Media Coverage Report 2

Amazon’s Bezos defends corporate Culture in letter to shareholders

Reuters

Summary:  Reuters demonstrates Amazon’s resolve to defend and justify their corporate actions that are sometimes disliked by the public.  The story also investigates the controversial story written by Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld of the New York Times, titled Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace.  

Significance:  This article could be significant to the corporate interests of Amazon because reintroduces the ideas of Amazon as mistreating their workers. 

Taliban app surfaces on amazon

David Goldman

Summary:  Goldman makes the difference between Google’s Play Store and Amazon distinct.  A recruitment app created by the Taliban was originally added to both Google’s Play Store and Amazon.  Google promptly removed the app from their store but Amazon has yet to remove theirs and has declined to comment.  The app is also available to download on the Taliban’s Twitter account.  

Significance:  The fact that this app is available for download currently and the decline of comment by an Amazon spokesperson could potentially be considered bad PR.  This could cause Amazon to be viewed as Taliban sympathizers.  I suggest fast and immediate action. 

Kohl’s, Best Buy and Macy’s Look to attack Amazon

Brian Sozzi

Summary:  Sozzi indicated that Amazon might have stiffer competition since Kohl’s, Best Buy, and Macy’s have increased or gained their ability to provide same day delivery to customers.  Although they have gained the ability, the prices for same day delivery provided by Kohl’s, Best Buy, and Macy’s are much higher than Amazon’s. 

Significance:  Although the prices for same day delivery services are higher than Amazon’s, Amazon is now not the only provider offering the service.  The article depicts Amazon as a titan losing its grip on the service.  

Amazon has been selling surveillance cameras infected with malware

Jacob Siegal

Summary:  Siegal wrote the story of Mike Olsen, a security researcher, who purchased a set of six security cameras from Amazon that was infected with malware.  The security cameras had decent reviews, but contained no mention of the infection.  The cameras seem to have been removed from Amazon’s store, but the article did not mention what Amazon did to rectify the situation.  

Significance:  Since the article did not mention how Amazon rectified the situation, or if they even did, it lets the reader guess about Amazon’s actions.  This could cause customers to be less confident in their online software purchases. 

Google, Facebook and Amazon may be forced to reveal tax haven activity

Gianluca Mezzofiore

Summary:  Mezzofiore wrote that multinational companies with profits exceeding £600 million a year ($840 million) must report their total profits to the European Union.  Included in these profit reports, companies must include the profits they made in global tax havens.  Companies such as Facebook, Amazon, and Google will be affected.  

Significance:  This article is of significance to Amazon because it could reveal corporate tendencies of tax evasion Amazon possibly participates in.  This could affect consumer confidence in the company and cause Amazon to pay large legal fees. 

Media Coverage Report 1

Amazon takes on PayPal with Expanded payments-processing Service
James Rufus Koren
Summary:  Amazon announces a payment option called 'Pay with Amazon' to replace Amazon Payments and challenge existing payment middlemen such as PayPal and Apple Pay.  The service intends to make online shopping easier with fewer entries such as name and billing address. 

Significance:  The article indicates an "uphill battle" for Amazon to establish itself among merchants.  It could be important to counteract this by showing merchant approval of the new payment option. 

Twitter Beats Amazon, Verizon for Global NFL Streaming Deal
Peter Kafka
Summary:  Twitter purchased rights to streaming ten NFL games in the fall of 2016.  In the process they outbid both Amazon and Verizon. 

Significance:  The article indicates a factor of surprise that Amazon did not get the streaming rights despite showing a propensity towards purchasing digital media assets it desires.  The article shows what could perhaps be interpreted as discontinuity within Amazon. 

Jeff Bezos Calls Amazon 'Best Place in the World to Fail' in Shareholder Letter
Ryan Mac
Summary:  Ryan Mac summarizes Jeff Bezos' annual shareholder letter.  In his summary, Ryan Mac emphasizes Amazon's failures, and potential failures or stumbles that were omitted from the letter.   

Significance:  This summary emphasizes mostly the negative aspects of Amazon's success and indicates a reckless business attitude.  It would be a worthy use of our time to reiterate Amazon's successes with from a less reckless business attitude. 

Should J.C. Penney Be Worried About Amazon.com Doing This?
Rich Duprey
Summary:  Rich Duprey concludes that Amazon's move into the private label fashion industry should significantly worry department stores such as J.C. Penney, Macy's, and Kohl's, who all receive upwards of 77% of their total revenue from private label fashion brands. 

Significance:  This article is positive press.  Rich Duprey indicates a strong potential ability for Amazon to succeed in the online retailer business. 

How Amazon could become the next big luxury fashion retailer
Hilary Milnes
Summary:  To summarize Hilary Milnes, she concluded that Amazon will have difficulty convincing established high-end fashion companies to sell on their website.  Milnes wrote that Amazon has yet to establish itself and lacks an authority voice for luxury shoppers.  She indicates that there is an inevitability about Amazon's ability to enter the market. 

Significance:  The article demonstrates Amazon's ability to enter any market as inevitable, but seems to shine a negative light on its ability to do so.  She indicates Amazon as a threat to logistics and supply chains of high end fashion.