An oligopoly (from the Greek, few sellers) is a market that is
dominated by a few large and powerful players. As Steve Hannaford
documents with numerous examples, virtually every industry
today—from medical equipment to airlines, toy retailing to
oil—is trending in this direction, in the greatest movement
toward industry consolidation since the turn of the 20th century.
Charting the course of this trend around the world, Hannaford
examines the motivations behind consolidation resulting from
mergers, acquisitions, buyouts, and alliances; how companies exert
political pressure to their advantage; and how the actions of the
most dominant players—such as Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, Viacom, Dell,
ExxonMobil, Citigroup, and others—affect the choices we make at
the supermarket, the drugs we are prescribed, and the movies we
watch. Everyone who reads the newspapers is aware of the dizzying
pace of mergers, acquisitions, buyouts, and alliances, between big
companies and small companies in every industry. Such deals, along
with the growing social and political clout of the biggest
companies, are critical issues for the economy and for our future
as consumers. Charting the course of this trend around the world,
Hannaford examines the motivations behind consolidation into
corporate empires, how companies exert political pressure to their
advantage, and how the actions of the most dominant players, such
as Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, Viacom, Dell, ExxonMobil, Citigroup, and
others, affect the choices we have at the supermarket, the drugs we
are prescribed, and the movies we watch. Considering the
implications of industry concentration on competition,
technological innovation, business management, strategy, consumer
behavior, and politics, Hannaford paints a provocative, but
ultimately balanced, picture of big business and its impact on
society.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!