Ethical decision making metric

Ethical Decision-Making Metric (1 of 2)

Test Yes Maybe No

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

The Publicity Test Would I want to see the action I’m about to take on the front page of the local paper or in a national magazine?

The Moral Mentor Test Would the person I admire the most engage in this activity?

The Admired Observer Test Would I want the person I admire most to see me doing this?

© McGraw-Hill Education

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To choose the appropriate course of action, marketing managers will evaluate each alternative by using a process something like the sample ethical decision-making metric on the slide The conscious marketer’s task here is to ensure that he or she has applied all relevant decision-making criteria and to assess his or her level of confidence that the decision being made meets those stated criteria. If the marketer isn’t confident about the decision, he or she should reexamine the other alternatives. Using Exhibit 4.6, you can gauge your own ethical response. If your scores tend to be in the “Yes” area (columns 1 and 2), then the situation is not ethically troubling for you. If, in contrast, your scores tend to be in the “No” area (columns 6 and 7), it is ethically troubling, and you know it. If your scores are scattered or are in the “Maybe” area (columns 3, 4, and 5), you need to step back and reflect on how you wish to proceed. In using such an ethical metric or framework, decision makers must consider the relevant ethical issues, evaluate the alternatives, and then choose a course of action that will help them avoid serious ethical lapses.

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Ethical Decision-Making Metric (2 of 2)

Test Yes Maybe No

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

The Transparency Test Could I give a clear explanation for the action I’m contemplating, including an honest and transparent account of all my motives, that would satisfy a fair and dispassionate moral judge?

The Person in the Mirror Test Will I be able to look at myself in the mirror and respect the person I see there?

The Golden Rule Test Would I like to be on the receiving end of this action and all its potential consequences?

Source: Adapted from The Art of Achievement: Mastering the 7 Cs of Business and Life. © 2002 by Tom Morris, published by Andrews McMeel Publishing LLC, an Andrews McMeel Universal company, Kansas City, Missouri.

© McGraw-Hill Education

‹#›

To choose the appropriate course of action, marketing managers will evaluate each alternative by using a process something like the sample ethical decision-making metric on the slide The conscious marketer’s task here is to ensure that he or she has applied all relevant decision-making criteria and to assess his or her level of confidence that the decision being made meets those stated criteria. If the marketer isn’t confident about the decision, he or she should reexamine the other alternatives. Using Exhibit 4.6, you can gauge your own ethical response. If your scores tend to be in the “Yes” area (columns 1 and 2), then the situation is not ethically troubling for you. If, in contrast, your scores tend to be in the “No” area (columns 6 and 7), it is ethically troubling, and you know it. If your scores are scattered or are in the “Maybe” area (columns 3, 4, and 5), you need to step back and reflect on how you wish to proceed. In using such an ethical metric or framework, decision makers must consider the relevant ethical issues, evaluate the alternatives, and then choose a course of action that will help them avoid serious ethical lapses.

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