Corporate Social Responsibility in Question

As a consumer, it seems that danger lurks around every corner. That pension you've been paying into all these years might not be there for you, nursing care is a scam, the meat you're eating might not be what you think it is, the roller coasters you ride for fun might not be safe, elevators are poorly maintained, and taking English lessons is just one giant rip-off. So what's a person to do?

Ken Worsely at Japan Economy News has a short and sweet article on corporate social responsibility that questions the role of consumers in all this:

But, consumers have a responsibility too. If they stand in line to go back to Fujiya, continue buying MegMilk (formerly Snow Brand), think Nippon Ham is worth trusting, sign up at Nova this week, or go to that amusement part in Osaka, it's hard to imagine that corporate criminals will ever learn their lessons. Will consumers in Japan vote with their yen or support firms that actually display corporate social responsibility? Not if Japan is like anywhere else. And that's why it's just a "buzz word."

This point was also made in comments recently:

NOVA students complain how difficult it is to book a lesson. Peak times include the weekends, weekday evenings from roughly 5:00PM to 7:00PM. Now, NOVA does have a sales pitch of "book lessons anytime you want" - but that doesn't mean you're supposed to take it at face value. However, the government found NOVA guilty in Article 44, paragraph 1 so I won't even try to argue that point. All I would like to say is that if there is a popular service available to the general public - expect the general public to show up. Just because a restaurant claims it has the "best damn food in the world" it doesn't mean you should get all worked up if it isn't the best. Buyer beware.... bloody genius.

Companies that rip off or lie to consumers need to be punished, but consumers also need to start voting with their wallets if they expect things to improve.

It makes you wonder what ever happened to doing the right thing. Use real meat in your croquettes, inspect the roller coasters and elevators like you're supposed to, and don't rip off your customers. What happened to that famous Japanese craftsmanship and mono zukuri? Has it devolved into dealing crap at the lowest possible price?