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Ethical behavior of marketing managers

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Abstract

The ethical behavior of marketing managers was examined by analyzing their responses to a series of different types of ethical dilemmas presented in vignette form. The ethical dilemmas addressed dealt with the issues of (1) coercion and control, (2) conflict of interest, (3) the physical environment, (4) paternalism, and (5) personal integrity. Responses were analyzed to discover whether managers' behavior varied by type of issue faced or whether there is some continuity to ethical behavior which transcends the type of ethical problem addressed.

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Authors
  1. David J. Fritzsche
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  2. Helmut Becker
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Additional information

David J. Fritzsche is Professor of Marketing at the Managerial Sciences Dept., University of Nevada, Reno. He was formerly Associate Professor of Marketing at Illinois State University. His most important publications are: ‘An Analysis of Energy Consumption Patterns by Stage of Family Life Cycle’, Journal of Marketing Research 18 (1981), 227–232; ‘Business Ethics of Future Marketing Managers’, Journal of Marketing Education 4 (1982), 2–7 (with Helmut Becker); ‘Moral Unterliegt Pragmatik’ [Ethics Succumbs to Pragmatism in Marketing], Absatzwirtschaft-Zeitschrift für Marketing 23 (1981), 66–80 (with Helmut Becker).

Helmut Becker is Professor of Marketing and International Business at the School of Business, University of Portland, Portland, OR. He previously taught marketing at Oregon State University. His most important publications are: International Marketing Strategy (with Hans Thorelli), Pergamon Press (1980); The Information Seekers (with Hans Thorelli and Jack Engledow), Ballinger Publ. Co (1975); and numerous articles in a variety of journals, including: Journal of Marketing Research, J. of Advertising Research, J. of International Business Studies, California Management Review, etc.

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Fritzsche, D.J., Becker, H. Ethical behavior of marketing managers. J Bus Ethics 2, 291–299 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00383187

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00383187

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