Consumer Economics: Issues and Behaviors / Edition 3 available in Hardcover
![Consumer Economics: Issues and Behaviors / Edition 3](http://img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.10.4)
Consumer Economics: Issues and Behaviors / Edition 3
- ISBN-10:
- 1138846589
- ISBN-13:
- 9781138846586
- Pub. Date:
- 06/20/2016
- Publisher:
- Taylor & Francis
- ISBN-10:
- 1138846589
- ISBN-13:
- 9781138846586
- Pub. Date:
- 06/20/2016
- Publisher:
- Taylor & Francis
![Consumer Economics: Issues and Behaviors / Edition 3](http://img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.10.4)
Consumer Economics: Issues and Behaviors / Edition 3
Buy New
$115.00Buy Used
$120.00![Powered by Textbook.com Logo](http://img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/PoweredByTB_Logo_2x.png)
-
SHIP THIS ITEM— This item is available online through Marketplace sellers.
-
PICK UP IN STORECheck Availability at Nearby Stores
Available within 2 business hours
This item is available online through Marketplace sellers.
-
SHIP THIS ITEM
Temporarily Out of Stock Online
Please check back later for updated availability.
This item is available online through Marketplace sellers.
Overview
From identity theft to product recalls, from what we once thought of as unshakeable institutions to increasing concerns about sustainability, consumer issues are an integral part of modern life. This fully updated third edition of Consumer Economics offers students an accessible and thorough guide to the concerns surrounding the modern consumer and brings to light the repercussions of making uninformed decisions in today’s economy.
This definitive textbook introduces students to these potential issues and covers other key topics including consumer behavior, personal finance, legal rights and responsibilities, as well as marketing and advertising. Combining theory and practice, students are introduced to both the fundamentals of consumer economics and how to become better-informed consumers themselves.
Highlights in this new edition include:
- New Critical Thinking Projects feature to encourage students to develop their critical thinking skills through analysing consumer issues.
- Expanded coverage of social media and the impact of social influence on consumers.
- Revised Consumer Alerts: practical advice and guidance for students to make smart consumer decisions.
- A new Companion Website with a range of presentation materials and exercises related to each chapter.
Fully updated throughout, this textbook is suitable for students studying consumer sciences – what works, what doesn’t, and how consumers are changing.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781138846586 |
---|---|
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Publication date: | 06/20/2016 |
Edition description: | Revised |
Pages: | 578 |
Product dimensions: | 7.44(w) x 9.69(h) x (d) |
About the Author
Elizabeth B. Goldsmith is Professor in the Department of Retail Merchandising and Product Development at Florida State University, USA.
Read an Excerpt
We must be the change we wish to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi
Consumer economicssince it mirrors social and economic changeis a very fastpaced discipline. The purpose of this book is to provide an updated look at the consumer movement and the intricacies of consumer behavior. It addresses who buys, what, how, when, and why. It also looks at the forces that impact consumer choice in an ever-changing and often turbulent world. Quality of life and well being are seen as end states, which consumers pursue in their decision making. Too often consumer books have focused on problems and complaints, and although these are addressed, solutions are also presented.
The 21st century has brought us a keen awareness of company frailties and less than perfect ethics. Exposure of company fraud and excesses is constantly in the news eroding consumer confidence. Personal bankruptcies and the number of consumer complaints have hit all time highs. In short, we have a way to go before we reach a truly functioning and fair marketplace. This book traces this pursuit through time and across countries. Adding to the global approach has been the Internet, which has pushed privacy issues to the forefront while at the same time opening up competition in products, information, and user practices. From the consumer point of view, competition is nearly always favorable. But in all things there are tradeoffs; and identity theft, which can happen in-person, or over the Internet, is the current number one consumer concern.
Today's consumer is operating in a much more complex marketplace than could ever have been envisioned by Adam Smith, founder of modern economics, who argued that consumersnot kings or parliamentsshould rule nations. There is no doubt that the consumer is still sovereign, but controlling resources is becoming increasingly difficult. "New" consumers are about so much more than saving money and fighting the urge to buy on impulse. The following list highlights how the text's coverage seeks to explain the behavior and issues surrounding these new consumers.
- The text presents 14 chapters designed to be manageable in a semester long course, detailing the unique ideas and solutions that lead to more successful consumer experiences.
- Students like examples that relate to their own lives, so every effort has been made to give student-based examples such as landlord-tenant disputes, sorting through credit card and cellular phone offers, purchasing cars and vehicle repairs, and choosing travel and various other "deals" wisely.
- The Internet and e-commerce play very big roles in this text. The trend toward buying online or at least shopping around for information is well documented.
- More universities are incorporating consumer behavior into their consumer courses, and this combination is reflected in the title and the content. Advertising and media impacts are highlighted. At the same time, economics, environmental studies, public policy, and law are not neglected. The legal aspects of consumerism are especially emphasized.
- The text is unique in its introduction of a circular flow model and in its coverage of the process of consumption from beginning to end.
- A full chapter on consumption shifts and the consumer movement is also unique. It is amazing to see the types of products that consumers once used often to their detriment and how the government stepped in to make the marketplace safer. Personalities are included to add "faces" to the policy changes.
- What to eat and drink are daily consumption decisions we all make. The chapter provides state-of-the-art scientific and behavioral knowledge on diets, organically grown food, genetically altered food, additives, food-related disease, fast food versus the slow food movement, and bottled water consumption.
- Next, is a chapter on health and wellness, another keystone area in consumerism. Skyrocketing health care costs, recalls of medical devices, the latest in cosmetics and treatments, and alcohol and tobacco consumption patterns are all explored.
- Practical matters regarding purchasing homes, cars, insurance, and investments are covered. Warranties and guarantees are addressed as well as product safety and awareness of "get rich quick" schemes.
- The last chapter zeros in on identity theft and how to avoid it. Also covered are a variety of other topics such as vulnerable populations and global consumption and it finishes with a look toward the future.
- Since terms and words are so important in consumer economics, key terms are highlighted in the text and appear again in the Glossary to aid in study.
- Careers in consumer economics are mentioned throughout and again in the Appendices. When this book went to press the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced they were hiring 800 new employees mostly as investigators. The career opportunities for those trained in consumer economics are boundless whether in community service, government service, corporate consumer affairs, association or trade organizations, education, or law.
- To aid instructors, ancillaries include an instructor's manual with a test item file and outlines and PowerPoints.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
PART 1: Consumer Perspectives
CHAPTER 1 Consumers in a Changing World
CHAPTER 2 The Consumer Movement
CHAPTER 3 Consumer Theories and Models
PART 2: Consumer Protection
CHAPTER 4 Consumer Protection and Law
CHAPTER 5 Government Protection, Consumer Groups, and the Media
PART 3: Consumers in the Marketplace
CHAPTER 6 Brands, Buying Process, and Product Development
CHAPTER 7 Decision Making and Advertising
CHAPTER 8 Food And Water Issues
CHAPTER 9 Health and Wellness Issues
CHAPTER 10 Sustainability and Safety
CHAPTER 11 Internet, Technology and Identity Theft
CHAPTER 12 Being a Better Consumer of Housing and Vehicles
PART 4: Consumers in the Financial Marketplace
CHAPTER 13 Banking, Debt, and Credit Issues
CHAPTER 14 Insurance and Investment Issues
PART 5: Emerging Consumer Issues and the Global Perspective
CHAPTER 15 Issues, Ethics, and Globalization
Preface
We must be the change we wish to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi
Consumer economicssince it mirrors social and economic changeis a very fastpaced discipline. The purpose of this book is to provide an updated look at the consumer movement and the intricacies of consumer behavior. It addresses who buys, what, how, when, and why. It also looks at the forces that impact consumer choice in an ever-changing and often turbulent world. Quality of life and well being are seen as end states, which consumers pursue in their decision making. Too often consumer books have focused on problems and complaints, and although these are addressed, solutions are also presented.
The 21st century has brought us a keen awareness of company frailties and less than perfect ethics. Exposure of company fraud and excesses is constantly in the news eroding consumer confidence. Personal bankruptcies and the number of consumer complaints have hit all time highs. In short, we have a way to go before we reach a truly functioning and fair marketplace. This book traces this pursuit through time and across countries. Adding to the global approach has been the Internet, which has pushed privacy issues to the forefront while at the same time opening up competition in products, information, and user practices. From the consumer point of view, competition is nearly always favorable. But in all things there are tradeoffs; and identity theft, which can happen in-person, or over the Internet, is the current number one consumer concern.
Today's consumer is operating in a much more complex marketplace than could ever have been envisioned by Adam Smith, founder of modern economics, who argued that consumersnot kings or parliamentsshould rule nations. There is no doubt that the consumer is still sovereign, but controlling resources is becoming increasingly difficult. "New" consumers are about so much more than saving money and fighting the urge to buy on impulse. The following list highlights how the text's coverage seeks to explain the behavior and issues surrounding these new consumers.
- The text presents 14 chapters designed to be manageable in a semester long course, detailing the unique ideas and solutions that lead to more successful consumer experiences.
- Students like examples that relate to their own lives, so every effort has been made to give student-based examples such as landlord-tenant disputes, sorting through credit card and cellular phone offers, purchasing cars and vehicle repairs, and choosing travel and various other "deals" wisely.
- The Internet and e-commerce play very big roles in this text. The trend toward buying online or at least shopping around for information is well documented.
- More universities are incorporating consumer behavior into their consumer courses, and this combination is reflected in the title and the content. Advertising and media impacts are highlighted. At the same time, economics, environmental studies, public policy, and law are not neglected. The legal aspects of consumerism are especially emphasized.
- The text is unique in its introduction of a circular flow model and in its coverage of the process of consumption from beginning to end.
- A full chapter on consumption shifts and the consumer movement is also unique. It is amazing to see the types of products that consumers once used often to their detriment and how the government stepped in to make the marketplace safer. Personalities are included to add "faces" to the policy changes.
- What to eat and drink are daily consumption decisions we all make. The chapter provides state-of-the-art scientific and behavioral knowledge on diets, organically grown food, genetically altered food, additives, food-related disease, fast food versus the slow food movement, and bottled water consumption.
- Next, is a chapter on health and wellness, another keystone area in consumerism. Skyrocketing health care costs, recalls of medical devices, the latest in cosmetics and treatments, and alcohol and tobacco consumption patterns are all explored.
- Practical matters regarding purchasing homes, cars, insurance, and investments are covered. Warranties and guarantees are addressed as well as product safety and awareness of "get rich quick" schemes.
- The last chapter zeros in on identity theft and how to avoid it. Also covered are a variety of other topics such as vulnerable populations and global consumption and it finishes with a look toward the future.
- Since terms and words are so important in consumer economics, key terms are highlighted in the text and appear again in the Glossary to aid in study.
- Careers in consumer economics are mentioned throughout and again in the Appendices. When this book went to press the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced they were hiring 800 new employees mostly as investigators. The career opportunities for those trained in consumer economics are boundless whether in community service, government service, corporate consumer affairs, association or trade organizations, education, or law.
- To aid instructors, ancillaries include an instructor's manual with a test item file and outlines and PowerPoints.