Oligopoly Market in UK Supermarket Industry

Oligopoly Market in UK Supermarket Industry Oligopoly Market in UK Supermarket Industry In this essay I will search the information about supermarket industry in the UK, focus on the characteristic of oligopoly market and try to find out the effect of this market structure to customers, analysis its advantages and disadvantages. According to my search, there are a five big supermarket companies in the UK: Tesco, Asda, J Sainsbury, Safeway and Morrisons. We can see in the following diagram, in 2003 and 2008, Tesco is throughout having the most market share and the Asde .J Sainsbury Safeway and Morrisons always competitive with each other, having a large market share. So, the supermarket industry in UK is oligopoly market. The reason why the UK supermarket industry is oligopoly market for the follow reason: 1. Supply in the industry must be concentrated in the hands of relatively few firms. (Anderton A. (2004:322). In the UK, these supermarkets consider how much to supply and maybe make evaluate that how much their competitors will supply so that to insure the supply 2. Non-price competition (Anderton A. (2004:322). In UK supermarkets, in order to expand their market share, non-price competition has become a marketing strategy, As Revision Guru (2010); the supermarket will use different kinds of promotion or some way to encourage the consumer to buy more. 3. Collusion. Collusion is often a feature of the behaviour of firms in oligopolistic markets where it is not illegal. (Anderton A. (2004:323) 4. Many markets are dominated by brands. (Anderton A. (2004:323) .Every firm may produce the nearly the same good, in order to discriminate their good, many firms will make it as a brand to sell higher price. 5. Price rigidity. Price in oligopoly market changes far less than perfect competition in market. (Anderton A. (2004:323) The above is the characteristic of the oligopoly marker, and UK supermarket industry is match its characteristic, therefore, I draw a conclusion; UK supermarket industry is oligopoly market. In the follow section, will focus on discussion the advantages and disadvantages of this market structure for the consumers. In the oligopoly market, consumer can benefit from many ways. First of all, in the oligopoly market, consumers may have a better service a. For example in UK supermarkets, it is not only Tesco, but also Asda, J Sainsbury, SafewayThat means, consumers have choice to where they buy. As I mention above, oligopoly market is non-price competition, all the supermarkets sell almost the same good in the same price, in order to earn more money, the compete supermarkets may use different way to expand their market share, changing their marketing mixà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’such as Internet shopping for customers, Store Loyalty cards, Innovative use of technology for shoppers including self-scanning machines and so on (Revision Guru (2010), by changing in four area: product, promotion, place, pricing so that can promote the development of service of the supermarkets. In this process, consumers can enjoy a better and convince shopping service. Secondly, in the oligopoly market, consumers have more opportunity to buy a new and advanced produce. According to Buzzle (2010), in the oligopoly market, because of the strong enterprise strength and a lot of funds, these companies will invest much money in produce research so that to create new produce, also, companies want to be more competitive, they must have something new to attract consumers. Therefore, consumers can benefit from this new produce to improve their living. Thirdly, in the oligopoly market, the price is more stable, consumers can accepted it. In the oligopoly market, the price change very little, because if one company change price, other company must be affected and have some reaction, For instance, according to Worve (2010), Tesco if reduce 3% to 25% of each good, this will increasing its revenue and even increase its market share expand 12% in eight weeks. Besides, in the oligopoly market, other companies will also reduce their price, therefore, the consumers may benefit from this price war, saving  £150 a year. The reason why the supermarket will decrease their price is form the kinked demand curve theory, the supermarkets activated is accepting the Kinked Demand Curve. If one firm reduces their price, other firms will follow to reduce so that to keep their market share so in the oligopoly market, customers may also benefit too, the customers not only had a stable price for goods, but also can buy a cheaper goods. However, oligopoly market also has it advantages for consumers. Firstly, high barrier to entry the oligopoly market also is a disadvantage to consumers. Because there are a few companies in oligopoly market, such the UK supermarket, there only a big firms competed in the market, the little companies do no have enough power to completive with that big one, therefore, some little companies may be quitted the market ,or some even can not entry the market. Mail Online (2010). The little supermarkets quit means consumers have less choice; it is a disadvantage for consumers. Secondly, collusion between the compete supermarkets; it is also cause by the first disadvantage. As I mention before, the collusion is the characteristic of oligopoly, the firms want to keep their revenue so that to increase their price, between firms, they may collude with each other illegally. Consumers are forced to buy the goods in a higher price; Telegraphà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ 2010à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ °said that Any exchange of information between retailers is bound to distort prices at the expense of consumers , thus it can be seen that this is a disadvantage for customers. In sum up, the research I have study about UK supermarket industry I find that UK supermarket industry is an oligopoly market, and customers can benefit a lot. As I mention before, consumers can not only have a better service, but also be provided acceptable price of good. Besides, for customers, the most important thing is the quality and price of goods, in the oligopoly markets, because of completion, every company will provide a new and advanced produce for customers. However, in this oligopoly market, because of the characteristic of oligopoly market, high barrier to entry the market and the illegally collusion, customers may lose chance to meet other new supermarket in the market, that means customers have fewer choice and more easily to be forced to buy good in higher price.In order to make UK supermarket better, government should check whether companies have colluded with each other, to protect the consumers benefit. REFERENCES: Anderton A. (2004) Economics (3rd ed.) Ormskirk, Causeway Press Ltd. (Accessed 5th January 2010) Buzzle (2010) [On line] The Benefits of Oligopoly Available at: http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/10-27-2002-29003.asp (Accessed 5th January 2010) Mail Online (2010) [On line] Stores Sold Supermarket Sweep Create Choice Shoppers Available at:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-490986/Stores-sold-supermarket-sweep-create-choice-shoppers.html (Accessed 5th January 2010) Revision Guru (2010) [On line] Oligopoly Available at: http://www.revisionguru.co.uk/economics/oligopoly.htm ) (Accessed 5th January 2010) Single Marketing Ltd (2010) [On line] UK Market Available at: http://www.singlemarketing.co.uk/uk_market.html (Accessed 5th January 2010) Teagasc (2010) [On line], Retailer Dominance and the Impact on Farmers: from Growing to Sustenance Available at: http://www.teagasc.ie/publications/2004/20040226/paper2.asp (Accessed 5th January 2010) Telegraph (2010) [On line], UK Supermarkets Fixed Milk and Cheese Price Available at: Tutore2U(2010) [On line] Kinked Demand Curve Under Oligopoly Available at: http://tutor2u.net/economics/content/topics/monopoly/kinked_demand.htm (Accessed 5th January 2010) Worve (2010) [On line] Oligopolies in Supermarkets Essay Available at: http://www.wovre.com/revision/oligopolies-in-supermarkets-essay/ (Accessed 5th January 2010)

Revelation Essay

Revelation The opening lines of the poem initiate the main themes; â€Å"Black bull† introduces one of the themes which are gender stereotyping. This suggests the bull is powerful, strong and very angry. Females are then introduced in the poem, â€Å"eggs and milk†. This suggests females are pale, delicate and easily broken. The poet highlights the theme of stereotypes by placing â€Å"black bull† above â€Å"eggs and milk†. This is to effectively state that the black bull is on top of eggs and milk which emphasises on the importance of gender stereotyping.The second theme is introduced which is innocence and experience, â€Å"They call him Bob – as though perhaps you could reduce a monster with the charm of a friendly name†. Tone her is cynical. The bull has been given a cheery, friendly name which is a irrelevant name for the harsh animal. The key words of the quote are â€Å"monster† and â€Å"friendly†. This is a very striki ng contrast between the idea of the name Bob being friendly, cheery and approachable, but in actual fact behind the cheery name lays a monster. The quote, â€Å"at the threshold of his outhouse†, is the turning point in the story.This is a symbolic quote that states you must go over a line before starting a new life. In the poem a young girl is standing in the area between safety and danger. The line is significant as the pause creates a series of tension building up to a sense of danger. The girl’s initial perceptions of the creature are conveyed in, â€Å"At first only black, and the hot reek of him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The girl’s sensory impressions of the bull are that the word â€Å"black† represents danger. The words â€Å"hot reek† represents the smell and stench of the bull.Her over all sensory impression is the smell of the bulls pungent aroma that is its natural smell and the limited sight gives her a sense of the unknown danger. The poet conti nues to reference the main theme of gender stereotyping by developing it, â€Å"We was immense†, This quote highlights masculinity and power. It shows that males are bigger, more powerful and the dominate gender. The theme of innocence and experience is also developed, and the bull and the girl are compared to each other. The girl is full of fear and innocence. She is extremely intimidated by the bulls presence.The poet powerfully, reinforces the contrasting thematic dichotomies suggested in verse one. In the first instance this is done by including details in verse two which contract with details from the first verse. The poet has reinforced the theme of innocence and experience as he shows that the bull knows he is restrained. Also reinforces the theme of gender stereotyping – girl and boy. This is done as it is dark and the girl cannot see what the bull is doing, whilst the girl is unaware of this, the bull is trying to break free from where he is chained up too.The poet condenses the contrast by highlighting them in a few lines of verse two. â€Å" I had always half known he existed† Here, the poet points out that the girl had always knew the bull was there, just she had never seen the bull and didn’t want to come to terms with the reality. Verse three is effective as it shows that the girl is fearful of her encounter with the bull. The girl is terrified by the bulls presence and runs away from the farm. She runs past a group of boys.Here the writer links the bull and the boys together by the use of harsh sound effects. It is important that this link is made as it makes a direct comparison between the bulls aggression and the boys cruelty. It highlights that they both share the same characteristics. Finally, the girls attention is redirected to the parlous state of the eggs and milk, due to the flight, â€Å"scared of the eggs shattering† While she’s too busy protecting the eggs it shows the reader that females are protective towards anything precious.In the girls eyes the eggs and milk are precious, and she wants to protect them from any harm. â€Å"in case the milk should spill† The precarious position of the milk is highlighted in the small hands of a weak girl, who has been charged with the responsibility of looking after the eggs and milk. She is protecting what is important to her. The poet seems to be suggesting that her experience shows that females are scared of males and have to protect themselves from any harm. Females protect all forms of life, they are caring and sensible creatures.

Is an Invitation to Treat an Offer Essay

An invitation to treat is an action inviting other parties to make an offer to form a contract. These actions may sometimes appear to be offers them, and the difference can sometimes be difficult to determine. The distinction is important because accepting an offer creates a binding contract while â€Å"accepting† an invitation to treat is actually making an offer. Advertisements are usually invitations to treat, which allows sellers to refuse to sell products at prices mistakenly marked. Advertisements can also be considered offers in some specific cases. A proposal or an offer must be distinguished from an invitation to treat. It is provided in section 2(a) of the Contracts Act 1950 which states that a proposal is made when â€Å"one person signifies to another his willingness to do or abstain from doing something with a view to obtaining the assent to that other for such an act or abstinence†. A proposal can be accepted and it amounts to an agreement. If the agreement is breached, it can be a breached of contract. A proposal can either be made to a particular person or to the general public. The person who is making the offer is the offeror whereas the person who is accepting the offer is the offeree. As for invitation to treat, the Contracts Act does not provide any provision respecting this aspect of contract. An invitation to treat is not a proposal but it is a preliminary communication between the parties at the stage of negotiation, for instance, a price display of goods with price tags in the self-service supermarket or an advertisement. This is applied in Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain v Boots Cash Chemist Ltd [1953] 1 QB 401 HELD: that the display was only an invitation to treat and a proposal to buy was made when the customer placed the article in the basket and takes them to the cashier’s desk. Therefore, the shop owners had not made an unlawful sale. An invitation to treat cannot be accepted because it is not an offer therefore it does not amount to an agreement and there cannot be a breached of contract. Whenever there is a unilateral arrangement, there will be an offer and where there is a bilateral arrangement, that situation will give rise to an invitation to treat. An advertisement could be either an offer or an invitation to treat, depends on the intention of the parties in the case. In the case of Majumder v Attorney General of Sarawak (1967) 1 MLJ 101. HELD: That an advertisement in the newspaper for the post of a doctor was not an offer but merely an invitation to treat. Auctions are sometimes invitations to treat which allows the seller to accept bids and choose which to accept. However, if the seller states that there is no reserve price or the reserve price has been met, the auction will be considered an offer accepted by the highest bidder. An Invitation to treat will be anything that is displayed to a large number of people with an undefined way of choosing who can accept. An offer will be directed at a specific person with specified terms. So if an item is displayed saying it will be sold to the highest bidder or to the first to accept the labeled price, it will be considered an offer. As per Payne v Cave case (1789) 3 Term Rep 148; 100 ER:- The defendant made the highest bid and withdrew it before the fall of the hammer. HELD: That the bid itself constituted the proposal or the offer which the auctioneer was free to accept by the fall of the hammer or to reject it. Since the bid was withdrawn before the fall of the hammer there was no contract between parties. Offer’s can sometimes get confused with an Invitation to treat’. It is important not to get the two confused as there are different rules regarding both. An example of an invitation to treat would be an item on display with a price label in a shop window. This is an invitation to open negotiations with a view to forming a contract; in other words, it can be seen by anyone that happens to walk past the shop at the time of the window display. As per related case Fisher v Bell (1961) 1 QB 394 CA. The defendant was charged with offering for sale a flick knife in his shop-window which against the law. HELD: it is perfectly clear that according to the ordinary law of contract the display of an article with a price on it in a shop window is merely an invitation to treat. It is no sense an offer for sale the acceptance of which constitutes a contract.

Drug Court vs. Incarceration - 2165 Words

Rebeca Manns ENGL 112 Argumentative Paper September 2, 2012 Drug Court vs. Incarceration Drug addiction has increased drastically across America in the last fifty years. Non-violent drug offenders fill our jails and prisons. Taxpayer dollars are put into a prison system that is proving to be counter-productive. Recidivism rates are high. Drug Court is an alternative to incarceration that offers rehabilitation to criminal offenders. In drug court, the traditional functions of the U.S. justice system are profoundly altered. The judge is the leader of a treatment team. The judge makes all final decisions and holds a range of discretion unprecedented in the courtroom, including the type of treatment mandated and how to address†¦show more content†¦Noble County started a drug court program in December 2006. This program has allowed an effective sentencing alternative to the courts of Noble County. Honorable Judge Michael Kramer has presided over the program since its inception. Judge Kramer states that the mission of his drug court progr am is to â€Å"try to help people get clean while avoiding criminal behavior†. He also reports that more than 72 percent of those who are accepted into Noble County Drug Court Program are able to successfully complete all requirements dictated by the court in order to graduate from the program. Defendants who complete the drug court program and remain arrest-free for six months following their graduation, have all charges dropped and their arrest records are expunged. Judge Kramer explained the importance of recent ruling by the Indiana Supreme Court which clarifies the rules of judicial conduct related to drug court programs. This ruling outlines the regulations which help keep each member of the judicial team separate, so that no one has the appearance of being influenced or biased (Kramer). The United States Supreme Court has also made recent changes regarding judicial conduct so that each of the judicial members involved in the drug court system are able to work together, in the best interest of the offender (National Institute of Justice, para8). The taxpayer’s return on moneyShow MoreRelatedResponse Paper to Michelle Alexanders The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness743 Words   |  3 PagesCrow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness was written by Michelle Alexander to expose the truth of racial injustice in the system of mass incarceration through the comparison of the racial control during the Jim Crow Era. She reveals how race plays an important role in the American Justice System. Alexander argues about the racial bias, particularly towards African-Americans, immanent in the war on drugs as a result of their lack of political power and how the Supreme Court tolerates thisRead MoreThe New Jim Crow : Mass Incarceration On The Age Colorblindness Written By Legal Scholar1197 Words   |  5 Pages Summary The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration on the Age Colorblindness written by legal scholar, Michelle Alexander, explores a new caste system that targets black or brown men across improvised communities in the United States. According to Alexander, The New Jim Crow laws were created to hinder the growth of black or brown men by using the criminal justice system to enslave them into a vicious cycle of oppression. The Jim Crow laws that relished our nation’s history so many years earlier hasRead MoreMichelle Alexander s The New Jim Crow1495 Words   |  6 Pagesshown when Michelle talks about the history of the â€Å"War on Drugs†, e.g. Reagan’s policies and Clinton’s â€Å"three strikes your out† policy and how this effects the system today. The third guideline is Internal Consistency. Michelle Alexander keeps all of her information consist. All of the external research she depicts to the readers further confirms the message she is trying to get acros s which is that the American system of mass incarceration is purely a way to continue the discrimination in today’sRead MoreDrug Addiction Treatment Vs. Incarceration966 Words   |  4 PagesDrug Addiction Treatment vs. Incarceration: Gaining Insight Regarding the Facts Drug addiction is most often defined as a chronic progressive relapsing cycle in which an individual experiences excessive compulsions in using a mood altering substance despite the consequences associated with the drug. Drug addiction is also considered a disease that affects the brain; which results in a chemical imbalance caused by the abuse of illegal substances. The effects of drug usage can cause long term brainRead MoreThe Deterrence Of A Crime1573 Words   |  7 Pagestwo previous convictions and 43% have more than 3 convictions. †¢ During a State of the State address, New York Gov. David Paterson told his audience: I can t think of a criminal justice strategy that has been more unsuccessful than the Rockefeller Drug Laws.(poverty and Crime, 2011) †¢ Not only has prison not been a deterrence for people committing crimes. But, the death penalty has failed to deter criminals from committing murder. Southern states executes far more convicted murders than any otherRead MoreA Perfect Utopia Of Democracy1185 Words   |  5 Pagesnoticing major concerns in terms of law and policy making. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with 36 states having more prisoners than the next leading country, Cuba (Vice). One of the reasons why we have such a high incarceration rate can be blamed on the policy of stop and frisk. Although stop and frisk policies are implemented in order to better protect our society from drugs and weapons, the way it has been used by law enforcement violates the fourth amendment becauseRead MorePunishment vs Rehabilitation1661 Words   |  7 PagesPunishment vs. Rehabilitation Helen Olko October 1, 2012 Abstract The expectations that our society has for the criminal justice system  is to punish and rehabilitate individuals who commit crime. Punishment and rehabilitation are also two of the four acknowledged objectives of the criminal justice system, with deterrence and incapacitation being the others. In the United States, punishment has always been the primary goal to achieve when dealingRead MoreThe American Justice System Is Corrupt1536 Words   |  7 Pagespeople locked up as a result of the War on Drugs and the wave of privatization that occurred under the Reagan Administration saw the rise of the for-profit industry. Prior to the 80 s, private prisons did not exist is the US. In a 2011 report by the ACLU, it is claimed that the rise of profit prison industry is a major contributor to mass incarceration, along with the stuffed state budgets. Louisiana, for example, has the highest rate of incarceration I in the world with the majority of its prisonersRead MoreThe Ratio Of Afric an American And Other Ethnic Groups1531 Words   |  7 Pagessystem. Statistics show that there is racial disparities in many decisions made in the criminal he justice system. One example is the â€Å"driving while black,† shows the potential abuse by law enforcement. According to The New Jim Crow, the Supreme Court has actually granted the police license to discriminate, it is not advertised because they know that the public will not accept this, it is left unsaid. Propositions racial variations have denied ethnic minorities of their most essential social equalityRead MorePrison Overcrowding And The United States994 Words   |  4 PagesPrison Overcrowding In the United States, there’s two types of incarcerations: jail vs prison and federal vs state. The key difference between all prison systems is the size, location, and quantity of inmates and the crime rate in each area. Overpopulation has been an issue for a while mainly because for the safety for the inmates, the Three Strike Law, and also, society feeling that rehabilitation isn’t what they want for convicted felons. In the future, the system of corrections should decrease