Despite this, there is a number of common ethical issues emerge, especially Fair Trade principles, the use of organically grown and processed materials, working practices in developing nations and the depletion of natural resources (Sanfilippo, 2007).There are consumers who may be more sympathetic toward ethical issues, and hence more likely to choose ethical products. Employee happiness correlates to customer happiness. The most obvious concerns the works of culture, its artifacts. The key challenge presented by virtue ethics, then, is that of finding ways of combining intimate caring for particular others with humanitarian caring about others in general (Slote, 2000). Meanwhile, Timony et al. It is being exposed that there is an increase in the sale and demand of fair trade and organic products (for example, ethical consumerism (Shaw, Shiu, & Clarke, 2000) and some consumers’ even attempt to punish ‘unethical’ organizations (for example, boycotting (Shaw, Newholm, & Dickinson, 2006)). (2005) claim that everyday consumption practices are always shaped by some sort of ethical dispositions; hence they can be regarded as ordinarily ethical. If your assignment doesn’t have a list of prompts, you can include anecdotes and specific details from your own experience. 2. Ethical or unethical consumer practices can be explained as the rightness or the wrongness of certain actions on the part of the buyer or potential buyer in consumer situations (Dodge, Edwards, & Fullerton, 1996). Langeland (1999) defines the ethical consumer segment as follows: A significant group of people are considering the wider impact of their purchasing decisions and are trying to favor the products with improved environmental or social performance. The notion of ethical consumer has developed in society that can be referred to as the consumer culture. However, Hunt-Vitell (1992) general theory of ethics does not specify how cultural norms influence ethical decision-making either. Strong (1996) adds the concern for the developing countries to the definition and states that ethical consumerism refers to buyer behavior that reflects a concern with the problems of the Third World. Selfishness: a good or bad trait? One’s confidence and moral maturity in ethical decision making may also be related to one’s perceived locus of control (Forte, 2004). One problem in dealing with culture is that it is difficult to define universally. (2002), they assume these traditionalists are compounded with conformity, patience, duty before pleasure while baby boomers are most dealing with optimistic, personal growth, participation. Firstly, both present models of ethical conduct that appear to be far too stringent in the demands they make on the capacities of ordinary people – consequentialist arguments seem to imagine it is possible to collect, collate and calculate all sorts of information and chains of causality prior to action. Consumer ethics is also defined as to search the factors that have correlation with ethical issues and to determine the attitudes of consumers towards certain ethical behaviours (Muncy & Vitell, 1992). For this to happen, however, it is necessary to develop theories of consumer behaviour able to explain ethical and altruistic purchases in contrast with the traditional marketing theory that is focused on self-interested consumption motives (Thogersen, 1996). Some time consumer found problem on the product but they did not report to the relevant department until the government or relevant department disclosure it. According to John Gardner, high organizational trust can advance in many aspects, like level of consumer ethics; employee’ productivity; product quality; work flexibility but effective as well. She defined that traditionalist was those who born between 1925 and 1945, members are predicted to be very loyal and hardworking in nature especially when dealing with the workplace. An introduction to an ethics essay should preview what you will discuss in your paper. However, the result show that the demand of ethical products still unable to represent the actual decision making of consumer. Definitions of the good refer to the properties or outcomes that our actions should endeavour to bring about; definitions of the right refer to what people and organizations ought to do in responding to ethical imperatives. For many years the main form of ethical consumerism was "negative ethical purchase behavior", or the boycott. 500+ Words Essay on Ethics. Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell (2010), define ethics as the study and philosophy of human’ activities, with a specific purpose of determine whether a particular action or behavior is right or wrong. Consumers normally will recognize the organize the organizations that attempt to be responsive to various ethical and social factors in the marketplace over the time (Laczniak & Murphy, 1993).Usually consumer judged the product base on the company reputation and reorganization. A scientific proven from Boulstridge & Carrigan (2000) reveal that consumers are mostly concentrate on their own beneficial values in term of price, quality rather than the corporate ethics. Consumers appear to exercise their moral principles and be more ethically minded when making purchases (Fukukawa, 2010). Consumers also consistently proved themselves unpredictable and unmanageable in which they show different images and faces in purchasing (Gabriel & Lang, 2006). Besides, Consumers who express greater commitment also are likely to forgive unethical business behaviors. Company culture strengthens with improved customer sentiment. However, it is impossible to assume consumers always behave ethically. People who possess with more moral values can avoid themselves from behaving unethically in the society. See All Buying Options. Furthermore, all the moral standards that related to the culture in which they occurred are the moral relativism (Schlenker & Forsyth, 1977). Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. In particular, men are more likely to adhere to the "ethic of justice" by emphasizing rules and individual rights. The behavior is exhibited in two main ways: first, by overt actions such as public or corporate statements and actions about ethical behavior; second, by the collection of the group of ethical attitudes and values. Looking into consumer ethics, it is also important to study consumer ethics across culture, in the marketplace and global marketplace as well as the importance of it. 4. Ethics is a branch of philosophy that studies morals and values. They serve as rules of conduct and can be important guidelines for how individuals should or ought to behave (Pitta, Fung & Isberg, 1999). Our writers and customer service representatives are up and running at all times Ethics Essay On The Ultimate Good to meet your academic needs. That’s why we work without a break to help you at any time, wherever you are located. This seems to conflict with some basic principles of ethical consumption, to distant others, to non-human animals, and to the environment. Because of the ethical responsiveness, consumer will evaluate good rating to this company base on what they see and observed. Differing cultural reactions to consumption practices would be expected to occur, not only because moral values are socially and culturally constructed. In most situations a consumer’s ethical judgment are likely to be a function of both deontological and teleological evaluations. Generally, customer ethics are defined as a set of ethics that service providers follow to ensure that they treat their customers with respect. Writing a Custom Ethics paper is not an easy task to do. This means that concern for the people who are close to you can be transformed into actively caring for more distant others, which is essential when making ethical choices. In another type of dishonest consumer behavior, consumers deliberately return goods for reasons other than actual faults in the product (King & Dennis, 2006). Taking actions in the interest of the customer would enhance company performance and would contribute to a perception of greater importance of ethics in organizational effectiveness. A topic of your composition is one of the essential aspects of a successful composition. In short, ethics play a critical role in every aspect of the society either business, education, marketplace and others. Creating a professional image involves careful planning and a concentrated training effort. For a clear example, consumers purchase organic products and demand for fair trade. He argued that teleological theories implied that it is justifiable to exploit some people, or limit their rights, in pursuit of a more general utilitarian benefit. Carrigan & Attalla (2001) suggest that consumers tend to make ethical purchases that do not require them to pay more, suffer loss of quality or make a special effort. Besides, corporate ethical values (CEV) can be defined as a composite of the individual ethical values of managers and both the formal and informal policies on ethics of the organization (Hunt et al., 1989). 4.6 out of 5 stars. How culture influences one's perceptions and ethical decision-making in business. Although many companies today have unfortunately drifted away from giving their customer an exceptional customer service … Companies have a responsibility to provide consumers with whatever it is they pay for and products are assumed to be safe for ordinary use. All in all, important aspect of ethical consumption is explicitly expressed commitment or obligation towards distant or absent others. The ethicalness of a particular decision is interdependent with the level of moral development in term of ethical climates and culture of an organization. They used various accounts, consisting of justifications or excuses to explain their behavior. 5 star 63% 4 star 30% 3 star 7% 2 star 0% (0%) 0% 1 star 0% (0%) 0% Ethics: An Essay on the Understanding of Evil. write my paper. Her finding was clarify that Gen Y members are high possibility to having such behavior like materialistic, high level of ethical consumption as if compared with Baby Boomers. We provide affordable writing services for students around the world. For example, The Economist (2006) has reported that the sale of pirated DVDs in China deprived US film makers of approximately $2.7 billion in 2005, a massive amount compared to the $250 million or so taken in total box office receipts in the country. Consumer ethics will have important contributions to make to one of the risk analysis as well which is risk management. In social environment, when someone intents to make an ethical decision, it is advisable that he or she to cope with their cognitive thoughts especially dealing with the values and consequences behind their action as this will lead them to be evaluated by the society members. Theories of the good therefore focus upon what outcomes to promote, whereas theories of the right focus upon what principles to honour, or on questions of duty (Pettit, 1991). Second, as an influential social institution, religion has an indirect role in shaping culture, norms, attitudes, and values in society (AI Habshi & Syed-Agil, 1994). Raines (2003) categorized the generations into four distinct categories which are traditionalists, baby boomers, Gen X and Gen Y (Millennial). If a business … Essay on The Importance of Business Ethics Business ethics is defined as the principles, values, and standards that guides behavior in the world of business. (2005) discuss. Virtue ethics makes new sorts of consumption arguments possible. These consequences provide feedback to the individual’s personal experiences when compared to the originally expected consequences. Age could also directly influence an individual’s ethical decision. 6. Cowe & Williams (2000) named this the "30:3 phenomenon", since approximately 30% of consumers profess to care about ethical standards, but only 3% of purchases reflect these standards. Alternatively, there appears to be a positive trend towards attempts to purchase goods with positive ethical attributes as well (Tallontire, Rentsendorj & Blowfield, 2001). Customer service is the business function where companies interact with consumers in the business environment. Crane’s conclusion is that there is no such thing as a definitive "ethical product", but only ethical product attributes and augmentations relating to any number of possible ethical dimensions, which the customer must recognise, believe, value and, ultimately, buy into. Companies are expected to behave more ethically because society grants them certain privileges such as use of economic infrastructure and having a secure legal framework. Accordingly, Valor (2007) has defined ethical consumerism as an activity where consumers are demanding that human rights (including the right for a safe environment) are respected in the manufacturing process. For instance, in 2008, consumer theft in retailing was estimated at more than $43 billion worldwide, including $ 14 billion in North America and $18 billion in Europe. Should abortions be banned? In other words, they do not simply put their empathy on the ethical issues toward a certain company, what their main concern is how to get a premium quality product in a lower price. Company produces harmful products in the marketplace. The most important first step is to satisfy the customer by meeting their expectations. The Institute of Customer Service reported approximately 68 percent of study participants stopped patronizing a company due to a single incident of poor customer service. A key difference in ethical expectations of businesses compared to individuals is probably the expectations of moral behavior go beyond simple social norms. Rawls explicitly set about developing an alternative approach to utilitarian theories of ethics and justice. Churn decreases with more customer care. Organization must take care of shareholder, employee and any company’ related interest for example to earn adequate profits, to maintain a long term purposeful relationship with their stakeholders. New Thesis Topic Ideas on Customer Service. Indeed, our own casual empiricism at local coffee outlets indicated that not a single barista could recall a customer either asking for Fairtrade coffee or complaining that it was not available. 5. In contrast to consequentialist approaches, deontological or duty-based approaches define right action independently of its contribution to human happiness or other favoured goals. The major difference between these two theories is that, deontological theories focus on the specific actions or behaviors of an individual, teleological theories focus on the consequences of those actions or behaviors (Hunt & Vitell, 1986). (2003), in contrast, reveal that loyal consumers commit less questionable behavior when dealing with retailers. According to Cowe & Williams (2001), shoppers are highly aware of ethical issues and many are ready to put their money where their morals are. A survey by the Consumers Association in 1998 suggests 83% buy organic food to avoid pesticides, 75% because they believe it to be kinder to the environment, 70% are concerned about intensive rearing of animals, 68% because it tastes better, 40% because they want to support local farmers and 36% because they are worried about Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) also known as the mad cow disease (cited in Tallontire, Rentsendorj & Blowfield, 2001). Short-term and long-te… Such virtues include justice, compassion, tolerance, courage, patience, persistence, intelligence, imagination and creativity. Over years of research, the term Ethics has been developed into a number of definition and such concept had been proven by many researchers or expertise. However, they also use their company name to organize some donation event for helping necessary people. Consumer attitudes towards ethical marketing reveal changeable, even fickle consumer ethics. Comparatively little attention has been given to the role that ethics plays in individual purchasing behaviour (Nicholls & Lee, 2006). Charalambous Tower Further lack of ethical behavior in the marketplace can also be seen by the increasingly high levels of counterfeit goods purchased around the world, whether they are pirated DVDs or fake Louis Vuitton handbags. Don’t miss a chance to chat with experts. For example, some cultures perceive people as essentially good while others tend to take a more pessimistic view. Companies must ensure that their dealings with their employees are clean and fair and only then will … Hilton Hotel strongly embodies the “customer is God” and “home away from home” principle in facilities and services, internal culture and good business ethics make customers experience the “home”, which won the majority of customers; meanwhile the hotel becomes more competitive and corporate profits grow year after year. You should have the clear understanding and knowledge about what is ethical and what is not. Public works, works of art, museums, hospitals and universities can reveal the value that the culture places on the arts and sciences. CLTV improves with better customer service. Moral philosophy often divides ethical theories into two types: theories that privilege the right, and theories that privilege the good. Instead, involves thoughtfulness about the desires and needs of others and it is in fact based on relationships and love. The principles of ethics may help the consumer to measures the risks against the expected benefit of product consumption to avoidance of excessive regulatory burden on individuals (Thompson, 2001). This process begins with a marketer developing a targeting strategy based on the key characteristics of the product and the attributes of the target. Virtue, on this approach, is a synonym for human excellence and goodness (Taylor, 2002). (Ingram et al., 2005). If you choose an unclear of a too controversial theme, you have all the chances to fail your task. A view that may help understand culture is to look at its levels (Schein, 1985). In other words, older marketers are likely to appreciate the long-term benefits (to organizational performance) of acting in an ethical and socially responsible manner. Strong (1996) also incorporates all the principles of environmental (green) consumerism to the concept of ethical consumption, just adding the "people" element in it. Peter Singer is an important contemporary philosopher who has employed consequentialist arguments. Consumers’ reasons for purchasing organic produce are many and varied. Marketing ethics theories generally recognize personal characteristics as determinants of various aspects of a marketer’s ethical decision-making process. (Chatzidakis & Mitussis, 2007). Contact us for cheap writing assistance. So, if you need help, contact us by phone or email and live chat. Deontological moral theories have gone through a revival since the publication of John Rawls’ (1972) A Theory of Justice. A third approach, virtue ethics, has become an increasingly important alternative in recent moral philosophy as an alternative to both outcome-oriented consequentialism and rule-based deontology (Swanton 2003). According to this interpretation, the ethical consumer is a myth in that it is an idealization of what consumers should be doing to be proper members of society. Family structures have been changing rapidly since the 1970s, with the emergence of blended (Belch & Willis, 2002). Many consumers have attempted to include purchasing ethical products in their positive purchasing strategies. (2012) said that there is no longer a change must be initiated by the marketers anymore; its responsibilities are merely switch to consumer perception. Discussions of moral philosophy inevitably distinguish between these two broad positions, if only for heuristic purposes. Why are some people too egoistic? The deontological and teleological example was similar to idealism and relativism of the two-dimensional personal moral philosophies concept (Forsyth, 1980). Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Essays on Hellenistic Ethics at Amazon.com. 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