Aims

This module aims to:
(a)       To generate an understanding of ethical concerns in relation to marketing and consumption.
(b)       To provide insight into the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and an understanding of their implementation.
(c)       To analyse the role of ethics in consumer culture, considering issues associated with consumer empowerment, vulnerabilities and well-being.
(d)       To assess an organisation's marketing activities, and to address issues at the interface between ethical marketing, CSR and practical marketing situations.

Outline Of Syllabus

This module is structured to introduce and discuss the following topics:

Introduction to Marketing Ethics
Criticisms of Marketing
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Ethical and Critical Consumption
Responding to Ethical Consumers
Consumer Vulnerability and Marketing of Harmful Products
Social and Cause-related Marketing
Social Media Marketing Ethics

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Formal lectures will provide a framework for the introduction of theory and conceptual frameworks relating to the ethics of marketing, corporate social responsibility (CSR), ethical and critical consumption, social and cause-related marketing, consumer vulnerabilities and ethics of social media marketing. These will be supplemented by one seminar dealing with specific case studies addressing ethical issues in order to develop a better understanding of the topic.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The examination will test students’ knowledge of the theory and conceptual frameworks for understanding ethics of marketing, corporate social responsibility (CSR), ethical and critical consumption, social and cause-related marketing, consumer vulnerabilities, problematic consumption and ethics of social media marketing as well as their ability to apply material to particular case studies and ethical dilemmas.