Research for Consumer Policy


Book Description

This is the report on a special national conference dealing with the subject of Consumer Research for Consumer Policy. The conference was held July 28-29, 1977 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was hosted by the Center for Policy Alternatives at M.I.T. under funding support of the National Science Foundation. The purpose of the meetings was to begin building stronger connections between consumer research and consumer policy formulation in both the public and private sectors. The participants included nearly one hundred specialists from business, academia, consumer advocacy groups, and the private research community. This report includes: (1) an overview of the total proceedings, with recommendations for future such efforts; (2) a synthesis of issues raised in the workshops and open discussions of the conference; (3) the full texts of ten original papers prepared for this conference, accompanied by summaries of discussants remarks; and (4) an inventory of suggested research priorities in the consumer policy areas.




Marketing and the Common Good


Book Description

Marketing is among the most powerful cultural forces at work in the contemporary world, affecting not merely consumer behaviour, but almost every aspect of human behaviour. While the potential for marketing both to promote and threaten societal well-being has been a perennial focus of inquiry, the current global intellectual and political climate has lent this topic extra gravitas. Through original research and scholarship from the influential Mendoza School of Business, this book looks at marketing’s ramifications far beyond simple economic exchange. It addresses four major topic areas: societal aspects of marketing and consumption; the social and ethical thought; sustainability; and public policy issues, in order to explore the wider relationship of marketing within the ethical and moral economy and its implications for the common good. By bringing together the wide-ranging and interdisciplinary contributions, it provides a uniquely comprehensive and challenging exploration of some of the most pressing themes for business and society today.