Empowering the American Consumer : Corporate Responsiveness and Market Profitability.

Cover -- EMPOWERING THE AMERICAN CONSUMER -- Contents -- Preface -- REFERENCE -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- MARY MARY QUITE CONTRARY, HOW DOES YOUR ECONOMY GROW? -- THE ROLE OF THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM -- THE PREVAILING DERAILMENT OF AMERICAN MARKETS -- BIG IS NOT BEAUTIFUL -- The Impact of Oligopolies -- Merger Mania and American Markets -- Is Piracy Legal? -- SUMMARY -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 1 Accumulation of Economic Power -- INTRODUCTION -- CREATING WEALTH -- GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS BEGINS AT HOME -- Effective Marketing -- Managerial Superiority -- MERGER MANIA LEADS TO OLIGOPOLIES -- Oligopolies Are Dinosaurs -- Too Much Economic Power -- Economic Power Begets Economic Power -- Buying Out the Mean and the Lean -- Free Markets and Not So Free Entry -- SUMMARY -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 2 The Plight of the American Consumer -- A NATION OF HAMBURGER FLIPPERS -- FROM EQUALITY TO EQUAL OPPORTUNITY -- THE TYRANNY IS REAL -- WHAT ABOUT THE BANKING SECTOR? -- DOWNSIZING IS NOT RIGHT SIZING -- CREATING OPPORTUNITIES -- SUMMARY -- REFERENCES -- APPENDIX A: MY HMO IS TELLING ME NOT TO GET SICK OR ELSE -- APPENDIX B: MY BANK IS TERRORIZING ME -- Chapter 3 Equal Opportunity Consumer -- WHAT DO AMERICAN CONSUMERS NEED? -- INNATE INEQUALITIES OF THE CONSUMER -- CONSUMERS' WELL BEING: THE RECENT PAST -- CONSUMERS' INNER CAPABILITIES -- SELF-PERPETUATION OF CONSUMER FRAILTY -- CORRECTIVE ACTION IS NECESSARY -- Consumer Information -- Consumer Education -- Consumer Protection -- LIP SERVICE FOR CAVEAT VENDOR -- SUMMARY -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 4 What Complexity Begets Is More Complexity -- FROM ADAM SMITH'S MARKET TO BILL CLINTON'S MARKET -- THE TWO DEMOCRACIES -- THE POWER OF HIGH TECH -- THE SKILLS GAP -- THE POWER OF KNOWLEDGE -- CONTRASTING WAR PREPARATION IN THE 1940S AND THE 1980S -- PRIVATIZATION OF EDUCATION -- SUMMARY -- REFERENCES.

Chapter 5 The Magnificent American Economy -- SIZE LEADS TO ECONOMIES OF SCALE -- WHAT ABOUT ECONOMIES OF SCOPE AND SPEED? -- ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT AND PERFORMANCE -- A CONTRAST BETWEEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND LARGE CORPORATIONS -- COMPETITION DOES NOT BEAT COMPETITION -- DEREGULATION AND COMPETITION -- CREATION OF A BALANCED GROWTH: A HYPOTHETICAL ANALYSIS -- SUMMARY -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 6 Federalism Versus States' Rights -- OPTIMIZATION OF AN ECONOMY -- DIVIDED THERE IS NO SYNERGISM -- THE AMERICAN ECONOMY MUST NOT BE DIVIDED -- DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DECENTRALIZATION AND STATES' RIGHTS -- DECENTRALIZATION DOES NOT MEAN DIVISION -- SUMMARY -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 7 Regulation for Competition, Not of Competition -- DEREGULATION AND COMPETITION -- THE BANKING SECTOR AFTER DEREGULATION -- AIRLINES AFTER DEREGULATION -- TELEPHONE INDUSTRY-THE DEATH OF MA BELL -- THE BIG MEDIA GAME -- THE MEANING AND IMPLICATIONS OF PRIVATIZATION -- THE LEGAL CONSTRAINTS -- CONDITIONS LEADING TO LAWS THAT WOULD ENHANCE COMPETITION -- SUMMARY -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 8 The Workings of a Mixed Economy -- ESTABLISHING THE PARAMETERS -- THE COST OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY -- Maintaining Competition -- Enhancing Competition -- DIRECT COST OF BUSINESS FAILURES -- INDIRECT COST OF BUSINESS FAILURES -- EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND BUSINESS FAILURES -- INVESTING INTO SOCIETY'S FUTURE -- THE GENERATIONAL CONFLICT -- ESTABLISHING A BALANCE IN THE MIXED ECONOMY -- SUMMARY -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 9 Macro and Micro Economic Growth Strategies -- CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITIES -- GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSIBILITIES -- DOMESTIC GROWTH STRATEGIES -- INTERNATIONAL GROWTH STRATEGIES -- WHAT ARE THE TOOLS? -- ECONOMIC GROWTH IS THE ANSWER -- MUST BE FAIR TO REMAIN FREE -- SUMMARY -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 10 Developing Human Resources Through Learning -- EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES -- Cost -- Ideology -- Religion.

Profit -- GROWTH IN THE MARKETPLACE -- EDUCATION AND THE INDIVIDUAL DECISION PROCESS -- CORPORATE DECISION-MAKING AND LEARNING -- DECISION-MAKING AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE -- SUMMARY -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 11 The Environment Infrastructure and Consumer Empowerment -- IMPROVING THE LINKAGE BETWEEN THE ECONOMY AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE -- ASSESSING ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLINESS -- RECONCILING ECONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL FACTORS -- IMPROVING THE INFRASTRUCTURE -- DEVELOPING ENERGY -- COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS -- ROADS AND OTHER SUPPORT SYSTEMS -- ECONOMY MUST BE STRONG NOT TO LOSE FACTORIES -- FREE AND FAIR TRADE -- CONSUMERS NEED BETTER JOBS -- SUMMARY -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 12 Creating Greater Consumer Value -- HOW CONSUMER VALUE IS GENERATED -- VALUE MARKETING AT WORK -- Product and Service Versatility -- Uncertainty -- Time Management -- Market Fragmentation and Customization -- Quality, Design and Service -- Responsiveness -- Improvement Through Front-Line Personnel -- CONSTRUCTING A VALUE MARKETING PLAN -- Segmentation -- Developing New Products -- Advertising -- Promotion -- Pricing -- Sales Management -- Product Handling and Distribution -- Monitoring and Developing Feedback -- PUTTING IT TOGETHER -- Offer Products That Perform -- Give More Than the Consumer Expects -- Give Guarantees -- Add More Value -- Avoid Unrealistic Pricing -- Give Consumers the Facts -- Build Relationships -- Penetrate the Market -- Monitor, Monitor, Monitor -- SUMMARY -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 13 Conclusions and Future Research -- WHAT IF CONSUMERS ARE NOT EMPOWERED -- CONSUMER EMPOWERMENT MEANS PROFIT FOR BUSINESS -- RECIPROCITY IN ECONOMIC PROGRESS -- A MATTER OF MEANS AND ENDS -- THE END IS A PROGRESSING SOCIETY -- THE MEANS ARE MARKET FORCES AND BUSINESS PRACTICES -- A FUTURE RESEARCH AGENDA -- SUMMARY -- REFERENCES -- Selected Bibliography -- Index -- About the Author.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.