The text book for the class is:
Thompson, A., Strickland, A., Gamble, J. (2012). Crafting and Executing Strategy; The Quest for Competitive Advantage: Concepts and Cases, 18ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
I suggest you do the following:
1. Download and read the “Guide to Case Analysis” in the Resources area located under Course Tools to the left of the screen. (I attached this)
2. Read the Case Study in your textbook entitled “Competition among the North American Warehouse Clubs: Costco Wholesale versus Sam’s Club versus BJ’s Wholesale.” (I found a copy of this in this link http://prezi.com/loxsqcwhumkp/copy-of-competition-among-the-north-american-warehouse-clubs-costco-wholesale-versus-sams-club-versus-bjs-wholesale/ )
3. View the following videos and visit the following websites to gain a thorough understanding of the case and supporting materials.
a. In the Club: Saving Bucks at Wholesale Stores –
http://bevideos.mhhe.com/business/video_library/0077325168/swf/Clip_01.html
b. Costco vs. Sam’s Club –
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/money/shopping/where-to-buy/warehouse-clubs-5-07/overview/0507_ware_ov.htm
c. Costco – http://www.costco.com/
d. Sam’s Club – http://www.samsclub.com/
e. BJ’s Wholesale – http://www.bjs.com/
Prepare a Five Forces Analysis
Prepare a five forces analysis addressing what is the competition like in the North American wholesale club industry? Which of the five competitive forces is strongest and why? Which of the three rivals—Costco, Sam’s, or BJ’s Wholesale—has the best strategy? Why? Which of the three rivals has been the best performer? Use the information in Figures 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, and 3.8 (and the related chapter discussions on pp. 54-71) to do a complete five-forces analysis of competition in the North American wholesale club industry.
You will be graded on the content of your post and the quality of the substantive feedback to two classmates’ Readings posts. Replies should be constructive in nature and offer authoritative citation, when appropriate.
The required minimum number of words for initial postings to each discussion question each week is 500.