A New Computer System for Staples Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

A New Computer System for Staples - Essay Example Also corresponding Technology Road Map for the project was presented. Staples, Inc. sells a wide range of office products, including supplies, technology, furniture, and business services. Headquartered outside of Boston, Staples operates approximately 1,695 office superstores and also serves its customers through mail order catalog, e-commerce and contract businesses. Staples, Inc. has a website available at www.staples.com. Each Staples superstore carries over 7,000 brand name products for businesses and home offices, including supplies, furniture, small business machines, computers and peripherals - all at Guaranteed Low Prices. (Staples, The Office Superstore, 2005) With the Big Three of office supplies, Staples, Office Depot, and Office Max, accounting for only 20 percent of the $285 billion market, Staples is focusing on two key areas for growth: small businesses and the Internet. The company hopes to offer small businesses such high tech services as videoconferencing, messaging, and Web-site design. The office giant already bought Quill Corporation, which specializes in direct sales, and telecommunications firm Claricom Holdings while it forged partnerships with Bell Atlantic, Nortel Networks, and CompuCom Systems. Staples also invested an additional $10 million into its new on-line site, which allows customers to purchase over 6,000 items over the Internet. Its rapidly expanding virtual office market is already worth billions of dollars; efforts to improve and refine the site are never-ending. Expansion-happy Staples has surged into 2000. It strengthened its Internet presence by allying with VarsityBooks.com, CloudSource, MarketTools, and TVisions Inc. In early-2000, the company announced that it would offer insurance online as well. Also in 2000, Staples formed strategic alliances with Manhattan Associates, Inc., a producer of management systems; with Plumtree Software, a corporate portal leader; and with Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc., a national provider of legal service plans. (Staples, The Scoop, 2000) Staples' customers are various companies from home-based businesses to Fortune 500 companies in 21 countries throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia. There are a lot of complaints from Staples' customers that they cannot get the complete information about the goods, fees, discounts and rebates; and therefore they make wrong decisions about purchase. Nevertheless, corporate culture of Staples stated at its website says, "At Staples we strive to be a model of corporate governance and ethical business practices. We are committed to acting with integrity in everything we do and hold ourselves accountable for doing business honestly, ethically, and legally. At Staples, we have built a reputation for