Final Project

Running head: FINAL PROJECT: PRODUCT SAFETY Final Project: Product Safety Student’s Name: Course Name and Number: Name of Paper: Instructor’s Name: Date submitted: Introduction Analyzing the concept of consumer safety, I will make no sense if I did not mention the experience I had with a face ointment. With the intention of doing away with pimples that had ruined my facial appearance, I bought the ointment only to end up with a bruised face with my skin peeling-off. Varieties of marketing activities are governed by public regulations. Consumer safety is however, the most administered facet of all marketing activities. Many policies and laws have been enacted by the government and consumer protection agencies to safeguard consumers against harmful products. Many scholars have responded to the issue of product safety by conducting numerous researches to address the problems of consumer safety. The focus of this paper is to explore the effect of three aspects of product safety guidelines on the reaction and behavior of consumers, which include product safety rules, product precaution labels and safety-oriented advertisement. Background Information Product safety refers to the ability of a product to safely meet its intended purpose under some set of established policies. It is uncharacteristic that a manufacturer can have the intention of supplying unsafe products to the market for human consumption. However, safe products can become harmful if not stored, utilized or discarded in the right way (Simms, 2003). There are often many rules and regulations that manufacturers and suppliers must comply with to show that their products meet the predetermined safety criteria and thus safe for human consumption. In the United States for instance, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) oversees that all consumer products meet the anticipated safety standards (Nicholson, 1997). The concept of product safety is undoubtedly very crucial for both consumers and decision makers. There are frequent occasions when various companies have been implicated in safety standard issues. The huge liability that underlies negligence of existing safety standards meant to protect consumers has compelled manufacturers and distributors of products to focus greatly on product safety principles. Marketers of consumer products must take into consideration the costs and product accountability and consumer perception of safety products in order to develop strong competitive advantage over rival companies in the market and also to avoid legal repercussions because of breach of product safety policies. There are three major aspects of product safety (the utilization of established safety regulations, sticking relevant warning labels on products and intense product safety promotion during product advertisement) that affect the attitude and behavior of consumers and marketers of products must give special attention (Chitturi, 2009). Under product liability regulations, a manufacturer or distributor of a product is expected to envisage how a product is likely to be misused and caution potential consumers of possible risks of misusing the product. This concept suggests that sellers must be cautious on how they sell their products in the market (Dunne & Lusch, 20...