Book Description
Make smarter business decisions with BUSINESS AND SOCIETY: ETHICS AND STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT! Emphasizing a business's social, legal, and ethical responsibilities, this management text exposes you to diverse and important stakeholder and ethical frameworks for considering and protecting stakeholder interests. Through its use of cases and other real-world applications, you'll get the opportunity to apply stakeholder and ethical systems to specific business problems. With questions provided for all cases and applications, preparing for class has never been easier!
Customer Reviews:
Business & Society: Ethics and Stakeholder Management w/ infotrack review.......2007-01-10
This book was just what I needed. It helped me to pass the course I was taking and I received an A+. The book was a bit boring at times but all in all it had a lot of useful and great information!
Book Description
`This book is not simply the best book on the remarkable phenomenon of today's ethical consumer. It is a gift of advice and insight, from the people that know best, to the cause of tomorrow. Many of the writers deserve the plaudits of being pioneers of a new consumer movement. These are the issues of our time' -
Ed Mayo, Chief Executive of the UK's National Consumer Council (NCC)
Who are ethical consumers and why are they on the rise? Leading the way towards answering this question,
The Ethical Consumer is an indispensable introduction to the subject. Exploring areas like boycotts and fair trade projects, it gathers together the diverse experiences of scholars, campaigners and business practitioners from the international community.
The chapters in this book explore:
- ethical consumer behaviours, motivation and narratives
- the social, political and theoretical contexts in which ethical consumers operate
- the responsibilities of businesses and the effectiveness of ethical consumer actions
Contributions are informed by a broad range of research methods, from case studies, focus groups to surveys and interviews.
The text is of interest to business related graduates, undergraduates and their tutors on courses relating to consumption. It will also be relevant to academics in other disciplines, as well as to politicians, producers, practitioners, campaigners and not least consumers.
Book Description
In some parts of the world spending on pharmaceuticals is astronomical. In others people do not have access to basic or life-saving drugs. Individuals struggle to afford medications; whole populations are neglected, considered too poor to constitute profitable markets for the development and distribution of necessary drugs. The ethnographies brought together in this timely collection analyze both the dynamics of the burgeoning international pharmaceutical trade and the global inequalities that emerge from and are reinforced by market-driven medicine. They demonstrate that questions about who will be treated and who will not filter through every phase of pharmaceutical production, from preclinical research to human testing, marketing, distribution, prescription, and consumption.
Whether considering how American drug companies seek to create a market for antidepressants in Japan, how Brazil has created a model HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment program, or how the urban poor in Delhi understand and access healthcare, these essays illuminate the roles of corporations, governments, NGOs, and individuals in relation to global pharmaceuticals. Some essays show how individual and communal identities are affected by the marketing and availability of medications. Among these are an exploration of how the pharmaceutical industry shapes popular and expert understandings of mental illness in North America and Great Britain. There is also an examination of the agonizing choices facing Ugandan families trying to finance AIDS treatment. Several essays explore the inner workings of the emerging international pharmaceutical regime. One looks at the expanding quest for clinical research subjects; another at the entwining of science and business interests in the Argentine market for psychotropic medications. By bringing the moral calculations involved in the production and distribution of pharmaceuticals into stark relief, this collection charts urgent new territory for social scientific research.
Contributors. Kalman Applbaum, João Biehl, Ranendra K. Das, Veena Das, David Healy, Arthur Kleinman, Betty Kyaddondo, Andrew Lakoff, Anne Lovell, Lotte Meinert, Adriana Petryna, Michael A. Whyte, Susan Reynolds Whyte
Customer Reviews:
Easy and Interesting.......2007-03-09
quick and cheap delivery, book is in great condition. the book itself is compiled of different authors so it covers a range of issues from different perspectives. The tone is more informative than defensive ar argumentative.
Product Description
Marketing in the early 21st century is dominated by two approaches, neither of which is visible to the naked eye: the use of data to define and shape human affairs into machine-readable form and the effort to create and sustain ongoing two-way relationships with customers. The former is one way human life is being subjugated to the regime of the machine; the latter is one way the individual may one day emerge from within the datascape. A post-modern perspective is used to reveal both the "kaleidoroscope" of data and the "raw immaterials" of relationships in two companion essays.
Customer Reviews:
Rebecca Nailed It.......2007-03-18
Rebecca's review is spot-on. I could read this book several times and get something new out of it each time. Ellis succinctly captures the changes in consumer-marketer interaction and the new 21st century value exchange and does a great job of putting it in historical and philosophical context.
Big Thoughts on Marketing .......2007-03-09
Most books on business (particularly those by self-proclaimed "gurus") seize on a single idea. With terrier-like tenacity they explain it, illustrate it, present case studies of it, then explain it yet again, until a readers feels she's entered some sort of textual version of "Groundhog's Day."
"Marketing in the In-Between," takes the opposite approach. It packs so many clusters of thought, ideas, revelations and connections on every page, the reader will need to repeatedly dip in to glean all the thoughts. It challenges readers to truly ponder and to question the basic precepts and practices upon which marketing is based.
Book Description
Why does one-third of the global population not have access to essential medicines? What drives new drug research priorities? How do we manage the ethical, legal and social challenges associated with improving drug access? Answering these questions and more, this book is one of the first comprehesive and critical guides to global pharmaceutical policy issues.
This multidisciplinary book covers core issues in clear, short chapters. It is a one-stop resource for students, policy makers and academics. Bringing together the insights of over thirty different specialists from around the world, this book discusses:
* current regulation of the industry * ethical issues in developing and distributing drugs * how it prices and markets drugs * recommendations on how to improve pharmaceutical policy * the importance of pharmaceuticals * the structure of the pharmaceutical industry * what drugs are needed on a worldwide scale
Book Description
“This book unfolds rather like a good novel; it is compelling and convincing. The authors approach their topic with a great deal of background and superb organizational abilities. As the premise unwinds, readers are provided with excellent explanation and justification, as well as real-life accounts of people and their experiences. As a side benefit, the book also yields an admirable example of well-done qualitative case studies that are triangulated effectively with survey methods.” --Sara U. Douglas, University of Illinois Social Responsibility in the Global Market illuminates an alternative way of conducting business that bridges the consumer’s social concerns and the producer’s financial concern through a compatible, nonexploitive, and humanizing system of fair trade. In-depth case studies introduce past successes and failures for seven Alternative Trading Organizations (ATOs) as they foster artisan empowerment, cultural integrity, and business sustainability. An integrative model synthesizes business conditions, tasks, and skills imperative for effective functioning of a fair trade system in an increasingly competitive global market. Mary Ann Littrell and Marsha Ann Dickson’s treatment of ATOs provides useful insights for academics in marketing, international development, entrepreneurship, and anthropology. In addition, this book offers practical finance for practitioners in international development, socially responsible businesses, and consumers concerned about impacts of their marketplace decisions.
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Selling Sin: The Marketing of Socially Unacceptable Products
D. Kirk Davidson
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The Cigarette Century: The Rise, Fall, and Deadly Persistence of the Product That Defined America
ASIN: 0899309941 |
Book Description
Most products and services are marketed in positive or at least neutral environments. Not so with such products as cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, gambling, pornography, and firearms. For these particular products the environment can be actually hostile, and this poses special problems for marketers. It is these unusual marketing challenges that Dr. Davidson explores in this new study. Offering a unique cross-industry comparison of marketing tactics, strategies, and hurdles to be overcome to counter the lack of legitimacy for these products in the marketplace, his book will be fascinating reading for marketing, advertising, and sales professionals as well as for academicians and students in these fields. Readers will gain insights into the difficulties of marketing these five product categories--why there is antagonism to these products, how marketers deal with this antagonism, and what specific marketing practices lead to increased social criticism. The study of these problems leads to a better understanding of the marketing of any product or service where the environment is unfriendly. Dr. Davidson discusses in some detail the different circumstances surrounding each of these product categories but points out that what they have in common is a high level of controversy at this point in their history. Hostility toward the products comes not from consumers. Buyers, and of course, sellers, enter into the exchange relationship quite willingly and enthusiastically. The hostility stems from some segments of society--often advocacy groups--who are opposed to the products and who gain a large enough membership or audience to impede and force changes in normal marketing practices. Marketers thus face the unusual situation of working with products that are perfectly legal, although heavily regulated, but which are "socially unacceptable." In addition to the predictable challenges and risks encountered in marketing any product--competitive pressures, changing economic conditions, shifts in consumer behavior--marketers must develop special tactics and strategies to counter the opposition which these products face. These methods are explored here in a book that will make a unique contribution to our understanding of the marketing enterprise overall.
Customer Reviews:
Enlightening.......2003-06-20
Prior to my study on marketing and advertising, I had never really considered the role of selling socially unacceptable products (i.e. cigarettes, alcholol, porn) in our society. This book really helped me to realize the gap that exists and provided me with a wealth of information on the history of each of those markets, the issues and ethics behind them, the laws that govern them, and the design of their advertisements.
Well-written and it provides a wealth of information - I strongly recommend it.
Book Description
With funding for nonprofits shrinking and global markets shaky, our business and social sectors are both confronting an increasingly uncertain future. Many organizations are searching for innovative strategies that will counter the mounting pressures felt by communities and corporations alike.
Common Interest, Common Good argues that forward-looking businesses and social sector organizations (both nonprofit and government) can solve many of their problems by working together-while serving the common good in the process.
According to Shirley Sagawa and Eli Segal, alliances between for-profit and the not-for-profit industries yield enormous benefits for both. Businesses can boost their bottom line by leveraging a nonprofit partnership to enhance their image, reach new markets, increase consumer loyalty, and build a positive reputation with current and prospective employees. The upside is just as powerful for nonprofits, because an alliance with a corporation can provide crucial funds and visibility while helping to attract new volunteers and donors.
Common Interest, Common Good showcases many such successful partnerships, from corporate sponsorships and cause-related marketing to employee volunteer programs and school-to-work initiatives. The authors also offer some much-needed guidance for avoiding many of the pitfalls that can undermine even the best alliances.
A convincing, deeply felt book by two authors who have devoted much of their careers to helping public and private sectors find profitable new ways of working together,
Common Interest, Common Good is a guided tour of the progressive new strategies that can contribute to the purpose of our businesses and the prosperity of our communities.
Customer Reviews:
Great book from a business perspective.......2001-05-17
This is a great book for businesses looking for unique opportunities to both make a difference and raise their community standing. It is comprised of real, powerful examples of how these partnerships can and do work. This book should be read along with Bill Shore's, "The Cathedral Within."
Creating Great Value for Companies and Communities.......2000-09-14
Every company I know is interested in getting and providing a great deal. Every nonprofit I know is committed to the greater welfare of the society. But almost no companies and nonprofits know how to link together to multiply their effectiveness in achieving their purposes.
This book provides outstanding examples and a superb template for creating partnerships of great value for all involved: companies, their employees, nonprofits, and the communities that everyone serves. Based on the examples in this book, it looks like the benefits can easily be 20 to 1 in the near term from the time and money invested. That kind of return is hard to find in business, philanthropy, or social entrepreneurship. The reason it happens is that the company can add value that the nonprofit cannot, and vice versa. The strategic partnership is not unlike the strategic alliances that companies create all the time with comapnies that offer unique strategic capabilities.
The reason these benefit are so large (and growing) is because customers and employees are ever more responsive to promoting a social cause, companies are getting better at partnering with outside organizations, and the expertise of nonprofits is growing.
Businesses can gain by getting low-cost recognition from customers that will increase sales, obtaining low-cost resources, making work more meaningful to employees (helping to retain them), attracting employees more easily, and learning how cause-based leadership can transform an organization. When you look at it from a dollar and cents point of view, these partnerships would pass any accounting test you want to use. Not to seek out these partnerships is to waste potential for growth and profits in your company. Corporate boards should be asking company CEOs to develop these partnerships!
Nonprofits can gain by learning how to increase outcomes they care about, gaining access to resources that would otherwise be unavailable, getting more exposure, and finding improved ways of meeting their missions.
Communities will gain by getting more resources, expertise, and attention from social entrepreneurs in companies and nonprofits.
So this is a win-win-win world, but somebody has to get it going. Chapter ten is excellent on that subject: It proposes a 5 step model for the nonprofit -- self assess, identify a partner, connect to that partner, test the relationship idea, and grow the relationship.
Although the initiative can come from the company, it usually won't. The executives already have other agendas, are receiving hundreds of requests for assistance, and don't know what many nonprofits can do for them. You can add some corporate executives to your nonprofit board who will understand companies to help you make these connections. The biggest hurdle will be the lack of corporate experience of your nonprofit's staff. Nonprofits are used to looking for a check, not a partnership. But that reliance on gifts alone is stalled thinking that will hold back the development of the public good.
The case histories include Home Depot and KaBOOM! (building playgrounds), Microsoft and the American Library Association (adding computers and Internet services to libraries in low-income areas), Denny's and Save the Children (raising money for poor children), BankBoston and City Year (sponsoring volunteers in community work), Ridgeview, Inc. and Newton-Conover Public Schools (creating better public schools and better parent involvement from employees with children), and Boeing and Pioneer Human Services (creating airplane parts by employing those with disadvantaged backgrounds). I found all of them to be interesting and well analyzed. Each one gave me ideas for how to pursue opportunties like these for the nonprofit on whose board I serve.
I especially recommend this book to company leaders, human resource executives, purchasing managers, and marketing planners. On the nonprofit side, this book will be a revelation to staffs and board members.
After you have read this book, please join the board of a nonprofit (if you are not already on one). Then, please use the processes in this book to create a strategic partnership with your company or another one in your community. You will gain strategic partnering skills and a sense of a job well done. The others will gain the benefits described above. If we each did this, our communities would soon be far more wonderful places to live and work.
Powerful thinking.......2000-02-29
Common Interest, Common Good represents powerful thinking that has already withstood many challenges and overcome many barriers. Corporate executives will benefit greatly from the book's clear and cogent lessons on the benefits of corporate/social sector partnership. This book is proof that goodness can endure.
Common Interest, Common Good.......2000-02-19
I'd strongly recommend this book both to corporate executives looking to improve corporate image and morale and to non-profit leaders seeking new funding mechanisms. Although the hokey title evokes past clichés like "doing good by doing well," the book is actually a practical, hard-headed approach to making companies run better by working with non-profits -- either through straight philanthropy, employee volunteer efforts, or joint ventures.
A most useful book.......1999-12-01
As a former corporate executive and a former member of the boards of directors of several non-profits, I can only wish this book could have been available years ago. Just think what I could have accomplished! I certainly recommend it for people in similar positions now.
In contrast to so many business oriented books, this one is engagingly written and eminently readable
Book Description
The only book to look at the uniquely delicate situation that confronts every Western business-woman, whether traveling to Japan or meeting Japanese clients at her home office. Using real-life anecdotes, cultural explanations, and extensive lists of tactics and dos and don'ts, Doing Business with Japanese Men tells women how to quickly establish their authority and work effectively. Included are practical discussions of preparation, meeting protocol, socializing, and gift giving, as well as tips on wardrobe, make-up, special health and safety concerns, and fending off unwanted attention.
Customer Reviews:
Doing Business with Japanese Men.......2004-08-30
Contains a great deal of information that may or may not be useful to anyone, male or female, doing business in Japan depending on the situation. Everything should be taken with a grain of salt. Seems to be focused on people in relatively large companies doing business with relatively large companies. Would have been enhanced by a thorough editing by someone familiar with Japan and things Japanese as it is marred by some obvious mistakes. Statements about "tea leaves" and "cookies" being used in a tea ceremony, "peanut sauce" being one of the two common sauces used in the shabu shabu dish, etc. make one wonder about the veracity of other statements.
Prepare for the worst! Japan is still male-dominated society.......1999-12-28
As a Japanese businesswoman working for some 20 years, I believe this book will help a lot for those women doing business with Japanese men. Especially those who are new to Japan. Unfortunately, Japanese business world is still male-oriented, and most of Japanese businessmen don't know how to deal with women in business. One of the Japanese businesswomen's complaints is, "Japanese men treat business women only in three manners. Treat them as their wives, daughters, or hostesses at the night bars. They just don't know how to treat them as a collogue or business partnerĀc" This book consists of actual experiences of many foreign women and how they dealt with. Those experiences are no exaggeration from my eyes. It will be a good preparation to know what you may confront in Japan.
Good.......1999-10-13
The title may ward of half of the population, and that is unfortunate. There are lots of great points that apply to business etiquette in general and are not unique to "women doing buisness" in Japan. The author implies that the foreign woman should take every advantage of her feminin charms on the helpless Japanese Industry, I would only suggest common sense.
Disappointing.......1999-05-10
I was so excited to see this title when I was sent to Tokyo (with 2 American men) on very short notice! I read this book cover-to-cover in preparation. When I got to Tokyo, I was surprised to experience a much more contemporary, advanced culture than had been described. For example, the attire suggestions were completely wrong (and sometimes contradictory). You won't go wrong with classic American business attire. I found that by paying close attention to your Japanese counterparts' mannerisms, being slightly more aggressive than usual (I live in NYC, that may be much more aggressive than I think!), and having someone well-respected introduce you to whomever you will be working with will be very helpful. It also would have been useful to learn more about the Japanese tendency to agree with you, when they really don't understand what you're talking about!
A must-have for any woman doing business with the Japanese.......1998-07-25
A friend loaned me this book, and within minutes, I knew I had to have a copy for myself. Particularly useful for the female executive, this book covers how to establish your authority (and how to handle Japanese men who ignore you and insist on talking to your male subordinates), how to dress, socializing, gift giving, the business card rituals, where the power seat is in the conference room, how to handle inappropriate behavior and sticky situations, communication and correspondence protocol, and numerous other subjects. I am appalled to discover how many mistakes I have made in my business relationships with Japanese companies, but now am sufficiently enlightened to avoid many in the future. If you are female and do business with the Japanese, whether in Japan or in your home country, you must have this book.
Book Description
The Moral Dimension of Marketing is a collection of essays that explores the tension between economics and ethics that all marketing executives face on a daily basis. The essays are all based on real-life situations that students and professionals alike will recognize, and they are grouped under familiar marketing headings: targeting, products, pricing, promotion and advertising, distribution, privacy, and inappropriate marketing. Each essay concludes with two or three questions that focus the reader's attention to the critical issues raised in that essay. The book is designed to be used in virtually any marketing course as a supplemental reading to stimulate thoughtful analysis of moral issues; it can also be used as a stand-alone text in a marketing ethics or a business ethics course. It should be provocative reading for marketing professionals as well.
Customer Reviews:
A stimulus for the moral contemplation of Marketing Ethics.......2005-05-04
Kirk Davidson composed The Moral Dimension of Marketing: Essay on Business Ethics as a stimulus for readers to contemplate the moral dimensions of Marketing that affect many segments of society. The book provokes thought, but does not give direct solutions for how to handle the Marketing dilemmas. It is divided into seven sections pertaining to targeting, the four P's of Marketing, privacy, and inappropriate Marketing. Davidson addresses key issues facing Marketers in today's business environment, such as vulnerable target audiences, seller and buyer responsibilities, fair pricing, advertising deception, large versus small retailers, the scope of a customer's privacy, and ethical implications of unacceptable marketing. He explains that social issues in Marketing result from opposing ideas or actions about ethical behavior. Since buyers and sellers have contrary positions and interests, there is an element of tension in business transactions that brings about a need for ethical decisions. This tension not only affects the buyer and seller; it impacts society as a whole-including communities, government agencies, advocacy groups, media, suppliers, etc. When combined with an imbalance of power, this tension is even more problematic. Throughout this essay, I will provide an overview of the book's seven sections and conclude with a discussion of Marketing and Business Ethics, as described in the book, within the framework of the Technological Project.
Introduction
Marketers are often characterized as naturally competitive and aggressive so that they can outsell the competition and gain market share; therefore, less-than-attractive qualities sometimes emerge such as greed, selfishness, and unethical behavior. Despite this downfall, Marketers still serve an indispensable link between production and consumption, which drive the free market economy. Marketers can elect to treat customers with respect and develop long-term relationships or they can choose to deceive the customers and turn a quick profit.
Targeting
Davidson defines the vulnerable target audience as children, senior citizens, disabled individuals, minorities, and the less educated population. His core argument is that these vulnerable people are not on equal standing with the sellers; therefore, Marketers are faced with a situation where they have a significant advantage over the customer. Targeting a vulnerable market becomes an ethical issue for Marketers when products with some health or welfare risk, such as sugar coated cereal, cigarettes, or malt alcoholic beverages, are added into the mix. Whether the buyer's impediment is lack of knowledge, maturity, or poor judgment, Marketers must question the fairness of the relationship. The free market economy will often chastise the Marketers who chose an adversarial relationship with vulnerable target audiences because society does not tolerate exploitation.
Products
In terms of product liability, it is often debated who is responsible for the harm caused to consumers and society. Whether the distinction between right and wrong is determined by the legal system or public opinion, it is constantly changing and the blame is often shifted back forth between seller and buyer. Society ponders: Is the buyer using the product for its intended use? Could the seller have made the product safer? It may be in the best interest of the seller to make safety alterations, but the buyer must take some individual responsibility. Other ethical issue involving products are packaging, which can harm the environment, downsizing, which can deceive the buyer, and working conditions under which the products are made. In order to ameliorate these ethical concerns, both the seller and the buyer must exercise some sort of restraint and good judgment. Greater responsibility, on the part of the Marketers, for the interests of the buyers has the potential not only to prevent more government regulation, but also lead to greater long-term profits through a competitive advantage. Buyers are in a position where they can withhold purchasing power in order to influence the business patterns of the seller so that the seller is better aligned with the ethical beliefs of the buyers.
Pricing
What defines a fair price? The seller wants to get the most money it for the product, while the buyer wants to pay the least amount of money possible for the product. Both the seller and the buyer want to believe that they got a good deal based on the terms of the transaction. This is where the tension between the buyer and seller lies. Price gouging is clearly unfair, but the buyer does not always realize that the seller is charging an abnormally high price. The seller's satisfaction is based on profit, while the buyer's satisfaction is derived from an emotional or perception. One way to approach this issue is for the buyer to demand a more transparent transaction. Some examples of complicated transactions are the costs of credit cards, wireless telephone services, and health insurance. For there to be a fair price, both the buyer and the seller must clearly understand the product and the buying process. This transforms marketing from an adversarial relationship into a cooperative relationship. Both the buyer and the seller should benefit from a fair price-meaning the seller must give up the zero sum game strategy.
Promotion and Advertising
The purpose of advertising is to inform potential buyers about new product and services and where they can be purchased. The tug of war between the buyer and seller exists because the buyer wants the whole truth, while the seller wants to portray the product or service in the best light possible, which may entail brush over some of the truth or expanding boundaries. Marketers must decide how much information is necessary in the advertisements, how to present the product or service in an appropriate manner, and when puffery is taken too far. Factual representations might reveal some of the weaknesses about the product or services, but they will serve as a foundation for relationships built on trust and honesty. Over time, society changes what it classifies as offensive, however, campaigns involving sexual images, corrupt values, and/or cultural slurs have proven to be taboo in many situations. Providing false expectations and taking advantage of human weaknesses often brings about ethical concerns. There is a fine line between playful puffery and malicious deception that Marketers must draw and not cross.
Placement or Distribution
Unlike the other areas previously discussed, distribution is more likely to bring about conflicts between two or more businesses, not a buyer and seller. In some circumstances, the manufacturer favors the larger retailers over the smaller ones which brings into question whether the manufacturer is fairly distributing its products. When a dependency relationship exists, whether it is a retailer relying on only one manufacturer or a manufacturer distributing to only one retailer, there is further complications in the business relationship. Along with size comes power. Smaller retailers fear being put out of business by the larger retailers, such as Wal-Mart. Since the smaller retailers cannot compete on quantity and assortment, Marketers must stress personal service and specialty items. It is unethical and illegal for retailers to exhibit monopolistic power and eliminate the competition. Also, collusion between manufacturers and retailers to eliminate another manufacturer is of questionable ethical behavior. If Marketers practice restraint, then maybe this can prevent ineffective legislation from having to regulate the practices. Another area of business ethics regarding distribution is whether the retailer has an obligation to depressed areas, especially when the retailer sells food. Businesses that contribute to these problems or have the potential for solutions need to be involved in finding a solution.
Privacy
Sellers acquire information about buyers in order to develop personal relationships and serve the needs of the buyer more completely. Privacy problems arise when personal information is used to increase the profits of the sellers. For example, sellers can benefit financially by selling the lists of buyers and their information to phone and mail solicitors. Through the collection of information, retailers, such as Amazon.com, know exactly what and when the buyer made a purchase and the preferences of that buyer. Selling this information could complicate the relationship between the buyer and seller. In order to alleviate the concerns of buyers about sellers profiting from the sale of their information, the sellers could institute an opt-in clause that gives the buyers a chance to allow or deny the buyer from selling or using their personal information. Some buyers believe that giving their personal information to sellers has many more benefits, such as convenience, better service, and rewards, than drawbacks, such as identity theft. Life is a series of tradeoffs and it is up the buyer and seller to determine which tradeoffs are worth the consequences.
Inappropriate Marketing
Major segment of society perceive some of the practices in Marketing as offensive and unacceptable but not serious enough to classify as unethical. Inappropriate Marketing behavior creates tension between economics and respectability, social acceptance, and good taste. The Marketers attempt to draw potential buyers away from competitors and capture their attention thought creative advertisements, placements, and sponsorships. Joking about ethnic backgrounds, displaying sexual images, and/or demeaning a rival's product will draw attention to the product or service, but it is a very tricky tactic that can blow up in the Marketer's face. Even though Marketers are tempted by short-term gains, they must remain focused on the long-run. In order to avoid being thought of as inappropriate and offending potential buyers, Marketers must conform to what the majority of the population defines as acceptable.
Marketing and Business Ethics within the Framework of the
Technological Project
Marketing is a product of the free market economy that fits within the framework of the Technological Project, defined as the control of nature for human benefit. In order for a free market economy to function, it requires a limited government that provides the legal context for maintaining law and order and for enforcing contracts. Also, the limited government should not interfere with the competitive and innovative process of the market since it is subordinate to the requirements of commerce. In the same respect, Marketing should be loosely monitored by the government so that contracts are enforced, but the responsibility of practicing ethical business behavior falls on the members of society. The purpose of the government is to protect the rights of individuals who pursue their own individual interests; not to further a collective good, serve the bureaucracy, or favor particular faction. It is characterized by the rule of law as seen through a legal system that constrains government.
In order for the government to remain limited and not become either authoritarian-totalitarian or subject to mob-rule, it is necessary that the citizens of that government be special kinds of people: autonomous people, who rule themselves and impose order on their lives through self-discipline in order to achieve goals that they have set for themselves. Autonomous people are inner-directed and therefore capable of participating in the Technological Project in a creative and constructive way. As autonomous people, it is the responsibility of marketers to realize the implications of their actions and exercise restraint in matters that limit the freedom of other individuals. In fact, the ultimate purpose of the Technological Project is not to create wealth but to allow autonomous people to express their freedom. If Marketers attempt to deceive society or prey on vulnerable target markets, then they will be limiting their freedom and the freedom of those who are affected by their actions. Freedom and wealth are two major factors involved when Marketers are faced with conflicting decisions regarding ethics and economics. Wealth is a means to achievement and freedom, not an end in itself. Davidson contends that it is possible to reach sensible economic goals and at the same time honor ethical values. As a result, Marketers can achieve both profitability and fairness through ethical business practices. Since autonomous people ultimately want to be recognized for their autonomy, they seek to promote autonomy in others who will then understand and appreciate the self-discipline that this lifestyle requires. The ultimate self-interest of autonomous people is never in conflict with the ultimate self-interest of others. Such a mentality does not allow people to take advantage of disadvantaged individuals.
Conclusion
Business ethics is not a stand-alone field, rather it needs to be woven into every level of the business. In today's competitive society, Marketers are torn between the drive to increase profits, thereby pleasing shareholders, and the desire to act ethically, which satisfies buyers and other stakeholders. Marketers must practice restraint when tempted by short term gains and remain focused on long term profits that can result from ethical business behavior and ultimately further the Technological Project. A well thought-out cost-benefit analysis of financial and non-financial results with consideration for personal, external, and social forces will lead Marketers through an appropriate decision making process that influences their business behavior. It is not totally up to the seller to take full responsibility for every problem associated with a business transaction. Some of the responsibility needs to be taken on by the buyer. Marketers should not run campaigns that will intentionally hurt society, but the society needs to show some form of restraint and knowledge to make decisions on their own. Both the buyer and seller have ethical obligations.
Books:
- Business, Government and Society: A Managerial Perspective
- Business: Its Legal, Ethical, and Global Environment
- Business Law: The Ethical, Global, And E-commerce Environment
- Business Solutions for the Global Poor: Creating Social and Economic Value
- Cable News Confidential: My Misadventures in Corporate Media
- Case Studies in Information Technology Ethics (2nd Edition)
- CIO Survival Guide: The Roles and Responsibilities of the Chief Information Officer
- Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole
- Contemporary Auditing: Real Issues and Cases
- Eco-Imperialism: Green Power, Black Death
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- Prospective Changes in Payment Systems: Implications for Credit Unions
- The St. Paul Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald
Aviation And the Law, 4th ed
Financial Accounting: Information for Decisions
Aviation And the Role of Government.
Organizational Behavior
Fundamentals of Business Law Summarized Cases (with Online Legal Research Guide)
