SOC120: W5D1 Consumerism and Planned Obsolescence

Tuan Pham

4/27/2017 2:11:24 PM

Describe consumerism. Describe a specific context and explain what consumerism means in the setting.

Consumerism is society’s desire to purchase products and services. You and I purchase clothes to wear, because it is culturally inappropriate to be nude, but also it helps keep us warm or to impress other members of society. The clothes we purchase are manufactured products, which have limited resources, that are produced by either natural or man-made materials. This process is called “materials economy,” the materials are extracted, then manufactured, next distributed, consumed by people, and finally disposed of (Leonard, 2007). Over consumerism is wasting our resources and producing massive amounts of waste.

What is planned obsolescence? What role does planned obsolescence play in consumerism? Describe one product or service and explain how planned obsolescence is incorporated into its design.

Planned obsolescence is a marketing strategy design by manufacturers to produce a product with limited technology, service, or use for consumers. Companies limit functionality in their products to entice consumers to purchase their next upgrade when trends in technology is demanded by the consumers. This ensure the customers desire for the manufacturer’s future products and sales cost stay at a premium. Auto manufacturers uses this strategy in their model vehicles by redesigning the shape, performance, and durability. If the vehicles do not have a new desired effect on consumers. Sales will decline and the business will cease. In the case of Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, etc.

What are your personal beliefs and biases about consumption?

I’m for the school of environmental impact, such as waste. It’s not to say that I do not consume, but I look at a product and ask myself… How long will I keep this product for, how long will I have a use for it, and how long will it last for me? I am a handyman, so I have a good collection of tools. Most of my tools will last a very long time. Some have been pasted to me by my father, I will probably pass them on to my son, and hopefully he can pass them on to his or repurpose them. A lot of my tools have unlimited warranties so they can be replaced if they are broken, but also they are recycled to the manufacturer when replaced, therefore limiting waste. There are products that I buy that are planned obsolescence, like my computer and other appliances in the house, but I recycle everything that has electronics. Our family tries not to purchase anything that requires a battery, our car is the exception.

Having separated your personal beliefs and biases, use ethical theories and concepts to present how you feel about consumerism and planned obsolescence as societal issues.

Ethical egoism is a theory that can be used to describe consumerism and planned obsolescence. According to Mosser (2013), “Some economists have suggested that acting in one's self-interest is the basic mechanism through which capitalism operates… And that is how the free market is supposed to work. In a capitalistic society, consumerism is the quintessential desire and for those desires to match the company’s profitability. Manufacturers will limit the functionalities of their products to keep demands for newer and improved products.

Tuan Pham

Reference:

Leonard, A. (2007). Story of Stuff. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM

Mosser, K. (2013). Ethics and social responsibility (2nd ed.) [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

Consumerism and Planned Obsolescence

Knutsford Thompson

4/22/2017 1:02:06 PM

Consumerism and Planned Obsolescence

· Describe consumerism. Describe a specific context and explain what consumerism means in the setting. While doing my research on this topic I came to an understanding that Consumerism as many meaning when used in certain context. One of those contexts provided by Merriam-Webster dictionary is “the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable” So the more we spend the better the economy grow. In some way this is true, that was one of the reasons why President Obama gave out Stimulus checks in 2009 in hope people will spend them to help build by the economy.

· What is planned obsolescence ? - is an approach to the conception, design and production of a product, such as hardware or software, involving the intent that it should be useful, functional or popular for only a limited length of time. What role does planned obsolescence play in consumerism? Obsolescence plays a vital role in consumerism, because it provides the need to better and more functioning products, which consumers will buy known that the product that they current own is adequate but it will have less function as the new and updated version. An also appealing to the buy who are into trends and want to feel superior to others that still have the older version. Describe one product or service and explain how planned obsolescence is incorporated into its design. Electronics is the best example of how Obsolescence thrive on Consumerism. Also, every year a new or better product is produce that will out do its previous editions, due to the demands form customers reviews. Before Smart TVs there was Desk-top computers, you could watch DVDs/ Blue-rays DVD, and listen CDs. Now that there are smart TVs with access to the internet, you have a much bigger display screen, you can browse and listen to music from the various apps while sharing the experiences with other in a much wider setting

· What are your personal beliefs and biases about consumption? My take on consumption is knowing my limits, just because the new craze is the Samsung S8, doesn’t mean I need to put myself in more debit to purchase a $720 phone. There are too many waste full people in our society, a good example of this too falls in an ethical background of the person, they might be a Relativism (they grow up in an area where who had the newest Jordan’s, Marc Jacob Watch, Michael Kors fashion trend, et al.)

· Having separated your personal beliefs and biases, use ethical theories and concepts to present how you feel about consumerism and planned obsolescence as societal issues. Consumerism fit all the key ethical theories depending on who or what the situation is. utilitarianism: the act we should choose is that which produces the best results for the greatest number affected by that choice. “Organized-efforts by individuals, groups, and governments to help protect consumers from policies and practices that infringe consumer rights to fair business practices.”

· deontology: It is particularly important to see that the deontologist does not say that actions do not have consequences; rather, the deontologist insists that actions should not be evaluated on the basis of the action's consequences. Regarding healthcare “Consumers are now demanding more choices and better service, and home care providers need to be able to deliver. In the early days of home care, consumerism was inherently built into treatment; nurses came in and helped the client however he or she needed.” (Dodd, 2005)

Virtue ethics emphasizes the moral, or virtuous, person who exemplifies moral behavior. President Bush and Obama, when they implemented the Stimulus checks. Planned obsolescence more falls in the realm of Ethical Egoism where the manufacture “is maximizes their utility” when they with-out updated products till they now they can make a profit

References

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/stimulus-check.asp

http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/consumerism

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/consumerism.html

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consumerism

http://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/galaxy-s8/

https://www.thebalance.com/stimulus-checks-3305750

Mosser, K. (2013). Ethics and social responsibility (2nd ed.) [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

Ashford 6: - Week 5 - Discussion 2

Lori Smith

4/27/2017 11:07:36 PM

Conglomerates and Market Domination

The purpose of this discussion is to help you understand the role of corporations in the modern world while evaluating ethical aspects of corporate market domination. Prepare and post a response to the following prompts:

· Describe the difference between a corporation and a conglomerate.

·

As nouns the difference between corporation and conglomerate

is that corporation is a group of individuals, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous existence independent of the existences of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its members while conglomerate is a cluster of heterogeneous things.

As a adjective conglomerate is clustered together into a mass.

As a verb conglomerate is to combine together into a larger mass. (Wikidiff.com)

I am not going to pretend to know or understand what conglomerates mean, to my knowledge its sounds like goulash to me something just thrown together. A conglomerate is the combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate group, usually involving a parent company and many subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company. Conglomerates are often large and multinational.

Market Domination is the internal and external forces that can affect the longevity of a products and services your business offers. Understanding how your business excels where your competition does not is a crucial element in dominating the market. (Marketdominationllc.com)

· Consider the ethics of media conglomerates in the United States. What are the ethical advantages and disadvantages of allowing large conglomerates to control the mass media? What are alternative ways the media might be organized that would be more ethical or moral? Explain your reasoning using both concepts from the course and academic resources.

·

Allowing large conglomerates to control the mass media has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Some of the advantages include minimal control by the government. If conglomerates control the mass media, and it is the people who decide what they want to see, then the control of the government is reduced.

References

Consider-the-ethics-of-media-conglomerates-What-are-the-advantages and disadvantages? www.coursehero.com/

Corporation vs Conglomerate - What's the difference?wikidiff.com. http://wikidiff.com/ corporation/conglomerate

Yakov Amihud and Baruch Lev(Autumn, 1981) The Bell Journal of Economics Journal Article Risk Reduction as a Managerial Motive for Conglomerate Mergers Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 605-617 http://www.jstor.or