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Consumer Interests and the Ethical Implications of Marketing: A Contingency Framework
Author(s) -
CUI GENG,
CHOUDHURY PRAVAT
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of consumer affairs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.582
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1745-6606
pISSN - 0022-0078
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6606.2003.tb00458.x
Subject(s) - marketing , contingency , business , marketing research , product (mathematics) , marketing management , consumer behaviour , marketing ethics , marketing mix , perception , market segmentation , marketing strategy , advertising , business ethics , public relations , psychology , political science , linguistics , philosophy , geometry , mathematics , neuroscience
The increasing efforts by marketers to target diverse groups of consumers call for a closer examination of the ethical implications of market segmentation and differentiated marketing. Previous research suggests that marketers and consumers often differ in their perceptions of marketing ethics. Based on contingency theory, this research proposes an integrated framework—which includes the nature of the product, consumer characteristics, and market selection—to analyze the ethical complexities of the marketing exchange. Interactions among these factors lead to various contingencies with different ethical implications for marketing managers and public policy makers. Marketers should assess consumer interests and the ethics of marketing programs before their implementation