Exam 16: Marketing Ethics and Consumer Misbehaviour

Which of the following is NOT a major issue considered with teleological evaluations?

When a consumer enters into a situation that calls for an ethical decision, three sets of ethical evaluations occur: equity, contractual, and relativist.

CIGARETTE MARKETING SCENARIO The marketing of cigarettes, a legal product, has a controversial past. Prior to 1988, there were no legal restrictions on cigarette advertising. Cigarette companies, however, complied with a voluntary code. The first part of it was that they would not advertise on television and they would also place small health warnings on print ads. The other part of this code placed a cap on advertising expenditures. In print ads, one particular company claimed that they made the perfect cigarette and another from the U.S. stated that they were the choice product of doctors. Consumer groups have claimed that tobacco manufacturers knew the harmful effects of smoking but didn't tell consumers and continued to market the product. After May 1988, cigarette companies had to abide by the Tobacco Products Control Act. This prohibited all forms of advertising with some exceptions. Cigarette manufacturers got around this law by sponsoring sporting and cultural events using their corporate names instead of their brand names. Sporting and cultural events including golf, tennis, horse racing, auto racing, fireworks displays, and jazz festivals received a lot of money. In 2003 a complete sponsorship ban was put into place, but some people argued that these companies were simply trying to give back to the community. Even today the controversy continues, with one of the current issues being whether or not a website constitutes advertising. -Refer to Cigarette Marketing Scenario Jose owns a convenience store and refuses to sell cigarettes even though he knows he can make a lot of money doing so. He believes it is ethically wrong to sell this harmful product. What is Jose's belief that selling cigarettes is unethical reflective of?

Cyberbullying is a form of consumer misbehaviour.

Which term refers to beliefs about the social acceptability of an act?

Compulsive buying may be defined as chronic, repetitive shopping behaviour.

Which Canadian federal government body plays a pivotal role in protecting consumers' personal information?

Moral equity represents beliefs regarding an act's fairness or justness.

Other consumers may suffer while misbehaving consumers break societal norms and laws.

Which concept do sociologists use to explain why groups of people replace one set of acceptable norms with another set that others view as unacceptable?

What is the term for standards or moral codes of conduct to which a person, group, or organization adheres?

Shoplifting, fraud, abusive behaviour, compulsive purchasing, compulsive shopping, and binge drinking are examples of consumer problem behaviours.

Describe consumer misbehaviour and discuss how it affects the exchange process.

Overconsumption can lead to issues of unhappiness and anxiety.

Pierre illegally downloads a lot of music from the Internet but feels that it is socially acceptable to do so. What kind of value does the music hold for Pierre?

The "I'm working for you!" technique relies on equity theory.

One important issue regarding marketing to children is the sheer quantity of marketing messages to which children are exposed.

Lance found a wallet containing over $500 cash. He knew he should try to return the wallet to its owner and that he could take the cash and the owner wouldn't know if he took it or if someone else did before Lance found the wallet. Lance won't do that, though, because he believes that would be wrong. What are the personal standards and beliefs that guided Lance's behaviour?

Jeff had an old cellphone that he wasn't using anymore, but it still worked, so he gave it to his daughter when she got old enough to want a cellphone. However, he lost the charger for it, so he went to the store to buy a new one only to learn that chargers for that older model were no longer available. What is this an example of?

Annette spends hours every week shopping. Her focus is not on buying, but rather she loves to shop, browse, and seek out bargains online and at her favourite retailers. Which term best describes Annette's behaviour?