C/L/115. Has the rise of consumerism and consumer rights recently, been adequately balanced with appropriate redress by the law as it stands?

Corporate liability and criminal law in recent years has been extended to criminalize the actions of companies in instances of wrongdoing when breaching consumer rights. This is a very broad topic ranging from the protection of the consumer from unfair trading practices and dangerous goods through to the protection of the environment from negligent and intended actions of a company's employees and directors. It will consider the protections under EU and English law to uphold consumer rights. It will also discuss illustrate how the company as an entity is liable for the actions of its employees; hence changing the playing field in respect to civil law traditionally protecting the actions of the company. This exploration will illustrate that the English law in its criminalization of such acts has gone a step further in protecting the consumer's person and property; however the notions of consumer as king need to be transferred in to the civil law of contract.