Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-7-2026
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Finance
First Advisor
Lou McPhail
Second Advisor
Robert Corban
Third Advisor
Julio Acuna
Relational Format
Abstract
In this work I seek to discuss the various avenues that consumers have been abused by both individual corporations and wider market trends. I also attempt to shed light on how recent consumer advocacy movements have been gaining momentum to combat these issues. The background information for this work has been collected through years of personal observation of the issues at hand. The areas of technology, automobiles, and agriculture that are featured prominently throughout the essay are all topics of either personal impact to myself and family or things that I have a hobby-like interest in. I have kept up with the news surrounding these topics and have seen many of these industries slip in one way or another. In addition to the background contextual knowledge, I used reputable news articles, company PR releases, direct analysis of contracts, and a variety of other methods to form the factual background to my argument. In this essay, four main topics of various relation to each other are the focal points. These topics are Ownership, Right to Repair, Predatory Contract Practices, and Privacy Erosion. For each of these topics I use real world case studies to exhibit both surface level easily observable issues, and to shed light on some of the more obscure grievances taking place that most people had never considered before. Throughout this process we find out that the rot goes much deeper than what would appear at surface level, but all hope isn’t lost. While the consumer is in a fundamentally disadvantaged condition in terms of rights compared to decades past, the growing momentum for reform in these sectors provides a sense of optimism for the future.
Recommended Citation
Morrill, William C. V, "The War on American Consumers" (2026). Honors Theses. 3485.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3485
Creative Commons License
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