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Globalization and consumer behaviors
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Frantz Francillon PHI 292 Case Report Should we be ethical consumers –Ref. Case 10 Dr. Sara Fairbanks April 14, 2014 Shopping has become a pleasure for most individuals and with the help of technology it has been implemented in every dimension of our lives. Business and capitalism have dominated the majority of markets that involve consumer related goods such as clothing, apparel, and food. Living in a consumer driven market, individuals are capable of obtaining all of their necessities at a fairly reasonable price. Corporations on their end are dedicated to find new ways on providing the ultimate good at minimal cost of production even if lives are at risk. Capitalism is income driven, and to generate income, it requires one to satisfy the needs of the individuals who are willing to spend hard earned compensation on their goods no matter how little the pay. To satisfy the demand, executives have broken production methods down to a science with the help of technology to accommodate their everyday need. Productions costs have decreased while levels of productions have augmented throughout the globe; consumer demand is on the rise and someone will try to find a way to supply it. Being ethical consumers would be the ultimate option for all, indeed but these unethical standards can be seen as an act to go above and beyond to provide care for the unattained crowds that also have needs that are to be met. As consumers, we would want to be ethical but to which extent if merchandise produced under sinister measures are cost efficient and incomparable in price to goods made ethically and local. Various arguments can be brought upon the fact that people should be more ethical in their purchases but at the same time reactions can support... ... middle of paper ... ... and direct interaction markets opened to the public on a day to day basis. A bias approach blaming producers for their methods is not the best approach due to the fact that they are only doing what they promised which is to make goods available for all and neither is blaming consumers for the simple fact that obligations can make one change their way of life completely. The only option is to make sure that both parties are well aware of current happenings and set in-house reformations structured to ameliorate the problems. The process of becoming ethical shoppers requires dedication due to its immensity and activists should persevere to make a difference. The influence may change many communities on a global scale who are in search of better living and others who are no longer willing to accept exorbitant goods produced in same warehouses as the inexpensive ones.
In the following case, Luke is involved in a very perplexing conflict, or Ethical dilemma. This situation is an Ethical dilemma, and not just a regular “everyday” problem, because to Luke there might not be an obvious answer. He can also be thinking that both choices, keeping his commitments of confidentiality and telling his brother, Owen, are both correct things to do. If Luke tells his brother about the project, then he might concur with a theory known as Breach of confidentiality. “Breach of confidentiality occurs when someone gives away information that was supposed to be kept private.” (GENB4350 Online Lecture, Ethical Reasoning 1). By Luke breaching information that is supposed to be kept secret, he will betray the trust of his company
Primark ensure that the community know that their business operates ethically. An example of this is Primark's paper bags. Primark take wasted cardboard and paper from all around their UK stores and reproduce into their paper bags. Primark estimated that ‘in a year we recycle 14,000 tonnes of cardboard’. Not only this, Primark also have a membership with the ‘Ethical Trading Initiative’ which is helping and respecting workers worldwide. Primark state this is because they don’t want to make a success out of other individuals expense. Primark pay a certain amount of month to keep the membership which goes towards helping the individuals who are working against their human rights. The ‘Ethical Trading Initiative’ promotes respect for workers
Shopping is not simply a chore; it is also an experience. Shopping for clothing is a particularly personal decision, and various motivating factors can cause one shopper to choose a particular store over another store. Some consumers go to the store to confirm that they belong to a certain social stratum, others because they enjoy the thrill of a bargain. According to Daniel Miller in ‘Making Love in Super Markets’, the behavior of consumers in supermarkets tends to fall into two categories: ‘treat’ shoppers and ‘thrift’ shoppers.
This essay is an ethnographic study of Whole Foods Market which is located in Kensington, London. Whole Foods Market is a niche supermarket that sells high quality organic and natural products at high prices. In this essay, I will provide a brief orientation of ethics with regards to the concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility - macroethics and Business Ethics - microethics and the theoretical frameworks of consequentialism, deontology and virtue ethics. I will be using deontology framework in ethics devised by Immanuel Kant to assess if the marketing strategy and the products sold at Whole Foods Market support their principle of ‘organic and natural’.
In China, Kelsey Timmerman spent time with a couple who worked at the Teva factory, traveled to the countryside to meet the couple’s son, insert name, who hasn’t seen his parents in three years due to his parents working long hours and it being expensive to take a train ride. In the US, the author visited one of a few clothing factories in the US to talk to the workers about his shorts, and the decrease of American garment factories. Timmerman wants the consumer to be more engaged and more thoughtful when mindlessly buying clothes. By researching how well the brands you want to buy from monitor their factories and what their code of ethics details, you can make a sound decision on if this is where you would want to buy your clothes. The author writes about brands that improve employers lives like SoleRebels, a shoe company who employs workers and gives them health insurance, school funds for their children, and six months of maternity leave. Brands like soleRebels that give workers benefits most factory workers have never even heard of help improve the lives of garment workers and future generations. From reading this book, Timmerman wants us to be more educated about the lives of garment workers, bridge the gap between consumers and manufacturers, and be a more engaged and mindful consumer when purchasing our
When we consider the case of the Ford Pinto, and its relative controversy, through the varied scope of ethical viewpoints, the results might surprise us. From a personal standpoint, as a consumer, the idea of selling a vehicle to the masses with such a potentially devastating flaw is completely unethical. When we consider the case from other directions and other ethical viewpoints, however, it makes it clear that often ethics are a matter of perspective and philosophy. It’s also clear that there are cases where more information will muddy the waters, rather than clear them.
- The two ethical justifications for the economic model are the utilitarian and individual rights or private property defenses. The most significant challenges facing the utilitarian justifications are: those that focus on the adequacy of free markets as a means to the ends of maximally satisfying consumer demand, and those that focus on the appropriateness of these ends as legitimate ethical goals. Of these, market failure is a popular challenge that is raised when considering situations in which the pursuit of profit will not result in a net increase in consumer satisfaction. The two significant challenges to the private property defense are: recognizing that property rights are not absolute, and understanding that historically, corporate property rights differ from personal property, questioning the understanding of stockholders implied by this defense.
In an ideal world, consumers and companies would equally share the burdens of product liability and consumer responsibility. However, in the real world, we must make tradeoffs between these two. How we do this will not only affect our legal environment, but our economic and social environments as well.
In this paper I will be discussing an ethical conundrum and applying one ethical theory to
Although vendors may feel pressured into supplying Target with the demands, ethical issues must be addressed. The utilitarian approach should be investigated before the demands are carried through, and the question should be answered: Who is benefiting from the demand of exclusive products
This assignment examines the ethical concerns of the communities in which Tesco operates. The discussion argues that most important among these ethical concerns are the dual problems of global ethical problems, led by the issues of fair trade and climate change, but also a keen interest in supporting local communities and local suppliers. The last has become increasingly important in light of the financial crisis as it often a key factor in how local communities fare. The discussion begins with a critical analysis of how these ethical concerns affect local communities before reflecting briefly on how the Cooperative can be seen to
When shopping, are we simply following a list of items essential to daily life or are we envisioning our future? Are we searching for what we need or what we desire? Are we just “buying goods” or are we attempting to perfect ourselves in relation to the ever changing norms of society? It is these questions that Sharon Zukin attempts to answer. The author of, “Attention Shoppers: Your Dreams in Aisle 3”, an article published in The Chronicle Review, takes a step back from being a shopper herself to assess the consumer-goods industry as a whole and the mindset it instills in buyers. Zukin believes that despite a consumer simply grocery shopping, finding
Consumerism has corrupted today’s society. We’ve become so attached to brands and products that if we don’t have the thing we want, we get upset. Some people become so upset they’re willing to steal or kill for the thing they crave so bad. Now that is an extreme case, but it gets the point across. The point being, we need to stop being so attached to things. The brands controlling the products make limited quantities of things we all want so that people will be forced to spend lots of money. We spend so much money on things we think are sold out forever but really, it will be back on shelves later.
The single most important environmental issue today is over-consumerism, which leads to excess waste. We buy too much. We think we always need new and better stuff. Will we ever be satisfied? There will always be something better or cooler on the market. Because we live in a capitalistic consumer culture, we have absorbed things like: “Get it while the getting’s good,” “Offer ends soon, buy while it lasts,” “For great deals, come on down…Sunday Sunday Sunday!” We, kids from 1 to 92, have become saturated with commercials like: Obey your thirst. How much of our consumption is compulsive buying, merely obeying our momentary thirst? Do we actually need all that we buy? Could we survive efficiently, even happily, without making so many shopping center runs? Once after I made a Target run with mom, I noticed that most of the bulkiness within my plastic bags with red targets symbols on them was made up of the products’ packaging. I then thought about all the bags that were piled on the floor near us…all of the bags piled on the floors of many homes throughout America daily.
Due to financial scandals and environmental disasters, CSR has become a critical issue for companies who are demonstrating their commitment towards an ethical outlook and responsible behaviour by developing strategies which focus beyond profit maximisation, from the concern of wellbeing for employees to improving the community and the environment, in order to try minimising the damage caused by media coverage and increased transparency. Christian Aid (2004) argues that CSR is an inadequate response to the devasting impact that multinational companies make, using CSR to mask the impact. Starbucks were accused of tax avoidance within the United Kingdom in 2012, after only paying £8.6m in tax over the past fourteen years (BBC News, 2012), which negatively affected the reputation of the company, thus the firm sought to rebuild the relationship with stakeholders with promotions to enhance them back to the company, which included a £1.50 latte every Monday morning (Marketing Week, 2013). However the company have an extensive CSR policy, with particular focus on the ethical sourcing of products which is well publicised to the company’s customers, Starbucks emphasise their commitment to provide ethically and responsibly purchased products with the highest quality (Starbucks, 2013). This publicity has enhanced the corporations reputation due to society becoming increasingly conscious of the items they purchased being ethical and Fairtrade (De Palsmacker., et al, 2005), therefore the CSR policies act as a backbone to the company when it faces bad publicity. Companies like the Body Shop and John Lewis have integrated ethics and CSR in to the way the companies do business. The Body Shop have a strong commitment to CSR through implementing six...