Deck 14: International Consumer Relations

Question 1

In 2012, U.S. online shoppers were expected to spend upwards of ____________ on books, apparel, computers, etc.

A) $120 billion
B) $224 billion
C) $320 billion
D) $400 billion

Answer 1

$224 billion

Question 2

At the core of international consumer relations lies an attitude of delivering dependable products in a manner that is _______________________________________.

A) service-oriented and ethical
B) the minimum quality people are willing to pay for
C) obscure so it is difficult for consumers to know how to complain
D) highly processed

Answer 2

service-oriented and ethical

Question 3

How many people worldwide now belong to the consumer class?

A) 240 million
B) 120 million
C) nearly 2 billion
D) nearly 3 billion

Answer 3

nearly 2 billion

Question 4

A reason public relations has become an international phenomenon is the

A) ease in smoothing out conflicts over trade across international boundaries.
B) communications power of the Internet.
C) ease in translatability of different languages.
D) rise in civility between people of different cultures and religions.

Question 5

A typical goal of consumer relations is to keep former customers because

A) most product complaints are made by new customers.
B) most service complaints come from new customers.
C) most requests for product upgrades come from prospective customers.
D) most sales are made to established customers.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a typical goal of a customer relations professional?

A) Keeping old customers
B) Attracting new customers
C) Marketing new items or services
D) Managing the new product portfolio

Question 7

Another name for consumer-generated media is

A) online consumer word-of-mouth.
B) blogs.
C) Usenet newsgroups.
D) message boards.

Question 8

Which is NOT one of the sources from which consumer-generated media originates:

A) message boards and forums
B) blogs
C) public discussions
D) town hall meetings

Question 9

The term "bedbug letter" refers to

A) a type of response that landlords provide to complaining tenants.
B) a response to consumer complaints, dating back to the heyday of railroads.
C) a pro-forma response to complaints used by the pest control industry.
D) a vehicle ombudsmen use to respond to repeat complaints.

Question 10

The risk of consumer complaints is greater in the present environment because

A) complaints can go viral.
B) 80% of people complain.
C) consumers have more confidence in call center employees.
D) there are more performance deficiencies.

Question 11

An ombudsman is a

A) government official-for example, in Sweden or New Zealand-appointed to investigate abuses made by public officials.
B) person in some organizations charged with superficially investigating complaints made by employees against their supervisors.
C) category of difficulties customers are having with products or services.
D) service provided by a service center on a first-come, first-served basis.

Question 12

Consumerism in the U.S. first emerged when

A) Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) in 1928.
B) Ralph Nader wrote the 1964 best-seller, Unsafe at Any Speed.
C) Congress enacted the Criminal Fraud Statute in 1872.
D) President Harry S. Truman in 1948 laid down the Bill of Rights as part of a consumer constitution.

Question 13

Consumer rights spelled out by President John F. Kennedy in the early 1960s included

A) the right to protection from goods that are hazardous to health or life.
B) the right to a sympathetic response from an organization that provides a faulty product.
C) the right to sue a company for its shoddy advertising of its goods and services.
D) the right to a full response from a company regarding its return policy.

Question 14

Government officials who are concerned about consumer rights and protection focus on product

A) variety and pricing.
B) labeling and packaging.
C) litigation time limits.
D) registration of letters of complaint.

Question 15

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created in the wake of the 2011 Wall Street scandals to

A) reduce the federal budget deficit.
B) make consumer financial products and services more transparent.
C) oversee international interests.
D) protect stock holder rights.

Question 16

The Internet has

A) become a medium for consumer activism.
B) become a medium where consumers can take legal action against manufacturers who abuse consumer rights.
C) become a medium that screens so-called "wildfire e-mail campaigns."
D) become a medium where manufacturers who have abused consumer rights can seek recourse.

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a consumer relations function in companies?

A) to develop guidelines to evaluate services and products for management
B) to develop field-training programs
C) to develop methods to counter consumer activists' efforts for boycotts
D) to develop consumer programs that meet consumer needs while helping to increase sales

Question 18

Ways to mollify customer criticism can include all the following EXCEPT

A) providing prompt replies.
B) providing consumer training in proper use of products.
C) providing personalized replies.
D) providing free samples.

Question 19

__________ American companies top the list of the 20 most powerful brands in the world.

A) nine
B) five
C) ten
D) eight

Question 20

To avert troubles and reinforce the idea that they are responsible and concerned local residents, all foreign companies operating internationally should

A) focus on communicating just how responsible they are as concerned local companies.
B) continue to lead by example that they think and act globally.
C) publicize how they are the single-most important standard-bearer for their host countries.
D) take proper actions first then communicate it appropriately.

Question 21

The most striking example of Internet activism stemmed from

A) consumers who traveled via Alaska Airlines.
B) political activists throughout the Middle East who brought down dictators.
C) Ralph Nader's Unsafe at Any Speed.
D) Chinese anger about Coca-Cola translating to "bite the wax tadpole".

Question 22

Spread of Web capabilities and globalization have introduced new pressures on consumer relations, making companies even more aware that they must walk a fine line between behaving "responsibly"
and marketing their products.

Question 23

After all is said and done, the primary purpose of consumer relations is to build sales.

Question 24

Today, expeditious complaint handling is done more by ombudspersons than people at remote call centers.

Question 25

Consumers place much trust in consumer-generated media; therefore, consumer relations people must understand and try to manage such media.

Question 26

Research indicates that about 40 percent of dissatisfied customers lodge complaints.

Question 27

Today, it is more likely that the "ombudsperson"
is someone at a call center.

Question 28

Consumerism began with passage of the Criminal Fraud Statute by Congress in 1972.

Question 29

Increased interconnectedness of people and nations worldwide is a major reason for increased emphasis on international public relations.

Question 30

Repairing rifts between Westerners and people from other cultures is a key challenge for practitioners of public relations.

Question 31

Companies that are responsible and concerned about local residents should lead by doing what's appropriate and then communicate what they did, and not the other way around.

Question 32

"What's in a name?" is a question public relations people should help marketing people answer whenever they begin planning a major product introduction around the globe.

Question 33

Jet Blue Airways' "Customer Bill of Rights" is typical of the enlightened attitude companies have toward customers today.

Question 34

In the second decade of the 21^st century, despite heightened competition, scarcer resources, and more immediate and public ways to complain, the consumer is no longer "king".

Question 35

Describe the "consumer class" and note the implications for public relations professionals.

Question 36

Give an example of a multinational company that has used public relations techniques to help distinguish its products from the competition.

Question 37

How do public relations solutions help organizations get there message across to consumers who have thousands of advertising messages directed at them?

Question 38

What are some typical goals of consumer relations professionals?

Question 39

Briefly describe the history of consumerism in the United States.

Question 40

If you had the opportunity to devise a consumer's bill of rights, what would you include?

Question 41

Why do multinational corporations need to be sensitive to the effect of their actions on people of different cultures in different geographies?

Question 42

How do smart multinational corporations reinforce the notion that they are responsible and concerned residents of local communities?

Question 43

Describe the history and the role of Consumers Union.

Question 44

What was the original role of consumer relations in most companies? What are the roles of consumer relations now?

Question 45

Why did JetBlue initiate its "Customer Bill of Rights"?

Question 46

What was Linsanity?

Question 47

What is the difference between global PR and execution of PR in local markets around the world?