Discussion 1

The purpose of this discussion is to understand the growing concerns of consumerism and how the concept of consumerism is applied to varied contexts. Prepare and post a response to the following prompts:

Describe consumerism. How is it applied in varied contexts?
What is planned obsolescence?
What are your personal beliefs and biases about consumption?
Having separated your personal belief and bias and using your newly honed skills of ethical evaluation, present how you feel about consumerism and planned obsolescence as a societal issue using ethical theories and concepts.

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.

Discussion 2
The purpose of this discussion is to understand the role of corporations in the modern world, and evaluating ethical aspects of corporate market domination. Prepare and post a response to the following prompts:

What is a corporation? What are the defining characteristics of a public corporation? What is a conglomerate? What is the difference between a corporation and a conglomerate?
Describe how media conglomerates are organized in the United States. Use an example of one media conglomerate and examine is various parts. How might these parts work together for mutual advantage?
Consider the ethics of media conglomerates. What are the advantages and drawbacks of allowing large conglomerates to control the mass media? What are alternatives ways the media can be organized? Would the alternatives be more ethical or virtuous? Explain.

preview of the answer..

Consumerism is proverbially known as the sense of one feeling and basing their happiness at the center of gaining material possessions. In the current millennium the society is based on the earn and spend lifestyle whereby people search for inner satisfaction through indulging in immense shopping activities. The business owners noted this lifestyle especially adapted in the first world countries and are exploiting this opportunity to the fullest to their favor.

Consumerism is currently applied in various fields among them being politics, healthcare and in politics. Political consumerism is the choice of producers and products with the aim of changing ethically or politically objectionable institutional or market places (Stolle). This field mainly uses the market place for political activism such as instead of the boycotts people move …

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