Chapter 3, Student Web Activity, Economics Today & Tomorrow, Glencoe, 2005

Chapter 3: Your Role as a Consumer
"Learning on the Job"

Introduction
The federal Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA officially closed in 1999) was an agency within the Department of Commerce until 1999. Many states, however, continue to fund their own consumer affairs agencies, seeking to promote better relations between businesses and consumers. Assume you are interested in applying for a job with the Georgia Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs. You'll need to learn all you can about this government agency.

Destination Title: Georgia Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs

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Directions
Start at the Georgia Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs Web site.

Read through the site, taking notes as you go. You may click on other topics in this site such as "General Info," "Consumer Alert," and "FAQ" to complete your research.

Using the information you gathered from this site, answer the following questions.

1. What is the mission statement of the Georgia Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA), and what does it mean?

2. One of the activities of the Georgia Governor's OCA is providing information brochures to consumers. Look through the list of available brochures and give the name of the one that would be of most assistance to you.

3. What information should consumers provide to the Georgia Governor's OCA when filing a complaint?

4. What general guidelines does the Georgia Governor's OCA provide to make you a better, more successful consumer?

5. The ideal candidate for a job with the Georgia Governor's OCA should have excellent verbal and written communication skills, independent research abilities, and computer literacy. Write a letter to the state Office of Consumer Affairs listing your skills and abilities, focusing on how you would be interested in developing educational materials and helping consumers with marketplace issues. Be sure to incorporate your recently acquired knowledge about the agency's purpose and place in consumer affairs.