Outline the Nature of Supermarkets Power on the High Street and Beyond Essay

Outline The Nature of Supermarkets Power On The High Street and Beyond. This essay is looking at the power of supermarkets and how they use this power. The word power is often used to â€Å"denote influence, control or domination† (Allen, 2009, p. 9) Supermarkets use this power over suppliers, workers, Councils, consumers and other shops and there are conflicting views as to whether this power is used for the good of everyone or at the expense of everyone other than the supermarkets themselves or as Dennis Wrong (1977) calls it Positive Sum Game- â€Å"where all parties involved benefit to some extent† or Zero Sum Game- â€Å"where supermarkets wield their power at the expense of others† (Allen, 2009, p. 70) Supermarkets due to their sheer size and buying power have a huge advantage over the small independent high street shops. They offer a massive choice of products at a low price because they are able to buy in large quantities at discounted prices, sometimes even below cost price. These out of town supermarkets have convenient parking and consumers are able to do all their shopping in one place, from food, clothing, electrical equipment, financial services, gas and electricity etc†¦ This all makes shopping in these retail parks easier and cheaper for the consumer and the smaller independent high street shops are unable to match these prices, choices and convenience and are therefore unable to compete against the giants. As we’ve seen a move towards more out-of-town, car-dependent stores with large-format retail dominating, its driven trade away from town centres which has clearly had an impact on the small shops that are there, and we see approximately fifty small shops, independent shops, closing every week† Helen Rimmer (Friends of the earth) (‘Evidence in the social sciences’, 2009 track 1) The big supermarkets have also introduced small high street Metro and Express stores to put further pressure on the independents and gain those consumers without cars and who are unable to get to the out of town retail park. According to Helen Rimmer (Friends of the Earth) â€Å"There’s been a study of the impact of Tesco Express which is the Tesco convenience store when they’ve moved into an area, that generally led to a decline, in the small shops locally, of about 30 to 40 per cent† (‘Evidence in the social sciences’, 2009 track 1) To keep their prices low, Supermarkets are putting huge pressures on suppliers both in the UK and globally, they are often dictating how much they will pay and even the size, shape and colour of fruit and vegetables. To meet these demands suppliers are being forced to cut their cost to the bare minimum and in many cases are operating at a loss, forcing the smaller suppliers out of business. There is massive wastage, as food is rejected if it doesn’t conform to the set cosmetic appearance that the supermarkets have imposed, often sacrificing taste and flavour for appearance. Farmers have been known to plough crops back into the land when they have been rejected or the supermarket wants to pay a ridiculously low price. The cost of this wastage is usually met by the supplier, as are the ‘buy one get one free’ (BOGOF) deals that the supermarkets offer to entice their customers. This cost cutting is passed onto their workers both in the UK and abroad. In the UK they are more often than not migrant agency workers who pick and sort the salad crops, who are paid very low wages, sometimes below the cost of living. â€Å"There is a high price to be paid for cheap goods and that cost is borne one-sidedly by the weakest and least powerful groups in the supply chain† (Allen, 2009, p. 3) Meanwhile abroad, cheap clothing is produced in sweatshops, with exploited workers enduring poor conditions, long hours and being paid an inadequate wage. â€Å"The true cost of the cheap jeans and trousers, as well as the bargain-priced shoes, which line Asda’s and Tesco’s aisles, War on Want claim, is the absence of a living wage for workers in their supply chain† (Allen, 2009, p. 85) However the fact that this work is being sourced in Asia means that the clothing industry in these countries is expanding rapidly and this means work that was not there previously. These jobs are in demand by the locals as it means a way out of poverty for them, â€Å"the last thing a country like this wants is for the big retailers to stop sourcing their labour from them. That, it is pointed out, would threaten the steadily rising living standards of the garment workers†. (Allen, 2009, p. 91) Supermarkets use their power over local government to persuade them to allow the further development of new stores. This is done by a method called ‘Planning Gain’ in which they pay for civic facilities to be built i. e. : leisure centres and Doctors surgeries, in return for planning permission for a new store. These developments are Sometimes in run down, poor areas and the development of a new store can be interpreted as a good thing in helping the regeneration of the area, creating new jobs for the unemployed and encouraging new business into the area. Again there is controversy surrounding this, many believe it is for the good of the community and other believing it is â€Å"merely the latest in a series of opportunistic moves by them to get stores built at a time when planners and government frown upon out-of–town developments† (Allen, 2009, p. 4) The supermarkets are providing consumers with what they want. Cheap products in the current climate of recession are a necessity for many having to tighten their belts. The ease of having everything in one place makes it convenient to shop for those who have cars and can get to the out of town stores. â€Å"People like what supermarkets do and the efficiencies that come from the scale of their operations, the quality and choice that they’re able to offer, the prices that people find appealing are all reasons why people choose to shop in supermarkets. Richard Dodd (British retail consortium. )(‘Evidence in the social sciences’ 2009, track 1) There is no doubt that supermarkets are powerful and it is very often a zero-sum game for their suppliers, the supplier’s workforce, and the independent shops on the high street, when they wield this power against them. Town centres and the smaller independent shops are in decline, â€Å"12 per cent of town centre retail premises are now vacant compared with 4 per cent last autumn so that’s a threefold increase†. Richard Dodd (British Retail Consortium) (‘Evidence in the social sciences’ 2009, track 1) and many farmers are going out of business. The consumers however are getting what they want, but at what cost! In this consumer Society that we live in they are seduced by the choice and bargains and turn a blind eye to the lengths the supermarkets are prepared to go to give them this. The exploitation of the workers in the sweatshops of Asia, the bullying of the farmers to sell their milk, fruit and vegetables to them at the price they dictate and the small shops being put out of business. Yes supermarkets are powerful but at the end of the day it is the consumer who is enabling them to continue being so. â€Å"If customers like what a retailer is offering, they will choose that particular store or type of store and they’ll use it. If the retailer gets it wrong, the customers won’t show up and that retailer will very quickly go out of business. It is customers who have the power in all of this†. Richard Dodd (British retail consortium) (‘Evidence in the social sciences’ 2009, track 1)

Lies My Teacher Told Me Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lies My Teacher Told Me - Assignment Example The true celebration was not for founding America, but from massacring natives.The first impact was the plague. Diseases from European animals like cowpox becoming smallpox, chickenpox, and other diseases. This created a plague that killed the Anishinaabe. The second impact was the taking of land. Land and resources once available became unavailable due to the settlers fences, armies, and settlements. Finally, another impact was the loss of life and freedom. Natives were enslaved or massacred. The Wampanoag people allied with the pilgrims due to the weakening of the tribe due to the plaque. After losing so many tribe members, the Wampanoag leader wanted to have help from other native tribes. He was especially concerned about the Narragansetts in the west. However, the Wampanoag tribe was decimated by a fresh outbreak of smallpox. By the time the tribe recovered a little bit, the settlers had taken over the land and villages once inhabited by the natives. The main difference between the natives and European worldviews was regarding nature. The Europeans believed territories and lands were made to conquer. Europeans did not just believe the land was to conquer but to be exploited as well. Gold, timber, sugar, crops, and other things could be mined from the new land. The natives believed that they did not own the land. They took what was needed, but left the rest. Europeans wanted dominance over nature. That was what man was put on Earth for. The natives did not want dominance, but peace with nature. This was the main difference between the two peoples.

Microbiology on Bacteria, Viruses and Fungi Case Study

Microbiology on Bacteria, Viruses and Fungi - Case Study Example All bacterial cells have a definite shape attributed to their characteristic cell wall and have a naked DNA. Bacteria cells take up different shapes including a spherical shape, straight rods and spiral rods. Different bacteria strains further indicate unique cell organization including single cells, a pair of cells, a chain of rods, and long trichomes. However, some bacteria may not conform to these shapes such as Bacillus anthracis which appears as rods with straight blunt ends among other bacteria. Characteristics of the bacterial cell wall enable different bacteria strains to survive different environs including hypotonic and other forms of physical stress. Gram-positive bacteria have thicker cell walls (20-80 nm) than Gram-negative bacteria (10-15nm) (Kango, 2010). Different bacterial cell wall also has different chemical composition. Bacillus anthracis forms one of the most potential bioterrorism agents due to its highly infectious and lethal nature. The most important characte ristic that makes it appropriate for bioterrorism revolves around the ability of the bacterial cell to form a capsule that protects it from the human immune system (Bouzianas, 2007). Formation of the capsule enables the bacteria cell to survive amidst the human antibodies and immune cells allowing it to multiply and killing most immune cells. The capsule characteristic can be exploited by counter-bioterrorists to develop vaccines to prevent the lethal effects of the bacteria on the humans.Viruses are identified as unicellular microorganisms having either RNA or DNA, capable of reproducing inside other living cells (Kango, 2010). Viruses lack cellular organization and enzymes necessary for the synthesis of nucleic acids and protein. They depend on enzymes of the host cells to synthesize their proteins and follow a complex multiplication process. In addition, viruses are ultramicroscopic, enabling them to filter through barriers that retain bacterial cells.

Anthrax Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Anthrax - Essay Example tistics indicating that the number of affected decreased from 130 estimated cases in 1990s to less than two cases in the 21sts century (Cdc.gov, 2014). Treatment and preventive measures are available to those affected by the bacteria with earlier detection techniques available at the medical centers. The need to threaten or weaken a particular nation has led to the use of biological weapons, attack hard to prevent to its nature. Bioterrorism refers to the use biological weapons to induce harm over a person or group of people. The similarity between a bioterrorism and biologic warfare is the agent used whereas the major difference being the intention of using a particular biological agent (Ivanova et al., 2003). The agents considered in carrying out a bioterrorist attack are classified according to their pathogenicity. Anthrax, a disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis, is mostly used, and several hoaxes of this bacterium have been reported in the United States (Saffer, 2004). When selecting an effective bioterrorism agent, perpetrators consider several factors that will make it easier for the desired goal to be achieved effectively. The agent selected should possess the ability to cause morbidity, mortality, or illness with difficult diagnosis and treatment. Accessibility, stability, and reproducibility are other factors that are carefully analyzed for consideration of an agent. The agent should be easy to find which was simpler before the federal regulations illegalized the sale of specific pathogenic organisms by biological supply companies. Reproducibility aids in ensuring that enough quantity to carry out an attack on a certain number of people is attainable (Saffer, 2004). Stability maintenance at different environmental conditions that it may be subjected to during the attack is vital especially in moving from one place to another and during dispersal. Dispersion aids in ensuring that the targeted group of people is exposed to the agent. Several

Substance Abuse Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Substance Abuse - Article Example Through the journaling technique, I took down relevant notes on shared information which are deemed crucial to the healing process. As I was attending the meeting, there were different thoughts that crossed my mind, such as (1) how dedicated and committed are the alcoholics and the family members who attended the meeting; (2) do they really see the group (Alcoholic Anonymous) as an effective tool for recovery; (3) how different are the views of new and old members in terms of AA facilitating ways for their recovery; (4) does it help the alcoholics more when family members are present; among others. Initially, the meeting started by the presider announcing relevant events and activities to be participated in by alcoholics, family members and interest guests. Then, during the discussion the presider reminds members of the Twelve Steps which are the guiding principles for recovery. Old alcoholic members who have fully recovered shared their challenges and rewards for undergoing the program; while members were still anxious and apprehensive to share experiences. Every experiences shared were expounded by the preside r where interesting thoughts were emphasized and confirmed through validating experiences of others. I honestly thought that it would be an instrumental contribution to be part of this community as a presider, a coach or mentor to assist people with drinking problems on the road towards

New Horizon mission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

New Horizon mission - Essay Example The flight, making use of nuclear power, will cover almost five hundred million kilometers in about ten years. On its way, the spacecraft will also be assisted by the gravity of Jupiter as it passes the massive planet. The fact that a radio signal takes only about four hours to traverse the same distance notwithstanding, the Mission’s flight is still among the longest as well as the fastest expeditions mankind has ever known.   Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper is an overview of the New Horizons Mission offering insights into the various facets of the Mission such as the background the Mission, the objectives, the expected data and its presumed value, processes involved in the conversion and analysis of raw data, the records to be maintained, their content and the players involved in the making of these records, the transmission of the data from one level to another, the methods of sorting and arranging data along with its estimated size before it is finally made available to the public and the proposed timeline of events.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The paper throws light on all the stages of the Mission right from pre-flight to the publication of data on the internet. The Mission is as transparent as well as it is philanthropic for there are no narrow motives nor any patents on the information collected. That all the information is free and public is a very distinctive feature of the Mission. The aim of the NASA’s New Frontiers Program, effective since 2003, is to keep exploring the solar system using spacecrafts. New Horizons is the name given to the first of the New Frontiers missions undertaken by NASA’s Office of Space Science. Though it was launched more than eight years ago, it has not become as popular as it should have. Popular or not, this principal investigator (PI) – led mission to outer planets is indeed very impressive for it seeks to explore and make the first reconnaissance of certain parts of our immediate vicinity of the known

Fiesta and Social Control in Rural Mexico Essay

Fiesta and Social Control in Rural Mexico - Essay Example 'The nature of things' do form the notion of mind. (Bacon 1960, first published in 1620). Stanley Brandes also enters in the field with the pre-conceived notion that fiestas do have the mechanism of social control and mechanism is thrust by power and persuasion. Following the steps of Bricker (1973) and Crumrine (1976) he believes that ceremonial life is also helpful in understanding the Mexican Indian ideas about humanity. The study of hierarchical order and his personal observation of rural Mexico provide him the bases to substantiate his hypotheses. The objective is to explore the paradox of the way the fiestas promote order and social control in Rural Mexico whereas, at the surface level the fiestas are the break from the rut of routine life and mostly are 'formless and chaotic' but in reality it helps to "reinforce the Brandes cites the early efforts of Robert Redfield (1930) and Elsie Clews Parson (1939) who tried to demonstrate the relationship of ideology and social behavior. The writers mentioned above became the victim of the biases of the methodology of qualitative descriptive research and jaundiced their point of view by romanticizing the Mexican folklore, giving the impression that Indians were 'free of psychic and social conflict.' In the later study of Gossen (1974) et al it comes out that ethnic identity is confirmed by the ceremonials, since the person who does not share the rituals and belief of its community is considered an outsider; providing Brandes the base to study fiesta as mechanism of social control. He found that fiestas are the mechanism of controlling process and it is maintained through power and persuasion. Persuasion to Brandes is "the totality of informal pressures and instructive procedures that lead people to conduct their lives with regard to particular standards." Persuasion is concept to bring to light the influence that social equals exercise on one other. Brandes defines power as, "Coercive and manipulative influences of formally constituted organs of church and state." The church and state become the active agents of supernatural to mobilize people for 'collective religious action' and the skills demonstrated in performing rituals and fulfilling the responsibilities on behalf of community is to exert their power over the community. The study is concerned with the 'fiesta cycle' in anthropological domain fiesta cycle is defined as rituals and folklorists call it festivals. The analysis pattern in the book is of 'Cycle's History' and its effect. The analysis tries to resolve two paradoxes. Ethic and aggrandizement of self have replaced the shared values of equality and the concept of 'shared poverty' in Tzintzuntzan. With the disappearance of the old cargo system the responsibility to bear the brunt of funding has been shifted to the community. The cargo system relied on two major principles; first was the individual responsibility and the nobles of the community were to sponsor, for longer or short period of time, fiesta and they also fulfilled the responsibility to take care of the sacred images, churches and chapels. The second was the hierarchal order, wherein, the