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A Framework for Ethical Conformity in Marketing

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Abstract

The extant marketing literature provides little guidance for theory development or practice with regard to questions of ethical conformity and the resulting market response. To begin to bridge this research gap, we advance a theoretical framework of ethical conformity in marketing, appealing to marketing ethics, management strategy, and sociological foundations. We set the stage for our theoretical arguments by considering the role of normative expectations related to marketing practices and behaviors held by societal constituents. Against this backdrop, we propose drivers of conformity in marketing, including practices consistent with both overconformity and underconformity. The framework allows us to advance testable research propositions by which questions of ethical conformity may be explored. We conclude by suggesting additional future research needed to develop the domain, specifically in the form of empirical inquiries uncovering firm strategic decisions with ethical implications.

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Acknowledgement

The authors are grateful for the collective feedback of participants at the Excellence in Ethics Dissertation Proposal Competition sponsored by the Institute for Ethical Business Worldwide and the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. Special thanks are due to Patrick E. Murphy and Ann Tenbrunsel for their valuable comments and suggestions that have improved this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marketing, College of Business, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1278, U.S.A.

    Kelly D. Martin

  2. Department of Marketing, College of Business, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-4730, U.S.A.

    Jean L. Johnson

Authors
  1. Kelly D. Martin
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  2. Jean L. Johnson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kelly D. Martin.

Additional information

Kelly D. Martin is Assistant Professor of Marketing at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. Her research interests involve marketing strategy with ethical implications, interfirm relationships, the role of marketing in society, and the effects of institutions, social norms, and culture on organizations. Her work has appeared in the Academy of Management Journal, the Journal of Business Ethics, and Business & Society.

Jean L. Johnson is the Gardner O. Hart Professor of Marketing at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Her research focuses on marketing strategy, interfirm relationships, and capabilities and learning in firms. Her work appears in the Journal of Marketing, the Academy of Management Journal, and Journal of International Business Studies, among others.

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Martin, K.D., Johnson, J.L. A Framework for Ethical Conformity in Marketing. J Bus Ethics 80, 103–109 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9444-y

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