《消费者营销道德观念的跨文化研究》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《消费者营销道德观念的跨文化研究（9页珍藏版）》请在金锄头文库上搜索。
1、标题：A cross-cultural study ofconsumer perceptions about marketing ethics原文：International growthGrowing numbers of marketing firms are expecting more of their profits to be derived from international sales (Topol and Sherman, 1994). To a large extent, such international growth is fore-ordained in toda
2、ys world, given the ever-increasing globalization of economies. But moving into foreign markets does not guarantee larger profits; it may, in fact, guarantee more headaches for marketing managers, because different cultures employ varied methods of communication. The pioneering work of Hall (1959) i
3、ncluded a map of culture that included ten different message systems or ways of communicating. Marketers working abroad must learn these systems in order to build the trust that, according to Morgan and Hunt (1994), becomes the foundation of relationship commitment. Gone are the days when a goodprod
4、uct was all a company needed to prosper. Global competition is ferocious; thus, developing long-term partner relationships often becomes a significant competitive advantage. But how does a massive, diverse multinational corporation develop relationship commitment and trust with business partners? Mo
5、rgan and Hunt (1994, p. 34) propose that relationship commitment and trust develop when firms attend to relationships by . maintaining high standards of corporate values and allying oneself with exchange partners having similar values. If this is true, corporate ethics are of pivotal importance in g
6、lobal business, though globalization also complicates ethical questions, because an individuals culture affects his/her ethical decision making (e.g. Ferrell and Gresham, 1985; Hunt and Vitell, 1986). This assertion is also consistent with the pioneering theory of marketing ethics by Bartels (1967).
7、 As he stated, Contrasting cultures of different societies produce different expectationsand become expressed in the dissimilar ethical standards of those societies(Bartels 1967, p. 23). Accordingly, as also argued by McDonald (1994), failures to account for the effects of differences in consumers c
8、ulturallybased ethical values will hinder a marketers efforts to expand internationally.Ethical issueAccording to ethics theories, ethical decision making is also situation specific. For example, Ferrell and Gresham (1985) specify ethical issue or dilemma as a component preceding the ethical decisio
9、n process. In their general theory of marketing ethics, Hunt and Vitell (1986) specify perceived ethical problem as the catalyst of the whole ethical decision process. Jones (1991, pp. 371-2) also believed the situation was critical: ethical decision making is issue contingent. He provided an import
10、ant construct for examining ethics-related characteristics of situational factors in decision making, which he termed moral intensity. According to Jones, moral intensity, which he defines as the extent of issue-related moral imperative in a situation, is an important determinant of how an individua
11、l recognizes moral issues, makes moral judgment, establishes moral intent, and engages in moral behavior. One objective of this study is to compare consumers from Malaysia and the USA in terms of their perceptions regarding the intensity of different marketing ethics situations. According to most ma
12、rketing ethics theories, an individual will apply ethical guidelines based on different moral philosophies or ideologies when making decisions involving ethical problems (e.g. Ferrell and Gresham, 1985; Hunt and Vitell, 1986). In this study, Malaysian and US consumers will also be compared in terms
13、of their personal moral philosophies. Moreover, the two groups of consumers will be compared regarding their attitudes toward business, in general, and toward salespeople. The USA and Malaysia were chosen for comparison because of some fundamental differences between the two countries. For example,
14、according to Hofstedes (1980, 1983) cultural typology, the two cultures are different in certain important values (a detailed discussion will be given later). In an empirical study, Burns and Brady (1996) consistently found genuine differences in ethical perceptions of business students in Malaysia
15、compared to their counterparts in the USA.Help with understandingKnowledge regarding the differences, if any, between the consumers from these two cultures in terms of their attitudes, ethical perceptions, and moral philosophies will not only help us with our understanding of cross-cultural ethics b
16、ut will have significant implications for international marketing management. Onkvisit and Shaw (1989) believe that the secondary status of some US marketers in Asia is a result of a combination of ignorance of tradition and the difficulties associated with understanding cultural differences. Ethical judgments of business practices are also made by consumers and these judgments, at least in the long run, can influence the consumers acceptance or rejec
