National Seminar Rural Consumers in Globalizing Market:Vulnerability and Choices, December15-16, 2010, University of Kalyani
The Department of Sociology, University of Kalyani, West Bengal can boast of being the
pioneer in introducing teaching and research in Sociology in eastern region of India. As
early as in 1966, a Post Graduate course in Sociology had been introduced. The
Department of Sociology, in consistent with her commitment towards academic
excellence through collaborative academic initiatives, will organize in collaboration with
the Centre for Consumer Studies, Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi,
a Two-day National Seminar during December 15-16, 2010.
Central Theme and Sub-themes:
The Central Theme of the Seminar is: Rural Consumers in Globalizing Market: Vulnerability and Choices. The Sub-themes of the Seminar are:
1. Rural Consumers: Vulnerability and Choices;
2. Working of Rural Consumer Organizations and Institutions and 3. Consumer Welfare and Institutions of Higher Learning. These are only illustrative, of course. Unpublished conceptual and empirical papers are invited on these and related issues.
Brief Note on Sub-Theme:
The business entrepreneurs, manufacturer or service provider, national or multinational, large or small have become more mobile and aggressive than ever before in exploring new markets to sell their products and services. Liberalization of economies, the economic concomitant of globalization, has reinforced the process of desperate quest for market. True it is, the consumers of the liberalizing economies, including that of India, enjoy access to a greater variety of commodities and services than ever before. Truer it is, the chances of being victims of improper choice and fraudulent behaviour of
the enterprises have increased manifold. In case of the consumers in globalizing rural market, the situation turns out to be more critical. This calls for concerted and collective resolution in reducing incidence of deception and ensuring choices of the consumers. This Seminar is primarily intended to be an occasion towards this direction.
The rural segment of the Indian society has convincing and enviable potentialities for growth with substantial demand for both products and services. The rural India has been witnessing conspicuously changing world of consumption in compatible with her growing purchasing power. In order to woo the ‘not-so-affluent and not-so-poor’ segment, which constitute the majority of the rural consumers, the entrepreneurs have introduced newer marketing strategies (from packet to sachet, from cash to EMI, for example). It is not alone agri-business, the rural India is also poised to lead in sector like FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods). Recent studies on rural consumers however, suggest that they are deceived at the market place in various forms: from fake FMCG product (both ‘counterfeit’ and ‘pass-off’) to inflated electricity/telephone bill to medical negligence. It is chiefly ill-information or, mal-information on the part of a consumer
about products and services that al lows him to be deceived. Interestingly, in India, most cases of deception either remain unreported or settled out-of-court. What then dissuades the deceived to avoid the redressal mechanism? Is it that the redressal process needs to be more ‘consumer-centric’?
Under changing social conditions, axiomatic it is, the state is in no mood to shoulder the welfare-obligations, alone. The post-reform Indian society has been witnessing slow but steady actualization of the private-public partnership model of development. The state’s limited or, fractured initiatives to effectively ensure ‘consumer justice’ on the one hand and occasional fraudulent behaviour as an entrepreneur on the other have chiefly induced the non-state consumer organizations to emerge and intervene. The non-state organizations exist both as ‘critique’ and ‘collaborator’ to the state’s initiatives towards consumer welfare.
It is only recently that a scheme has been launched to ensure effective involvement of the institutions of higher learning in consumer protection and consumer welfare. Appreciating this initiative, the present Seminar will strive to delineate how best the potentialities of the institutions of higher learning be used for a social cause.
The central concern of the Seminar has been divided into three sub-themes. Each of these three sub-themes has been put, in some detail, here-in-below.
I Rural Consumers: Vulnerability and Choices:
Fraudulent behaviour among the entrepreneurs is allegedly more rampant in rural markets than in urban markets. The multiple ways the consumers are deceived in a globalizing rural market and its impact demands adequate scholastic attention. How is resistance to fraudulent behaviour of the enterprises mobilized at the local? Why are some people more vulnerable than others? How well the more vulnerable be provided protection in an imperfect market? What prevents a consumer from seeking redressal against deception and/or, what induces a consumer to prefer out-of-court settlement?
Prescription in regard to choice of the vulnerable rural consumers need to be based on adequate knowledge about the nature, magnitude and incidence of deception as well as the structures of vulnerability in the rural market with reference to the rights of individuals as consumers in Indian society.
II Working of Rural Consumer Organizations and Institutions:
The non-state consumer organizations are both taken care of and monitored by the state. The non-state consumer organizations reciprocate to the initiatives of the state even being a critique of it. Both, the state and the non-state consumer organizations gain through this kind of ‘collaboration’. One becomes interested to know: how do the non-state consumer organizations manage to remain faithful to conflicting rolesituations viz.; a critique and a collaborator of state-action? The complex interaction between the state and the non-state consumer organizations needs to be critically
analysed to ascertain the efficacy of the private-public partnership model in ensuring consumer justice. A review of the working of these organizations will ensure reliable input towards an understanding of the sustainability of these organizations. The variety of constraints experienced by the non-state consumer organizations in course of roleperformance have failed to attract adequate attention. The redressal mechanism at the local level also deserves critical attention.
III Consumer Welfare and Institutions of Higher Learning:
The institutions of higher learning can significantly contribute towards consumer welfare and consumer protection. While this Seminar will deal with this issue at length to suggest how well the institutions of higher learning can contribute to consumer welfare and consumer protection, it can be argued, consumer welfare and consumer protection can very well be an arena of inter-disciplinary research. Again, the expertise, achieved through inter-disciplinary research, may be transferred to the immediate community as part of outreach programme. It is to be explored if collaboration between
institutions of higher learning towards policy research is feasible.
Notes for Contributors:
Abstract should not exceed 300 words. Abstract must accompany the following: Title of the Paper, Name, Address, E-mail ID and Contact Number of the author(s). Each abstract will be reviewed. All accepted abstracts will be published. The abstract should preferably be sent by E-mail [asishmukhopadhyay@rediffmail.com or, partha_de2006@yahoo.co.in or, amites67@rediffmail.com]. The full paper should not exceed 15 pages (A4 Size) including Tables, Graphs, if any. There is a plan to publish selected and revised papers based on peer reviews in due course.
Important Dates:
I Submission of Abstract (within 300 words): September 25, 2010
II Intimation of Acceptance of Abstract: October 10, 2010
III Submission of Full paper (within 5000 words): November15, 2010
IV Seminar: December15-16, 2010
Venue:
Vidyasagar Sabha Griha
(Kalyani University Auditorium)
Administrative Building
University of Kalyani
Registration Fee (INR)*:
Students: 100/-
Research Scholars: 200/-
Academics: 300/-
Others: 400/-
Deadline for Registration: December 10, 2010
*Exclusive of expenses for accommodation. Limited accommodation may be arranged on
request and additional payment. For accommodation, contact:
partha_de2006@yahoo.co.in
For additional information, please contact:
Asish Mukhopadhyay
Organizing Secretary
E-mail: asishmukhopadhyay@rediffmail.com
Mob: +919830687427
Partha S. Dey
Jt. Organizing Secretary
E-mail: partha_de2006@yahoo.co.in
Mob: +919432959524
Amites Mukhopadhyay
Jt. Organizing Secretary
E-mail: amites67@rediffmail.com
Mob: +919830006597
Organized by:
Department of Sociology
University of Kalyani
Kalyani-741235
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http://www.enjineer.com
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