Acts of deception or dishonesty through business have existed for as long as the businesses themselves, so seeing evidence of these untruthful acts in today’s business world should not surprise consumers. But as of late, consumers bring themselves to arms seemingly more so than in the past. With social media as their weapon of choice, the buying public vilifies deceitful companies, and within hours of the first news report, the entire nation has sided against a company. The progression of business has led consumers to expect companies to uphold a certain standard when it comes to selling a product. Fifty years ago, cigarette companies such as Camel could claim that their products improved health with no evidence to back these claims and people would buy them. After it was proven that smoking could cause major health problems, Camel and other cigarette companies were forced to explain their actions to the public and as a result, took a major hit to their income. After this major event, consumers took claims from companies with a grain of salt. Today, with information as readily available as it is, customers are much more informed about these types of situations, and if a company is caught in a lie, it does not take long for the world to find out. Despite this vast amount of information sharing, some companies will still lie, cheat, or steal from employees and customers to make a quick profit.
Dishonesty in Advertising
AXE, one of the leading brands in men’s healthcare in the United States is guilty of some of the most blatant dishonest and exaggerated advertising. AXE has given itself the image that men who use their products, whether it be shampoo, deodorant, body wash, or hair gel, will become irresistible to women. Their a...
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Green, Will. (2013). Apple criticised over iPhone factory working conditions. Supply Management. Retrieved from http://www.supplymanagement.com/news/2013/apple-criticised-over-iphone-factory-working-conditions
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Pisarek, Claudia. (2013). Axe commercials - unethical? Claudia Pisarek’s Marketing Blog. Retrieved from http://blogs.ubc.ca/claudiapisarekcomm296blog/2013/09/23/axe-commercials-unethical/
This is an increasingly concerning factor in the growing national epidemic of obesity. Adverts often mask foods that are unhealthy by emphasising their positive nutritional features – such as dietary fibre and protein. While at the same time ignoring its negative features – including the high amounts of saturated fat and sugar content. In some cases, even products that mention any alleged health benefits are usually outweighed by the health risks associated with consuming the product, that they just fail to mention. In summary, big businesses are using recurring and manipulative persuasive techniques on vulnerable consumers to try to convey the false message of health and nutrition in products when they are in fact more harmful than helpful.
Do you agree with Schmeltekopf that business schools are not preparing students well for the for the ethical challenges they will face in the workplace? Why or why not?
Essence magazine released this advertisement for Gillette, one of the best-known razor brands on the market. Most people know of Gillette razors, whether they are men or women. But, this ad is directed specifically to men. It depicts a woman staring at a man, who is holding a picture of another man in front of his face. Stretched over the picture are the bolded and capitalized words “Give Him the Gift of Celebrity Style”, which can lead readers to assume that the man is a celebrity. Moreover, this ad suggests that the man that uses Gillette men’s razors has the classic sophistication of an old-time celebrity, and that he attracts women like the one in the picture. The photo evokes an overall feeling of sophistication and class.
Products are marketed to consumers everyday reeling in one by one with manipulative ways and tricks on the brain. Through an article by The Onion both consumers and marketers and adverises on products is clearly critised. A marketers strategy is to outsmart the consumer with the vast knowledge and benefits a product has to offer in order to sell the product and make profit.
Advertisements have been utilized for many years to sell products. The very popular company Old Spice, who is one of the top men’s hygienic production companies, is well known for their series of humorous advertising campaigns that uses references to the ideals of what a stereotypical masculine man is supposed to be characterized as. The Old Spice commercial, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” that first appeared during the Superbowl in 2010, illustrates that the company successfully utilizes the influence of humor, gender stereotypes, and ethos and pathos to connect emotionally with the audience and persuades men to start using Old Spice Red Zone body wash so that insecure men can become more of a masculine man that females will desire.
Living in a world where many prefer to believe what is shown to them, rather than doing some of their own research, can lead to consequences. (Figure 1) Some people believe electronic cigarettes are a safer and healthier alternative to the actual cigarette because of how they are advertised. “Because they [e-cigs] deliver nicotine without burning tobacco, e-cigarettes are purported to be safer and less toxic than conventional cigarettes. Despite these claims, there’s still no real data on the effects of e-cigarettes (positive or negative), yet marketing materials still bill them as a healthy choice” (Worthington emphasis mine). Drug advertisements normally show the beneficial side of
Dove is a personal care trademark that has continually been linked with beauty and building up confidence and self-assurance amongst women. Now, it has taken steps further by impending with a new advertising strategy; fighting adverse advertising. And by that it means contesting all the ads that in some way proliferate the bodily insufficiencies which exits inside women. Launched by Dove, the campaign spins round an application called the Dove Ad Makeover which is part of the global Dove “Campaign for Real Beauty” what has been continuing ever since 2004 and times print, television, digital and outdoor advertising. As Leech (1996) believed,” commercial consumer advertising seems to be the most frequently used way of advertising.” In which way the seller’s chief goal is to sway their possible spectators and attempt and change their opinions, ideals and interests in the drive of resounding them that the produce they are posing has a touch that customer wants that will also be in their advantage, therefore generating false desires in the user’s mind. Dove is vexing to influence their viewers to purchase products they wouldn’t usually buy by “creating desires that previously did not exist.”(Dyer, 1982:6)
...’s first priority is making a profit, which is why their parent Company UniLever also owns AXE, who use degrading depictions of women in their ads. Their ads are successful because of the overbearing use of pathos.
To conclude business organizations do not have the right to deceive individuals and consumers in specific because Albert Carr’s claim that business is a game cannot be justifiable and supported with reasons that may harm or the community and its people. However, I do believe that business organizations should be socially responsible and that would help them maximize profits in the long run (Lauren, 2011)
Companies that ignore the safety of their consumers in order to push a product to meet its deadline while saving some money are acting immorally. Ford knew their new automobile, the Pinto, had serious consequences to human welfare, yet ignored it and sold the product as is anyway. The Pinto did not meet the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s proposed standard for rear-impact collisions and failed every crash-test. This posed a serious safety concern considering that the Pinto represented a serious fire hazard when struck from the rear; even at low speed collisions. Even with this knowledge, Ford decided to push the product as is and ultimately ended up harming many people. Therefore, Ford acted immorally.
The Facts: Kermit Vandivier works for B.F. Goodrich. His job assignment was to write the qualifying report on the four disk brakes for LTV Aerospace Corporation. LTV purchased aircraft brakes from B.F. Goodrich for the Air Force. Goodrich desperately wanted the contract because it guaranteed a commitment from the Air Force on future brake purchases for the A7D from them, even if they lost money on the initial contract.
The field of ethics (or moral philosophy) involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior (Fieser, 2009). Many of the decisions one faces in a typical day could result in a multitude of outcomes. At times it can be hard to determine whether or not the decision you are making is an ethical one. Many philosophies have been devised to illustrate the different ways of evaluating moral decisions. Normative ethics focuses on assessing right and wrong behavior. This may involve reinforcing positive habits, duties we should follow, or the consequences of our behavior (Fieser, 2009). Of the many normative philosophies two stand out to be most accepted; teleology and deontology. Although they oppose each other in how actions are evaluated, they uphold many similar characteristics under the surface.
The textbook defines business ethics as “the accepted principles of right or wrong governing the conduct of business people.” Business ethics also govern the members of a profession and the actions of an organization. Many organizations put into place an ethical strategy which is “a course of action that does not violate accepted principles.” These principles are used to guide organizations and employees to make the right decisions.
Advertisement is a form of communication that is intended to persuade consumers or a target audience to purchase or to accept the ideas, products or services. In this advertising, Axe uses the power of persuasion, such as attractive women, style, and images which are the key ideas to the product and fragrance to conjure the consumers’ behavior of the perceived images of the product. Axe was originally created in France in 1983 by a company named Unilever and sold in the United States in 2002, and is now the leader of men’s grooming markets. The brand is focused toward gender and the age of the customer. Its market strategy is aimed at males from their teens to their twenties appealing to a new life style product that would increase their luck with the ladies. Axe deodorant ads gives you the apparent need to smell and feel good, but the means of feeling good is mainly through increased sex appeal. This ad assumes that all males buy deodorant solely for the purpose of getting women, and if you do certain things, like buy this product, then all women will be all over you.
Much of our lives we are faced with situations where we come across the opportunity to make ethical and unethical decisions or opinions. We come across difficult people who live their lives unethically. Do we allow them to influence us? Do we become transparent and lose ourselves when it seems as though everyone is doing something that is morally wrong? I for one, do not give in to this peer pressure.