Lab 3 (1 Mark)
Part I:
Comment on the ethics of the following situations:
a. A food warehouse club advertises “savings up to 30 percent” after a
survey showed a range of savings from 2 percent to 30 percent below
average prices for selected items.
In this instance, the advertisement is moral. According to the
survey's findings, chosen items can be purchased for savings
ranging from 2 to 30%. As stated in the advertisement, "savings
up to 30 percent" refers to savings ranging from 0 to 30 percent.
However, the name of any products that qualify for the discount
was omitted.
b. A radio station broadcasts the following message during a syndicated
rating service’s rating period: “Please fill out your diary” (which lists
what media the consumer has been watching or listening to).
If the marketing research results can only be used for statistical
analysis on the most watched media without revealing individual's
personal information, the current position is ethical.
c. A furniture retailer advertises a market test and indicates that prices
will only be 50 percent off for three days.
Only after knowing the results of the market test can one make an
ethical judgement about this circumstance. It is ethical if the test
result also indicates that the price can be reduced to half for only
three days; otherwise, it is unethical.
d. A researcher tells a potential respondent that an interview will last 10
minutes rather than the 30 minutes he or she anticipates.
