SURVEY ON THE CONSUMPTION OF SELECTED PRODUCTS

1

Please read the following short case that describes a hypothetical consumer problem.

Case 1

Lucy, a clerical worker in the human resources department in a top investment bank, will attend the company annual party organized by her department next Friday. She needs a perfect scarf to match her stylish evening dress, so this weekend, she went shopping with her old friend Tom, who works in the fashion industry. They went to Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Macy's and found several lovely scarves which, however, did not appeal to Lucy. Luckily, they found a gorgeous fur scarf in a small store at the corner of the street. The salesman told Lucy that it is a shahtoosh scarf, which is unique and beautiful. Shahtoosh is made of fur from Tibetan antelope, an endangered species protected under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and thus forbidden in the markets. Lucy hesitated about her next action because buying this fur would be illegal, so she asked Tom for advice. Tom encouraged Lucy to buy it. After some thought, Lucy decided to purchase the shahtoosh scarf thinking that violating the protection law for the rare animal would not be noted by anyone other than the seller. Lucy proudly wore her new fur scarf to the annual party, attracted a lot of attention from friends and fellow workers, and received a lot of praise about her good taste. She was even awarded a trophy for best dressed at the end of the event despite fierce competition from many well-dressed women at the party.

2

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING SET OF ACTIONS THAT PEOPLE IN PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE CONSIDERED TO BE EITHER APPROPRIATE OR INAPPROPRIATE.

a)Give Lucy prize money and trophy which is awarded by CEO.

b)Give Lucy prize money.

c)Give Lucy strong encouraging feedback.

d)Give Lucy mild encouraging feedback.

e)Take no action at all.

f)Give Lucy a written reprimand.

g)Give Lucy a verbal reprimand.

h)Cancel Lucy's award.

i)Report Lucy to the police.

IF YOU WERE TO CONSIDER THE SET OF ACTIONS LISTED ABOVE:

1............... Which single action do you believe would be the most appropriate to take?(Write in one letter)______

2............... Which single action do you believe would be the most inappropriate to take?(Write in one letter) _____

From your experience, which single action would most people consider

1)the most appropriate? (Write in one letter) ________

2)the most inappropriate? (Write in one letter) _________

How ethical/unethical do you believe Lucy's behavior was? (Please circle the number that best represents your opinion):

Neither

VeryEthicalSlightlyEthical norSlightlyUnethicalVery

EthicalEthical UnethicalUnethicalUnethical

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