7-Eleven 便利店商业模式分析

-Eleven便利店商业模式分析摘要随着我国电商经济的快速发展，实体经济面临诸多方面的挑战，而便利店作为以满足顾客应急性、便利性需求的实体零售业态近几年来却发展迅速。7-Eleven便利店作为全球最大的三大零售业巨头之一，已经取得了巨大成功。研究7-Eleven便利店的商业模式，探究其成功的原因，对我国便利店行业的发展有重要的启示作用。本文在对商业模式相关理论的回顾进行整理和分析的基础上，采用商业模式要素画布模型对7-Eleven便利店的商业模式进行分析，通过画布模型的产品和服务、资产管理、客户管理和财务管理四个方面对7-Eleven便利店进行研究，分析7-Eleven便利店商业模式的竞争力并据此提出保持创新优势相应的建议，希望为国内其他便利店企业提供有效的借鉴和启示。关键词：商业模式；7-Eleven；商业模式要素画布模型；便利店ABSTRACTWiththeextremelyfastdevelopmentofChina’se-commerceeconomy,therealeconomyfacesmanychallenges,whileconveniencestores,asaphysicalretailformattomeetcustomers’urgentandconvenientneeds,haveachievedrapiddevelopmentinrecentyears.7-Eleven,asoneoftheworld’slargestthreeretailgiant,hasmadegreatsuccess.Thestudyonthebusinessmodelof7-EleventoexplorethereasonsforitssuccessisofgreatsignificancetothedevelopmentofconveniencestoreindustryinChina.Basedonthereviewandanalysisoftheoriesrelatedtobusinessmodel,thebusinessmodelelementscanvasisadoptedtoanalyzethebusinessmodelof7-elevenconveniencestores.Thispaperstudies7-Elevenconveniencestoresfromthefouraspectsofproductsandservices,assetmanagement,customermanagementandpropertymanagementofthecanvasmodel,analyzesthecompetitivenessof7-Elevenconveniencestorebusinessmodel,andputsforwardcorrespondingsuggestionstomaintaininnovativeadvantages,hopingtoprovideeffectivereferenceandinspirationforotherconveniencestoreenterprisesinChina.Keywords:business

model;7-Eleven;businessmodelelementcanvas;convenience

storeContentsIntroduction 1Chapter1TheBackgroundandtheValueoftheResearch 31.1ResearchBackground 31.2.ResearchSignificance 41.3ResearchMethods 41.4PossibleInnovations 5Chapter2TheoryofBusinessModel 62.1TheDefinitionofBusinessModel 62.2BusinessModelElementsCanvas 82.2.1ThedefinitionofBusinessElementsCanvas 82.2.2.FourLevelofBusinessModelElementsCanvas 9Chapter3TheAnalysisof7-ElevenUnderBusinessModelElementCanvas 103.1ProductsandServicesof7-Eleven—ValuePropositions 103.1.1BasicServices 103.1.2CharacteristicServices 103.1.3DiversifiedConvenienceServices 113.2AssetsManagement 123.2.1KeyResources 123.2.2KeyActivities 133.2.3KeyPartnerships 133.3CustomerManagement 143.3.1CustomerSegments 153.3.2ChannelAccess 153.3.3CustomerRelationships 163.4PropertyManagement 183.4.1CostStructure 183.4.2RevenueStreams 19Chapter4SuggestionsonBusinessModelof7-Eleven 234.1Reduceoperatingcostsandgivemoreprofitstocustomers 234.2Givetolocaladvantagesandcharacteristics 234.3Transformintonewretailandattractcustomersforstores 24Conclusion 25Bibliography 27Acknowledgements 28IntroductionIn1927,7-ElevenpioneeredtheconceptoftheconveniencestoreintheU.S.stateofTexas:itbeganservingmilk,breadandeggsonSundaysandevenings,creatingaconvenientretailformat.In1946,thesoutherncompanyofficiallychangeditsnameto7-Eleven,meaningthatitopenedat7AMandclosedat11PMeveryday.Fromthenon,itreallystartedtheeraofconveniencestores.In1973,thefirst7-EleveninJapanwasofficiallyestablished,anditrapidlydevelopedintotheNo.1conveniencestoreintheworld.WiththerapiddevelopmentofChina’seconomy,thedevelopmentofconveniencestoresinChinaisinaperiodofrapiddevelopment,andtheproportionofconveniencestoreretailsalesinretailsalesisincreasing.However,China’sconveniencestoresarefacedwithmanychallengesduetothelargenumberofenterprisebrandsandlowmarketshareconcentration.Asanenterprisebenchmarkofconvenienceretailing,7-ElevenputsforwardSuggestionsforthedevelopmentofconveniencestoresinChinabyanalyzingitsbusinessmodel.InChapterOnediscussesabouttheresearchbackground,researchsignificance,maincontentandresearchmethodsofconveniencestorebusinessmodel.TheresearchbackgroundsummarizesthereasonsforthedevelopmentofconveniencestoresinChinaandthecurrentsituation,inordertoseekforthefurtherdevelopmentofthediscussion,toguidethedirectionoftheresearchsignificance.Itsresearchsignificancenotonlyprovidesreferencematerialsforotherretailenterprises,butalsopromotesthedevelopmentofenterprisesthemselvesandthewholeindustry.Finally,itsummarizesthewritingideasandmainresearchmethodsofthefulltextChapterTwotalksaboutthedefinitionofbusinessmodelandthedefinitionofcanvasofbusinessmodelelements,andsummarizesthetheoreticalviewpointsrelatedtothedevelopmentofbusinessmodelindetail.ChapterThreeintroduces7-Elevenconveniencecompanyandanalysisofitsbusinessmodelelements.Firstofall,thischapterdescribesthegeneralsituationofenterprisedevelopmentof7-Eleven.Secondly,accordingtothefouraspectsofthecanvastheoreticalmodelandthenineelementsofthebusinessmodel,andintroducesthecurrentsituationof7-Eleven’sdevelopment,andmakescleartheimportantroleofeachelementofthebusinessmodelintheenterprisedevelopment,soastoexplorethereasonsforthesuccessof7-Eleven.ChapterFourmakesrecommendationsfor7-Eleven.Throughtheanalysisofthebusinessmodelof7-Eleveninchapterthree,thischaptersummarizesdisadvantagesof7-EleveninthedevelopmentofChinesemarket,andseeksmoreopportunitiesforitsfuturedevelopmentintoday'srapiddevelopmentandchangingsocialenvironment.Chapter1TheBackgroundandtheValueoftheResearchThischapteranalyzesthecurrentbackground,researchsignificanceandresearchmethods,andthenobtainsthepossibleinnovation.1.1ResearchBackgroundConveniencestorescomeintobeingbecauseofsocialdevelopment,urbanizationandimprovementofresidents’livingstandards.AsafewyearsChina’srapideconomicprogress,scienceandtechnologylevelunceasingenhancement,therapidincreaseofpercapitaGDPcontinuouslyimprovepeople’slivingstandards,thepaceoflifeisbecomingmoreandmorequickly,peoplehavehigherandhigherrequirementforservicequalityandtimeliness.Conveniencestores,asthephysicalretailindustrytomeettheacuteandconvenientneedsofcustomers,inrecentyearsinourcountryhasobtainedtherapiddevelopment,intoanimportantpartofresidents’life.In2014,ChinafulfilleditsWTOcommitmentsandliftedrestrictionsoncross-borderretailingintermsofequity,numberofstoreopeningsandgeographicallocation.Alargenumberofforeign-investedenterprisesbegantotaketheleadinChina.AccordingtothesurveyreportonthemarketstatusofconveniencestoreindustryinChinain2019,7-Eleven,astheworld’slargestconveniencestorebrandhas2,244stores.Theentryofforeignretailersnotonlyacceleratesthematurityofthedomesticretailindustry,butalsomakestheretailindustrydevelopfromasingledepartmentstoretoasingledepartmentstore,chaindepartmentstore,supermarket,conveniencestore,communityandotherforms.Atthesametime,ithasastrongimpactonChina’ssmallchainretailindustry.Comparedwithforeignretailenterprisesthathaveenteredthematurestage,thedevelopmentofconveniencestoresinChinaisstillintheexploratorystage,withasmallscalebutgreatdevelopmentpotential.Inthefiercemarketcompetition,lackofspecificandperfectmaturecase,needtoadjustthedevelopmentstrategyintime,inordertobetterdealwiththemarketcompetition1.2.ResearchSignificanceIntheeraof“massentrepreneurshipandinnovation”,businessmodelcanbesaidtobethekeytothesuccessofanenterprisetosomeextent.Duetothebusinessmodelresearchisanewtopic,atthesametime,thedomesticstudyofretailchainfocusedonlargedepartmentstoresandcomprehensivesupermarket,littleattentionhasbeenpaidtothedevelopmentofchainstores.Thispaperselectsoneofthemostinfluentialbrandofconveniencestoreindustry—7-Eleven,forithasthefollowingresearchsignificancetostudythebusinessmodel.Firstly,thispaperintendstoanalyze7-Elevenfromanewperspectivetounderstanditsuniqueadvantagesandinternalfactorsofsuccessthroughnineaspectsbasedonthebusinessmodelelementcanvas,andtoputforwardfeasiblesuggestionsforthedevelopmentofconveniencestoresinChinaandtoimprovetheexistingdeficiencies.

Secondly,7-Eleven,asabenchmarkenterpriseofchainretailing,hasagreatinfluence.Bystudyingitsbusinessmodelandexploringpossibledeficienciesandrisks,7-Elevencancreategreatercommercialvalueandobtainmoremarketdevelopmentopportunities.1.3ResearchMethodsInordertofulfilltheresearchobjectivetoprobeintothewaysofconveniencestorefromtheperspectiveofbusinessmodeltheory,thefollowinganalyticalprocedureshasbeendesigned:1.Literatureresearch.ThetheoriesarebasedonsearchingtheliteraturethatrelatedtobusinessmodelonCNKI.Andlaidasolidtheoreticalfoundation.2.Casestudymethod.Becauseanalysisisaresearchmethodthatusestheactualoperationorproblemsoccurredintheactualoperationofindustrialenterprisesascaseascombinestheresearchandanalysisthemetoanalyzeandprove.Taking7-Elevenasanexample,thispaperputsforwardanappropriatebusinessmodelbasedonthepracticeandanalysisofconveniencestores.Basedonthis,itsummarizesthecommonfeaturesofmarketandconsumption,andextractsthebusinessmodelsuitableforChina’sconveniencestorechains.1.4PossibleInnovationsThebusinessmodelelementcanvasof7-Elevenisanimportantinnovationofthispaper.Atpresentfromtheperspectiveofthebusinessmodel,7-Elevenbusinessmodelelementsinliteraturehasnotyetfound,inthispaper,forthefirsttimetousebusinessmodelcanvastoanalyzefactorsof7-Eleven,thecomplexbusinessmodelbymeansofskilledandmagicalcraftsmanshipandintuitive,easytomorecomprehensivelyandclearlyunderstandthebusinessmodelof7-Eleven,thusenrichingtheresearchperspectiveof7-ElevenChapter2TheoryofBusinessModelBusinessmodelisaconceptualtoolthatencompassesasetofelementsandtheirrelationshipstoillustratethebusinesslogicofaparticularentity.Itdescribesthevaluewhatcompanycanprovidetoitscustomersandtheelementsofitsinternalstructure,partnernetworkandrelationshipcapitalneededtorealizethisvalueandgeneratesustainablerevenue.2.1TheDefinitionofBusinessModelTheconceptofbusinessmodelfirstappearedinthepaperofBellmanandClarkin1957.PaulTimmersdefinedthedefinitionofbusinessmodelforthefirsttimein1998,believingthattheproduct,serviceandinformationflowframeworkofanenterpriseisthebusinessmodel.[1]Itwasnotuntilthelate1990s,withthepopularityoftheInternetandthedevelopmentofE-commerce,thatbusinessmodelasanindependentresearchfieldattractedmorescholarstopayattentionandstudy.However,sofar,scholarshavestudiedbusinessmodelsfromvariousresearchfields,perspectivesandmethods,butnouniversallyrecognizedauthoritativeconclusionhasbeenreached.Duetodifferentresearchperspectivesanddifferentknowledgebackgroundsofscholars,peoplehavedifferentunderstandingsofbusinessmodels.Thedefinitionofbusinessmodelsinthecurrentacademiccircleismainlycarriedoutfromthefollowingperspectives.First,Economicmodelofenterprises.Fromtheperspectiveofprofit,businessmodelistheoverallbehaviorofvariousrelatedactivitiescarriedoutbyenterprisestoobtainprofits.Rappa(2000)proposedthatthebusinessmodelisakindofenterprisethatmakesuseofitsownbusinesstomakeaspecialpositioninthevaluechaintoobtaineconomicoutput.[2]Afuah&Tucci(2001)believedbusinessmodelasthemethodbywhichenterprisesseek,acquireanduseresourcestocontinuouslygaincompetitiveadvantagesandthusmakeprofits.[3]Therefore,thebusinessmodelisawaytospecifythepathoftheenterpriseseekingprofits.Atpresent,theplanofcontinuousprofitinthefuture,andthemethodofbeingabletocontinuouslyoutperformthecompetitorsandgainanadvantageinthecompetition.Second,Operationmodeloftheenterprise.Fromtheperspectiveofoperation,businessmodelistheoperatingsystemofanenterprise,whichaimstoexplaintheinternalstructureandprocessofthevalueofenterprisebedspread.Timmers(1998)believedthatbusinessmodelisthestructuralsystemofproducts,servicesandinformationflow;isthedescriptionofthepotentialinterestsoftheparticipantsinvariouscommercialactivities;It’sadescriptionofthesourceofincome.[1]P30Mahadevancategorizedthebusinessmodelasaspecificcombinationofvaluestreams,revenuestreams,andlogisticsbetweentheenterpriseanditspartnersandthebuyer.[5]Amit&Zott(2007)proposedanewdefinitionofbusinessmodel:transactioncontent,structureandgovernanceframeworktocreatevaluebytakingadvantageofbusinessopportunities,anddescribedthebusinessmodelasanetworkoperationmodecomposedofcompanies,suppliers,supplypartnersandcustomers.[6]Third,Strategicmodeloftheenterprise.Fromastrategicperspective,KMLabconsultants(2000)definedthebusinessmodelasadescriptionofthevaluecreatedbytheenterpriseinthemarket,coveringthespecificcombinationofproducts,services,imageanddistributionoftheenterprise.Schlegelmilch(2003)believedthatbusinessmodelisakindofstrategicplanning.Enterprisesdeterminethebusinessmodelbychangingtheexistingrulesandthenatureofcompetition,whichcannotonlyimprovecustomervalue,butalsorealizetheirownrapiddevelopment.[7]Shafer(2005)believedthatbusinessmodelisananalysistoolofcommunicationstrategy,sobusinessmodelisalsotheembodimentofstrategy.[8]Fourth,Systemintegrationmodeoftheenterprise.Inrecentyears,scholarstendtosystematicallyintegratethestudyofbusinessmodel.Basedontheresearch,analysisandintegrationofmanybusinessmodeldefinitions,Morris(2003)proposedthefollowingviewpoints:businessmodelistheprocessofhowanenterpriselocatesandintegratesaseriesofvariableswithinternalrelevanceinstrategicdirection,operationstructureandeconomiclogic,andestablishescompetitiveadvantagesinthemarket.[9]Osterwalder(2005)summarizedthatbusinessmodelisaconceptualtooltoexplaintheoverallbusinesslogicofaspecificenterprisebasedonmanyothercomponentsexceptendogenousfactors.[10]BerndWWirtz(2015)alsobelievethatbusinessmodelisabriefdescriptionofactivitiesrelatedtoformula,describinghowenterprisesgenerateproductsandservicestoachieveorganizationalgoals.[11]YuanLei(2007)believedthedefinitionofbusinessmodelisfromeconomytoprogressiveoperations,strategyandintegration.[12]Throughthestudyofexpertsandscholars,thispaperagreeswithYuanLei’ssummaryofthedefinition,andbelievesthatbusinessmodelisaprogressiverelationshipfromeconomytooperation,strategyandintegration.Theconceptofbusinessmodelrevealswhatthebusinessmodelisandwhatthebusinessmodelelementsinclude.Afterunderstandingtheconceptofbusinessmodel,theresearchernotonlypointsouttheconstituentelementsofthebusinessmodel,butalsoanalyzestherelationshipandimportanceoftheseconstituentelementswhenstudyingtheconstituentsystemofbusinessmodel.Osterwalderstudiedbusinessmodelfromtheperspectiveofintegrationandproposedatheoreticalmodelwithfourlevelsandnineelements.2.2BusinessModelElementsCanvasBusinessmodelelementcanvasisatoolthathelpsentrepreneursgenerateideas,reducespeculation,makesuretheyidentifytargetaudience,andsolveproblemsproperly.2.2.1ThedefinitionofBusinessElementsCanvasBusinessmodelelementscanvascanhelpenterprisesanalyzetheirbusinessmodelsmoreintuitivelyandadjustthem.Itisavisualbusinessmodelarchitectureandanalysistool.Basedondifferentresearchbackgroundsandperspectives,differentscholarshavedifferentviewsonbusinessmodelelements.Generallyspeaking,itismainlydividedintothreeelements,sixelementsandnineelements.Timmers(1998)believedbusinessmodelincludesproducts,servicesandinformationflowstructuresystem[1]P178;AmitandZott(2001)believedthatbusinessmodelincludestransactioncontent,structureandgovernance.[6]P50ChesbroughandRosenbloom(2002)summarizedthebusinessmodelintosixaspects,namelymarketsegmentation,valueproposition,coststructurerevenuesource,competitivestrategyandvaluechainstructure.[15]ChinesescholarsZhuwuxiangandWeiwei(2009)alsoproposedasix-factorbusinessmodel,includingbusinesssystem,productpositioning,enterprisevalue,profitmodel,cashflowstructureandresourceintegrationcapability.[16]In2005,Dr.Osterwalderproposedareferencemodelcontainingfouraspectsandnineelementsfromtheperspectiveofbusinessmodelelementsanalysis,andfurtherenrichedanddevelopedthetheoreticalmodelin2011.TogetherwithDr.YvesPigneur,hedesignedananalysistoolnamed“businessmodelelementscanvas”.Byanalyzingthebusinessmodelofanenterprisethroughthenineelementsofthebusinessmodel,itcandescribetheexistingbusinessmodelordesignanewbusinessmodel.Atpresent,thegenerallyacceptedbusinessmodelisOsterwalder’stheoryofbusinessmodelelementscanvas,sothispaperalsoadoptsbusinessmodelelementscanvas,tocompletetheanalysisof7-Eleven’sbusinessmodel.2.2.2.FourLevelofBusinessModelElementsCanvasBusinessmodelelementscanvasmainlyincludesfourlevelsasfollows.Thevaluepropositioninthebusinessmodelelementcanvasisusedtodepictproductsandservicesthatcreatevalueforaparticularcustomersegment.Assetmanagementisusedtodescribethecorevaluesoftheenterprise,thekeybusinessesthatensurethesustainabledevelopmentoftheenterpriseandtheimportantcooperationthathasbeenachieved.Customermanagementincludesthetypesofcustomergroups,waystodeliverbusinessvaluetocustomersandhowtostrengthencustomerrelationships.Financialmanagementmainlyintroducesthesourceofincomeandcoststructureoftheenterprise.Theabovefouraspectsarethebasisofthebusinessmodelelementscanvas,whichtogetherconstituteacanvasfordescribingbusinessmodel.Bypadding’smethod,thismodelclearlyandintuitivelypresentsthecomplexbusinessmodeloftheenterprisetotheanalyst.Intheprocessoffillingthecanvas,itgraduallyanalyzesthecurrentbusinessmodeloftheenterpriseandfindsouttheexistingadvantagesanddisadvantages,thusprovidingnewideasfordesigningnewbusinessmodelandadjustingthecurrentbusiness.Chapter3TheAnalysisof7-ElevenUnderBusinessModelElementCanvasBusinessmodelelementcanvasnotonlyprovidemoreflexibleplans,butalsomoreeasilymeettheneedsofusers.Moreimportantly,itstandardizestheelementsinthebusinessmodelandemphasizestheirinteractions.Thischapteranalyzesthedifferentaspectsof7-Eleventhroughthebusinessmodelelementcanvas.3.1ProductsandServicesof7-Eleven—ValuePropositions7-Eleven’sservicephilosophyistoprovidethemostconvenientserviceinlife.Takingconsumervalueastheorientation,7-Elevencontinuouslyselects,researchesanddevelopsproductsbasedonconsumerdemand,strivestoprovidethebestservice,andachievestheultimateconvenience.Atthesametime,7-Elevencontinuouslyadherestothecorporatecultureof“sincerity,innovationandsharing”,andprovidesconsumerswiththemostintimateservice.Sinceresmileandwarmsloganbringconsumersauniqueconsumptionexperience.7-Eleven’sproductsandservicesaremainlydividedintothefollowingaspects:3.1.1BasicServicesTheproductsof7-Elevenare75%food,25%magazinesanddailynecessities.Itcanbedividedinto:High-frequencyconsumption:beverages,freshfood,householdproducts,etc.Unusualbutdesirableconsumptionscenarios:ties,umbrellas,magazines,etc.Lowfrequencyconsumption:goodsdealingwithredthings,suchasredenvelopes,whitepaper,etc.Thebusinesscircleofthestoreis300meters,with3000kindsofproducts,allofwhicharepopular.Inaddition,theheadquartersrecommended80newvarietiestothebranchstoreseverymonth,sothattheoperatingvarietiesareoftenreplaced,givingcustomersasenseoffreshness.3.1.2CharacteristicServicesFirstly,thebiggestservicefeatureof7-Elevenisthatopen24hoursaday.In1975,7-Elevenchangedintoa24-hourconveniencestore,whichcreateditsownservicedifferentiationandmetthecoreneedsoftargetcustomersbysegmentingthetargetmarket,andgainedacompetitiveadvantagesignificantlydifferentfromotherretailformats,becomingapopularconveniencestorechaininJapan.Eachstoreislocatedinadifferentlocation,andthestorehasdifferentprimebusinesshours.7-Elevenpioneeredtheconveniencestore24Hbusinessmodel,whichmeetsconsumers’demandforshoppinganytimeandanywhere,andbringsthedoubleconvenienceoftimeandspace.Secondly,Representativefeaturedcommodities.7-Elevenhasalotofready-to-eatfood,suchascookedfood,“Haodun”series,Kwantungcooking,etc.,drinks,Evianseriespurewater,greenteadrinks,etc.,Benthos,riceballs,tunasandwiches,etc.Thesespecialtyproductsareveryrareinothersupermarketsandconveniencestores,buttheyareintroducedintotheirstorestomeettheneedsofmoreconsumers.Thirdly,Own-brandproducts.Withtheincreasinglyintensifiedmarketcompetition,brandhasbecomeanimportantstrategicresourceforenterprisestoobtainthedifferentiationofcompetitiveadvantages.Productdifferentiationhasparticularityandirreplaceability,whichisembodiedintheenterprise’sownbrand.In2007,7-ElevenlauncheditsownbrandSevenPremiumandachievedsalesof80billion,makingitthelargestconveniencestorebrandinJapan.Later,7-ElevenlaunchedSevenGold,SevenSelect,SevenLifestyleandothersub-brands,coveringhigh-endfood,coffeeandcosmeticsfordifferentcategoriesandcustomergroups.Theheadquartersof7-Elevenprovidesabout5,000SKUS,whiletheindividualstoressellabout2,900SKUS,ofwhichprivatebrandsaccountforabout70%.3.1.3DiversifiedConvenienceServices7-Elevenenablescustomerstodeeplyunderstandthemeaningof“convenience”andfullyconsidereverythingforcustomers.Forexample,toiletsarefreetocustomers,andparkingisfree.Conveniencestorefacilitiesareavailablewithouttheneedtopurchaseitemsorgreetthestoreclerk,aslongasthereisdemand.Inrecentyears,7-Elevenhascontinuouslysupplementeditsservicesaccordingtocustomers’requirements.Ithasalsotakenadvantageof7-Eleven’sstorenetworktoexpandeight24-hourconvenienceservices,including:Internetrelatedservices:networkcard,gamecardandwebsitecard;Ticketingservices:includingsportslottery,ticketsforvariousconcerts,exhibitionsandlectures,andparkingcards;Collectionandregistrationservice:handletheregistrationproceduresforallkindsoftraining;Orderingservices:orderingtesttextbooks,fashionproducts,gifts;Visitingservice:accordingtothedifferentareasofcustomerdemand,toprovidedoor-to-doorservice;Traditionalconvenienceservices:sellingstamps,photocopying,faxing;Inadditiontousingthestorenetwork,7-Elevenalsobecamethefirstinthemarkettoprovidealternativepaymentchannelnetwork,paymentservicesdevelopedbythecounterprocessingfunctions.3.2AssetsManagementAssetsmanagementincludekeyresources,keyactivitiesandkeypartnerships.3.2.1KeyResourcesInordertomaintainitscompetitiveadvantage,anenterprisemustconstantlyenhanceitscorecompetitiveness,whichcomesfromthecoreresourcesownedbytheenterprise.UchidaShinji,chairmanof7-ElevenChina,said7-Eleven’scorecompetitivenesswasitsproductdevelopmentcapabilitiesandfranchisemodel.Thecoreresourcesof7-Elevenmainlyincludethefollowingaspects.First,productR&Dcapability.7-Eleven’sownproductsarepositionedasvaluablenationalbrands,pursuingqualityratherthanprice.Thebasicprinciplesof7-Elevenarehighstandardsoftasteandfreshness,abundantvarieties,extremecleanlinessandhygiene,andexcellentreceptionservice.WhenJapanwasexperiencingasevereeconomicbubbleandsluggishcommoditysales,inordertocreatenewproductvalue,thegroup’sinternalcombinationofhypermarketsanddepartmentstorestojointlydeveloptheirownbrandsbecameanindustryinitiative.7-Elevenhasastrongcapabilityofdevelopingitsownbrandandfreshfoodproducts.Itdevelopsitsownbrandproductsaccordingtoconsumers'needsandgivestimelyfeedbacktoconsumers.Itsownbrand,7-premium,waslaunchedin2007,andin2014ithadmorethan1,700productlines,makingitJapan’slargestindependentconveniencestorebrand.Later,SevenGold,SevenSelectandSevenLifestylesub-brandswerelaunchedsuccessively,coveringfood,coffeeandcosmetics.Atpresent,about70%ofthe3,000productsin7-Elevenareprivatebrands,whicharethemainpillarofdifferentiationwithcompetitors.7-Elevenhasauniquedevelopmentcombinationthatcombinesthesourceofrawmaterialsandotherelements.Thiskindofdevelopmentteamwillcontinuouslyimprovethetasteandfreshnessofitsownproductseveryyear.Second,franchisemodel.Therapidexpansionofthefranchisemodelhasmade7-Elevenasuccess.Franchisingcanrealizelow-costexpansionandreduceinvestmentrisks.However,ifthefranchiseeisnotwellmanaged,itwillbringhugelossestothe7-Elevenbrand.Therefore,7-Elevenhasestablishedastrictfranchisemodel:(1)thefranchiseeownstheownershipofthestorebuthasnorighttooperate;(2)thefranchiseeshallmeetcertainconditions,abidebythe7-Elevensystem,accepttheunifiedmanagementof7-Eleven,acceptthesiteselectionandunifieddistributionof7-Eleven,usethe7-Elevenstoreequipmentandmanagementsystem,andpayrelatedfranchisefees;(3)7-Elevenwillorganizeunifiedsalesandoperationtraining,andassignfranchiseesto7-Elevenstoresforpracticaltraining.Franchiseescanonlymanageandoperatethestoresafterpassing