1.
Abstract
The topic for the assignment is consumerism issues of Sunway Group. The importance of
consumerism or consumer movement has been founded. The introduction of McDonalds
describes the background of McDonalds. The consumerism issues encountered by Sunway
Group is about incident happen at Sunway Lagoon (safety issue), crime case increase at
Sunway Pyramid and Bandar Sunway (criminal issue) and insufficient parking slot at Monash
University Sunway Campus (parking issue). In conclusion, the report provided responses and
action taken by Sunway Group to solve the issues and some effective constructive response
recommended have been proposed.
2. Introduction
2.1 Comprehensive reviews on the importance of consumerism or consumer movement
According to McMillan Lexicon (1985) Consumerism is an exchanged relationship
between organizations and consumers in order to protect the consumers. In order to protect
the consumer rights, there is a set of activities that designed by the government, business and
independent organization. While The Chambers Reference (1993) proofs that Consumerism
is interest of consumers have to be protected when they purchase goods and services. The
purpose of consumerism is to regulate the products and services, standardize the method set
by the business in a voluntary code of conduct. In summary, redress, restitution and remedy
are the results that the consumers want to see in the consumerism process to release their
dissatisfaction and frustration through the allorganised and unorganised efforts. In conclusion,
consumers right that in relation to the goods and services that offered by the sellers can
protected by social movement.
Nowadays, consumer is main factor of any business. They can lead the organization
whether to be success or failure. Therefore, business, government and society will be
benefited or affected by the consumers satisfaction as well. Consumerism is to enhance the
social welfare and consumers satisfaction in order to make our society have a better place to
stay.
There are various components of consumerism. Self-protection by consumer is the
first component. Consumers must always remember of their consumer right in order to voice
out when they face dissatisfaction of the products and services that offered by business. The
effectiveness of consumerism can be determined by the consumers consciousness. Every
consumer has to protect themselves by identify the consumers right. Another element of
consumer movement is Voluntary Consumer Organisation need to educate the consumers
about their rights and encourage them to protect their interest when purchasing products and
services. Realisation of business is an important factor for the success of consumerism
because there is no substitute for Revoluntary self-regulations. The consumers will easily feel
satisfied although little attention made by the business when they voice out their
consumerism issue. In order reduce the consumerism happen rates, some business will come
out their own code of conduct to discipline their activities. Regulation of business through
legislation by the organization can also protect the consumers right. (Sriram M &Dr. A. M.
Suresh, November 2013)
2.2 Company Background Introduction
Sunway Group founded in 1974 as a tin-mining company has grow to become one of
Malaysias largest and most powerful property construction group with a combination of the
market value of nearly RM12 billion. Sunway spans 50 locations worldwide with a 14,000
strong employee base with twelve business divisions. The 12 business sectors are property,
construction, retail, catering, leisure, healthcare, education, trade and manufacturing,
quarrying, construction materials, commercial and real estate investment trust (REIT).
Sunway REIT is Malaysias largest growing assets, including one of a portfolio in a matter of
Malaysian retail, hotel and office REIT envious of. It also incorporated in December 2010.
Sunway vision is to become a leading regional real estate construction group. It held
mainly by the core business of real estate and construction-driven numerous leadership
positions. As become the regions leading real estate construction groups vision, we
constantly innovate to create value, build synergies and sustainable relationships to achieve
the highest standards of quality and excellence. Sunway have three mission included
innovating to create value, building synergistic and sustainable relationships and achieving
the highest standards of quality and excellence. Firstly, innovation and value creation to
support our unremitting efforts to promote positive and sustainable change in the way and
operate to delivering value for all our stakeholders. Secondly, create synergies and
sustainable relationship is the companys nurturing our people, development and external
parties including the cornerstone of meaningful spiritual relationship our business partners
and customers achieve business goals while maintaining the interests of our stakeholders.
Lastly, to achieve the highest standards of quality and excellence that we adhere and remain
keen founding values.
Sunway makes higher goals and to reach the best quality and the pursuit of excellence
in the strategic business objectives of individual and collective efforts. Our purpose, vision
and mission are synonymous with the whole group. Since 1974, Sunway has been built on a
solid foundation of the three core values: Integrity, Humility and Excellence. As the primary
cell developer, Sunway continue to consolidate live, learn, work, play and stay connected
with our construction, real estate, retail, leisure, healthcare, education and health and safety of
other members of the community.
3. Comprehensive Discussion on Consumerism Issue
3.1 Incident happen at Sunway Amusement Park (Safety Issue)
Sunway Lagoon is an amusement park in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This park is under
Sunway Berhad. Sunway Lagoon continually received many complaints, mostly related to
safety issue. These issues could estrange consumers and affect the company's image and
reputation.
As being one of the most popular amusement park in Malaysia, it is important that the
company should always make sure that the equipments used by the consumer is always in
safety condition. This is because millions of people will use the equipment to play again and
again. However, one of the safety issue happened in 1997. 29-year-old Madam Siti Arfah
Sheikh Mohamed Dom died, after she was flung out of the Runaway Train ride. Her husband,
Mr Jubli Mohamed Said Taral, who took the ride with her, was also thrown out of the
carriage but managed to cling onto the steel railing (The Straits Times, 2014).
Other than that, the visitor from Khartoum also complaints that when she was riding
in one of slides. Suddenly, the balloon slept her and the balloon fall down from 40meters
hitting her head inside the slide. The same issue had happened twice in a year. This will make
the image of the park dropped (2013).
Another case is about the safety issue of the workers who working in the Sunway
Lagoon. The visitor from Thailand complaints that when the workers repairing the walls, they
hanging high by a rope with no safety net (2011). The company should make sure that all the
workers who repair the walls must have a safety net when they repair. If the workers do not
use the safety net when repair the walls, the company will take action to the workers.
3.2 Insufficient Parking Slot at Monash University University (Parking Issue)
There have an insufficient parking slot issue Monash University Sunway Campus.
The students who study at Monash University are feeling agitated and unhappy because there
are lacking of parking space on campus although they had paid a high tuition fee for it. Some
students blame toward the Universitys administration about their lack of planning. They feel
that if the institution anticipated there will keeping increasing the larger of student in the
future, the university should prepare a good plan in order to solve the lack of parking
problem. Moreover, the students are forced to park their car illegally on the roads around the
Sunway area. Some of them had received traffic summons from either the police or the
Subang Jaya Municipal Council because of illegal parking.
The manager of the Occupational Safety and Health department, Mr. Pramekumar a/l
V.N Parameswaran Nair had acknowledge that problem of insufficient parking space on the
campus for the students to park. The population of Monashs students is more than 5000
people in year 2016. This situation will make the students and staff inconvenient even making
them coming late to the class.
Another division to this issue should be investigated is the student as consumers
welfare. As it seems to be, the parking spots are now limited and numerous of students have
to park outside the campus. The harassment problem that happen on the female students
should be concerned by Sunway especially when they walk from the parking area that outside
the campus. The female student always complained that they had been harassed by the
worker who works at the automobile workshops. Those men always whistled at the students
when they walk to and from campus.
During the construction site that close to the paid parking area, the unaccepted
behaviour like whistled at, sneered at or block her way that done by the construction workers
like foreign worker had been complained by the female students. They may feel unsecured
about their own safety especially when they walk alone go the campus.
3.3 Crime issue happen at Sunway Pyramid and Bandar Sunway (Criminal Issue)
Consumerism always one of the main issue encountered by a company, a successful
company have to overcome its consumerism with suitable action, creating a strong
competitiveness company.Sunway is facing problem of rising crime rate in their company
area such as Sunway Pyramid, Bandar Sunway and so on.
Sunway pyramid, Malaysia first shopping and entertainment mall, develop by Sunway
Berhad. As Sunway pyramid opened, it attracts a lot of consumer and also theres many
university and college nearby Sunway pyramid, which provide it huge group of customer.
Unfortunately, the robber uses this opportunity in a different way. The crime cases happen in
Sunway pyramid are the main problem faced by the company right now. All of the customer
visit Sunway Pyramid to shop or enjoy their free time, they come with joy and gladness but
now they have to think twice before they do so. The increasing crime rate causes the
consumer worry about their own safety and belongings when they shop in Sunway pyramid.
The stakeholder affected by this is the customer, the robber usually set customer as the main
target especially when the customer is walking alone.
In year 2012, there is a robbery case happen in parking lot of Sunway pyramid; the
robbers disregard the security guard in the parking lot and robbed the Chinese couple. The
robber even tried to molest the lady, the victim Mr.Lee, a hairstylist give robber all his money
and phone in order to protect his girlfriend. He lost RM4000 in few minutes. Afterwards, the
security guard of Sunway reached within one minutes. The security department of Sunway
claims that theres an emergency button set at parking lot, the security guard will come
immediately after customer press the button. But most of the customer doesnt know about
this facility. The crime had causes reputation of Sunway Pyramid fallen. Many people might
choose another shopping mall to shop; Sunways sales will drop if they didnt overcome this
issue.
Besides that, Bandar Sunway was facing the problem of robbery too. A suspect was
accidentally shot in a botched robbery by his gang member after the victim put up a fight near
Bandar Sunway. The victim was walking to his car at the parking lot, with a sling bag around
his shoulder. Then, four young men tried to rob him; one of them pointed a gun at the victim's
stomach and demanded himto hand over his gold ring and bag. Instead, the victim put up a
fight as he was handing over the bag.The victim grabbed the suspect's hand with the gun and
a struggle ensued. Another suspect in the car tried to help but ended up getting shot in the
right thigh (September 2015).
What could be more worrying when the robber is arm with gunfire? Lives of people
are threatened. Poor safety ensure of Bandar Sunway have been a serious issue,people have to
be caution to protect themselves. In a nutshell, Sunway Berhad has the responsible to solve
all these issue in order to maintain its reputation and benefits. Nobody will deal with a poor
management companies.
4. Conclusion
Sunway Company had taken the actions and responses to overcome the consumerism issues
mentioned in order to protect the rights of consumers and to ensure that they have a better
lifestyle.
4.1 Solving Insufficient Parking Slot at Monash University(Parking Issue)
To overcome the parking issue in the Monash University Sunway Campus, the
management of university decided to rent the parking bays from Sunway Pyramid and new
hostels. However, these actions will only for short period of time. For long-term basis, the
management had proposed for multi-storey car park in the future. Besides, the university also
appealed government to have the LRT line extended into Sunway since the LRT is being built
to run through Subang Jaya. But the government only compromised by promising more buses
routes from the nearest LRT stations.
To reduce the parking demand and traffic jam, Sunway has introduced Skybus- Bus
Rapid Transit (BRT) in year 2015 that only serve at Sunway city for the convenience of the
consumers like Sunway students, Sunway residents and their staff. By this, the students can
save their time for finding parking and their safety also had been secured. The students can
purchase the transport discounted vouchers and they can get the discounts when using the
public transports. Next, carpooling is another suggestion that help consumers to save parking
cost and time. By using these ways, Sunway can reduce the consumers parking problems and
save the cost of developing more parking spaces.
4.2 Solving crime issue happen at Sunway Pyramid (Criminal Issue)
The management of the Sunway Pyramid mall concerned on the security system by
installing more closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) to monitor the shopping mall
common areas and parking areas. They had also hiring more guards to patrol the surrounding
areas and does the safety check to maintain a safe environment. Sunway Pyramid had
introduced the car park buggy service for the customers where it allows the customers to
move from one location to another location more quickly, avoiding crime problems and it is
available during mall operation hours. At the same time, Sunway Securitys Hotline is a 24
hours hotline which connected to all the security guard on duty and is printed on the car park
tickets. Safety tips also provided to remind and educate consumers. These actions can ensure
safety and wellbeing of the community and society.
The method to prevent criminal case used by Sunway is i-Alert system. Sunway
Pyramid is the first shopping mall that installed this system in their 15- storey car park that
totalled for 200 panic buttons. I- Alert system is a wireless panic button that installed at the
car park. It provides an extra security to protect the consumers other than the security guards
in order can respond immediately within 10 seconds when crime case happens.
4.3 Solving incident happen at Sunway Amusement Park (Safety Issue)
Sunway Lagoon will do routine checking for the machines and equipment every day,
two hours before opening to public according to the following standard checklists to ensure
the consumers safety. For example, the rides like Runaway Train, Sunway Technician will
test the brakes, bearings and wheels while senior technicians will double check the
technicians efforts. Every Technician must have at least an electrical certificate. After that,
the rides will put through a few test run before the visitors are allowed on. Operation staff
will take over after finish checking by the technicians. They must ensure the visitors are
secured with the safety bell before getting on the ride.
When Sunway theme park buys a new ride, a consultant engineer from rides supplier
(normally produced by foreign countries) should stays at the theme park about six months to
train the maintenance and operations of the new ride to the Sunway local staff. It is to make
sure the local staff can learn deeply about the new rides of its safety measures and
maintenance techniques.
They also need to ensure the quality of equipment maintenance, quality and quantity
of staff training and degree of supervision. There are different of seminar will be held
throughout the year which focus on safety in amusement parks that provided by International
Association of Amusement Places and Attractions (IAAPA). Next, company can take action
to the workers who do not follow the safety rules and regulations. Safety is very important in
order to strengthen the companys reputation, become more competitive and able to achieve
long-term success.
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