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Leavey School of Business Santa Clara University

Newsmakers

Kirthi Kalyanam : Marc Lore vs. Amazon : The Star

LSB’s Kirthi Kalyanam was quoted in a wide variety of outlets speaking on the rivalry between Marc Lore, who is currently working on enhancing Wal-Mart’s internet platform, and Amazon.
JCPenney Research Professor and Director of RMI Krithi Kalyanam Head Shot

L.J. Skaggs Distinguished Professor of Marketing Kirthi Kalyanam was quoted in over 23 news outlets including The Star and BloombergQuint discussing Wal-Mart’s intention to compete more heavily with Amazon in the space of e-commerce. In The Star article, Marc Lore is introduced as the person whom Wal-Mart is relying on to increase their internet sales. While there was initial success in rising internet sales, there are yet to be initiatives to allow Wal-Mart to rise to the top within this e-commerce sector. According to Kalyanam, for Lore this matter is not only about profit but rather a personal one.

An excerpt from The Star

“He’s a tenacious fighter,” said Kirthi Kalyanam, director of the Retail Management Institute at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business. “Evidence suggests he really hates Amazon. For him it’s personal, not business.”

Find the full article here.

In other terms, Kalyanam was similarly quoted in a news article by ABC 7 News about Toys R Us stores which are closing. While the article states that many shoppers are upset about this matter and view it as a surprise, Kalyanam provides insight on how Wal-Mart’s greater grasp of the toy industry and the development of the internet over the years are key players that made Toys R Us’ eventual closure seem almost inevitable.

An excerpt from ABC 7 News

Kalyanam said the store chain was hit by a one-two punch. "They suffered a pretty severe body blow when Wal Mart started selling popular toys. And it didn't really help that the internet came along, so the internet then delivered, kind of, the final blow."

Find the full article here.

Learn more about Professor Kirthi Kalyanam.

 

 

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