SOAN 2040 Lecture 9: Reflection 9.doc

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology and Anthropology
• Course: SOAN 2040
• Professor: Natalie Rose

Document Summary

Ethical consumption is in essence a moral code when it comes to dealing with the moral pitfalls of capitalism. The idea behind ethical consumption is that one votes with their dollars in an ethical manner, in that one gives their business to entities that do not engage in immoral practices. This boycotting of unethical businesses causes the downfall of such businesses that engage in unethical practices. The drive behind capitalist corporations is to generate profit, and by using unethical business practices, the corporations can take advantage of certain resources in order to drive up profits for the owners or shareholders. A prime example of an unethical business practice that can be stamped out using ethical consumption is the unjust treatment and payment of workers in honduras. A similar example is boycotting products from china, where the workers are also mistreated and under payed, for the sake of western business profits.