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1、ANewWorldofRetailSupremacy:SupplyChainsandWorkers’ChainsintheAgeofWal-MartRichardAppelbaumUniversityofCalifornia,SantaBarbaraNelsonLichtensteinUniversityofCalifornia,SantaBarbaraAbstractIncontrasttothemid-twentiethcenturyeraoftransnationalcommerce,inwhichtheUSorEuropeanmanufacturi
2、ngmultinationalsplayedtheleadingrole,twenty-firstcenturyglobalizationisincreasinglystructuredbyasetofretail-dominatedsupplychains,thatofWal-Martfirstamongthem.Thisstrategicshiftinthelocusofcorporatepowerhasarisenoutoftwoconjoinedphenomena:first,thelogisticalintegrationmadepossibleand
3、necessarybytherevolutionininformation/transportationtechnology(barcodes,datastorage,containerization,globalcommunications),andsecond,theneoliberaltransformationoftheworldwidepoliticaleconomy,whichintheUShasfacilitatedthemassiveexpansionofalow-wage,importdependentretailsector,while
4、incoastalChinaithasgeneratedahugeexport-manufacturingboom.ButtheglobalsupplychainlinkingGuangdongProvincetoBentonville,Arkansasmaywellbeanincreasinglyfragileone,becausetheproletarianizationoftensofmillionsofChinesepeasantsisunlikelytogosmoothly,especiallyunderconditionsofauthorita
5、riangovernance.Aglobalizedworldofcommerceandlaborhasexistedforcenturies.TheVanderbiltsandtheVictoriansknewallabouttheChinatrade.Buttoday’sglo-balizationdiffersradicallyfromthatofevenafewdecadespastbecauseofthecontemporaryroleplayedbythecorporateking-makersofourday,thebig-boxretail
6、chainsthatnowoccupythestrategicheightsoncesowellgarrisonedbythegreatmanufacturingfirmsoftheFordistera.AtthecruxoftheglobalsupplychainsstandtheWal-Marts,theHomeDepots,andtheCarrefoursofourtime.Theymakethemarkets,settheprices,anddeterminetheworldwidedis-tributionoflaborforthatgiganti
7、cstreamofcommoditiesthatnowflowsacrosstheircounters.TheeviscerationofsomanyUSgoods-producingfirmshasentailednotjustcheap-laborcompetitionfromabroad,butanhistoricshiftinpowerwithinthestructuresofworldcapitalism,frommanufacturingtoaretailsectorthattodaycommandsthesupplychainswhichgird
8、letheearthanddirectsthelaborpower
