Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2, CRPF CAMPUS,
BHUBANESWAR
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX
1.
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rise of Consumer Awareness
In the globalization, liberalization and privatization era, most of the economic decisions are
taken by the market. Though, the government has withdrawn itself from many economic activities, it
interferes very often when the market mechanism fails due to structural rigidities in the economy and other
factors, to provide goods and services to the people. Consumption is one of the important economic
activities, which requires regular government intervention, as market is unable to promote security and
welfare aspects of the consumers. On the other hand, consumers has to be aware not only of the commercial
aspects of sale and purchase of goods but also of the health and security aspect also. Besides this, they
should be aware of their rights and duties being as rational human beings.
Though, the first consumer movement began in England after the Second World War, a
modern declaration about the consumer’s rights was first made in USA in the year 1962, where four basic
consumer rights i.e. choice, information, safety and right to be heard were recognized. Ralph Nadar, a
consumer activist is considered as the father of “Consumer Movement”. 15th March is now celebrated as
the World Consumer Rights Day. The U.N.O. also adopted in the year 1985, certain guidelines to achieve
the objectives of maintaining protection for consumers and to establish high level ethical conduct for those
engaged in production and distribution of goods and services. In India, 24th December is celebrated as
“Consumer’s Day” every year.
c) Consumer awareness about price, quality and expiry date of the product.
e) Consumer awareness about the certified products like ISI, Agmark, ISO-2000 etc.
\1.4. Forms of Consumer Exploitation
Some of the common ways by which the consumers are exploited by the business community are as
Follows:
b) Sub-standard quality
c) High prices
d) Duplicate articles
g) Artificial scarcity
j) Rough behaviour
a) Limited information
b) Limited supply
c) Limited competition
d) Low literacy
The following are the rights of the consumers as coded in the Indian laws, which the business
community has to keep in mind:
a) Right to safety
b) Right to choose
c) Right to seek redressal
d) Right to consumer education
e) Right to be heard
f) Right to be informed.
3.
2.2. Duties of the Consumers
In order to secure rights, the consumers have to fulfill the following duties:
a) While purchasing goods, consumers should look at the quality of the products as well as
b) They should ask for Cash Memo for the item purchased.
In order to protect the interest of the consumers, government has adopted three strategies:
a) Administrative measures
b) Technical measures
c) Legislative measures
For setting international food standards, there is a similar body called Codex Alimentaries
Commission(CAC). This was formed in 1963 by the Food and Agricultural Organization(FAO) and
World Health Organization(WHO), located at Rome, Italy. It develops food standards, guidelines and
codes for production and international trade in food products like milk, fish etc.
CONSUMER COURTS
The industrial revolution and the development in the international trade and commerce
has led to the vast expansion of business and trade, as a result of which variety of consumer goods have
appeared in the market to cater the needs of the consumers and a host of services have been made available
to the consumers like insurance, transport etc. The advertisement of goods and services in T.V and other
media influence the demand of same by the consumers, though there may be manufacturing defects or
shortcomings in quality and purity of products or deficiency in services rendered. In spite of various
provisions made providing protection to the consumers against adulterated and sub-standard articles in
different enactments like Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, MRTP ACT, 1969, IPC, 1960 etc., very little
could be achieved in the field of consumer protection.
In order to provide for the better protection of the interest of the consumers, Consumer
Protection Bill 1986 was introduced in Lok Sabha in 5th December 1986. The Bill was passed by both
Houses of Parliament and got the assent of the President on 24 December 1986, popularly known as the
Consumer Protection Act of 1986.
The Act of 1986, seeks to provide better protection to the interests of the consumers and
for the purpose that there is Consumer Councils and other authorities for the settlement of consumer
disputes and for matter connected therewith. To provide quick redressal of consumer disputes, a quasi-
judicial institution is set up at all the three levels. These bodies have been empowered to give relief of a
specific nature and to award, wherever appropriate, compensation to the consumers. Penalties of non-
compliance of the orders given by the quasi-judicial bodies have also been provided.
Money order not delivered in time to the concerned person, is a case f deficiency in service of worst
category. If this would be the normal act of the Post Office and the office, which belong to the Union
Government, no one would have faith in services rendered by them. As a result, an amount of Rs250/- plus
the money order amount of Rs.1000/- along with interest @ 18% was the compensation awarded to the
deprived person.
2. Mr. K.C. Panda VS SDO,Telecom Department, Berhampur, Orissa(1994)
Telephone line was disconnected even if bill was paid. Proceeding before District Forum, Telecom
Department made an apology for the mistake occurred inadvertently. But, in spite of apology, an amount of
Rs. 2000/- was the compensation awarded to the person concerned by the Telecom Department.
Total number of households selected for the project is 80. These household has been selected
by sampling method. There are two statistical enquiry methods:
a) Census Method
b) Sampling Method
Census method is that method is that method in which data are collected covering every item
of the universe or population relating to problem under investigation. Sampling method is that method in
which data are collected about samples or a group of items taken from the population. There are different
types of sampling techniques such as: random sampling, quota sampling, stratified sampling, deliberate
sampling etc. But for the project concerned deliberate sampling method is used. This is also called judgment
sampling. According to this method, for selecting a sample no specific procedure is used, rather the
investigator, according to his own desire selects those households which represent the universe fully.
For analysis of data simple percentage method and arithmetic average is used.
Percentage:
Gt-Gt-1
Percentage increase/decrease= _________ X 100
Gt-1
Arithmetic Average(Mean):
X1+ X2+………………………+Xn
= _____________________________
N
n
= ∑ Xi i = 1, 2, 3………….n
i=1
Besides mean and percentage, different types of diagrams like bar diagram, pie-diagram etc. has been
used to represent data in a simple and systematic manner.
7.
Pie Diagram:
Pie diagram is a circle divided into various segments showing the values of a series.
The study is based on primary data, collected by the Students 11th Commerce,
K.V.No.2, CRPF, Campus ,BBSR. Each Student of the Class interviewed two consumers, one representing
his/her father/mother and the other representing his neighbor. The study area of the project is limited to
Bhubaneswar city only. The sample size of the project is 80 only. So, the sample of the project is very small.
Since the study is limited to Bhubaneswar city only, all the respondents are of urban background.
Total number of households surveyed for the purpose is 80. Each student of 11th
Commerce conducted survey work. Each student interviewed to the head of the family relating to different
aspects of consumer awareness mentioned in the questionnaire.
Table No. 1 represents total family members of the surveyed households. Table No.2
represents the occupational status of the head of the household. Table No.3 represents educational
qualifications of the head of the household. Table No.4 represents educational status of total households
surveyed. Table No.5 represents income level of surveyed households.
Total family members of the surveyed households are 420, out of which 220 are female
and 200 are male. The average family size of the household 5.35. Total number of persons interviewed is
80, out of which 68 belong to service class. Out of these 68 families, 3 female members are interviewed for
the purpose as male members are staying outside the station. Two families are from big business class
whereas 10 are from small business family out of 12 business family interviewed.
Out of total 80 of the families interviewed 55 are highly qualified. They are Graduate,
Post Graduate and even some posses Professional and Technical qualifications. Out of total, 23 are at
Primary and Secondary level, whereas 2 are illiterate. Out total family members 190 are Graduate, Post
Graduate, and Professionally and Technically qualified. Again, 170 members are at Primary and Secondary
or Higher Secondary level, whereas 10 are illiterates. Rest 20 belong to below 5 years and hence are not
mentioned in the educational status. Table No. 5 represents the distribution of income levels of surveyed
households. Out of total 80 families 10, 60, 10 belong to low income, medium income and high income
group respectively.
8.
Table No. 1
Sex-wise Family Members of the Households
Table No.2
Occupational Status of the Head of Households
Table No. 3
Educational Level of Head of families
Table No.4
Educational Status of Family Members
Table No.5
Income Level of the Households
Different type of diagrams are used to represent the data. Diagram No. 1, a Bar Diagram
represents sex-wise family members of the households. Diagram No.2, a Pie Chart represents occupational
structure of the head of the households. Diagram No.3 and 4 are the Pie Charts represents income level of
head of households and educational status of head of households respectively. Diagram No.5 and 6 are the
Bar diagrams represents educational status of whole family and income level of head of households.
225
220
Service
215
210 Big Business
Series1
205
200 Small
Business
195
190
Male Female
Illiterate
Low
Primary
Medium
Secondry
High
Tertiary
10.
Table No.5 Table No.6
Educational status whole family Income of head of Households
200
180
160
h
ig
H
140
120
Series1
100 Series1
m
iu
80
ed
M
60
40
20
w
Lo
0
Illiterate Primary Secondry Tertiary 0 50 100
Table No. 6 represents the preferred use of toothpaste, Table No. 7 represents the
influence of different agencies on families while purchasing different brand of toothpastes used by the
surveyed households and Table No.8 represents different aspects of consumer awareness in day to day life
of the surveyed households.
Table No.6
Preferred use of Toothpaste
Table No.7
Source of influence on the Purchase of different Brand of Toothpaste
35
30
25
20
Series1 TV
15 New spaper
10 Magazine
Others
5
0
te
t
p
s
or
en
-u
er
ga
ch
od
se
th
ol
An
O
ps
lo
C
C
Pe
12.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
6. Summary and Conclusion
The objective of this project is to assess the people of different class in the society about
different aspects of consumer awareness viz., price and quality of products used by them, about Fair Price
Shop, standardization of products, about Consumer Forum, about their Rights and Duties etc. Consumers
will lead a happy, healthy and prosper life if they fully aware about the above mentioned aspects.
For the project report, total number head of households interviewed is 80 and all belong to
urban area. Out of total head of family interviewed, 78 are literate whereas only 2 are illiterate. All belong
to different income group i.e. high, medium and low income group. However, majority of them belong to
medium income group(75%). Again, on the basis of occupation, 85% of respondents are government
servants whereas other are businessmen.
Educational implications of the study is that every students as well as parents should
be aware about different aspects of different commodities they consume in day-to-day life. They should
have knowledge about certified products, Check MRP, date of manufacturing, and expiry at the time of
purchase of a commodity. They must have awareness about their rights and duties. This project report will
give a preliminary idea about survey work to the students. Lastly, students will get an idea about how
statistical techniques can be used in different socio-economic problems.
BIBILIOGRAPHY
Bibliography
1. Prof. S.P. Gupta, “Statistical Methods”, S.Chand and Company Ltd, 1994, New Delhi.
5. Statistics for Economics, Textbook for Class XI, NCERT, New Delhi, 2005.
6. Indian Economic Development, Textbook for Class XI, NCERT, New Delhi,2005.
7. The Consumer Protection Act 1986, the Law House, New Delhi.
8. Contemporary India, A Social Science Textbook for Class X, NCERT, New Delhi,2003.
_____________________________________________
5. Monthly Income
( In Rs/-)
_________________________________________________________
Up to 1000
1000-5000
5000-20000
20000-50000
50000 and above
__________________________________________________________
14.
6. What do you use to clean your teeth ?
Toothpaste_____ Tooth Powder_____ Any Other______
8. The price for 100 gram pack of the toothpaste (used by them).
Price_______(actual)
Price________(approx.)
Do not know______.
9. Do you find the product costly? Yes/No
10. Do you check MRP, date of manufacturing and date of expiry? Yes/No
11. Do you check standardization of product like ISI, Agmark, ISO 2000 ? Yes/No
12. Do you check ingredients used in the product ? Yes/No
13. Are you satisfied with the quality of the product ? Yes/No
14. Are you aware about the Fair Price Shop ? Yes/No
15. Do you find the availability of product at FPS ? Yes/No
16. Do you complain the shopkeeper in case of dissatisfaction ? Yes/No
17. Has your complain been timely attended ? Yes/No
20. Have you ever gone to a Consumer Court in case of any dissatisfaction ? Yes/No
21. Do you insist Cash Memo at the time of purchase to ensure genuine Yes/No
purchase and tax revenue to government ? Yes/No
22. Do you insist Cash Memo for other commodities at the time of purchase ? Yes/No
23. How do you come to know about the product ? Yes/No
Advertisement Family influenced
_______________________________________________
TV _______
Newspaper _______
Magazine _______
Cinema _______
Sales Representatives _______
Exhibits Stall _______
Radio ________
Any other ________
_____________________________________________________
24. Are you attracted by promotional offers like rebates, free toothbrush,
buy one get one free ? Yes/No
25. Do the Children influence purchase of particular toothpaste ? Yes/No
26. If a new toothpaste brand is launched in the market will you buy it ?
If yes, then what consideration ? Yes/No
Price of the Product________ Quality of the product______
Promotional offer_______ Any Other______
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