Presenter, Libby Potter. Originally co-produced by BBC and The Open University as a segment of: The money programme.
Contents:
Chapters: Introduction -- Are today's prices really cheaper? -- Are falling prices a problem? -- The Walmart effect -- From Sweden to Shenzhen: the no-frills revolution -- Containerization & fast fashion -- The real cost of cheap goods -- Is the cheap bubble about to burst?
Summary:
"In this program host Libby Potter travels around the world as she takes a meaningful look at the economics behind the inexpensive goods for sale in big-box stores and malls. Cost-cutting through supply chain management and waste reduction, economies of scale achieved by shipping offshore-manufactured goods to market via super-container ships, the Wal-Mart effect, and the no-frills philosophy of IKEA are addressed. The triumphs and woes of China, in its role as a manufacturer for the world, is given special attention, and the clothing industry is presented as a case study of the cheap goods cycle. But the program also considers the hidden societal costs of cheap goods, such as sweatshop labor and the environmental impact of cavalier overconsumption, and questions how much longer prices will continue to drop as China's standard of living rises"-- Films for the Humanities & Sciences web site.
Locations:
SOAX911 -- Simpson College - Dunn Library (Indianola)
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.