CASE STUDY : Answer ALL Questions.

Islamic Consumerism: The Issues of Consumer Protectionism Consumers occupy a central position in all marketing activities. Marketing starts from recognizing the consumers needs and terminates in satisfying the same consumers needs hence underscoring the importance of understanding consumers needs and behaviour. Consumer movements, prominent of which is consumerism, further strengthen such importance given to consumers. In the 20th century in the United States urged big companies to be responsible for their customers. Although consumerism, in a sentence, means protecting consumers rights. Customer is truly the king in contemporary business. Gone are the days when the selling approach would work. Now, if a company wants to thrive in this cut-throat competition, knowing and addressing customer needs is the only solution. A company that tailors its products, and its ultimate marketing mix decisions, according to the wishes of its customers has a greater chance of survival. These reasons make a customer-oriented marketing approach imperative for companies. To take any actions against non-Sharia compliant behavior of marketers, Islamic consumerism requires stronger movements and needs to put effective pressures on government agencies and marketers. Todays consumers are more or less concerned about what they take into their bodies as products. Foods, cosmetics, toiletries, insecticides, and other hazardous products that are unhealthy cause different curable and incurable diseases. News on products and health issues are frequently being flashed in conventional and modern internet media but the information is still limited there. To be conscious and careful, consumers need to know more about products and their effects on health until they make sure they know what they use in their lives. The recent news has been about multinational companies which are withdrawing chocolate bars namely Snickers, Mars Bars, Celebration boxes, and Milky Way from sale over fears they may contain plastic. One of the consumers rights is the right to be informed adequately about a products main aspects, but companies never tell ins and outs about ingredients of product from their own will unless it is sought by government or non-government authorities. In addition, consumers rights, wishes, and satisfaction should become the guiding light for an organizations philosophy and subsequent actions. Kotler and Armstrong (1995) narrate several rights that a consumer possesses: Right to be informed adequately about a products main aspects; Right to be protected from marketers doubtful practices and products; Right to expect a safe product provided by the marketers; Right to influence the practices in product development that the marketers undertake; Right to expect that the products sold to them will conform to the performance claims made by the marketers. Muslim market is one that is based on compliance with Islamic principles. The Muslim consumers, resultantly, are those who demand products and services that accordance with Islamic principles. Hence, if consumerism means looking after the wishes, rights, and satisfaction of consumers, then the same would imply that Islamic consumerism eliminates the same for Muslim consumers. Basically, Islamic consumerism differs from conventional consumerism in several facets. The fundamental lies in the fact that Islam treats consumers not merely as consumers but as vicegerents of Allah SWT (2:30, 6:165); contrary to the conventional consumerism which views consumers strictly in a material context. Thus, in comparison to the consumers rights outlined in conventional consumerism, the Islamic concept of consumerism is more holistic and all-inclusive. Its salient features can be briefly listed as follows:

To help humans in playing their roles as the vicegerent of Allah; while giving them their rights as consumers (2:30, 6:165); To grant consumers their rights through providing them a better quality of life by making their consumption processes, activities and strategies Shariacompliant (2:275, 4:13); To provide haqq al-ibad (that is the duty to stand by the rights of others - to worship Allah SWT as His servant on this earth) to consumers and their society at large (51:56-68); To spread and sustain the equal and fair distribution of wealth in the society (2:3-5, 57:7); To enhance Ummatic (Islamic community) brotherhood through vigilant consumptions of resources bestowed by Allah SWT (5:2; 49:10). Marketing decision is converted into the ingredients of a product either ethically or unethically. In contemporary ethical marketing, there is not a standard set of principles that can perfectly be applicable to a marketing practice that can protect consumers rights to the greatest degree. However, there exist Islamic principles that are applicable to what marketers want to market in what way they should do. An approach to Islamic marketing mix development based on Islamic principles and consumerism was not yet properly advanced with what Islam really says to marketers to do. To develop this approach, Quranic codes, Sunnah, and Fiqh are necessary to be studied to discover Islamic principles of consumers rights and Marketing mix so that marketing managers can be enticed to develop such a marketing mix those consumers and different concerned stakeholders consider to be a super idol of human consumption.

Questions

1. Do you think Islamic principles are appropriate to be applicable in protecting consumers rights perfectly in terms of using products? Why or why not?

2. What do you suggest for improving the protections of consumers and marketers rights in the light of Islamic marketing practices?