Karl Marx and Walmart
‘A specter is haunting the economy of the world-the specter of multinational conglomerates. All the powers of America have entered into a holy alliance to exercise this specter: the President, the Fed, Wall Street, CEO’s, lobbyists, government, and government regulators.’ This specter is something new that was not seen in days of mine. I did however, prophesize that events such as these could happen in the future. There is no company that earns as much revenue in the world. By giving some financial statements a mere cursory glance, Walmart is by far the largest company in the world. Is there another store that allows a customer to buy nearly everything they need or want, and have these items under one roof… for, on average, the lowest price possible? Food stuff, car audio systems, gift cards, electronics, welding caps, and furniture all sold at cut-rate prices. Today I am here to talk about how capitalist companies such as Walmart does this and the secret of their economic success. The key ingredients to this success include taking advantage of a workforce who is desperate to work due to an unhealthy division of labor caused by job specialization. Another ingredient added is the exploitation of these workers. Lastly, there needs to be some insight on how Walmart is able to keep such a wide variety of goods in one store and overload the senses of the customers and how customers see these items.
As I have written, the world is divided between two camps. You are either a have… or a have not. “Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other: bourgeoisie and proletariat” (Marx in E&A, pg.53). This great divide is one key element in how a profit is made by large companies, which is rarely passed on to its employees, and never passed on to its customers. Since the industrial revolution, there are many goods that are produced cheaply and require less manpower. This lack of
As I have written, the world is divided between two camps. You are either a have… or a have not. “Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other: bourgeoisie and proletariat” (Marx in E&A, pg.53). This great divide is one key element in how a profit is made by large companies, which is rarely passed on to its employees, and never passed on to its customers. Since the industrial revolution, there are many goods that are produced cheaply and require less manpower. This lack of
References: Fortune 500 (2013): Annual Ranking of America 's Largest Corporations from Fortune Magazine. CNNMoney Gustafson, Krystina. (2014) "Time to Close Wal-Mart Stores? Analysts Think so." CNBC.com. n.p., 30 Jan. 2014 Marx, K. (1963) Preface to A contribution to the Critique of Political Economy; trans. T.B. Bottomore and M Marx, K. (2010). “Estranged Labor.” Pp. 32-38 in Social Theory: The Multicultural Readings (2010) edited C Marx, K. (2011) the Communist Manifesto. S. Appelrouth & L.D. Edles, Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory (pp Marx, K. (2011) Capital. S. Appelrouth & L.D. Edles, Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory (pp. 67-76) Los Angeles, CA: Pine Forge Press (Originally Published in 1848) Resnick, S.A. and R.D. Wolff. (1987) Knowledge and Class: A Marxian critique of political economy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press "SEC Filings." (2014) Walmart Corporate. Securities Exchange Commission, 30 Jan. 2014. Web. 06 Feb. 2014.