meal that is already pre-prepared and requires little to no cooking by the consumer. When this was introduced to people, they thought it was absolutely genius, and it was. Some of the convenience foods of the 1960s that people really enjoyed was burgers. Hamburgers and cheeseburgers was and probably still is America’s favorite food to eat. One of the most famous and popular places to have a cheeseburger in the 60s was Mcdonald’s. Other popular places to dine in the 60s were Kentucky Fried Chicken, Mr. Steak, and Shakey’s Pizza Parlor. All those places are still around except for Mr. Steak which unfortunately

However, both companies have been able to combine these aspects which is attractive to many consumers. Perhaps looking at the history of both companies can lead some insight to this transformation. Sheetz was founded in 1952 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and began to spread out as primarily convenience stores. In 1972 the company had expanded to seven to fourteen stores, and a year later Sheetz added gasoline pumps. It was in 1995 that Sheetz began to introduce touchscreen ordering and their food and beverage products, offering high quality food at a gas convenience store (“Our History”). Conversely, Wawa began in 1964 and was a food market, and added more food products throughout the beginning years. The gas station aspect of the company was not introduced until 1996, and chiefly the company provided a deli and convenience store service. Touchscreens were installed in 2002, and the company has continued to expand their food products while spreading along the east coast (“Wawa: 50 Years & Counting”). Interestingly, both companies started as food-based and moved to provide other services over time. This is perhaps why the companies have a passion for serving quality food, since it is in their roots. This is common in the fast food industry, and Sheetz and Wawa have taken this service to a new level.

The convenience store has been greenwashing their customers by stating that they recycle, when that is not the case. This is a serious unethical issue as Wawa is making the customer believe they are doing something right for the environment, when they put their recycled goods into the bins in front of the store. But little does the customer know that those bins, every shift, get emptied into a larger recycling bin in the back of the store. Every three days the store has a trash pickup and the trash includes those larger recycling bins. Wawa has this enormous opportunity in front of them to fix their wrong doing. With the company having 645 stores and every single store now has the recycling centers. That is to

 Are there any relatively new technologies that the company believes has dramatically changed their

Best Buy Co., Inc. is currently the world’s largest retailer for consumer electronics. The company has 1,400 brick and mortar stores and is a popular online retailer as well. The stores serve as display room for various online retailers. Best Buy consumers can purchase electronic products such as mobile, corded and cordless phones, televisions, cameras, personal computers, laptops, appliances and more (David & F.R., 2015). Today’s society relies on convenience and technology, forcing companies to implement new ideas and projects in an effort to maintain their ability to compete with other companies. For continued success the company must look at the internal and external issues the company may face as well as their competitors and their best practices that are contributing to their success.

In contrast, many people and organizations have argued that Walmart is not holding true to their original sustainable commitments. According to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Walmart's greenhouse gas emissions have continued to grow over the last 10 years, and it’s percentage of renewable energy is inadequate compared to other major corporations. Stacy Mitchell, the author of the report and a senior researcher at the Institute believes that the core issue behind Walmart’s lack of action is that they will not change their unsustainable business model to make sustainable advancements. She says that, "Walmart has a highly unsustainable business model, built on shipping goods long distances, selling mountains of very short-lived products,

Wal-Mart is the world's largest retail and departmental store chain. Having business operations in 27 countries with 69 different brand names, Wal-Mart is able to serve a huge number of customers per day. Wal-Mart is the fastest growing and the most successful retail brand in the world. The factors which make it the strongest brand in its industry include large customer base, sound financial strength, strong brand image, and huge supply chain network. Wal-Mart has certain weaknesses in its operations and business setup like low acceptability of certain products, high employee turnover, and less recognition of newly introduced brands. These weaknesses can be overcome by availing attractive opportunities from the market and investing more in the most profitable areas. Wal-Mart faces the biggest threat from its competitors and ever-changing customer preferences.

A strategic plan is a plan that is formulated by higher management, and it is a plan that looks far into the future. At the helm of the top management team is the CEO of the company. Apple’s strategic plan, or long-term goals include “environmental responsibilities, leveraging ability to design and develop, and enhancing and expanding” to take care of the environment, to develop and design more efficiently, and to capitalize and extend the reach of the organization (Reference). The first long term goal is environment responsibility. Apple has foster this goal in the sense that their offices and stores are being run on renewable energy. Apple has “renewable energy... [that is] ... utilized in 94% of the corporate office” (Reference). Not only are the offices being powered by renewal energy, but Apple is also working on its products and processes to make the products to make them more eco-friendly. The products and production would become more environmental friendly by “eliminating toxic substances” (Reference). The first element of Apple’s strategic plan is reforming their manufacturing techniques to make the environment safer; the second element of their strategy leveraging the ability to design and develop. Their goal in making products in an efficient way is their most difficult aspect of their plan. This goal in particular is difficult for the reason that there is competition. If Apple does not