Business Ethics

Chapter Fourteen

Marketing Ethics*

We commence this chapter with the role of marketing in bringing products of great value to humankind. The chapter also details some norms in marketing ethics, with examples of practice as well as infraction. We then look at the darker side of marketing also—its role in bringing out products of harm to the society. In this milieu some firms bring out good products, even though there are no market compulsions to do so and at times even at a cost to the firm. A few other firms are compelled to move away from products that are harmful to the society due to either actions by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or legislation. We also examine the Indian context in which marketing ethical capacity and infraction ...