A634.5.4.RB_FogartyShawn

            Marketing conducted by organizations has an inherent strategic object, to make the organization successful; more specifically make money. Organizations marketing advertisements are to taken with a grain of salt. Statistics can always be bent, facts omitted to focus only on the positive and misleading or misrepresentation of the truth. Sayed and Ghazaly (n.d.) outline the negative aspects of marketing in their article, Ethics-Based Marketing, by attempting to answer the following questions: Does the end justify the means? Is marketing really an angel? Is it even about satisfying the customer, or does it also involve totally materialistic objectives? To what extent do situational and organizational variables influence marketing practitioners in interacting with consuming publics? As we reflect on their article and evaluate the marketing trends as viewed in the United States it’s hard to trust the vary organizations that seek consumer interests in their marketing.

            I feel ethical guidelines make a difference to marketers and consumers. Sayed and Ghazaly (n.d.) present findings by Laczniak and Murphy (1985) which recommends “organizational and strategic mechanisms for improving marketing ethics, including codes of marketing ethics, marketing ethics committees, and ethics education modules for marketing managers.” Further, that organizations that focus on “communicating the beliefs and behavior of top management, the ethical frame of reference could be improved especially since respondents identify their ethical beliefs as closer to top management's than to their peers” (Sayed, Ghazaly, n.d.).

            Companies do not always balance the need to win with being ethical. The capitalistic society in the United States has been seen, on many occasions, to allow organizations to “bend” the rules when it comes to ethics. Organizations can stray to being overly customer focused which opens the door to ethical decision making. This stems from good intentions as organizations aim to maintain “customer focused in marketing, is the essence that brings an organization to success, it's the underlying culture that enables a company to grow, simply because marketing is the glue that sticks the consumer to the company or the product it sells (Sayed, Ghazaly, n.d.). However, good intentions can pave the road unethical decisions.

.           I think that it is ethical to track buying habits or web visits to target you for marketing purposes so long as organizations acknowledge this act and make it known to the consumer. Many websites offer similar products or even list, “Customers who viewed this item also viewed these items.” Although, you’ll find that many people, as mentioned by Sayed and Ghazaly (n.d.) in Ethics-Based Marketing, “believe that they (Organizations) make decisions in an organizational environment that is less ethical than their own values and beliefs.” This certainly surrounds the ability to track buying habit and market to the consumer based on targeted marketing practices.

           Lastly, as a leader, I would manage the ethical aspects of marketing efforts by nesting organizational values with my own and promote those values throughout the organization. Also, I would publish a mission statement to the consumers which is backed by the workforce as to promote ethical practices. Ultimately, I would draw a red line on the wall where we do not cross for capital gain. 

Sayed , H., & Ghazaly , I. (n.d.). Ethics-Based Marketing: Ethical Articles. Retrieved July 2, 2013, from http://www.ethicsbasedmarketing.net/2.html

Laczniak, G.R. and RE. Murphy (1985). “Incorporating Marketing Ethics into the Organization”. In Marketing Ethics: Guidelines for Managers , edited by G.R. Laczniak and P.E. Murphy (97-105). Lexington , MA : Lexington Books.