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| Mary Szela Photo Credit: Foxnews.com |
Pharmaceutical executives, like Mary Szela of Abbott, would likely perceive a partnership between consumer activists and marketers as a promising step toward a more responsible and socially conscious consumerism.
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| Mary Szela Photo Credit: Globalleadershipdesign.com |
Functioning as watchdogs, consumer activists observe unfair and unhealthy economic activities and make efforts to raise awareness intended for consumer protection. They aim to positively influence buying decision, to supplement government efforts, and to try to curb various trading malpractices by cooperating with market, judicial, and economic-oriented systems. As catalysts of change, they envision a society with an improved quality of life and without the clutter of irresponsible advertisement and marketing pursuits. With their range of extensive demands, consumer activists have become high-profile yet significant figures in this era of affluence and increasing consumerism.
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| Mary Szela Photo Credit: Multi-culturalsolutions.com |
Socially aware corporate executives like Mary Szela respond to the call of activists by making public relations and social responsibility the core aspects of their business. These executives don’t wait for active consumers to articulate the flaws of their practices. They immediately scrutinize their actions and identify ways to improve their operations as a means to augment advocacy toward a more disciplined economy. They try harder to empower people to instigate changes in their own lives and contribute more for an improved quality of life.
Mary Szela is the SVP of Abbott’s Pharmaceutical Products Group. Learn more about her at Investing.Businessweek.com.
