Description:
Below are two student discussion posts that require thoughtful responses. Each response must be at least 100 words, written in your own words, and include references. Do not use AI-generated content or plagiarism. The first post discusses The Home Depot’s international operations, sustainability efforts, responsible sourcing, and workforce experience. The second post focuses on Amazon’s global compliance, specifically data privacy regulations and antitrust issues in the European Union.
Organized Question:
Hello these are two student discussion posts that needs responses with the Minimum of 100 words written in your own words, no AI or plagiarism. References must be included.
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The Home Depot has stores in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. As of the end of fiscal year 2024, the company operated 2,025 stores in the US, 182 in Canada, and 129 Mexico, totaling 2,347 stores worldwide. Additionally, it has stores in Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and Guam.
I have been away from Home Depot stores for 15 years and have observed a significant shift in how the stores are run today compared to 25 years ago. The demographics and knowledge base inside the stores have changed. In my experience, employee knowledge is low, and the desire of employees to give outstanding service has also seen a noticeable drop in quality.
References:
https://corporate.homedepot.com/page/about-us#:~:text=NORTH%20AMERICAN%20PRESENCE,It%2DFor%2DMe%20customer
...
The Home Depot has directly provided over 400,000 jobs for American workers and paid billions of dollars in wages, salaries, and fringe benefits; the company generated $35 billion in gross domestic product (GDP). Each Home Depot job supports more than four additional jobs across the US, more than twice the retail average.
Working salary for Home Depot is very good for the retail industry; however, being retail, you work weekends, nights, and some holidays, which do not fit in with the lifestyle that I currently enjoy. I know that as a manager, we shared in our store's profits. The annual bonuses were upwards of $45,000 plus a new truck for store managers of the year. For some weeks, their weekly hours were in the 65-80 hours range. The employee stock purchase plan has made many employees millionaires over their careers.
The installation services offered at Home Depot have significantly influenced my local economy. Many contractors are part of the installers' network and acquire hundreds of building permits yearly.
References:
https://corporate.homedepot.com/page/our-economic-impact#:~:text=THD%20directly%20provided%20over%20400%2C000,than%20twice%20the%20retail%20average. -
I commonly observed that Amazon is operating globally and using its services. Being a customer service representative, I know the intricacies of dealing with order processing, returns, and shipping, which makes me an Amazon shopper. One of the laws that impact Amazon’s international operations profoundly is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union. Every business now has to protect customer's private data as well as give them some authority concerning how their data is used and who it is given to. As a result, Amazon has to change how it collects and stores data about its customers within the EU (Voigt & Von dem Bussche, 2017).
Apart from these issues, Amazon has also been under fire for antitrust issues in the EU. In a separate case, the European Commission investigated Amazon for misusing non-public information received from third-party vendors which Amazon itself is in competition with. At that point, Amazon refused to do such practices in the future and promised not to discriminate against sellers in its Buy Box and Prime programs (European Commission, 2022). These regulatory problems such as the ones encountered pose the need for international companies like Amazon to change their operating strategies so that they can comply with different global laws as well as compete fairly in the market.
References:
European Commission. (2022, December 20). Antitrust: Commission accepts commitments by Amazon barring use of marketplace seller data. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_7777
Voigt, P., & Von dem Bussche, A. (2017). The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): A Practical Guide. Springer.
The answer
Response
to Post 1: Home Depot's International Activities and Procedures
Your
examination of Home Depot's development was intriguing; it came off as sincere
and personal. It can be disheartening to discover that staff knowledge and
service have decreased, especially because Home Depot takes pride in offering
exceptional customer service. It's odd that there are delays in places like New
Mexico where the sun practically begs to be used, but they're promoting
renewable energy as part of their sustainability aims, which I also found
intriguing. You also brought out their ethical sourcing practices, which seem
to be an attempt to uphold their FSC certification and address child labor.
However, frequent audits and transparent reporting would demonstrate that they
mean it, so I hope they're not simply talking the talk and I thought it was
great how you brought in the economic elements, like the impact on the
community and the employment created; it really brings the story's human side
to life.
References:
Home Depot Corporate. (2022). About Us.
https://corporate.homedepot.com/page/about-us
Home Depot Investor Relations. (2022). Responsible Sourcing Manual.
https://corporate.homedepot.com/sites/default/files/2022-08/THD_0095_2022ResponsibleSourcing-SupplierManual-ENG.pdf
Response
to Post 2: International Regulatory Challenges and Amazon
Your
post provides a careful and useful analysis of Amazon's regulatory challenges,
especially in light of the GDPR and the antitrust investigation. The GDPR has
actually changed how businesses in the EU manage personal data, which has made
businesses like Amazon more open and customer-focused. In terms of antitrust
matters, I agree that the European Commission's action was an essential check
on corporate power and that Amazon's access to third-party vendor data raised
serious concerns about unfair market advantage. These instances highlight the
importance of cross-border legal compliance and flexibility for multinational
digital businesses. Your perspective as a customer service representative
provides valuable insights into the complex back-end processes. Amazon must
carefully balance upholding local laws with preserving competitive service
quality if it hopes to continue its global expansion.
References:
European Commission. (2022). Antitrust: Commission accepts commitments by
Amazon barring use of marketplace seller data.
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_7777
Voigt, P., & Von dem Bussche, A. (2017). The EU General Data Protection
Regulation (GDPR): A Practical Guide. Springer.
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