Costco Company Research
Report Segments
Company:briefly describe Costco:
a. What is its mission?
b. What goods and services does it produce / provide?
c. How many people does X employ? What were its gross sales revenues over the last three years? Is there a trend?
d. Identify one challenge X confronts today (e.g., lower-cost competitors, obsolete technologies, employee turnover, production inefficiencies, declining sales, etc.)?
Include at least one unique, non-obvious piece of information that cannot be found on the company website. Present data in table format and then briefly interpret results.
Industry: briefly describe and analyze X’s primary industry (e.g. core technology, size, competitors, trends, etc.). Present your findings in table format and then briefly interpret results.
Outlook: Given the above analyses, speculate whether X is positioned for success in the next 5-10 years. What should X do to ensure its success?
Research Requirements:
1. Complete the above Report Segments. Support your answers with credible, independent sources and cite all sources using APA citation format. You may use the company website and one other publically available website. All other sources must be from the library Project Sources page.
2. Be sure to record your sources used so you can include them in an evaluative bibliography. All sources must be fully cited using the APA format.
 Here are some examples of annotative bibliographies in APA format.
 Use the Evaluation Criteria (including article type) listed on the Citation and Research Tools page in the
class guide.
 Tell why each source was used. Reflect on how it applies to your research.
3. Report Format: Use a Memo-style heading at the top of the first page.
Date: October 12, 2015
From: (section #), Team [#] (assigned by instructor), team member names To:
RE: [Company X Name]
___________
Report [Do not use a separate cover page.]
Evaluative Annotated Bibliography.
Appendices
Company research (Costco)
Name
Course
Instructor
Date
Report
Date:
From:
To:
RE: Costco
The company’s mission is to focus on providing high-quality goods and services at the lowest possible prices. Costco deals in merchandise goods but has a narrower range than most competitors, where individuals hold Costco membership to shop at Costco Wholesale. Costco has 200,000 full and part time employees worldwide, with 135,000 employed in the U.S (Costco, 2015). The company’s revenue grew gradually in the last three f financial years 2012 to 2014 were $99.13 million $105. 15 million and $ 112.64 million (Yahoo finance, 2015).
Costco is facing a challenge to attract new customers, since the model targets bulk buyers who live in suburban areas. They tend to be older and own cars. However, the share of older shoppers may not increase substantially, and there is a need to appeal to younger shoppers.
Industry
FactorDetailsCore technologyE-commerce platformsMarket capitalization39.27billion (Yahoo finance, 2015)CompetitorsWal-Mart Stores, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc, Target CorporationTrendsConsolidation and growth outside the U.S.
In the services sector of the discount and variety stores industry, the customers are more attracted to the discount stores when there is a slowing economy as they focus more on the value rather than quality of goods and services. Wal- Mart is the market leader in the retail industry, while for the discount stores consumer spending and rise in population will drive growth. However, wholesale clubs like Costco remain competitive through product differentiation. According to Tallen (2010), the performance of the warehouse industry is affected by the value of the dollar and fuel price, and hence expansion has mostly occurred in newer markets.
Outlook
The bigger companies will likely retain their customers including Costco, but as the industry matures, there is likely to be consolidation. There is likely to be better growth for the companies with recognizable brand names, and in the case of Costco the foc...
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