Deck 3: Marketing Ethics and Social Responsibility in Strategic Planning

Question 1

Why is the connection between marketing ethics and leadership so important in nurturing a strong ethical culture?

A) Employees look to the leader to enforce the ethical code of conduct.
B) Employees expect the leader to punish unethical behaviors.
C) Employees look to the leader to ensure that the firm is in legal compliance.
D) Employees look to the leader as a model of acceptable behavior.
E) Employees expect the leader to clearly specify in writing the high-risk activities in the firm's daily operations.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

_____ is a broad concept that relates to an organization's obligation to maximize its positive impact on society while minimizing its negative impact.

A) Marketing ethics
B) Corporate philanthropy
C) Social responsibility
D) Strategic philanthropy
E) Social engineering

Answer 2

B

Question 3

When a firm adopts a stakeholder orientation, it generates data about stakeholder groups, distributes this information throughout the firm, and:

A) continuously monitors stakeholder interests.
B) trains employees on issues that are important to stakeholders.
C) responds as a whole to this intelligence.
D) conducts research on emerging market trends that are important to stakeholders.
E) ensures that customer interests are aligned with the interests of other stakeholders.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Why have ethics and social responsibility become so important in recent years? Why is it important that marketing ethics be incorporated into the firm's strategic plan?

Question 5

Socially responsible firms tend to enjoy higher _____ because customers perceive that the firm is dedicated to doing the right thing and treating customers fairly.

A) profit margins
B) sales volume
C) customer loyalty
D) corporate integrity
E) corporate reputations

Question 6

Draw, label, and explain the pyramid of social responsibility. What are the requirements for a firm if it truly wants to be ethical and socially responsible?

Question 7

Which element of social responsibility do most firms try to align with marketing and brand image?

A) philanthropy
B) marketing ethics
C) legal responsibilities
D) economic responsibilities
E) marketing behavior

Question 8

To ensure that ethics and social responsibility are thoroughly incorporated into the firm's strategic planning process, the firm's _____ should never be silent about ethical requirements and social responsibility.

A) marketing plan
B) code of conduct
C) leadership team
D) culture
E) training materials

Question 9

Research has found that corporate codes of ethics should contain six highly desirable core values or principles. Which of the following IS NOT one of these core values?

A) Trustworthiness
B) Respect
C) Legality
D) Fairness
E) Citizenship

Question 10

With respect to regulating marketing deception, a key advantage of self-regulatory programs is the fact that they are:

A) less costly and more practical to implement.
B) typically stricter than government regulations.
C) easier to enforce.
D) tied to state and local regulatory agencies.
E) All of the above are advantages of self-regulation.

Question 11

Which of the following IS NOT a challenge associated with being ethical and socially responsible?

A) Business decisions involve complex and detailed discussions in which correctness may not be so apparent.
B) Individuals who have limited business experience often find themselves required to make sudden decisions concerning marketing's gray areas.
C) A person's experiences and decisions at home, in school, and in the community may be quite different from the experiences and the decisions he or she has to make at work.
D) When personal values are inconsistent with the configuration of values held by the work group, ethical conflict may ensue.
E) Most employees perceive that the values of honesty, respect, and trust are infrequently applied in the workplace.

Question 12

Which of the following best fits the description of fraud?

A) accepting bribes or gifts
B) abusive behavior toward others
C) alteration of financial records
D) putting own interests ahead of others
E) stealing or theft

Question 13

The principles and standards that define acceptable marketing conduct as determined by the public, government regulators, private-interest groups, competitors, and the firm itself are termed:

A) marketing standards
B) societal standards
C) codes of conduct
D) marketing ethics
E) social responsibility

Question 14

The link between marketing ethics and firm performance has been documented repeatedly over time. This link is most evident in firms that have a strong _____.

A) market orientation
B) stakeholder orientation
C) sense of customer loyalty
D) ethical climate
E) employee satisfaction program

Question 15

Research indicates that being ethical and socially responsible has a number of benefits for the organization. Which of the following IS NOT one of these benefits?

A) Increased customer goodwill
B) Increased market orientation of the organization
C) Increased employee commitment and satisfaction
D) Increased marketing performance
E) Increased competitive orientation

Question 16

In the context of marketing ethics, some businesspeople choose to behave ethically because of "enlightened self-interest." What does this mean?

A) They behave ethically because it pays in terms of enhanced profits and performance.
B) They behave ethically because they are forced to do so.
C) They behave ethically because they look out for their own interests.
D) They behave ethically because of deep-rooted religious beliefs.
E) They behave ethically because they are afraid of being caught.

Question 17

Most firms that experience ethical or legal problems actually have a code of ethics or an ethical compliance program in place. Why is it that these firms can still have ethical problems despite having a code of ethics or compliance program?

A) Their codes typically don't cover high risk issues.
B) Their codes are typically written by consultants outside the firm.
C) Their codes are typically not integrated into daily decision making.
D) Their codes are written with no input from employees or customers.
E) Their codes are mandated by regulation rather than originating from within the firm.

Question 18

Identify and discuss the many challenges of being ethical and socially responsible. Focus on challenges at both the individual (employee) level and the managerial level.

Question 19

Essentially, having a climate of ethics and social responsibility is all about creating trust among a firm's stakeholders. To gain trust, the firm and its employees must continuously uphold:

A) their promises with respect to advertising and promotion.
B) their standards of integrity.
C) the firm's right and responsibility to be profitable.
D) their standards of fair competition in the marketplace.
E) their legal responsibilities.

Question 20

Firms that are market oriented place _____ interests first, but do not exclude the interests of other stakeholders.

A) society's
B) organizational
C) marketing
D) employees'
E) customers'

Question 21

Describe the role that a code of conduct plays in ensuring ethical compliance within a firm. How should a code of conduct be developed, what should it contain, and what are the keys to ensuring that the code is successfully implemented?

Question 22

What is the relationship among marketing ethics, strategic planning, and organizational performance? How is being market oriented different than having a stakeholder orientation?