Individual (WeeK 12) - Essay Example

A Socially Responsible Consumer Being socially responsible should be a concern of both company and the consumer. After all, everything in a society is part of a cycle. Each thing a member of the society does will have an effect on the other members. This fact should be used as an advantage to make life better for each member of the society. Although consumers do not play a part in the operations of a socially irresponsible company, consumers do have a vital role in the continued existence of a company.

In this paper, three suggestions are made to encourage people to be socially responsible in their role as a consumer. First, everyone should know that if they do become socially responsible in their buying practices, then they become part of the encouraging statistics regarding corporate social responsibility. According to a survey on corporate social responsibility, more and more people are “willing to pay more for goods and services from companies that have implemented programs to give back to society.

” (Nielsen, 2013) This means that there is an increased number of consumers who would like to have a better environment or better working conditions for laborers, for example. An observation of the respondents’ answers revealed that their decision to pay more is influenced by the kind of social issue their purchase would have an effect on. (Nielsen, 2013) This shows that consumers are actually keen on improving the society they live in since they focus and patronize products which can make a difference in their lives, the lives of others and the world in general.

For the person who has yet to be a social responsible consumer, it would seem to be a privilege to become a part of the group that would like to effect such a positive change. If so, everyone should be encouraged to be socially responsible customers. Secondly, people could be socially responsible customers just by doing some background checking on the manufacturers they support. For instance, they could do more research on companies that still practice animal testing. There is still much clamor about animal testing that makes the controversy too big to ignore.

As a society who is known for its penchant for a variety of pets, it is time to take notice and support this movement in behalf of animals. Another way of checking on companies is to actually listen to other people’s experiences with products. Oftentimes, word of mouth publicity can be a great help in determining whether a consumer should be careful about buying a certain product. Based on an article from McKinsey consultants, spoken recommendations from trusted people influence the consumers more than traditional marketing methods.

(Stratmann, J., 2010) There are three important elements, however, that make word-of-mouth marketing effective. (Stratmann, J., 2010) One, people have actual experience with the products or services. They know what they are talking about, so to speak. Non-users may do well to heed what is being said. Two, the people who non-consumers hear the message from are reliable sources. As with other important things, it is better to trust friends or family who say what is needed to say than beautiful faces on print ads and the like who say only what consumers need to hear.

Three, the environment of where the message is said can spell the difference between reliable and unreliable. As with number two, it is better to heed what is said by people that consumers personally know than listen to a complaint overheard in a store or on the streets. The third way consumers can make others become socially responsible in their purchases is to explain how checking food labels and nutritional information of products are important as obesity continues to be a social problem in the United States.

Analysis of the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows that 34.9% of people in the United States are obese. (Hellmich, N., 2013) This social problem should be addressed not only by the medical profession but by the families, primarily, as no amount of reminders by the doctors, nurses and media can help the obese patients as effectively as the family members themselves. There can be a big difference in patiently checking the nutritional information of products instead of being lazy and just getting familiar but unhealthy brands off the grocery shelves.

To be aware of what makes up the food an individual’s family eats is to ensure that family is one step away from being a part of the statistics. Indeed, it takes a lot to become a socially responsible consumer. Nevertheless if a person really wants to be able to help society there are ways to do so. Being informed and taking this information to make one’s life better are just some ways. Also, if an individual shares this knowledge to others, the person is making the lives of people around him or her better.

With these steps, not only do they help society but they also help their well-being and that of others. References: Hellmich, N., (2013 October 18). U.S. obesity rate levels off, but still an epidemic. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/17/obesity-rate-levels-off/2895759/ Stratmann, J., (2010 April 26). The Impact of Word-of-Mouth Marketing: A McKinsey Report. Retrieved from http://www.freshminds.net/2010/04/assessing-the-impact-of-word-of-mouth-marketing-a-mckinsey-report/ The Nielsen Group. (2013) Nielsen: 50% of global consumers surveyed willing to pay more for goods, services from socially responsible companies, up from 2011.

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