The Role of Ethics in Marketing and Environmental Stewardship

Marketing is pivotal for business success, focusing primarily on fulfilling customer needs through strategic use of product, price, place, and promotion (the 4Ps). This essay delves into how integrating ethics within these marketing frameworks can lead to enhanced environmental stewardship and societal benefits. It highlights the role of clear ethical guidelines in improving marketing practices, securing both business success and societal welfare. Through examples like Tata Group's revival and anti-smoking campaigns, it underscores the potential for ethical marketing strategies to prevent environmental issues such as pollution. The essay concludes by emphasizing that a well-rounded approach incorporating ethics into marketing is essential not only for meeting customer needs but also for contributing positively to society and the environment.

Marketing Consumer Behavior 1
MARKETING CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
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Marketing Consumer Behavior 2
MARKETING CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Introduction
Marketing is a business management process in which goods and services move from
production to consumption. This process is coordinated by four business marketing aspects that
include identification of the product to be developed and enhanced in the market, determining
the level of value of the product or services that is its price, select the means by which the
product or service will reach the consumer or rather the customer who is the main stakeholder of
the product market or the place (Armstrong, et al, 2014). The last and most important strategy in
marketing is implementing the promotion strategy, this involves the means by which the
information about the product gets to the end user who is the consumer. Through the various
marketing methods in business, the marketer is able to reach the consumer. Effective marketing
process is enhanced by effective strategic planning activities. This is important to ensure that all
the set marketing ethics are followed to the latter to enhance order and a positive relationship
with the customer. Apart from ethical issues also known as legal issues, marketing can also be
influenced by economic issues (Sheth and Sisodia, 2015). Marketing has various roles in
business management on individual consumers that are enhanced to ensure marketing success of
certain goods and services in the market. Through the end users, the roles exhibited have a
common good to all and also enhances environmental stewardship as discussed below.
Discussion
Role of marketing
As discussed above, the main objective of marketing activities in a given business
environment is to get the product to the end user also known as the customer. This is beneficial
to both the customer and the organization at large in enhancing development as it also results to

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exercising an important developmental role to the society at large. Whether it’s a profit making
or non-profit making organization, marketing activities are vital for ensuring that target market is
attracted respectively. This is important as it enhances a common good to all that are concerned
with the well-being of the organizations. Some of these roles include;
Provide goods and services that cater and satisfy the needs of the customers. This is an
important role in marketing that ensures the esteemed customers are able to access their intended
goods and services as required and in good shape. Customers being the main stakeholders in
marketing, the main role and very important to marketers is to satisfy their needs and
requirements with efficiency and effectiveness (Arnett and Wittmann, 2014). This ensures a
positive and quality development of consumer’s social status and the society at large. A sense of
common good in this is that the society status is raised through the customers who are able to act
and perform in accordance to the set societal expectations resulting to positive environmental
maintenance. Example is Woolworth Group through their CEO Banducci is striving to give the
best to their customers.
Creates a competitive business environment. In marketing, there are various business
units that provide or offer similar goods and services to their consumers. This creates an
environment in which the consumers has an opportunity to make choices on what to buy from
who or where and at what time. Customers loyalty is mainly enhanced by satisfaction of services
offered, if the customer is satisfied he or she is likely to remain loyal to that business unit and
vice versa. Among the various factors for customer’s loyalty are price satisfaction, reliability of
the product provider, place of the market among others. To enhance loyalty of the customer, the
marketers set standard and affordable prices on the various goods that the customers require.
This creates appropriate and competitive environment for both the marketer and the customer

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giving a common good of favorable and affordable prices to maintain the customer. This is
important to enhance development of the surrounding as the customers’ needs are met. Example
is Coca Cola Company and Pepsi Company that offer beverage products.
Increasing product demands. Positive marketing activities enhance growth and
development of both the business unit and the customer. Increasing demands signifies an
increase in customers’ needs and requirements towards a particular product, to ensure these
demands are met as required by marketing ethics, the business unit reverts by expanding its
business environments as well as labor force. By increasing the labor force, more societal
individuals are absorbed and trained to offer their services. This is important to the environment
in that, the higher the level of skilled individuals in the society the higher the level of
development both physical and in terms of skills for environmental positive growth and
development. Example is the GrainCorp agribusiness developing company which has been
having increase in demand of its grain farming products by the various customers (Kotler, et al,
2016).
Impacting techniques important for positively changing societal behavior. Marketing is a
business process that involves various personnel’s for its success. To ensure this, all the involved
individuals have to understand the set code of ethics in marketing. A common role to deliver is
enhanced by ensuring the right skills fitting every target customer group in every society is
impacted to the marketers. This is important to benefiting both the business unit and the target
market. The skills offered enhance the right marketing skills important in rendering the right
societal social behavior. Example, anti-smoking behavior during advertisements. This enhances
environmental protection from air pollution. Coca Cola Company is a good example that
enhances anti-smoking behaviors during advertisements of its various beverage products.

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Develop dependable distribution systems that enhances access of goods and services to a
large number of customers and in various geographical locations. Marketing has a role to
ensuring that the means by which the goods and services reach the customers are in good shape
and at any time the need arises. This is important to ensure that adequacy and reliability in
marketing activities to the target market is ensured. Reaching customers at all given locations is
very important for sustainability and productivity of the customers (Sok, O’Cass and Sok, 2013).
This ensures stewardship of the environment as the customer is able to productively take place in
environmental maintenance after satisfaction. Example Pepsi company having developed and
distributed in the international market has a role to ensuring that all customers at the local
markets have access to its beverage products for satisfaction as a gear of productivity and
environmental maintenance.
Analysis of marketplace activities
Market place activities are enhanced at ensuring that the customer is satisfied with the goods and
services provides. These activities are marketing, economic and legal frameworks as discussed
below.
Marketing activities involve all the actions involved in the process of production of the
product to delivering it to the customer. These are characterized by the main 4Ps of marketing
among the 7Ps, that is, product that is the main factor of marketing, the price of the product to be
given in the market, place to where the product is taken and the means by which information is
to reach the consumer through promotion. Example, marketing activities of Coca-Cola as a
global beverage company has a role in marketing to ensure the right beverage product reaches
the customer, the price of the product should be viable to the product value, the product should
be readily available to the customer in times of need and the means by which information

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reaching the customer should ensure no biasness or distortion of the information given
(Leonidou, et al, 2013).
Economic activities at market place includes mode of payment, the means by which
branding is carried out, customer relations management, level of competition among others.
These economic activities at the market place enhance the process of marketing to ensuring that
all the involved activities are carried out as required. Mode of payment refers to the means by
which the customers pays the intended price of the sold good or service. This can be cash, inform
of a cheque or use of liquid cash a current trend in payment. Branding refers to the means by
which the market enhances its name or image to customers, this can be through website portals
and online customer platforms. Customer relations management refers to the various ways that
the marketer engages with the customer to positively influence his or her ability to buying the
product or service. Example, giving discounts or other related offers to certain products. These
activities are important to enhance a positive relationship with the customer (Keller, 2009).
Legal frameworks refers to the legal implications governing the market place. These are
also marketing ethics that enhance order during marketing process. They include marketing
research ethics, marketing audience ethics, promotion and advertising ethics, and pricing ethics
among many others. Marketing research ethics governs the process of collecting marketing data
important in making marketing decisions (Pride, et al, 2012). These include invasion privacy and
stereotyping during data collection. Researchers should not collect data from private sector
without legal permit, they should not also stereotype customers but instead build positive
relationships with customers to enhance their trust in buying the product for profit creation.
Audience ethics refers to law governing the type of audience chosen for the market, potential
customers should not be assumed over others. Promotion and advertisement ethics state that

Marketing Consumer Behavior 7
there should be truth and honesty in all the marketing information given about a product.
Example, the right quality and quantity of the product should be given in line with the assigned
price and value. The price of any given product should be in accordance with its determined
marketing value. Legal frameworks in marketplace are very important as they enhance
development, Example is Zara marketing growth as a result of strong and realistic marketing
ethics (Pike and Page, 2014).
Importance of ethics in marketing
Ethics in marketing are very important as they help in controlling marketing activities towards
achieving the set objectives important for marketing contribution to the common good and
environmental stewardship as discussed below.
Satisfying urgent and basic human needs. Ethics enhances fairness and honesty in dealing
with customers. Every customer as well as employees in the marketing sector desire to be related
with honest and fair people as they are identified with prosperity, in the same way, fairness and
honesty enhanced by ethics in marketing ensures that good deeds prevail between the customer
and the market thus creating an environment for a positive relationship development. This
ensures that the developed relationship between them it’s relevant to enhance a common role of
loyalty as they work together towards marketing goal achievement and in the process enhance
environmental maintenance (Grönroos and Gummerus, 2014).
Accountability and Transparency. Ethics in marketing ensures that all individuals
involved are accountable to whatever results they give during their marketing activities. This is
important to keep every involved person on toes on whatever he or she does. This creates an
environment where people are able to share ideas relevant for development at the market place
and the marketing activities at large. This gives basis for individuals in the marketing sector to

Marketing Consumer Behavior 8
work together to enhance maintaining a positive and developing working environment. Ethics
governing accountability on marketing waste products ensures maintenance of a free
environment from pollution as different people come together to ensuring these set ethics are
followed to the latter (Epstein and Buhovac, 2014).
Enhanced profit levels. Business units with realistic guiding ethics and values have high
chances of remaining relevant in the long run as they make more profits. This is as a result of
maintained order in conducting its business activities both at the market and at individual level.
Example, Tata group in India was seen failing due to lack of control ethics in its marketing
activities but in setting up clear and realistic ones, the company shot to high level of profits. This
brought people together a sign that unity created resulted to organizational development. This is
common goal that supported growth and unity among people with positivism that is similarly
directed to ensuring the same company cars do not contribute to environmental pollution (Hunt
and Vitell, 2006).
Securing the society. Set marketing ethics ensures that even the marketers are protected
enough to be able to participate in guarding the laws of the society. Law in the society has been
seen acting as a silent spectator in safeguarding the societal environments. With marketing
activities and ethics set in place, it’s easier for individuals to follow the societal law as they are
reminded of the existing need to take care of the society. Example, an ethic in marketing that
dictates no smoking while at work results to lack of smoke emissions for air pollution .This is a
common good of no smoking while advertising that it results to air pollution prevention
important to maintain the environment free from air pollution.
Conclusion

Marketing Consumer Behavior 9
Marketing is a very crucial process in enhancing success of a business activity. Satisfying
customers’ needs and requirement is the main objective of marketing and is enhanced by the 4Ps
of marketing that include product, price, place and promotion. The various roles and activities of
marketing ensure common good that enhance environmental stewardship. To improve on this,
clear marketing strategies should be exercised to help enhance the existing once as well as
improve on ethics for a successful marketing process.

Marketing Consumer Behavior 10
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