A Framework for International Marketing Ethics: Preliminary Considerations and Emerging Perspectives

Abstract

Globalization is a major challenge not only for marketing, but also for marketing ethics. Is it possible to delineate a conceptual framework that helps identify some major issues in this unchartered field? This paper assumes that the development of such a framework needs both serious reflection on the very concept of marketing and a thorough exploration of universal ethical values. Among a number of competing concepts of marketing, those concepts seem preferable which go beyond a merely 'instru mental' or 'value free' understanding of marketing and are open to ethical questions. As for universal ethical values, it is proposed to start from four broad areas marketing is involved in: communication, people, culture and nature; and to explore major global reports and declarations (which reflect a certain global consensus) for ethical guidance. Four guidelines are identified. Furthermore, an attempt is made to combine the insights from the conceptual discussion of marketing with the ethical guidelines in order to develop 'mid-level principles' for international marketing ethics, which are illustrated by a few examples.