Thesis help for college paper.

[Black_V!per]

Okay my business class has a business paper due some time in December. My problem is I don't know a good thesis from a (Insert witty object here). The topic can be anything business related other than a Business Plan.

What I was thinking was how Intel is losing its dominance in the computer industry. One because I know a great deal about the battle between AMD and Intel, two because I know information i dont know is easily available, and three because I already have a similar essay already typed up from another project done months before hand in high school (Back in GA, so he wont know the difference).

But I was wondering if there were some college graduates that would be willing to point me in a better direction, or tell me if I already am making mistakes as to what my thesis should be.

[Rincewind]

Well, just google 'define:thesis' without the quotes and the results are a pretty good indication of where you need to go.

Set up the argument in a logical manner that is supported by your information. Add some analysis, but stick to the point of the paper and (not knowing the point of the paper) use the business decisions that intel and AMD have made and give good reasons why those decisions have landed AMD at the top of the processor war (in your view).

A thesis statement is easy enough to bs. Supporting that thesis in a cohesive and cogent manner is where most students fail.

[Black_V!per]

Wow, that was single handedly the most helpful bit of information I've received all month. Thanks Ricewind.

[Lucky Shot]

Talk about a big company changing before the market changes on them, to either their success or failure. Look into Best Buy's push for Customer Centricity which is an attempt to focus on their more profitable customers although others feel that they are ignoring their core base and stereotyping customers.

Lucky Shot

[xTYBALTx]

What is Best Buy doing, exactly?

[Black_V!per]

I no longer have access to Best Buy, so I wouldn't know whats going on with them. (Used to be my fav store, but the closest one is about a 4 hour drive)

[Lucky Shot]

Best Buy studies everything and for the longest time spent a ton of time studying it's products. Every company scorecards many things but Best Buy has made a shift from collecting data on products to collecting data on customers. The goal is to somehow maintain the current customers that they have, but also to increase the loyalty of their most profitable customers. They also recognize that based on demographic data collected from their customers via delivery info, credit card info, etc... that their are some similarities from their customers. Enough so that they felt there were several main type of customers which were further segmented. Based on which of those profiles shopped at their stores, they would alter their product mix, sales style, labor appropriation, look and feel of the store, and level of service for different customers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_Buy

And here is the negative behind that push... http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20041108-4382.html

So the question is, does concentrating on your most profitable customers generate growth, or do you gain margin percent at the expense of Market Share and fewer customers moving through your doors?

Lucky Shot

[Drizzid]

Originally Posted by Lucky Shot

Best Buy studies everything and for the longest time spent a ton of time studying it's products. Every company scorecards many things but Best Buy has made a shift from collecting data on products to collecting data on customers. The goal is to somehow maintain the current customers that they have, but also to increase the loyalty of their most profitable customers. They also recognize that based on demographic data collected from their customers via delivery info, credit card info, etc... that their are some similarities from their customers. Enough so that they felt there were several main type of customers which were further segmented. Based on which of those profiles shopped at their stores, they would alter their product mix, sales style, labor appropriation, look and feel of the store, and level of service for different customers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_Buy

And here is the negative behind that push... http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20041108-4382.html

So the question is, does concentrating on your most profitable customers generate growth, or do you gain margin percent at the expense of Market Share and fewer customers moving through your doors?

Lucky Shot

Just based on that information alone Best Buy probably lost a customer in me. I don't fit into any of their catagories and I buy what I am there to buy and that's it. I don't need anyone to "interview" me before I start my shopping.

[Lucky Shot]

Originally Posted by Drizzid

Just based on that information alone Best Buy probably lost a customer in me. I don't fit into any of their catagories and I buy what I am there to buy and that's it. I don't need anyone to "interview" me before I start my shopping.

I didn't mean that post as anything apart from a way to study their current business model. Look, the retail industry is full of very successful Retailers who are now gone entirely, or marginal players. And Best Buy can't Out-Walmart Walmart who stacks products high and watches it fly. Best Buy can't Out-Dell Dell who has little costs and gain higher margin based on heavy volume but a much lighter cost structure. Best Buy has made it through some very tough times including at one point shaking off a buyout option from Sears.

To give you an idea of one major change they did in the industry, back in 1988, Best Buy moved entirely away from a commission environment. Their suppliers told them they were "Nuts!" Whirlpool pulled their product because they knew that this business premise would never work. It worked so well that most of their competition followed suit shedding commission salespeople.

Best Buy is guessing at where the future will be and attempting to make sure that they survive in the future. It's either a very courageous move, or a very foolish one. Only time will tell.

Lucky Shot

[Drizzid]

Originally Posted by Lucky Shot

I didn't mean that post as anything apart from a way to study their current business model. Look, the retail industry is full of very successful Retailers who are now gone entirely, or marginal players. And Best Buy can't Out-Walmart Walmart who stacks products high and watches it fly. Best Buy can't Out-Dell Dell who has little costs and gain higher margin based on heavy volume but a much lighter cost structure. Best Buy has made it through some very tough times including at one point shaking off a buyout option from Sears.

To give you an idea of one major change they did in the industry, back in 1988, Best Buy moved entirely away from a commission environment. Their suppliers told them they were "Nuts!" Whirlpool pulled their product because they knew that this business premise would never work. It worked so well that most of their competition followed suit.

Best Buy is guessing at where the future will be and attempting to make sure that they survive in the future. It's either a very courageous move, or a very foolish one. Only time will tell.

Lucky Shot

Please accept my apologies for the hijack but after reading that article it kinda ticked me off to be honest. What you posted was a fair evaluation of Best Buys newest tactic and I don't like it too much. I should just keep my fingers quiet

[Grunt 70]

Originally Posted by Lucky Shot

So the question is, does concentrating on your most profitable customers generate growth, or do you gain margin percent at the expense of Market Share and fewer customers moving through your doors?

Lucky Shot

Sounds like Lucky's given you good ideas for an upcoming paper here...Don't know if I'd go with that on this one, being a freshman paper and all--Good questions for those who may be majoring in marketing or economics

[whistler]

Also, it depends on what type of class your in. If it's a computer-related business course then disregard this info... Make sure you write your paper with the understanding that the reader has no idea what you are talking about. Not only is it a great filler, it will help you in the long run because professors hate reading about jibberish. Trust me, I did an anti-hacking report (yes, online fps hacking) in which I talked about punkbuster, the effects hackers have on the actual game, its community, the developer's finances, etc... I went on further to describe why gamers hack and the trouble it creates. Of course, this was a couple years ago in eng101 (english composition.) I did well on the paper. Good luck with yours.

P.S. Going back in the thread a little, Rince hit the nail on the head. You need to stick you your thesis. Don't float around trying to fill up space. Professors hate that because it renders the paper repetitive and in the long run incoherent.

How long does the paper need to be?

[whistler]

Originally Posted by Lucky Shot

Best Buy studies everything and for the longest time spent a ton of time studying it's products.

I am not so sure they've spent much time studying the headset I have had to replace three times (warranty.)

[Lucky Shot]

Originally Posted by whistler's mother

I am not so sure they've spent much time studying the headset I have had to replace three times (warranty.)

Everybody has an example of some piece of electronics that didn't work exactly the way they wanted at one point or another, no matter how rigorous the testing may be. Because they didn't build your particular headset, I doubt they studied it until you had a problem with it, FWIW.

Lucky Shot