Walmartisation
2004.12.10 23:47

I think the term 'walmatisation' was used by someone before. I want to use the term again referring to the meaning in which a kind of globalisation by multi-national corporation defined not by its products but by creating labour force, working place, which characterised by lowering of working conditions, very serious influence to the nation's economy.
pre-walmatisation era
Back to 1960s... for example, there have been products from multinational corporations like Coca-Cola, Nestle. While we have had lots of products like Coke and Nestle, their corporation activity never seriously affects our daily life in general. Because they were operating their corporation activity only in a very limited arena. That we call first generation of foreign company's activity in Japan.
Secondly, new age comes. Fast food chain stores represented by McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken started arriving in our country. They influenced a lot. Our working conditions have been changed a lot, our salary changed largely from monthly basis to daily basis. But they never affected profoundly enough to our society. Because they offered lots of job oppotunity mainly in students, young unemployed, or housewives who want to make use of their vacant hours.
During four decades or so Japan's society has been allowing foreign 'products' pouring into first then 'foreign new life style' like fast food settling in then...What's next?
That was an attempted invasion of banking system. The attempt was made by CitiBank Corporation. It was a revolutionary. It created 24 hour bank teller etc. However strange enough their activity was banned abruptly because of the minor violation from Japan's corporation code. So their bold attempt has been failed so far. Of course 'finance' is our artery of economy, politics. It is not difficult for us to imagine they met a strong opposition from domestic bank.
Now that the age of walmatisation has arrived.
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Just wait until Wal*Mart comes in(Score:2)
by Marxist Hacker 42 (638312) * <seebert@seeberfamily.org> on 2004.12.11 2:24 (#11052747) (http://www.informationr.us/ Last Journal: 2005.09.24 5:50)
You ain't seen nothing yet. Wal*Mart's standard business plan is this:1. Gain exemptions from standard government rules on labor and environmental practices to put a Wal*Mart in a run-down area. Aim is to find run down areas no more than 3 miles apart- so that even if they drive the society down to the point where transportation is unaffordable, there will still be a Wal*Mart within walking distance of wherever you live.2. Pay employees at the lowest possible wage- discourage unionization so that the employees cannot ask for more. If this is below survival cost, too bad- the surrounding community is expected to take up the slack on health care, food, clothing, and shelter for the Wal*Mart employees.3. Become the largest retailer in any given industry, thus allowing Wal*Mart to pressure suppliers (give it to us at X price to hit Y price point with a 40% profit, or we'll pull our orders and put you out of business). Usually the only way for the supplier to hit this price point is to move manufacturing to a slave-labor nation like China.4. Use this power with suppliers to undersell EVERYBODY else, putting other retailers out of business.That's the standard Wal*Mart business plan for encouraging globalization- and it will be the end of manufacturing in Japan eventually, even if it's not Wal*Mart executing the plan.--Instead of teaching our children the wrong example of genocide, go down in dignity and teach that we are stupid.
Re:Just wait until Wal*Mart comes in(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) on 2004.12.11 23:48 (#11059875) (http://mercedo.blogspot.com/ Last Journal: 2005.09.24 14:16)
to pressure suppliers
Degrees sent me a comment in which he introduced the example of this. - That's what happened.
putting other retailers out of business
Considering the movement here and around, -that's what is happening.
it will be the end of manufacturing in Japan eventually
In order to end the manufacturing of Japan, not only retailer but financier like CitiBank is needed. So you are right, eventually leads to the end of manufacturing some time later.
even if it's not Wal*Mart executing the plan.
This is actually Corporate America's world targetting, you mean so?--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters [ Parent ]
Re:Just wait until Wal*Mart comes in(Score:2)
by Marxist Hacker 42 (638312) * <seebert@seeberfamily.org> on 2004.12.12 12:41 (#11064086) (http://www.informationr.us/ Last Journal: 2005.09.24 5:50)
In order to end the manufacturing of Japan, not only retailer but financier like CitiBank is needed. So you are right, eventually leads to the end of manufacturing some time later. Not so much- if the retailer is large enough it can become it's own financier. Here in America, Wal*Mart owns a credit union, a customer bank, and a small business shopping club in addition to the well known retail stores- the first and second are financing the third and forth's takeover of Corporate America.This is actually Corporate America's world targetting, you mean so? Not necessarily- there's nothing preventing a home-grown Japanses business with enough resources from pulling the same basic business plan of grabing customers with low prices and forcing suppliers to manufacture goods in lower-wage countries. It seems more to be the next natural step in the evolution of corporatism: First the shippers gain power, then the producers, and now the retailers. The actuall company on top of any given stage in this evolution is of little or no consequence to the evolution itself.--Instead of teaching our children the wrong example of genocide, go down in dignity and teach that we are stupid. [ Parent ]
Nightmare again(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) on 2004.12.14 17:25 (#11079725) (http://mercedo.blogspot.com/ Last Journal: 2005.09.24 14:16)
nothing preventing
Here lies our basic differences between two countries. In the case of your country, because you have vast hinterland, you don't need to seek for the land other than your hinterland itself. Back in our country, although we have a candidate of hinterland in South East Asia, for many reasons we prefer Asian continent mainly China as a hinterland of our country- that's exactly what happened to the area back early 1900s. As an aggression to that country.
Even newer one, which is not known in public, because it was ephemeral-existing only very short time when Yaohan International Supermarket Chain collapsed in China five or six years ago.
Yaohan were very adamantly trying to increase the number of premises in China in an extremely rapid way that lead to the interruption (for Yaohan) /intervention (for China) of the Chinese government which ended up in the total cease of their activity in China.. Yaohan's movement invited the strong suspicion about this company's intention-takeover of Corporate China. Even though China was a very attractive hinterland for us not only at present but in the past too, as long as China remains to be what it is now, it's gonna be really hard for us to seek for a hinterland in China, geographically speaking nearest neighbourhood from Japan.
Therefore it's gonna be really hard for us to 'think globally, act locally'. We know it's best, but practically impossible. Therefore we can't help but seek for geographically distant country.--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters [ Parent ]
Re:Nightmare again(Score:2)
by Marxist Hacker 42 (638312) * <seebert@seeberfamily.org> on 2004.12.15 2:42 (#11082806) (http://www.informationr.us/ Last Journal: 2005.09.24 5:50)
Therefore we can't help but seek for geographically distant country. Has anybody tried to figure out how to build on previously unbuildable land yet? I'm reminded of a scene from my childhood- a Yakima Native American fishing platform in the Columbia Gorge. The river there is ideal for salmon fishing- but there is no shore, just straight-down 100 foot (about 30 meter) cliffs into the water. Even the freeway in that region is built on a bridge- because there is no shore. What the Yakimas did was from a boat drill and drive iron into the cliff face a few feet above water level. They then dropped cables down from the top of the cliff, to make a guy wire for the platform built between the iron spikes. The only way to get to the platform was by boat- but they had a nice dry spot to fish from where there was no land previously.A good example in Japan is the airport at Osaka- land where there was no land previously. It seems to me that engineers who could devise that- could find some way to make use of the mountain ranges of Japan for these big-box stores- building in a hinterland unbuildable until modern technology took over.--Instead of teaching our children the wrong example of genocide, go down in dignity and teach that we are stupid.