...Outline the argument that supermarket power is a zero sum game When looking at the concept of a zero sum game it is important to understand the key players and the power supermarkets hold. Do they regenerate a community with ailing high streets in times of economic hardships or are they a knife in the back for small businesses offering a monopoly on goods, influence and advertising power. unmatchable by the smaller shops. In today's consumer society, we are what we buy. Data collected by the office of national statistics show that food is the third biggest expenditure in the average British household. With the average weekly spend being around £40 to £50 per week. (ONS, 2008) Which is a lucrative market indeed. It seems undeniable when considering the big four supermarkets: Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's take almost three out of every four pounds spent on food and groceries (Bevan, 2006) that these supermarket giants hold a vast amount of power. However is this power used in a positive or negative way. Do they bring regeneration or do they cost us as the consumer a degree of independence? Is supermarket power a zero sum game where the positives and the negatives balance so there is no true winner or could it be said that supermarket power is a positive sum game that the positives far outweigh the negatives. One of the most controversial points of the debate surrounding supermarket power is the effect that these "superstores" have on the smaller independent businesses...
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...Outline the argument that supermarket power is a ‘zero-sum’ game Basic necessities such as food are required for survival and we rely particularly on supermarkets and small businesses to make them available for purchase in contemporary UK. Power is a combination of influence control and/or dominance. Supermarket are to some extreme shaping our shopping choices by the variety they choose to stock and by seduction. Recent years have seen the supermarket gain a considerable degree of power by extending their ranges of goods and services, extending opening hours and expanding into local areas with superstores and convenience stores as well as on the High Street. Supermarkets expansion has resulted in the suffering and closure of many small local businesses. Dennis Wrong, Socioligist states that in a situation where the gain of one is equivalent to the loss of another so the net gain is zero, it is a ‘zero-sum’ game. This essay examines the relationship between supermarket power and a ‘zero- sum’ game. It shows how the supermarkets gain is balanced by the loss to others and outlines the ‘positive sum’ games of power. The concept of power is viewed in variety of ways by different groups, I feel this depends on the angle you are viewing things from. Contemporary UK has four huge supermarket chains, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco often referred to as ‘giants’ by the economy which indicates the level of power and dominance they have in the market. Every consumer has personal...
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...TMA 02 Outline the nature of the supermarket power on the high street and beyond. Introduction I’m going to explore the way Big Supermarkets have changed the way we do our shopping and how they got to be so big. I will also look deeper into the zero sum game as there is a very strong argument for this against the large supermarket and why people lower down the chain are not benefiting from these large stores. Shopping today has become a large part of our lives, we have gone from buying what’s known as “essentials” i.e., food and clothing to becoming something we do for leisure, or forms a part of our lifestyle where we are purchasing more than just “essentials”. We are now living in what’s commonly called a consumer society. When you look around on your local high street you will more than likely see more big chain shops than small independent businesses like butchers, fruit and veg shops and fishmongers. The chains are growing rapidly in High and are branching out to Retail Parks to give today’s consumers more choice. Supermarket Power and Beyond Today though big supermarket chains have engulfed our high streets, towns and retail sites where they have grown as a rapid speed. Going from selling your essential groceries and household items to now selling electrical, home ware and clothing, this has led to an increase in us shopping all under the one roof for the majority of the things we need on a weekly/monthly basis. So at what point do we use the smaller shops...
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...problems, Degeneracy. Assignment problem, Formulation optimal solution, Variation i.e., Non-square (m x n) matrix restrictions. Sequencing Introduction, Terminology, notations and assumptions, problems with n-jobs and two machines, optimal sequence algorithm, problems with n-jobs and three machines, problems with n-jobs and m-machines, graphic solutions. Travelling salesman problem. Replacement Introduction, Replacement of items that deteriorate with time – value of money unchanging and changing, Replacement of items that fail completely. Queuing Models M.M.1 & M.M.S. system cost considerations. Theory of games introduction, Two-person zero-sum games, The Maximum –Minimax principle, Games without saddle points – Mixed Strategies, 2 x n and m x 2 Games – Graphical solutions, Dominance property, Use of L.P. to games, Algebraic solutions to rectangular games. Inventory Introduction, inventory costs, Independent demand systems: Deterministic models – Fixed order size systems – Economic order quantity (EOQ) – Single items, back ordering, Quantity discounts (all units quantity discounts), Batch – type production systems: Economic production quantity – Single items, Economic production quantity multiple items. Fixed order interval systems: Economic order interval (EOI) –Single items, Economic order interval (EOI) – Multiple items. Network Analysis Elements of project scheduling by CPM and PER Suggested Readings:...
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...RAND Journal of Economics Vol. 41, No. 3, Autumn 2010 pp. 524–548 Competition for scarce resources P´ ter Es˝ ∗ e o and Lucy White∗∗∗ Volker Nocke∗∗ We model a downstream industry where firms compete to buy capacity in an upstream market which allocates capacity efficiently. Although downstream firms have symmetric production technologies, we show that industry structure is symmetric only if capacity is sufficiently scarce. Otherwise it is asymmetric, with one large, “fat,” capacity-hoarding firm and a fringe of smaller, “lean,” capacity-constrained firms. As demand varies, the industry switches between symmetric and asymmetric phases, generating predictions for firm size and costs across the business cycle. Surprisingly, increasing available capacity can cause a reduction in output and consumer surplus by resulting in such a switch. 1. Introduction Standard models of industrial organization treat inputs as being in perfectly elastic supply and their trade disconnected from the downstream market. However, in many real-world industries, the firms that compete downstream also face each other in the input market where supply is inelastic. For example, jewelry makers that vie for the same customers also compete for precious stones whose supply is limited; competing airlines divide a fixed number of landing slots at a given airport; software companies that produce rival operating systems draw from the same pool of skilled programmers; retailers of gas (petrol) use a common input...
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...WHAT, HOW, and FOR WHOM and to briefly outline how the market system answers them. The chapter focuses on the allocative and distributive functions of the price system. The section on disequilibrium pricing -- price ceilings and floors -- provides an opportunity to illustrate the upside and downside of interference with market pricing mechanisms. The opening illustration of a kidney sale on eBay demonstrates the power and potential problems of markets. This introduction sets the general direction of this chapter, which is to look at how the market system answers the following questions: 1. What determines the price of a good or a service? 2. How does the price of a product affect its production and consumption? 3. Why do prices and production levels often change? NEW TO THIS EDITION • New headline on campus drinking • New headline on demand shifts for natural gas • One new question for discussion • One new problem LECTURE LAUNCHERS Where should you start? Supply and Demand analysis is the foundation of much of the analysis the student will perform during the semester. Therefore, it is important that students get a good start with this material. 1. Begin your discussion by identifying market participants are, that is the suppliers and the demanders. Students sometimes confuse the colloquial use of the term “market” as in a supermarket with its use by economics. 2. Follow...
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...published June 22, 2005 Journal of Economic Geography (2005) Page 1 of 30 doi:10.1093/jeg/lbi001 Video games production networks: value capture, power relations and embeddedness Jennifer Johns* Abstract This paper has two main aims. Firstly to conceptualize the production networks of the video games industry through an examination of its evolution into a multi-million dollar industry. Secondly, to use the video games industry to demonstrate the utility of Global Production Network approaches to understanding the geographically uneven impacts of globalization processes. In particular, three key notions of value, power and embeddedness are used to reveal the most powerful actors in the production network, how they maintain and exercise their power, and how the organization of production is manipulated as a result. It is argued that while hardware production is organized by console manufacturers using truly global sourcing strategies, the production of software is far more complex. In fact, software production networks are bounded within three major economic regions: Western Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. This paper seeks to explain how and why this has occurred. Keywords: video games, global production networks, value, power, embeddedness JEL classifications: L14, L23, L82 Date submitted: 4 October 2004 Date accepted: 12 April 2005 1. Introduction The video games industry1 was born during the early 1960s and has rapidly, and almost continuously, grown in size and...
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...Transactions and Strategies Economics for Management This page intentionally left blank Transactions and Strategies Economics for Management ROBERT J. MICHAELS Mihaylo College of Business and Economics California State University, Fullerton Australia • Brazil • Japan • Korea • Mexico • Singapore • Spain • United Kingdom • United States Transactions and Strategies: Economics for Management Robert J. Michaels Vice President of Editorial, Business: Jack W. Calhoun Publisher: Joe Sabatino Sr. Acquisitions Editor: Steve Scoble Supervising Developmental Editor: Jennifer Thomas Editorial Assistant: Lena Mortis Sr. Marketing Manager: John Carey Marketing Coordinator: Suellen Ruttkay Marketing Specialist: Betty Jung Content Project Manager: Cliff Kallemeyn Media Editor: Deepak Kumar Sr. Art Director: Michelle Kunkler Frontlist Buyer, Manufacturing: Sandee Milewski Internal Designer: Juli Cook/ Plan-It-Publishing, Inc. Cover Designer: Rose Alcorn Cover Image: © Justin Guariglia/Corbis © 2011 South-Western, Cengage Learning ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means— graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution, information storage and retrieval systems, or in any other manner—except as may be permitted by the license terms herein. For product information and technology assistance, contact us at Cengage Learning Customer & Sales Support...
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...SAGE COURSE COMPANIONS K N O W L E D G E A N D S K I L L S for S U C C E S S Operations Management Andrew Greasley © Andrew Greasley 2008 First published 2008 Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means, only with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers. SAGE Publications Ltd 1 Oliver’s Yard 55 City Road London EC1Y 1SP SAGE Publications Inc. 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd B 1/I 1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 044 India SAGE Publications Asia-Pacific Pte Ltd 33 Pekin Street #02-01 Far East Square Singapore 048763 Library of Congress Control Number: 2006939578 British Library Cataloguing in Publication data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978-1-4129-1882-4 ISBN 978-1-4129-1883-1 (pbk) Typeset by C&M Digitals (P) Ltd, Chennai, India Printed in Great Britain by The Cromwell Press, Trowbridge, Wiltshire Printed on paper from sustainable resources contents Part One Part Two 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10...
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...Marketing Channel Strategy This page intentionally left blank Eighth Edition Marketing Channel Strategy Robert W. Palmatier University of Washington’s Foster School of Business Louis W. Stern Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management Adel I. El-Ansary University of North Florida’s Coggin College of Business Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Upper Saddle River Amsterdam Cape Town Dubai London Madrid Milan Munich Paris Montréal Toronto Delhi Mexico City São Paulo Sydney Hong Kong Seoul Singapore Taipei Tokyo Editor in Chief: Stephanie Wall Acquisitions Editor: Mark Gaffney Program Manager Team Lead: Ashley Santora Program Manager: Jennifer M. Collins Director of Marketing: Maggie Moylen Executive Marketing Manager: Anne Fahlgren Project Manager Team Lead: Judy Leale Project Manager: Thomas Benfatti Operations Specialist: Nancy Maneri Cover Designer: Suzanne Behnke Creative Director: Jayne Conte Digital Production Project Manager: Lisa Rinaldi Full Service Vendor: Integra Software Services Pvt. Ltd. Full Service Project Manager: Anandakrishnan Natarajan/Integra Software Services Printer/Binder: Courier/Westford Cover Printer: Lehigh-Phoenix Text Font: 10/12, ITC Garamond Credits and acknowledgments borrowed from other sources and reproduced, with permission, in this textbook appear on appropriate page within text (or on page xix). Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice...
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...BU Basic M.B.A. International Master of Business Administration |Index | Accounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Business Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Entrepreneurship. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Finance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Marketing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 Statistics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Strategic Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...
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...Chapter 1 Structure and Functions of a Computer "Hardware: the parts of a computer that can be kicked." ~ Jeff Pesis After completing this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Explain the importance of computer literacy. 2. Define the term computer. 3. Identify the components of a computer. 4. Compare the uses of various types of: input devices, output devices, and storage devices. 5. Describe categories of computers and their uses. Structure and Functions of a Computer 1 1.0 Introduction A computer is an electronic machine designed for the storage and processing of data. The machinery is called hardware, and this highly sophisticated equipment needs equally sophisticated programs (called software) to become a working computer system. Modern society has come to depend very heavily on the use of computer systems. Banks, businesses, government departments, industries, shops, people at home and school all rely on computer to play a vital role in their daily activities. These activities are centered on information. In business, the computer system has been used a lot and replaced filing cabinets as means of storing information, and clerical workers as a means of processing it. By storing and processing information on a computer system, these businesses can function more quickly and efficiently, because information can be found and collated much faster. Discovery Learning: A computer was also called a data processor. Why? 1.1 Major Parts and Functions A Computer is...
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...Answers to in-text Questions in Economics (5th edition) Chapter 1 Page 4 ( Could production and consumption take place without money? If you think they could, give examples. Yes. People could produce things for their own consumption. For example, people could grow vegetables in their garden or allotment; they could do their own painting and decorating. Alternatively people could engage in barter: they could produce things and then swap them for goods that other people had produced. ( Before reading on, how would you define scarcity? Must goods be at least temporarily unattainable to be scarce? See page 2 of text for a definition of scarcity. Goods need not be unattainable to be scarce. Because people’s incomes are limited, they cannot have everything they want from shops, even though the shops are stocked full. If all items in shops were free, the shelves would soon be emptied! ( If we would all like more money, why does the government not print a lot more? Could it not thereby solve the problem of scarcity ‘at a stroke’? The problem of scarcity is one of a lack of production. Simply printing more money without producing more goods and services will merely lead to inflation. To the extent that firms cannot meet the extra demand (i.e. the extra consumer expenditure) by extra production, they will respond by putting up their prices. Without extra production, consumers will end up unable to buy any more than previously...
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...Systems Thinking: Managing Chaos and Complexity This Page Intentionally Left Blank Systems Thinking: Managing Chaos and Complexity A Platform for Designing Business Architecture SECOND EDITION Jamshid Gharajedaghi AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON NEW YORK • OXFORD • PARIS • SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA 525 B Street, Suite 1900, San Diego, California 92101-4495, USA 84 Theobald's Road, London WC1X 8RR, UK This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright © 2006, Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone: (+44) 1865 843830, fax: (+44) 1865 853333, E-mail: permissions@elsevier.com. You may also complete your request on-line via the Elsevier homepage (http:/ /elsevier.com), by selecting “Support & Contact” then “Copyright and Permission” and then “Obtaining Permissions.” Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gharajedaghi, Jamshid. Systems thinking : managing chaos and complexity : a platform for designing business architecture...
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...Foundations and Trends R in Finance Vol. 3, No. 1 (2008) 1–93 c 2009 C. Parsons and S. Titman DOI: 10.1561/0500000018 Empirical Capital Structure: A Review Christopher Parsons1 and Sheridan Titman2 1 2 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA, Chris Parsons@kenan-flagler.unc.edu University of Texas at Austin, USA, Sheridan.Titman@mccombs.utexas.edu Abstract This survey provides a synthesis of the empirical capital structure literature. Our synthesis is divided into three parts. The first part examines the evidence that relates to the cross-sectional determinants of capital structure. This literature identifies and discusses the characteristics of firms that tend to be associated with different debt ratios. In the second part, we review the literature that examines changes in capital structure. The papers in this literature explore factors that move firms away from their target capital structures as well as the extent to which future financing choices move firms back toward their targets. Finally, we complete our review with a set of studies that explore the consequences of leverage, rather than its determinants. These studies are concerned with feedback from financing to real decisions. For example, we explore how a firm’s financing choices influences its incentive to invest in its workers, price its products, form relationships with suppliers, or compete aggressively with competitors. 1 Introduction Corporations fund their operations by raising capital from a...
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