Moral philosophy also can take on a nonconsequentialist perspective, which is more "binding with moral rules or duties and consequences" (Smith, Kimmel, & Allan 19). As such, the moral action would have been to tell the truth; yet, Discover deliberately misled customers, avoided discussing fees, and sped through sales pitches in order to confuse potential buyers. Discover should have clearly notified all buyers of fees at the very beginning of the conversation. Finally, there is a third philosophy which would critique Discover's actions. From a Didactic tradition, it is important for a moral person to teach and express their morality in order to help inspire similar moral actions in others. Socrates was one of the most infamous teachers who aimed to help expand and model the examined life. His criticism here would be clearly based on the fact that Discover held a high respect within the banking industry. If it was using deceptive practices, it was only teaching other less responsible banks to do the same. So, not only did Discover harm its own clients, but it provided a model for other banks to harm their customers as well. Recommendation

It is clear that Discover now has a lot of work to do in order to regain footing with the customers in today's already volatile banking market. Discover will have to adapt a new ethics code for dealing with its customers that ensures their safety from deceptive practices. This may also include reducing any commission that is involved in up-selling for add-on credit products. Additionally, Discover will have to retrain employees in order to provide them proper measures for explaining and walking the customer through the purchases of such products in order to not allow employees to continue on with bad habits. Finally, in terms of a marketing perspective, Discover should no refrain from using small print, as it can only increase customer...

Just the process of retraining sales employees will ultimately cost the company millions of dollars. They may also loose business when being more straight forward with advertising and marketing campaigns (Canada Competition Bureau 1). However, Discover has long relied on a stellar consumer reputation. Refusing to adjust practices to atone for their deception will only provide more consequences in the future.
Conclusion

Discover now faces a long, uphill journey. In an environment where consumers are already distrustful of banks, they have been caught deceiving their members. The company now needs to adjust its procedures and campaigns in order to attempt to regain a fraction of the good reputation it once had.

Works Cited

Canada Competition Bureau. "Misleading Representations and Deceptive Marketing Practices." Publications. 2011. Web. http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/01224.html

Kim, Susanna. "Discover (DSF) Announces $200 Million Refund to Customers." ABC News. Web. http://abcnews.go.com/Business/discover-announces-200-million-refund-customers-deceptive-marketing/story?id=17310179#.UHTyfVFNuXk

Smith, N. Craig, Kimmel, Allan J., & Klein, Jill. Social Contract Theory and the Ethics of Deception in Consumer Research. Faculty & Research Working Paper. 2011. Web. http://www.insead.edu/facultyresearch/research/doc.cfm?did=39227

Stephenson, Emily. "U.S. Regulatory Fines Discover for Deceptive Marketing." Rueters. 2012. Web. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/24/us-discover-fdic-idUSBRE88N0WJ20120924