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PICKET LINE: This is the traditional method of demonstrating that a labor union is on strike against an employer, whereby union members carry picket signs and walk in a line in front of the employers plant, factory, or place of business. The pickets carried by the striking workers contain messages documenting their striking status and some of their grievances with the employer. The act of walking in an orderly fashion means that they are not engaged in other activities that might be illegal. Crossing the "picket line" is symbolic of attempts to break a streak and to disagree with the goals of the striking workers.
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                           CONSUMER SOVEREIGNTY: The notion that consumers ultimately determine what goods and services are produced and how the economy's limited resources are used based on the purchases they make. Consumers thus reign over the economy as sovereign rulers. Like most notions this one captures an essential dimension of economic behavior, but it also has a notable qualification.Consumers are KingConsumer sovereignty means that buyers ultimately determine which goods and services remain in production. While businesses can produce and attempt to sell whatever goods they choose, if the goods fail to satisfy the wants and needs, consumers decide not to buy. If the consumers do not buy, the businesses do not sell and the goods are not produced.Suppose, for example, that Manny Mustard's House of Sandwich introduces a new menu item--a sandwich made with fried squash, sweet pickle relish, blue cheese dressing, sliced cabbage, and pumpernickel bread. Manny, the proprietor of this establishment, thoroughly enjoys this sandwich and thinks his patrons will as well. If they do, then business increases, profits are higher, overdue business loans can be paid off, and he can finally send his unruly step-son away to military school. Manny's business success, however, depends on his patrons. Will they like his new fried squash, sweet pickle relish, blue cheese dressing, sliced cabbage, pumpernickel bread sandwich? If they do not, then his step-son will continue his unruly behavior. The consumers are king! They ultimately decide Manny's business fate. Consumers as PawnsConsumers are sovereign as long as they know what they want and are able to act upon their desires. If consumers are tricked or fooled into making purchases that do not satisfy their wants and needs due to limited information or deceitful business practices, then consumers might not be the rulers of the economic realm. They might be pawns.Consider the case of Curious Curt's Curio Corner. The Curio Corner sells nick-knacks, jewelry, posters, and assorted novelty items. Curt's latest novelty offering is a magnetic mood pendant purported to improve the wearer's state of mind and outlook on life and it sells for only a dollar. The Curio Corner's marketing efforts are boosted by an intense advertising campaign promoting the psychological benefits of the magnetic mood pendant. Millions of consumers hear about the magnetic mood pendant and are swayed sufficiently by the advertising to give it a try. After all, it only costs a dollar. Unfortunately the magnetic mood pendant has no impact on state of mind or outlook on life. It is just a magnet. It does not work. It does not really do anything. Deluged by advertising consumers buy. Millions believe it works. But it does not. And sales of the magnetic mood pendant persist. Gullible consumers keep buying. Curious Curt continues to sell. But it does not work. It does not provide the consumer satisfaction that buyers expect. Consumers are not king. They are pawns.
Recommended Citation:CONSUMER SOVEREIGNTY, AmosWEB Encyclonomic WEB*pedia, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2026. [Accessed: April 11, 2026].
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WHITE GULLIBON
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Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time visiting every yard sale in a 30-mile radius looking to buy either a package of 4 by 6 index cards, the ones with lines or a 50 foot extension cord. Be on the lookout for spoiled cheese hiding under your bed hatching conspiracies against humanity.
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Three-forths of the gold mined each year is used to manufacture jewelry.
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"He, who every morning plans the transactions of the day, and follows that plan, carries a thread that will guide him through a labyrinth of the most busy life." -- Victor Hugo, Writer
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TFP
otal Factor Productivity
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