Analysis of Professional Code of Ethics

Professional Code of Ethics Analysis

Introduction

From the onset, it would be prudent to note that the relevance of a code of ethics cannot be overstated when it comes to highlighting not only best practices, but also standards of ethics that would be expected of practitioners in an industry or enterprise. This write-up seeks to identify and analyze a published code of ethics. More specifically, it will amongst other things summarize the code’s key points and highlight the relevance of the said code in guiding decision making.

Discussion

By virtue of being in the marketing profession, I subscribe and stand guided by the ideals of the American Marketing Association Code of Ethics. This particular code of ethics identifies the role that we as marketers play in the facilitation and execution of commercial transactions. Further, it identifies our responsibility as sources of key information on various products and/or services. For this reason, it restates the need for ethical guidelines to guide our conduct and practice in the course of interactions with stakeholders including – but not limited to – clients/customers, the community, regulators, peers, investors, employers, etc. Towards this end, the key ethical values that have been highlighted in this particular statement of ethics are: honesty, responsibility, fairness, respect, transparency, and citizenship (American Marketing Association, 2013). In essence, whereas the value of honesty calls upon us to ensure that our interactions with stakeholders are truthful and forthright, the ethical value of responsibility is categorical of the need to always be aware of the consequences of the strategies we deploy and decisions we make in the course of executing our roles. Next, when it comes to fairness, we are called upon to ensure that the expectations of sellers and buyers are balanced in a just manner. With regard to the ethical value of respect, we as marketers must be aware stakeholders’ dignity and actively seek to uphold it. Next, the value of transparency underlines the need to ensure that all engagements in our various marketing operations are open and straightforward. Lastly, we have the ethical value of citizenship which is essentially a call for us to ensure that we embrace our societal, philanthropic, as well as legal and economic responsibilities.

In my profession, there are a wide range of ethical issues that could arise. In such scenarios, the American Marketing Association Code of Ethics could come in handy in efforts to guide decision-making. A good example of such a scenario relates to marketing energy drinks to children. An energy drink marketing campaign incorporating popular fictional hero characters such as Superman, Spider-Man and the Hulk and would likely boost sales in this particular market segment. However, from an ethical perspective, would this be the right thing to do? According to Cleveland Clinic (2021), energy drinks could have a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of a child. Indeed, pediatrics advise that caffeine should be avoided by children under the age of 12. As a matter of fact, as Cleveland Clinic (2021) further indicates, the American Academy of Pediatrics is categorical that kids (as well as adolescents) should not take energy drinks due to their high caffeine content. Exposure of a child to the said high caffeine content could trigger a wide range of health issues including high blood pressure, mood swings, anxiety, sleep disruption, etc. (Cleveland Clinic, 2021). The American Marketing Association Code of Ethics pronounces itself on this issue via its responsibility ethical value, i.e. with regard to being aware of the impact of our marketing strategies and decisions. More specifically, the code of ethics identifies the need to “recognize our special commitments to vulnerable market segments such as children...” (American Marketing Association, 2013). In the words of Boyland (2023), “children are particularly vulnerable to being exploited and deceived by food marketing messages based on their cognitive and developmental immaturity” (17). With this in mind, it would be clearly unethical to undertake targeted advertising of energy drinks to children.

There is no doubt whatsoever that code of ethics documents provide an instrumental framework to guide professional behavior and ensure that best practices are followed. As has been demonstrated above, codes of ethics could come in handy as a tool for sound decision making. This is more so the case given that, as is the case with the American Marketing Association Code of Ethics, they clearly state what constitutes best practices for a specific profession. Secondly, codes of ethics are key to ensuring that professionals safeguard not only their reputation, but also of those organizations and professions they serve in. This is because they often highlight and underline the profession’s various compliance requirements. Next, codes of ethics ensure that the interests of all stakeholders are protected and/or secured. This could, amongst other things, be in relation to encouraging fair conduct and responsibility.