Welcome

Discussion Questions

Download All (ZIP 166KB)

Chapter 1

  1. Consider the Duchess of Windsor who said, “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor; rich is better.” What do you think about that sentiment? In your opinion, what is the connection between happiness and consumption?
  2. Gabrielle Reece, a star college volleyball player, gave up her scholarship and her studies to be a super model, appearing on the cover of Vogue magazine. Would you have done the same in her place?
  3. Give an example of an opportunity cost in your own life. Why did you make the choice that you did?
  4. A former head of Revlon said, “In the factory we make cosmetics; in the store we sell hope.” What does this quote tell you about consumer needs?
  5. Author Daniel Gilbert says that experiences may bring more happiness than durable goods. Do you agree or disagree? Describe two experiences that made you happy.

Chapter 2

  1. If President John F. Kennedy was alive today, would he be pleased with the state of consum-er protection in this country? List his four consumer rights, and give a current example of each from your own life or from a friend’s or relative’s experience.
  2. After reading the excerpt from The Jungle, do you think reforms were necessary in the meat-processing industry in 1906? Explain your answer. What was President Theodore Roosevelt’s role in meat-processing reforms?
  3. It isn’t easy being a reformer. Who did not support the work of food safety reformer Harvey Wiley?
  4. Select one of the e-resource Web sites listed below. What did you find on the site?

E-Resources

Consumers Union
Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, is a nonprofit organization chartered in 1936 that provides information on consumer goods such as toothpaste, toys, toast-ers, and cars and conducts tests.

Center for Science in the Public Interest
A nonprofit membership organization that conducts research, education, and advocacy on food safety, nutrition, health, and related is-sues.

FDA History Office
The office provides information about its evolution, function, the oral history program, the museum collection, and the staff.

Federal Trade Commission
This government commission offers consumer information on many subjects, includ-ing labeling, advertisements, and monopolies.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Issues and information are given on this Web site, which is of use to exporters, pub-lic policy experts, and economists.

Consumer WebWatch
A Consumers Union site, it helps make Web sites more accountable for accuracy and provides research results and news alerts for consumers.

Chapter 3

  1. Select one of the six main types of well-being and discuss how it impacts consumer behavior.
  2. What do you think of prospect theory? Give an example of when you were uncertain but went ahead and made a consumption decision anyway. Describe the outcome (positive or negative) of the decision.
  3. Give an example of a product that you were an innovator in (an early buyer) and an example of a product that you have been a laggard or in the late majority in buying. Describe why you were an early buyer in one case but a late buyer (or nonbuyer) in another.
  4. According to Pamela Paul, “Americans want good quality and good value from good companies doing good things.” Do you agree or disagree? Explain your answer. How does a declining economy affect consumers’ behavior, especially their need for value?

Chapter 4

  1. Regarding the list of consumer responsibilities in the chapter, does it make any difference to you if a company that you buy from is socially responsible? Explain your answer.
  2. What has been your experience with customer service? Name one company that provided good service and one that did not. What happened in each case?
  3. Do you know anyone who went to small claims court? If so, what was the case about, and what was the outcome?
  4. Find the Better Business Bureau nearest your campus. Select a business or charity and see what the BBB says.
  5. Go to lawyers.com and either click on “Ask a lawyer” to try a question out or click on legal resources and find out more information beyond what the chapter covered.

Chapter 5

  1. Why does the Department of Justice get involved in the violation of antitrust laws?
  2. How do the police get involved in consumer protection? What sort of cases might they investigate? What is extortion, and why would the police become involved in investigating extortion?
  3. What is an example of injurious consumption? Why do consumers engage in activities that put themselves and others at risk?
  4. Consumer advocacy comes in many forms. Go to the Consumer Federation of America Web site at www.consumerfed.org, and list the current issues that they are working on.

Chapter 6

  1. Why would State Farm have as its slogan “Like a good neighbor State Farm is there?” What family or household stage might they be targeting?
  2. What is the main difference between consumers’ perceptions of private labels (store brands) and nationally advertised brands?
  3. What are the steps in the prepurchase process? Why is so much time taken before purchase?
  4. What are the stages in product development? Give an example other than those in the chapter for each stage.
  5. Go to the Procter & Gamble Web site (www.pg.com) and click on P & G Products. Find out the brand names of different laundry detergents or shampoos. Why would the same company offer different products at different price levels that essentially perform the same function?
  6. Select a life stage (households) and predict what products or services they would most likely need.

Chapter 7

  1. Why is advertising part of social influence? Think of an advertisement that you have seen or heard and how it made you aware of a product or service. Explain your answers.
  2. What do you own that has depreciated in value? Do you accept this depreciation or not? Explain your answer.
  3. Select two print ads and compare their messages. What are they selling? Who is their audience or target market? How effective are the ads in grabbing your attention?
  4. Do you think there should be more or less government regulation of advertising? Support your answer with examples.
  5. Go to the FTC website and see what it says about advertising. What are the current issues they are involved in?

Chapter 8

  1. How have food preferences changed in the last 100 years? Give at least three examples.
  2. What does the Delaney clause refer to? What does negligible or minimal risk mean?
  3. Why do people buy branded bottled water? What government agency regulates bottled water?
  4. What is your opinion of organic foods? Why have they grown in popularity? Are they worth the extra money?

Chapter 9

  1. Why would the size of packaging for a face cream become a concern of the U.S. government? Which U.S. government agency regulates cosmetics? How does it define cosmetics?
  2. How long does it take before a patent usually runs out on an FDA-approved drug? Are all drugs available in generic form?
  3. Why are people hesitant to use generic drugs?
  4. How can a product be both a drug and a cosmetic? Give at least three examples of products that are both.
  5. Why do chronically ill individuals so often fail to follow doctors’ orders?

Chapter 10

  1. What are the usual ways that consumers dispose of products? What is an example of a product that you have bought and rarely or never used? Describe the reasons why you underutilized the product.
  2. Have you or a family member ever experienced car recalls? What happened as a result? What was the process and cost from knowing of the problem to the final repair?
  3. Why is it said that information is the smart traveler’s secret weapon? For safety purposes, what are some information sources that a traveler could use before and during travel?

Chapter 11

  1. How is the subject of the consumer-in-control movement related to the Internet?
  2. Why are children particularly vulnerable when it comes to the Internet? What steps can be taken to lessen the risk?
  3. Why are the elderly often victims of identity theft?
  4. What federal agencies are involved in monitoring the Internet?

Chapter 12

  1. Why have corporate executives called newlyweds the ultimate consumer? And why are their names like gold? How do companies get lists of newlyweds’ names?
  2. What are the pros of renting versus owning? What are the reasons people give for buying a home?
  3. What are the pros and cons of leasing vehicles? What is the typical financial arrangement for a lease?
  4. What does the transaction price of a vehicle purchase include?

Chapter 13

  1. Are you pleased or disappointed with your financial situation? What steps are you taking to get on sounder footing? What are your short-, medium-, and long-range goals? Why does financial planning require flexibility?
  2. Why is it true that it is never too soon or too late to start working on improving a financial situation?
  3. What is your potential liability if your debit card is lost or stolen? What is your potential liability if your credit card is lost or stolen? In either case, what should you do first?

Chapter 14

  1. If current age and employment rates continue, there will be fewer working Americans to sup-port the nonworking older adult population in the year 2020. What may be done to make the Social Security system more viable?
  2. The famous philosopher George Santayana (1863–1952) said, “Nonsense is so good only be-cause common sense is so limited.” Considering this saying, why do you think so many people fall prey to scams and frauds? List five financial phrases or scams that attract investors.
  3. Why do people have collections? Do you or any of your friends collect anything? If so, what is it, and how did the collection start? How can someone tell if a collectible is correctly priced?

Chapter 15

  1. How important is gifting to you? Do you think there is too much or too little emphasis in our society on gifting and celebrating holidays? For your holiday gift, how would you feel about someone donating a goat to a family in an African village? Explain your answers.
  2. Why would a company use location-based marketing? Can you give an example of a Smartphone App that uses location-based marketing?
  3. Although most would agree that sustainable behavior is a good thing, what are some of the reasons it is slow to be adopted?