Consumer policy in the less developed countries : a Saudi Arabian context

• Main Author: Habib, Raad Abdul-Kareem
• Published: University of Strathclyde 1988
• Subjects: 330; Consumerism in Saudi Arabia
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.382380

Consumer policy of the developed countries might not fit the needs of the consumer of the less developed countries. The researcher contends that the less developed countries should be more concerned with macro issues rather than micro ones. The main objective of this dissertation is to assess the role of the free market system in protecting the consumers interest. This has been performed by investigating the field of passenger cars in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. Two consumer surveys were carried out: One in Saudi Arabia in the period April-June 1987, and the other in the United Kingdom in the period August-September 1987. The findings of the consumer surveys support the concept that the more the economic system is oriented towards the market system, the more the augmentation of the consumer interest. It was found that a relation exists between consumer awareness, the levels of education and income as well as the environmental factors. Therefore, the best policy of the less developed countries to adopt is to accept the free market system, to increase productivity and to improve the educational standards of the consumer. Since it was found that bureaucracy discourages the consumers from claiming their rights, simplifying government procedures rather than overregulation should augment the consumer's interest. The findings of this dissertation do not present a new theory or support others, but they contribute more understanding to the consumer issues in the less developed countries.