0404

Problem

List the key ethical issues in international B2B marketing and describe some key issues in at least three of these areas.

Step-by-step solution

Show all steps

Step 1/3

Any marketing tactic or piece of content that is targeted towards a company or organization is known as B2B (business-to-business) product marketing.

Step 2/3

The following are the main moral concerns in global business-to-business marketing:

• Communications for marketing

• Product

• Sales

• Market Research

• Personnel

• Distribution

• Pricing

 

Communications for marketing

Ethics norms must be followed in a wide range of situations, including advertising. Consumer advertising has traditionally been thought to be "puffery" of the product. However, in the case of company promotion, this usually backfires. However, several managers who have previously worked in the consumer sector for the duration of their careers have expressed a desire to exaggerate benefits in advertisements.

The misuse of private information would be a brand-new source of worry. Over the Internet, several corporate marketers have gathered a lot of personal data about clients and future clients. If moral guidelines have to be kept intact, the usage of such information needs to be thoroughly considered.

 

Distribution 

Trying to provide distributors throughout the world with the exact same criteria and rewards is a difficult challenge. A jumble of distribution strategies can frequently develop from adapting to local market realities. A company must apply its ethical principles to its distribution strategies across multiple markets. Furthermore, in connection with the bribery topic from earlier, whatever a manufacturer's advertising staff is, they should be wary of inflated revenues. Accounting systems must be in existence to identify unusually significant commissions that could potentially lead to bribes, as required by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Regulations.

 

Market research

Researchers must be honest when describing their backgrounds and experiences. They must be careful to plan and carry out research in the most economical manner possible.

Researchers must take care to secure the data as well as only present findings that are backed up with the data. Additionally, researchers need to describe their non-research job precisely. Contracts must adhere to the standards set by the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR) or even other professional groups.

Step 3/3

As discussed above, communications for marketing, product, sales, market research, personnel, distribution and pricing are the key ethical issues in international B2B marketing.