Tesco And The Uk Oligopolistic Market Economics Essay

Tesco And The Uk Oligopolistic Market Economics Essay In the UK, supermarkets are the main places for customers to buy food and daily articles for use. The scales of these supermarkets are very big and they also provide customers with diverse and wide selection goods such as vegetables, fruit, meat, stationery, televisions and computers (Somucheasier, 2010). Chain supermarkets can be easily found all over the country and big scales of supermarkets also spread in every city (Baidu, 2010). Tesco, Sainsbury and Asda are three main companies in the UK supermarket industry (Somucheasier, 2010). For example, Tesco is the largest retailer in UK by both global sales and domestic market share (Baidu, 2010). At the end of 2006, the turnover of Tesco had reached to  ¿Ã‚ ¡3.83 billion(Baidu, 2010). Tesco is the third largest global retailer in the world which just behind Wal-Mart and Carrefour (Baidu, 2010). Oligopoly is one kind of market structure (Anderton. et al, 2008:298). There may be a large number of firms, but most are small and relative ly unimportant, while a small number of large firms produce most of the outputs of the industry (Anderton. et al, 2008:298). The supermarket industry in the UK could be described as an oligopoly market because it accords with three key characteristics of an oligopolistic market. Firstly, in an oligopolistic market, there are only a few major competitors in the market, so they control the supply in the industry (Anderton. et al, 2008:322). Secondly, firms should be interdependent, because firms collaborate to charge the same price as each other (Anderton. et al, 2008:322). Thirdly, there are barriers to entry to the industry, so they can prevent other firms from taking advantage of the abnormal profits characteristic of oligopolies (Anderton. etal, 2008:322). Customers can benefit from this kind of market structure because of the advantages of oligopolistic market; however, they may also lose their benefits because of the disadvantages of oligopolistic market. This essay will explain the advantages and disadvantages of an oligopoly structure and the appropriateness of that structure to the British supermarket industry. Body It is widely believed that there are many advantages of oligopolistic market, thus customers can benefit from this kind of market structure, for the following reasons. Firstly, in an oligopolistic market, price is often not the most essential factor in the competition, which means non-price competition (Anderton. et al, 2008:322). For marketing their products effectively, firms should think of their market mix which is known as 4ps (Anderton. et al, 2008:323). First, firms should pay close attention to the features of products to make sure their products are meeting the needs of their customers. Second, the price of products must not only fit in with the nature of products themselves, but also fit the way in which they are being promoted and distributed to customers. Third, promotion should take account of products and help firms gain new customers or retain existing ones. Fourth, products need to be available to customers in the right place (Anderton. et al, 2008:323). Secondly, according to Anderton et al (2008), many markets are dominated by brands. A branded good which has a unique formulation and unique design can appear thousands of customers, because a successful branded good can give buyers the imagined characteristics of the product in their minds (Anderton. et al, 2008:323). For example, the Tesco originally specializing in food and drink, but now, it has diversified into areas such as clothing, financial services, telecoms, car insurance and so on, because it can follow consumers different demands to enlarge its scale (Tescoplc, 2010). Thirdly, in the oligopoly market, price seems to be rigid. As Anderton et al (2008) points out, in the kinked demand curve (Figure 1), there will be an asymmetrical reaction to a change in price by one firm. For instance, if one firm increase its price in order to make much more profit, however, other firms disregard it, thus, the firm which has increase its price will lose its market share. On the contrary, if one firm decreases its price, other firms will also reduce its price in order to prevent the erosion of market share (Anderton. et al, 2008:328). Because of the price rigidity, firms would like to improve their profit; therefore they need to make a development and innovation in their services. The key to this process is gaining information about their customers and constantly communicating new products to them. Figure 1 Therefore, based on these three reasons, customers can benefit from oligopolistic market. However, not all the things come well; there are also some disadvantages of oligopoly. Firstly, Anderton et al (2008) argues that collusion is very common in oligopoly market. There is a very strong incentive for collusion firms-restrict competition and maximize their own benefit(Anderton. et al, 2008:323).The prices charge by oligopolistic firms is always higher .There will be potential buyers who would like to use the oligopolistic firms products but cannot afford the profit maximizing price set by oligopolistic firms. Secondly, there are only a few competitors in the market (Anderton. et al, 2008:322). Thus, the degrees of competition ability arent big, which means oligopolistic firms can hardly target diverse customers and provide them with differentiated products. Therefore, customers may lose their benefits from this kind of market structure. Conclusion In summary, oligopolistic market has both advantages and disadvantages, therefore firms should make good use of the advantages of oligopolistic market to guarantee consumers interest and avoid its disadvantages. Despite the disadvantages of oligopolistic market, firms can use the market mix to product goods effectively and take advantage of their brands to attract thousands of devoted customers; moreover, they can also make a development and innovation in service. However, if the firms in oligopolistic market can avoid their disadvantages, they can do better. They should not always charge higher price for customers and target diverse customers to provide them with differentiated goods. By doing these, consumers can benefit from this kind of market structure.

Internet Security Essay -- Essays Papers

Internet Security Security is crucial to any flourishing society such as the one in which we Americans live today. Imagine if there was no law enforcement in New York City. No one except criminals would dare to walk down the streets. People would live in fear every day. No one would work and no one could enjoy nature and the outdoors. We would all barricade ourselves indoors, only daring to venture outside into the dangerous world when we absolutely needed to. Everything would be different. Thinking of the Internet as a society, or a global community, one can also apply this notion of the importance of security. Imagine if everyone had access to all the files on every individual's and every business's computers. It would be the same as if all stores in a city were open to the public 24 hours, 7 days a week with all merchandise available for free, and all citizens' homes, credit cards, family heirlooms, etc. as well. It would be anarchy, it would be disastrous. In America today, citizens generally feel safe. We feel safe not only from our neighbors, but also from attacks by foreign countries. We have the most advanced military defense systems, and we've proven ourselves to be a powerhouse in recent years like in the Persian Gulf War. For a while, many of us perhaps even felt like America was invulnerable. On September 11 of this year 2001, we learned otherwise. We learned that America did have security holes. We learned first-hand about the horrors that criminals could bestow to us as a nation. Similarly, throughout the last 20 or so years, the Internet has harnessed a wide variety of criminals committing new kinds of crimes. What's more, everyone is at risk, the rich and the poor, m... ...5(4), 161-185. Popular print information source: Bansal, Parveen. (2001, November). Updating the Hole in the Wall. The Banker, 151, 81. Electronic scholarly journal article: Schultza, Eugene E, Proctorb, Robert W., Lienb, Mei-Ching, & Salvendy, Gavriel. (October, 2001). Computers & Security. Retrieved December 8, 2001 from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science%3f_ob=JournalURL&_cdi=5870&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=0&md5=7ad5f679d398b70e02e99cc968692dda Reliable multimedia video/audio online: The Morning Show: Internet Security. Retrieved December 10, 2001 from http://search.npr.org/cf/cmn/cmnpd01fm.cfm%3fPrgDate=2%2F16%2F2000&PrgID=3 Reliable web site: National Institute of Standards and Technology. (January 19, 2001). Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) Fact Sheet. Retrieved December 8, 2001 from http://csrc.nist.gov/encryption/aes/aesfact.html

Abstract Affirmative

Abstract affirmative (AA) action is a policy that the government created for counteracting discrimination against people. This happened for the reason of presenting people the chance of gaining equal opportunities for employment education and business. Many of our formal presidents has authorized executive orders that was meant for all hiring to be free from discrimination of race, color, or national origin with all government contractors and the other specifically for associations that had accepted federal contracts and subcontracts intended to end discrimination within the workforce towards individuals where the focus was on race, color, religion, and national origin. Soon after affirmative action was changed to include no prejudice against ones gender. Affirmative action consequently established preferential treatment towards all minorities and women in the hiring process and the chance to receive a higher education. affirmative action holds private employers accountable as well. during the civil rights movement affirmation action was a tool that proposed opportunities for women and minorities and to provide equality for them. there are noted changes in how colleges recruit and enroll students housing and also how using public transportation where now blacks can sit anywhere since Rosa Parks. Since affirmative action was primarily intended on improving chances for African Americans in employment and education but there is still a low percentage of improvement that is why an executive order was signed and it required all government and private industry jobs to increase the number of women disable individuals and minorities to either receive employment or to have the ability to gain an education or have additional training for work enhancement. There are numerous organization that uses affirmative action and equal employment opportunity policies within their business structure there is still a controversy today surrounding these issues. I researched to see if equal employment opportunity and affirmative action policies mean the same thing. equal employment opportunity definition is that it bans all types of discrimination. this means that no matter the race or gender everyone has the same chance of obtaining and getting promotions and the added incentive of training as the workforce continues to grow. But then affirmative action focus on past discrimination acts which were meant to give women, disabled individuals, and minorities an equal footing in gaining employment and a higher education. it was to create equality between the workers and employers however it has caused extra adversity in the workforce. because many believed that jobs held by whites were being jeopardized. has affirmative action been consistently and effectively used to create a more robust and productive workforce I would say yes; affirmative action has made it possible for many to see and earn their desired goals such as their life dreams. I feel that there are still many obstacles but if one applies themselves there are no limitations. Barak Obama was our nation's first black president and there are many who hold prominent leadership roles that which also includes women. recently in the news it was announced that the FBI for the first time in history may have a woman heading this department. though affirmative action has come a long way there are those who still discriminate and don't offer equal chances for others to succeed. Affirmative action has allowed the workforce to become more diverse in races genders and cultures. we must remember that the affirmative action is not about letting minorities to get into college or to get a job but it's about giving qualified individuals no matter their race a chance that they may not get otherwise. in conclusion has affirmative action been consistently and effectively used to create a more robust and productive workforce i would say yes it has worked extremely well. I hope to see it continue because there are many more who could benefit from this program.

The Lottery, By Shirley Jackson - 850 Words

What is the difference between superstitions and traditions?  «The lottery » by Shirley Jackson provides a good example how superstitions of people from a tiny town affect on those traditions. This story shows dark side of Humanity. Whole community entrusts their life with a small black box. The allegory can confuse you, because the main purpose of the  «lottery » is kill one of the citizens for a strange false belief. To my mind, the author tried to explain why new generation sometimes shouldn’t continue the weird and cruel traditions.  «The lottery » is an allegory which was written by Shirley Jackson in 1948. In it, she used an irony to show how inane could be some traditions and people who essentially follow them. The lottery - is the ritual when all people from the small village crowd together and Mr. Summers, who enjoys devoting civic activities, organizes this event. He and his assistant make a small piece of paper and one of these has a black dot. They put it into the shabby black box, after Mr. Summers call head of household to determine who will  «win » the lottery. But the winner should not be happy, because all other citizens will stone the winner to death. People do it annually, because they afraid that the harvest could be poor. Everyone must participate, regardless of gender and age. This short story contains a lot of different characters to explain how belief in something abnormal of previous generations can strongly affect traditions and consider morality.Show MoreRelatedThe Lottery, By Shirley Jackson1195 Words   |  5 PagesOn the surface, Shirley Jackson’s short story, â€Å"The Lottery,† reads as a work of horror. There is a village that holds an annual lottery where the winner is stoned to death so the village and its people could prosper. Some underlying themes include: the idea that faith and tradition are often followed blindly, and those who veer away from tradition are met with punishment, as wel l as the idea of a herd mentality and bystander apathy. What the author manages to do successfully is that she actuallyRead MoreThe Lottery by Shirley Jackson757 Words   |  4 Pagessucceed but many fail just like the main character Tessie Hutchinson in Shirley Jackson’s short story â€Å"The Lottery†. When someone hears the word â€Å"lottery†, he or she may think that someone will be rewarded with prize. But â€Å"The Lottery† By Shirley Jackson is different than what one thinks. In the story, a lottery is going to be conducted not like Mega Million or Powerball one play here. In the story, the person who wins the lottery is stoned to death instead of being rewarded with the prize. TessieRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson931 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1948 Shirley Jackson composed the controversial short story â€Å"The Lottery.† Generally speaking, a title such as â€Å"The Lottery† is usually affiliated with an optimistic outlook. However, Jackson’s approach is quite unorthodox and will surely leave readers contemplating the intent of her content. The story exposes a crude, senseless lottery system in which random villagers are murdered amongst their peers. Essentially, the lottery system counteracts as a form of population control, but negatives easilyRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson1504 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson In The Lottery Shirley Jackson fills her story with many literary elements to mask the evil. The story demonstrates how it is in human nature to blindly follow traditions. Even though some people have no idea why they follow these traditions. The title of the story plays a role in how Shirley Jackson used some literary elements to help mask the evils and develop the story. The title â€Å"The Lottery† serves as an allegory. When people think of the lottery majorityRead More`` The Lottery `` By Shirley Jackson894 Words   |  4 Pagesshort story â€Å"The Lottery†, author Shirley Jackson demonstrates Zimbardo’s concepts in three different areas: Authority figures, Tradition and Superstition, and Loyalty. The first concept Jackson portrays in â€Å"The Lottery† is the authority figures. Jackson indicates that the lottery is being held in the town center by one authority figure, Mr. Summers, annually on June 27th. Every June 27th, without fail, townspeople gather in the town square to participate in the annually lottery even though mostRead MoreThe Lottery, By Shirley Jackson1510 Words   |  7 PagesShirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† illustrates several aspects of the darker side of human nature. The townspeople in Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† unquestioningly adhere to a tradition which seems to have lost its relevance in their lives. The ritual that is the lottery shows how easily and willingly people will give up their free will and suspend their consciences to conform to tradition and people in authority. The same mindless complacency and obedience shown by the villagers in Jackson’s story are seenRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson8 11 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† was published by Shirley Jackson. The story was true expression of Jackson’s genuine thoughts about human beings and their heinous competence in an annual village event for corn harvest . First, her used to word symbolized main point of the story. Second, Jackson was inspired by few historical events happened in the past and a life incident in her life. Lastly, She was able to accomplish the connection between historical and biographical with the story. Therefore, Shirley Jackson’sRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson934 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson signifies the physical connection between the villagers and their unwillingness to give up their tradition. â€Å"The Lottery† is very unpredictable and quite misleading. The black box has no functionality, except every June 27th. Shirley Jackson depicts the black box as an important and traditional tool. Although the villagers in â€Å"The Lottery† are terrified of the goal of the lottery and the black box, they are unwilling to let go of the tradition. Shirley Jackson portraysRead MoreThe Lottery by Shirley Jackson799 Words   |  4 Pagesthe mood and to foreshadow of things to come. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a story in which the setting sets up the reader to think of positive outcomes. However, this description of the setting foreshadows exactly the opposite of what is to come. In addition, the theme that we learn of at the end leads us to think of where the sanity of some human beings lies. The story begins with the establishment of the setting. To begin, Shirley Jackson tells the reader what time of day and what time ofRead MoreThe Lottery by Shirley Jackson1764 Words   |  7 Pagesfilled with excitement and eeriness, leaving the reader speechless. The Lottery , a short story written by famous writer Shirley Jackson, created an uproar on June 26, 1948, when it was published in the magazine The New Yorker (Ball). The gothic thriller, set in an unknown time and place, shares the tradition of a small town, a little larger than three hundred people, in which a drawing is held once a year. In this â€Å"Lottery,† each family’s husband draws a slip of paper from a black box. The husband