WK 1 & WK 5 DISCUSSIONS

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How to Do Well in Discussions

Make your initial post responding to the above questions by Saturday, and comment on at least two of your classmates’ posts by Tuesday. Posting late may lose you points.

Respond to the specific questions posed in the discussion.

Be sure to base your initial post and responses on course materials, and use 7th ed. APA citations in every post.

Post your responses over three days and you respond to more than two students to receive full credit for the frequency of participation.

Write clearly and proofread; errors can lose your points.

Quality of posts, citations, frequency, and timeliness of posts all factor into your discussion grade. See the Participation Grading Rubric for details.

Discussion #1

Baby Needs a New Crib

An on-line retailer that sells home and children’s items, such as children’s furniture, clothing, and toys, was seeking a way to reach a new audience and stop the declining sales and revenue trends it was suffering. A market research firm hired by the retailer identified a new, but potentially risky market: lower-income single parents. The new market seemed attractive because of the large number of single parents, but most of these households were severely constrained in terms of their monetary resources.

The research firm proposed that the retailer offer a generous credit policy that would allow consumers to purchase up to $500 worth of merchandise on credit without a credit check, provided they signed up for direct payment of their credit account from a checking account. Because these were high-risk consumers, the credit accounts would carry extremely high-interest rates. The research firm believed that even with losses, enough accounts would be paid off to make the venture extremely profitable for the on-line retailer.

Should the retailer pursue this new marketing strategy? Why or why not?

In the above scenario, the focus on parents also brings to mind some related issues attendant to marketing to children. The influence of children on buying decisions and spending in their own right has led to some ethical questions in the way goods and services are advertised and marketed to children.

The question of advertising and marketing to children has produced at least two schools of thought. There are some who believe that the advertising and marketing rules and laws that apply to everyone are sufficient to protect children. The other school says children are a special category and deserving of special laws and rules aimed specifically to protect them from inappropriate forms of advertising and marketing efforts.

Which side of the debate is the more persuasive to you and why (for our purposes you may consider anyone 17 and under as the target group)? If you believe there should be separate laws and rules, what would you include in such? If you believe existing rules and laws adequately protect children, explain why this is the case, providing specific examples of how the general laws protect children. In your response, identify and discuss what you believe to be the ethical dilemma and at least two related ethical issues. Are there any ethical theories that might support your position?

COURSE MATERIAL

Week 5: Marketing, Brand Protection, Food Production, Agribusiness & Obesity

Theme 1: Ethical Issues Related to Marketing

The Business Ethics Workshop (2012) Washington, DC: The Saylor Foundation

Chapter 12: The Selling Office: Advertising and Consumer Protection (pages 529-566)

Offensive/Exploitive/Insensitive/Violent—short of illegal

· The Most Offensive Urban Outfitters Products to Ever Exist

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· Update: Hyundai Apologizes For Car Ad Depicting Attempted Suicide

· Ikea apologises over removal of women from Saudi Arabia catalogue

False Claims to Making One Healthier, Richer, Younger--illegal

· 14 False Advertising Scandals That Cost Brands Millions