Walmart Market Structure

A market is said to function depending on the number, size and the power which is held by producers/firms which are operating in that particular market.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Walmart Market Structure specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Products are bought and sold differently in the market and they are bought and sold under different conditions. These prevailing conditions that products are bought and sold determine the market structure in which a particular firm is to operate. There are four market structures namely; perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition and oligopoly each with its distinct characteristics. Founded in 1962, Walmart is a major grocery retailer in the United States of America with its headquarters in Arkansas (Fishman, 2006). The company’s sales account to billions of shillings, for instance, in 2009, the compared recorded sales of $258 US Dollars. The comp any’s stores are in 55 different countries with the leading ones being in the US. The company also operates Mexico, UK, Brazil and Canada among others under different names. The company had to exit markets like Germany because it did not do well. When Walmart is judged from a bird’s eye view, it has the characteristics of an oligopoly. One of the reasons as to why Walmart may be referred to having an oligopoly market structure is because it is operating in an industry where there are other few competing firms which are offering the same products that Walmart is offering. These major competitors are Kmart and Target (Zhu, Singh, Manuszak, 2009) which have tried to cut a niche in the market. When discussing oligopoly market structure, the emphasis is not entirely on the market structure but also on the way the firm will relate with other firms in the industry. When we look at Walmart as an oligopoly, does it anticipate the reaction of its competitors before the firm mak es major decisions owing to the fact that it is the largest grocery retail stores in the US? One of the major characteristic of an oligopoly market structure is that there has to be interdependence among firms (Zhu, Singh, Manuszak, 2009). Organizations in oligopolistic markets also at times will agree to work together in order for them to benefit jointly. Another distinguishing feature of firms in oligopolistic markets is that there exists price rigidity because changes in the price of the commodities of one firm/organization may lead to price wars among the other firms in the industry (Fishman, 2006). Therefore oligopolistic market organizations are price rigid which is not the case with Walmart for it gains its competitive advantage over other firms in the industry through lowering its prices and therefore driving up the sales of its commodities. This introduces the concept that Walmart is a monopoly in the industry, operating in an oligopolistic market structure.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Walmart leads in terms of grocery retail in the US and competitors do not offer stiff competition and the reason why the organization has been able to offer low prices for its products despite the existence of other competing firms in the same industry (Zhu, Singh, Manuszak, 2009). Walmart is never largely affected by the pricing strategies of its competitors but instead its competitors are the ones who have to adapt their prices to match the prices of Walmart. The size of Walmart in comparison to its competitors gives Walmart the characteristic of a monopoly. The organization has approximately 8500 stores. In 2009, the company ranked the greatest in terms of its revenue and therefore the large capital base makes the organization to enjoy internal economies of scales and therefore able to reduce its operational costs. This acts to the advantage of the organization through offering its customers low prices for its products and thus able to create customer loyalty. Competitors, the examples of Target and Kmart are unable to produce and sell at the prevailing market conditions offered by Walmart giving Walmart dominance in determining the prices of the commodities (Zhu, Singh, Manuszak, 2009). For other grocery retailers which are trying to come in to the market, are simply forced out of the way by the giant corporation making Walmart a monopoly in the grocery retail business. Effectiveness of monopoly structure for Walmart is that the company is the ring leader in relation to setting the prices of grocery products. Competitors simply have to adjust their prices to the tune of Walmart prices for the competitors fear getting into wars over prices with Walmart (Fishman, 2006). Another advantage is that the corporation through its large capital base can afford to operate more and more retail stores to offer competition to competi tors. Where competitors cannot penetrate, Walmart can penetrate and thus Walmart organization is able to make the most of whatever demand exists in the market. Also Walmart, being a giant organization, has the advantage of being able to maintain prices to the level that it wants for the small sized corporation in the grocery industry are unable to compete with it. From the above analysis, the organization (Walmart) has an oligopolistic market structure due to the existence of competitors which are trying to curve a niche in the market but its monopolistic market structure has outdone the oligopolistic nature of Walmart (Zhu, Singh, Manuszak, 2009), therefore in presence of these competitors, Walmart is still a monopoly. References Fishman, C. (2006). The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World’s Most Powerful Company Really Works–and How It’s Transforming the American Economy.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Walmart Market Structure speci fically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Zhu, T., Singh, V. Manuszak, M. (2009). Market Structure and Competition in the Retail Discount Industry. Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) This research paper on Walmart Market Structure was written and submitted by user Andre Hahn to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Why Women Should Vote

Why Women Should Vote Free Online Research Papers For many generations the man has been the only one who had an opinion. Men were the only ones who made decisions and women were basically material things. They did not have a say in any part of the community; they were used to produce children and take care of those children. A woman had many jobs to do, but no matter how much she would do, she would not collect recognition because she was looked at as lower than a man. In the early 1900s women had many different areas of work. One of their major areas of work was to watch over and take care of the children (Addams 1). They were to feed them and clean them and take care of them when they were sick. This may not sound to challenging to mothers these days but back then the living conditions were much worse. For women who lived in the countryside it was not as hard because it was not as crowded as in the cities. Many children in the cities would get sick because of how crowded it was, but children in the country would be sick less frequently (Addams 1). Women also had to make sure that there was food for the family, but mostly for the children. In the cities much of the food was rotten (Addams 1). Most of the fruits and vegetables were decaying and they would be the only choice for mothers to buy (Addams 1). Women could not buy the meat because it was very disease-ridden (Addams 1). During most of the day women had to clean the house and make sure that all of the chores were done (Addams 1). The women that lived in the country were able to control the hygiene of their house because they could throw the garbage out and get rid of all the waste. For the women in the cities the situation was a lot worse because they cannot control where the waste went (Addams 1). The conditions were considerably less sanitary than what they were in the country. In the country, women were able to sweep their porches to wipe off the dust. However, in the city, the streets were filled with dirt and grime, which was right outside of the door, and no matter how much you swept, it would make no difference (Addams 1). There was never a guarantee that the garbage would be picked up. This would create an even bigger mess and would fill the air with terrible smells. It was almost impossible for the mothers to keep their houses clean because disease filled the air and there was sickness all around (Addams 2). It was also hard for them to do easy household tasks such as doing the laundry. For example, a lot of the immigrant women were used to doing their laundry at a river with a group of other women. Now that they lived in a crowded city there was no river to wash in, only a bucket; and they did it alone (Addams 2). Small things like this were extremely hard to adjust to. Another very large occupation of the women belonged to the schools. They were the biggest contributors to the children’s education. They had different groups such as the mothers’ school clubs and the mothers’ congresses (Addams 6). If women had the right to vote at this time there would have been many more kindergartens, domestic science courses, and school playgrounds (Addams 6). It was very important for the women to teach their daughters how to cook, sew and take care of younger children at very young ages. If the daughters did not learn how to do these things than the mothers would have been heavily burdened; they would not have been able to run an acceptable household (Addams 6). This was different however, in other countries, such as Italy or France, where these were taught in the public schools so the mothers did not have to go through the hassle. Women had to basically take care of all things home, while the husbands were out at work. This prevented the men from knowing how bad the conditions were for the women. If the women were able to vote they would have been able to try and change some of the terrible things that went on in the cities. With the ability to vote, the women would have been able to improve the conditions, such as getting a cover for the food stands in the city so the fruit and vegetables did not get covered in dirt and dust over the course of the day (Addams 3). This is the only way that a problem like this could have been fixed because the men, who were the only ones who had a say, were unaware so they didn’t know to bring these things up. They also thought that there were bigger things that had to be taken care of. The women would also have been able to bring up how badly the buildings needed to be changed. The basements were wet, the stairs were not fireproof, there were no windows for air or light , and the bathrooms did not have sanitary plumbing which could cause sickness throughout the house (Addams 1). These conditions were almost too bad to be lived in and they needed to be changed. Giving the women the right to vote was not entirely for the women. In fact, the women were not the main benefactor; the children were. Numerous things that would have been improved due to women gaining the right to vote were directly involved with the children. The condition of the house would have been more suitable to live in, which would have helped to prevent the young children from coming down with different sicknesses (Addams 2). It would also have made the living easier on the younger children because they would have been able to be more childish, by playing with a bunch of other children, and the mothers wouldn’t have to worry about their safety. Much of the food, which would be healthier, was meant for the children so that directly helps their bodies (Addams 6). This made a better life for the children because they were healthier as well. The women benefited as well though because many women gained new positions in the government. They got their input recognized and t hey changed the way that things were run. There were new laws passed and women would have easier lives because of them. Addams is very particular about this topic because she takes offence by the thought of a women not being able to speak her mind (Addams 12). She believes that a women plays too much of a role in society too not have their voices heard. She also says that both types of points of view have to be together for there to be a possibility for progress (Addams 12). She strongly believes that the only way for there to be a sane society is if women have the right to vote. The woman is the person who makes the living environment â€Å"clean and fair† (Addams 12). Without women a society would be unable to function, and the fact that women did not have a say in the society that they lived in was appalling to Addams. She put her heart and her soul into the paper that she wrote and she felt very deeply on the subject. This was no joking matter to her; it was close to her heart. Addams gives many good reasons on why women should have the right to vote. One of the most convincing arguments that she gives is when she mentions the women’s’ role in education. Without the women the children would not be as useful as they were. The children would not have as wide of an education either (Addams 2). One of the arguments that I did not feel convincing was that if the women got the right to vote than they would be able to fix the way the buildings were set up. This was a monetary concern, not due to the fact that the men were not aware of it. I don’t think that the conditions were made better because of the women’s newfound right, but just because of the progress that the future brought (Addams 1). With women gaining the right to vote our nation made a huge step in the right direction. This step was a big part of what makes our nation so great today. We must all remember that the world used to be much worse and it is thanks to people such as Jane Addams who made life better for everyone. Without people like this our lives would never have changed for the better and who knows how different things would be. Research Papers on Why Women Should Vote19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationThe Fifth HorsemanInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeEffects of Television Violence on Children

Kind Hearted Woman Blues by Rober Johnson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Kind Hearted Woman Blues by Rober Johnson - Essay Example Composer: The song was composed on November 23, 1936 in San Antonio, Texas by the legendary bluesman and American musician Robert Johnson. This was the first blues song that Johnson recorded in his successful attempt of blending the style of a number of other popular and contemporary blues composers including Leroy Carr, Kokomo Arnold, and Joe Pullum. Singer: Robert Johnson recorded this song in 1936. Known for his combination blues style of music, â€Å"Kind Hearted Woman Blues† is Johnson’s only guitar solo ever recorded. Johnson’s blues style is a remarkable instance of blending a variation of music including song writing talent, singing and guitar skills. Recognized as one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of all time (in Rolling Stone’s list), Robert Johnson travelled places, experienced different long term relationships, learned various blues styles, and instilled everything gathered in his music. This is why Johnson’s blues style differs remarkably from other blues singers and musicians of his time. Performance practice: With â€Å"Kind Hearted Woman Blues†, Robert Johnson started his first and only recording session with a short guitar solo in 1936. The song was recorded in a temporary studio with Johnson facing the wall while performing. Witnesses say he was a shy and reserved performer. However, this method of performing while facing a corner would also indicate the technique of corner loading in practicing which is done in order to enhance the sound of the guitar. A typical Robert Johnson recording session starts with a short warm-up session and then slowly moves on to practicing a mixing fingerstyle and pick playing. Historical period: Blues music in the 1930s is a significant part of pre-war blues music which remarkably witnessed creation and improvement in a number of popular blues styles including various traditional and rural country blues, urban blues, big band blues, and a combination blues of