• Chinese Culture University

• EE 3012

) Taking Amazon as a whole (as a single product), based on the given historical data, divide Amazon’s business development into a certain number of stages by using the 4-stage product life cycle model. Give reasons for your stage assignment. (20 marks) (Hints: Amazon should have not gone through all the four stages of the product life cycle yet.) Grading guide (each stage should give a timeframe, two reasons for the classification, 10 points for each stage. If the answer is three stages, the ceiling is still 20 marks): Two or three stages are acceptable. Stage I: Introduction/start-up, before ~2007 (2002- 2008), slow growth of revenue, focus on the domestic market, etc. Stage II: Growth, from ~2007 to now (if two stages, or ~2018 if the answer is three stages), exponential growth, lots of products/services, expansion into other markets, etc. Stage III: Maturity, from ~2018 to now, slows down in sales growth/some of the businesses, and more competitors appear, etc. (b) Give one example of Amazon’s product (see Chart 1), with a brief explanation, that is: (1) a “right product in the right time”; (2) a “wrong product in the right time”. (20 marks) (Hints: You may discuss the product/service/form available before Amazon launched its product; discuss the environment, service, infrastructure, technology, cost of ownership, cost of using, quality, functionalities, competitors, etc. for the product/service.)