Ethics and the Consumer
Introduction
The objective of this paper is to identify and analyse the policies specified by government and organisations for the protection of consumer interests and the role of ethics in consumer choice. It also analyses the role of ethics in consumer culture and give examples of how the service sector reacts to it.
The aim of this paper is to understand the movement for ethical consumption and reflect on its scope on the constitution of a new consumer culture, and its role in the “public space”.
It is important to consider, as a starting point to study the importance of ethics in business and the involvement of government in consumer policy, to make a short approach to moral and social responsibility
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OFT has a wide range of statutory powers and duties which have been broadened by recent legislation under the Competition Act 1998 and the Enterprise Act 2002. (OFT 2010)
The Trading Standards Institute enforces consumer related legislation as determined by central government. The variety of this legislation is vast and is always evolving. In view of this changing environment, the Trading Standards Institute is dedicated to engaging with central government and other proposals, displayed in their responses to the various consultations that concern consumer protection issues and/or the Trading Standards profession. (TSI 2010)
The Food Standards Agency deals with the safety of the food regime, established by Parliament to protect the public’s health and consumer interests in respect of food. It has a specific remit to provide consumer education. It is a Government agency, responsible to Parliament through Health ministers and to the devolved administrations. The Food Standards Agency has national offices in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. (Food Standards Agency 2010)
Consumer Direct is funded by the Office of Fair Trading and delivered in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services offering information and advice on consumer issue. Providing an honest, impartial assessment of the situation and where possible, recommended a
The author Robert Solomon argues that ethics has to an integral part with regard to business management. He does not believe that business management must include unethical or illegal methods to be able to succeed. Solomon preaches that business management is not as simple as obtaining revenue. “Businesses need to abide by fair policies and their owners have to be ethical in dealing with their customers” (Shaw p. 37). The author acknowledges that while illegal practices in business management could bring positive results at first, eventually the business is bound to fail. This is why Solomon recommended eight important policies that can help businesses in integrating ethics into their operations.
This essay will analyse the strengths, limitations and challenges of ethical and socially responsible business practice. The purpose of this essay is to identify the advantages and limitations of following business ethics and act socially responsible in business operations. In order to help me analyse those further I will use the case study from food industry - McDonald’s corporation.
Answer: The purpose of the Act is to ensure the purity of food sold. Local councils and the Department of Health & Human Services administer the Act. Under the Act, food business owners are legally responsible to ensure that food sold to customers is safe and suitable to eat.
The food safety act 1990 this legislation is an act of parliament of the United Kingdom, it was made so that in your work sector when you are handling food that you can treat it the right way and it can be consumed by the service users in a controlled way. This legislation covers the storage of the way you put the food if it is in the correct temperature and you are doing all this in hygienic way it also means that the way you make then food and the equipment you use if it is cleaned and the area you make it in is cleaned so no bacteria is not being spread in the food. (ADD EXAMPLE)
The primary purpose of ethics and social responsibility is imperative to the way we do business and live amongst society. Ethics most commonly know as the rights and wrongs are principles and standards that establish what is know as acceptable conduct within an organization. Organizations have moral and legal duties to implement ethics when developing a strategic plan while considering stakeholders and consumers, they do not want to be lied to or cheated into buying a false product. Unethical companies will use aggressive sales tactics and mischievous ways, of doing business to sell, promote and profit from vulnerable consumers. Unethical organizations believe in these tactics
There are those however who consume in such a way to reflect their individuality to others rather than as a display of their ability or inability to consume. The concept of the performing self, suggested in the 1970’s by Warren Susman (Hetherington, 2009 p.42) can be related to contemporary shopping habits when considering people who consume to display their moral or ethical opinions, (for example only purchasing eco-friendly, fair trade or organic products).
Nowadays, in an ever-changing global business era, companies face a lot of ethical and legal issues in the market while implementing strategies and activities. The global organizations have to face various kinds of moral and legal problems in the current business environment. The companies need to follow the regulations, laws, and ethics. This paper assesses and analysis ethical matters relating to marketing and advertising of drug, intellectual property of AD 23 and regulation of product safety. Moreover, this paper also arguments for or against DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) Marketing by pharmaceutical companies. It determines the responsibilities of the parties for regulating compounding pharmacies according to the current regulatory scheme as well as describes PharmaCARE could face legal exposure surrounding its practices.
This will be an over view of ethics as it relates to business in our society. Concepts from Philosophy will seek to describe the correlation between actions that are classified as morally right or ethical in our dealings with each other as human beings. Clear and concise examples will be given as well as ways in which to improve upon business ethics.
Targeted compliance and dispute resolution – regulators have taken over 350 actions with a value of over $18.4 million in infringement notices, fines, costs awarded, compensation and penalties in the reporting year. These are in the areas of testimonials, was/now pricing, cash back schemes, property spruikers, romance scams, training providers, extended warranties, drip pricing, national enforceable undertakings, trader engagement, and conduct targeting consumer protection action for vulnerable and disadvantaged
In comparing and contrasting two articles which analyze and evaluate ethics in business, the impact of corporate social responsibility and ethical behavior by corporation and their managers can be understood by the public perception documented in a survey of Hawaiian residents, as well as the argument of negative value to consumers when self-interest and lack of ethics are part of an organization’s business model. The survey results in Choy’s article demonstrate the impression of a decline in corporate ethical behavior over the past twenty years. Both articles use the environment of competition to discuss the characteristics of ethical and moral behavior in the corporate realm. The recommendation based on the evaluation of information in the two articles is for business organizations to employ ethical and moral practices that include the values of society, and use traditional morality in all business dealings. The value of corporate social responsibility will be acknowledged and appreciated by consumers, and both economic and social gains can be achieved.
For example the EU Food Hygiene Regulations (EC 2004) sets down basic food hygiene rules across the EU. Regulations such as these provide the UK with resilience against any changes in food-borne disease threats associated with climate change. In addition, the monitoring of the levels of disease-causing agents, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter in food, is essential. Across the UK this is the responsibility of the Food Standards Agency, Public Health bodies (Public Health England, Public Health Wales, Health Protection Scotland, and the Public Health Agency for Northern Ireland) and other public and private bodies. The monitoring of food quality is vitally important for food produced outside of the EU where the UK has less control on production
This essay will analyse the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (‘CRA 2015’) as it is a significant element of the government’s reform of consumer law in the UK. The Act has been lauded as an immense upheaval of consumer law due to the integration of eight existing pieces of legislation into one. The complicated regulations regarding goods and services that consumers and businesses struggle to comprehend will no longer apply under the Act.
Consumer concern for ethical products is a subject of increasing interest and research which is illustrated here by an analysis of ethical consumerism and an evaluation of such based on Apple Inc. The Evaluation implies that Apple is in the process of making drastic improvements where ethics are concerned. Methods of analysis include a survey completed by ten students based on their various shopping preferences. Results of the data analyzed will show a higher percentage of students shop ethically.
Social responsibility and marketing ethics are natively controversial , continues research in this area represents conflicts and challenges addressed to marketers in respect to socially responsible approach to marketing activities(Laczniak and Murphy, 1993; Smith and Quelch, 1996).The aim of the essay is to explain arising phenomenon of Ethical consumption by the use of related theoretical frameworks, as well as explaining Fair Trade and paradoxes of ethical consumption in