20 Sep Identifying Super Market Strategies

Identifying Super Market Strategies

During this unit, we have established an understanding of how business strategy drives technology decisions. One such example is the supermarket, casually known as the grocery store. Supermarkets are all around us and critical to our ability to feed our families and ourselves. If we are good at planning, we may visit the store on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to get what is needed; if we are poor planners, we may find we have daily visits. In most cities, these grocery stores are affiliated with large chain stores, such as Kroger. In some rural markets, there are still a few small, independent stores surviving. In almost all cases, these stores are beginning to increase their use of information technology. For this assignment, focus on the strategies that drive supermarkets and the role information technology potentially plays in those strategies. Focus on supermarkets and exclude retailers that sell groceries, such as Target and Walmart. Their strategy is broader than that of an independent or large chain grocery store.

Visit a local grocery store, observe, and note all of the activities within the store where information technology is being used. Also observe and note activities that would benefit from the use of information technology. Once you have noted your observations, research the store to identify the business strategies it has in place. Highlight any of the strategies that support your observations. You can use business journals, company web sites, and other publically available material such as annual reports. Your research can also include talking with senior management at the store, although some may be reluctant to share key information.

Once you have completed your research, write a 1000-word paper that highlights the company, providing information about its business strategy and its use of information technology. Be sure to incorporate your observations and whether the use of information technology by the store is a component of the companys strategy. Your paper should:

Be written in an objective and substantive manner, explaining the information you have discovered.
Draw upon and cite course materials and at least 2 professional journal articles written in the last 5 years to support your assessment.
Be a minimim of 1000 words with the title page and reference pages excluded from the word count.
Use APA format, but should not include an abstract.

***WRITE ABOUT WHOLE FOODS OR KROGER** either is fine