>On Fri, 3 Dec 2004 11:40:48 -0500, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
>>
>> That, plus the intense centralization of Wal-Mart (store managers
>> have to get Bentonville's approval for changing the thermostat!),
>> should lift the hearts of those unreconstructed advocates of economic
>> planning.
>
>
>Is it not valid comparing just one actor in a capitalist economy to
>state planning? While Wal mart may be centralised, it's entire
>business is predicated on pitting suppliers against each other, and
>it's probably that competition for their IT business that allows them
>to 'efficiently' operate such a massive central planning operation.
That's true, but it used to be said that the data requirements for central planning were just too huge to manage. I don't think that's true anymore.
Doug