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A Framework for the Examination of Relational Ethics: An Interactionist Perspective

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Abstract

Despite the widespread agreement that the ontology of the marketing discipline is exchange, marketing ethics researchers have largely adopted a monadic viewpoint of ethical decision making. In this research, an interactionist approach is adopted in order to introduce a dyadic perspective of un/ethical decision making. The dyadic model includes each channel member's individual, situational and decision process factors linked by relationalism, an emerging paradigm in marketing channels. Relationalism is represented as a discriminating variable between perceived ethical dilemma and decision behaviour. Finally, a number of theoretical propositions are presented and future research directions are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of North Texas, USA

    Lou E. Pelton

  2. College of Business Administration, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, 76203-1396, U.S.A.

    Jhinuk Chowdhury

  3. University of Mississippi, USA

    Scott J. Vitell Jr.

Authors
  1. Lou E. Pelton
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  2. Jhinuk Chowdhury
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  3. Scott J. Vitell Jr.
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Pelton, L.E., Chowdhury, J. & Vitell, S.J. A Framework for the Examination of Relational Ethics: An Interactionist Perspective. Journal of Business Ethics 19, 241–253 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005935011952

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