المملكة العربية السعودية
وزارة التعليم
الجامعة السعودية
اإللكترونية
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ministry of Education
Saudi Electronic
University
College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
Assignment-2
MGT402 – Entrepreneurship and Small Business
Deadline: 20/11/2021 @ 23:59
Course Name: Entrepreneurship and Small Student’s Name:
Business
Course Code: - MGT 402
Student’s ID Number:
Semester: I
CRN: 13363
Academic Year: 1443/1444 H
For Instructor’s Use only
Instructor’s Name: Dr. Asif Hasan
Students’ Grade: Marks Obtained/Out of
Level of Marks: High/Middle/Low
Instructions – PLEASE READ THEM CAREFULLY
• The Assignment must be submitted on Blackboard (WORD format only) via allocated
folder.
• Assignments submitted through email will not be accepted.
• Students are advised to make their work clear and well presented, marks may be
reduced for poor presentation. This includes filling your information on the cover page.
• Students must mention question number clearly in their answer.
• Read carefully Grading Rubric below for specific criteria: 0-5 Marks
• Late submission will NOT be accepted.
• Avoid plagiarism, the work should be in your own words, copying from students or
other resources without proper referencing will result in ZERO marks. No exceptions.
• All answered must be typed using Times New Roman (size 12, double-spaced) font.
No pictures containing text will be accepted and will be considered plagiarism).
• Submissions without this cover page will NOT be accepted.
Entrepreneurship and Small Business
ASSIGNMENT -2
Submission Date by students: Before the end of Week- 11th
Place of Submission: Students Grade Centre
Weight:
05 Marks
Learning Outcome:
1. Utilize strong analytical skills and tools to formulate an effective Bootstrap Marketing Plan
on which a small business can build a competitive edge in the market place. (Lo 1.8).
2. Deliver and communicate marketing massages in coherent and professional manner. (Lo 4.4).
Assignment Workload:
This assignment is an individual assignment.
Start-up Business Plan
Imagine you started a new business as an entrepreneur in Saudi Arabia (In Continuation to the
Assignment -1).
Please, think and share information on the following items:
4. Marketing Plan
a. Market Research- Why? (1 Mark)
b. Market Research- How? Primary or Secondary Data? (1 Mark)
c. In your marketing plan, be as specific as possible; give statistics, numbers, and sources. The
marketing plan will be the basis, later on, of the all‐important sales projection. (3 Marks)
Product
• Describe the most important features. What is special about it?
• Describe the benefits. That is, what will the product do for the customer?
Customer
• Identify your targeted customers or your ideal customer: How many of them are there? It’s important
here to be specific.
• Demographics
• Customer relationships: How do customers want to interact with the business?
Competition
• What products and companies will compete with you?
• How will your products or services compare with the competition? Identify the organization’s
competitors and their strategies, along with ways to counter competition and gain market share.
• How is your target market solving their problem today? Are there alternatives or substitutes in the
market?
• Investors will want to know what advantages you have over the competition and how you plan on
differentiating yourself.
Strategy
• Outline a marketing Strategy.
Promotion
• How will you promote your Product?
• What will be your promotional budget?
Distribution Channels
•How do you sell your products or services?
•What are the costs associated with distribution?
Industry Six—Specialty Retailing
CASE
24
Best Buy Co. Inc.: Sustainable
Customer Centricity Model?
Alan N. Hoffman
BEST BUY CO. INC., HEADQUARTERED IN RICHFIELD, MINNESOTA, was a specialty retailer of
consumer electronics. It operated over 1,100 stores in the United States, accounting for 19%
of the market. With approximately 155,000 employees, it also operated over 2,800 stores
in Canada, Mexico, China, and Turkey. The company’s subsidiaries included Geek Squad,
Magnolia Audio Video, and Pacific Sales. In Canada, Best Buy operated under both the
Best Buy and Future Shop labels.
Best Buy’s mission was to make technology deliver on its promises to customers. To accomplish this, Best Buy helped customers realize the benefits of technology and technological
changes so they could enrich their lives in a variety of ways through connectivity: “To make life
fun and easy,”1 as Best Buy put it. This was what drove the company to continually increase the
tools to support customers in the hope of providing end-to-end technology solutions.
As a public company, Best Buy’s top objectives were sustained growth and earnings. This was
accomplished in part by constantly reviewing its business model to ensure that it was satisfying customer needs and desires as effectively and completely as possible. The company strived to have not
only extensive product offerings but also highly trained employees with extensive product knowledge. The company encouraged its employees to go out of their way to help customers understand
what these products could do and how customers could get the most out of the products they purchased. Employees recognized that each customer was unique and thus determined the best method
to help that customer achieve maximum enjoyment from the product(s) purchased.
This case was prepared by Professor Alan N. Hoffman, Bentley University and Erasmus University. Copyright ©2010
by Alan N. Hoffman. The copyright holder is solely responsible for case content. Reprint permission is solely granted
to the publisher, Prentice Hall, for Strategic Management and Business Policy, 13th Edition (and the international and
electronic versions of this book) by the copyright holder, Alan N. Hoffman. Any other publication of the case (translation, any form of electronics or other media) or sale (any form of partnership) to another publisher will be in violation
of copyright law, unless Alan N. Hoffman has granted an additional written permission. Reprinted by permission.
The author would like to thank MBA students Kevin Clark, Leonard D’Andrea, Amanda Genesky, Geoff Merritt, Chris
Mudarri, and Dan Fowler for their research. No part of this publication may be copied, stored, transmitted, reproduced,
or distributed in any form or medium whatsoever without the permission of the copyright owner, Alan N. Hoffman.
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From a strategic standpoint, Best Buy moved from being a discount retailer (a low price
strategy) to a service-oriented firm that relied on a differentiation strategy. In 1989, Best
Buy changed the compensation structure for sales associates from commission-based to noncommissioned-based, which resulted in consumers having more control over the purchasing
process and in cost savings for the company (the number of sales associates was reduced). In 2005,
Best Buy took customer service a step further by moving from peddling gadgets to a customercentric operating model. It was now gearing up for another change to focus on store design and
providing products and services in line with customers’ desire for constant connectivity.
Company History2
From Sound of Music to Best Buy
Best Buy was originally known as Sound of Music. Incorporated in 1966, the company
started as a retailer of audio components and expanded to retailing video products in the early
1980s with the introduction of the videocassette recorder to its product line. In 1983, the company changed its name to Best Buy Co. Inc. (Best Buy). Shortly thereafter, Best Buy began
operating its existing stores under a “superstore” concept by expanding product offerings and
using mass marketing techniques to promote those products.
Best Buy dramatically altered the function of its sales staff in 1989. Previously, the sales
staff worked on a commission basis and was more proactive in assisting customers coming into
the stores as a result. Since 1989, however, the commission structure has been terminated and
sales associates have developed into educators that assist customers in learning about the products offered in the stores. The customer, to a large extent, took charge of the purchasing
process. The sales staff’s mission was to answer customer questions so that the customers
could decide which product(s) fit their needs. This differed greatly from their former mission
of simply generating sales.
In 2000, the company launched its online retail store: BestBuy.com. This allowed customers a choice between visiting a physical store and purchasing products online, thus expanding Best Buy’s reach among consumers.
Expansion Through Acquisitions
In 2000, Best Buy began a series of acquisitions to expand its offerings and enter international
markets:
2000: Best Buy acquired Magnolia Hi-Fi Inc., a high-end retailer of audio and video products
and services, which became Magnolia Audio Video in 2004. This acquisition allowed
Best Buy access to a set of upscale customers.
2001: Best Buy entered the international market with the acquisition of Future Shop Ltd, a
leading consumer electronics retailer in Canada. This helped Best Buy increase revenues,
gain market share, and leverage operational expertise. The same year, Best Buy also
opened its first Canadian store. In the same year, the company purchased Musicland, a
mall-centered music retailer throughout the United States (divested in 2003).
2002: Best Buy acquired Geek Squad, a computer repair service provider, to help develop a
technological support system for customers. The retailer began by incorporating in-store
Geek Squad centers in its 28 Minnesota stores and expanding nationally and then internationally in subsequent years.
CASE 24
Best Buy Co. Inc.: Sustainable Customer Centricity Model?
24-3
2005: Best Buy opened the first Magnolia Home Theater “store-within-a-store” (located
within the Best Buy complex).
2006: Best Buy acquired Pacific Sales Kitchen and Bath Centers Inc. to develop a new customer base: builders and remodelers. The same year, Best Buy also acquired a 75% stake
in Jiangsu Five Star Appliance Co., Ltd, a China-based appliance and consumer electronics retailer. This enabled the company to access the Chinese retail market and led to the
opening of the first Best Buy China store on January 26, 2007.
2007: Best Buy acquired Speakeasy Inc., a provider of broadband, voice, data, and information technology services, to further its offering of technological solutions for customers.
2008: Through a strategic alliance with the Carphone Warehouse Group, a UK-based provider
of mobile phones, accessories, and related services, Best Buy Mobile was developed.
After acquiring a 50% share in Best Buy Europe (with 2,414 stores) from the Carphone
Warehouse, Best Buy intended to open small-store formats across Europe in 2011.3 Best
Buy also acquired Napster, a digital download provider, through a merger to counter the
falling sales of compact discs. The first Best Buy Mexico store was opened.
2009: Best Buy acquired the remaining 25% of Jiangsu Five Star. Best Buy Mobile moved into
Canada.
Industry Environment
Industry Overview
Despite the negative impact the financial crisis had on economies worldwide, in 2008 the consumer electronics industry managed to grow to a record high of US$694 billion in sales—a
nearly 14% increase over 2007. In years immediately prior, the growth rate was similar: 14%
in 2007 and 17% in 2006. This momentum, however, did not last. Sales dropped 2% in 2009,
the first decline in 20 years for the electronics giant.
A few product segments, including televisions, gaming, mobile phones, and Blu-ray players, drove sales for the company. Television sales, specifically LCD units, which accounted for
77% of total television sales, were the main driver for Best Buy, as this segment alone accounted for 15% of total industry revenues. The gaming segment continued to be a bright spot
for the industry as well, as sales were expected to have tremendous room for growth. Smartphones were another electronics industry segment predicted to have a high growth impact on
the entire industry.
The consumer electronics industry had significant potential for expansion into the global
marketplace. There were many untapped markets, especially newly developing countries.
These markets were experiencing the fastest economic growth while having the lowest ownership rate for gadgets.4 Despite the recent economic downturn, the future for this industry was
optimistic. A consumer electronics analyst for the European Market Research Institute predicted that the largest growth will be seen in China (22%), the Middle East (20%), Russia
(20%), and South America (17%).5
Barriers to Entry
As globalization spread and use of the Internet grew, barriers to entering the consumer electronics industry were diminished. When the industry was dominated by brick-and-mortar companies, obtaining the large capital resources needed for entry into the market was a barrier for
those looking to gain any significant market share. Expanding a business meant purchasing or
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leasing large stores that incurred high initial and overhead costs. However, the Internet significantly reduced the capital requirements needed to enter the industry. Companies like Amazon.
com and Dell utilized the Internet to their advantage and gained valuable market share.
The shift toward Internet purchasing also negated another once strong barrier to entry: customer loyalty. The trend was that consumers would research products online to determine which
one they intended to purchase and then shop around on the Internet for the lowest possible price.
Even though overall barriers were diminished, there were still a few left, which a company
like Best Buy used to its advantage. The first, and most significant, was economies of scale. With
over 1,000 locations, Best Buy used its scale to obtain cost advantages from suppliers due to high
quantity of orders. Another advantage was in advertising. Large firms had the ability to increase
advertising budgets to deter new entrants into the market. Smaller companies generally did not
have the marketing budgets for massive television campaigns, which were still one of the most
effective marketing strategies available to retailers. Although Internet sales were growing, the
industry was still dominated by brick-and-mortar stores. Most consumers looking for electronics—
especially major electronics—felt a need to actually see their prospective purchases in person.
Having the ability to spend heavily on advertising helped increase foot traffic to these stores.
Internal Environment
Finance
While Best Buy’s increase in revenue was encouraging (see Exhibit 1), recent growth had
been fueled largely by acquisition, especially Best Buy’s fiscal year 2009 revenue growth. At
the same time, net income and operating margins had been declining (see Exhibits 2 and 3).
Although this could be a function of increased costs, it was more likely due to pricing pressure. Given the current adverse economic conditions, prices of many consumer electronic
products had been forced down by economic and competitive pressures. These lower prices
caused margins to decline, negatively affecting net income and operating margins.
$20,000
$15,000
In Millions
EXHIBIT 1
Quarterly Sales,
Best Buy Co., Inc.
2005
2006
2007
$10,000
2008
2009
$5,000
$0
2010
1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
SOURCE: Best Buy Co., Inc.
EXHIBIT 2
$1,000
2005
$800
In Millions
Quarterly Net
Income,
Best Buy Co., Inc.
2006
$600
2007
$400
2008
2009
$200
2010
$0
1st Qtr
SOURCE: Best Buy Co., Inc.
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
CASE 24
Best Buy Co. Inc.: Sustainable Customer Centricity Model?
24-5
EXHIBIT 3
10.00%
Operating Margin,
Best Buy Co., Inc.
8.00%
2006
6.00%
2007
4.00%
2008
2005
2009
2.00%
2010
0.00%
1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
SOURCE: Best Buy Co., Inc.
$2,000
$1,500
In Millions
EXHIBIT 4
Long Term Debt
and Cash,
Best Buy Co., Inc.
Long term Debit
Cash
$1,000
$500
$0
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
SOURCE: Best Buy Co., Inc.
EXHIBIT 5
Accounts Receivable
and Inventory,
Best Buy Co., Inc.
$5,000
$4,000
Inventory
Accounts receivable
$3,000
$2,000
$1,000
$0
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
SOURCE: Best Buy Co., Inc.
Best Buy’s long-term debt increased substantially from fiscal 2008 to 2009 (see Exhibit 4),
which was primarily due to the acquisition of Napster and Best Buy Europe. The trend in available cash has been a mirror image of long-term debt. Available cash increased from fiscal 2005
to 2008 and then was substantially lower in 2009 for the same reason.
While the change in available cash and long-term debt were not desirable, the bright side
was that this situation was due to the acquisition of assets, which led to a significant increase
in revenue for the company. Ultimately, the decreased availability of cash would seem to be
temporary due to the circumstances. The more troubling concern was the decline in net income
and operating margins, which Best Buy needed to find a way to turn around. If the problems
with net income and operating margins were fixed, the trends in cash and long-term debt would
also begin to turn around.
At first blush, the increase in accounts receivable and inventory was not necessarily alarming since revenues were increasing during this same time period (see Exhibit 5). However,
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closer inspection revealed a 1% increase in inventory from fiscal 2008 to 2009 and a 12.5% increase in revenue accompanied by a 240% increase in accounts receivable. This created a potential risk for losses due to bad debts. (For complete financial statements, see Exhibits 6 and 7.)
Marketing
Best Buy’s marketing goals were four-fold: (1) to market various products based on the customer
centricity operating model, (2) to address the needs of customer lifestyle groups, (3) to be at the
forefront of technological advances, and (4) to meet customer needs with end-to-end solutions.
Best Buy prided itself on customer centricity that catered to specific customer needs and
behaviors. Over the years, the retailer created a portfolio of products and services that complemented one another and added to the success of the business. These products included seven
distinct brands domestically, as well as other brands and stores internationally:
Best Buy: This brand offered a wide variety of consumer electronics, home office products,
entertainment software, appliances, and related services.
Best Buy Mobile: These stand-alone stores offered a wide selection of mobile phones, accessories, and related e-services in small-format stores.
Geek Squad: This brand provided residential and commercial product repair, support, and installation services both in-store and on-site.
Magnolia Audio Video: This brand offered high-end audio and video products and related
services.
Napster: This brand was an online provider of digital music.
Pacific Sales: This brand offered high-end home improvement products primarily including
appliances, consumer electronics, and related services.
Speakeasy: This brand provided broadband, voice, data, and information technology services
to small businesses.
Starting in 2005, Best Buy initiated a strategic transition to a customer-centric operating model,
which was completed in 2007. Prior to 2005, the company focused on customer groups such as affluent professional males, young entertainment enthusiasts, upscale suburban mothers, and technologically advanced families.6 After the transition, Best Buy focused more on customer lifestyle
groups such as affluent suburban families, trendsetting urban dwellers, and the closely knit families of Middle America.7 To target these various segments, Best Buy acquired firms with aligned
strategies, which were used as a competitive advantage against its strongest competition, such as
Circuit City and Wal-Mart. The acquisitions of Pacific Sales, Speakeasy, and Napster, along with
the development of Best Buy Mobile, created more product offerings, which led to more profits.
Marketing these different types of products and services was a difficult task. That was why
Best Buy’s employees had more training than competitors. This knowledge service was a valueadded competitive advantage. Since the sales employees no longer operated on a commission-based
pay structure, consumers could obtain knowledge from salespeople without being subjected to
high-pressure sales techniques. This was generally seen to enhance customer shopping satisfaction.
Operations
Best Buy’s operating goals included increasing revenues by growing its customer base, gaining more market share internationally, successfully implementing marketing and sales strategies in Europe, and having multiple brands for different customer lifestyles through M&A
(Merger and Acquisition).
Domestic Best Buy store operations were organized into eight territories, with each territory divided into districts. A retail field officer oversaw store performance through district
CASE 24
Best Buy Co. Inc.: Sustainable Customer Centricity Model?
24-7
managers, who met with store employees on a regular basis to discuss operations strategies
such as loyalty programs, sales promotion, and new product introductions.8 Along with domestic operations, Best Buy had an international operation segment, originally established in
connection with the acquisition of Canada-based Future Shop.9
In fiscal 2009, Best Buy opened up 285 new stores in addition to the European acquisition of 2,414 Best Buy Europe stores, relocated 34 stores, and closed 67 stores.
Human Resources
The objectives of Best Buy’s human resources department were to provide consumers with
the right knowledge of products and services, to portray the company’s vision and strategy
on an everyday basis, and to educate employees on the ins and outs of new products and services. Best Buy employees were required to be ethical and knowledgeable. This principle
started within the top management structure and filtered down from the retail field officer
through district managers, and through store managers to the employees on the floor. Every
employee must have the company’s vision embedded in their service and attitude.
Despite Best Buy’s efforts to train an ethical and knowledgeable employee force, there were
some allegations and controversy over Best Buy employees, which gave the company a bad black
eye in the public mind. One lawsuit claimed that Best Buy employees had misrepresented the
manufacturer’s warranty in order to sell its own product service and replacement plan. The lawsuit accused Best Buy of “entering into a corporate-wide scheme to institute high-pressure sales
techniques involving the extended warranties” and “using artificial barriers to discourage consumers who purchased the ‘complete extended warranties’ from making legitimate claims.”10
In a more recent case (March 2009), the U.S. District Court granted Class Action certification to allow plaintiffs to sue Best Buy for violating its “Price Match” policy. According to
the ruling, the plaintiffs alleged that Best Buy employees would aggressively deny consumers
the ability to apply the company’s “price match guarantee.”11 The suit also alleged that Best
Buy had an undisclosed “Anti-Price Matching Policy,” where the company told its employees
not to allow price matches and gave financial bonuses to employees who complied.
Competition
Brick-and-Mortar Competitors
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, with revenues over US$405 billion, operated worldwide and offered a diverse product mix with a focus on being a low-cost provider.
In recent years, Wal-Mart increased its focus on grabbing market share in the consumer electronics industry. In the wake of Circuit City’s liquidation,12 Wal-Mart was stepping up efforts
by striking deals with Nintendo and Apple that would allow each company to have their own
in-store displays. Wal-Mart also considered using Smartphones and laptop computers to drive
growth.13 It was refreshing 3,500 of its electronics departments and was beginning to offer a
wider and higher range of electronic products. These efforts should help Wal-Mart appeal to
the customer segment looking for high quality at the lowest possible price.14
GameStop Corp. was the leading video game retailer with sales of almost US$9 billion as
of January 2009, in a forecasted US$22 billion industry. GameStop operated over 6,000 stores
throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe, as a retailer of both new and used
video game products including hardware, software, and gaming accessories.15
The advantage GameStop had over Best Buy was the number of locations: 6,207
GameStop locations compared to 1,023 Best Buy locations. However, Best Buy seemed to
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have what it took to overcome this advantage—deep pockets. With significantly higher net income, Best Buy could afford to take a hit to its margins and undercut GameStop prices.16
RadioShack Corp. was a retailer of consumer electronic goods and services including flat
panel televisions, telephones, computers, and consumer electronic accessories. Although the
company grossed revenues of over US$4 billion from 4,453 locations, RadioShack consistently lost market share to Best Buy. Consumers had a preference for RadioShack for audio
and video components, yet preferred Best Buy for their big box purchases.17
Second tier competitors were rapidly increasing. Wholesale shopping units were becoming more popular, and companies such as Costco and BJ’s had increased their piece of the consumer electronics pie over the past few years. After Circuit City’s bankruptcy, mid-level
electronics retailers like HH Gregg and Ultimate Electronics were scrambling to grab Circuit
City’s lost market share. Ultimate Electronics, owned by Mark Wattles, who was a major investor in Circuit City, had a leg up on his competitors. Wattles was on Circuit City’s board of
executives and had firsthand access to profitable Circuit City stores. Ultimate Electronics
planned to expand its operations by at least 20 stores in the near future.
Online Competitors
Amazon.com Inc., since 1994, had grown into the United States’ largest online retailer with
revenues of over US$19 billion in 2008 by providing just about any product imaginable
through its popular website. Created as an online bookstore, Amazon soon ventured out into
various consumer electronic product categories including computers, televisions, software,
video games, and much more.18
Amazon.com gained an advantage over its supercenter competitors as Amazon was able to
maintain a lower cost structure compared to brick-and-mortar companies such as Best Buy. Amazon was able to push those savings through to its product pricing and selection/diversification.
With an increasing trend in the consumer electronic industry to shop online, Amazon.com was
positioned perfectly to maintain strong market growth and potentially steal some market share
away from Best Buy.
Netflix Inc. was an online video rental service, offering selections of DVDs and Blu-ray
discs. Since its establishment in 1997, Netflix had grown into a US$1.4 billion company. With
over 100,000 titles in its collection, the company shipped for free to approximately 10 million
subscribers. Netflix began offering streaming downloads through its website, which eliminated the need to wait for a DVD to arrive.
Netflix was quickly changing the DVD market, which had dramatically impacted brickand-mortar stores such as Blockbuster and Hollywood Video and retailers who offered DVDs
for sale. In a responsive move, Best Buy partnered with CinemaNow to enter the digital movie
distribution market and counter Netflix and other video rental providers.19
Core Competencies
Customer Centricity Model
Most players in the consumer electronics industry focused on delivering products at the lowest cost (Wal-Mart—brick-and-mortar, Amazon—web-based). Best Buy, however, took a different approach by providing customers with highly trained sales associates who were
available to educate customers regarding product features. This allowed customers to make
informed buying decisions on big-ticket items. In addition, with the Geek Squad, Best Buy
was able to offer and provide installation services, product repair, and ongoing support. In
short, Best Buy provided an end-to-end solution for its customers.
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Best Buy Co. Inc.: Sustainable Customer Centricity Model?
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Best Buy used its customer centricity model, which was built around a significant database of customer information, to construct a diversified portfolio of product offerings. This allowed the company to offer different products in different stores in a manner that matched
customer needs. This in turn helped keep costs lower by shipping the correct inventory to the
correct locations. Since Best Buy’s costs were increased by the high level of training needed
for sales associates and service professionals, it had been important that the company remain
vigilant in keeping costs down wherever it can without sacrificing customer experience.
The tremendous breadth of products and services Best Buy was able to provide allowed
customers to purchase all components for a particular need within the Best Buy family. For example, if a customer wanted to set up a first-rate audio-visual room at home, he or she could
go to the Magnolia Home Theater store-within-a-store at any Best Buy location and use the
knowledge of the Magnolia or Best Buy associate in the television and audio areas to determine which television and surround sound theater system best fit their needs. The customer
could then employ a Geek Squad employee to install and set up the television and home theater system. None of Best Buy’s competitors offered this extensive level of service.
Successful Acquisitions
Through its series of acquisitions, Best Buy had gained valuable experience in the process of
integrating companies under the Best Buy family. The ability to effectively determine where
to expand was important to the company’s ability to differentiate itself in the marketplace.
Additionally, Best Buy was also successfully integrating employees from acquired companies. Best Buy had a significant global presence, which was important because of the maturing domestic market. This global presence provided the company with insights into
worldwide trends in the consumer electronics industry and afforded access to newly developing markets. Best Buy used this insight to test products in different markets in its constant effort to meet and anticipate customer needs.
Retaining Talent
Analyzing Circuit City’s demise, many experts concluded one of the major reasons for the
company’s downfall was that Circuit City let go of their most senior and well-trained sales
staff in order to cut costs. Best Buy, on the other hand, had a reputation for retaining talent
and was widely recognized for its superior service. Highly trained sales professionals had become a unique resource in the consumer electronics industry, where technology was changing at an unprecedented rate, and was a significant source of competitive advantage.
Challenges Ahead
Economic Downturn
Electronics retailers like Best Buy sold products that could be described as “discretionary
items, rather than necessities.”20 During economic recessions, however, consumers had less
disposable income to spend. While there was optimism about a possible economic turnaround
in 2010 or 2011, if the economy continued to stumble, this could present a real threat to sellers of discretionary products.
In order to increase sales revenues, many retailers, including Best Buy, offered customers
low interest financing through their private-label credit cards. These promotions were tremendously successful for Best Buy. From 2007 to 2009, these private-label credit card purchases
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accounted for 16%–18% of Best Buy’s domestic revenue. Due to the credit crisis, however, the
Federal Reserve issued new regulations that could restrict companies from offering deferred
interest financing to customers. If Best Buy and other retailers were unable to extend these
credit lines, it could have a tremendous negative impact on future revenues.21
Pricing and Debt Management
The current depressed economic conditions, technological advances, and increased competition
put a tremendous amount of pricing pressure on many consumer electronics products. This was a
concern for all companies in this industry. The fact that Best Buy did not compete strictly on price
structure alone made this an even bigger concern. Given the higher costs that Best Buy incurred
training employees, any pricing pressure that decreased margins put stress on Best Buy’s financial strength. In addition, the recent acquisition of Napster and the 50% stake in Best Buy Europe
significantly increased Best Buy’s debt and reduced available cash. Even in prosperous times, debt
management was a key factor in any company’s success, and it became even more important during the economic downturn. (See Exhibits 6 and 7 for Best Buy’s financial statements.)
Products and Service
As technology improved, product life cycles, as well as prices, decreased. As a result, margins decreased. Under Best Buy’s service model, shorter product life cycles increased training costs. Employees were forced to learn new products with higher frequency. This was not
only costly but also increased the likelihood that employees would make mistakes, thereby
tarnishing Best Buy’s service record and potentially damaging one of its most important,
if not the most important, differentiators. In addition, more resources would be directed at
research of new products to make sure Best Buy continued to offer the products consumers
desire.
One social threat to the retail industry was the growing popularity of the online marketplace. Internet shoppers could browse sites searching for the best deals on specific products.
This technology allowed consumers to become more educated about their purchases, while
creating increased downward price pressure. Ambitious consumers could play the role of a
Best Buy associate themselves by doing product comparisons and information gathering without a trip to the store. This emerging trend created a direct threat to companies like Best Buy,
which had 1,023 stores in its domestic market alone. One way Best Buy tried to continue the
demand for brick-and-mortar locations and counter the threat of Internet-based competition
was by providing value-added services in stores. Customer service, repairs, and interactive
product displays were just a few examples of these services.22
Leadership
The two former CEOs of Best Buy, Richard Shultze and Brad Anderson, were extremely successful at making the correct strategic moves at the appropriate times. With Brad Anderson
stepping aside in June 2009, Brian Dunn replaced him as the new CEO. Although Dunn
worked for the company for 24 years and held the key positions of COO and President during his tenure, the position of CEO brought him to a whole new level and presented new challenges, especially during the economic downturn. He was charged with leading Best Buy into
the world of increased connectivity. This required a revamping of products and store setups
to serve customers in realizing their connectivity needs. This was a daunting task for an experienced CEO, let alone a new CEO who had never held the position.
EXHIBIT 6 Consolidated Balance Sheets, Best Buy Co., Inc.
$ in millions, except per share and share amounts
February 28, 2009
ASSETS
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
Short-term investments
Receivables
Merchandise inventories
Other current assets
March 1, 2008
$498
11
1,868
4,753
1,062
$1,438
64
549
4,708
583
8,192
7,342
755
2,013
4,060
112
732
1,752
3,057
67
Less accumulated depreciation
6,940
2,766
5,608
2,302
Net property and equipment
Goodwill
Tradenames
Customer Relationships
Equity and Other Investments
Other Assets
4,174
2,203
173
322
395
367
3,306
1,088
97
5
605
315
$15,826
$12,758
$4,997
479
459
1,382
281
783
54
$4,297
531
373
975
404
156
33
8,435
1,109
1,126
513
6,769
838
627
40
—
—
41
41
205
4,714
(317)
8
3,933
502
4,643
4,484
$15,826
$12,758
Total current assets
Property and Equipment:
Land and buildings
Leasehold improvements
Fixtures and equipment
Property under capital lease
Total Assets
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable
Unredeemed gift card liabilities
Accrued compensation and related expenses
Accrued liabilities
Accrued income taxes
Short-term debt
Current portion of long-term debt
Total current liabilities
Long-Term Liabilities
Long-Term Debt
Minority Interests
Shareholders’ Equity:
Preferred stock, $1.00 par value: Authorized — 400,000 shares; Issued
and outstanding — none
Common stock, $0.10 par value: Authorized — 1.0 billion shares; Issued and
outstanding — 413,684,000 and 410,578,000 shares, respectively
Additional paid-in capital
Retained earnings
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income
Total shareholders’ equity
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
SOURCE: Best Buy Co., Inc. 2009 Form 10-K, p. 56.
24-11
24-12
SECTION D
Industry Six—Specialty Retailing
EXHIBIT 7 Consolidated Statements of Earnings, Best Buy Co., Inc.
$ in millions, except per share amounts
February 28,
2009
March 1,
2008
March 3,
2007
$45,015
34,017
$40,023
30,477
$35,934
27,165
10,998
8,984
78
66
9,546
7,385
—
—
8,769
6,770
—
—
Operating income
Other income (expense)
Investment income and other
Investment impairment
Interest expense
1,870
2,161
1,999
35
(111)
(94)
129
—
(62)
162
—
(31)
Earnings before income tax expense, minority
interests and equity in income (loss) of affiliates
Income tax expense
1,700
2,228
2,130
Fiscal Years Ended
Revenue
Cost of goods sold
Gross profit
Selling, general and administrative expenses
Restructuring charges
Goodwill and tradename impairment
Minority interests in earnings
Equity in income (loss) of affiliates
Net earnings
Earnings per share
Basic
Diluted
Weighted-average common shares outstanding
(in millions)
Basic
Diluted
674
815
752
(30)
(3)
(1)
7
(3)
—
$1,003
$1,407
$1,377
$2.43
$2.39
$3.20
$3.12
$2.86
$2.79
412.5
422.9
439.9
452.9
482.1
496.2
SOURCE: Best Buy Co., Inc. 2009 Form 10-K, p. 57.
Wal-Mart
Best Buy saw its largest rival, Circuit City, go bankrupt. However, a new archrival, Wal-Mart,
was expanding into consumer electronics and stepping up competition in a price war Wal-Mart
hoped to win. Best Buy needed to face the competition not by lowering prices, but by coming
up with something really different. Best Buy had to determine the correct path to improve its
ability to differentiate itself from competitors, which was increasingly difficult given an
adverse economic climate and the company’s financial stress. How Best Buy could maintain
innovative products, top-notch employees, and superior customer service while facing increased competition and operational costs was an open question.
CASE 24
Best Buy Co. Inc.: Sustainable Customer Centricity Model?
24-13
NOTES
1. Best Buy Co. Inc., Form 10-K. Securities and Exchange Com-
13. Z. Bissonnette, “Wal-Mart Looks to Expand Electronics
mission, February 28, 2009.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Greg Keller, “Threat Grows by Ipod and Laptop,” The Columbus Dispatch, May 18, 2009, http://www.dispatch.com/live/
content/business/stories/2009/05/18/greener_gadgets.
ART_ART_05-18-09_A9_TMDSJR8.html (July 10, 2009).
Larry Magid, “Consumer Electronics: The Future Looks
Bright,” CBSNews.com. May 2, 2008, http://www.cbsnews
.com/stories/2008/05/02/scitech/pcanswer/main4067008.shtml
(July 10, 2009).
Best Buy Co. Inc., Form 10-K, 2009.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, “They’re Making a Federal Case Out of It . . . in State Court,” Civil Justice Report 3. 2001,
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cjr_3_part2.htm.
“Best Buy Bombshell,” HD Guru, March 21, 2009, http://
hdguru.com/best-buy-bombshell/400/.
Circuit City Stores Inc. was an American retailer in brand-name
consumer electronics, personal computers, entertainment software, and (until 2000) large appliances. The company opened
its first store in 1949 and liquidated its final American retail
stores in 2009 following a bankruptcy filing and subsequent
failure to find a buyer. At the time of liquidation, Circuit City
was the second largest U.S. electronics retailer, after Best Buy.
Business,” Bloggingstocks.com, May 18, 2009, http://www
.bloggingstocks.com/2009/05/18/wal-mart-looks-to-expand
-electronics-business/.
N. Maestrie, “Wal-Mart Steps Up Consumer Electronics Push,”
Reuters, May 19, 2009, http://www.reuters.com/article/technology
News/idUSTRE54I4TR20090519.
Capital IQ, “GameStop Corp. Corporate Tearsheet,” Capital
IQ, 2009.
E. Sherman, “GameStop Faces Pain from Best Buy, downloading,” BNET Technology, June 24, 2009, http://industry
.bnet.com/technology/10002329/gamestop-faces-pain-from
-best-buy-downloading/.
T. Van Riper, “RadioShack Gets Slammed,” Forbes.com,
February 17, 2006, http://www.forbes.com/2006/02/17/
radioshack-edmondson-retail_cx_tr_0217radioshack.html.
Capital IQ, “Amazon.com Corporate Tearsheet,” Capital IQ,
2009.
T. Kee, “Netflix Beware: Best Buy Adds Digital Downloads
with CinemaNow Deal,” paidContent.org. June 5, 2009,
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-best-buy-adds-digital-moviedownloads-with-cinemanow-deal/.
Best Buy Co., Inc., Form 10-K, 2009.
Ibid.
Ibid.
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14.
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