Not all industries are viewed equally by the public regarding their effects on their livelihood. The tobacco industry is an example of an industry which causes an uproar in the population about the production of addictive products making it people leave them. The community views tobacco industry as a menace but on the other hand, personal responsibility sets in where the person has a choice not to consume the product or not. Tobacco industry entices people to use the product, but standards have been set with regards to the use, advertising or sale of tobacco-based products.
People have the right to choose. Therefore, they are responsible for their own decisions. The problem however with the tobacco industries is their target to the young generation with enticing advertisements even though they are aware of the dangers of the product. The consumers are also knowledgeable enough but downplay the harmful effects of the products but continue consuming it (cdc.gov, 2018). The marketing strategies of tobacco industries are one of the best in the marketing industry as they are strategized to play with human mind weak psychology making it hard to resist the product. The sector hides the truth from the consumers with the aim of making money without caring on who gets hurt from their products like to their related illnesses.
Role of Capitalism in Corporate Decision-making
Capitalism is one of the critical drivers in the tobacco industry. The industry makes a lot of profit annually, but these profits come with harming their clients’ health, causing the government incurs costs related to tobacco use and short life spans. Tobacco is one of the most abundant cash crops in the world, mostly, the third world countries lead by the British American Tobacco who have invested in the industry for a very long time. However, the industry pays enormous amounts of taxes to governments, making its ban a big challenge. Banning the production will cost the government which requires the funding for its operations.
If a company can cater to both its best interest and that of the consumer conjointly or if one always has to prevail.
In the 1970s, studies showed that tobacco consumption could cause lung cancer. Therefore, it not ideal for the tobacco industry to care about their consumers since what they need is to hook the customer to the product, and they will continue consuming it. The problem is the effect of passive smoking for those who do not consume the product as they are affected as well by the product indirectly. Many legal battles have been carried out about the effects of tobacco consumption, as the industry fight to hide the truth about tobacco consumption. Thus, the growth of the industry depends on the ability of the consumer to be ignorant about the dangers of the product.
The industry took a step further to write the dangers of tobacco on its packaging materials as a move to reduce potential smokers but does not prevent anyone from consuming the product. Besides from that, the advertisements pushed by the industry players design them strategically to hide the truth. It is therefore evident that the consumers are responsible for their action towards the product. However, players in the industry hide the fact which might have changed the decisions of the consumers, thus consumers should play a key role in sharing the dangers of the product. World Health Organisation (WHO) banned the advertising of tobacco and its sponsorship, and there was a 7% reduction in smoking, which showed the influence of tobacco advertisements (WHO, 2013). Additionally, the industry commands vast amounts of money. Therefore, consumers must be protected.
Therefore, many regulations have been put in place to protect the public from the effects of tobacco, but the company does not have consumer protection as their top priority. The industry has, therefore, turned to a health hazard and one oh most regulated industry in the world.
References
cdc.gov. (2018, February 8). Health Effects. Retrieved from cdc.gov: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/health_effects/index.htm
WHO. (2013, May 29). Ban tobacco advertising to protect young people. Retrieved from who.in: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2013/who_ban_tobacco/en/
