Page 305 - Encyclopedia of Business and Finance

eobf_E 7/5/06 3:01 PM Page 282

Ethics in Marketing

ulate a minority market segment. Offensive practices may legislation to protect the interests of all parties in the
take the form of negative or stereotypical representations exchange process will likely occur.
of minorities, associating the consumption of harmful or
SEE ALSO Marketing
questionable products with a particular minority segment,
and demeaning portrayals of a race or group. Ethical ques-
tions may also arise when high-pressure selling is directed BIBLIOGRAPHY
at a group, when higher prices are charged for products American Marketing Association Code of Ethics (2005). New York:
sold to minorities, or even when stores provide poorer American Marketing Association.
service in neighborhoods with a high population of Barnett, Tim, Bass, Ken, and Brown, Frederick (1998, May 1).
“Ethical Ideology and the Ethical Judgments of Marketing
minority customers. Such practices will likely result in a
Professionals.” Journal of Business Ethics, 715-723.
bad public image and lost sales for the marketer.
Berman, Barry, and Evans, Joel R. (2004). Retail Management: A
Unlike the legal protections in place to protect chil- Strategic Approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
dren from harmful practices, there have been few efforts
Bone, Paula F., and Corey, Robert J. (1998). “Moral Reflections
to protect minority customers. When targeting minori- in Marketing.” Journal of Macromarketing, 25(1), 104-114.
ties, firms must evaluate whether the targeted population
Ferrell, O. C., Hartline, Michael D., and McDaniel, Stephen W.
is susceptible to appeals because of their minority status. (1998). “Codes of Ethics Among Corporate Research
The firm must assess marketing efforts to determine Departments, Marketing Research Firms, and Data Subcon-
whether ethical behavior would cause them to change tractors: An Examination of a Three-Communities
their marketing practices. Metaphor.” Journal of Business Ethics, 17(5), 503-516.
“FTC Guides Against Deceptive Pricing.” (1998). Retrieved
October 18, 2005, from http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/
ETHICAL ISSUES SURROUNDING
decptprc.htm.
THE PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN IN
Gustafson, Robert, Popovich, Mark, and Thomsen, Steven
MARKETING EFFORTS
(1999, March 15). “The ‘Thin’ Ideal Study.” Marketing
As society changes, so do the images of and roles assumed News, 22.
by people, regardless of race, sex, or occupation. Women Jones, Thomas M., and Ryan, Lori V. (1998). “The Effect of
have been portrayed in a variety of ways over the years. Organizational Forces on Individual Morality: Judgment,
When marketers present those images as overly conven- Moral Approbation, and Behavior.” Business Ethics Quarterly
tional, formulaic, or oversimplified, people may view 8(3), 431-445.
them as stereotypical and offensive. Koehn, Daryl (1999, January 11). “Business Ethics Is Not a
Contradiction.” San Antonio Business Journal, 38.
Examples of demeaning stereotypes include those in
which women are presented as less intelligent, submissive Kotler, Philip, and Armstrong, Gary (2005). Principles of Mar-
keting (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice
to or obsessed with men, unable to assume leadership roles
Hall.
or make decisions, or skimpily dressed in order to appeal
to the sexual interests of males. Harmful stereotypes Mahoney, Ann I. (1999, March). “Talking About Ethics.” Asso-
ciation Management, 45.
include those portraying women as obsessed with their
Murphy, Patrick E. (1998). “Ethics in Advertising: Review,
appearance or conforming to some ideal of size, weight, or
Analysis, and Suggestions.” Journal of Public Policy and Mar-
beauty. When images are considered demeaning or harm-
keting, 17(2), 316-319.
ful, they will work to the detriment of the organization. Murphy, Patrick E. (1999). “Character and Virtue Ethics in
Advertisements, in particular, should be evaluated to be
International Marketing: An Agenda for Managers,
sure that the images projected are not offensive. Researchers, and Educators.” Journal of Business Ethics 18(1),
107-124.
CONCLUSION Rieck, Dean (1998, October 1). “Balancing Ethics and Prof-
itability.” Direct Marketing, 53-56.
Because marketing decisions often require specialized
knowledge, ethical issues are often more complicated than Rose, Gregory M., Bush, Victoria D., and Kahle, Lynn (1998).
those faced in personal life—and effective decision mak- “The Influence of Family Communication Patterns on
Parental Reactions Toward Advertising: A Cross-National
ing requires consistency. Because each business situation is
Examination.” Journal of Advertising 27(4), 71-85.
different, and not all decisions are simple, many organiza-
Russell, J. Thomas, King, Karen W., and Lane, W. Ronald
tions have embraced ethical codes of conduct and rules of
(2004). Kleppner’s Advertising Procedure (16th ed.). Upper
professional ethics to guide managers and employees. Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
However, sometimes self-regulation proves insufficient to Self-Regulatory Guidelines for Children’s Advertising. (2003). New
protect the interest of customers, organizations, or society. York: Children’s Advertising Review Unit of the Council of
At that point, pressures for regulation and enactment of Better Business Bureaus.

282 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE, SECOND EDITION