Hayagreeva Rao's Market Rebellion

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Writing Rebel Change is inevitable, especially in today’s economy. Individuals from all around the world are constantly pushing the boundaries and breaking the status quo in order to come up with the next “big thing”. Most of the time, success is attributed to a certain individual who is deemed responsible for introducing an innovation. A great example is through Henry Ford, who is often perceived as the pioneer of the car industry in North America. However, Hayagreeva Rao tells an entirely different story in his book Market Rebels as he suggests that acceptance of an innovation is due to social movements spearheaded by market rebels. While Market Rebels emphasises the role of social movements in shaping our markets, the role of key individuals …show more content…

In chapter six, Chain Reaction: Enactment and Repeal of Anti-Chain Store Laws, Rao’s focus is on Wal-Mart. During the very first page of the chapter, Rao mentions Al Norman, “[…] a resident of Greenfield, sparked a campaign that emphasized the loss of a small-town feel” (Rao, 2009, p. 119), however there is no mention of him again. Instead, Rao frequently mentions and attributes the success to “the anti-chain store movement” (Rao, 2009, p.140). Although Norman cannot and should not be attributed with all the success, Rao is shorting him by not giving him any spotlight. In 1993, Norman was encouraged by a local official to lead a campaign to stop Wal-Mart from entering Greenfield. Once the story attracted media attention, Norman was now the face of the anti-Walmart movement. In the coming months, he proceeded to advise other communities, provided how-to instructions and even published three books (Luna). Rao now has fallen short on giving leaders enough credit in social movements. As stated by Aldon Morris and Suzanne Straggenborg of Northwestern University, “Leaders are critical to social movements: they inspire commitment, mobilize resources, create and devise strategies, frame demands, and influence outcomes. […] however, leadership in social movements has yet to be adequately theorized” (qtd. in Morris and Staggenborg). Needless to say, Norman played a huge role in the fight against Walmart, but did not get the credit he