Andover Business Club

Topic:  Costco   and other warehouses sell lots of different items in bulk and it is significantly cheaper to purchase from a warehouse.  What are some of Costco and other warehouse strategies to optimizing business?  How do they save money and pass that on to customers? In addition, shopping in bulk is now becoming more readily available online with companies such as Jet.com.  How does this business model compare to an in-store shopping experience? NPR has a podcast called:  The Anti-Store  about Costco.  A very interesting listen. https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/09/25/443519599/episode-653-the-anti-store

Topic 1:   Let’s suppose you were to design a new product (anything: protein bar, mobile app, car etc.), how would you   market   it?  What are some things you’d consider, especially if you’re trying to   break into an established and competitive market ?  Here’s an article you might find interesting about marketing new food products. https://www.thebalance.com/effective-supermarket-promotional-ideas-1326141 Topic 2:   One of our Managing Partners thought it would be a good idea to talk about   Elon Musk ’s plans as the founder of SpaceX and Tesla, and his plans to venture into   space and the electric car industry .  As a manager, how does he do this all?  Why do people think, “Tesla”, when they hear “electric car?”  How has Elon Musk established and branded Tesla?  Here’s an article about SpaceX’s BFR Vehicle.   https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/267292-spacexs-bfr-vehicle-is-already-taking-shape

As a reminder, our meeting will take place in   Freeman Room   from   6:30-7:15.    Mr. Charland is the CEO of Wilkins Investment Counsel, and he will be speaking about personal finance and money management in today’s era.  There will probably be a Q&A session afterwards! Invite all your friends and bring your questions!

Topic : To kick off the term, we are going to talk about   phone apps . We use these every day and you probably open an app every time you use your phone.  Of course, there are certain apps that are used more than others (i.e. Instagram, Snap, Spotify, Google Maps).  Statista states that there are 2.8 million phone apps out there! However, out of these 2.8 million phone apps, sad to say,   more than “most” fail.    Perhaps better rephrased is, a few succeed.   The question is why .    Can ABC make a list of characteristics that all successful apps share in common?  Bring your ideas and your friends!  This is a new term, and even if you haven’t been to an ABC meeting before, we encourage you to come. Articles to check out: https://clearbridgemobile.com/youre-doing-it-wrong-the-top-6-reasons-why-apps-fail/   (Top 6 Reasons Why Apps Fail) http://www.businessinsider.com/most-used-smartphone-apps-2017-8 - 8-google-play-3 ...

Linked is the application for a position on the Board of ABC in the 2018-2019 school year.  This is due after spring break. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U2-d4hMUW2lAh-gJ7eZlc7vkw1H5qZ8OgyS9rqpMlHg/edit?usp=sharing

Topic:   Nordstrom   was in the headlines for quite some time in 2017. Nordstrom is working to improve their sales still, and they have incorporated a number of strategies, such as eliminated 10%-20% of brands that under performance in stores.  In Irvine, Calif. Nordstrom has set up a store that has minimal inventory, but has the sizes and colors of all the available products of particulars brands to promote customers to come into stores and see their size and color but wait to purchase online.  E-commerce is indubitably taking over the retail industry and department stores seem to be in the worst position since they sell collections of other brands. How is Nordstrom differentiating itself?  What can department stores do to promote better business?    Why were department stores even started in the first place/what was the initial idea that they could succeed?

Topic :    The Last Jedi , the latest Star Wars movie’s revenue fell short of 200 million dollars of what analysts predicted.    Why   is this the case for this particular Star Wars? In addition,   Starbucks’   quarterly review did “top estimates, but that didn’t impress investors” in the United States.  They are, however, noticing an increase in sales in China.  Apparently, the profits made in the US can be credited towards an increase in the price in each drink, even though the number of sales has remained the same.  What caused the surge for Starbucks in recent years?  Why is it beginning to stabilize (yes, it’s stocks are going down)?  What will the company have to do to innovate in the future? Links to check out: http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/26/investing/starbucks-earnings-stock/index.html https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-last-jedi-loses-sales-momentum-raising-concern-for-disney-1517245312?mod=searchresults...