Nike and Adidas are two major players in the global shoe industry. Both invest heavily in branding, supply chain optimization, and labor cost minimization to increase their profits. From a Marxian perspective, how should we interpret this competition between them?
Group of answer choices
They are competing to create the most value through innovation and product differentiation, allowing each firm to expand its own value independently of the rest of the system.
They are trying to increase productivity to match consumer demand, so that the market clears efficiently and wages rise in proportion to marginal productivity--that's why they pivot production to Asia, where salaries are lower and workers, disciplined.
They are struggling to control global supply chains in order to ensure long-term sustainability and ethical labor practices in line with consumer preferences.
They are competing for a larger share of the global surplus-value already produced by the working class — meaning each firm aims to appropriate more value than it contributes by intensifying exploitation and lowering costs.