What is ethics?
In general terms it would be:
1. The branch of philosophy that deals with good and evil, with moral rights and obligations, and
2. "Principles that govern the moral behavior of a person or group". Business ethics contains the moral standards and principles that govern behavior in this field. The difference between an ordinary decision and an ethic would be in the main role that values and judgments play in ethical decisions.
The possibility of unethical behavior in service marketing.
The possibility that there is a lack of ethics in the service sector is attributable, above all, to the dimensions of intangibility, heterogeneity and inseparability inherent in the provision of services.
Consumer vulnerability to unethical behavior in the service sector could be attributed to various sources, including:
- The services are characterized by having few attributes for the search. The services are often specialized and / or technical. In some services, there is a considerable lapse between performance and evaluation. Many services are sold without guarantees or commitments. The services are usually be provided by personnel outside company facilities. Variations in service performance are relatively accepted. Reward systems are often based on results rather than behaviors. Clients take an active part in the process of production.
Few search attributes
Given the intangibility of services, consumers do not have the opportunity to physically analyze it before purchasing it. Consequently, before purchase, consumers have little information at their disposal to help them make a smart and informed decision. Therefore, consumers of services often must base their purchase decision on the information provided by the service provider.
Technical and specialized services.
Many services are not easy to understand and evaluate, therefore there is a possibility of easily leading consumers down the wrong path. Clients, in the absence of information that they can understand, often resort to evaluating the lathe of the service, rather than to it.
The services sold without guarantees or commitments.
In the service sector, another situation in which ethics are lacking is when few sensible guarantees and commitments are offered. Consequently, when the consumer encounters problems with an unscrupulous provider, he would have very little, if not none, averages available to him for prompt redress.
Services offered outside the company's facilities.
Considering the distance that exists between the headquarters and the personnel who work outside the company's facilities, it is frequent that they, in particular, are not subject to direct supervision and, therefore, could act differently from the objectives. of the organization. For this reason, they are more likely to engage in unethical behavior, without repercussions from senior management.
Consumers of services are particularly vulnerable to unethical behavior for various reasons. For example, the services have few attributes for the search and, therefore, it is difficult to evaluate them before making the decision to acquire them; many times they are technical and / or specialized, which makes it even more difficult for ordinary consumers to evaluate them; services are sold without warranties or commitments, and are often provided by unsupervised personnel outside of the company area.
The most common ethical problems would be conflict of interest, confidentiality in the organization's relationships, honesty, fairness, and the integrity of the company's communication activities. The behavior of service providers during ethical decision-making reflects the moral philosophies they believe in. Moral philosophies, such as theology, deontology, and relativism are the principles or rules that govern service providers when they decide what is right or wrong.
People may make different decisions in similar ethical situations, due to; cognitive development of morals and a few other factors, including personal values, cultural differences, company culture, organizational structure, opportunity, award systems, important third parties, and the pressures they create carry out activities in a competitive environment. Employees who often have to deal with ethical issues constantly experience job-related stress, frustration, anxiety, poor performance, staff turnover, and job dissatisfaction.
Organizations have used a series of strategies that seek to control the ethical behavior of employees: among them, the socialization of employees, the development and application of codes of ethics, the training of leaders, training to know the service / product, monitoring employee performance and employee education related to the benefits of long-term customer relationships.
Methods for making ethical decisions.
When service providers make ethical decisions they reflect the moral philosophies in which they grew up. Moral philosophies are the principles or rules that service providers apply to decide whether something is right or wrong.
Theology refers to consequentialism; therefore, theologians determine whether their decisions are moral based on the consequences. If the decision results in any desired outcome, such as a salary increase, promotion, or recognition, then that decision will be acceptable.
The deontologist, unlike the theologian, thinks that the good or evil inherent in an act should govern behavior, regardless of the result.
Relativists, unlike deontologists and theologians, often assume that correct ethical decisions may cease to be correct over time. They assess ethical decisions subjectively, case by case, based on past experiences, whether individual or group.
Service providers establish organizational relationships in the workplace with various parties that play a corresponding role: with customers, suppliers, colleagues, subordinates, supervisors and others.
Factors influencing ethical decision making:
- The stage of cognitive development of morality Personal values Company culture Cultural differences Organization structure Occasion Award systems Context of competition Technological changes
