RM&C - t2 ethical theory & responsible marketing

ethical theory & responsible marketing

normative v descriptive ethical theories; how ethical theory helps assess marketing & consumption; evaluating traditional (Western) ethical theories; contemporary & alternative ethical theories; application of theories to responsibility issues in marketing

normative v descriptive ethical theories

normative (prescriptive): how people should behave, provide moral rules/principles, used to judge actions (right/wrong), e.g. deontology (follow duties/rules), utilitarianism (maximise overall good), virtue ethics (act with good character) - what ought we to do; descriptive: how people actually behave, explains moral practices within cultures/groups/organisations, don’t judge behaviour, e.g. industry advertising codes, cultural norms (gift-giving), corporate ethics policies in practice - what do people do & why

how ethical theory helps assess marketing & consumption

ethical theory: translates morality - principles - decisions, makes marketing decisions defensible, helps identify: stakeholders/harms v benefits/rights & responsibilities; positions of ET: e absolutism (universally applicable moral principles, rationally determined), e relativism (morality = context dependent, subjective, dependent: traditions/convictions/practices); why ET matters in marketing: decisions affect consumers/workers/communities/environment, ET: justify pricing/advertising/targeting, evaluate sustainability & responsibility claims, resolve conflicts between profit & social impact, e.g. targeting unhealthy food to children: deontology - consider duty to protect vulnerable groups, utilitarianism - assess social harm, care ethics - focus on relationships & dependency

evaluating traditional (Western) ethical theories

deontology (Kant: duty-based ethics): actions are right/wrong regardless of consequences, follow universal moral rules (e.g. honesty), s: protects individual rights, clear moral boundaries, w: rigid/inflexible, duties can conflict, ignores outcomes, assumes rational actors, Kant = racist (ethical contradiction); utilitarianism (Bentham & Mill: consequentialism): right action = greatest good for greatest number, s: outcome-focused, useful: policy & business decisions, w: harms to minorities can’t be justified, consequences hard to measure, subjective judgements of ‘good’; social contract theory: society functions through shared agreements, people give up freedoms for social order, participation tacit (implied), businesses should have moral free space to decide within context; rights-based approach (Rawls): action is ethical if 1 basic freedoms equal for all, 2 least advanced = better off than without (e.g. fair wages even if profits decrease); key critique overall: abstract & impractical, individualistic, Eurocentric, ignore relationships/care/power differences

contemporary & alternative ethical theories

virtue ethics (Aristotle): focus on character not rules/outcomes, ethics = living good life, emphasis: habits/integrity/role models; ethics of care (Gillian): humans interdependent, moral issues arise from relationships, focus: empathy/responsibility/avoiding harm, s: recognise power imbalance, values emotion & context, w: risk - stereotyping, potential - paternalism; ubuntu ethics (Metz): community over individual, consensus decision making, emphasis: dignity/harmony/reciprocity

application of theories to responsibility issues in marketing

ethical decision making: marketers face - profit v responsibility / global v local values / power imbalances / cultural differences; ethical pluralism: no single theory sufficient, combine multiple perspectives, context-sensitive solutions; e.g. sustainable marketing: deontology (duty not to deceive - greenwashing), utilitarianism (environmental impact), care ethics (long term relationships with communities), ubuntu (collective wellbeing & inclusion)