Course: Critical Media Analysis slls4002A
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| Student no: 2324147 Course: Critical Media Analysis SLLS4002A Supervisor: Iginio Gagliardone Word count: 489 Date Due: 16 March 2023 Topic: Long Essay abstract In a world driven by consumption retailers/corporations often attempt to cultivate an image of ethical production and ethically driven business practices. This research question is “What influences consumer choice: The Myth of ethical Consumption”. The research aims to examine accusations and scandals levied against large powerful producers such as Apple, Nike, and Shien and their failure to truly incorporate ethical production into their business practices. Moreover, it will explore the gap between consumer attitudes and behaviour making it impossible to achieve ethical consumption. The notion of ethical consumption has been challenged by the scandals of unethical business practices committed by Apple connected to the Foxconn scandal in 2010. Reports emerged that employees at Foxconn Apple’s main supplier of iPhone and iPad products were subjected to long hours, humiliation, low pay, and poor working conditions. Despite the promise from Apple to address the working conditions in its supply chain, these issues have continued to arise. Similar allegations of unethical production have been levied against Shein and Nike, Nike faced criticism after a photo of a child in a Nike factory went viral, it was found that Nike was using child labour, and they were failing to ensure safe and fair labour practices in its factories overseas. Meanwhile, Shein was accused of using child labour in the production of its clothes this was discovered when a Help message was discovered on their clothing items. Both companies claimed that they would take steps to ensure products are ethically produced, the emerging theme in here is that in a world believed to be moving toward equality. These companies use this consumer desire to be more ethical to their own advantage to gain favour from consumers and use it to gain profits, their promise of ethical consumption is a facade. Despite these scandals and allegations, consumers continue to spend good money on these products. This research aims to investigate these consumer choices to purchase from these brands even after these scandals levied against these corporation. These consumption choices highlight the difficulties in achieving ethical consumption and raise the question of whether consumers can really hold the corporation accountable for their behaviour. For consumers the allure of affordability, convenience, and trendiness overshadows the ideals of ethical consumption (Dean, 2009). This demand-driven turbo-consumption fosters an environment where these corporations can prioritise profit over ethical considerations with little or any significant consequences. Devinney argues that consumers are mere arm-chair activists when it comes to ethical consumption, they rarely want the promise of ethical consumption to fall on them. This is the main reason why superficial changes made by corporations is overlooked by consumers (Devinney et al., 2019). As long as consumers prioritise and incorporate notions of individualism, materialism, and immediate satisfaction over long-term consequences into their consumption practices the promise of ethical consumption will remain elusive Carrington et al., 2010). Reference List Carrington, M.J., Neville, B.A. and Whitwell, G.J., 2010. Why ethical consumers don’t walk their talk: Towards a framework for understanding the gap between the ethical purchase intentions and actual buying behaviour of ethically minded consumers. Journal of business ethics, 97, pp.139-158. Dean, J., 2009. Democracy and other neoliberal fantasies: Communicative capitalism and left politics. Duke University Press. Reith, G., 2018. Addictive consumption: capitalism, modernity and excess. Routledge. Devinney, T.M., Auger, P. and Eckhardt, G.M., 2010. The myth of the ethical consumer hardback with DVD. Cambridge University Press. Download 16.21 Kb. Share with your friends:
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