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Jewish World Review August 27, 2008 / 26 Menachem-Av 5768 Easier way to fight corporate abuses By Vicki Lee Parker
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT) Consumers often tell me that they feel powerless against big corporations. It's hard to know which companies have a reputation for treating customers well and which ones are doing things that respect the environment, for instance. Last week, one consumer group made getting such information a lot easier. Co-op America expanded its Responsible Shopper Web site to include more tools to answer questions about businesses, see how corporations rank next to their competitors and even how to fight big business. The site, responsibleshopper.org, already was getting about 2 million visits a year - enough to get the attention of any company. Now, with the enhancements, program director Todd Larson said he hopes visits will increase to 3 million. Larson said the mission is simple: Expose corporate abuses and enlist consumers to help clean up corporations. "The No. 1 goal was to create the Web's most powerful one-stop information resource for concerned consumers," Larson said. ResponsibleShopper rates more than 150 companies, including big names such as Wal-Mart, Exxon, Disney, Hanes, General Electric and Coca-Cola. What's helpful about the site is that companies are ranked in 27 industry categories based on research and analysis completed by the co-op staff. So when you look up a company whose operations cover several industries, such as GE, you see rankings by category, such as athletic ware, appliances, banking and financial, beauty and body care and big-box retailers. You also can get information about the company's business operation, learn about consumer campaigns and get alerts about ethical, labor, environmental and animal-testing concerns. It has contact information if you want to send a letter or complaint, and the site lists company affiliates and the latest news. When a company is analyzed, Larson said, Co-op America's staff focuses on specific issues, such as human rights, social justice and environmental sustainability. Navigating the site is a breeze. You aren't bombarded with loads of information on the main page. Instead you find tabs labeled "learn," "act" and "live." If you want to read about a company or industry, click "learn." If you want to see the latest campaigns or help fight corporate abuses, click "act." And if you want to know how to live and shop in an environmentally sound way, click "live." The fonts are large and easy to read - no straining to make out small type - and sections are clearly marked. The best part about sites like this: They make it harder for companies to operate in a vacuum. If a company pollutes a river in a small Midwestern town, people all over the world can learn about it. Another plus: These sites take away consumers' excuses for not complaining about bad corporate behavior. Sure, it's hard for one customer to apply pressure to a big corporation, but I doubt any company can ignore 3 million people. Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here. Vicki Lee Parker is a columnist for The News & Observer. Comment by clicking here.
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