Portland Community Consumer Preference and Competitor Calculations Discussion
Rewrite these two discussions using your own words.
Discussion A
What I found the most interesting in this week’s material was Wendy Brown’s topic on Walls. Walls as a response to globalization is interesting to me because, as stated, they are effectively useless. Only a few people today actually attempt to cross a border on foot, where many people that are illegal immigrants were let in legally but didn’t leave. These types of people include international students, international workers, people who faked marriages, etc. I found this especially interesting because of how Trump’s supporters in 2016 believed a giant wall to be the ultimate deterrent in keeping out immigrants. However, this is completely false, as described by Brown, because it existed solely as a symbol to ease people’s minds. I obviously do not agree with a large-scale wall being anywhere near useful in response to globalization, but I somewhat understand its usefulness as a symbol for those who are paranoid about immigrants.
Discussion B
Competitor calculations and consumer preference can transform corporate interests over time as their profits depend on consumer demand and competition. We can look at the car industry as an example, where strong emission standards are avoided by most states in the U.S. If there were stronger attempts to put more emission regulations on cars all over the country, it is likely many companies would try to resist against them, especially if the costs to avoid them are not too high. If most companies avoid these standards, then it can make the resistance stronger as other companies will not want to be at a disadvantage while their competitors are making more money. However, if most companies abide by these regulations due to higher pressures, then the playing field will be leveled out, and despite there being some short-term losses, at least no one will be at a significant advantage over the others. In addition, it is in the best interests of competitors to adhere if they calculate that one day these regulations will be required for all cars, which could put those resistant at a disadvantage.
Consumer preferences begin to change as salience increases towards environmental issues, and over time more people become familiar with environmental problems which have increasingly incentivized them to change their behavior as consumers. Electric cars are becoming the green alternative to traditional cars which might become more popular in the near future as environmental meanings continue to expand. Despite this being a difficult transition for some, companies will want to avoid being an environmental villain, as bad publicity can have heavy costs. This is because nongreen options can discourage buyers who may not want to be associated with the companies negative nonenvironmental image. Pressure from the public has achieved change in companies who want to avoid losing customers, however, sometimes this could mean caring more about promoting an “environmental” image rather than enacting significant change to products. Going back to the car industry, If the public begins to demand more electric car options and if most companies began to follow regulations, then there is likely going to be less resistance from car companies when it comes to emission regulations and creating more electric cars.
