Chapter 16: Consumer and Marketing Misbehavior
TRUE/FALSE
1. Consumer misbehavior expedites the flow of consumption activities.
2. Purchasing and using a product for a day before returning it for a refund is a practice known as retail
borrowing.
3. Consumers who engage in retail borrowing decrease product costs.
4. In consumer misbehavior, consumers seek to maximize the benefits they receive from an action while
maximizing their own costs.
5. Moral equity represents beliefs regarding an act’s fairness or justness.
6. Relativism refers to beliefs about the violation of written (or unwritten) laws.
7. Contractualism reflects beliefs about the social acceptability of an act.
8. Teleological evaluations focus on how people accomplish their goals.
9. Deontological evaluations focus on the consequences of behaviors and the individual’s assessment of
those consequences.
10. It is when societal goals are out of reach given the accepted means of achieving them that deviance
occurs.
11. Attribution theory explains why groups of people replace one set of acceptable norms with another set
that others view as unacceptable.
12. When consumer misbehavior is the outcome of a deliberate decision-making process that weighs the
risks and rewards of the behavior, it is referred to as opportunism.
13. Consumer misbehavior and consumer problem behavior are synonymous and can be used
interchangeably.
14. Consumer problem behavior refers to behaviors that are seemingly outside of a consumer’s control.
15. Kleptomania is generally triggered by a strong compulsion and the inability of the consumer to fight
the urge to shoplift.
16. Adolescents tend to consider shoplifting as being more ethical than do adult shoppers.
17. Consumers tend to view the act of illegal downloading as less morally ethical and socially acceptable
when the motivation for the act is primarily based on hedonic value than if the motivation is based on
utilitarian value.
18. Culture jamming refers to attempts to disrupt advertisements and marketing campaigns by altering the
messages in some meaningful way.
19. Dysfunctional fan behavior refers to abnormal functioning relating to sporting event consumption.
20. Compulsive shoppers tend to focus on the mental highs associated with “the hunt,” whereas
compulsive buyers feel the need to buy.
21. College students who have higher self-actualization values generally have lower attitudes toward binge
drinking, whereas students who value social affiliation tend to have more positive attitudes toward the
behavior.
22. Marketing ethics consist of societal and professional standards of right and fair practices that are
expected of marketing managers as they develop and implement marketing strategies.
23. The marketing concept proposes that all the functions of the organization should work together in
satisfying the marketers’ wants and needs.
24. Consumerism is used to describe the activities of various groups to protect basic consumer rights.
25. The Consumer Bill of Rights, which today stands as a foundation of the consumerism movement, was
introduced in 1962.
26. Theodore Levitt’s article, “Marketing Myopia,” brought about a new perspective that argued that
businesses should define themselves in terms of the products that they make rather than in terms of the
consumer needs they satisfy.
27. Deficient products are products that offer high hedonic value.
28. Pleasing products are products that provide hedonic value to consumers but may be harmful in the
long run.
29. Salutary products offer high utilitarian value, but low hedonic value.
30. Desirable products deliver both high utilitarian and hedonic value.
31. Public criticism of marketing strategies tends to be most intense when a marketer targets vulnerable
consumer groups with harmful products.
32. Morals are personal standards and beliefs that are used to guide individual action.
33. Corporate social responsibility may be defined as an organization’s activities and status related to its
societal obligations.
34. Altruistic duties include giving back to communities through philanthropic activities.
35. Strategic initiatives include strategically engaging in socially responsible activities in order to increase
the value of the firm.
36. The societal marketing concept considers the needs of society along with the wants and needs of
individual consumers.
37. The Wheeler–Lea Act prohibits restraint of free trade.
38. The term “puffery” describes making exaggerated claims about a product’s superiority.
39. Research indicates that consumers are more likely to purchase products when disclaimers are
presented very quickly especially for unknown or untrusted brands.
40. The practice of managing and intentionally setting discontinue dates for products is known as planned
obsolescence.
41. Price gouging is the act of charging a higher than reasonable price for a good that occurs following
some kind of natural disaster or event.
42. To have a sales orientation means that the salesperson is more focused on long-term customer
satisfaction and relationship development than on immediate sale and short-term results.
43. The foot-in-the-door technique is based on the reciprocity norm, which states that individuals are
motivated to give back to those who have given them something.
44. The door-in-the-face technique is based on the self-perception theory, which proposes that consumers
use perceptions of their own actions when forming attitudes.
45. The “I’m working for you!” technique relies on equity theory.
46. Products liability is the extent to which businesses are held responsible for product-related injuries.
47. With negligence liability, consumers can win a legal action against a firm if they can demonstrate in
court that an injury occurred and that the product associated with the injury was faulty in some way.
48. With strict liability, an injured consumer would have to show that the firm could foresee a potential
injury that might occur and then decided not to act on that knowledge.
49. Compared to a magistrate, a jury tends to be less sympathetic and is much less likely to award
substantive punitive as well as compensatory damages.
50. Punitive damages are intended to cover costs incurred by a consumer due to an injury and
compensatory damages are intended to punish a company for injuries.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Purchasing and using a product for a day before returning it for a refund is a practice known as _____.
a.
shoplifting
b.
differential association
c.
retail borrowing
d.
pilferage
e.
illicit sharing
2. Penny bought a dress to wear to a wedding. She wore the dress without removing the price tag. A day
after the wedding, she returned the dress to the store where she purchased it from and got her money
back. This is an example of _____.
a.
differential association
b.
retail borrowing
c.
pilferage
d.
illicit sharing
e.
shoplifting
3. The focal motivation for consumer misbehavior is _____.
a.
value
b.
belief
c.
trust
d.
esteem
e.
ethic
4. Which of the following represents beliefs regarding the fairness or justness of an act?
a.
Utilitarianism
b.
Moral equity
c.
Relativism
d.
Contractualism
e.
Social determinism
5. When the federal government decided to increase the cost of education in public universities, most
people perceived the decision as a prejudice against the middle-class Americans who would find it
difficult to enjoy access to higher education. Which of the following best represents the people’s
perception of the federal government’s decision?
a.
Moral equity
b.
Relativism
c.
Contractualism
d.
Teleology
e.
Utilitarianism
6. Which of the following refers to beliefs about the violation of written (or unwritten) laws?
a.
Relativism
b.
Determinism
c.
Contractualism
d.
Rationalism
e.
Objectivism
7. Which of the following represents beliefs about the social acceptability of an act?
a.
Rationalism
b.
Contractualism
c.
Relativism
d.
Determinism
e.
Utilitarianism
8. While on a holiday in China, Nina was invited by one of her Chinese friends to her home for tea.
While being served tea, Nina noticed that Yin poured the tea in such a way that the spout of the teapot
was not pointing directly at Nina, as such an act of pointing the spout at the person being served would
be considered impolite in Chinese culture. Which of the following best represents the cultural
perception of such an act as being impolite?
a.
Rationalism
b.
Contractualism
c.
Relativism
d.
Determinism
e.
Utilitarianism
9. Sam is a music buff. He downloads the latest music from unregistered sites, compiles them, and shares
them with his friends. Sam, who is otherwise a law-abiding citizen, believes that such an act cannot be
sanctioned by law. Which of the following best represents Sam’s belief?
a.
Contractualism
b.
Rationalism
c.
Relativism
d.
Determinism
e.
Utilitarianism
10. Which of the following types of ethical evaluations focuses on specific actions?
a.
Dysteleological evaluations
b.
Teleological evaluations
c.
Deontological evaluations
d.
Analogical evaluations
e.
Ideological evaluations
11. When Henry returned a used product for a refund at the retailer he bought it from, he asked himself if
what he was doing was right. This is an example of _____ evaluation.
a.
dysteleological
b.
deontological
c.
analogical
d.
teleological
e.
ideological
12. Which of the following types of ethical evaluations focuses on the consequences of behaviors and the
individual’s assessment of those consequences?
a.
Dysteleological evaluations
b.
Teleological evaluations
c.
Deontological evaluations
d.
Analogical evaluations
e.
Ideological evaluations
13. When Gerald returned a used product at the retailer he bought it from, and managed to get a refund, he
was happy with himself as he was able to buy a new laptop with the refunded money. This is an
example of _____ evaluation.
a.
dysteleological
b.
deontological
c.
analogical
d.
teleological
e.
ideological
14. Clark has been craving for the latest iPhone in the market. He is still repaying his student loan and
hence unable to afford to buy the iPhone even though he has a job. However, Clark ends up buying an
iPhone at a throwaway price from the black market. Which of the following is most likely
representative of Clark’s perceived misbehavior?
a.
Unfulfilled aspirations
b.
Lack of moral constraints
c.
Differential association
d.
Pathological socialization
e.
Thrill-seeking
15. Many consumers who practice shoplifting acknowledge that they do it because they get a feeling of
exhilaration when they realize they can get away with it. Which of the following motivations of
consumer misbehavior best explains this reaction?
a.
Unfulfilled aspirations
b.
Thrill-seeking
c.
Differential association
d.
Pathological socialization
e.
Opportunism
16. Which of the following explains why groups of people replace one set of acceptable norms with
another set that others view as unacceptable?
a.
Criminalization
b.
Psychopathy
c.
Differential association
d.
Pathological socialization
e.
Reintegrative shaming
17. Myrna is an anti-capitalist. She thinks that capitalism feeds consumers’ hedonistic desires, pollute the
earth, and make excessive profits. One evening, on her way back from work, Myrna threw rocks
through several retailers’ windows in an upscale neighborhood. She did this as a form of revenge
against capitalism. Which of the following motivations of consumer misbehavior best explains
Myrna’s behavior?
a.
Unfulfilled aspirations
b.
Thrill-seeking
c.
Pathological socialization
d.
Opportunism
e.
Provocative situational factors
18. Many consumers illegally download music and movies from the Internet because they perceive a low
risk of getting caught. This is an example of consumer misbehavior most likely motivated by _____.
a.
unfulfilled aspirations
b.
thrill-seeking
c.
differential association
d.
pathological association
e.
opportunism
19. A man of few words, Tom is a typically soft spoken and mild-mannered guy. However, recently, when
in line to book tickets for the first show of a new movie starring his favorite actors, he yelled and
created a scene as the tickets got sold out before his turn at the counter. Which of the following
motivations of consumer misbehavior best explains Tom’s behavior?
a.
Thrill-seeking
b.
Differential association
c.
Pathological socialization
d.
Provocative situational factors
e.
Opportunism
20. Which of the following is an example of consumer problem behavior?
a.
Cyberbullying
b.
Identity theft
c.
Eating disorders
d.
Illegitimate complaining
e.
Drunk driving
21. Which of the following is an example of consumer misbehavior?
a.
Eating disorders
b.
Problem gambling
c.
Compulsive shopping
d.
Binge drinking
e.
Cyberbullying
22. Sarah had to close her account on an online social networking site after repeated attempts by some of
her classmates to sully her reputation with regular postings of unwarranted and unflattering details of
her personal life. The behavior of her classmates can be best described as _____.
a.
phishing
b.
identity theft
c.
cyberbullying
d.
spamming
e.
web spoofing
23. Bart likes to deface people on billboards by drawing mustaches on their faces. He also changes the
words in the ads to reflect something to the contrary. He does this on poster ads in subway stations and
transportation shelters. Which of the following best describes Bart’s behavior?
a.
Phishing
b.
Identity theft
c.
Spoofing
d.
Culture jamming
e.
Vishing
24. Martin and his friends frequently get wild while attending football games. At such times, they tend to
be verbally abusive, loud, and obnoxious. They often utter profanities at the referees and players, and
get into frequent squabbles with fellow spectators. Which of the following best describes Martin and
his friends’ behavior?
a.
Dysfunctional fan behavior
b.
Detrimental behavior
c.
Culture jamming
d.
Pathological socialization
e.
Fan extremism
25. Which of the following best describes repetitive, excessive, and purposeful consumer behaviors that
are performed as a response to tension, anxiety, or obtrusive thoughts?
a.
Commodity fetishism
b.
Impulsive consumption
c.
Compulsive consumption
d.
Addictive consumption
e.
Commodity narcissism
26. A physiological dependency on the consumption of a product is also known as _____.
a.
commodity fetishism
b.
commodity narcissism
c.
impulsive consumption
d.
compulsive consumption
e.
addictive consumption
27. Jane, who recently suffered a minor cardiac arrest, has been advised by her cardiologist to avoid
smoking and drinking. However, despite her best efforts, she has been unable to resist the temptation
to smoke or drink as she is too dependent on them and has withdrawal symptoms whenever she tries to
quit. Jane’s behavior can be best described as _____ consumption.
a.
irrational
b.
unplanned