Retail Philanthropy: Firm Size,Industry, and Business Cycle

This article investigates the effects of firm size, profitability, industry affiliation, and the business cycle on retailer philanthropy. The importance of industry and firm effects on giving was analyzed with regression models using industry-fixed effects as well as firm strategy variables. The analysis included instrumental variables methodology to account for simultaneity in the charitable giving–profits relationship. Data were gathered from the IRS Corporate Statistics of Income Sourcebook, data that provide firm size class measures covering the entire firm size distribution ranging from small retailers up to large multi-national retail firms. Retailer philanthropy was measured as the ratio of charitable contributions to total receipts. Important findings include a cubic relationship between retailer philanthropy and firm size; industry effects stronger than those observed for retail profit; and the absence of business cycle effects. The empirical research relating retail charitable giving to firm attributes including firm size and advertising, industry and business cycle factors are unique in the business ethics literature. Prior studies regarding the importance of industry on charitable giving utilized data across broad sectors of the economy. Firms from different sectors could be expected to differ in philanthropic approach due to differences in public contact as well as differences in public relations exposure. The strong industry effects reported for this sample of exclusively retail firms, with similar public contact, provide strong evidence for the importance of industry in determining firms’ charitable strategies.     

Salesperson Perceptions of Ethical Behaviors: Their Influence on Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intentions

In the academic world, research has indicated that “good ethics is good business.” Such research seems to indicate that firms, which emphasize ethical values and social responsibilities, tend to be more profitable than others. Generally, the profitability is credited to the firm’s positive relationships with its customers, reduced costs of attempting to rebuild a tarnished image, ease of attracting capital, etc. The research conducted in this study evaluated salespeople’s perceptions of the ethics of businesses in general, their employer’s ethics, their attitudes as consumers, and the relationships existing between these perceptions and the sale force’s job satisfaction and turnover intentions. The results show a positive relationship existing between salesperson perceptions of business ethics, his/her employer’s ethics, consumer attitudes, and the salesperson’s job satisfaction and reduced turnover intentions. Charles E. Pettijohn (D.B.A., Louisiana Tech University) is a professor of marketing in the College of Business Administration at Missouri State University. He is also co-editor of the Marketing Management Journal. His research has appeared in the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, the Journal of Businesss Ethics, Marketing Management Journal, Psychology and Marketing, and the Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice. At Missouri State University, his primary teaching focus is in the areas of Personal Selling and Sales Management. Linda S. Pettijohn (D.B.A., Louisiana Tech University) is a Professor of marketing in the College of Business Administration at Missouri State University. Her research has appeared in the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Human Resource Development Quarterly, Marketing Management Journal, Psychology and Marketing, and the Journal of Financial Serivices Marketing. At Missouri State University, her primary teaching focus is in the area of Retailing. Albert J. Taylor (D.B.A., Louisiana Tech University) is an associate professor of marketing in the College of Business Administration at Coastal Carolina University. His research has appeared in the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Human Resource Development Quartely, the International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Administration, Psychology and Marketing, and the Journal of Applied Business Research. At Missouri State University, his primary teaching focus is in the areas of Marketing Research and Personal Selling.     

University Students’ Perceptions Regarding Ethical Marketing Practices: Affecting Change Through Instructional Techniques

Many believe that colleges of business have a role to play in improving the level of marketing ethics practiced in the business world, while others believe that by the time students reach the level of university education, their ethical beliefs are so ingrained as to be virtually unalterable. The purpose of this study is to add to the literature regarding university students’ ethical value judgments. It utilizes scenario studies to assess base line ethical values of junior level undergraduate business administration students, then techniques are employed to influence students’ perceptions of the ethics of various marketing practices, and students’ values are reassessed. A total of 667 junior and senior level students majoring in business administration (52% female; 48% male; 72% 22-years old or younger) participated in the pre-tests and 525 students (47% female; 53% male; 70% 22-years-old or younger) participated in the post-tests. The results of the before/after studies indicate that some experimental techniques are more effective than others in affecting change, but it is difficult to affect long-run change in those predisposed to unethical behavior. Charles D. Bodkin, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Marketing, The Belk College of Business, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Bodkin has been published in Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Journal of Business Ethics, and Marketing Education Review. His areas of research interests include consumer behavior, retailing, e-business, and ethics. Thomas H. Stevenson, Ph.D. Charles E. Cullen Professor of Marketing, The Belk College of Business, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Stevenson has been published in Industrial Marketing Management, Business Horizons, California Management Review, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Business Research, Journal of International Marketing, and the Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising. His research interests include salesperson management, ethics, business-to-business marketing, and advertising.     

A Study on Ethically Problematic Selling Methods in China with a Broaden Concept of Gray-marketing

This paper expands the definition of gray-marketing to include some ethically problematic marketing activities and techniques used in personal selling in China. Based on this, a conceptual model of gray-marketing for a particular type of selling in which both the sellers and the buyers exhibit problematic ethics in an exchange and the associated hypotheses are developed and tested. The findings show that, first, the respondents have different ethical evaluations of different marketing practices used in personal selling such as giving and accepting gifts, buying and accepting meals, and offering and accepting kickbacks. Some of these practices may not be considered unethical. Second, in terms of ethical assessment, gray-marketing practiced by buying agents is more unacceptable than when practiced by sales agents. Third, a person’s ethical evaluation of gray-marketing behavior, empathy for gray-marketing, and belief that gray-marketing has serious consequences, significantly affects his inclination to use gray-marketing. This paper concludes with a discussion of some possible applications of our research findings. Both authors contributed equally to this work. Guijun Zhuang (Ph.D., City University of Hong Kong) is a professor of marketing in the School of Management, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, the People’s Republic of China. His current research interests include marketing channel behaviors, relationship marketing, and consumer choice. He has published in European Journal of Marketing, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of International Consumer Marketing, and many leading marketing and management journals in China. Alex S.L. Tsang (Ph.D., City University of Hong Kong) is an assistant professor at the Department of Marketing, Hong Kong Baptist University. His research currently focuses on cross-cultural consumer behavior, marketing in China, and marketing communication. He has published in Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing, and Business Horizons, among others.     

Ethical Values and Long-term Orientation

Lapses in ethical conduct by those in corporate and public authority worldwide have given business researchers and practitioners alike cause to re-examine the antecedents to personal ethical values. We explore the relationship between ethical values and an individual’s long-term orientation or LTO, defined as the degree to which one plans for and considers the future, as well as values traditions of the past. Our study also examines the role of work ethic and conservative attitudes in the formation of a person’s long-term orientation and consequent ethical beliefs. Empirically testing these hypothesized relationships using data from 292 subjects, we find that long-term perspectives on tradition and planning indeed engender higher levels of ethical values. The results also support work ethic’s role in fostering tradition and planning, as well as conservatism’s positive association with planning. Additionally, we report how tradition and planning mediate the influence of conservatism and work ethic on the formation of ethical values. Limitations of the study and future research directions, as well as implications for business managers and academics, are also discussed. Jennifer L. Nevins is an assistant professor of marketing in the Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University. Her articles have been published in journals such as Journal of the Academy of the Marketing Science and Journal of Business Research.Her research interests include export marketing, distribution channels, and the influence of cultural values on international channel relationships. William O.Bearden is the Bank of America Chaired Professor of marketing in the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. His articles have been published in journals such as journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and Journal of Retailing. His research interests include consume perception of value and prices,measurement of consumer and marketing constructs, and the effects of marketplace Promotions. R.Bruce Money is the Donald Staheli Fellow and associate professor of marketing and international business in the Marriott School of Management, Brigham Young university. His articles have been published in journals such as Journal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of International Business Studies, and Sloan Mangement Review. His research interests include the international aspects of national culture’s measurment and effects, business-to-business marketing, word-of-mouth promotion, services marketing, and negotiation. “It appears many executives based their business decisions on how they could quickly build, and then protect, their own personal fortunes – and cared less about the long-term growth and profitability of their company.” – Associated Press (Clendenning, 2002) on the Enron collapse     

The influence of non-anonymity deriving from feedback of research results on marketing professionals' research ethics judgements

The study examines, in the context of Crawford's (1970) study items, the influence of non-anonymity deriving from feedback of research results on marketing professionals' research ethics judgements, particularly that of response patterns (social desirability of responses) and item omissions. The results indicate that such non-anonymity does not significantly influence the social desirability of responses or item omissions — thus suggesting the appropriateness of its use to stimulate research ethics responses. Ishmael P. Akaah is Associate Professor of Marketing at Wayne State University. He received his M.B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. His articles have appeared in the Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Health Care Marketing, Journal of Business Research, International Marketing Review, Journal of Global Marketing, Journal of Business Logistics, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Macromarketing, Journal of Direct Marketing, Journal of Business Ethics, Proceedings of the American Marketing Association, and elsewhere. His current research interests include consumer decision processes, marketing ethics, and international marketing strategy.     

A content analysis of ethical policy statements regarding marketing activities

Many large corporations now have written codes of ethics to guide the business/marketing activities of employees. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and types of topics which are covered in the ethics policy statements of large U.S. corporations. The results indicated that the topics covered most often (respectively) were: misuse of funds/improper accounting, conflicts of interest, political contributions, and confidential information. It is concluded that in addition to written ethics policy statements, top management should communicate ethical values and demonstrate by example. Robert E. Hite (Ph.D. University of Arkansas) is Associate Professor of Marketing at Kansas State University. His textbook is entitled Managing Salespeople, and his articles have appeared in such journals as the Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Business Research, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and Industrial Marketing Management. Joseph A. Bellizzi (Ph.D. University of Nebraska) is Associate Professor of Marketing at Kansas State University. He was previously employed by Hilti Fastening systems as a Market Research analyst. His articles have appeared in such journals as the Journal of Business Research, Journal of Advertising Research, and Journal of Retailing. Cynthia Fraser (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania) is Associate Professor of Marketing at Kansas State University. Her research interests are international marketing and marketing models. Her articles have appeared in such journals as the Journal of Consumer Research and Industrial Marketing Management.     

Applying Ethical Concepts to the Study of “Green” Consumer Behavior: An Analysis of Chinese Consumers’ Intentions to Bring their Own Shopping Bags

Drawing on the general ethics and social psychology literature, this study presents a model to delineate the major factors likely to affect consumers’ intentions to bring their own shopping bags when visiting a supermarket (called “bring your own bags” or “BYOB” intention). The model is empirically validated using a survey of 250 Chinese consumers. Overall, the findings support the hypothesized direct influence of teleological evaluation and habit on BYOB intention, as well as that of deontological evaluation and teleological evaluation on ethical judgment about the BYOB practice. Teleological evaluation exerts a much stronger influence on ethical judgment than does deontological evaluation. In addition, the findings reveal that consumers who perceive the BYOB practice to be more important are more inclined to rely on their ethical judgment to derive their BYOB intention. Academically, these findings provide some encouraging evidence for the application of general ethics theories to explain green consumption-related practices. Practically, the findings also suggest that a utilitarian approach (i.e., emphasizing the consequences of BYOB) may represent an effective means for the Chinese government to promote BYOB practice among consumers. Dr. Ricky Y. K. Chan is associate professor of the Department of Management and Marketing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His research interests lie in green marketing and behavioral aspects of Chinese consumers. He has contributed to such journals as Business Horizons, European Journal of Marketing, International Business Review, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of International Marketing, Journal of Management Studies and Journal of Services Marketing. Dr. Y. H. Wong is associate professor of the Department of Management and Marketing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is the author of a book, Guanxi: Relationship Marketing in a Chinese Context (co-authored with Dr. T. K. P. Leung). His research has been published in journals, including Industrial Marketing Management, International Business Review, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, Journal of International Consumer Marketing and Journal of Services Marketing. Dr. T. K. P. Leung is associate professor of the Department of Management and Marketing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His research areas include business to business marketing, Chinese cultures and their implications to Sino-foreign negotiation. He has published articles in such journals as European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of International Consumer Marketing and Marketing Intelligence and Planning. He also co-authored a research book with Dr. Y. H. Wong titled Guanxi: Relationship marketing in a Chinese context published by the Haworth Press.     

The Business and Society course: Does it change student attitudes?

The purpose of this research was to determine if there is a significant difference in the attitudes of students toward situations involving ethical decisions before and after taking a course in Business and Society. A simulated before and after design was used with Clark's personal business ethics and social responsibility scale serving as the measurement instrument. The result of the study indicated that the Business and society class had no statistically significant impact on student attitudes.William R. Wynd graduated from Michigan State University with a Ph.D. in 1969. He is a professor of Marketing Management at Eastern Washington University and has over twenty years of teaching experience. Dr. Wynd has previously published in several other academic journals and conference proceedings. John Mager graduated with a Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of Oregon in 1986. He is currently an assistant professor of Marketing at Eastern Washington University. Dr. Mager has published in the Journal of Consumer Research as well as numerous national and international academic conferences.     

The Impact of Social Darwinism Perception,Status Anxiety,Perceived Trust of People,and Cultural Orientation on Consumer Ethical Beliefs

This study intends to explore the effects of political, social and cultural values on consumers’ ethical beliefs regarding questionable consumption behaviors. The variables examined include status anxiety, social Darwinism perception, perceived trust of people, and cultural orientation. Based on a field survey in Taiwan, the results showed that consumers with low ethical beliefs have higher perception of social Darwinism and status anxiety than consumers possess neutral and high ethical beliefs. The result also showed that the neutral ethics group had higher trust on people than the low ethics groups. Finally, the high ethics group expressed significantly higher perception of vertical collectivism than those consumers of the low and neutral ethics group. Jyh-shen Chiou (Ph.D. in Marketing, Michigan State), is professor of Marketing, Dept. of International Business, College of Commerce, National Chengchi University, Taiwan. His research focuses on consumer behavior and strategic marketing. His work has been published in Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Journal of Service Research European Journal of Marketing, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Social Psychology, etc. Lee-Yun Pan, is assistant professor of marketing, Dept. of Business Administration, Feng Chia University.     

The impact of a shift in organizational role on ethical perceptions: A comparative study

This study investigates ethical decision-making by considering the differences in ethical judgments between undergraduate business and MBA students on selected ethical issues facing employees and managers of today's businesses. The study further investigates differences in ethical judgments between undergraduates and MBAs in terms of a perceived position as an employee or as a manager. The findings indicate that undergraduate students tend to be more ethical than MBA students and that both groups tend to be more ethical when they perceive themselves as managers rather than employees. The authors discuss the implications for both business practitioners and educators.Shohreh A. Kaynama is Associate Professor of Marketing in the School of Business and Economics at Towson State University in Baltimore, Maryland. She earned a Ph.D. in Marketing and the Decision Sciences. Dr. Kaynama has published extensively in numerous National and International proceedings. Her area of research is strategic marketing, consumer behavior, applications of computers and decision sciences in marketing and global marketing. Louise W. Smith is Professor of Marketing in the School of Business and Economics at Towson State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Smith's main professional interest is consumer behavior. Dr. Smith's articles have appeared in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Journal of Health Care Marketing, Journal of Marketing Education, Journal of Services Marketing, and Journal of Consumer Marketing among others. Algin B. King is Professor of Marketing in the School of Business and Economics at Towson State University in Baltimore, Maryland. He has served on the Faculties of seven universities, publishing numerous articles in National Professional Meetings Proceedings and scholarly journals including Journal of Euro-Marketing, Atlantic Economic Journal. In addition he has served as a business consultant to numerous business firms.     

Social inclusion as a marketing ethics correlate

The author examines, in the context of Litwin and Stringer's (1968) operationalization, the influence of social inclusion (organizational warmth and organizational identity) as a marketing ethics correlate. The results indicate that both organizational warmth and organizational identity underlie marketing professionals' ethical behavior. Furthermore, the influence pattern for each variable is consistent witha priori hypothesis.Ishmael P. Akaah is Associate Professor of Marketing at Wayne State University. His articles have appeared in theJournal of Marketing Research, Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Health Care Marketing, Journal of Business Research, International Marketing Review, Journal of Global Marketing, Journal of Business Logistics, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Macromarketing, Journal of Direct Marketing, Journal of Business Ethics, Proceedings of the American Marketing Association, and elsewhere. His current research interests include consumer decision processes, marketing ethics, and international marketing strategy.     

Some initial steps toward improving the measurement of ethical evaluations of marketing activities

This study reports on the development of scale items derived from the pluralistic moral philosophy literature. In addition, the manner in which individuals combine aspects of the different philosophies in making ethical evaluations was explored.R. Eric Reidenbach holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Michigan State University. At present he is a Professor of Marketing and Director of the Center for Business Development and Research at the University of Southern Mississippi. He has published a number of articles in different marketing journals. In addition, he is the co-author of several books on bank marketing. Dr. Donald P. Robin received his DBA degree from Louisiana State University in 1969 and is currently Professor of Marketing in the College of Business, Louisiana Tech University. His basic marketing textbook entitled, Marketing: Basic Concepts for Decision Making (Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc.), and his co-authored readings book, Classics in Marketing (Goodyear Press), were both published in 1978. He is the author of articles in a wide variety of topics that have appeared in such journals as the Journal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, Business and Professional Ethics Journal, The Journal of Business Communications, Journal of Business Research, and Academy of Management Journal.     

A Framework for Ethical Conformity in Marketing

The extant marketing literature provides little guidance for theory development or practice with regard to questions of ethical conformity and the resulting market response. To begin to bridge this research gap, we advance a theoretical framework of ethical conformity in marketing, appealing to marketing ethics, management strategy, and sociological foundations. We set the stage for our theoretical arguments by considering the role of normative expectations related to marketing practices and behaviors held by societal constituents. Against this backdrop, we propose drivers of conformity in marketing, including practices consistent with both overconformity and underconformity. The framework allows us to advance testable research propositions by which questions of ethical conformity may be explored. We conclude by suggesting additional future research needed to develop the domain, specifically in the form of empirical inquiries uncovering firm strategic decisions with ethical implications. Kelly D. Martin is Assistant Professor of Marketing at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. Her research interests involve marketing strategy with ethical implications, interfirm relationships, the role of marketing in society, and the effects of institutions, social norms, and culture on organizations. Her work has appeared in the Academy of Management Journal, the Journal of Business Ethics, and Business & Society. Jean L. Johnson is the Gardner O. Hart Professor of Marketing at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Her research focuses on marketing strategy, interfirm relationships, and capabilities and learning in firms. Her work appears in the Journal of Marketing, the Academy of Management Journal, and Journal of International Business Studies, among others.     

Corporate institutionalization of ethics in the United States and Great Britain

This paper compares the results of large-scale U.S. and U.K. surveys designed to identify managers' major ethical concerns and to investigate how firms are formulating and communicating ethics policies responsive to these concerns.Our findings indicate some important differences between U.S. and U.K. firms in perceptions of what are important ethical issues, in the means used to communicate ethics policies, and in the issues addressed in ethics policies and employee training. U.K. companies tend to be more likely to communicate ethics policies through senior executives, whereas U.S. companies tend to rely more on their Human Resources and Legal Departments. U.S. firms consider most ethical issues to be more important than do their U.K. counterparts, and are especially concerned with employee behavior which may harm the firm. In contrast, the issues which U.K. managers consider more important tend to be concerned with external corporate stakeholders rather than employees.Diana C. Robertson is an Assistant Professor in the Legal Studies Department of The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Robertson has been a Visiting Assistant Professor at The London Business School and she has received The University of Pennsylvania Provost's Award for Distinguished Teaching. Her research interests include the impact of corporate policy and strategy on employees' ethical behavior, and the diffusion of ethical practices among corporations. Dr. Robertson has published articles in theSloan Management Review, theJournal of Business Ethics, andOrganization Science.Bodo B. Schlegelmilch holds the British Rail Chair of Marketing. Dr. Schlegelmilch was formerly a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Lecturer in Marketing and International Business at the University of Edinburgh. His research interests include international and strategic marketing. Dr. Schlegelmilch has published articles in theJournal of International Business, theEuropean Journal of Marketing, andIndustrial Marketing Management.     

Social Responsiveness,Profitability and Catastrophic Events: Evidence on the Corporate Philanthropic Response to 9/11

In this study we seek to determine whether catastrophic events lead to corporate charitable giving unrelated to levels of firm profitability. We examine the issue relative to the corporate philanthropic response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001. Based on a sample of 489 Fortune 500 companies, we find that differences in the extent of corporate contributions following 9/11 are positively and significantly associated with differences in firms' profitability. Further, while the degree of connection to the catastrophic event led to higher levels of giving in comparison to the contributions of less connected firms, differences in the extent of philanthropy are still␣related to short-term profitability for the more connected firms. The study thus provides evidence suggesting that even in the wake of catastrophic events, corporate philanthropic giving is constrained by economic concerns.     

The appropriateness of fear appeal use for health care marketing to the elderly: Is it OK to scare granny?

In this paper we explore the intersection of three topics which have historically been singled out for ethical consideration in advertising and marketing: the use of fear appeals, marketing to the elderly, and the marketing of health care services and products. Issues relevant to using fear appeals in promoting health care issues to the elderly are explored with a consumer psychologist's theoretical view of fear appeals. Next the assumption of the elderly market's vulnerability and indicants of social or psychological function which would differentiate the elderly recipients of marketing communications are examined both in terms of function and ethical concerns.Overall, our review of the theoretical underpinnings of fear-based communication and the psychological characteristics does not indicate that the elderly of today are particularlyvulnerable. While the elderly are probably somewhat more dogmatic than younger consumers and perhaps view outcomes from the perspective of their age, there are no indications that their psychological responses to fear-based appeals differ significantly from those of younger consumers.Suzeanne Benet is on the faculty at Grand Valley State University. She received a Ph.D. in Business Administration. She has also been on the faculty at DePaul University in Chicago. Dr. Benet's research has primarily focused on marketing to the elderly and related public policy concerns.Robert E. Pitts is Professor and Chair of the Department of Marketing and the Director of Kellstadt Center for Marketing Analysis and Planning at DePaul University. He served as a member of the faculty of Jacksonville State University, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Mississippi. Dr. Pitts' research has appeared in numerous publications including theJournal of Marketing, Journal of Bank Research, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Social Marketing Education, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Social Psychology, Southern Economic Review, Journal of Travel Research, Journal of Behavioral Economics, The Mid-South Journal of Economics, Psychology and Marketing, Marketing and Media Decisions andJournal of Insurance Issues and Practices. Dr. Pitts is the editor ofPersonal Values and Consumer Psychology (Lexington Publishers) and co-author ofBank Marketing, A Guide to Strategic Planning, andEffective Bank Marketing Issues, Techniques and Application. Over the past decade, Dr. Pitts has served as a consultant to such firms as General Motors Corporation, Congolium Corp-Kinder Division, National Standard Steel Corp., WalMart Corp. Training Programs, Illinois State Chamber of Commerce and Council of State Chambers of Commerce.Michael S. LaTour is Associate Professor of Marketing at Auburn University. Dr. LaTour graduated with honors in 1986 in Business Administration. Dr. LaTour's research interests focus upon arousal responses to advertising and associated ethical issues. He has published in a variety of scholarly journals includingThe Journal of Business Ethics, The Journal of Advertising, Psychology and Marketing, The Journal of Health Care Marketing, andThe Journal of Public Policy and Marketing.Second and third authors contributed equally to this article.     

Modeling ethical attitudes and behaviors under conditions of environmental turbulence: The case of South Africa

This study explores the impact of environmental turbulence on relationships between personal and organizational characteristics, personal values, ethical perceptions, and behavioral intentions. A causal model is tested using data obtained from a national sample of marketing research professionals in South Africa. The findings suggest turbulent conditions lead professionals to report stronger values and ethical norms, but less ethical behavioral intentions. Implications are drawn for organizations confronting growing turbulence in their external environments. A number of suggestions are made for ongoing research. Michael H. Morris became the Fletcher Jones Chair in Entrepreneurship at the University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA in 1993. He received his Ph.D. in Marketing. He is the author of two books and over forty articles in academic journals, including the Journal of International Business Studies, the Journal of Business Research, the Journal of Management, and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. Dr. Morris' principal research interests include entrepreneurial behavior, industrial marketing strategy, and pricing.Amy Seidel Marks has been a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the GSB UCT since 1989. She holds a Ph.D. in Marketing from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, and has worked in the areas of consumer behavior analysis and social marketing for 20 years. During her time in South Africa she has conducted numerous research projects in areas such as AIDS prevention, tobacco control and iodine deficiency, and has also served as a consultant to national projects in tuberculosis drug compliance, tobacco control and adult education.Jeff Allen received his doctorate from the University of Kentucky. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, Dr. Allen has published in various national and international academic journals on topics of social responsibility, marketing ethics, and health care marketing. Newman S. Perry, Jr. is Professor of Management, School of Business and Public Administration at the University of the Pacific in Stockton California. He has just completed Business, Government, and Society: Managing Competitiveness, Ethics, and Social Issues published by Prentice-Hall and previously coauthored a book on strategic management.     

The influence of personal and organizational values on marketing professionals' ethical behavior

The authors examine empirically the influence of personal and organizational values on marketing professionals' ethical behavior. The results indicate that personal and organizational values underlie differences in marketing professionals' ethical behavior, albeit small terms of the proportion of explained variance. The results also suggest the relationship between organizational values and ethical behavior to be significant. However, the same is not the case for the relationship between personal values and ethical behavior.Ishmael P. Akaah is Professor of Marketing at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, Professor Akaah's articles have appeared in many journals includingJournal of Marketing Research, International Marketing Review, Journal of Business Logistics, among others.Daulatram B. Lund is Associate professor of Marketing at University of Nevada, Reno. Professor Lund's articles have appeared inJournal of Retailing, Journal of Business Research, Industrial Marketing Management, among others.     

The perceived role of ethics and social responsibility: A scale development

Marketers must first perceive ethics and social responsibility to be important before their behaviors are likely to become more ethical and reflect greater social responsibility. However, little research has been conducted concerning marketers' perceptions regarding the importance of ethics and social responsibility as components of business decisions. The purpose of this study is to develop a reliable and valid scale for measuring marketers' perceptions regarding the importance of ethics and social responsibility. The authors develop an instrument for the measurement of the perceived role of ethics and social responsibility (PRESOR). Evidence that the scale is valid is presented through the assessment of scale reliability, as well as content and predictive validity. Finally, future research needs and the value of this construct to marketing are discussed. Anusorn Singhapakdi is Associate Professor of Marketing at Old Dominion University. He received his Ph.D. in Marketing. His has published in the Journal of Macromarketing, the Journal of Business Ethics, the Business and Professional Ethics Journal, the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. He has presented papers at various professional conferences including the American Marketing Association and the Academy of Marketing Science. Scott J. Vitell is Associate Professor of Marketing and holder of the Phil B. Hardin Chair of Marketing at the University of Mississippi. He received his Ph.D. in Marketing. His work has previously appeared in the Journal of Macromarketing, the Journal of Business Ethics, Research in Marketing, the Business and Professional Ethics Journal and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science as well as various other journals and proceedings. Kumar C. Rallapalli is Assistant Professor of Marketing at Troy State University. His research has been published in the Journal of Business Ethics, the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science and the Journal of Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management as well as various national and regional proceedings. His research interests include marketing ethics, health care marketing, international marketing and direct marketing. Kenneth L. Kraft is Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Tampa. He received his DBA in Management. He has published numerous articles on Business Ethics, Organization Design and Strategic Planning in Journals such as the Academy of Management Review, America Business Review and the Journal of Business Ethics. His current research interest centers on the measurement of moral intensity.