Daily Show Publicity

Jeff Bezos - Founder and CEO of Amazon.com goes on John Stewart's the Daily Show to discuss the release of Kindle 2. Not your typical corporate guru, Jeff comes across as just another laid back tech guy who likes gadgets and inspires creativity. I don't think I have seen a mastermind behind a billion dollar company laugh this hard after being on the Daily Show's hot seat. Just goes to show you that he is not your typical Founder/CEO leading a not so typical company towards success.



Jeff's interview is 14:21 into the show.

Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and a HUGE Threat to Amazon.com!

Here it is, Amazon.com's newest threat, the Plastic Logic Reader. Amazon's recent release of the Kindle 2 reading device has e-book readers in amazement, but here is a THREAT that could cut into their market share. It is called the Plastic Logic Reader and is 8.5 X 11 in., essentially a piece of paper. It could challenge Amazon.com further to break new technological limits and create an increase in the type of technology available for digital readers.

CEO Speaks Out

Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com's CEO goes on CNBC to speak to the attributes of their new Kindle 2 reading device and the recent success the company is seeing. Jeff is a highly visible and very hands on oriented CEO and his success at Amazon can be attributed to his curve jumping foresight.

Stock Price ( 61.71) at 3:05pm

#1 in Customer Service

Business Week recently voted Amazon.com as #1 in its annual "Customer Service Champs" rankings. Given that Amazon.com has fared well these past few months, I dug up an article, How Amazon Aims to Keep You Clicking, which described one woman's experience with getting what she paid for.

As Amazon.com continues to play off of its strengths, their customer customization and differentiation, and capitalize on opportunities like their e-book initiative and upcoming release of Kindle 2, it will be interesting to see how it pays for both customer and shareholder.

Stock Price : $63.86 (+3.08% for Friday)

Making moves....

Amazon recently just implemented two strategies that will place them in a strong position entering the last month of Q1.

1) An online Mp3 store
2) E-books offered strictly for the Kindle device will now be offered on a range of mobile phones

These two changes come after criticism that Amazon.com would box itself into its current position and mistakenly place itself at risk. With these new strategies it could see increased profits in the face of this financial crisis, only time will tell.

Board & Financial Transparency

In order for Amazon.com to increase transparency and shareholder understanding, it held a conference call that was webcast live and remains available for 3 months post airing. The call contained forward-looking statements and other material information regarding financial and operating results. Also the company is pushing shareholders to vote online and receive materials electronically in order to cut costs and become more Eco-friendly, which ultimately benefits the shareholder.

Amazon's beating the crisis

While many companies have been hard hit by the financial crisis, Amazon has seen improvements in their bottom line. According to Amazon.com's Q4 financial report, sales were up 18% while 2008 free cash flow grew 16%. On January 29 they posted their Q4 results with descriptive forecasts of these positive results (Q4 Results)

Amazon.com's Stock Price as of Friday Feb 20, 2009 ($63.86)

S&P Raises Amazon's Debt Rating

During my analysis of Maytag and Amazon's financial stability, I ran across this article on bloomberg.com. Amazon.com's investment rating was raised two levels due to the company's sales and profit last quarter. In the mix of the financial crisis, Amazon.com has been able to position itself positively and capture the "bargain shoppers" perusing the Internet for the best value they can find. Although stock performance hit a low of $35.72 per share in Nov., it has climbed to $63.23 as of Feb. 13. This increase can translate into the confidence investors see in Amazon.com's direction and current stability in a shaky economy.

Mission Statement

Surrounding a discussion on mission statements and their effectiveness, we set out to find our individually chosen company's mission. In a letter to shareholders in 1997, or better known as Amazonians, they outlined 5 focuses towards success:

1. Focus relentlessly on their customers
2. Make bold investment decisions in light of long-term leadership considerations rather than short-term profitability
3. Focus on cash
4. Work hard to spend wisely and maintain our lean culture.
5. Focus on hiring and retaining versatile and talented employees, and weight their compensation to significant stock ownership rather than cash.

Amazonians can find comfort in knowing that their diversified board consists of 9 directors and 12 officers, with Jeffrey P. Bezos being the President, CEO and Chairman of the board. Official info on Amazon's Investor Relations can be found at: Amazon

Amazon Introduces Kindle 2

Amazon launched Monday, Feb. 9, a beta version of its electronic portable reading device, the Kindle 2. A little over a year ago, Amazon introduced a portable reading device that would all readers to store up to 1,000 books in a digital format. With a high contrast screen, long battery life and online capabilities to Amazon.com's endless book inventories, the Kindle and Kindle 2 are breaking into the electronic book market. 

Kindle 2's release has already seen high responses on blogs and been received with mixed reviews. Those who have currently ordered a Kindle 1 were greeted with a message from Amazon stating that they will have the first opportunity at purchasing the Kindle 2, while those on back order have been automatically upgraded.

Specs and info on Kindle 1 & 2