Ethical Selling Essay Example for Free

Ethical Selling Essay In this contemporary period, most consumers base their confidence concerning products and services on their popularity. Famous brands which are used by known and prominent celebrities and personalities are often patronized and trusted by the majority of the consumers (Bannister Bonnice, 1986). Yet the quality of these brands is not really known to the consumers unless they start using the product or once they avail the service. Nevertheless, known and widely-used brands of products or services, being patronized and recognized by most consumers, do not only go with the idea that they have to gain much profit. In deed, they have to ensure their customers and clients that their products or services are of high quality in order to ensure also that there would be a good profit that would come to them as exchange for maintaining superior and trusted quality of their products or services. Yet, not all consumers base their purchasing attitude solely on the quality of the product or service. They also consider the price. The cheaper the price of the product or service, the more the consumers are attracted to buy them. But this does not suggest that all consumers are after cheap prices. However, there are some consumers who neglect the quality of the product or service just to have them at cheaper and more affordable prices (Bannister Bonnice, 1986). For these reasons, the highlight of advertisement is not on the quality of the product or service but more on its price. And the quality that is supposed to be the thing that the manufacturer and the consumer should uphold is being neglected in a way that some manufacturers make fake demonstrations in advertisements just to market their products or service. Many of these products are often found in T. V Shopping advertisements in which the consumers cannot really test the durability, the quality, or the serviceability of the product. But because the advertisers are so good in making fake demonstrations, they easily deceive and attract consumers to buy their products (Cook, 2001). An example product that is being advertized at televisions as well as internets is a carpet cleaner named Bosun 12v Cordless Wet and Dry Vacuum. It is a handheld vacuum cleaner that can be used to clean wet and dry spills on carpets. A particular television station airs numerous advertisements of products and services. And one of the products that is being advertized in that television station is Bosun. Yet, the product is questioned for its quality when one of the costumers complained that Bosun has a low quality and that it only works for three to five weeks. Also, the costumer said that the product is defective in a sense that it does not really clean wet spills on carpet which is included in its advertisement as one of its unique function. However, the manufacturer of the product claimed that their product is not defective. Truly, deception in marketing is being employed by some manufacturers to gain much profit for their own sake. They do not realize that their function is to provide good and efficient products to the consumers and not to harm or deceive them just for their own interest (Cook, 2001). As claimed by the Utilitarian Principle, producing the greatest good or greatest happiness for the greatest number is the standard of what is right or wrong. If this principle would be used to evaluate the above scenario, the manufacturer of Bosun failed to act morally. Also, if the Kantian Ethics would be used to evaluate the given case, the manufacturers of Bosun would still be labeled as immoral for they failed to do their duty –that is providing good and efficient products for the consumers (Beauchamp Bowie, 2003). There are many reports about fraud advertisements, in televisions, radios, print materials, and internet (Cook, 2001). And truly, there are laws that condemn the act of it. Yet, many are still practicing fraud advertising for the sake of obtaining more money. They failed to follow the Categorical Imperative suggested by Kant that is to always treat human beings as ends and not merely means to an end. This entails that manufacturers and advertisers must respect the consumers’ rights and not use them for their own advantage (Beauchamp Bowie, 2003).