Introduction
Overstock.com is an organization that is based in the United States of America. The company was launched in 1999. Overstock.com conducts its business online. This article evaluates the mission and vision statement of Overstock.com. The paper will also focus on the major stakeholders of the company and how it meets its goals. A PEST analysis of Overstock.com will also be conducted.
Company’s mission and vision
Overstock.com’s mission is: “to offer high quality, brand name merchandise at up to 30-70% off, and ship your entire order for $2.95 or less every day.” The vision statement is: “to provide online shoppers the best value and a superior customer experience. We are honest, helpful, efficient, accountable and trustworthy and we are committed to profitability and service” (Overstock.com, 2013).
Stakeholders of an organization refer to the people who have a connection to the organization either directly or indirectly. Each organization must satisfy all its stakeholders (12manage.com, 2009). The stakeholders of Overstock.com include the shareholder, the employees, managers and directors, and the customers (Luca, 2007). The main aim of the shareholders is to get maximum profits. Overstock.com went public in the year 2002. The company offers goods at low prices; hence maximizing sales and earnings consequently. The low prices also meet the goals of consumers since most buyers wish to spend less. Managers and employees are well remunerated and rewarded and, therefore, they feel motivated and satisfied.
Environments
Political environment
Overstock.com is affected by laws related to the internet since it conducts its transactions through the internet. For instance, it has lawsuits against Wall Street’s acts, one of which is on hedge funds and the other on independent research firms. In the year 2005, the company’s CEO started a campaign against naked short selling, which he alleges hurts the prices of his company (PEST analysis, 2009).
Economic environment
The American economy has been hit by the recent economic environment that has affected the growth of many companies, but the company has adopted business strategies that have helped it survive in a difficult economy. It sells its goods at a low price, thus attracting more customers (Quickmba, 2007).
Social environment
The company has built close relationships with its customers (PEST analysis, 2009). It is also involved in several corporate social responsibilities where it dedicates part of its income to projects that benefit the community.
Technology environment
Overstock.com operates in the world of technology. It is highly innovative and can produce high-quality goods at low prices (Quickmba, 2007).
Porter’s Analysis
Threat of entry
There are few barriers to entry in this industry. The only two major barriers are some products that cannot be sold online and government regulations. Therefore, the threat of entry is high.
Threat of rivalry
Amazon.com, eBay, and Google are the major rivals. Competition in this industry is high because there are also a few barriers to entry.
Threat of suppliers
The threat of suppliers is low since the company has many suppliers. Anyone who uses the internet can be a supplier; hence suppliers do not have much bargaining power.
Threat of buyers
There are a very large number of buyers for Overstock.com products. The low prices also attract many customers, thus there is no much threat of buyers.
Threat of substitutes
Not many substitutes trade online. Most of the substitutes to Overstock.com products are found in auction houses. Therefore, Overstock.com only needs to maintain a positive image, and the threat of substitute will be very low (Quickmba, 2012).
Conclusion
Overstock.com is a company that has grown too fast since its inception in the year 1999. Its business strategies have been effective. The company faces stiff competition from E-Bay.com, amazon.com, as well as Wal-Mart, but its low price policy has been of many benefits in its competition.
References
12manage.com (2009). Stakeholder analysis: Assessing who or what counts. 12manage: The executive fast track. Web.
Luca, A. M. (2007). Organizational stakeholders. PowerPoint presentation Overstock.com (2013). Who we are. Overstock.com. Web.
PEST analysis. (2009). Web.
Quickmba (2012). Porter’s Five Forces: A model for industry analysis. (2007). Web.