The Role of Ethics on E-Marketing

Marketing is often viewed by the public as the activity the most affected by ethical abuses and scandals insofar as marketing is the main interface between the organization and its environment. Marketing ethics is inquiry into the nature and grounds of moral judgments, standards, and rules of conduct relating to marketing decisions and marketing situations. The study of marketing ethics has evolved along three related, but differentially developed paths, which identify as: (1) Normative ethics, (2) Descriptive ethics, and (3) Metaethics. A behavioral model of ethical/unethical decision making and the theory of marketing ethics from Hunt & vitell are expressed; then a hybrid model is offered. At the end, ethical marketing on the Internet is discussed.