Business Issue with Competing Pressures:  Based on what you see in the three videos, identify a specific issue with competing pressures.  How is a business issue influenced by a social concern? 

PDO was specifically created by the EU for consumers to ensure that the products they were getting were authentic, not imitations, as well as inform them about specific food and drinks. For a company like Parmigiano Reggiano who has been making their world-renowned cheese for generations, the PDO becomes important. Many substitutes, such as Kraft, try to enter the market. An issue arises because Kraft is not as authentic as Parmigiano Reggiano, and consumers should be aware of that. If consumers are unaware of what they’re actually getting, they’ll probably be upset when they reach for parmesan cheese thinking its Parmigiano Reggiano when in reality it’s probably worse quality Kraft.

Rationales For and Against Regulation: Based on the issue you have selected, make one statement for government regulation to address the issue (rationale for regulation) and one statement for minimal regulation/the free market to address the issue (rationale against regulation):

One benefit to government regulation, such as PDO, is that consumers are more educated as to what they are actually purchasing.  Family owned companies with higher quality product that have been producing for generations could be in trouble because of cheaper substitutes claiming they have the same product. PDO ensure consumers know exactly where they’re getting their goods from.

One benefit to minimal regulation would be for the Kraft cheese guy in the video who just wants his cheese, he doesn’t care how he gets it. It’s important to him to get the best “quality” cheese no matter what that is, and he believes he gets it. There will always be a demand for high and low quality cheeses, so government regulation isn’t as important as some might think.

Other Examples Like This?:  Based on the competing pressures you see in this video, identify another issue that has an ongoing debate among people who argue for government regulation to address the issue versus those who argue that the free market should address the issue.

Tariffs between China and America have been a big deal of debate and controversy as of late. While tariffs protect your goods at home and ensure that quality, more expensive products still have a chance on the market, two countries with competing tariffs hurts consumers greatly. If you let the market go, consumers will have complete power in what they want to buy. If you add in regulations, such as tariffs, consumers will still have power but prices will undoubtable go up for the affected party, and if both countries introduce tariffs, all consumers suffer and a tariff war could ensue, leaving people even worse off.