Consumer Responsibility - Essay Example

Consumer Responsibility The aim of this paper is will critically examine the moral responsibility a consumer has ona business and consequences that befall a given business if the consumer fail to uphold moral responsibility. As to conclusion, the paper will aim at urging consumers to be morally responsible when undertaking transactions with a given business. Consumers are thought to be the main cause of business failure. Most consumers, especially retailers demand to be supplied with materials, by supplier companies, at lower prices.

In doing so, they reduce the profit margin the supplying firm, which in the long-run, has to adjust its cost, like laying off employees or reducing operational cost so as to remain operating in the firm. The customers do not stop demanding for low price, they keep demanding more and more, this being morally irresponsible. Sweatshops garment shop in Japan had to close because consumers request for price reduction was less below the shop could sustain. At the time of business closure, it still had outstanding bank loan.

Moreover, consumers are morally responsible for poor working conditions in factories. When consumers demand for reduction in price, factories respond by cutting down operational and maintenance cost. This cost is very important for it allows factories provide good working environment for their workers and dormitories as in the case of the suppliers firm in china, Wal-Mart. Another harm the consumers are thought to bring is employment of workers and employment of under-aged workers. When consumers press for low costs, in order to save more, supplier responds by developing strategies what will cut down on operational cost.

One of these “strategies” is to lay off workers. Another option is to hire workers at a cheaper cost and this can only happen if the company employs customers close to the legal age but the true fact is that these workers have not attained the legal age to work. In the Rama plaza tragedy, consumer contributed a great percentage. Though society blamed the government, builders and the factory owners for poorly maintaining the plaza, consumer demand for clothes at low prices, was a major contributing factor.

Even after notification of the three cracks, people still came for work in the same building. They had to work since the little money they got from purchases of the clothes they made, could not sustain their living. If consumers paid well, these people would have enough money that would allow them stay at home until the building was made. However, since this was not the case, they had to attend work until the day the building collapsed on them. According to Schawtz (4), as a consumer has not right to demand continuous reduction of prices since this will reduce profit margin earned by supplier who, in the long-run, will lack capital to supply the same goods and services.

Consumers have the right to demand for low and lower prices during in the existence of financial crisis. If this is not the case, they have no moral responsibility to do so since in doing so they may lead to collapse of business. It is also important to note that, closure of a business does not affect a consumer. This is because the consumer will find another company that offers the same services as the collapsed company. The weight will be felt solely by the owners of the company that has collapsed.

When Sweatshop collapses, consumers shifted to other companies. The son and the father, being sole owners of it, were left with an outstanding bank loan which they had to settle from their pockets. Finally, by being morally responsible and restrain from demanding extremely low prices, by doing so, consumers should know that they are enabling organizations pay workers well as well as enabling these business offer good working environment for the workers. As to conclusion, consumers should not demand for concurrent reduction of prices for goods and services from suppliers.

The ability of a consumer to change comes from the consumer. It is important to note that would always want good for them and therefore will take time to change. This conclusion is meant to inform the consumer that he or she is the chief pillar of any business. If their moral behavior does not contribute to success of business, these businesses collapse. In the end, existence of business will either cease or the local business will be controlled by foreign consumer who request for better prices for commodities.

Works Cited Schawtz, David T. Consuming choice: Ethics in a global consumer age. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2010. Print.