As America witnesses the fall of the once world's largest retail chain, SEARS\u2026 Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder warns his staff that like SEARS:<\/p>\n
\n\"Amazon is not too big to fail \u2026 In fact, I predict one day Amazon will fail. Amazon will go bankrupt. If you look at large companies, their lifespans tend to be 30-plus years, not a hundred-plus years,\u201d Bezos told staff, according to a recording that was heard by CNBC. <\/p>\n
Rushe, D. (2018, November 16). Jeff Bezos tells employees 'one day Amazon will fail'. The Guardian<\/em>. Retrieved November 17, 2018, from https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2018\/nov\/16\/jeff-bezos-amazon-will-fail-recording-report <\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The world\u2019s richest man made this surprising warning that Amazon, currently valued just short of $1tn and regarded as the most fearsome retailer on the planet, would one day face its own demise<\/p>\n
\nBezos said, Amazon would have to \u201cobsess over customers\u201d and avoid looking inward. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf we start to focus on ourselves instead of focusing on our customers, that will be the beginning of the end,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to try and delay that day for as long as possible.<\/p>\n
Rushe, D. (2018, November 16). Jeff Bezos tells employees 'one day Amazon will fail'. The Guardia<\/em>n. Retrieved November 17, 2018, from https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2018\/nov\/16\/jeff-bezos-amazon-will-fail-recording-report <\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Informational Insights: Realities of Power<\/h2>\n
\nBezos\u2019s frank admission of mortality come in a tough week for the tech giant. On Tuesday Amazon announced the location of its new headquarters \u2013 one in Queens, New York, and another in Arlington, Virginia.<\/p>\n
The announcement came after a hard-fought beauty parade between cities across the US who offered billions on subsidies and investments to woo Amazon.<\/p>\n
But New York residents in particular<\/a> have been outraged by the size of the corporate welfare package offered to Amazon. \u201cThe governor and the mayor have decided to throw Jeff Bezos almost $3bn in subsidies and tax breaks \u2013 and throw in a helipad so he doesn\u2019t have to take the damn 7 train,\u201d said city councilman Jimmy Van Bramer<\/a>, who represents Long Island City.<\/p>\n
Amazon is also facing a global backlash over the sheer scale of its business. European regulators have opened an antitrust investigation into the company\u2019s use of data. In the US, where Amazon is shortly expected to account for 50% of all e-commerce, there have been calls to break the company up.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Rushe, D. (2018, November 16). Jeff Bezos tells employees 'one day Amazon will fail'. The Guardian<\/em>. Retrieved November 17, 2018, from https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2018\/nov\/16\/jeff-bezos-amazon-will-fail-recording-report <\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Additional insight comes in light of the poor working conditions that employees face - from the top down. A culture \"customer obsessed\" only cares about their bottom line and not their front end. <\/p>\n
\nAmazon has rejected criticism of its business practices, claiming that it provides decent jobs<\/a> and prioritizes workers\u2019 safety<\/a>, while aggressively thwarting \u201cinterference\u201d from unions. Yet studies on the long-term impact of Amazon distribution centers<\/a> on local markets show they may often have the net effect of displacing higher wage blue-collar and retail jobs<\/a>, while undermining local small businesses. <\/p>\n
Frustration with Amazon\u2019s local impacts has gone global. Distribution workers in Europe and the United Kingdom recently staged demonstrations and strikes against \u201crobot\u201d-like labor practices and low wages. And in the United States, communities where Amazon has become a dominant employer are lashing out at executive Jeff Bezos, whose astronomical wealth contrasts glaringly with the lives of hundreds of thousands of Amazon workers<\/a>, who might earn as little as $11.50 per hour<\/a>. <\/p>\n
According to Hibaq Mohamed, one of several East African immigrant workers at an Amazon facility in Shakopee, Minnesota, her community is being pushed into crisis<\/a> by a punishing work system. As an organizer with the worker center Awood, which has been organizing area workers<\/a> with support from SEIU, she says the pressures of the workplace even haunt coworkers at night. \u201cThey say, \u2018When we have [a] schedule [for work] tomorrow, we do not sleep at night. We dream [of] what we\u2019re doing. We dream of the boxes that we do\u2026. Sometimes they say, \u2018We did not sleep last night, because we\u2019re worried about the future.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n
The workers are more than willing to work, Mohamed says, if Amazon would simply provide a healthy, decent workplace, where workers are comfortable taking a prayer break without fearing of getting punished for missing their production target: \u201cWe don\u2019t want to go home and feel sick, feel pressure\u2026. We love to work at Amazon, but we need [to be] equal, to be treated as human beings.\u201d <\/p>\n
Chen, M. (2018, December 21). Is This the Turning Point in the Fight Against Amazon? The Nation.<\/em> Retrieved December 22, 2018, from https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/amazon-workers-labor-prime\/<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
We have to question the logic of Bezos' customer centric approach. While it is important to focus on the customer, if we fail to nurture ALL STAKEHOLDERS that impact the business, how can be ensure our survival. <\/p>\n
Possibilities for Consideration: ALL People Matter, NOT Just Consumers<\/h2>\n
ALL STAKEHOLDERS MATTER! Employees, manufacturers, providers and customers matter. <\/p>\n
Replacing people with robots may remove some of the responsibility of creating a pleasant human centered<\/em> work culture, however, the question is how do organizations like Amazon ensure customer support and loyalty if their employees are being motivated by fear and being treated less than?<\/em> <\/p>\n
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- How can Amazon change their corporate image, do they even want too?<\/li>\n
- How can retailers compete with Amazon in terms of price, quality and loyalty?<\/li>\n
- How can retailers drive customers to their sites and support services? <\/li>\n
- How can retailers compete with such a giant?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Add Your Insight: Unite and Collaborate<\/h2>\n
The Co-Lab™<\/sup><\/strong> Platform has the power and intelligence to neutralize social cultural challenges and reinstate trust-based cultures that embrace diversity. It provides intelligent insight<\/em> to the community through a process that allows adversity to fuel diversity through social enterprise and structured collaboration. Get involved today, and make your impact! <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"