Business and Finance

Amazon and its Structure, Mission, Vision, and Ethical Principles

Introduction

Table of Contents

This assessment is the first part of a three-part series, where the application and integration of critical organizational concepts into a real-time organization will be discussed. The paper’s primary focus is the organizational structure, mission, vision, and codes of ethics. It is planned to develop the analysis that will become clearer with progressive stages of editing.

Chosen Organization

To carry out this evaluation, the organization selected is Amazon.com, Inc., the leading e-commerce and cloud service provider; Amazon is an ideal example for this in-depth organizational analysis.

Mission and Vision Statement

Amazon aims to empower customers by introducing technology in novel ways to facilitate communication between them and support businesses and content creators (Habel et al., 2019). This customer-oriented and innovative perception is the fundamental option that Amazon applies to its business administration operations. In contrast, Amazon’s vision statement focuses on being the most customer-centric company across the globe, offering a wide range of products and excellent customer service within the e-commerce sector. This vision encapsulates Amazon’s perspective that its main strategic goal is to dominate the online retail market by focusing on customer service and product availability.

The fact that Amazon’s alignment of mission and vision statements underlines strategic orientation towards customer technology indicates the company’s strengths in customer satisfaction and technology improvements. Through customer experience and customer-centricity, Amazon sets the benchmark for itself in the e-commerce field. Amazon focuses on implementing technology to empower consumers and businesses, thus emerging as the

marketplace at the forefront of driving innovation, furthering convenience, and extending control to its users in the digital market (Althafairi et al., 2019).

Ideal Organisational Structure

Amazon’s most suitable organizational structure is a matrix and hierarchic model that would enable the company to respond flexibly to consumer needs by maintaining central control (Lambin & Thorlakson, 2018). Such a structure appeals to Amazon with its great flexibility in accommodating different product lines and global market demand, making decision-making and resource allocation easier and critical for innovation and market adaptation.

Code of Ethics

Having an ethical code of conduct, which includes principles such as integrity, accountability, fairness, and respect, is critical for establishing a reputable workplace and preserving public and stakeholder trust (Dieter, 2007). For Amazon, the core values of ethics are used to guide the behavior of employees and the corporation’s governance across its global operations; thus, the code of ethics is meant to prevent misconduct and support long-term sustainability and success.

Conclusion

This has been the first assessment of the mission, vision, organizational structure, and ethical framework that Amazon employs. The following reviews will expand on these themes, covering feedback and more studies.

1. What two functional areas are important to the success of your chosen organisation? First Key Functional Area: Human Resources

The role of the Human Resources department at Amazon must be balanced when it comes to managing its fast-paced and multicultural workforce. This operational area is crucial in accomplishing the challenging role of recruitment, training and employee motivation worldwide. Maintaining ethical workplace behavior and fostering diversity in the workplace is paramount to keeping Amazon’s reputation and operational effectiveness. The study by Doghan et al. (2019) emphasizes the HRM practices that consider job satisfaction in a multicultural environment, which is necessary to develop a psychological diversity climate and multidimensional personality trait consideration in such environments.

Critical thinking questions that should guide Amazon’s HR strategies include:

What HRM procedures can we alter to boost the job satisfaction of the culturally diverse workforce?

Amazon can audit HR procedures for bias-free practices, offer cultural sensitivity training, create support groups, and offer flex time to allow job satisfaction and incivility, raising productivity and retention (Aloqaily, 2022).

What steps can be taken to safeguard decreasing racial and ethnic representation in the company, including in scientific, IT, and other disciplines, in line with Lett et al., 2018?

The company can handle its recruitment process more deliberately, engaging in mentorship programs and diversity metrics monitoring so that there is a strong representation, especially in scientific and IT fields, fostering innovation and accountability within Amazon (Antoun et al., 2016).

According to Nwora et al., 2021, how can Amazon virtual interview processes be developed to overcome bias?

Amazon can conduct virtual interviews by using standardized questions, educating. interviewers on bias awareness, adopting AI for anonymous evaluations and taking candidate. feedback, among others, to guarantee appropriate behavior and attract diverse talents for a more favourable image as an employer of choice (Lu et al., 2022).

These questions allow Amazon to fulfill the standards set globally in HR and create an inclusive culture that will prioritize the welfare of employees and, eventually, the organizational goals.

Second Key Functional Area: Supply Chain Management (SCM)

Supply Chain Management at Amazon is critical as it governs the processes from warehousing to delivery to be productive and sustainable. SCM functions must keep innovating to efficiently address the complex and dynamic situations in Amazon’s vast logistic network and ensure that environmental and social responsibilities are not compromised. Hu et al. (2021) suggested an optimization model for the carbon footprint of fresh products in the cold chain. This is helpful for Amazon as it has a grocery delivery segment, indicating a need for energy conservation and emission reduction.

Critical thinking questions for Amazon’s SCM include:

How will Amazon incorporate the optimisation model Hu et al. (2021) suggested to reduce its carbon emissions efficiently through logistics?

The application of Hu et al.’s optimization model by Amazon can simplify logistics, choose optimal routes, and use environmentally friendly packaging and data analytics to reduce energy consumption. This strategy helps decrease environmental impact and business costs and upgrades Amazon’s image as a responsible business (Deoskar et al., 2023).

The question arises: what programs/schemes can the company establish to ensure ethical sourcing and fair labour practices in Amazon’s supply chain?

Amazon may design supplier code of conduct agreements, conduct regular audits, provide supplier training, and boost transparency to ensure ethical sourcing and fair labor treatment. A robust ethical foundation in the supply chain lowers risks, cultivates trust, and builds sustainability (Elias et al., 2021).

To what extent can the supply chain be flexible enough to respond promptly to fast changing market situations and consumers’ new expectations and maintain sustainability and efficiency?

Amazon could involve agile production, real-time inventory management, local relationships and predictive analytics to increase supply chain flexibility while meeting the sustainability thresholds. Both agility and sustainability are critical to Amazon meeting the needs of the changing markets, minimizing waste, and competing, so Amazon will be strong in the long term (Lu et al., 2022).

These critical thinking questions are crucial for driving company success as they address. key challenges and opportunities related to environmental sustainability, ethical responsibility, and operational agility in the supply chain. By critically evaluating these aspects and implementing strategic initiatives to address them, Amazon can enhance its brand reputation, mitigate risks, and capitalize on emerging market trends, ultimately fostering growth and profitability.

Building the Team

Introduction

To introduce a new mission statement, Amazon needs to select team members from different functional areas within the company for an all-encompassing and heterogeneous viewpoint. This approach will give us the chance to study other disciplines under one topping and make a statement that will deserve trust. Furthermore, ethical principles and critical thinking questions should be considered to ensure that the updated statement on the organization’s mission matches the organization’s fundamental values and positively affects all stakeholders.

Selecting Team Members for the Mission Statement Development

When building a team to create a new mission statement, involving people from customer-interacting functions like sales or customer service in the working group is critical. People employed in such an employee-customer-focused offering can contribute to the business outcomes, highlighting the need for (employees) whose jobs mainly deal with customers and their needs (Oniszczuk-Jastrząbek et al., 2020). Also, inviting experts from human resources and rehabilitation provision for people with disabilities as part of the team can help create an inclusive mission that caters to employee welfare and the well-being of all stakeholders, including people with disabilities (Zablah et al., 2012).

Underline the importance of making higher value for society to satisfy the requests of both employees and customers, pointing out the need for specialists in corporate social responsibility and sustainability to ensure that we are in line with ethical principles and protect the well-being of society. The best team members should be equipped with exceptional customer-sensitive, empathizing, and adaptive skills and should also take into consideration ethical practices and social welfare (Bart et al., 2001). They must be able to work in a team environment, think critically, and communicate effectively to achieve an all-round approach.

Ethical Principles and Critical Thinking Within the Team

While implementing a new mission statement, the team must follow certain ethical principles, including openness, inclusivity, and sustainability. Transparency is built on open communication with all stakeholders about why the changes are introduced, making it possible to develop and maintain trust in the organization. Inclusion provides an opportunity to adjust the mission statement to reflect all the interests of the stakeholders, minorities and those belonging to underrepresented communities, which promotes equality. Sustainability concerns the long-term effects of business activities and augments the necessity of considering environmental and social factors (Indyk, 2022). Another point to consider is that the team should closely (or critically) scrutinize how the company’s mission statement affects the customer, employees, and community stakeholders. Some of the questions the team should think critically about are:

What impact will this mission statement have on the organization’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitment?

The new mission statement at Amazon will significantly impact the organization’s commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG). It will guide the company’s ESG initiatives, aligning its strategic direction with sustainable practices and responsible corporate citizenship Sideri (2023).

Does the mission statement address diversity, inclusion, and equity issues?

Mission statement’s emphasis on inclusivity, equity, and diversity will be crucial in addressing societal challenges and fostering a more inclusive corporate culture (Ortega et al., 2022). This aligns with the findings of, which highlight the challenges of translating commitment into tangible outcomes, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that the mission statement’s commitments are demonstrated through concrete actions (Tilba, 2022).

Does it add value for customers, employees, and stakeholders?’ (Bartkus and Glassman, 2007).

Mission statement’s ability to add value for customers, employees, and stakeholders will enhance stakeholder engagement and satisfaction, ultimately contributing to the organization’s long-term success (Sattari et al., 2011).

The team should also enjoy the actual spillover effects on employee performance and well-being, as there is a link between the employee’s mistreatment and work outcomes (Alegre et al., 2018). By discussing these fundamental issues and applying ethical principles, the team will ensure that the updated mission statement reflects the organization’s values and positively influences all stakeholders (Desmidt et al., 2011).

Conclusion

To sum up, the design of the new corporate mission statement at Amazon should be done by a multidisciplinary team with different fields of expertise that can guarantee a comprehensive and inclusive approach. Adopting ethical standards and questions, the staff can develop a mission statement that combines the organization’s mission with promoting the interests of every stakeholder. The significance of the formulation and the application of the mission statement cannot, therefore, be overemphasized when it comes to accomplishing its intended objectives. However, mission statements are more of a supportive factor than an explanation of the organization’s performance; therefore, they may not always bring about the precise results that are sought. Accordingly, the team is required to conduct a critical analysis of the mission statement by considering the content and ease of comprehension to make sure that it reflects the values and targets of the organization. By considering these factors, Amazon can craft a mission statement that reflects its values and serves as a compass for all its stakeholders so that the whole organization benefits.

References

[Create references or copy references you included in Assessments 2 and 3. Ensure they are on a separate page following the end of your assessment.]

Alegre, I., Berbegal‐Mirabent, J., Guerrero, A., & Mas‐Machuca, M. (2018). The real mission of the mission statement: a systematic review of the literature. Journal of Management &Amp; Organization, 24(4), 456-473. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2017.82

Davis, J., Ruhe, J., Lee, M., & Rajadhyaksha, U. (2006). Mission possible: do school mission statements work?. Journal of Business Ethics, 70(1), 99-110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9076-7

Indyk, F. (2022). The importance of the esg factors and their potential impact on an audit of a financial statement. International Business & Economics Studies, 4(3), p1. https://doi.org/10.22158/ibes.v4n3p1

Jeon, J. and Cho, K. T. (2021). Differences in readability, keywords, and orientation of mission statements of the top 100 korean and top 100 us traditional and innovative companies. Sustainability, 13(18), 10220. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810220

Okonda, M. W. (2022). Mission statements: their contribution to performance of commercial banks in kenya. The International Journal of Business &Amp; Management, 10(7). https://doi.org/10.24940/theijbm/2022/v10/i7/bm2207-004

Oniszczuk-Jastrząbek, A., Czermański, E., & Cirella, G. T. (2020). Sustainable supply chain of enterprises: value analysis. Sustainability, 12(1), 419. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12010419

Ortega, G., Taylor, Z., & Childs, J. (2022). What are we saying by saying so little? mission statements, diversity mission statements, and ncaa programs.. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 15(3), 392-400. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000299

Sattari, S., Pitt, L., & Caruana, A. (2011). How readable are mission statements? an exploratory study. Corporate Communications an International Journal, 16(4), 282-292. https://doi.org/10.1108/13563281111186931

Sideri, L. (2023). The relationship between corporate environmental, social, governance issues and corporate sustainability in the financial sector: a managerial perspective. Business Strategy & Development, 6(4), 530-541. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsd2.260

Tilba, A. (2022). Appearance or substance of stewardship and esg reporting? the challenges of translating ‘commitment’ into tangible outcomes. Sustainability Accounting Management and Policy Journal, 13(5), 1015-1032. https://doi.org/10.1108/sampj-03-2021-0091

Zablah, A. R., Franke, G. R., Brown, T. J., & Bartholomew, D. E. (2012). How and when does customer orientation influence frontline employee job outcomes? a meta-analytic evaluation. Journal of Marketing, 76(3), 21-40. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.10.0231

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