Anglais Devoir 1 CNED BTS MUC: Quels sont les avantages et les inconvénients des centres commerciaux?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of shopping malls? Can you think of other types of outlets and channels of distribution where consumers can buy (minimum 100 words)?

Malls and shopping centers enable people to conveniently shop at one stop. They often include a hypermarket and a string of specialty stores, restaurants, multiplex cinema and other forms of entertainment. Some of the fancier ones offer activities such as bowling, cinemas, ice skating rinks, play centers, arcades with games and so on. All ages are attracted to malls. The young enjoy hanging out there with their friends, taking advantage of the entertainment, window shopping and making purchases. Adults find it convenient to load up in one stop and can find more variety and attractive prices. For seniors, it can be a place to get a little exercise where they can walk around on a cold winter day or sit and chat or watch passers-by and be distracted from their solitude.

On the other hand, if you don’t have a car it is not always easy to get to malls which are usually located in suburbs where the real estate is cheaper, and if you go by public transport, you cannot really carry much back home. Whether you enjoy shopping or browsing at malls also depends somewhat on your personality. You may enjoy the surroundings, crowds and consumer-oriented environment or find the place too big, standardized, impersonal and commercial and feel oppressed and a little lost.

What determines consumer confidence, and how important is it for economic recovery and growth? (Minimum 100 mots)

Consumer confidence is determined by the economy and particularly by the job market. If the economy is booming and people have jobs, they are confident and spend money, invest and build. This behaviour increases productivity and growth. Companies can raise salaries, hire more employees and spend money on research and development.

On the other hand, when unemployment is high and/or we are in a period of recession, people lose confidence and their behaviour is more cautious. If they are unemployed, they have little money to spend, but even many of those who have jobs, reduce consumption and save instead as they worry about being laid off or about the future of their children.

A slow down of consumption leads to a slow down of production, of trade, development and growth and a rise of unemployment. If people don’t consume, products don’t sell, production decreases, businesses go bankrupt and shut down or streamline operations by laying off employees, reducing their budgets, cutting back on research and development which in turn slows down growth and job creation.

On the contrary, the increase of consumption means an increase in demand, productivity and development which lead to job growth and greater consumption.

Therefore indeed consumption has an enormous impact on the economy and in periods of recession like today consumer confidence is part and parcel to recovery.

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