CONSUMER’S RIGHTS PROTECTIONTask 1. Read the text and write out unknown words
The idea that consumers need protection against incompetent and/ or unscrupulous traders is by no means new. The earliest national consumer protection statute in Britain was enacted in 1238. There is no single agreed definition of consumerism. Perhaps the catalyst for the modem consumer movement was Ralf Nader with his book on automobile safety "Unsafe at any Price". In any exchange the individual has little power. Consumerism is one response to redress the balance. So, the term consumerism (a system of consumer's protection) is: a protest against perceived business injustices and the efforts to remedy those injustices. Consumerism is an attempt to achieve a more equal balance in the power of buyers and sellers. "Consumerism" as a significant social movement stated in the USA in the 1960, when President John F. Kennedy introduced the revolutionary notion of rights for consumers, and two decades after Presidents report, World consumer Rights Day was first observed on March 15, 1983. There are now eight rights, and every March 15, consumer groups commemorate. World Consumer Rights day, focusing on different issue of global interest each year. "Consumers, by definition, include us all, President told the US congress in 1962. They are the largest economic group in the economy, affecting and affected by almost every public and g private economic decision... But they are the only important group, whose views are often not heard". Kennedy's Bill of Rights included the right to: safety, information, choice among a variety of products and services at competitive prices and a fair hearing by governments in the formulation of consumer policy. Eventually, several more consumer rights were added: redress, consumer education, satisfaction of basic needs and concern for the environment: Right to safety:Unsafe products, unstated dangerous in products, unrealized expectations regarding product performance; inadequate repair service. A consumer can't see, smell, touch or taste the radiation emanating from a TV set or the pesticide residue in food. Much attention must be directed to the possible effects of using these products. Consumer policies should protect consumers from products or services which are dangerous or unsafe or whose use might cause injury to others. Right to be informed: inadequate and misleading information,deceptive advertising, deceptive packaging insufficient information concerning product contents, deceptive pricing. Consumer policies should: require all necessary information to be given to consumers about the goods and services they acquire. Right to chose:confusing assortments of product, lack of real competition, prices fixed by "competing sellers". Consumer policies should: protect consumers from anticompetitive conduct and exploitation.
Satisfaction of basicneeds: consumer policies should: protect consumers from unethical and illegal practices, especially in the provision of heath care, food and other basic services. Redress of wrong:Consumer policies should: Provide consumers with speedy and accessible means to enforce their legal right; Provide consumer with a right to compensation if they are injured as a result of unsafe goods or faulty services. Consumer education Consumer policies should:Ensure that consumer laws are written in language that is easily understood; ensure that consumers are informed about their rights. A healthy environment:consumer policies should protect consumers from environmental pollution, promote ethical, socially and environmentally responsible practices by producers and suppliers of goods and services
Task 2. Translate the following words. Consult a dictionary include, agreed, beheviour, catalyst movement exchange, expect, attitude, impersonal, legal, concern, investigate description social, significant, to protect trading matters, achieve, really, observe, revolutionary notion, economic, group, decision, competitive, variety, several.
Task 3. Suggest the Ukrainian for the following words and word combinations from the text to be acceptable to unfair practice injusticyto remedy consumer's rights protection satisfaction of basic needs concern for the environment easily understood to remedy to introduce misleading movement redress of wrong perceived business the revolutionary notion uncomponentor unscrupulous traders exchangeeventually an attempt to achieve equal balance consumer policy consumer education right to safety right to be informed right to be head right to choice responsible practices environmental pollution Task 4. Find in the text English equivalents to Ukrainian words and word combinations захист прав споживачів вивчати (досліджувати) нечесний поняття безвідповідальне ставлення накладати штраф відгук (відповідь) відшкодування виправлятипіклування впливатикомпенсувати конкурентоспроможний каталізатор несправедливість небезпечні продукти невідповідна інформація прийнятний спостерігати за... значний соціальний рух продукти низької якості розробляти спеціальні критерії вимагати відповідального ставлення право бути інформованим право вибирати право бути почутим право на безпеку (безпечні товари) право на відшкодування право на здорове оточення революційні (нові) поняття прав споживачів
Task 5. Match the words in column one with their synonyms in column two
1. What does consumerism mean? 2. When did consumerism start as a social movement? 3. When was World Consumer Rights Day first observed? 4. Who are consumers by the definition given by Kennedy? 5. What consumer rights did Kennedy's Bill of Rights include? 6. What consumer rights were added later? 7. When is World Consumer Rights Day commemorated? 8. Is insufficient information concerning product contents important for consumer? Why? 9. Is "consumer protection" really necessary in your opinion? What form should it take?
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CONSUMERISM
Right to be heard:business firms unresponsive to consumer's grievances; impersonal attitude in selling. Consumer policies should: ensure that consumers can participate in the development of policies which affect them.
Task 6. Look through the text again and answer the following questions
