Is Walmart Good For America

With suppliers located in China, Vietnam and Cambodia, Wal-Mart is able to provide consumers with products priced at a far lower rate as compared to their product counterparts from manufacturers based in the U.S.(CBC Documentary, 2009). Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Is Walmart Good For America? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This situation is in part due to the far lower labor cost, material cost and business incentives that production in regions such as Asia brings. What this means for U.S. based consumers is the ability to buy products at a lower rate than they otherwise would have been able to resulting in significant savings over the course of a year (CBC Documentary, 2009). As the world’s largest company and retailer, Wal-Mart has come to be a representation of a distinct shift in the balance of market power wherein retailers instead of manufacturers take a dominant role in today’s econom y (Petrovic Hamilton, N.D.). This is in part due to the effects of globalization wherein the procurement strategies of retailers are no longer limited to a local or regional basis but rather take into account the reality of a global supplier base (Petrovic Hamilton, N.D.). Yet it must be questioned whether such savings actually helps American shoppers and in a larger context it must be asked whether Wal-Mart is truly good for America or is it detrimental towards the development of the American economy? It must be noted that consumer spending is the driving force behind the American economy. People spending money on products keeps a local business functioning which in turn provides jobs in the local economy giving people the ability to spend. In essence it is a cycle of spending that encourages economic growth and stability. When Wal-Mart came into the picture it presented consumers with the ability to purchase products at a far lower cost per product ratio as compared to other shopping centers (CBC Documentary, 2009). Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This was done by reducing the pay scale of employees to the bare minimum which as result enabled the company to lower the cost of operations enabling it to lower the price of the products it sold (CBC Documentary, 2009). Their strategy of cutting costs through any means possible in order to keep the price of products low has resulted in local manufacturing jobs to slowly but surely disappear from the landscape of the U.S. (Paruchuri et al., 2009). This of course creates problems for consumer spending resulting in a slowdown of the U.S. economy due to fewer people having jobs. This resulting situation has more people choosing the affordable and cheap products that Wal-Mart provides and as a result this starts a new cycle where instead of continuous economic growth and prosperity there is a slow but s ure deterioration of the U.S. economy (Elliot and Powell, 2003). Is Wal-Mart Good For the World? The procurement strategies employed by Wal-Mart are actually a boon for the economies of several countries. The global outsourcing industry has actually fueled the growth of countries such as China resulting in resurgence and growth in their economies. The jobs that were once based in the U.S. are now in the hands of foreign workers which has fueled and increased consumer spending in their respective economies causing a sudden spike in their growth rates. Within the past 20 years this method of lowering costs has encompassed the global outsourcing industry where products for sale within Wal-Mart are no longer exclusively produced in the U.S. but rather are sourced from multiple international locations. Wal-Mart is not alone in this particular procurement strategy with multiple companies doing the exact same thing however it is due to the size of the superstore with 4,200 locations in the U.S. alone which causes it to have a greater impact on the economy (Palmer et al., 2003).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Is Walmart Good For America? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conclusion The reason why Wal-Mart has such a profound influence on both the U.S. and international economies is due to its sheer size and purchasing power which greatly influences the flow of products and services around the world. As such, though the strategies employed by Wal-Mart are in fact detrimental for the growth of the U.S. economy they are in fact rather beneficial towards the growth of several countries in the global economy. Works Cited CBC Documentary. New Age of Walmart. (2009). Retrieved from www.hulu.com/watch/103756/cnbc-originals-the-new-age-of-walmart#s-p1-so-i0 Elliott, Dorinda, and Powell, Bill. â€Å"Walmart Nation.† Time 165.26 (2005): 36-39. Vocational and Career Collection. EBSCO. Web. Paruchur i, Srikanth, Baum, Joel and Potere, David. â€Å"The Wal-Mart Effect:Wave of Destruction or Creative Destruction?.† Economic Geography 85.2 (2009): 209-236. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Petrovic, M. Hamilton, G. Making Global Markets Walmart and its Suppliers. (N.D.). pg. 107 – 141 This essay on Is Walmart Good For America? was written and submitted by user Dayana Frye 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.

National and International Contexts Essays - Foreign Relations, Law

National and International Contexts Essays - Foreign Relations, Law National and International Contexts Childhood treated as a social construction raises concerns on the condition of children (elective notes) like early exposure to adult hood, vulnerability to exploitation be it in various forms; and the several demarcations of childhood as determined by policy. For example minimum age of admission to primary education, employment, further education. Therborn (1996) describes situations of collective action to promote change. An example cited is UNICEF. It was established in the after math of world war II as a temporary measure to provide emergency-humanitarian relief. It soon took over permanency to work for children particulars in education as a measure that will ensure elimination of child labour and exploitation. The WHO came up with several programmes to develop children's well being and health. Another observations development of a rights perspective and law for children was through a Child Rights Convention. Collective action lies at heart of policy that aims to promote and safeguard welfare of children. A rights perspective has the advantage of going beyond nation state politics to an international law with a norms and standards approach that treats political environment of children in a more meaningful manner. Knuttson (1997) argues that any development approach which is directed at influencing community change should involve children as active agents of change and "Emancipation". The impact and role of feminism through impact on family care and work affects children and their rights. The state of the World's Children 2007 Report states "Gender Equality and the well being of Children go hand in hand. When women are empowered to live full and productive lives children prosper UNICEF'S experience also shows the opposite. When women are denied equal opportunity within a society children suffer (Ann M Veneman, Executive Director United Nations children Fund, State of World in children 2007- UNICEF 2007.) The International programme on Elimination of Child Labour, (IPEC) is the International Labour Organistion (ILO) response to provide direct assistance to countries to tackle child labour and give teeth to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child made effective in 1989. Today (IPEC) has 30 funders and 86 programme countries.The ILO in it's report "The end of child labour; within reach" released in 2006 says, in 2004 there were 218 million children trapped in child labour of whom 126 million were in hazardous work. However the number of child labourers globally fell by 11% over the last four years, while that of children in hazardous work decreased by 26%. IPEC the campaign instrument against child labour conducted by ILO commenced in 1992 and has made several break throughs in advocacy; tackling the worst forms of child labour; developing a learning culture and mainstreaming child labour within the Decent Work agenda. ILO is also aware of future challenges. Child labour elimination may be mainstreamed into key development and Human Rights frame works like Millennium Development Goals and poverty reduction strategies. (www.ilo.org/declaration) Child labor first emerged as a major public policy issue with the impact of the industrial revolution. Industrialized Countries offered several packages of intervention to overcome presence of child labour like advocacy campaigns; public inquiries; minimum age legislation; education provision for working children. These have been expanded, in modern times and many developing counties have emulated these initiatives. The Elimination of child labour is linked with provision of compulsory, free and accessible education. Without educational opportunities it is likely that children will enter the labour market and take on dangerous and exploitative jobs. The Dakar Forum of 185 countries resolved to provide all children of primary age free schooling of quality by year 2015 and eliminate gender disparities by year 2005. Much remains to be achieved. Although concept of Education for All has not taken off the ground at an international scale, efforts are made with community groups, parents, employers, and government officials to remove children from work voluntarily and enroll them in school. An example is efforts of an NGO(MV foundation) made in India in state of Andrah Pradesh. It enabled 150,000 to be enrolled and retained in schools and more than 4,000 bonded labourers released and of 500 villages under project 168 made free of child labour. These results were achieved through awareness raising and demand for education of children; support for teachers through special training; support parents to provide alternatives to labour of child withdrawn; provide clearing schools to prepare children for formal education. (source: Child Labour a Global concern, www.schoolisthebestplacetowork.org) Some ILO actions against child labour. One of main aims set for ILO at its foundation in 1991 was abolition of child labour . ILO standards were embodied in concept of minimum age for