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600-700 words



Integrity is not measured on a scale—it is either present or it is not. You either have
it and act ethically in all decisions and in all dealings, or you don't have it and act
ethically sometimes, maybe most times, but not always.

Of all the people in business, integrity and ethical behaviour is absolutely essential to
marketing and marketers. Marketers are the face of the company and their behaviour
reflects on the perception of the company as a whole. To most of the world, the
marketer and the marketing message is the only contact the customer has with the
company. It's essential, therefore, that you realize and remember that marketers
must act ethically and retain integrity always. Marketers are not the hucksters of
yore, the snake oil sales rep, the back-slapping, -have another drink and sign on the
dotted line- folk—they are the problem solvers that recognize and solve a client's
operating problem through the honest application of the marketer's product.
There are three generally accepted rules for determining ethical behaviour. These
are:
Does the action respect the canons of virtue and justice to all parties?
1.
(Aristotle’s justice and virtue test.)
Does the action respect the rights of the individuals involved? (Kant’s rights
2.
of all parties test.)
Does the action optimize the common good or benefits of all constituents?
3.
(Bentham’s utilitarian ethics test.)
Rushworth Kidder, founder and president of The Institute for Global Ethics,
1
suggests
the following test. Does the action violate one of the five fundamental core values?
These core values are:
Compassion
?
Fairness
?
Honesty
?
Responsibility
?
Respect for others
?
If it does not, then proceed with the action.
And finally, if you need to ask, “Is this action ethical?” then it probably isn't.