Ethical standards and their impact on marketing management structure

Marketing Management

This report will be a thorough analysis of a chosen marketing management problems. In this report, the approach taken will include thorough analysis of a total of five recent studies. The thematic marketing management problem studied here will be the impact that the ethical standards can have on the entire marketing management structure. The studies chosen will be studies from five different perspectives i.e. The background of the studies will be provided followed by the research issues that the papers identified, the theories used in the papers, the primary findings of the papers and the implications that they for the current marketers. The report will end with a comprehensive and analytical conclusion.

Background of the Papers

There is a growing trend of hiring African-American graduates in the marketing sectors within the United States. In a recent study conducted by Malinowski and Berger (2010) we see that there is clearly ethic-oriented reason for this trend; the researchers conduct a thorough analysis of the students (black and white) of marketing and assert that the African-American students are far more ethical in their approach and application when compared to the white students (Malinowski and Berger, 2010).

Another study similarly focused on the various growing ethical problems that surface in running a business. The study asserts that organizations are trying to find progressively applicable strategies to consider measures that preserve and develop their ethical status, because corporate status is viewed as an intangible resource that produces an aggressive advantage for that enterprise and its global performance (Iwu-Egwuonwu, 2011; Amine et al., 2012).

In a related recent study, the researchers highlight the more powerful marketing methods that are now being used to penetrate the marketplace. This research specifically analyzed the attitudes of practicing dental surgeons' on the overall responsibility of ethics for marketing (Verma et al., 2012). In another relatively recent and similar paper, the researchers use the closeness of two separated towns around the island of Cyprus to review how questionable items and types of offensive advertising and marketing accomplishments could be associated with amounts of religiousness, time usage and temporality. The structure of the study was such that the resulting findings were going to be then offered as experience in to the perception of ethics of two specific religious groups within the region (Gibbs and Ilkan, 2008).

Taking forward the ethical trends in advertising and marketing, Hoedemaekers (2011) in his study also addresses the function of humor in advertising and marketing. Particularly, he examines several cases of how banned TV advertisements which are intentionally circulated on the Internet use edgy or shocking humor. The writer argues that this kind of advertising produces an impact of progressiveness by questioning social conventions for what can be interpreted as suitable and acceptable in public places media discourses (Hoedemaekers, 2011).

Research Issues

Malinowski and Berger (1996) looked into undergraduates' attitudes about hypothetical marketing moral problems. Among the ethical situations worked with included the introduction of a brand name of any nicotine products that will attract urban African-People in America. On the 3 moral aspects of attitude, cognitive, affective, and behavior, African-People in America were considerably more morally upset than whites (Malinowski and Berger, 2010). This approach was useful as it allowed the researcher to understand how the ethical standards enforced by the corporate companies would be manipulated. The problem recognized here is that, in the modern society, ethical standards and social responsibility of company takes the front seat and is an integral part of their brand image and company image. This is why the trend of hiring African-Americans in the marketing structures is becoming more obvious as companies use their ethical marketing strategies to promote their ethically sound image.

This study conducted by Amine and colleagues (2012) supports the findings of the prior study and asserts that concentration on the influence of ethics of company employees and its implications on business performance are integral for success. The goal of the study was to look for the impact of the ethical worker associations and behaviors in corporate performance in line with the mechanism of relationship marketing. Quite simply, the study aimed to answer how relationship marketing encourages the creation, maintenance and strengthening of the ethical climate within the organization (Amine et al., 2012).

The research problem and goal for the conducted by Verma and colleagues (2012) was slightly different from the prior two studies and aimed to evaluate the attitudes of practicing dental surgeon's towards the responsibility of ethical marketing in dentistry through an online survey questionnaire method. The study however theorized similar to the prior two studies that the ethical approach to marketing would prove fruitful for a successful venture and sustenance of an important brand image (Verma et al., 2012).

The study conducted by Gibbs and Ilkan (2008) focused on the exact ways that the ethics and religious boundaries might influence marketing to multicultural towns. This was a slightly wider approach than the prior three studies; however, the researchers of the study, similar to prior studies, laid increasing importance on the ethical awareness of the target audience before choosing certain marketing strategies. Simialrly, the study conducted by Hoedemaekers (2011) took this a step further from the social market to the digital market and highlighted the need for the marketers to be aware of the social norms and ethics before penetrating their advertisements across digital public places like the popular social networks.

Theories

The primary theories brought to the forefront in the study conducted by Malinowski and Berger (2010) were the cognitive theories and behavioral change theories focusing primarily on how both the cognitive capability and personality of the whites made them different from the African-Americans in terms of applying or following ethical standards.

The research problem for the study conducted by Amine and colleagues (2012) studied ethical implementations inside a company by focusing on the theory of relationship marketing. The researchers tried to look for the impact of the ethical approach oriented worker on corporate performance in line with the tools of relationship marketing. They theorized that relationship marketing functions internally within the company by using the internal marketing structures (Amine et al., 2012).

The primaries theories highlighted in the study by Verma and colleagues (2012) focused on the role and techniques of promoting ethical perspective towards dental marketing and evaluation for rules for marketing (Verma et al., 2012). Hoedemaekers (2012) applied the theories of Freud and Lacan to understand such advertising as offering an incorrect or unethical picture on social networks and doesn't essentially question or think about the actual Symbolic or ethical logic but, rather, fortifies it (Hoedemaekers, 2011).

Implications

The implications from the study conducted by Malinowski and Berger (2010) for the current marketers thus include the recognition of the different marketing moral problems that can arise if and when the right people are not hired. Hence, the problem recognized here is hiring the right and appropriate people. The right people for the job, as recognized in this study, are thus those who have strong ethical inclinations on a personal level. This will ensure that they will apply ethical standards across all stages of work as well (Malinowski and Berger, 2010).

The implications for marketers from the study conducted by Amine and colleagues (2012) prove that the ethical systems behave as mediators within the relationship between ethics and company performance. Also, internal communication facilitates the distribution of ethical values and recognizes the foundation for the achievement of business trust and business; hence those companies who are facing ethical dilemmas is marketing can use this study as a template (Van Der Wiele, 2002; Amine et al., 2012s).

The important implications from the study conducted by Verma and colleagues (2012) for marketers from analyzing this study include the recognition of the perspective that marketing is really a two pronged sword. It is a vital tool in present day competitive market, but must be used sensibly and simultaneously (Becker and Kaldenberg, 1992; Verma et al., 2012).

The implications of the study conducted by Gibbs and Ilkan (2008) for marketers include the fact that the outcomes raise certain concerns for marketing distribution and division as well as utilization of image. For example, positive and forward-searching images would stimulate the majority of the group no express their degree of belief. This paper identifies parallels as well as ontological variations which could also significantly inform global marketing campaigns (Gibbs and Ilkan, 2008). The implications aforementioned were also verified by the study conducted by Hoedemaekers (2011) but for the digital structure of marketing and advertising.

Conclusion

In conclusion, all of the studies chosen above thus provide the background for the importance of ethics in marketing in the spheres ranging from the hiring of ethically-inclined employees to ethics-oriented marketing tools as the ethical exploitation of advertising/marketing strategies to penetrate the competitive global market. Furthermore, all of the studies above highlight one primary and similar research issue which is related to marketing management problems: hiring the right employee for the right customer. All studies assert that 1) the target audience is aptly recognized by the modern companies and they need to hire the right people for the job; and/or, 2) contrarily, the right people are hired but the right target audience needs to be recognized before designing ethically sound marketing strategies. All the results assert that finding the ethical balance in marketing is integral for the corporate companies today and the implications highlighted above all point towards how the chosen studies can help modern marketers attain a high ethical standard and strategy.