9)What Is Consumerism?what are the roots of consumerism?

Consumerism is the idea that increasing consumption of goods and services purchased in the
market is always a desirable goal and that a person's wellbeing and happiness depend
fundamentally on obtaining consumer goods and material possessions. In an economic sense, it
is related to the predominantly Keynesian idea that consumer spending is the key driver of the
economy and that encouraging consumers to spend is a major policy goal. From this point of
view, consumerism is a positive phenomenon that fuels economic growth.

The Roots of Consumerism:The word consumerism has many connotations, depending on who
is u s i n g t h e t e r m . B u s i n e s s , g o v e r n m e n t , c o n s u m e r g r o u p s , a n d academic
researchers have each developed. Consumerism is a social movement of citizens
and government to enhance the rights and powers of buyers in relation to sellers.There are
numerous underlying roots of consumerism in the USA: (i)Disillusionment with the system.
(ii)The performance gap. (iii)The consumer information gap. (iv)Antagonism toward
advertising(v)Impersonal and unresponsive marketing institutions. (vi)Intrusions of privacy.
(vii)Declining living standards. (viii)Special problems of disadvantaged. (ix)Different views of
the marketplace.

Disillusionment with the systems:

All of our institutions have been subjected to increasing public scrutiny, skepticism and loss of
esteem. Many consumers think they get a worse deal in the marketplace than they used to. Thus,
there is dissatisfaction with their bargaining position. Recent surveys have shown that a majority
of Americans now hate politics, distrust businesses and feel pessimistic about their place in
society.

The performance gap:

Many consumers express broad dissatisfaction with the goods they buy. Their expectation of
product performance and reliability has been (largely because of advertising touting the new
improvements). Yet the increased product complexity brings about new possibilities for
malfunction and a perception by consumers that the promise performance gap is widening.
The consumers’ information gap:

Amateur buyers lacking the time, interest or capacity to process information adequately in order
to make optimal marketplace decisions face literally thousands of complex products requiring
evaluations along many dimensions relating to performance convenience or even societal
concerns.

Antagonism toward advertising:

Large segments of the populations are very skeptical of the usefulness and truthfulness of
advertising information. In addition it is criticized for its intrusiveness and clutter irritation factor
stereotyped role portrayals and promotion of unrealistic or unsupportable expectations.
Telemarketing calls are a related annoyance. Whether there is a human or computerized voice at
the other end, two thirds, to 70 percent of people in a recent survey ranked this as a major
irritation of modern life.

Impersonal and unresponsive marketing institutions:

Such marketing factors as the rise of self service retailing reduced knowledge of sales employees
computerized impersonalness and bureaucratic structures are contributors to a feeling that no
marketer is listening.

Intrusions of privacy:

Development of the many consumer information data bases made possible under our
increasingly computerized society has caused concern over the access to and use of such data
and has led to attempts to protect the consumer’s privacy.

Declining living standards:

Recent reduction in consumer’s real discretionary incomes has led to pessimism and
disenchantment with the economic system and attempts to deal with the situation.
Special problems of the disadvantaged:

The young, the old, and the poor are even more vulnerable than most other groups in society and
face variety of problems that restrict their ability to function as ordinary consumers. Not only is
there general economic distress but they face hygiene problems and interpersonal problems yet
they attempt to overcome these obstacles through non traditional employment activities (such as
recycling cans and bottles), scavenging and communal sharing of possessions. They are mentally
ill and physically disabled homeless faces particularly difficult to consumers’ survival problems.

Different views of the marketplace:

Business people and their critics have radically different perceptions of the nature of the
marketplace.

10) /consumer information

(1) The Right to Safety:

When a purchase is made, the consumer has the right to expect that it is safe to use. The product
should be able to perform as promised and should not have false or misleading guarantees. This
“right” is in fact a minefield for the marketing profession. Products which were at one time
regarded as safe for use or consumption have subsequently been found by modern research not to
be so.

There was a time when cigarettes were regarded as not being harmful to health, sugar in foods
was not highlighted in television advertising as being bad for teeth, and the public were advised
to “go to work on an egg”- in retrospect, was it safe to do so? Other examples are to be found in
the medical field, such as the Thalidomide drug which caused deformity to children born to
mothers who took his prescribed drug.

Legislation which highlights “Products liability” has been introduced in several countries. This
has forced suppliers to consider their responsibility. But should companies go further in a
positive rather than a negative way? It could be said that this right will be closely linked to
legislation and it is obvious that this right will be closely linked to legislation and it is obvious
that marketers who fail to protect consumers do so at their peril.
(2) The Right to be informed:
The right to be informed has far-reaching consequences – it encompasses false or misleading
advertising, insufficient information about ingredients in products, insufficient information on
product use and operating instructions, and information which is deceptive about pricing or
credit terms. But this adopts a negative approach. Avoiding trouble is not sufficient.

Any market should take advantage of every opportunity to communicate with consumers and to
inform them about the benefits and features of the product offered. It should be no protection to
claim that consumers fail to read instructions. Marketers must ensure fully effective
communications between consumer and supplier.

But this ‘right’ determines that customers should be given adequate information in order to
implement the next right-the right to choose.

(3) The Right to Choose:

The consumer has the right to choose and, of course, marketing does try to influence that choice.
But, in most western markets competition is encouraged and products should not confuse
consumers.

As an example, it has been suggested that to make this right easier to attain, packaging should be
changed so that similar products from different firms are packaged in exactly the same
quantities, or at least use both metric and imperial weights/ measures and so make value
comparisons easier for the customer.

11)consumer safety/protection

The idea of consumer supremacy and consumer sovereignty is definitely fallacious in a free
market economy. In reality, consumer is not a king or queen. The manufacturer or the seller is
dominant and his voice is all powerful. His interests normally prevail over the welfare of the
consumer.
The root-cause of consumer movement or consumerism is ‘consumer dissonance’, as it has been
so nicely termed. Dissonance means after purchase doubts, dissatisfaction, disillusion,
disappointment. These are the sentiments of all dethroned sovereigns. But the consumer
protection (the core of consumerism) is essential for a healthy economy.
1. Physical protection of the consumer, for instance, protection against products that are unsafe
or endanger health and welfare of consumer.
2. Protection of the consumer against deceptive and unfair trade practices. Consumer must have
adequate rights and means of redress against business malpractices and frauds.
3. Ecological and environmental effects of chemical, fertiliser or refinery complexes will have to
be seriously considered because they pollute water, air and food and endanger human life.
Consumer wants due protection against all types of pollution; he wants enriched quality of life
— a beautiful, healthy, and peaceful environment free from pollution.
4. Adequate protection of consumer public against the abuse of monopoly position and/or
restrictive trade practices. Protection delayed is protection denied.
Greater and free competition in the market is of definite advantage to the consumer. Competition
can reduce prices, enhance quality and stimulate innovation in product-mix and marketing-mix.
Innovation means progress and progress means life, a prosperous life. Competition is the
dispenser of justice to the consumer and producer.

12)Various councils to protect the consumers

Consumer Protection Councils
The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 provides better protection to the interest of consumers. To achieve the objective of the
Act Central and State protections councils are formed under the Act. Such councils helps the consumers and act in the
interest of consumers. The Consumer Protection Councils set up at national and state levels (Section 6 of Consumer
Protection Act).
The Consumer Protection Act has established  Consumer Protection Councils at the Central and State levels for protecting
consumer’s interest and spreading awareness. The objects of the Councils, as per the Act, shall be to promote and protect
the rights of the consumers such as:
  protection from marketing hazardous goods and services.
  informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods or services,
 as to protect the consumer against unfair trade practices;
  access to a variety of goods and also services at competitive prices;
 The right to heard
 to be assured that consumer’s interests  receives due consideration
 The right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices or also restrictive trade practices or also unscrupulous
exploitation of consumers and
 The right to consumer education.

Central Protection council

The Consumer Protection Act gives the powers to the Central Government to establish a Central Consumer Protection
Council. It consists of a chairman and such number of official and also non- official members. The chairman of council is
minister in charge of central government.  Under the Consumer Protection Council Rules 1987, the membership of the
Council is restricted to 150 members. Such 150 members includes the Central Minister in charge of Consumer Affairs as
the Chairman. The term of the Council is three years. The central government may also constitute a standing working
group from members of council to monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the Council. The Council shall
at least meet once in a year.
State Consumer Protection Council
The Consumer Protection Act gives the powers to the State Government to establish a State Consumer Protection
Council.  It consists of a chairman and such number of official and also non- official and also members ten nominees of
the Central Government.. The chairman of council is minister in charge of State government. The State Council shall at
least meet once in a year.
District Consumer Protection Council
In order to promote and protect the rights of consumers, within the district, the Consumer Protection Act, provides for the
establishment of a District Consumer Protection Council in every district. It shall consist Chairman and also such number
of other official and also non-official members representing such interests of consumer. It shall at least meet once in a
year. The Chairman shall decide the time and place of the meeting.