An Overall Understanding of Barnes & Noble       By combining political economy and cultural perspectives our understanding of Barnes and Noble as a themed space has heightened. It is apparent that these perspectives are related. There is a cyclical dependence between the two.  As the political economy strives on and is affected by the cultural atmosphere, the cultural patterns in turn reflect the state and success of the political economy. When failures occur in one perspective, consequences can be felt by the other. To fully understand the workings, drive, and the ultimate power of Barnes and Noble, one must look at the full picture, incorporating both the obvious and implied political economy and cultural atmosphere.             The interest Barnes and Noble takes in the community is both a political and cultural investment. In particular, Barnes and Noble's recent "Close the Book on Hate Campaign" has numerous cultural benefits, however there is also a clear, strong political and economic incentive. Striving to educate on strategies to combat prejudice in young children, Barnes and Noble stores offer free educational events and literature. On a superficial level this appears as a purely philanthropic action. However, the program strongly relies on advertising and a specific book list found at Barnes and Nobles stores that customers are encouraged to buy. Resulting from this economic and cultural mutual existence is an increased amount of positive publicity and consumer interest in this major bookseller therefore increasing sales.             Barnes and Noble is also ensured sales increase by their support and promotion of education. In offering free online courses to students at the Barnes and Noble University website, Barnes and Noble is able to present themselves as having an unselfish interest in a better cultural society. However, students engaged in these classes are on the Barnes and Noble website each class and in order to heighten their understanding of the material, they are expected to purchase other merchandise (supplied by Barnes and Noble of course). Barnes and Noble University was recently named Forbes' Best of the Web. Once again, Barnes and Noble philanthropic cultural interests results in an increased consumer participation through positive publicity. Barnes and Noble makes a visible presence in already established educational institutions as well. In college and university bookstores across the country, the shelves are stocked by Barnes and Noble. This is a good market as college students have a required book list needed for their individual classes. Most colleges and universities only purchase from one major bookseller, reducing competition among enterprises. Barnes and Noble therefore receives majority bookseller profit from the higher education industry.             Although it is important to recognize the connection and mutual dependence between the political economy and cultural perspectives, other issues must be accounted for. It is important to look at the political economy and cultural atmosphere within a global picture. By observing certain trends in the history, existence and production of other major corporations and enterprises across the globe, one can assess the supply and demand for their specific business and furthermore their position in the global world. Barnes and Noble, although as a physical space is only on United States soil, has opened up to the global population via the World Wide Web. This proves its existence and the power it can achieve even if not visible to the eye. On the other end of the spectrum, there needs to be a greater sensitivity to individual needs and desires. Environmentally there needs to be an awareness of space and the natural resources available. No matter how powerful Barnes and Noble gets, it will never exceed the power of nature. Land use and spatial position strongly contribute to and affect the political economy and cultural atmosphere. Due to uncontrollable events, such as various natural disasters, the political and cultural economies will suffer consequences.             The cutting-edge trends in urbanization can be seen and understood in the strategic placement of Barnes and Noble. This major bookseller tends to be located in malls, in airports, in colleges, and off major highways, all of which support a high distribution of people. The postmodern trend of moving out of the cities and into the suburbs is reflected by the increasing number of Barnes and Noble stores in suburban areas. Technology as an urban trend has also affected the merchandise, sales and location of Barnes and Noble. The online store has brought in much revenue in reaching out to more consumers. Specific products, with the arrival of higher technology, now include computer software and entertainment media. Another trend in urbanization is the want of the modern society to be in an artificial, local, environment unlike where they live whether it be a suburb or a city. Barnes and Nobles provides a comfortable and cozy atmosphere within the chaos of an urban environment. In reality, Barnes and Noble is a huge urban subsystem, a large consumer store, which is adding to the craziness of its surrounding city.             We are now in a Postmodern society. Barnes and Noble as the world's leading bookseller reflects certain developments taken in urban theory.  In the past, the competition for a big box bookstore did not exist as there was no precedent. Obviously the modern desire of saving time and finding one space that can accommodate all wants (any kind of book, any type of music, etc) Barnes and Noble appeals to the present day shopper. Also as urban theory has developed, so has technology. In order to stay competitive, Barnes and Noble clearly needed to exist as a physical space but also part of the cyber world. Urban theory must continue to recognize the fact that trends are always changing. Alterations in the development of urban theory change drastically as the ever growing political economy and cultural society change throughout history. Barnes and Noble is a product of the present day urban consumer situation as seen by its appeal to all ages, investment in communities, and its omnipresence throughout our nation and our world.