Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1, pp 535-538, 2013
Copyright © 2013 Trakia University
Available online at:
http://www.uni-sz.bg
ISSN 1313-7069 (print)
ISSN 1313-3551 (online)
ABSTRACT
To understand the importance of ethics in marketing decision making, it is necessary to examine factors
that influence ethical decision. These are: personal moral philosophy, organizational relationships and
opportunities. They are intertwined in determining ethical decisions in marketing.
Marketing ethics is one of the most important ideals such as honesty, fairness and trust.
marketing solutions, but also one of the most
misunderstood and controversial concepts in Consumers usually take unethical marketing
marketing. There is no universal approach to activities such as false advertising, intentional
marketing ethics yet. However, marketing ethics sale of harmful products, etc. as unacceptable
is important to promote marketing solutions that and often refuse to enter into business
are both acceptable to the company and relationships with people who have such
beneficial to society. behavior. Therefore marketing decisions should
be evaluated by the position of ethics. Everyone,
Ethics refers to moral judgment for decisions however, has different ideas about what is
and actions as right or wrong based on accepted ethical and what is unethical depending on
principles of behavior. Thus, in marketing ethics personal ideas and life experience.
present moral principles that define right and
wrong behavior in marketing. Most major Many ethical decisions in marketing are made
ethical issues are formalized by laws and by groups rather than individuals. These
regulations according to the standards of society. decisions are based on business goals rather than
But marketing ethics exceeds legal issues, which personal goals. Making ethical decisions in
is why ethical marketing solutions encourages marketing includes answering questions such as:
mutual understanding between society and What is deceptive advertising?
businesses. What is bribery in private sale?
What is a false statement about a product?
Ethics is individual behavior and may differ
between people. Marketers, although in some These and other ethical issues for some people
cases act in their own interest, must comply with seem clear and easy to solve, but in reality years
the standards of accepted conduct to guide all of experience are needed to deal with them. For
marketing decisions. They should be in example, whether the proposal from a seller to a
accordance with moral principles based on buyer to take them to a restaurant can be
__________________________ accepted as a bribe or as a good communicative
*Correspondence to: Nadya Marinova, Department practice to improve sales.
of Economics and Business Administration, New Regardless of how a person or company
Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria, E-mail: considered the admissibility of an action if the
nmarinova@nbu.bg, telephone number: 0897909707 society believes that it is unacceptable or