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Case Studies
Unethical advertising
As the head of the marketing department of a toy company, Donald strongly felt that the company’s recent TV ads which were full of violence were unsuitable for children. He knew that his criticisms of the ads at executive meetings did not make him popular among the senior management. However, Donald was shocked when the company’s president warned him in a firm tone to keep quite on the matter in the coming executive meeting because the ads generated a lot of sales. The president added that the company had to pay dividends to the shareholders and could not afford to turn down the profit.
What should Donald do? Should he refrain from expressing his views because of the president’s warning? Should he follow his conscience? Would it be possible to replace the existing advertisements with “healthier” ones?
Case Analysis
Donald was facing an ethical dilemma that might put his personal values such as responsibility, honesty and compassion to challenge. In handling situation like this, Donald should identify the relevant facts and take stock of all stakeholders concerned. The following factors should be taken into consideration when identifying viable alternatives and choosing the best choice of action:
- Any violation to his professional, industry specific, or company code of conduct?
- Is it against the Law?
- Does it correspond with his self-values such as loyalty, honesty, compassion?
- Can he disclose his decision to others openly and honestly without misgivings?
The ETHICS PLUS ethical decision making model might be helpful for him in solving his ethical.