Business Finance Homework Help

Please respond to each student with 200 words 

Student 1 

Good Evening Class,

Thanks for your time interacting with this discussion. 

Equinix is the largest company (fortune 500) that professionals have probably never heard of; however, a person can likely not send an email without using some of their infrastructure. Equinix’s name  was strategically chosen to reflect their focus of EQUality, Neutrality, and Internet eXchange – Equinix. Equinix is makes global business happen by employing their strategically placed data centers that are peppered throughout the globe (Equinix, 2021).

The focus of this discussion will be targeted over Equinix’s Key Commitments:

• Environmental Trend which has provided an overwhelming competitive advantage
• Sociocultural and demographic trends
• Governance Trends, political and legal

Competitive Trends – Environmental Trend

“By 2025, 85% of infrastructure strategies will integrate on premises, colocation, cloud and edge deliver options, compared with 20% in 2020” – David Cappuccio, VP Analyst

Equinix has recognized that the world of Data Centers is rapidly evolving, this was predicted by its founder in 1998 who purposefully purchased large sums of lands scattered across North America. The COVID-19 global pandemic rapidly ignited the evolution of the Data Center, and Equinix had already positioned itself to be a global player (Thigpen & Tyson, 2021) Equinix has made staggering environmental innovations; a testament to this statement is the fact that they (Equinix) were able to power 90% of their global data centers with 100% clean and green energy (Equinix, 2021).

Currently there is a MASSIVE shortage of Technology Professionals; research shows that GenZ and Millennials find environmental protection as a critical issue. With Equinix’s deep commitment to Environmental protections, they have been able to attract Technology Professionals and protect themselves further from the unprecedented shortages of a technical workforce (Thigpen & Tyson, 2021). Shortages of technology and cyber professionals increase the risk of companies losing millions (in cases even billions) of dollars (Tay, 2019). In fact, criminal malware/ransomware has become a billion-dollar industry (Jemmet & Sentinel, 2020).

Sociocultural and demographic trends

A Talent Leader at Equinix is credited with defining a mission of creating a workforce that looks like and functions like the people in the world. Equinix has employed a “Future First” initiative that targets six United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) that are aligned with the entirety of their business to achieve tangible results. They are Gender Equality; Affordable & Clean Energy; Decent Work & Economic Growth; Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure; Reduced Inequalities; and Climate Action (Equinix, 2021).

Governance Trends, political and legal

Equinix lives, breaths, and speaks data (Equinix, 2021). They hold incredibly sensitive and personal information throughout the conglomerate of their data centers. Governance is an absolute must to remain a global player and to gain, attract, and retain customer confidence and trust. A variety of efforts must be employed to achieve global recognition: Risk Management, Compliance, Data Privacy, and then ultimate compliment – influencing legislation (Brookes, 2021).

Summary

In order to be a global player, all three of these components must not only be achieved, but clearly demonstrated publicly. The marketing approach, perhaps even priority, becomes proclaiming this to the world. Once this is achieved, an organization can gain a level of trust and pride of their customers, employees, and key stake holders (Brookes, 2021).

References:

Brookes, J. (2021, August 22). Certified strategic data centres double. InnovationAus. https://www.innovationaus.com/certified-strategic-data-centres-double/.

Equinix. (2021, April 7). About: Who We are. US English. https://www.equinix.com/about#:~:text=Equinix%20is%20the%20world’s%20digital%20infrastructure%20company.,-We%20interconnect%20industry&text=Founded%20in%20Silicon%20Valley%20in,Neutrality%20and%20Internet%20eXchange%E2%80%94Equinix.

Jemmet, D., & Sentinel, C. (2020, May 22). Ransomware: Cyber Crime’s billion-dollar industry. Ransomware Cyber Crime’s Billion-Dollar Industry. https://www.healthitoutcomes.com/doc/ransomware-cyber-crime-s-billion-dollar-industry-0001#:~:text=Ransomware%3A%20Cyber%20Crime%27s%20Billion-Dollar%20Industry.%20By%20David%20Jemmett%2C,by%20encrypting%20it%20until%20a%20ransom%20is%20paid.

Tay, S. (2019, March 7). A serious shortage of cybersecurity experts could cost companies hundreds of millions of dollars. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/06/cybersecurity-expert-shortage-may-cost-companies-hundreds-of-millions.html#:~:text=%20A%20serious%20shortage%20of%20cybersecurity%20experts%20could,risk%20of%20other%20employees%E2%80%99%20errors%20%E2%80%94…%20More%20.

Thigpen, C. L., & Tyson, A. (2021, June 21). On social media, gen z and millennial adults interact more with climate change content than older generations. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/06/21/on-social-media-gen-z-and-millennial-adults-interact-more-with-climate-change-content-than-older-generations/.

Micah

Student 2

Hello class,

Walmart is a shopping center that has almost every shoppers needs. Walmart has grown over the last 50 years into the largest retailer in the world. Walmart employs over 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. It’s all part of their unwavering commitment to creating opportunities and bringing value to customers and communities around the world.

Economic Trends

Walmart is under significant pressure from economic changes. Any such change directly leads to changes in the company’s revenues. The unfortunate spread of the COVID-19 virus has created an unprecedented spike in demand for grocery and household products, as consumers work from home and students are virtual learning. The rates of various products and services are increasing in a great way which affects the pricing strategy of the organizations. The growth rate, poverty rate and employment rate, inflation rate and income distribution also affect the growth strategy of Walmart in a significant way. 

Competitive Trends

According to Schmidt, Walmart competes against major firms in the retail industry, such as Amazon.com Inc. and its subsidiary Whole Foods Market, as well as Costco Wholesale, Home Depot, and eBay Inc. To counteract rising competition from Amazon and other online retailers, Walmart has expanded its omni-channel experience with online ordering and in-store pickup. Packaged Facts estimates that Walmart’s “click-and-collect” grocery sales will grow a whopping 154% on average each year from 2017 through 2021. Consumers that shop for online groceries at Walmart are drawn to low prices, one-stop convenience, brand selection, and curbside service. However, competitors may be able to exploit Walmart’s weaknesses in the future as online grocery shopping becomes more commonplace

Science and Technology

Walmart spending a huge amount of money in order to cope up with the changing technology. These changes substantially influence the purchase process of the company. Innovations and changes are taking place in the technological environment in a great way which affects the marketing strategy of Walmart. Walmart unveiled a new technology, called Alphabot, for its grocery business. It says the platform should enable it to pick, pack and deliver shoppers’ online grocery orders faster and with fewer headache. The technology was developed solely for Walmart by a start-up based in Massachusetts called Alert Innovation. The two have been working together since 2016. Alphabot itself spans about 8,000 square feet and operates inside a roughly 20,000-square-foot space that looks like a mini warehouse and has been built onto the back of Walmart’s Salem store. It took roughly two years to construct.

Resources

Schmidt, S. (2018). Walmart’s competitive Advantage: 3 key success factors. Market Research Blog. https://blog.marketresearch.com/walmarts-competitive-advantage-3-key-success-factors.

Lauren Thomas. (2020, January 9). Walmart just unveiled a new technology that could help defend its position as America’s LARGEST GROCER. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/08/walmart-unveils-a-new-technology-for-its-grocery-business-alphabot.html.

Walmart.com

Alexes