What are the three sociological perspectives? Functionalist, Conflict, and Symbolic interactionist. The functionalist perspective sees society as interconnected parts working together in harmony. The conflict perspective sees society as different groups with different goals and interest competing for power. And lastly the symbolic perspective focuses on the relationships amongst individuals in a society. One business that uses all three of these perspectives is Walmart, and in this paper, it shall be explained how.
With the Functionalist perspective Walmart is one stop shop superstore. People can come here to buy clothes, food, toys, makeup, and healthcare items. Walmart has such a variety of items that you can go in there looking for one thing and come out with ten! Not only is there plenty of items to choose from but there’s plenty of workers too, Walmart hires such a wide variety of people, it doesn’t matter what their race, gender, or age is. You may see a young white female at the register, an elderly lady greeting people at the door, or a strong black male stocking the shelves. Also, Walmart provides service to customers under any and all circumstances. Another way that Walmart serves society in a functionalist way is by having 24 hour-service, this makes shopping convenient for anyone. Due to this “teamwork makes the dream work” perspective, that is why Walmart is one of the biggest companies in the world!
Walmart may have a functional perspective, but they must have a conflict perspective too, back to the part about anyone being hired, the reason they do that is to compete with the competition, many stores do not hire teenagers looking for their first job, or elderly looking for something to do on their free time. But because of Walmart doing that, they have plenty of help around the store to make sure it’s in tip-top shape. Walmart’s slogan is “Save money. Live better.” and with that being said, Walmart’s products have great value, and low prices. And anyone will live better with cheap prices! Do Walmart prices not reach what you’re looking for? Good thing they do price matching. Bring in any ad from any store and they will match that price. They will compete with any store, from Kroger to the local HandiMart for your satisfaction.
127 our experts are availableright now
Symbolic perspective is the different ways individuals see something, someone may see Walmart as an overly competitive store due to the willingness to beat out any store around it. That person ends up viewing Walmart as bad for our economy. However, another person such as myself sees Walmart as an opportunity to get some great bargains! The person whom enjoys getting bargains would see Walmart as a go-to kind of place. Although symbolic perspective is pretty much someone’s “opinion”, the opinion can change. For instance, someone who loves Walmart may talk to someone who’s store was shut down due to the lack of customers and sales because of the new Walmart opening down the road. The person who loves Walmart may now look at the store like “Hey, there’s that super awesome store that steals everyone’s business”.
No matter what perspective you prefer Walmart is and always will be a first-rate store. To be such a successful store they must be able to see from all perspectives, even the negative ones. Because of their willingness to do so Walmart has some of the lowest prices, greatest values, and the most costumers. Walmart has made shopping easier and more fun. There are very few stores that can say they have varieties of products and low prices while beating out other stores and taking feedback from millions of customers.
