Walmart Research Proposal

Submitted By asr0922
Words: 1423
Pages: 6

Ashleen Rai
Professor Shapiro
English 100B
13 March 2014

Research Proposal
Background
My research question is, how does a Wal-Mart impact smaller business? When Wal-Mart first opened it was not very big. It was the only store that you were capable of buying multiple things at. Back then many people owned stores that sold in one specific category. For example, there were furniture stores that only sold furniture or hard ware tools that only sold hard ware. Wal-Mart brought in a new perspective to the consumers. People were astonished of the low prices that Wal-Mart could bring to the people. Other stores around them started to suffer. The small family owned businesses were loosing costumers and not making their annual payments. Wal-Mart now continues to grow larger than ever. We have seen Wal-Mart go from a small market to a super center to a super market. Wal-Mart has expanded throughout the country and now even internationally. Wal-Mart comes into towns and forces smaller business to shut down. Because Wal-Mart is capable of selling things for a very cheap price they make family owned businesses look like they are selling things too expensive. Wal-Mart is capable of selling things for such cheap prices because they buy things in very large sizes, which they receive discounts for. Also, Wal-Mart tells the vender that they are buying off of the amount they will buy their products for. Usually venders will give companies a price and the company will compromise in order to meet the vender’s needs. But since Wal-Mart is such a large company venders do not want to lose their business, so they compromise on Wal-Mart’s qualifications. That is how Wal-Mart is capable of selling the venders products for such a cheap price. The vender does not want to lose the partnership with Wal-Mart so they do not put up an argument. Wal-Mart also does international business. They set up plants in other countries such as China, so they do not have to pay their workers a lot and they can easily get their products. They pay people in China less then what they would pay people here in the United States. China also has under aged children working in the plants to receive money for their families. That is how Wal-Mart is able to purchase items for such a low price. The people in China do not receive any rights. So the government of China forces many men, women, and even children to work for a very low cost. Since Wal-Mart is such a huge corporation and is constantly buying things from China they are supporting underage workers. The Wal-Mart industry makes billions and billions of dollars and most of their employees are still on food stamps. Wal-Mart is clever when it comes to saving money. They hire people to do simple tasks, so they are capable of replacing them faster and easier. Wal-Mart knows how to manipulate people in order to get what they want.
Some things I still want to know about Wal-Mart is even if people know that Wal-Mart is manipulating them why do they still shop there? Is there a certain race that shop at Wal-Mart more? Which gender shops at Wal-Mart more? What types of companies does Wal-Mart buy off of? What do smaller businesses think of Wal-Mart? How have smaller business been affected by Wal-Mart? How did Wal-Mart grow to be who they are? Even with all the protestors, will Wal-Mart ever shut down? Where do they buy their products? Why do they hire low in come people? Is there a certain class that shop at Wal-Mart more? If so, which class shops at Wal-Mart more? What other companies have Wal-Mart opened? How do other larger companies compete with Wal-Mart? How has Wal-Mart affected smaller businesses? How does Wal-Mart sell their products for such a low price? Has Wal-Mart affected larger businesses as much as smaller business?
I decided to do my research project on the effects Wal-Mart has on smaller companies because I do not like the effects that Wal-Mart has on smaller business. I personally would rather support a smaller