Use Fishman's "The Wal-Mart Effect and a Decent Society," Featherstone's "Down And Out In Discount America," the documentary, "Amazon Empire," and the class lecture to answer the following questions:

1. Walmart's business practices and strategies have not only set the standard for retail business, but also have tremendous impact on the economy. Discuss the Walmart model and evaluate the impact of Walmart on the economy.

2. Amazon employs some similar practices as the Walmart model, while it also advances into new territories. What are Amazon's business strategies that are developing into a new model and build the Amazon empire?

3. Walmart and Amazon are both exemplars of the free market theory, while they both also violate some fundamental free market principles. Discuss to what extent Walmart and Amazon represent (and do not represent) free market capitalism. Do you think powerful corporations, such as Amazon and Walmart, pose serious threat to capitalism and further governmental regulations and intervention are needed? Explain your position.

(If you answer yes, make sure you also discuss what kind of threats, and what kind of governmental regulations/intervention. If you answer no, make sure you also discuss why not, given the issues that we observe with the concentration of economic power.)