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, 2008). The three variables are under the influence of those who draft product policy. They also touch on the doctrine of strict liability and are highly relevant in qualitative assessment of product safety perception of consumers. Experimental manipulation of these factors can indicate how manufacturers and distributors of products can be made responsible for harms attributed to their products. In the current market environment, the media are actively involved in reporting tales of individuals who are harmed by products that they use. Many times, individuals who were at one time injured by products tend to be strict on compensation of the harmful products victims when they become part of the legal system. Not a single consumer of a product usually anticipates any injury or likely death as a result of use of products that they buy with the exception of those who succumb to suicide. Consumers usually expect positive results from the use of products they purchase (Desmet & Hekkert, 2007). However, it is unfortunate that undesirable events occur in the process of product use. These negative occurrences are usually least anticipated by consumers when purchasing products. Research hypothesis H0: products with safety warning labels have low levels of unexpected consequences than products without safety warnings. H1: there is no link between product safety warning labels and the level of unexpected consequences. Rationale of the Study There are increasing incidences of product-injuries despite the existence of stringent rules to safeguard the safety of consumers against harmful products in the market. Consumer products touch directly on the lives of human being thus must be given priority to eliminate possible dangers that come with the use of various products. Most manufacturers are focused on profit maximization forgetting the need to comply with the underlying product safety rules. As such, they forget to warn the consumers of possible hazards that are connected with inappropriate product: use, storage and even disposal. It is thus undisputable that a research on product safety is necessary to ensure that the concept of product safety is well understood for the benefits of both the consumers and producers of various products. The research will ensure maximum safety in the use of products by consumers and also help companies to avoid heavy financial loss resulting from product injury-related legal cases. Research Methodology Sample Design The research employed personal observation and interviews to sample the perceptions of consumers on product safety as concerns caution labels on products, government regulations and product safety promotion campaign. A total of fifteen respondents were obtained, which was used as a representative sample for entire product consumers in the market and of course country. The research used systematic random sampling to identify consumers of various products in three major retail stores. Data Collection Data collection was done using both primary and secondary data sources. For primary data, interviews and observations were conducted on fifteen respondents. The sample size of fifteen respondents comprised of individuals with varied demographic and individuals characteristics. This ensured that possible research biases were eliminated from the study. Each of the respondents was issued with questionnaires to complete and incomplete questionnaires were not considered. A total of fifteen questionnaires were successfully completed and returned. S...