Objective:
Explore basic ethical theories and apply them to a real-world marketing dilemma.
Brief Overview of Ethical Theories:
* Utilitarianism: Seeks the greatest good for the most people. Marketing decisions should maximize overall happiness and minimize pain.
* Rights Theory: Focuses on respecting and protecting individual rights. Ethical marketing respects consumer autonomy and truthfulness.
* Justice Theory: Centers on fairness and equity. Marketing should not exploit or disadvantage any group.
Details:
Scenario: You are part of a marketing team at a food company. A new snack has been created that is delicious and affordable but contains an additive with unknown long-term, possibly harmful, health effects.
Perform the following three tasks.
Task 1: Ethical Analysis
* Utilitarian Perspective: Debate the pros and cons of releasing the snack, considering overall happiness versus potential health risks.
* Rights Perspective: Discuss whether selling the snack respects the consumer’s right to be informed and make an autonomous decision.
* Justice Perspective: Consider if introducing the snack to the market treats all consumers equitably, including vulnerable populations.
Task 2: Marketing Decision: Decide on whether to launch the snack. Support your choice with the ethical analyses above.
Task 3: Personal Reflection: Reflect on how ethical considerations affect marketing decisions and how you might resolve conflicts between the theories.
1. Submit an original post:
A concise 400 to 500-word original post (in three separate paragraphs) including:
* A brief analysis of each ethical theory (Task 1).
* Your decision on the product launch (Task 2).
* A personal reflection on the role of ethics in marketing (Task 3).
2. Besides the above three paragraphs, provide the list of references (Title, Source, Date of Publication–mere URL is not enough) used. Cite, in your discussion text, the materials used from other sources.
AVOID ACADEMIC INTEGRITY VIOLATIONS. See the syllabus for the penalty. “Copy and paste” from different sources is plagiarism and not allowed. The minimum penalty for violation is an “F” grade in the course.
You must do your initial substantive post (about 400 to 500 words) before you can read posts from the other students. To make your initial substantive post, click “START A NEW THREAD” and then do the post. Under Subject, write “Pandemic and Marketing Channels of Distribution.”
