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Abstract
This intangible paper emphasis on ethics in marketing and impact of unethical marketing to the
brand image and its role in creating value or disadvantage in society. This paper talks about
ethics provide the origin for determining whether a certain accomplishment is morally good or
morally bad as consumer perception. Currently the business ethics writings have detonated in
both size and significance. Because of the absolute capacity and variety of this works, and this
writing is deemed necessary to clarify the ethical issues, which can impact on brand image. The
current paper reviews the literature on business ethics with a distinct focus in marketing ethics
and impact on brand image.
However, the mainstream of conditions that business people face today does not include firmly
lawful problems. Instead they must make decisions regarding what is correct or ethical
to do. It is one of the tasks of ethics to differentiate between ethical and unethical business
rehearses. The task of shaping what is ethical or not is not easy. ‘Kenneth Andrews once
said, if it's black and white, and a man has normal courage and security, he'll say no. It's in the
gray areas that the businessman may more ‘
Furthermost business decisions include varieties among two or more goods or two
objectionable choices. An associated experiment to ethical decision making is that from time to
time good and bad seem to be combined products. In other words, a necessary outcome is
accompanied by a undesirable one for instance pollution and exhaustion.
Literature review
Nonstop distress for business ethics acted powerfully during the 1920s. Term ethical marketing
is been researched and subsequently the impacts remained after each and every action was
acted. In this researched I have been through many articles and popped up many critical points
to ensure the important impacts. In the first research I have noted the importance of the ethics
and factors affecting the brand image. One of the main aspects for ethical marketing is to
understand the consumer behavior how each and every society react while giving any
purchasing decision, mostly react whatever they perceive from the brand or company behavior
whether company obeyed their promises or tried their best to deceive consumer.
Ethical marketing is not just related to consumer but it also covers stakeholder in broad sense.
For any company it is vital to move logical with its stake in a balanced manner. Once company
deceives suppliers, government or employees it can automatically affect consumer buying
behavior process for instance imagining companies loyalty. While ending this research I have
analyzed two unethical scandals of unilever and shell companies, from that scandal we can
understand that how important ethical marketing is. Being socially responsible is not just the
matter to show companies grace to the customer but being responsible whatever they act is
important to the society such as shell has unpolluted the Nigeria environment for extracting oil
and have killed protestors indirectly to avoid bad consequences on companies image.
Introduction
Ethical marketing refers to the application of marketing ethics into the marketing practices. This
is not an easy job to do; this task affirms some difficulties while firms are introducing some
products or services to the society, whether it is good or evilly intended to abstract customer.
The functional part of ethical marketing is nearly belonged to ethical abuse in companies
marketing strategy that is why because companies are charged to communicate and
responsible to satisfy consumer needs in order to remain in the market. Thus marketing is seen
by mostly in public but it is also noticed in society as well. Marketing is a key functional area in
the business organization that provides a visible interface with not only customers, but with all
other investors. It is significant when talking marketing ethics to recognize that it should be
examined from an individual, organizational, and public perspective. Ethical standards should
not be confused with the government regulations brought into force to improve consumer
welfare.
Ethics and Marketing Ethics
The term ethics is studied by many researchers and have tried to mean the definition in their
own writings. “ (runes, 1964) , Taylor (1975),have all defined the term ethics and we see that in
their definitions the term ethics is used interchangeably with morals. Vitell (1986) applied
Taylor's definition to define marketing ethics as "an inquiry into the nature and grounds of
moral judgments, standards, and rules of conduct relating to marketing decisions and
marketing situations."
Recent research considers ethics as the study of philosophy of human nature or conduct with
an emphases what is good or bad and right or wrong. According to the marketer ethic refers as
principle or rules conducted in working area through the consequences given by the marketer
decision. Marketing ethics had an influence on companies and their response to market their
product and services In a more socially responsible way and their response to market their
product and services In a more socially accountable way. Conferring to me marketing ethics are
practical to deal with the moral principles behind any operational and regulatory marketing
decisions.
Ethical Values in Marketing
Subsequent ethical values theoretical to be follow by the marketer while giving any decision
Honesty: marketer should be sincere whatever product and services they are introducing and
should offer value fairly responsive
Respect: organization should appreciate about the thought and view of the consumers and the
society and they should never behave irrespectively towards their stakes. They should
acknowledge the dignity and grace of all society equally.
Responsibility: organization should accept the all consequences left from their ethical behavior
instead of ignoring community and must act as responsible while making any marketing
operation.
Fairness: organization should always be fair in order to protecting consumer information and
the values they are sharing must match the information which they have published or
introduced. Firms should control or balance the consumer needs and companies interest
equally
Citizenship: firms must act as ecologically friendly and socially responsible by maintaining
citizen’s interest in any society. They should fulfill legal and economic or governmental policies
for showing mutually interests in any geography.
Transparency: association should make a essence of sincerity in the rehearsal of marketing
through communication, constructive criticism, action, and disclosure.
Ethical issues in Marketing
Marketing issues derive from the unsatisfactory or the standards of end user, concerns rise
from the 4ps of marketing basic concept. Companies always want their business to benefit or
increase their profit, marketers always tries their best to achieve success through introducing
companies product or services in a tricky way while they are not loyal to their promises here
the ethical issues rises such as unsafe product, deceptive prices according to the offers, they
mostly cheat or deceive consumer while advertising, bribery, stealing taxes, and polluting
environment while they call themselves as socially responsive. The above elements are the core
factors which consumer analyses and give their final decision to make a choice between brands.
In services sector they provide offers but never obey their own promises such as hotels may
offer 3 night stand in a cheap prices but their meal, room, or other services may not be so
satisfactory to the customer. The e-commerce sector may delay or take allot time to deliver
your product according to the offer they promised. Such as trendyol internet shopping
company promises to deliver your products within 24 hour but they always take long time to
handle it. Here ethical issues rises where customers switches to substitute company.
Hence marketing professionals are interested in consumer behavior towards reaction to
different marketing practices. Ethical Advertising are always marketer long lasting issue
because advertising is most noticed element of marketing communication. For example ads to
children, alcohol and tobacco ads, negative political ads)
Ethical Decision Making Process
For being effective while structuring advertisement for manager and policymaker to have
better understanding of marketing ethics and socially responsible decision process. Ethical
decision-making refers to the process of evaluating and choosing among alternatives in a
manner consistent with the ethical principles. In making ethical decisions, it is necessary to
