Exam 4: Social Responsibility and Ethics in Marketing

Pharmaceutical companies have at times been accused of acting unethically by taking advantage of customers in the area of

Marketers' contributions of resources to community causes such as education, recreation, and others illustrate social responsibility on a community-relations level.

Define marketing citizenship and describe the impact of its dimensions on organizations.

Discuss the difference between social responsibility and ethics in marketing.

It is possible to improve ethical behavior in an organization by

Home Depot's synergistic use of organizational core competencies and resources to address key stakeholders' interests and achieve both social initiatives and its business goals is an example of

Several mothers in Atlanta wanted to get the message to their city government that they were not happy with the nutritional quality of the food the city's school system served their children, especially at the current cost for a lunch. One of the mothers suggested they organize a protest at City Hall to get the lawmakers' attention. Another mother in the group suggested they all use their smartphones to go on Twitter and let others know the time and date of the protest. This small group was surprised at the number of other parents who were equally concerned about the food program, and so this small group decided to organize a flash mob. Over two hundred people showed up in a flash mob in front of City Hall, many of them with signs and banners. These mothers and other individuals are engaging in

____ ethical issues generally surface when companies fail to disclose risks associated with a product or information regarding its function, value, or use.

An organization's obligation to maximize its positive impact and minimize its negative impact on society is known as social accountability.

Open communication and coaching on ethical issues are essential to nurturing ethical conduct in marketing.

At his new job, Carlos notices that everyone places high values on their families and each others' families, birthdays are always celebrated, and flexible schedules are permitted to facilitate family involvement as long as the work is still getting done. Everyone is very relaxed and friendly. Carlos has made several observations about the

Kimberly works in the sales department of a consumer products firm. The firm has a strong code of conduct, and during sales training Kimberly and her coworkers were told about the importance of ethical selling. One of the major values stressed was transparency with the consumer. Within the next few months, Kimberly witnessed some of her coworkers who got caught bending the rules get reprimanded, and one even got fired. However, after a while Kimberly realized that this pattern of discipline was inconsistent. Joel, one of her coworkers, has been known to repeatedly steer customers to higher priced products, exaggerate a product's capabilities, and even fail to divulge important safety information to the consumer. Yet because Joel was the highest-performing salesperson, he rarely got reprimanded. Kimberly noticed other people were beginning to follow Joel's lead because they recognized that if these behaviors could secure more sales, they would sell more without ever facing the consequences for their actions. It appeared that Kimberly's organization only punished the lower-performing salespeople for misconduct. Kimberly's company appears to provide the __________ for unethical behavior despite its ethics code and training.

The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has established the following requirements relating to the ingredients labeling on food products: Labels must be placed on the product in a location most likely to be seen by the consumer. Labels must include quantity of and type of ingredients included in the food product. Labels must be printed in a specific font size Regarding these requirements, which one of the following statements is correct?

According to the text, marketing ethics refers to principles and standards that define

Which of the following is a formal way of expressing corporate culture?

When marketing activities deviate from accepted standards, the exchange process can break down, resulting in customer dissatisfaction, lack of trust, and lawsuits.

Betty Vinson worked in accounting at WorldCom. When her bosses first approached her and asked her to make questionable accounting transactions, she balked. She knew from her training that these questionable transactions could be construed as misleading. At first, Betty Vinson held firm. But after being told by her bosses that it was the only way to save the firm's finances, she decided to comply. This is an example of

What is most likely to happen to organizational decision making if there are no ethics programs or standards?

Kaitlyn understands that even small businesses like her local catering business have certain responsibilities to society. She knows that she must abide by the laws that apply to her business and try to make a profit. What are the other obligations Kaitlyn should know about?

If an ethical (or social responsibility) issue can withstand open discussion and result in agreements or limited debate, it is not really an ethical (or social responsibility) issue.