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Ethics and the supply of status goods

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Abstract

Conspicuous consumption was first identified and discussed by Thorstein Veblen in his classic text on The Theory of the Leisure Class published in 1899. Since that time, business organisations have encouraged and exploited the demand for status goods and today the supply of products which serve as social symbols is highly organised and profitable. This paper looks at the ways in which manufacturers, advertisers and retailers have combined to promote status-seeking as an acceptable form of consumer behaviour and at how the market for status goods has been expanded by corporate strategies geared to securing rapid rates of social obsolescence in the conspicuous goods and services on offer. The ethical arguments for and against such business activity are then examined in detail.

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Dr. Roger S. Mason is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Salford. Previously, he was a lecturer at the University of Sheffield and he has been awarded a silver medal by the U.K. Institute of Marketing. In addition to publishing the book Conspicuous Consumption, Gower Press and St. Martin's Press, 1981, Dr. Mason has contributed over 20 articles to business and management journals including the European Journal of Marketing, the International Journal of Social Ecnomics and the Journal of General Management.

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Mason, R. Ethics and the supply of status goods. J Bus Ethics 4, 457–464 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00382607

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00382607

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