Abstract
The ethical climate in Turkey is beset by ethical problems. Bribery, environmental pollution, tax frauds, deceptive advertising, production of unsafe products, and the ethical violations that involved politicians and business professionals are just a few examples. The purpose of this study is to compare and contrast the ethical beliefs of American and Turkish consumers using the Ethical Position Questionnaire (EPQ) of Forsyth (1980), the Machiavellianism scale, and the Consumer Ethical Practices of Muncy and Vitell questionnaire (MVQ). A sample of 376 subjects that consists of American consumers (n = 188) and Turkish consumers (n = 199) was used to compare the ethical beliefs and practices of the two samples. The MANOVA results for the two nationality groups found that five out of six criterion variables differed between the two groups. The implications of this study are intended to assist marketers to develop strategies that suit a particular market and lessen their risk of entry.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
‘A Cause Related Marketing Product is Bought Every Second in the UK’, (2003), www.socialfunds.com/news/release.
Jamal Al-Khatib Kathryn A. Scott Dobie J. Vitell (1995) ArticleTitle‘Consumer Ethics in Developing Countries: An Empirical Investigation’ Journal of Euro–Marketing 4 IssueID2 87–109
Jamal A. Al-Khatib Scott J. Vitell Mohammed Y. A. Rawwas (1997) ArticleTitle‘Consumer Ethics: A Cross-Cultural Investigation’ European Journal of Marketing 31 IssueID11/12 750–767
Edward Aronson (2001) ArticleTitle‘Integrating Leadership Styles and Ethical Perspectives’ Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 18 IssueID4 244–257
M. Arslan (2001) ArticleTitle‘The Work Ethic Values of Protestant British, Catholic Irish and Muslim Turkisk Managers’ Journal of Business Ethics 31 IssueID4 321–340
E. N. Brady (1985) ArticleTitle‘A Janus-Headed Model of Ethical Theory: Looking Two Ways at Business/Society Issues’ Academy of Management Review 10 IssueID3 658–576
Richard W.Brislin (1996) ‘The Wording and Translation of Research Instruments’ In Walter J. Loner and John W. Berry (eds.) Field Methods in Cross-Cultural Research, (Sage Publications), pp. 137–164
Bureau of Labor Statistics (2003) Bureau of Labor Statistics Handbook of Methods, Occupational Safety & Health Statistics, Publication Guideline Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, DC
L. B. Chonko S. D. Hunt (1985) ArticleTitle‘Ethics and Marketing Management: An Empirical Examination’ Journal of Business Research 13 IssueID4 339–359
Marilyn Collins (1993) ArticleTitle‘Global Corporate Philanthropy–Marketing Beyond the Call of Duty’ European Journal of Marketing 27 IssueID2 46–58
M. G. Serap Ekin S. Hande Tezolmez (1999) ArticleTitle‘Business Ethics in Turkey: An Empirical Investigation with Special Emphasis on Gender’ Journal of Business Ethics 18 IssueID1 17–35
G.W. England (1975) The Manager and His Values: An International Perspective Ballinger Publishing Co. Cambridge
Robert C. Erffmeyer Bruce D. Keillor Debbie Thorne LeClair (1999) ArticleTitle‘An Empirical Investigation of Japanese Consumer Ethics’ Journal of Business Ethics 18 IssueID1 35–50
Yilmaz Esmer (1999) Devrim, Evrim, Statuko: Turkiye’de Sosyal, Siyasal ve Ekonomik Degerler TESEV Yayinlari Istanbul
Donelson R. Forsyth (1980) ArticleTitle‘A Taxonomy of Ethical Ideologies’ Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 39 IssueID1 175–184
Donelson R. Forsyth (1992) ArticleTitle‘Judging the Morality of Business Practices: The Influence of Personal Moral Philosophies’ Journal of Business Ethics 11 IssueID(5/6) 461–470
G. Hofstede (1980) Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Sage Beverly Hills CA
G.: Hofstede (1991) Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind McGraw-Hill Book Company London
S. D. Hunt L. Chonko (1984) ArticleTitle‘Marketing and Machiavellianism’ Journal of Marketing 48 IssueID3 30–42
S.D. Hunt Arturo Vasquez-Parrage (1993) ArticleTitle‘Organizational Consequences, Marketing Ethics, and Salesforce Supervision’ Journal of Marketing Research 30 IssueID(February) 78–90
Kenhove Patrick Van Iris Vermeir Steven Verniers (2001) ArticleTitle‘An Empirical Investigation of the Relationships between Ethical Beliefs, Ethical Ideology, Political Preference and Need for Closure’ Journal of Business Ethics 32 IssueID4 347–361
Dong-Jin Lee M. Joseph Sirgy (1999) ArticleTitle‘The Effect of Moral Philosophy and Ethnocentrism on Quality-Of-Life Orientation in International Marketing: A Cross-Cultural Comparison’ Journal of Business Ethics 18 IssueID1 73–89
Bulent Menguc (1998) ArticleTitle‘Organizational Consequences, Marketing Ethics and Salesforce Supervision: Further Empirical Evidence’ Journal of Business Ethics 17 IssueID4 333–353
M. H. Morris D. L. Davis J. W. Allen (1994) ArticleTitle‘Fostering Corporate Enterpreneurship: Cross-Cultural Comparisons of the Importance of Individualism Versus Collectivism’ Journal of International Business Studies 1st Quarter 65–89
James A. Muncy Scott J. Vitell (1992) ArticleTitle‘Consumer Ethics: An Empirical Investigation of the Ethical Beliefs of the Final Consumer’ Journal of Business Research 24 IssueID1 297–312
Geoge Nelson Diana Gilbertson (1991) ArticleTitle‘Machiavellianism Revisited’ Journal of Business Ethics 10 633–639
David A. Ralston Robert A. Giacalone Robert H. Terpstra (1994) ArticleTitle‘Ethical Perceptions of Organizational Politics: A Comparative Evaluation of American and Hong Kong Managers’ Journal of Business Ethics 13 IssueID12 989–999
Mohammed Y. A. Rawwas (1996) ArticleTitle‘Consumer Ethics: An Empirical Investigation of the Ethical Beliefs of Austrian Consumers’ Journal of Business Ethics 15 IssueID9 1009–1019
Mohammed Y. A. Rawwas (2001) ArticleTitle‘Culture, Personality and Morality a Typology of International Consumers’ Ethical Beliefs’ International Marketing Review 18 IssueID2 188–211
Mohammed Y. A. Rawwas Gordon L. Patzer Michael L. Klassen (1995) ArticleTitle‘Consumer Ethics in Cross-Cultural Settings: Entrepreneurial Implications’ European Journal of Marketing 29 IssueID7 62–78
Rawwas Mohammed Scott J. Vitell Jamal A. Al-Khatib (1994) ArticleTitle‘Consumers Ethics: The Possible Effects of Terrorism and Civil Unrest on The Ethical Values of Consumers’ Journal of Business Ethics 13 IssueID3 223–231
Barry R. Schlenker Donelson R. Forsyth (1977) ArticleTitle‘On the Ethics of Psychological Research’ Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 13 IssueID3 369–396
Singhapakdi Anusorn Scott J. Vitell Kenneth L. Kraft Kumar C. Rallapalli (1995) ArticleTitle‘The Perceived Importance of Ethics and Social Responsibility on Organizational Effectiveness: A Survey of Marketers’ Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 23 IssueID1 49–56
Singhapakdi Anusorn Mohammed Y. A. Rawwas JanetK. Marta Mohd Ismail Ahmed (1999) ArticleTitle‘A Cross-Cultural Study of Consumer Perceptions about Marketing Ethics’ The Journal of Consumer Marketing 16 IssueID3 257–272
Singhapakdi Anusorn Scott J. Vitell Orose Leelakulthanit (1994) ArticleTitle‘A Cross-Cultural Study Of Moral Philosophies, Ethical Perceptions and Judgments: A Comparison of American and Thai Marketers’ International Marketing Review 11 IssueID6 65–78
Ziad Swaidan Scott J. Vitell Mohammed Y. A. Rawwas (2003) ArticleTitle‘Consumer Ethics: Determinants of Ethical Beliefs of African Americans’ Journal of Business Ethics 46 IssueID2 175–186
Paul W. Taylor (1975) Principles of Ethics: An Introduction Dickenson Publishing Company Inc., Encino, CA
Arturo Z. Vasquez-Parraga Ali Kara (1995) ArticleTitle‘Ethical Decision Making in Turkish Sales Management’ Journal of Euro-Marketing, 4 IssueID2 61–87
J. Verma (1985) ArticleTitle‘The Ingroup and its Relevance to Individual Behavior: A Study of Collectivism and Individualism’ Psychologia 28 173–181
Scott J. Vitell (2003) ArticleTitle‘Consumer Ethics Research: Review, Synthesis and Suggestions for the Future’ Journal of Business Ethics 43 33–43
Scott J. Vitell Singhapakdi Anusorn (1993) ArticleTitle‘Ethical Ideology and Its Influence on the Norms and Judgments of Marketing Practitioners’ Journal of Marketing Management 3(Spring/Summer) 1–11
Scott J. Vitell Anusonrn Singhapakdi James Thomas (2001) ArticleTitle‘Consumer Ethics: An Application and Empirical Testing of the Hunt-Vitell Theory of Ethics’ The Journal of Consumer Marketing 2 IssueID18 153–178
Scott J. Vitell James Muncy (1992) ArticleTitle‘Consumer Ethics: An Empirical Investigation of Factors Influencing Ethical Judgments of the Final Consumer’ Journal of Business Ethics 11 IssueID8 585–597
Scott J. Vitell JamesR. Lumpkin Mohammed Y. A. Rawwas (1991) ArticleTitle‘Consumer Ethics: An Investigation of the Ethical Beliefs of Elderly Consumers’ Journal of Business Ethics 10 IssueID5 365–375
Scott J. Vitell Kumar Rallapalli Anusonrn Singhapakdi (1993) ArticleTitle‘Marketing Norms: The Influences of Personal Moral Philosophies and Organizational Ethical Culture’ Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 21 IssueID4 331–337
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Mohammed Y.A. Rawwas is Professor of Marketing at the University of Northern Iowa. He also taught as a Visiting Professor at a range of universities in Japan, France, Austria, Russia, China, Hong Kong, Trinidad and Tobago. His areas of research include ethical and social issues in marketing, cross-cultural studies, marketing education, and supply chain management. He has published extensively across these areas including works in Journal of Business Research, International Marketing Review, Journal of Consumer Ethics, and Journal of Marketing Education, among others.
Ziad Swaidan is Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Houston-Victoria. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi. His research has appeared in several journals, including the Journal of Business Ethics, and International Business Review, among others.
Mine Oyman is Assistant Professor of Marketing at Anadolu University in Turkey. Her areas of research include consumer ethics, cross-cultural studies, and marketing education. She has presented previous works at a range of international and local conferences.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rawwas, M.Y.A., Swaidan, Z. & Oyman, M. Consumer Ethics: A Cross-Cultural Study of the Ethical Beliefs of Turkish and American Consumers. J Bus Ethics 57, 183–195 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-004-5092-7
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-004-5092-7