Críticas al mercado libre

Identifique algunos de los problemas asociados con la teoría del libre mercado de la responsabilidad social empresarial hacia los consumidores. Compare esta visión con la del contrato social y la de los stakeholders.

Answer:  The free-market theory holds that the primary aim of business is to make a profit.  As far as business obligations toward consumers, this view assumes that an equal balance of power, knowledge, and sophistication of choice in the buying and selling of products and services exist between companies and customers.  The marketplace is an arena of arbitration.  Consumers and corporations are protected and regulated, according to this view by the “invisible hand.”  Although this theory has come validly, controversy also exists regarding its assumptions about consumer/business relationships.  Consider these arguments:

·         Most businesses are not on equal footing with consumers at large.  Large firms spend sizable amounts on research aimed at analyzing, creating, and¾some argue¾ manipulating the demand of targeted buyers.

·         Whether many firms' advertising activities truthfully inform consumers about product reliability, possible product dangers, and proper product use is questioned.

·         The “invisible hand” is often nonexistent regarding consumer protection against questionable advertising and poorly manufactured products released to market.

The social contract concept is grounded on certain obligations a firm has toward its constituencies, in this case consumers, and to society.  Some of the more obvious but substantial duties of firms follow (Velasquez 1988):

·         The duty to inform consumers truthfully and fully of a product and service’s content, purpose, and uses.

·         The duty not to misrepresent or withhold information about a product or service that would hinder consumers’ free choice.

·         The duty not to force or take undue advantage of consumers through fear or stress, or by other means that constrain rational choice.

·         The duty to take “due care” to prevent any foreseen injuries or mishaps a product (in its design and product) or its use may inflict on consumers.

Additional rights consumers have in their social contract with corporations include the following:

·         The right to safety: to be protected from harmful commodities that injure

·         The right to free and rational choice: to be able to select among alternative products

·         The right to know: to have easy access to truthful information that can help in product selection

·         The right to be heard: to have available a party who will acknowledge and act on reliable complaints about injustices regarding products and business transactions

·         The right to be compensated: to have a means to receive compensation for harm done to a person because of faulty products or for damage done in the business transaction (Buchholz 1992; Holloway, and Hancock 1973).

These ethical guidelines can be applied to everyday individual business transactions as well as to more complicated exchanges between corporations and consumer groups.  The guidelines also serve as the legal and moral foundations of corporate and consumer stakeholder relationships.