Consumer relations is a critical issue in business today. Customers look towards businesses to provide them with safe, satisfying products and to respect their rights as consumers. The four main rights for consumers concerning consumer relations are right to safety, right to be informed, right to choose, right to be heard (Business –A changing world., p. 55).
“I personally am deeply sorry that we have broken the trust of our customers and public” said Mr. Winterkorn, the former CEO of Volkswagen (Boston et al., 2015). This statement made by him shows …show more content…
The software activated full emissions controls during testing but reduces the effectiveness during regular driving. As a result, the cars emit nitrogen oxides at up to 40 times more than the allowable standard. The software enables cars to get better fuel economy at the cost of higher nitrogen oxide emissions (Boston et al., 2015). Volkswagen tried to sell their cars saying their cars had better performance and lower emissions but they did not mention the nitrogen emissions. Emission of up to 40 times more nitrogen by Volkswagen cars was a bad hit for the environment. More than half a million diesel cars in the U.S and eleven million cars worldwide emitted 40 times more nitrogen than the standard set by the EPA. Volkswagen made the world more polluted for personal gain. They lost their morals in the quest for growth (Neil, 2015). Their cars were more fuel efficient at the expense of releasing excess nitrogen. Excess nitrogen causes eutrophication and it can be extremely harmful if it seeps into drinking water supply, even at low levels. Volkswagen damaged sustainability goals set by countries for example, the U.S 2007 Federal Energy bill raised the average fuel economy to 35 mpg for cars by 2020 for sustainability purpose. The use of the defeat device