Outline the Ways in Which Rubbish Can Be Said to Have Value in a Consumer Society

To me personally, value is when something is worth the money to me or holds extreme value. If I feel like it is not worth whatever the price tag is in the long run it is not worth it and I will not get it. Also when I have had an item for awhile it can often increase in value because it not only is the item itself, but it holds all of the memories from the past times I’ve used or worn the item.

Value is a subjective domain. What is insignificant to one is priceless to another. In that subjectivity, one tends to measure value in cost- what would you give for this? Some things come cheap, a minute of your day, a dollar of your savings. Others demand more, a piece of your soul, your mortal life altogether.

Outline the ways in which rubbish can be said to have value in a consumer society.

Conspicuous consumption leads to the devaluing of rubbish through replacing old with new, but it also ties in nicely with Thompson's 'rubbish theory'. Antiques and collectables are viewed with higher status as they move from 'transient' to 'durables' and their value increases. Thompson explains how rubbish is a transforming process, and is in itself a changing concept. He explains that sociologically, rubbish can be revalued, with reference to 'aesthetic revaluation' (Brown, 2009, p130) and 'eccentric' revaluations' (Brown, 2009, p126). Thompson's notion of zero-value is elastic, but explains how valuing rubbish changes over time, and how something with no value now, could potentially have greater

These are better known as demand factors. According to Kerin & Hartley (2017, p. 359) they are factors that determine consumers' willingness and ability to pay for products and services. In the case of the first time guitar buyers they will be affected by all three-demand factors greatly: price and availability, income, and their own personal tastes. The first time buyer will be looking for the most bangs for the buck, instant gratification, expandability, and something they will be proud to utilize. Where as (b) sophisticated musician who wants a signature model it all about aesthetic and ability to have a rare item. In some case consumer income takes low priority. If the product is too expensive they will delay purchase. Sophisticated musician often have brand loyalty and searching for a specific sound quality that comes from that brand. For instance, when I purchased my first DSLR camera price was the main factor in selecting a camera. However as a professional, consumer income is not a major factor because the income from my sales pays for the equipment. Now I look for a specific effect that is render by each lens combination and prime f/1.4 lens are pricey. Also when it comes to a signature model or the company’s flagship model people have no issue paying more.

Value at the store is a big difference from the value of a person’s life, because one has a price tag like a dollar. The other is a person’s life of what they have done, and what they have accomplished, or what they are valuable for. An insect should have the same value as a lion, because if an ant is killed nobody cares, but in some places if a lion gets killed there are fines for that. On Earth the most important value is a human life, but some people take that for granet, and murder people like there value is nothing.

A huge issue with mass consumerism is the amount of waste it creates. This increasing demand for consumables is creating unnecessary pollution and byproducts. With the latest advances in technology being produced at such an alarming rate, products eventually get cast off and people are pressured to keep up with the supply of new, more luxurious items. Much of our waste problem is to be accounted for by the intentional flimsiness and unrepair-ability of the labor-saving devices and gad­gets that we have become addicted to (Berry, 1997). Unfortunately for us, this leads to bigger and bigger piles of trash. Additionally, our lack of recycling is astonishing and

Outline the view that in a consumer society, rising affluence is associated with more waste and greater recycling.

* Value – over time physical assets are devalued or depreciated as a result of wear and tear, and improved technology, however, with organizations investing in training and development of its employees, there is an increase in the value and contribution of employees over time.

“The point of objectivity with respect to value runs the risk of having value behind altogether. We may reach a standpoint so removed from the perspective of human life that all we can do is to observe: nothing seems to have a value of the kind it appears to have from inside and all we can see is human desires, human striving – human valuing as an activity or condition”2

One of the theories that is used to explain this trend in the market is the one exposed by Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations. Smith generally assumed that the supply price was fixed but that it’s "merit" (value) would decrease as it’s "scarcity" increased, creating the law of demand (Smith 57). In this case we can

As discussed in the text (Dybvig, 2010), “value is not inherent in the commodity, good, or service to which it is ascribed. Rather, it is created in the minds of the individual who make up the market. The relationships that create value are complex, and values change when the factors that influence value change” (p. 2.1). There are a variety of factors that affect the

Singer discusses the question of intrinsic value and to whom it pertains. Are humans the only sentient beings who have interests that matter or do we as a society also perceive value in non-human beings? To answer this, we need to examine the meaning of intrinsic value. Something of intrinsic value is good or desirable in itself and in contrast, instrumental value is a means to some other end or purpose. An example of intrinsic value would be our own happiness because we desire it for its own sake. Money, on the other hand, is of only instrumental value to us because we want it only for the thing we can buy with it.

Waste is seen as a sign of human success, where the more waste that is generated the wealthier the human population is (Bulkeley, H et al 2009). The world produces enough food to provide for twice the number of the present population which is ironic looking at the global number of malnourished people. Politically, the more we buy the better our economy will be, but finding the balance between economic development and environmental sustainability is key to extending the social, cultural and economic lives of things (Bulkeley, H et al 2009). Downs (1972) states that “environmental problems have a life cycle where there is an increase in people becoming motivated to make a change, but as time goes on they lose interest and abandon all effort” (Eden, S 2005). In this essay we will look at how the human population needs to take responsible actions to help humanity and the environment. The John McIntyre Conference Center is an example used to show how food waste management is implemented on a local scale. It shows how much food waste Edinburgh University students discarded without taking into consideration the future health and environmental hazards. The “JMCC” have taken steps to ensure a level of education regarding food waste for the students and staff, as well as investing in improved policies and equipment to limit wastage. We then go one step further and look at how the Scottish Government has implemented sustainable policies for Edinburgh households and their effectiveness.

these scholars value of an object is a subjective thing and depends on its diminishing