Ethical Guidelines for Business and Social Marketing

The ethical sensitivity of all professionals has come under closer scrutiny recently. Within the business area, the ethics of marketing executives in particular has been viewed with skepticism. The growing use of “social marketing” also compounds the potential for ethical abuse. The ethical dimensions of both business and social marketing are examined in this paper. Four ethical guidelines-increased professionalism, ethical consultants, seminars and ethical cost-benefit analyses-are suggested as a means of improving the ethical standards of marketing decision-making