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A content analysis of ethical policy statements regarding marketing activities

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Abstract

Many large corporations now have written codes of ethics to guide the business/marketing activities of employees. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and types of topics which are covered in the ethics policy statements of large U.S. corporations. The results indicated that the topics covered most often (respectively) were: misuse of funds/improper accounting, conflicts of interest, political contributions, and confidential information. It is concluded that in addition to written ethics policy statements, top management should communicate ethical values and demonstrate by example.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marketing, Kansas State University, 66506, Manhattan, KS, USA

    Robert E. Hite, Joseph A. Bellizzi & Cynthia Fraser

Authors
  1. Robert E. Hite
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  2. Joseph A. Bellizzi
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  3. Cynthia Fraser
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Additional information

Robert E. Hite (Ph.D. University of Arkansas) is Associate Professor of Marketing at Kansas State University. His textbook is entitled Managing Salespeople, and his articles have appeared in such journals as the Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Business Research, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and Industrial Marketing Management.

Joseph A. Bellizzi (Ph.D. University of Nebraska) is Associate Professor of Marketing at Kansas State University. He was previously employed by Hilti Fastening systems as a Market Research analyst. His articles have appeared in such journals as the Journal of Business Research, Journal of Advertising Research, and Journal of Retailing.

Cynthia Fraser (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania) is Associate Professor of Marketing at Kansas State University. Her research interests are international marketing and marketing models. Her articles have appeared in such journals as the Journal of Consumer Research and Industrial Marketing Management.

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Hite, R.E., Bellizzi, J.A. & Fraser, C. A content analysis of ethical policy statements regarding marketing activities. J Bus Ethics 7, 771–776 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00411024

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