An ethics lesson from an unlikely quarter

Read the following article: An ethics lesson from an unlikely quarter

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/00f04688-a43f-11dd-8104-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

Post your answers by Wednesday, February 11th at 12pm.

1. Will Wal-Mart’s positive ethical stance force other corporations to do the same in spite of the current economical situation?
2. Should universal public morality be a priority for corporations in any economic situation? Why or why not?
3. Knowing what Wal-Mart has been accused of, do you believe Wal-Mart’s claim of upstanding ethics, or is Wal-Mart trying to smooth over its damaged reputation in light of the rising need for cheap Wal-Mart products?

Let's Talk Ethics at 11am!

ETHICAL DILEMMA
Sally works as an intern for a local advertising agency during her summer break from art school. She was working on a campaign for a weight loss drug that promises to control one’s metabolism and help you lose weight. Her role involved doing research on the product and the competition, and reporting the findings to the team.

As work continued on the campaign, Sally became concerned with the tactics the agency was implementing to help sell the weight loss drug to consumers. The agency was positioning the drug as one that would “help you lose 10 pounds in a week”. Due to her research role, Sally knew there was no evidence that this drug, or any drug for that matter, could make anyone lose 10 lbs. in a week.

Having studied ethics in school, she knew that one of the American Advertising Federation’s guidelines was “truth”: “advertising shall tell the truth, reveal significant facts, the omission of which would mislead the public”. Sally did not want to be associated with a campaign that would mislead consumers.

Sally brought up the AAF guidelines to her team, of which they were not concerned about stretching the truth. It was more important to them to make the client happy and keep the business.

QUESTION

How could self-regulation have been useful in such a situation?