EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The need for consumer protection arises due to the helplessness of the consumers. They dont exercise their rights due to lack of awareness. Exploitation in market place happens in various ways. E.G-sometimes traders indulge in unfair trade practices such as when shopkeepers weight less than what they should or when traders add charges that were not mentioned before or when adulterated goods are sold. The main aim of consumer protection is to provide better and all round protection to consumers. The six consumer rights were included in the Consumer Protection Act 1986. Consumer movement in the present form came into being only in the 1930's in the West and only in the 60's in India. The basic objectives of consumer movement world wide are as follows : To provide opportunity to the consumers to buy intelligently J - Recognition of reasonable consumer requests 6 Protection against fraud, misrepresentation, unsanitary and unjust products Participation of consumer representatives in management of aspects affecting consumers Promoting consumers interests

The basic reason for the development of consumer movement in India are different from those in the West. In western countries, consumer movement was the result of post-industrialisation affluence-for more information about the merits of competing products and to influence producers especially for new and more sophisticated products. In India, the basic reasons for the consumers movement have been: Shortage of consumer products; inflation of early 1970's. Adulteration and the Black Market. Lack of product choices due to lack of development in technology Thrust of consumer movement in India has been on availability, purity and prices The factors which stimulated the consumer movement in recent years are: Increasing consumer awareness Declining quality of goods and services Increasing consumer ,expectations because of consumer education Influence of the pioneers and leaders of the consumer movement. Organised effort through consumer societies

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE

The main objective of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 is to protect the interest and safeguard the rights of the consumers which are as follows:

To promote consumer awareness among the people of the country. To protect the rights of the consumers in the State and make them aware of their duties (while purchasing, various goods and availing services)

To create awareness among the consumers about the Consumer Protection Act 1986 and other related Acts / Provisions through which grievances of consumers can be redressed.

To take up activities such as conducting seminars, visual display, workshops, consumer camps, awareness camps, advertisement, leaflets, booklets, brochures programmes in electronic media etc. for creating awareness generation about rights responsibility for the consumer.

To organize library facilities where reference material on consumer rights will be available for reference of general consumers and consumer activists and other who interest on the subject.

To collect information about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods and types of services available in the market, (for creating awareness among the consumers about) the unfair trade practices adopted by the unscrupulous traders and service providers.

To seek redressal in the matter of unfair trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation of consumers through provisions of law.

To render consultancy and advisory services to the consumers and Consumer Organizations to enable them to assert consumer rights and to pursue remedies.

To prepare and publish publicity material such as books, periodicals, journals, brochures to create awareness among the general people of Orissa on consumer rights.

To function as a State level resource center for voluntary consumer organizations, consumer activists and members of general public having interest in protection of consumer rights.

Right to be protected against the marketing of goods and services which are hazardous to life and property

Right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods or services so as to protect the consumer against unfair trade practices

Right to be assured , wherever possible , access to a variety of goods and services at competitive prices

Right to be heard and to be assured that consumers' interests will receive due consideration at appropriate forums

Right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices and unscrupulous exploitation of consumers

Right to consumer education, Enforcement of consumer legislation, Advocacy and research, Education and awareness.

Establishment of the National Consumer Agency on a statutory basis Updating and consolidating consumer legislation and repealing some old consumer laws

Transposing the EU Directive on Unfair Commercial Practices (UCPD) To take up such other activities as may be incidental to or is required for furtherance of the above objectives.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Various authors have defined it in different way. Research starts with the question or problem. Its purpose is to find out the answers to question through the application or scientific method. It is systematic and intensive study directed to word a more complete knowledge of the subject study. Research can be classified into two broad categories. a. b. Basic Research Applied Research Market Research is systematic and objective study of problems relating to the market of goods and services. It may be emphasized that it is not restricted to many particular area of marketing, but is applicable to all phases of aspect. Marketing Research is a key of education and analyzes the competitors product positioning and how to gain competitive advance stage. It is an important tool to study consumer opinion. The systematic and objective search for an analysis is to get the information relevant to the identification and solution of any problems in the field of marketing. Marketing research is the systematic design, collection, reporting of data and finding the relevant solutions for a specific marketing situation or problem faced by the company.

Research Design:
Type of study Source of data Data collection mode Exploratory Primary Structure questionnaire

Sampling Plan:
Target population was employees of the various branches including corporate headquarter of The J&K Bank.

Tools And Techniques

The following tools and techniques were implemented and put to use in order to analyze ably. Statistical Tools: Pie charts Tables: Technological Tools: Ms- Excel Ms-Word

Research Instruments
Marketing research has choice of two main research instruments in collecting Primary data, questionnaire and mechanical devices. In this marketing research survey, I have used a questionnaire method for collecting the data. This method consists of a set of questions resented to respondents for their answers. The questionnaire is the most common instrument used to collect primary data. A questionnaire consists of two types of questions close ended and open-ended questions. Close ended questions refer to provide two or more possible alternatives to the respondent. And the open-ended questions allow the respondents to answer in their own words. In our research we have used both types of questions in questionnaire.

Sources of Information
Both PRIMARY AND SECONDARY data was used for study in questions.

The sources relied upon Ire as under.

Primary Sources
a) Written facts and figures collected from target group and other consumers too. b) Verbal information gathered from the target group.

Secondary Sources
a) Danikjatgran Website b) Published material in the form of books and periodicals, and

Methods of Contact
The method of contact is personal and the respondents are approached with the research instruments.

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

An individual who buys products or services for personal use and not for manufacture or resale. A consumer is someone who can make the decision whether or not to purchase an item at the store, and someone who can be influenced by marketing and advertisements. Mahatma Gandhi said, "A consumer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us, we are on him. He is not an interruption to our work; he is the purpose of it. We are not doing a favour to a consumer by giving him an opportunity. He is doing us a favour by giving us opportunity to serve him. But, of late, unfortunately cheating by way of overcharging, black .marketing, misleading advertisements, etc has become the common practice of greedy sellers and manufacturers to make unreasonable profits. In this context, it is the duty of the government to confer some rights on consumers to safeguard their interest. Consumer awareness is about making the consumer aware of his/her rights. It is a marketing term which means that consumers are aware of products or services, its characteristics and the other marketing Ps (place to buy, price, and promotion).Though the first consumer movement began in England after the Second World War, a modern declaration about consumers rights was first made in the United States of America in 1962, where four basic consumer rights (choice, information, safety and to be heard) were recognized. Ralph Nadar, a consumer activist, is considered as the father of consumer movement. March 15 is now celebrated as the World Consumer Rights Day. The United Nations in 1985 adopted, , certain guidelines to achieve the objectives of maintaining protection for consumers and to establish high level ethical conduct for those engaged in production and distribution of goods and services. Consumer protection laws are designed to ensure fair trade competition and the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices

from gaining an advantage over competitors and may provide additional protection for the weak and those unable to take care of themselves. Consumer Protection laws are a form of government regulation which aim to protect the MADs of consumers.

Concept of consumer protection:

Consumer protection means safeguarding the interest and rights of consumers. In other Words, it refers to the measures adopted for the protection of consumers from unscrupulous and unethical malpractices by the business and to provide them speedy redressal of their Grievances. The most common business malpractices leading to consumer exploitation are given below. a) Sale of adulterated goods i.e., adding something inferior to the product being sold. b) Sale of spurious goods i.e., selling something of little value instead of the real product. c) Sale of sub-standard goods i.e., sale of goods which do not confirm to prescribed quality standards. d) Sale of duplicate goods. e) Use of false weights and measures leading to underweight. f) Hoarding and black-marketing leading to scarcity and rise in price. g) Charging more than the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) fixed for the product. h) Supply of defective goods. i) Misleading advertisements i.e., advertisements falsely claiming a product or service to be of superior quality, grade or standard. j) Supply of inferior services i.e., quality of service lower than the quality agreed upon.

CONSUMER MOVEMENT IN INDIA:

Consumers play a vital role in the economic system of a nation because in the absence of effective demand that emanates from them, the economy virtually collapses. Mahatma Gandhi said, "A consumer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us, we are on him. He is not an interruption to our work, he is the purpose of it. We are not doing a favour to a consumer by giving him an opportunity. He is doing us a favour by giving us opportunity to serve him. But, of late, unfortunately cheating by way of overcharging, black marketing, misleading advertisements, etc has become the common practice of greedy sellers and manufacturers to make unreasonable profits. In this context, it is the duty of the government to confer some rights on consumers to safeguard their interests. In the year 1958, the Indian Standards Institute had arranged a convention at New Delhi. As per the resolution passed at the convention, the Consumers Association of India was established in 1959. In 1966, the Consumer Guidance Society of India was formed in Mumbai with the object to protect consumers against rising prices of essential commodities. In the same year on 2nd, 1996, Council for Fair Business Practices was formed by leading industrialist like, J.R.D Tata and others. The Indian Consumer Union was established in 1971. The activities of the union include offering legal advice, testing facilities, arranging lectures and seminars. The Consumer Education and Research Centre were formed in 1978, at Ahemadad, to guide and protect Consumer Rights. Consumer Co-operative Societies like Grahak Panchayat and Government Employees Consumer Stores, etc, are also formed to protect consumers. They make their purchases directly from producers and sell them at reasonable price to members.

The growth of consumer movement in India is very slow due to several reasons such as, illiteracy of Indian consumers, general attitudes of the public, lack of active support from political parties and other members of the society. Only in urban areas like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, etc, the consumer movement is gaining some prominence. There is hardly any consumer movement in rural areas. Consumer protection consists of laws and organizations designed to ensure the rights of consumers as well as fair trade competition and the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining an advantage over competitors; they may also provide additional protection for the weak and those unable to take care of themselves. Consumer protection laws are a form of government regulation, which aim to protect the rights of consumers. For example, a government may require businesses to disclose detailed information about productsparticularly in areas where safety or public health is an issue, such as food. Consumer protection is linked to the idea of "consumer rights" (that consumers have various rights as consumers), and to the formation of consumer organizations, which help consumers make better choices in the marketplace and get help with consumer complaints. Other organizations that promote consumer protection include

government organizations and self-regulating business organizations such as consumer protection agencies and organizations, the Federal Trade Commission, ombudsmen, Better Business Bureaus, etc. Consumer interests can also be protected by promoting competition in the markets which directly and indirectly serve consumers, consistent with economic efficiency, but this topic is treated in competition law. Consumer protection can also be asserted via non-government organizations and individuals as consumer activism.

HISTORY

HISTORY

India has an ancient history of consumer protection. Consumer protection was part of ancient culture and formed the core of its administration. But the introduction of boundless commercialization of activities eclipsed the old rich heritage. As in Europe, in India also the origin of the Consumer Movement was in the form of Consumer co-operative India has an ancient history of consumer protection. Consumer protection was part of its ancient culture and formed the core of its administration. Kautilya's 'Arthasasthra' was the basic law of ancient India and the same was strengthened with provisions toprotect consumers. Sale of commodities was organised in such a way that general public was not put to any trouble. If high profits (for the ruler) put general public in trouble, then that trade activity was stopped immediately. For traders, profit limit was to be fixed. Even for services timely response was prescribed; e.g. for sculpturist, carpenter, tailor, washerman, rules for the protection of consumer interest were given. Thus, for a washerman, it was said that he should return washed clothes in a given time period, i.e., light coloured ones in five days, blue dark coloured in 6 days and silken, woollen or embroidered in 7 days. Failing this they had to pay fine. The Superintendent of Commerce was to supervise weights and measures. For shortfall in weighinglmeasuring, sellers were fined heavily. Weights and measures used in trade were manufactured only by the official agency responsible for standardization and inspected every few months. Sellers passing off inferior products as superior were fined eight times the value of articles thus sold. For adulterated things, the seller was not only fined but also compelled to make good the loss.

CONSUMER MOVEMENT IN THE MODERN PERIOD:

Consumer movement in the present form came into being only in the 1930's in the West and only in the 60's in India. The basic objectives of consumer movement world wide are as follows : To provide opportunity to the consumers to buy intelligently Recognition of reasonable consumer requests Protection against fraud, misrepresentation, unsanitary and unjust products Participation of consumer representatives in management of aspects affecting consumers Promoting consumers interests The basic reason for the development of consumer movement in India are different from those in the West. In western countries, consumer movement was the result of post-industrialisation affluence-for more information about the merits of competing products and to influence producers especially for new and more sophisticated products. In India, the basic reasons for the consumers movement have been: Shortage of consumer products Adulteration and the Black Market. Lack of product choices due to lack of development in technology Thrust of consumer movement in India has been on availability, purity and prices The factors which stimulated the consumer movement in recent years are: Increasing consumer awareness Declining quality of goods and services Increasing consumer, expectations because of consumer education Influence of the pioneers and leaders of the consumer movement Organized effort through consumer societies

Stages of Development of the Consumer Movement

The Consumer Movement today is undergoing a silent revolution. The movement is bringing qualitative and quantitative changes in the lives of people enabling them to organise fhemselves as an effective force to reckon with. But the path to reach this stage has not been easy. It has been a struggle against bad business which always put profit before fairness in transactions. The first stage of movement was more representational in nature, i.e., to make consumers aware of their rights through speeches and articles in newspapers and magazines and holding exhibitions.The second stage was direct action based on boycotting of goods, picketing and demonstration. However, direct action had its own limitations, that led to the third stage of professionally managed consumer organisations. From educational activities and handling complaints, it ventured into areas involving lobbying, litigation and laboratory testing. This gave good results. Thus, for instance business sector has started taking notice and co-operating with the movement. It has played a. role in hastening the process of passing the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 which has led to the fourth stage. The Act enshrines the consumer rights and provides for setting up of quasi-judicial authorities for redressal of consumer duputes. This act takes justice in the socio-economic sphere a step closer to the common man.

Achievements of Consumer movement : Some interesting developments which are helping the consumer movement include, Developments taking place in the field of consumer education and some noticeable Changes that have place among business

organizations and their associations or Federations. Consumer Protection is being incorporated in the courses at different levels In schools and colleges. Full-fledged courses have been introduced in management and Law courses.

A number of large organizations have set up Consumer Grievance Cells as an in-house Redressal mechanism. Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has set up claims Review committees at the zonal and central levels. Petroleum Companies, Railways, Banks, Income Tax Departments, have also initiated setting up of public grievance cells. The Government of India has set up a separate Directorate called Directorate of Public Grievances at Sardar Pate1 Bhavan, Sansad Marg, New Delhi. They deal with complaints relating to hawks, railways, insurance, pensions and related matters. In the long run, they will cover all the ministries. The nationalised banks are observing 15th of every month as the 'Customer Grievance Day.' where an aggrieved consumer can walk into the top managers' offices in their respective town, district or zone. The Council of Fair Business Practices, of more than 20 years standing, is also trying to help in the redressal of complaints against business from individual consumers or groups. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) has set up a Consumer Business Forum which meets once a quarter in different cities of the country. All stock exchanges in the country have also set up similar cells. The Advertisement Standard Council of India (ASCI), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and FICCI have evolved a code of ethics for their activities. Another significant achievement of the consumer has been the representation given to consumer organisations on the policy making bodies (regulator machinery) of governments and Advisory Welfare Committees of big business organisations and the service sector. Central and State (Government) Consumer Protection Councils, regulatory departments of Preventions of Food Adulteration, Supplies of Food and Drugs, Weights and Measures Department, Quality Control Institutions like Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and AGMARK, Petroleum Product Department, Railway Commuters Welfare Committees, Regional Advisory Committees for Indian Airlines Services all have representatives of the various consumer organisations. Thus, consumers get full opportunity to participate in policy making aspects.

It appears that the time has come when consumers in India can hope to be 'The King' in the market place very soon. The labour of dedicated individuals and groups who have fought relentlessly for consumers rights through the decades has not been in vain after all. Consumer movement, in its present form in India, came into being only in the 1960's with the formation of Consumer Guidance Society of India in 1966 in Bombay. With its success, the consumer movement spread over to fight for availability, purity and standard prices of commodities. At present, there are about 1000 organisations all over the country. One can say that the consumer movement in India has come of age. From simple awareness generation, it took over to direct action and. then to testing and litigation. Its contribution to the passing of Consumer Protection Act, 1986, has been a historic achievement. Both business and bureaucrats have started taking consumers seriously. Consumer grievance cells have been launched by important organisations andcorporations. Consumers are represented on a number of consumer welfare committees set up by various organisations. THE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT, 1986 The Act provides following remedies to an aggrieved consumer: Removal of defects in goods or deficiency in service. Replacement of defective goods with new goods of similar description which shall be free from any defect. Return of price paid by the consumer. Payment of compensation for any loss or injury suffered by the consumer. Discontinue the restrictive, or unfair trade practice, and not to repeat it. Withdraw the hazardous goods from being offered for sale and not to offer them for sale. Provide for adequate cost to the aggrieved party.

The Consumer Production Act provides for a three tier system of redressal Agencies: one at district level known as District Forum, second at state level known as 'State Commission', and third at national level known as 'National Commission'. A complaint is to be made to the district forum of the concerned district where the value of goods and services and compensation, if any, is up to Rs 20 lakhs, to the 'State Commission' between Rs 20 lakhs and Rs 100 lakhs, and to the National Commission for more than Rs 100 lakhs. Interestingly, there is provision for appeals against the orders of a particular redessal forum by the aggrieved party before the next higher echelon and even from the findings of the National Commission before the Supreme Court. CONSUMER AWARENESS IN OTHER COUNTRY In India, Consumer Protection Act of 1986 is the law governing consumer protection. Under this law, Separate Consumer tribunals have been set up throughout India in each and every district in which a consumer [complaint can be filed by both the consumer of a goods as well as of the services] can file his complaint on a simple paper without paying any court fees and his complaint will be decided by the Presiding Officer of the District Level. Appeal could be filed to the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions and after that to the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC). The procedures in these tribunals are relatively less formal and more people friendly and they also take less time to decide upon a consumer dispute when compared to the years long time taken by the traditional Indian Judiciary. In recent years, many effective judgement have been passed by some state and National Consumer Forums. Organisations like Decidebay.com now (Decidebuddy.com), Akosha.com and Mouthshut.com play a vital role in helping consumers articulate their concerns and resolve their problems as well. Consumer protection law or consumer law is considered an area of law that regulates private law relationships between individual consumers and the

businesses that sell those goods and services. Consumer protection covers a wide range of topics, including but not necessarily limited to product liability, privacy rights, unfair business practices, fraud, misrepresentation, and other

consumer/business interactions. It's a way of preventing fraud and scams from occ service and sales contracts, bill collector regulation, pricing, utility turnoffs, consolidation, personal loans that may lead to bankruptcy.

Australia
In Australia, the corresponding agency is the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission or the individual State Consumer Affairs agencies. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has responsibility for consumer protection regulation of financial services and products.

Germany
A minister of the federal cabinet is responsible for consumer rights and protection (Verbraucherschutzminister). In the current cabinet of Angela Merkel, this is Ilse Aigner. When issuing public warnings about products and services, the issuing authority has to take into account that this affects the supplier's constitutionally protected economic liberty (article 12 Basic Law, see Bundesverwaltungsgericht (Federal Administrative Court)Case 3 C 34.84, 71 BVerwGE 183).

Republic of China (Taiwan)

Modern Chinese law has been heavily influenced by European civil law systems, particularly German and Swiss law. The Republic of China Civil Code contains five books: General Principles, Obligations, Rights over Things, Family, and Succession. The second book of the Code, the Book of Obligations, provided the basis from which consumers could bring products liability actions prior to the enactment of the CPL.

The Consumer Protection Law (CPL) in the Republic of China (Taiwan), as promulgated on January 11, 1994 and effective on January 13, 1994, specifically protects the interests and safety of customers using the products or services provided by business operators. The Consumer Protection Commission of Executive Yuan serves as an ombudsman supervising, coordinating, reporting any unsafe products/services and periodically reviewing the legislation. According to the Pacific Rim Law & Policy Association and the American Chamber of Commerce, in a 1997 critical study, the law has been criticised "Although many agree that the intent of the CPL is fair, the CPL's various problems, such as ambiguous terminology, favoritism towards consumer protection groups, and the compensation liability defense, must be addressed before the CPL becomes a truly effective piece of legislation that will protect consumers"

United Kingdom
The United Kingdom, as member state of the European Union, is bound by the consumer protection directives of the EU. Domestic (UK) laws originated within the ambit of contract and tort but, with the influence of EU law, it is emerging as an independent area of law. In many circumstances, where domestic law is in question, the matter judicially treated as tort, contract, restitution or even criminal law. Consumer Protection issues are dealt with when complaints are made to the Director-General of Fair Trade. The Office of Fair Trading will then investigate, impose an injunction or take the matter to litigation. However, consumers cannot directly complain to the OFT. Complaints need to be made to Consumer Direct who will provide legal advice to complainants, or re-direct the individual complaint to Trading Standards for investigation. Due to restrictions within the Enterprise Act 2002, individual complainants are unable to be told whether their case is being investigated or not. In very rare cases, Consumer Direct may direct a very large number of complaints to the OFT to be considered as a systemic complaint. The OFT can also be engaged by consumer groups e.g.

The Consumers Association or the statutory consumer protection body Consumer Focus - via a super complaint. The OFT rarely prosecute companies, however, preferring a light touch regulation approach. Consumer complaints against companies are not published, but investigation work, undertakings and enforcements are located at. Many of the consumer protection laws e.g. Distance Selling Regulations 2000 or Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 (14 years ago) are actually UK implementations of EU directives. The OFT is one of the bodies responsible for enforcing these rules. This leads to a problem in that these examples of legislation are clearly designed to deal with individual complaints but the OFT will only deal with systemic complaints and will ignore individual complainants redirecting them back to Consumer Direct. The Office of Fair Trading also acts as the UK's official consumer and competition watchdog, with a remit to make markets work well for consumers, and at a local, municipal level by Trading Standards departments. General consumer advice can be obtained from Consumer Direct or via a local branch of the Citizen's Advice Bureau.

United States

Consumer protection laws often mandate the posting of notices, such as this one which appears in all automotive repair shops in California

In the United States a variety of laws at both the federal and state levels regulate consumer affairs. Among them are the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Truth in Lending Act, Fair Credit Billing Act, and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Federal consumer protection laws are mainly enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice. At the state level, many states have adopted the Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act including, but not limited to, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, and Nebraska. The deceptive trade practices prohibited by the Uniform Act can be roughly subdivided into conduct involving either a) unfair or fraudulent business practice and b) untrue or misleading advertising. The Uniform Act contains a private remedy with attorneys fees for prevailing parties where the losing party "willfully engaged in the trade practice knowing it to be deceptive". Uniform Act 3(b). Also, the majority of states have a Department of Consumer Affairs devoted to regulating certain industries and protecting consumers who use goods and services from those industries. For example, in California, the California Department of Consumer Affairs regulates about 2.3 million professionals in over 230 different professions, through its forty regulatory entities. In addition, California encourages its consumers to act as private attorneys general through the liberal provisions of its Consumers Legal Remedies Act, Cal. Civil Code 1750 et seq. California has the strongest consumer protection laws of any US state, partly because of rigorous advocacy and lobbying by groups such as Utility Consumers' Action Network [4], Consumer Federation of California and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Other states have been the leaders in specific aspects of consumer protection. For example Florida, Delaware and Minnesota have legislated requirements that contracts be written at reasonable readability levels as a large proportion of contracts cannot be understood by most consumers who sign them.

RIGHTS OF CONSUMERS John F, Kennedy, the former USA President, in his message to consumer had given six rights to consumers. These rights are (i) right to safety, (ii) right to be informed, (iii) right to choose, (iv) right to be heard, (v) right to redress and (vi) right to represent. These rights had paved the way for organised consumer movement in the USA and later it spread all over the world. In India, the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 has also provided for the same rights to consumers. Let us have a brief idea about these rights of consumers. a) Right to Safety It is the right of the consumers to be protected against goods and services which arehazardous to health or life. For example, defective vehicles could lead to serious accidents. The same is true of electrical appliances with sub-standard material. Only recently, there were mass protests and boycott of soft drinks due to presence ofhazardous pesticides beyond permissible limits. Thus, right to safety is an important right available to the consumer which ensures that the manufacturers shall not produce and sell sub-standard and dangerous products.

(b)

Right to be Informed The right to be informed is an important component of consumer protection. The consumer must be provided with adequate and accurate information about quality, quantity, purity, standard and the price of the goods and services. Now-a-days the manufacturers provide detailed information about the contents of the product, its quantity, date of manufacturing, date of expiry, maximum retail price, precautions to be taken, etc. on the label and package of the product. Such information helps the consumers in their buying decision and use of the product.

(c)

Right to Choose The right to choose provides that the consumer must be assured, whenever possible, access to a variety of goods and services at competitive prices. If the market has enough varieties of products at highly competitive prices, the buyers have an opportunity of wide selection. However, incase of monopolies like railways, postal service and electricity supply etc. it implies a right to be assured of satisfactory quality of service at a fair price.

(d)

Right to be Heard The rights to safety, information and choice will be frivolous without the right to be heard. This right has three interpretations. Broadly speaking, this right means that consumers have a right to be consulted by Government and public bodies when decisions and policies are made affecting consumer interests. Also, consumers have a right to be heard by manufactures, dealers and advertisers bout their opinion on production, marketing decisions and any grievances of the consumers. Now-a-days, most of the top manufacturers and firms have set up consumer service cells to attend to consumers complaints and take appropriate steps for their redressal. Thirdly,

(e)

Right to Seek Redressal The consumers have been given the right of redressal of their grievances relating to the performance, grade, quality etc. of the goods and services. If required, the product must be repaired / replaced by the seller/ manufacturer. The Consumer Protection Act has duly provides for a fair settlement of genuine grievances of the consumers. It has also set up a proper mechanism for their redressal at district, state and national levels.

(f)

Right to Consumer Education It means the right to receive knowledge and skill to become informed consumer. In This direction the consumer associations, educational institutions and the policy makers Can play an important part. They are expected to impart information and knowledge About (i) the relevant laws which are aimed at preventing unfair trade practices, (ii) the ways and means which dishonest traders and producers may adopt to deceive the consumers, (iii) insistence on a bill or receipt at the time of purchase, and (iv) the procedure to be followed by consumers while making complaints. Effective consumer education leads to an increased level of consumer awareness and help them to enforce their rights more effectively, and protect themselves against fraudulent, deceitful and grossly misleading advertisement, labeling, etc.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF CONSUMERs: (a) Be quality conscious To put a stop to adulteration and corrupt practices of the manufacturers and traders, it is the duty of every consumer to be conscious of the quality of product they buy. They should look for the standard quality certification marks like ISI, Agmark, FPO, Wool mark, Eco-mark, Hallmark etc. while making the purchases.

(b)

Beware of misleading advertisements The advertisement often exaggerates the quality of products. Hence, the consumers should not rely on the advertisement and carefully check the product or ask the users Before making a purchase. In case there are discrepancies, the same should be brought to the notice of the sponsors and the appropriate authority, if need be.

(c)

Responsibility to inspect a variety of goods before making selection The consumer should inspect a variety of goods before buying the goods and service. For this purpose he/she should compare their quality, price, durability, after sales service etc. This would enable the consumers to make the best choice within the limit of their own resources.

(d)

Collect proof of transaction The consumer should insist on valid documentary evidence (cash memo/invoice) relating to purchase of goods or availing of any services and preserve it carefully. Such proof of purchase is required for filing a complaint. In case of durable goods the manufactures generally provide the warrantee/guarantee card along with the product. It is the duty of consumers to obtain these documents and ensure that these are duly Signed, stamped and dated. The consumer must preserve them till the warrantee/guarantee period is over.

(e)

Consumers must be aware of their rights The consumers must be aware of their rights as stated above and exercise them while buying goods and services. For example, it is the responsibility of a consumer to insist on getting all information about the quality of the product and ensure himself/herself that it is free from any kind of defects.

(f)

Complaint for genuine grievances As a consumer if you are dissatisfied with the product/services, you can ask for Redressal of your grievances. In this regard, you must file a proper

claim with the company first. If the manufacturer/company does not respond, then you can approach the forums. But your claim must state actual loss and the compensation claim must be reasonable. At no cost fictitious complaints should be filed otherwise the forum may penalize you. (g) Proper use of product/services It is expected from the consumers that they use and handle the product/services properly. It has been noticed that during guarantee period, people tend to reckless use of the product, thinking that it will be replaced during the guarantee period. This practice should be avoided.

Jago Grahak Jago

An enlightened consumer is an empowered consumer. An aware consumer not only protects himself from exploitation but induces efficiency, transparency and accountability in the entire manufacturing and services sector. Realising the importance of consumer awareness, Government has accorded top priority to Consumer Education, Consumer Protection and Consumer Awareness. India is a country, which has taken a lead in introducing progressive legislation for consumer protection. The most important milestone in Consumer Movement in the country has been the enactment of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. The Act has set in motion a revolution in the field of consumer rights, that perhaps cannot be paralleled anywhere else in the World. The Act applies to all goods and services unless specially exempted by the Central Government, in all sectors whether Private, Public or Co-operative. Consumer Protection Act, 1986 The Act enshrines all the consumers rights which are internationally accepted. As per the Act, consumer protection councils have been established at Central, State and District levels to promote and protect the consumer rights. They are: Right to Safety: To be protected against the sale of goods and services which are spurious/ hazardous to life. Right to information: To know the quality, quantity, weight and the price of goods/services being paid for, so that one is not cheated by unfair trade practices. Right to Choose: To be assured, wherever possible, access to a variety of goods and services at competitive prices. Right to be heard: To be heard and to be assured that the interest would receive due consideration at appropriate fora.

 Right to Seek Redressal: To seek legal redressal against unfair or restrictive trade practices or exploitation. Right to Consumer Education: To have access to consumer education. Gandhiji in the light of the above rightly said about consumer and his rights as the following: A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work - he is the purpose of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to serve him. It was therefore most appropriate that the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 was processed and enacted in India soon after the UN declaration. Basic Framework for Consumer Protection Consumer protection initiatives by the Government hinge on 3 basic parameters. Firstly ensuring a legal framework that comprises of Consumer Protection Act. The Consumer Protection Act enacted in 1986 has been recognised as one of the finest basis of legislation enacted in any part of the world and India can boast of being the only country having such specialised legislation for consumer protection. The CPA has a three tier, simple, quasi judicial machinery at the National, State and District level for hearing cases raised by consumers. Secondly, evolving standards for different products to enable the consumers to make an informed choice about different products. Standards which are the essential building block for quality play a key role in consumer protection. Standard could be on technical requirement

(specifications), improved specific standard terminology (glossary of terms), codes of practice or test methods or management systems standards. The standards are set generally by Government or inter-Governmental bodies but world wide it is being recognised that voluntary establishment of standards plays an equally important role for protecting consumers. Thirdly, consumer

awareness and education is the main building block for consumer protection. National Action Plan on Consumer Protection Consequent upon the 50th National Development Council Meeting, Planning Commission has identified consumer awareness, redressal and enforcement of Consumer Protection Act as a priority agency for action by the Deptt. of Consumer Affairs. The allocation for consumer protection activities was significantly enhanced in the last 2 years of the X Plan.

Consumer Awareness Scheme in the XI Plan The Consumer Awareness Scheme for the XI Plan amounting to a total of Rs. 409 crores has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 24.01.08. This scheme has been formulated to give an increased thrust to a multi media publicity campaign to make consumers aware of their rights. The slogan has now become a household name as a result of

publicity campaign undertaken in the last 3 years. Through the increased thrust on consumer awareness in the XI Five Year Plan, the Government has endeavoured to inform the common man of his rights as a consumer. As part of the consumer awareness scheme, the rural and remote areas have been given top priority. In a big country like India, given the scenario of economic disparity and level of education and ignorance, educating the consumers remains a gigantic task. Government has taken up number of activities and schemes in creating

consumer awareness in the country as part of this Consumer Awareness Scheme.

Multi Media Publicity Campaign As part of the Multi Media publicity campaign, the activities being undertaken are: Publicity through print media using news paper advertisements, to educate the consumers about their rights and responsibilities.

Publicity through electronic medium by telecast of video spots of 30 seconds duration on various consumer related issues such as Grievance Redressal system, MRP, ISI Hall-Mark, Alternate Dispute, Redressal system, weights and measures, Rights of Consumers etc. Issues pertaining to rural and remote areas have been given prominence in the various advertisement spots.

Telecast of advertisement in North Eastern states in Regional languages of 20 seconds and 30 seconds duration on various consumer related issues such as M.R.P. (Maximum Retail Price), Short Measurement, Expiry date on medicine, adulteration, damaged product and redressal system. The Department in consultation with the Department of Post has disseminated consumer awareness messages through Meghdoot Post cards to reach far-flung rural areas including North East States. A bigger plan of partnership with the Department of Posts to use the vast network of postal department for spreading the message of consumer awareness has been chalked out Calendars containing the message of consumer awareness are being displayed through the vast network of 1.55 lakhs post offices.

The Department through Printed Literature is also creating awareness. A folder entitled Consumer Awareness Mission containing the salient features of Consumer Protection Act 1986, Consumer Resource kit as well pocket calendars and posters is being distributed during various events such as IITF, Nukkad Nataks and also through the State Governments at grass root level. The publicity material relating to consumer awareness has also been translated in regional languages and is being disseminated to various State Governments. Nukkad Nataks are being performed in consultation with Song & Drama

division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting . More than 1000 programmes in all the States/UTs have been organised to create awareness at grass root level. A pilot project National Consumer Help Line initiated can be accessed through a Toll Free Number 1800-11-4000 which is being operated by Delhi University for counselling the Consumers to redress their grievances. The timing of toll free number facility is available to consumers from 9-30 A.M. to 5-30 P.M. on all the working days (MondaySaturday). Through the various advertisements pertaining to Department of Consumer Awareness adequate publicity has been given to National Helpline so that the affected consumers could seek guidelines/counselling through the national helpline.

In order to reach maximum number of consumers, the Department has telecast video spots containing consumer related information during the popular sports events such as Tri-series cricket tournament, Indo-Pak Series, Indo-Australia Series, Indo- England Cricket Series etc. India is a country with more than 70% population being under 35 years. The youngsters are using the internet in a big way for various purposes and also happen to be major consumers. Realizing this, a major initiative is being taken to spread consumer awareness through the online medium. The advertisements being brought out by the Department are also being displayed on the website of the Ministry www.fcamin.nic.in. Advertisements are being carried in journals of Publication Division such as Yojana, Kurukshetra, Bal Bharti, Aajkal and their regional editions. Focussed articles on consumer awareness are being published in these magazines keeping in view their target readership. Employment News, the flagship publication of Publication Division, which is the largest selling career weekly of its kind occasionally publishes articles that are of interest to youngsters in keeping them informed about their rights. The advertisements of Department are also published regularly in Employment News/Rojgar Samachar so that the youth of the country are made aware of their consumer rights.

Participation in India International Trade Fair Keeping in view the large number of visitors to India International Trade Fair, the Department displayed its activities through a stall in IIPA. Publicity material regarding main provisions of Consumer Protection, Standardisation, Weights & Measures, ISI, Hall Marking and other issues of consumer interest was distributed free of cost. On the spot guidance was also given to consumers during the Trade Fair. Joint Campaign has become the focal theme through which issues

concerning the functioning of almost all Government Departments having a consumer interface can been addressed. To achieve this objective joint campaigns have been undertaken/are being undertaken with a number of Government Departments. The Department had run a joint campaign with Bureau of Energy Efficiency to educate people about energy conservation by having awareness of the BEE star labels. A joint campaign with National Pharmaceuticals Product Authority is being devised to educate consumers about the various issues concerning pharma industry. Similarly, campaigns with Reserve Bank of India, FICCI, Ministry of Urban Development (for real estate sector) and HRD (for education sector) are being planned. Special scheme on assistance to State Governments/UTs Considering the fact that active involvement of State Governments in awareness campaign is crucial in taking forward the movement to rural, remote and backward areas, State/UT Governments have been actively associated in expanding the area of consumer awareness. In fact the effectiveness of the scheme is enhanced by the involvement of States/UTs/PRIs. The provision for grant in-aid/support to States/UTs has been one of the key components of the Consumer awareness scheme.

The Department of Consumer Affairs provided publicity material such as posters, audio, video, folders, calendars, and magazines etc. to the State Governments/UTs for distribution through panchayats in the rural areas. The Future Roadmap The multi media publicity to educate consumers and make them aware about their rights will have a long lasting impact not only on the end consumers but also on the entire manufacturing and services sector The scheme will go a long way in introducing greater accountability and transparency in the services provided by the public as well as private sector since the end user ie a consumer will be educated and aware enough to ask for best possible services in return of his hard earned money. Jago Grahak Jago is thus an initiative which empowers consumers by making them aware about their rights as well as the Grievance.

ISI mark

ISI mark is a certification mark for industrial products in India. The mark certifies that a product conforms to the Indian Standard,mentioned as IS:xxxx on top of the mark, developed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the national standards body of India. The ISI mark is by far the most recognized certification mark in the Indian subcontinent. The name ISI is an abbreviation of Indian Standards Institute, the former name of the Bureau of Indian Standards. The ISI mark is mandatory for certain products to be sold in India, like many of the electrical appliances viz; switches, electric motors, wiring cables, heaters, kitchen appliances etc., and other products like portland cement, LPG valves, LPG cylinders, automotive tyres etc. But in the case of most other products it is voluntary. It is very common in India to find products with fake ISI marks, that is, affixing ISI marks on the product without actually getting certified. Fake ISI marks usually do not carry (i) the mandatory 7-digit license number(written as CM/Lxxxxxxx) required by BIS;and (ii)IS number on top of the ISI mark which signifies the number of the Indian Standard for the particular product. This is a punishable offense by the law, but the practice is common.

International Organization for Standardization

The

International

Organization

for

Standardization

(French:

Organisation internationale de normalisation, Russian: , tr. Myezhdunarodnaya organizatsiya po standartizatsii), widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promotes worldwide proprietary, industrial, and commercial standards. It has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Name and abbreviation

The three official languages of the ISO are English, French, and Russian. The organization's logos in two of its official languages, English and French, include the word ISO, and it is usually referred to by this short-form name. The organization states that ISO is not an acronym or initialism for the organization's full name in any official language. Recognizing that its initials would be different in different languages, the organization adopted ISO, based on the Greek word isos (, meaning equal), as the universal short form of its name.However, one of the founding delegates, Willy Kuert, recollected the original naming question with the comment: "I recently read that the name ISO was chosen because 'iso' is a Greek term meaning 'equal'. There was no mention of that in London!" The logo and the name ISO are both registered trademarks, and their use is restricted.

The organization today known as ISO began in 1926 as the International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations (ISA), whose focus was mainly mechanical engineering. It was disbanded in 1942 during World War II but was reorganized under its current name, ISO, in 1946, when delegates from 25 countries met at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London; the new organization officially began operations in February 1947. ISO is a voluntary organization whose members are recognized authorities on standards, each one representing one country. The bulk of the work of ISO is done by the 2,700 technical committees, subcommittees, and working groups. Each committee and subcommittee is headed by a Secretariat from one of the member organizations.

Financing
ISO is funded by a combination of:

Organizations that manage the specific projects or loan experts to participate in the technical work.

Subscriptions

from

member

bodies

("the

national

body

most

representative of standardization in its country"). These subscriptions are in proportion to each country's gross national product and trade figures.

Sale of standards.

International Standards and other publications

ISO's main products are international standards. ISO also publishes technical reports, technical specifications, publicly available specifications, technical corrigenda, and guides. International standards are designated with the format ISO[/IEC] [/ASTM] [IS] nnnnn[-p]:[yyyy] Title, where nnnnn is the number of the standard, p is an optional part number, yyyy is the year published, and Title describes the subject. IEC for International Electrotechnical Commission is included if the standard results from the work of ISO/IEC JTC1 (the ISO/IEC

Joint Technical Committee). ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) is used for standards developed in cooperation with ASTM International. The date and IS are not used for an incomplete or unpublished standard and may under some circumstances be left off the title of a published work. Technical reports are issued when a technical committee or subcommittee has collected data of a different kind from that normally published as an International Standard. Such as references and explanations. The naming conventions for these are the same as for standards, except TR prepended instead of IS in the report's name. Examples:

ISO/IEC TR 17799:2000 Code of Practice for Information Security Management

ISO/TR 19033:2000 Technical product documentation Metadata for construction documentation Technical specifications can be produced when "the subject in question is

still under development or where for any other reason there is the future but not immediate possibility of an agreement to publish an International Standard". Publicly Available Specifications may be "an intermediate specification, published prior to the development of a full International Standard, or, in IEC may be a 'dual logo' publication published in collaboration with an external organization". Both are named by convention similar to Technical Reports, for example:

ISO/TS 16952-1:2006 Technical product documentation Reference designation system Part 1: General application rules

ISO/PAS 11154:2006 Road vehicles Roof load carriers ISO sometimes issues technical corrigenda. Corrigenda (plural of

corrigendum) are amendments to existing standards because of minor technical flaws, usability improvements, or limited applicability extensions. Generally,

these are issued with the expectation that the affected standard will be updated or withdrawn at its next scheduled review. ISO Guides are meta-standards covering "matters related to international standardization". They are named in the format "ISO[/IEC] Guide N:yyyy: Title", for example:

ISO/IEC Guide 2:2004 Standardization and related activities General vocabulary

ISO/IEC Guide 65:1996 General requirements for bodies operating product certification

Standardization process
A standard published by ISO/IEC is the last stage of a long process that commonly starts with the proposal of new work within a committee. Here are some abbreviations used for marking a standard with its status:

PWI - Preliminary Work Item NP or NWIP - New Proposal / New Work Item Proposal (e.g., ISO/IEC NP 23007)

AWI - Approved new Work Item (e.g., ISO/IEC AWI 15444-14) WD - Working Draft (e.g., ISO/IEC WD 27032) CD - Committee Draft (e.g., ISO/IEC CD 23000-5) FCD - Final Committee Draft (e.g., ISO/IEC FCD 23000-12) DIS - Draft International Standard (e.g., ISO/IEC DIS 14297) FDIS - Final Draft International Standard (e.g., ISO/IEC FDIS 27003) PRF - Proof of a new International Standard (e.g., ISO/IEC PRF 18018) IS - International Standard (e.g., ISO/IEC 13818-1:2007)

Abbreviations used for amendments: NP Amd - New Proposal Amendment (e.g., ISO/IEC 15444-2:2004/NP Amd 3)

AWI Amd - Approved new Work Item Amendment (e.g., ISO/IEC 14492:2001/AWI Amd 4)

WD Amd - Working Draft Amendment (e.g., ISO 11092:1993/WD Amd 1)

CD Amd / PDAmd - Committee Draft Amendment / Proposed Draft Amendment (e.g., ISO/IEC 13818-1:2007/CD Amd 6)

FPDAmd / DAM (DAmd) - Final Proposed Draft Amendment / Draft Amendment (e.g., ISO/IEC 14496-14:2003/FPDAmd 1)

FDAM (FDAmd) - Final Draft Amendment (e.g., ISO/IEC 138181:2007/FDAmd 4)

PRF Amd - (e.g., ISO 12639:2004/PRF Amd 1) Amd - Amendment (e.g., ISO/IEC 13818-1:2007/Amd 1:2007)

Other abbreviations

TR - Technical Report (e.g., ISO/IEC TR 19791:2006) DTR - Draft Technical Report (e.g., ISO/IEC DTR 19791) TS - Technical Specification (e.g., ISO/TS 16949:2009) DTS - Draft Technical Specification (e.g., ISO/DTS 11602-1) PAS - Publicly Available Specification TTA - Technology Trends Assessment (e.g., ISO/TTA 1:1994) IWA - International Workshop Agreement (e.g., IWA 1:2005) Cor - Technical Corrigendum (e.g., ISO/IEC 13818-1:2007/Cor 1:2008) Guide - a guidance to technical committees for the preparation of standards

International Standards are developed by ISO technical committees (TC) and subcommittees (SC) by a process with six steps:

Stage 1: Proposal stage

Stage 2: Preparatory stage Stage 3: Committee stage Stage 4: Enquiry stage Stage 5: Approval stage Stage 6: Publication stage The TC/SC may set up working groups (WG) of experts for the preparation of a working drafts. Subcommittees may have several working groups, which can have several Sub Groups (SG).

Stages in the development process of an ISO standard Associated Stage document name Preliminary Preliminary stage Proposal stage work item New work Abbreviations Description

Stage code

00

PWI

10

item proposal

NP or NWIP, NP Amd/TR/TS/IWA

20

Preparatory Working stage draft(s)

AWI, AWI Amd/TR/TS, WD, WD Amd/TR/TS CD, CD Amd/Cor/TR/TS, PDAmd (PDAM), PDTR, PDTS DIS, FCD, FPDAmd, DAmd

30

Committee Committee stage Enquiry stage draft(s)

40

Enquiry draft

(DAM), FPDISP, DTR, DTS

(CDV in IEC)

50

Approval stage

Final

draft

International Standard

FDIS, FDAmd (FDAM), PRF, PRF Amd/TTA/TR/TS/Suppl, FDTR

60

Publication International stage Review stage Withdrawal stage

Standard

ISO TR, TS, IWA, Amd, Cor

90

ISO TR, TS, IWA, Amd, Cor

95

It is possible to omit certain stages, if there is a document with a certain degree of maturity at the start of a standardization project, for example a standard developed by another organization. ISO/IEC directives allow also the so-called "Fast-track procedure". In this procedure a document is submitted directly for approval as a draft International Standard (DIS) to the ISO member bodies or as a final draft International Standard (FDIS) if the document was developed by an international standardizing body recognized by the ISO Council.

The first stepa proposal of work (New Proposal) is approved at the relevant subcommittee or technical committee (e.g., SC29 and JTC1 respectively in the case of Moving Picture Experts Group - ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29/WG11). A working group (WG) of experts is set up by the TC/SC for the preparation of a working draft. When the scope of a new work is sufficiently clarified, some of the working groups (e.g., MPEG) usually make open request for proposalsknown as a "call for proposals". The first document that is produced for example for audio and video coding standards is called a verification model (VM) (previously also called a "simulation and test model"). When a sufficient confidence in the stability of the standard under development is reached, a working draft (WD) is produced. This is in the form of a standard but is kept internal to working group for revision. When a working draft is sufficiently solid and the working group is satisfied that it has developed the best technical solution to the problem being addressed, it becomes

committee draft (CD). If it is required, it is then sent to the P-members of the TC/SC (national bodies) for ballot.

The CD becomes final committee draft (FCD) if the number of positive votes is above the quorum. Successive committee drafts may be considered until consensus is reached on the technical content. When it is reached, the text is finalized for submission as a draft International Standard (DIS). The text is then submitted to national bodies for voting and comment within a period of five months. It is approved for submission as a final draft International Standard (FDIS) if a two-thirds majority of the P-members of the TC/SC are in favour and not more than one-quarter of the total number of votes cast are negative. ISO will then hold a ballot with National Bodies where no technical changes are allowed (yes/no ballot), within a period of two months. It is approved as an International Standard (IS) if a two-thirds majority of the P-members of the TC/SC is in favour and not more than one-quarter of the total number of votes cast are negative. After approval, only minor editorial changes are introduced into the final text. The final text is sent to the ISO Central Secretariat, which publishes it as the International Standard.

ISO document copyright ISO documents are copyrighted and ISO charges for copies of most. ISO does not, however, charge for most draft copies of documents in electronic format. Although useful, care must be taken using these drafts as there is the possibility of substantial change before it becomes finalized as a standard. Some standards by ISO and its official U.S. representative (and the International Electrotechnical Commission's via the U.S. National Committee) are made freely available.

Agmark
AGMARK is a certification mark employed on agricultural products in India, assuring that they conform to a set of standards approved by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, an agency of the Government of India.[1][2][3][4][5][6] The AGMARK is legally enforced in India by the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act of 1937 (and ammended in 1986). The present AGMARK standards cover quality guidelines for 205 different commodities spanning a variety of Pulses, Cereals, Essential Oils, Vegetable Oils, Fruits & Vegetables, and semi-processed products like Vermicelli. The term agmark was coined by joining the words 'Ag' to mean agriculture and 'mark' for a certification mark. This term was introduced originally in the bill presented in the parliament of India for the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act. The entire system of Agmark, including the name, was created by Archibald Macdonald Livingstone, Agricultural and Marketing Advisor to the Government of India, from 1934 to 1941. He was supported by a staff of several hundred. The system was designed to benefit local growers throughout India who were, in the absence of a certification as to quality, exposed to receiving less for their produce from dealers than its true worth. Agmark Laboratories The Agmark certification is employed through fully state-owned Agmark laboratories located across the nation which act as testing and certifying centres. In addition to the Central AGMARK Laboratory (CAL) in Nagpur, there are Regional AGMARK Laboratories (RALs) in 11 nodal cities (Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Kanpur, Kochi, Guntur, Amritsar, Jaipur, Rajkot, Bhopal). Each of the regional laboratories is equipped with and specializes in the testing of products of regional significance. Hence the product range that could be tested varies across the centres.

Hallmark
A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of precious metalsplatinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term hallmark can also be used to refer to any distinguishing characteristic or trait. Historically, hallmarks were applied by a trusted party: the 'guardians of the craft' or nowadays by an assay office. Hallmarks are a guarantee of certain purity or fineness of the metal as determined by formal metal (assay) testing. Distinguishment Hallmarks are often confused with "trademarks" or "maker's mark". Hallmarks are not the mark of a manufacturer to distinguish his products from other manufacturers products, which is the function of trademarks or makers' marks. To be a true hallmark, it must be the guarantee of an independent body or authority that the contents are as marked. Thus, a stamp of '925' by itself is not, strictly speaking, a hallmark, but is rather an unattested fineness mark. Prerequisites to hallmarking Notwithstanding the hallmarking systems themselves, many nations require, as a prerequisite to official hallmarking, that the maker or sponsor itself mark upon the item a responsibility mark and a claim of fineness. Responsibility marks are also required in the U.S. if metal fineness is claimed even though there is no official hallmarking scheme in that country. Nevertheless, in nations with an official hallmarking scheme, the hallmark is only applied after the item has been assayed to determine that its purity conforms not only to the standards set down by the law but also with the makers claims as to metallurgical content. Systems In some nations, such as the UK, the hallmark is made up of several elements including: a mark denoting the type of metal, the maker/sponsor's mark and the year of the marking. In England, the year of marking commences on May 19, the Feast Day of Saint Dunstan, patron saint of gold- and silversmiths.

In other nations, such as Poland, the hallmark is a single mark indicating metal and fineness, augmented by a responsibility mark (known as a sponsor's mark in the UK). Among a group of nations which are signatories to an international convention known as the Vienna Convention on the Control of the Fineness and the Hallmarking of Precious Metal Objects, additional, optional, yet official marks may also be struck by the assay office. These have the effect of easing import obligations among and between the member states. Signatory countries have a single representative hallmark which would be struck next to the Convention mark which represents the metal and fineness. History of hallmarking Ancient Byzantine hallmarks The control or inspection of precious metals was an ancient concept of examination and marking, by means of inspection stamps (punch marks). The use of hallmarks, at first, on silver has a long history dating back to the 4th century AD and represents the oldest known form of consumer protection. A series or system of five marks has been found on Byzantine silver dating from this period though their interpretation is still not completely resolved. Hallmarking in the Late Middle Ages However, from the Late Middle Ages, hallmarking was administered by local governments through authorized assayers. These assayers examined precious metal goods, under the auspices of the state, before the good could be offered for public sale. By the age of the Craft Guilds, the authorized examiners mark was the masters mark which consisted frequently of his initials and/or the coat of arms of the goldsmith or silversmith. At one time, there was no distinction among silversmiths and goldsmiths who were all referred to as "orfvres", the French word for goldsmith. The Master Craftsman was responsible for the quality of the work that left his atelier or workshop, regardless of who made the item. Hence the responsibility mark is still known today in French as le poinon de matre literally "the maker's punch." In this period, fineness was more or less standardized in the major European nations

(writ: France and England) at 20 karats for gold and 12 to 13 lots (75% to 81%) for silver, but the standards could only be partly enforced owing to the lack of precise analytical tools and techniques. France Hallmarking is Europe's earliest form of consumer protection. Modern hallmarking in Europe appears first in France, with the Goldsmiths Statute of 1260 promulgated under Etienne Boileau, Provost of Paris, for King Louis IX. A standard for silver was thus established. In 1275, King Philip III prescribed, by royal decree, the mark for use on silver works, along with specific punches for each community's smiths. In 1313, his successor, Philippe IV "the Fair" expanded the use of hallmarks to gold works. England In 1300 King Edward I of England enacted a statute requiring that all silver articles must meet the sterling silver standard (92.5% pure silver) and must be assayed in this regard by 'guardians of the craft' who would then mark the item with a leopard's head. In 1327 King Edward III of England granted a charter to the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths (more commonly known as the Goldsmiths' Company), marking the beginning of the Company's formal existence. This entity was headquartered in London at Goldsmiths' Hall from whence the English term "hallmark" is derived. (In the UK the use of the term "hallmark" was first recorded in this sense in 1721 and in the more general sense as a "mark of quality" in 1864.) Switzerland In 1424, the French Archbishop Jean de Brogny, after having consulted with a council of eight Masters Goldsmiths from Geneva, enacted a regulation on the purity and hallmarking of silver objects following the French standards for application in Geneva. Although gold was certainly used for articles, the regulation was silent on gold standards and its hallmarking. (Today in Switzerland, only precious metal watch cases must be hallmarked. Perhaps this

attests to the significance of watches to the Swiss economy. The hallmarking of other items including silverware and jewelry is optional.) Augmentations in France and England

In 1355, individual maker marks were introduced in France, which concept was later mirrored in England in 1363, adding accountability to the two systems.

In 1427, the date letter system was established in France, allowing the accurate dating of any hallmarked piece.

In 1478, the Assay Office was established in Goldsmiths' Hall. At this time, the date letter system was introduced in England.

In 1697, a higher standard of silver, known as the Britannia standard (95.8% silver) was made compulsory in Great Britain to protect the new coinage which was being melted down by silversmiths for the silver. The Sterling standard was restored in 1720.

Modern hallmarks

Hallmark for gold In the modern world, in an attempt at standardizing the legislation on the inspection of precious metals and to facilitate international trade, in 1973 a core group of European nations signed the Vienna Convention on the Control of the Fineness and the Hallmarking of Precious Metal Objects. Those articles, which are assayed and found to be in conformity by the qualifying office of a signatory

country, receive a mark, known as the Common Control Mark (CCM), attesting to the material's fineness. The multi-tiered motif of the CCM is the balance scales, superimposed, for gold, on two intersecting circles; for platinum, a diamond shape and for silver a mark in the shape of the Latin letter "M". This mark is recognized in all the other contracting states, including: Austria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine (see links below). Other nations monitor the activities of the Convention and may apply for membership. Complete international hallmarking has been plagued by difficulties, because even amongst countries which have implemented hallmarking, standards and enforcement vary considerably, making it difficult for one country to accept another's hallmarking as equivalent to its own. Many nations monitor the Vienna system and procedures are in place to allow additional nations to join the Vienna Convention. Similarly, with the consent all the current member states, the terms of the convention may be amended. The most significant item currently up for debate is the recognition of palladium as a precious metal. Some member nations recognize palladium as a precious metal while others do not. (See list of nations below). Polish - Poland

The Polish hallmarks 1963-1986

Hallmarks for gold, palladium, platinum and silver from Poland. Official Polish hallmarks between 19631986 French - France

The French hallmarks 1798 - 1972 Official French Hallmarks used between 1798 and 1972 for gold and silver.

The French hallmarks 1838-1919 not official French mark head of horse for jewellery and watches from 18k gold made in the French provinces between 1838-1919 UK

The assay office marks - from left to right, the leopard's head of London, the anchor of Birmingham, the Yorkshire rose of Sheffield, and the castle of Edinburgh. The Hallmarking Act 1973 made Britain a member of the Vienna Convention as well as introducing marking for platinum, a recognised metal under the Convention. All four remaining assay offices finally adopted the same date letter sequences. The latest changes in 1999 were made to the UK hallmarking system to bring the system closer into line with the European Union (EU). Note: that under this latest enactment, the date letter is no longer a compulsory part of the hallmark. As it now stands, the compulsory part of the UK hallmark consists of the sponsor or maker's mark, the assay office mark, and the standard of fineness (in this case silver, 925 parts in 1000).

Examples of British hallmarks for 925 silver. These are shown in the top of the two example hallmarks. The bottom example shows the extra marks that can also be struck, the lion passant, indicating Sterling silver, the date mark (lowercase a for '2000'), and in this example, the 'Millennium mark', which was only available for the years 1999 and 2000. The bottom example bears the Yorkshire rose mark for the Sheffield Assay Office. The Hallmarking Act was amended in July 2009 to include palladium from January 2010

Switzerland

The Swiss hallmark used since 1995 for all metals and all fineness

The Swiss hallmarks used on the watch cases Although hallmarking in the Swiss territories dates back to Geneva in the 15th century there was no uniform system of hallmarking in Switzerland until 1881. Before that time, hallmarking was undertaken at the local level by the Swiss cantons. With the introduction of the Swiss system of hallmarking in 1881, there was uniformity throughout the nation. Distinctive symbol: Biel / Bienne B Basel *

Chiasso T Geneva G La Chaux-de-Fonds C Le Noirmont Zurich Z These symbols will appear in place of the "X" on the ear of the St. Bernard dog. Under the current law, on all gold, silver, platinum or palladium watches cases made in Switzerland or imported into Switzerland, (Fr.) there shall be affixed, near the Maker's Responsibility Mark and his indication of purity, the official Hallmark, the head of a Saint-Bernard dog (illustrated below). J

Only precious metal watch cases must be hallmarked. Swiss hallmarking for other articles such as jewelry and cutlery is optional. In addition to the Swiss hallmark, all precious metal goods may be stamped with the Common Control Mark of the Vienna Convention.

Netherlands
The Dutch, who are members of the International hallmarking Convention, have been striking hallmarks since at least 1814. Like many other nations, the Dutch require the registration and use of Responsibility Marks, however, perhaps somewhat unique, the Dutch publish a book entitled "Netherlands' Responsibility Marks since 1797" (in three volumes and in the English language) illustrating all the responsibility marks registered there since that time. This is significant since producers that exported precious metal good to the Netherlands would have been required to register their marks. The Dutch government markets their assay services/office as the "Jewellery Gateway in and to Europe." The Netherlands' hallmarks are also recognized in other E.U. countries and thus can be sold in Austria, France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom without further testing. The Netherlands' hallmarks are also recognized in Belgium, Denmark, Finland and Sweden, which have voluntary hallmarking systems. One of the 2 Dutch assay offices is located in Gouda between the Amsterdam and Rotterdam Airports. The other one is located in Joure, called Edelmetaal Waarborg Nederland b.v.The Dutch recognize platinum, gold, silver and palladium as precious metals. Marking techniques Punching Traditionally, the hallmarks are 'struck' using steel punches. Punches are made in different sizes, suitable for tiny pieces of jewelry to large silver platters. Punches are made in straight shank or ring shank, the former for normal punching with a hammer, and the latter used with a press to mark rings. The

problem with traditional punching is that the process of punching displaces metal, causing some distortion of the article being marked. This means that refinishing of the article is required after hallmarking. For this reason, and that offcuts from sprues are often used for assay, many articles are sent unfinished to the assay office for assay and hallmarking. Laser marking A new method of marking using lasers is now available, which is especially valuable for delicate items and hollowware, which would be damaged or distorted by the punching process. Laser marking also means that finished articles do not need to be re-finished. Laser marking works by using high power lasers to evaporate material from the metal surface. Two methods exist, 2D and 3D laser marking. 2D laser marking burns the outline of the hallmarks into the object, while 3D laser marking better simulates the marks made by punching. Methods of assay Precious metal items of art or jewelry are frequently hallmarked (depending upon the requirements of the laws of either the place of manufacture or the place of import). Where required to be hallmarked, semi-finished precious metal items of art or jewelry pass through the official testing channels where they are analyzed or assayed for precious metal content. While different nations permit a variety of legally acceptable finenesses, the assayer is actually testing to determine that the fineness of the product conforms with the statement or claim of fineness that the maker has claimed (usually by stamping a number such as 750 for 18k gold) on the item. In the past the assay was conducted by using the touchstone method but currently (most often) it is done using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF). XRF is used because this method is more exacting than the touchstone test. The most exact method of assay is known as fire assay or cupellation. This method is better suited for the assay of bullion and gold stocks rather than works or art or jewelry because it is a completely destructive method.

Touchstone The age-old touchstone method is particularly suited to the testing of very valuable pieces, for which sampling by destructive means, such as scraping, cutting or drilling is unacceptable. A rubbing of the item is made on a special stone, treated with acids and the resulting color compared to references. Differences in precious metal content as small as 10 to 20 parts per thousand can often be established with confidence by the test. It is not indicated for use with white gold, for example, since the color variation among white gold alloys is almost imperceptible.. X-ray fluorescence The modern X-ray fluorescence is also a non-destructive technique that is suitable for normal assaying requirements. It typically has an accuracy of 2-5 parts per thousand and is well-suited to the relatively flat and large surfaces. It is a quick technique taking about three minutes, and the results can be automatically printed out by the computer. It also measures the content of the other alloying metals present. It is not indicated, however, for articles with chemical surface treatment or electroplating. Fire assay The most elaborate, but totally destructive, assay method is the fire assay, or cupellation. As applied to gold bearing metallics, as in hallmark assaying, it is also known as cupellation and can have an accuracy of 1 part in 10,000. In this process the article is melted, the alloys separated and constituents weighed. Since this method is totally destructive, when this method is employed for the assay of jewelry, it is done under the guise of random or selective sampling. For example if a single manufacturer deposits a lot of rings or watch cases, while most are assayed using the non-destructive methods a few pieces from the lot are randomly selected for fire assay.

Consumer
A consumer is a person or group of people who are the final users of products and or services generated within a social system. A consumer may be a person or group, such as a household. The concept of a consumer may vary significantly by context, although a common definition is an individual who buys products or services for personal use and not for manufacture or resale.

Economics and marketing

The consumer is the one who pays to consume the goods and services produced. As such, consumers play a vital role in the economic system of a nation. In the absence of effective consumer demand, producers would lack one of the key motivations to produce: to sell to consumers. Typically, when business people and economists talk of consumers, they are talking about the person as consumer, an aggregated commodity item with little individuality other than that expressed in the decision to buy or not to buy. However, there is a trend in marketing to individualize the concept. Instead of generating broad demographic profiles and psycho-graphic profiles of market segments, marketers have started to engage in personalized marketing, permission marketing, and mass customization.

Law and politics

The law primarily uses the notion of the consumer in relation to consumer protection laws, and the definition of consumer is often restricted to living persons (i.e. not corporations or businesses) and excludes commercial users.[2] A typical legal rationale for protecting the consumer is based on the notion of policing market failures and inefficiencies, such as inequalities of bargaining power between a consumer and a business. As of all potential voters are also consumers, consumer protection takes on a clear political significance. Concern over the interests of consumers has also spawned much activism, as well as incorporation of consumer education into school curricula. There are also various non-profit publications, such as Consumer Reports and Choice Magazine, dedicated to assist in consumer education and decision making, and Which? in the UK.

In India, the Consumer Protection Act 1986 clearly differentiates a consumer as consuming a commodity or service either for his personal domestic use or to earn his livelihood. Only consumers are protected as per this act and any person, entity or organization purchasing a commodity for commercial reasons are exempted from any benefits of this act. Furthermore, Indian case law has quite a few references on how to distinguish a consumer from a customer.

Public reaction
While use of the term consumer is widespread among governmental, business and media organisations, many individuals and groups find the label objectionable because it assigns a limited and passive role to their activities.

Consumer complaint
A consumer complaint or customer complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction on a consumers behalf to a responsible party (Landon, 1980). It can also be described in a positive sense as a report from a consumer providing documentation about a problem with a product or service. In fact, some modern business consultants urge businesses to view customer complaints as a gift. Consumer complaints are usually informal complaints directly addressed to a company or public service provider, and most consumers manage to resolve problems with products and services in this way, but it sometimes requires persistence. If the grievance is not addressed in a way that satisfies the consumer, the consumer sometimes registers the complaint with a third party such as the Better Business Bureau and Federal Trade Commission (in the United States). These and similar organizations in other countries accept for consumer complaints and assist people with customer service issues, as do government representatives like attorneys general. Consumers however rarely file complaints in the more formal legal sense, which consists of a formal legal process (see the article on complaint).

In some countries (for example Australia, the United Kingdom, and many countries of the European Community), the making of consumer complaints, particularly regarding the sale of financial services, is governed by statute (law). The statutory authority may require companies to reply to complaints within set time limits, publish written procedures for handling customer dissatisfaction, and provide information about arbitration schemes. The advent of Internet forums has provided consumers with a new way to submit complaints. Consumer news and advocacy websites often accept and publish complaints. Publishing complaints on highly visible websites increases the likelihood that the general public will become aware of the consumer's complaint. Internet forums in general and on complaint websites have made it possible for individual consumers to hold large corporations accountable in a public forum.

Consumer activism
Goals include making goods and services available to consumers safer, better quality, environmentally friendly, and more readily available. The activists and consumers in the movement hope to provide security and healthy standards for employed consumers. The state should protect against profiteers, disease, unemployment, and market fluctuations. Consumer movements challenge social order and transform it through the propagation of ideologies of consumption in hopes of dramatically changing mainstream views. The ideal goal is to push consumers to question the morality of a purchased product's origins. Consumer activist tactics can include boycotts, petitioning the government, media activism, and organizing interest groups. Notable consumer activists include Carol Foreman, Marc Kasky, Richard M. Kessel, Virginia H. Knauer, Eileen Hoats, Ralph Nader, Frances Perkins, Michael Pertschuk, Peter A. Peyser. Notable consumer organizations include Public Citizen, Consumers Union, and Consumer Federation of America.

Periods of Consumer Movements

Sociologist Rao denotes three eras of consumer movements in the United States: the antiadulteration movement, the rise of nonprofit consumer watchdog organizations, and the legal activism era. The ideology of this social movement reflects that of other social movements in that their goal, their adversary, and their members are all publicly made available and seen. Consumer movements developed as a form of resistance against marketing and industrial practices. These can include the selling of dangerous vehicles, the use of deceptive advertising, and inhumane working conditions.

Conceptions of Consumer movement

Three elements are necessary, according to Touraine, for the ideology of a social movement: identity, opposition, and totality. Identity is the self and collective identity of the members of the social movement. Opposition is the identification and description of the adversary. Totality is the indication that objectives will be achieved through struggle. This conception has been appropriate for the other movements, including the lesbian and gay, civil rights, and feminist movements. Consumers are cast in the social movement as common people, while the activists are those leading them into the conflict with business executives and elites. Activist members do not only target corporations and attempt to change their behavior, but they seek to elevate the awareness of consumers collectively with the purpose of altering consumer culture.

Organizing Consumer Movements

Meetings of consumer movements may include encouraging reflexivity, the discussion of how consumerism is viewed by the activists and by the target audience, capitalism, and the broadcasting of the differences between the activists and most people. Some meetings falter from accomplishing set goals, such as organizing leafleting activities, and focus on accelerating the growth of reflective thinking about consumption. Most behavior was found to be focused on assigning positive meanings of awakening to the collective identity of activists.

Protests are used by the activists in the social movement in order to gain political influence. By gaining this control, new political opportunities and resources become available to the group, who can use them for their benefit. This allows for more mobilization by supporters, both inside and outside the group, to protest and get their message heard.

Revelations
Most activists were at one point similar to the people they are now reaching out to get support from and attention. The growth of a social awareness is often linked to spiritual awareness. This process allows the activist to leave their own selves behind with the smaller issues that concern them and move beyond to attain a sense of connection with others around the world. Images of detachment and distance are common emotions felt by the activists when compared to non-activists in this state. Metaphors may also be used to emphasize these comparisons.

The Opponent: Corporate Elites

The ability to have a visible, clear, and despicable target for an enemy allows for unification and mobilization of activists. Religious terms, such as David and Goliath, may also be used to help motivate others to join in the struggle. Activists may also target multiple corporations and describe them as their rival. Links have been by those within the social movement between the temptations provided by the corporate opponents and the weaknesses of public consumers.

View of Consumers
Some activists perceive the consumer public as unthinking, ignorant, and routine in their thoughts of consumption. Activist accounts describe these people as unreflective and unwilling to consider their habits and lifestyles. They may be believed to not insert moral or social ideas into their consumption. Other perceptions of customers are also expressed by activists, including the idea that consumers are submissive to corporations. The activists themselves may be described as dominating and oppressive to the consuming public.

Consumers Seen as Adversaries

The consuming public has the potential to become involved in the activists cause. However, this same public is often described as selfish and lazy by the social movements members. Consumers react to the movements message as one of elitist and overzealous, while others interpret their goals as attempts to limit free choices of the public. Dialogue amongst the activists also helps distinguish the members from the consumers. Conversations may contain stereotypical constructions that help with this differentiation.

Criticism
Opponents of consumer activism often represent business interests. Some businesses have brought lawsuits against consumer groups for making negative comments about their products or services. Many of the suits have been successfully defended as exercises in free speech. Some cases against consumer activists have been dismissed under anti-SLAPP laws.

Protection of Consumer Rights

Consumer protection means safeguarding the rights and interests of consumers. It includes all the measures aimed at protecting the rights and interests of consumers. Consumers need protection due to the following reasons: 1. Illiteracy and Ignorance: Consumers in India are mostly illiterate and ignorant. They do not understand their rights. A system is required to protect them from unscrupulous businessmen. 2. Unorganised Consumers: In India consumers are widely dispersed and are not united. They are at the mercy of businessmen. On the other hand, producers and traders are organized and powerful. 3. Spurious Goods: There is increasing supply of duplicate products. It is very difficult for an ordinary consumer to distinguish between a genuine product and its imitation. It is necessary to protect consumers from such exploitation by ensuring compliance with prescribed norms of quality and safety. 4. Deceptive Advertising: Some businessmen give misleading information about quality, safety and utility of products. Consumers are misled by false advertisement and do not know the real quality of advertised goods. A mechanism is needed to prevent misleading advertisements. 5. Malpractices of Businessmen: Fraudulent, unethical and monopolistic trade practices on the part of businessmen lead to exploitation of consumers. Consumers often get defective, inferior and substandard goods and poor service. Certain measures are required to protect the consumers against such malpractices. 6. Freedom of Enterprise: Businessmen must ensure satisfaction of consumers. In the long run, survival and growth of business is not possible without the support and goodwill of consumers. If business does

not protect consumers' interests, Government intervention and regulatory measures will grow to curb unfair trade practices. 7. Legitimacy for Existence: Business exists to satisfy the needs and desires of consumers. Goods are produced with the purpose of selling them. Goods will, in the long run, sell only when they meet the needs of consumers. 8. Trusteeship: Businessmen are trustees of the society's wealth. Therefore, they should use this wealth for the benefit of people. Methods of Consumer Protection There are four main methods of protecting the interests of consumers: 1. Business Self-regulation: The business community itself can help in achieving consumer protection and satisfaction through self -discipline. Businessmen can regulate their own behaviour and actions by adopting higher ethical standards. Trade associations and chambers of commerce can check unfair trade practices used by some businessmen. 2. Consumer Self-help: Every consumer must be alert as self-help is the best help. He should educate himself and know his rights. He should not allow unscrupulous businessmen to cheat him. 3. Consumers' Associations: Consumers should form voluntary associations. These associations can educate and awaken consumers. They can take organized action and put pressure on businessmen to adopt fair trade practices. 4. Government Regulations: The State can ensure consumer protection through legislative, executive and judicial actions. The laws enacted by the Government must be strictly enforced by the executive. Government of India has enacted several laws to protect the interests and rights of consumers. Some of these laws are as follows:

 The Essential Commodities Act, 1955 which aims to regulate and control the production, supply and distribution and prices of essential commodities. The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 which aims to check adulteration in food items and eatables. The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 which seeks to ensure purity and quality in drugs and cosmetics. The Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1956 which aims at ensuring that consumers get the right weight and measurement in products. The Household Electrical Appliances (Quality Control) Order, 1976 which seeks to ensure safety and quality in the manufacture of electrical appliances. The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 which seeks to provide speedy and inexpensive redressal to the grievances of consumers. Role of Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) The Bureau of Indian Standards, empowered through a legislative Act of the Indian Parliament, known as the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986, operates a product certification scheme. Till date it has granted more than 30000 licenses to manufacturers covering practically every industrial discipline from Agriculture to Textiles to Electronics. The certification allows the licencees to use the popular ISI mark, which has become synonymous with quality products for the Indian and neighbouring markets over the past 40 years. The Bureaus predecessor, the Indian Standards Institution began operating the Product Certification Scheme in 1955. About 13000 licenses are currently in operation covering about 1000 products.

BIS and Consumer Awareness

The consumer movement in India is as old as trade and commerce. Even in Kautilyas Arthashastra, there are references to the concept of consumer protection against exploitation by the trade and industry with respect to quality, short weight and measurement, adulteration etc. Till recently, there was no organized and systematic movement for safeguarding the interests of consumers. The ordinary citizen today depends on products, design and construction of which he or she may not understand. In this situation, reassurance is an overriding need; reassurance that the product is reliable and will meet the expectations of the consumers in terms of performance, safety, durability etc.

Need For Consumer Awareness

It has been observed that the people for, whom various schemes have been taken up by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), in fact, do not get benefit as expected. This is mainly because they are not fully aware of these schemes and their benefits. Also, only knowledgeable and alert consumers aware of their rights and responsibilities can protect themselves effectively. The need of the hour is, therefore, to educate the common consumers particularly those in rural areas who are more susceptible to exploitation. Once they are educated and made aware of the schemes that have been drawn up for their benefit and also the redressal forum that is available, the benefit of various schemes, in true sense, will reach the common consumers of the country. It is, therefore, our bounden duty to play our part jointly and effectively in disseminating various schemes to the common consumers of the country. In this regard, the role of the voluntary consumer organizations, consumer activists, non-governmental organizations, educational institutions and media cannot be ignored

Formulation of National Standards

BIS is engaged in formulating Indian Standards laying down parameters for the products and services. These Standards are prepared by Technical Committees that are represented by experts from various fields including scientists, technologists, manufacturers and consumers. BIS seek and encourage participation of consumer organizations in formulation of national standards.

Certification Schemes
a) Product Certification: BIS operates Product Certification Scheme that is governed by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 and Rules and Regulations framed there under. Presence of Standard Mark on product indicates conformity to the relevant Indian Standard. Before granting licence to any manufacturers, BIS ascertains the availability of required infrastructure and capability of the manufacturer to produce and test the product conforming to the relevant Indian standard on a continuous basis. Samples are also drawn from the production line as well as from market and got tested in independent laboratories to ensure their conformance to the relevant Indian Standard. i. Mandatory Certification: The BIS Certification Mark Scheme is essentially voluntary in nature. However, keeping consumers interests in view, the Central Government has made BIS Certification Scheme compulsory for items meant for mass consumption, consumer safety, health and energy conservation. As on date 133 products have been covered under the Mandatory Certification Scheme. These orders have been issued under the various acts like Essential Commodities Act, PFA Act, etc. ii. Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery: Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery is a Purity Certification Scheme of BIS. Hallmarked Jewellery has to go through stringent norms of manufacture and quality control. Hallmarked Jewellery is assessed and marked by BIS recognized Assaying & Hallmarking Centres only. The Hallmark indicates that the Jewellery articles have been

independently tested and assures that it conforms to the marked fineness. BIS logo is marked on BIS Hallmarked Jewellery along with fineness (that is 916 for 22 carat), A&HMCs logo (Assaying & Hallmarking Centres Mark) where the Jewellery has been assayed & hallmarked, Code letter that is year of hallmarking of Jewellery as decided by BIS, for example letter B denotes year 2001 and logo of BIS certified jeweller/jewellery manufacturer. iii. Certification Schemes for Imported Goods: BIS also operates two Certification Schemes for imported goods; one for the foreign manufacturers and the other for Indian importers. The Schemes are essentially similar to BIS Product Certification Schemes for domestic industry barring slight modifications necessary for operation of such schemes. The schemes for foreign manufacturer at present are being centrally operated through Central Marks Department at Headquarters and schemes for Indian importers are operated by respective ROs/BOs under whose jurisdiction Indian importer falls. It may, however, be noted that in case of 133 products covered under mandatory certification, only foreign manufacturers can seek BIS license and for products other than 133 products both foreign manufacturer and Indian importers can seek BIS license. iv. Eco Mark Scheme: BIS is operating Eco Mark Scheme for labeling of household and other consumer products which meet certain environmental criteria along with quality requirements prescribed in relevant Indian standards. (b) System Certification: In addition to Product Certification Scheme, BIS also operates following System Certification Schemes. I. Quality System Certification: BIS is operating Quality System Certification Scheme against IS/ ISO 9000 series of standards. This scheme is governed by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 and has been accredited by Raad Voor Accreditatie (RVA), Netherlands. Under

this scheme, the capability of supplier of goods or services is certified to IS/ISO 9000 series of Standards for ensuring the quality of goods and services satisfying the customer as relevant to the particular contracts entered into between the respective parties. II. Environmental Management System Certification: BIS is operating EMS Certification Scheme against IS/ISO 14000 series of Standards. III. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Scheme: BIS has also launched Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Certification Scheme against IS 15000 to ensure consistent high quality of food safety, compliance with regulations, international acceptance, global competitiveness and total customer satisfaction for the food processing units. Types of Licensing Although, the scheme itself offers voluntary licensing, the Government of India, on considerations of public health and safety, and mass consumption has enforced mandatory certification of 135 products through orders issued from time to time under various Acts. While the Bureau continues to grant licenses only on application, the enforcement of compulsory certification is done by the notified authorities. Given later in this document is a list of items brought under mandatory certification, together with the corresponding Indian Standard Number and the authorities responsible for enforcing the orders. Under separate arrangements with statutory agencies some products have been placed under special certification schemes of lot or batch inspection, carried out by BIS Inspecting officers. A majority of gas cylinders and valves are certified through such schemes. Under agreement with UNICEF, deep well hand-pumps, a critical potable water supply source for rural areas, is also licensed under a lot inspection scheme. For all other products, the manufacturer is permitted the right to self certify the products after ascertaining its conformity to the Standard licensed for.

Through its surveillance operations, the bureau maintains a close vigil on the quality of goods certified. Provision exists for sub-contracting certification surveillance activities to competent agencies in specific areas. Some steel products, rubber products and electronic products are presently under such surveillance agreements. Operational Areas The BIS Product Certification Scheme is open to manufacturers in all countries without discrimination. However, overseas certification is carried out after a suitable mutual recognition agreement has been signed with the respective country. While a license can be granted for any Indian Standard specifying product characteristics, which is amenable to certification, the broad areas of technologies now under certification are: Textiles Chemicals and Pesticides Rubber and Plastic products Cement and concrete products Basic metals and fabricated metal products Machinery and equipment\Electrical, electronics and optical equipment Automotive

components Agriculture, food, beverages and tobaccos Leather products Wood products Paper and pulp products Testing instruments Building materials Pumping, irrigation, drainage and sewage equipment Operating Principles. The BIS Product certification Scheme operates in an impartial, nondiscriminatory and transparent manner. The documents stating the powers, rights and responsibilities of BIS and the affected sectors of society are published by the Government of India as the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986, Rules and (Certification) Regulations, 1988. A compilation of these, together with the licensing procedure has also been published by the BIS and can be purchased from Director (Sales), Bureau of Indian Standards, 9 B. S. Zafar Marg, New Delhi 110 002, India for Rs.25. The specific rules for operating a license are given in another document called the Scheme of Testing and Inspection (STI), described later. Procedures provide for maintaining a very high degree of confidentiality and integrity among its personnel who perform certification related tasks. A body called the Certification Advisory Committee composed of

person from varied sectors like manufacturers, consumers, Government agencies and industries associations reviews the performance of the scheme and advises on key policy issues. Internally, a senior functionary designated as Additional Director General (Marks) is responsible for ensuring that the scheme operates within the framework of the rules and procedures established. Resources The finances of the bureau are self-managed, with certification operations accounting for more than 80 percent of the revenue. The BIS employs a staff complement of engineers, scientists and statisticians to cater to all its fields of operations. They are trained into evaluation and assessment techniques to a high degree of professional competence. All preliminary and surveillance inspections are carried out by qualified personnel only. BIS has set up eight laboratories in different cities of India for testing samples of products taken during preliminary and surveillance operations. In addition, independent laboratories that have demonstrated ability and a quality system complying with ISO Guide 25 have been recognized for testing of samples drawn. The certifications scheme operates through a network of 17 Branch Offices set up in state capitals or major industrial towns and 5 regional offices overseeing the work of the Branch Offices. PREREQUISITES FOR GRANT OF LICENCE Application The procedure for grant of BIS Certification Marks License begins with filing the application in the prescribed application form (Form I) by the manufacturer desirous of obtaining the license. A license is granted for varieties of products covered under a given Indian Standard. The forms along with the application fee of Rs.1000 are required to be submitted to the Branch Office under whose jurisdiction the manufacturing unit is located. Overseas applicants may approach the Director, Central Marks Department at BIS Head Quarters, New Delhi.

The following additional documents are required to be submitted with the application: b) c) d) e) Location map of factory and factory layout Documentation authenticating the premises of manufacture List of manufacturing equipment and testing facilities available Scheme of testing and inspection in use, or any proposed to be used, together with an undertaking to follow the scheme approved by BIS after grant of License f) An undertaking to pay the prescribed marking fee from the date of grant of license) An undertaking to follow all terms and condition of grant of license and to suspend marking with immediate effect in the event of suspension or cancellation of licensing) A flow chart describing the sequence of production and inspection stages. Registration On scrutiny, if the application is found complete in all respects, it is recorded and assigned a registration number. The application is acknowledged and the number is conveyed to the applicant for future reference. Preliminary Inspection Preliminary inspection of the unit is carried out on a mutually agreed date, which should be called within a month of registration. During this inspection the firms manufacturing capability and controls, quality control techniques, facilities available and the technical skills of the personnel are evaluated. Samples of products are tested and also drawn for testing in BIS or other independent laboratories. Preliminary visits are charged to the applicant at a uniform rate of Rs 2000 per day. A majority of inspections, depending on the size of unit and complexity of work, can be completed within a day. Testing charges have to be paid by the applicant as per the laboratories rate schedules. During the preliminary inspection, the Scheme of Testing and Inspection is discussed with the applicants management. Scheme Of Testing And Inspection The Scheme of Testing and Inspection (STI) is a document, (which specifies the control over production

process) to exercise for operating the certification marks license. This is prepared by BIS in consultation with the first applicant for the product. For subsequent applications, the applicability of the available STI is reviewed and changes are made if necessary. The STI contains, inter alia the following provisions: a) Markings to be applied on the product and the method of applying the Standard Mark. b) Definition of control unit. c) Levels of control to be applied. d) Acceptance criteria, control unit wise. e) Frequency of sampling and tests on raw materials, in process materials and finished products. f) Directions to licensees in the event of quality related problems. g) A clause requiring free replacement of goods in case a complaint in established bonafide. Grant of License A license is granted to the applicant if results of preliminary inspection and independent testing are satisfactory, and the applicant has paid the advance minimum-marking fee. The initial validity of the license is for one year, which can be extended on application for further periods of two years at a time, subject to satisfactory operation of the license. The scope of a license can be extended at any time by adding more varieties covered by the Indian Standard, after due testing. Supervisory Controls over Licensees Performance After the grant of license, the manufacturer is authorized to mark his products on condition that he implements the STI fully, his products conform to the Indian Standard and he maintains a record of tests carried out. Post certification controls are exercised through surveillance inspections at the

licensees unit periodically. During these inspections, thorough technical auditing of the quality control system is carried out with reference to the STI document. Samples of current production are tested, and also drawn for testing in BIS or independent laboratories. Additional controls are maintained by drawing market samples and getting them tested in independent laboratories. The results of inspections and product testing are communicated to the licensee as appropriate with suitable advices. Marking can be stopped if consistent deficiencies are observed. License is renewed at the end of its validity after a review of past performance. A license can be suspended or cancelled following serious discrepancies, particularly if the product does not conform to the Indian Standard. Other Product Certification Schemes Besides the normal product certifications scheme, BIS also grants licenses to environment friendly products under special scheme and awards the ECO MARK to such products. These products should conform to additional requirements specified in the Indian Standards to qualify. BIS is a National Certifying Body (issuing and recognizing) under the IEC System for Conformity testing and certification of electrical products (IECEE). The Product categories for which BIS has IECEE acceptance are: cables and chords; capacitors as components; low voltage high power switching equipment; installation protective equipment; electronics. BIS is the National Authorized Institution and the National Standards Organization under the IEC System of Quality Assessment of Electronic components (IECQ) BIS acts as the surveillance agency for certifications granted by Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) in India.

Fees Schedule for grant of license Marking fee A schedule has been drawn giving the marking fee rates for each product. The marking fee comprises of a fixed element, which is the minimum payable amount per annum. A unit rate is also chargeable concurrently on the quantum of production marked. If the amount calculated on unit rate basis exceeds the minimum marking fee, that fees becomes chargeable i) ii) iii) iv) v) Application fee (non-refundable) Rs.100 Application fee for renewal of License Rs.500 Testing charges for independent testing Variable Inspection Charges (per day) Rs.200 Marking fee Variable Annual license fee Rs.100

Penalties for spurious marking: Under section 22(1) of the BIS Act 1986, any person who contravenes the provisions of Section 11, Section12, Section14 or Section 15 shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with a fine, which may extend to Rs.50000 or with both.

DATA ANALYSIS
Q.1 : Gender-wise respondent : Male Female : : 72 28

40% Durale product Home Product 60%

Interpretation :
Most of respondent are male only interested to give the answer of Consumer awareness. Some Females (home maker) has also interested to about the awareness of Consumer Protection.

Q.2 : Age wise Respondents : 20-25 25-30 30-40 40-50 : : : : 24 40 20 16

5% 9%

Durale product Home Product 52% 34% Vehicle Seeds

Interpretation :
Age-wise respondent 25-30 are highest involved to protect all consumer and 20-25 as youth aware of all this awareness, 40-50 mostly housewise, she knows to consumer awareness how its raising a protection to India.

Q.3 : How do you know about Consumer Awareness : Jago Grahak Jago ISI Mark Hallmark National Schemes Other : : : : : 38 15 12 8 28

7% 5% 8% Durale product 48% Home Product Vehicle Seeds Other 32%

Interpretation :
Mostly respondent aware about Jago Grahak Jago and other way also know through of friends relatives and other, some respondent knows ISI Mark and Hallmark..

Q.4 : Have you claimed any products : Durable Products Home Product Vehicle Seeds Other : : : : : 48 32 8 5 7

7% 5% 8% Durale product 48% Home Product Vehicle Seeds Other 32%

Interpretation :
Mostly respondent bought and claimed Durable products, 34% home products and some to seed and other is also claimed to consumer protection.

Q.5 Do you purchase the same brand every time?

tatistics HOUSE PACKED MOSQUITO CLEANING SOA TOOTHPAST MASAL PICKL REPELLEN PRODUCT P E A E T S N Valid Missin g 80 22 60 42 45 57 35 67 30 72 65 37

Frequency Table

SOAP Frequenc y Percent Valid yes no Total Missing .00 System Total Total 20 60 80 20 2 22 102 19.6 58.8 78.4 19.6 2.0 21.6 100.0 Valid Percent 25.0 75.0 100.0 Cumulative Percent 25.0 100.0

TOOTHPASTE Frequenc y Percent Valid yes no Total Missing .00 System Total Total 35 25 60 40 2 42 102 34.3 24.5 58.8 39.2 2.0 41.2 100.0 Valid Percent 58.3 41.7 100.0 Cumulative Percent 58.3 100.0

PACKED MASALA Frequenc y Percent Valid yes no Total Missing .00 System Total Total 20 25 45 55 2 57 102 19.6 24.5 44.1 53.9 2.0 55.9 100.0 Valid Percent 44.4 55.6 100.0 Cumulative Percent 44.4 100.0

PICKLE Valid Percent 57.1 42.9 100.0 Cumulative Percent 57.1 100.0

Frequency Percent Valid yes no Total Missing .00 Total 20 15 35 65 100 20.0 15.0 35.0 65.0 100.0

MOSQUITO REPELLENT Frequenc y Percent Valid yes no Total Missing .00 System Total Total 25 5 30 70 2 72 102 24.5 4.9 29.4 68.6 2.0 70.6 100.0 Valid Percent 83.3 16.7 100.0 Cumulative Percent 83.3 100.0

HOUSE CLEANING PRODUCTS Frequenc y Percent Valid yes no Total Missing .00 System Total Total 30 35 65 35 2 37 102 29.4 34.3 63.7 34.3 2.0 36.3 100.0 Valid Percent 46.2 53.8 100.0 Cumulative Percent 46.2 100.0

48% 52%

YES NO

INTERPRETATION:

Soap: 75% of the respondents said that they do not purchase the same brand every time while 25 % said that they do purchase the same brand every time. Toothpaste: 41.7% of the respondents said that they do not purchase the same brand every time while 58.3 % said that they do purchase the same brand every time. Packed Masala: 55.1% of the respondents said that they do not purchase the same brand every time while 44.9 % said that they do purchase the same brand every time. Pickle: 42.9% of the respondents said that they do not purchase the same brand every time while 57.1 % said that they do purchase the same brand every time. Mosquito Repellent: 16.7% of the respondents said that they do not purchase the same brand every time while 83.3 % said that they do purchase the same brand every time. House Cleaning Products: 53.8% of the respondents said that they do not purchase the same brand every time while 46.2 % said that they do purchase the same brand every time. Overall: 52% of the respondents said that they do not purchase the same brand every time while 48 % said that they do purchase the same brand every time.

Q.6 Why do you change your brand? Case Processing Summary Cases Valid N Why change soap * income Why change toothpaste * income Why change packed masala * income Why change pickle * income Why change mosquito repellent * income Why change cleaning products * income 75 Percent 73.5% N 25 Missing Percent 26.5% N 100 Total Percent 100.0%

60

58.8%

40

41.2%

100

100.0%

46

45.1%

54

54.9%

100

100.0%

35

34.3%

65

65.7%

100

100.0%

30

29.4%

70

70.6%

100

100.0%

65

63.7%

35

36.3%

100

100.0%

Why change soap * income Cross tabulation income less than 25000 Why change schemes soap trial better quality Total 10 0 10 2600050000 10 0 15 5100075000 4 0 11 more than 75000 Total 5 0 10 29 5 41

20

25

15

15

75

Q7. Why change toothpaste * income Cross tabulation

income less than 25000 whychangetoothpaste schemes trial better quality Total 6 0 4 2600050000 18 3 4 5100075000 1 3 11 more than 75000 Total 0 0 10 25 6 29

10

25

15

10

60

PACKED MASALA * income Cross tabulation Count income less than 25000 PACKED MASALA schemes trial better quality Total 11 7 2 2600050000 3 0 3 5100075000 4 0 6 more than 75000 Total 0 5 5 18 12 16

20

10

10

46

PICKLE * income Crosstabulation Count income less than 25000 PICKLE schemes trial better quality Total 10 3 2 2600050000 5 0 5 5100075000 1 0 4 more than 75000 0 0 5

Total 16 3 16

15

10

35

Why change mosquito repellent * income Cross tabulation Count income less than 25000 whychangemosquito trial better quality Total 5 10 2600050000 0 10 5100075000 0 5

Total 5 25

15

10

30

Why change cleaning * income Cross tabulation Count income less than 25000 whychangecleaning schemes trial better quality Total 10 10 5 2600050000 5 0 5 5100075000 15 0 0 more than 75000 Total 0 5 10 30 15 20

25

10

15

15

65

INTERPRETATION:

Soap: The cross tabulation of the reason of changing a brand with the income of the respondent in the soap category shows that there is a change in the reason with increasing income of the respondent. 6 out of 10 respondents of income less than 25,000 say the they change brand due to the promotional schemes while only 5 out of 15 respondents of more than 75,000 category claim so.

Toothpaste: The cross tabulation of the reason of changing a brand with the income of the respondent in the toothpaste category shows that there is a change in the reason with increasing income of the respondent. 6 out of 10 respondents of income less than 25,000 say the they change brand due to the promotional schemes while only 0 out of 10 respondents of more than 75,000 category claim so.

Packed Masala: The cross tabulation of the reason of changing a brand with the income of the respondent in the packed masala category shows that there is a change in the reason with increasing income of the respondent. 11 out of 20 respondents of income less than 25,000 say the they change brand due to the promotional schemes while only 0 out of 10 respondents of more than 75,000 category claim so.

Pickle: The cross tabulation of the reason of changing a brand with the income of the respondent in the pickle category shows that there is a change in the reason with increasing income of the respondent. 10 out of 15 respondents of income less than 25,000 say the they change brand due to the promotional schemes while only 0 out of 5 respondents of more than 75,000 category claim so.

Mosquito Repellent: The cross tabulation of the reason of changing a brand with the income of the respondent in the mosquito repellent category shows that there is a change in the reason with increasing income of the respondent. 10 out of 15 respondents of income less than 25,000 say the they change brand due to the better quality while all 5 respondents of more than 75,000 category claim so.

House Cleaning Products: The cross tabulation of the reason of changing a brand with the income of the respondent in the house cleaning products category shows that there is a change in the reason with increasing income of the respondent. 10 out of 25 respondents of income less than 25,000 say the they change brand due to the promotional schemes while only 0 out of 15 respondents of more than 75,000 category claim so.

LIMITATIONS

Maintain the full recipe of each and every dish on your menus Give actual and standard cost of ingredients while entering recipes and get the recipe cost

What if analysis on recipe costing Shift -wise liquor analysis Bifurcation of cost on the basis of Food and Beverage Keep track other Food and Beverage consumption; e.g. Staff meals, Banquets

Integrates with InnMat - Materials Management Systems for item cost Integrates with InnTap - Point of Sale, for consumption of recipe Interfaces with any other point of sale and materials management systems, if protocols are available

SUGESTION AND RECOMMENDATION

Required those who prepare them to think carefully and document exactly what their product requirements are : There is a great need of making the consumers aware about their rights; In general the consumers are ignorant about their rights; The Government is also not making sufficient attempts to make the consumers aware; Certain rules and regulations are still needed to protect the consumers; Let us all unite to be ware of poor quality, poor service and poor after sales care etc. Leave no doubt in suppliers minds about what they are quoting on thus reducing or eliminating misunderstanding between supplier and establishment. Eliminate, for frequently purchased items, the time that over the telephone or directly to sales persons each time the product is needed Permit competitive bidding. Allow the person responsible for receiving to check the quantity of delivered goods against a written description of the quality desired To establish a buying standard for a particular commodity for an establishment. To inform the supplier, in writing, precisely what the purchaser requires. To establish a common denominator between the purchasing officer and the approved suppliers for settling the price of a commodity. To inform the receiving clerks and the store-man what to accept. To obtain a standard product for the production and selling departments can be more accurate. In a commercial foodservice, the weekend dinner meal is often a peak time.

An operation serving primarily a lunch crowd in a business area, however may have very low volume in the evening. In a university residence hall foodservice, a school lunchroom, and some other foodservice operation, customer participation is much more predictable.

Some unusual problems occur in scheduling for a foodservice operation. The hours between breakfast and dinner in a three meal-a-day operation do not lend themselves to two full shifts. The manager needs to determine the type of work schedule that would be best for the operation. Overtime increases labor costs and should be carefully investigated before approval. Three types of work schedules, master and production must be made by the foodservice manager. The master schedules shows days on and off duty and vacations. The shift schedule will indicate the position and hours worked and may indicate the number of days wor.ked per week; it also lists relief assignments for positions when regular workers are off.

CONCLUSION

Consumers Awareness rights is important to all inhabitants, because everybody buys commodities and uses services. That is why it is essential to everyone that his or her rights are protected while making purchases so that commodities one buys are safe and do not harm ones health or danger ones life, so that information given is complete and real, so that advertisements are not misleading, so that there are no unjust provisions of the contracts and so that consumers can exercise their rights. Consumer Rights Protection Centre (CRPC) insures operation of Consumer Rights Protection Law, Advertising Law, Law on the Safety of Goods and Services, Law On Information Society Services, as well as other laws and many regulations of Cabinet of Ministers, that regulate consumer rights, in Latvia. To insure implementation of functions entrusted to us, CRPC main tasks and directions of activity are as follows: 1) Supervising and controlling of the market: supervising commerce of non-food consumer goods (except medical commodities, medicaments, veterinary medicaments, cosmetics,

veterinary-pharmaceutical products, animal care products, house-hold use chemical substances and chemical products) Supervising of information about commodities and services, as well as information given by manufacturers, vendors or providers of services, for it to be in compliance with laws and regulations. Supervising of correct determination of food and non-food consumer goods weight and size, correct calculation of commoditys price, as well as supervising of prices indication procedure Supervising of services

 Supervising of e-commerce and e-business providing of information, fulfillment of contract, etc. Organization and coordination of cooperation between supervision and control institutions involved in implementation of state policy about protection of consumer rights and nongovernmental organizations of consumers rights protection. 2) Reviewing of consumer complaints about violation of consumer rights, inter alia: Rendering of assistance to consumers in solving of conflicts with manufacturers, vendors and providers of services Requiring of fulfillment of lawful demands of consumers Controlling of procedure how consumer declares claim about commodity or service, which is improper to provision of the contract. Controlling of organization of commoditys or services expertise. To make a decision about fulfillment of lawful demands of consumers. Accordingly to competence of CRPC, to create, to maintain and to update data base of expertise performers Providing legal aid to consumers regarding their rights 3) Protection of consumers economical interests supervision of advertising and supervising of contracts projects and contracts which consumers conclude with manufacturers, vendors and providers of services to comply with consumers rights, inter alia: To perform actions planned in laws and regulations, so that manufacturer, vendor or provider of service changed project of the contract or terminated fulfillment of provisions of contract, when unjust or unclear provisions are found in project of the contract or in concluded contract To verify the consideration of procedure for undertaking, execution and implementation of warranty obligations

 To supervise being in compliance with laws and regulations of crediting contracts, distance contracts and other contracts To verify if contracts concluded by consumers include procedure given in laws and regulations for announcement and exploitation of refusal rights To evaluate compliance with laws and regulations of providing of complex tourism services. Protection of consumers collective interests Protection of air passengers rights Supervising of e-commerce and e-business providing of information, fulfillment of contract, etc. To evaluate compliance with laws and regulations of advertising and to make according decisions. 4) 5) Information of consumers and entrepreneurs Supervising of State metrology supervising of measuring instruments and control of prepacked commodities 6) Representation of consumer right in other fields, for example, protecting collective consumer rights in fields, not in direct responsibility of CRPC use of public services, rent relations, use of construction services etc. (at present not done because of lack of financial resources)

BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOK Marketing Management Research Methodology Human Resource Magazine Value Line Domestic Products Business World Website
www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/...consumer-protection.../conclusion consumeraffairs.nic.in/ businesscasestudies.co.uk/dsg...consumer-protection.../conclusion.html www.musat.ro/pdf/capitoleeng2012/13-Consumer-Protection.pdf www.cftc.gov/consumerprotection/index.htm www.commerce.wa.gov.au/consumerprotection/ www.ncpw.gov/ www.consumer.tn.gov.in/ ncdrc.nic.in/

Phillip Kotler Kooper Aswathapa