MARKETNG 7030 - Marketing Ethics (M)
North Terrace Campus - Summer - 2015
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code MARKETNG 7030 Course Marketing Ethics (M) Coordinating Unit Adelaide Business School Term Summer Level Postgraduate Coursework Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 3 hours per week Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y Assumed Knowledge At least 2 Marketing specialisation courses Assessment Exam/assignments/tests/tutorial work as prescribed at first lecture Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Mr Nigel Barker
Name: Claire Richardson
Location: Room 13.05
Email: Claire.Richardson@adelaide.edu.au
Course Website: www.myuni.adelaide.edu.au
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.
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Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
This course is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of the issues involved in ensuring ethical marketing decision-making. There will be a focus on how to identify the ethical dimensions of any given marketing related decision, and on how to devise an ethical framework to determine the best outcome. Additionally, the course will aim to provide some opportunities for the practical implementation of the main concepts covered, by allowing students to apply their ethical decision making skills to real life cases and to explore a self-selected ethical marketing issue in detail.
By the end of this course students should be able to:
• Understand the role and importance of ethical decision making in the marketing environment
• Identify professional ethics
• Able to apply a range of theories to analyse opportunities in more complex marketing concepts
• Utilise frameworks for ethical decision making, such as the 10-step model
• Identify and evaluate the various stakeholders related to the ethical dilemma
• Make ethical decisions regarding marketing objectives that encompass the stakeholders and take various theoretical stances of ethical and values.
• Able to present engaging/persuasive arguments and debates
• Able to communicate effectively in writing
University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised. 1.1 An understanding of the underlying theories and concepts that inform alternative perspectives adopted in approaching ethical issues and problems in marketing 1.2 An understanding of the features of professional and regulatory frameworks and institutions relevant to marketing. 1.3 An understanding of diverse categories of ethical norms and standards in national and international marketing systems and their means of implementation. The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. 1.1 High level critical thinking and problem solving skills 1.2 Capacity to engage with current ethical issues of significance in marketing and government 1.3 Ability to integrate marketing skills so as to find progressive solutions for challenges of today’s businesses and societies. 1.4 Capacity to apply marketing theory to respond to demands of the respective practice. 1.5 Ability to recognize the limits of the professional discipline and a capacity to identify, develop and apply alternative methods to coincide diverging interests. 1.6 Capacity to design and construct a logically compelling report Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. 1.1 Capacity to participate in teamwork and deliver individual assessments 1.2 High level oral communication skills 1.3 High level written communication skills0 A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. 1.1 The capacity to engage in life-long learning 1.2 A commitment to high levels of academic scholarship An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities. 1.1 A commitment to marketing ethics and an appreciation of social justice through organisations that pursue good governance and conform to legal and professional standards and societies norms. 1.2 An appreciation of cultural diversity and sensitivity to the operation of commerce in this context. -
Learning Resources
Required Resources
3.1 Required Resources
Text Books
Business Ethics: A Managerial Approach
Wicks, A.C. Freeman, R.E. Werhane, P.H. Martin, K.E.. Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010
ISBN 0-13-142792-X
In addition, there is a reader that students will need to collect from the ICC.
ReadingsTo keep abreast of current ethical topics and issues – this course is taught with supplementary case videos. These are highly informative, educational and for the most part, produced by the Australian government and/or their related media outlets such as the ABC or SBS. At times these videos can be challenging and confronting in terms of their content – but as is the tenor of this course – students are required to considered the issues from an ethical framework and not necessarily asked to ‘take sides’ or identify their personal position on matters. Rather – consider the issue through a structured 10 step model.These cases will form a major part of class room debates and that some of the written cases available in the reader will be discussed in tandem with the video cases – so students should come prepared having read the cases as well reviewed and prepared the questions associated to the videos. As there is a quite a lot of material to cover in each session, the videos will be uploaded onto MyUni for the students to watch in advance.
Topic Session Topics and Readings Video Case 1 Mon 28 Jul Theoretical foundations of Ethics:
Text Chap 1 & 22 Mon 4 Aug Ethics and the art of persuasion:
Text Chap 3
Session 2 readingsNestle Baby Milk
(Watch on MyUni)3 Mon 11 Aug Market Research and Ethics:
Text Chap 10
Session 3 readingsStrictly Confidential*
(Watch on MyUni)4 Mon 18 Aug Segmentation and Ethics:
Text Chap 6
Session 4 readingsBras, Bratz and Tweens*
(Watch on MyUni)5 Mon 25 Aug No Class ! Individual Assignments due 6 Mon 1 Sept Ethics and products:
Session 6 readingsAnimal Pharm*
(Watch on MyUni)7 Mon 8 Sept Ethics and products:
Session 7 ReadingsFat’s New Frontier*
(Watch on MyUni)8 Mon 15 Sept Ethics and Pricing:
Session 8 readingsDying for Drugs* (Watch on MyUni) B R E A K 9 Mon 6 Oct Public Holiday (no class) 10 Mon 13 Oct Ethics and Distribution:
Session 10 readingsChina Blue* (Watch on MyUni) 11 Mon 20 Oct Ethics and Marketing Communications:
Session 11 readingsDifference of Opinion: Sex Sells*
(Watch on MyUni)12 Mon 27 Oct Revision & Exam Preparation
Read and prepare 10 step model
for “The great non debate over
International sweatshops”End Feb (TBC) Final Exam
Recommended Resources
Students will be expected to make use of a range of reading material in the course. Some articles will be provided as a starting point but referencing from library resources and a variety of academic journals will be expected. Both case studies and weekly readings are provided with this outline.Online Learning
Students can access lecture materials and additional notes, handouts and readings on MyUni. Students are expected to attend lectures with lectures printed out.
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Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
Students in this course are expected to attend all lectures on both days of the 2 intensive sessions. The intensive days will be from 8.30am – 6.00pm with appropriate breaks for coffee and lunch. Typically, the first half of this time will take the form of a participative discussion, class exercises and/or student presentations based on student preparations for the topic. Students will be expected to have reviewed the topic to be discussed and attempted any set questions/exercises before each session. There is a strong assumption that students will engage in discussions in an informed way.Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
The University expects full-time students (i.e. those taking 12 units per semester) to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies. This means that you are expected to commit approximately 9 hours for a three-unit course or 13 hours for a four-unit course, of private study outside of your regular classes. These expectations remain in place for the intensive format, however, it is understoodthat the times per week will be compressed due to the intensives being held over the space of approximately 8 weeks in total.Learning Activities Summary
Topic No. Session 1 Topics and Sub-topics 1 13 Jan Introduction to Marketing Ethics:
What does Business or Marketing Ethics mean?
Prime areas of ethical concerns and overview of the course.
The Gold Standard in Ethics – The case of Nestle2 13 Jan Theoretical foundations of Ethics:
The implications for Business and Marketing Ethics.
Professional codes of conduct and individual decision-making.
The 10 rules of ethical marketing3 14 Jan Segmentation and Ethics: Overview and issues.
Application: Targeting children and youth.
The Children’s advertising standards4 14 Jan Ethics and products: Green Marketing and the Environment.
The place of non-humans in marketing ethics5 15 Jan Ethics and products: The case of socially undesirable products.
Industry Spotlight: Tobacco and alcohol marketing.6 15 Jan Ethics and Pricing: Discrimination and prestige pricing.
Industry spotlight: The Big PharmaB R E A K Topic No. Session 2 Topics and Sub-topics 7 3 Feb Market Research and Ethics: Privacy, independence and representation.
The Internet revolution: permission marketing and data mining.9 3 Feb Ethics and Distribution: Supply Chain, competition and retail behaviour (atmospherics and servicescape)
Relocating production: The case of child labour, sweat shops and ‘fakes’10 4 Feb Ethics and Marketing Communications: The use of sex and nudity in advertising.
The use of Fear and threats in advertising.11 5 Feb Ethics and International Marketing: Relativism, Religion and Culture. Specific Course Requirements
CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATIONPlease check your student email and MyUni as course-related announcements are communicated via email.I will be available for consultation by appointment. Please contact me with at least 24 hours notice of when you would like to set up a meeting with me. However, I am usually available via email most days and I try to respond to enquiries as soon as possible. Whilst email is easy, quick and convenient, please remember … just because you have sent me a message, this does not mean I have received it, read it or agreed to it. You may contact me via telephone to discuss any problems or concerns but it is best to set up a time with me prior as I am not always at the University Office.
I regularly post messages on MyUni and use email to send additional information to students. I will only use your Adelaide University Student Email account, so if you prefer to receive messages at a different email address, you must set up your email forwarding via MyUni.
I strongly encourage you to check your emails and the Course communication folder online, regularly (at least two times per week). Remember, if you are having difficulty with a particular concept or assessment task, chances are others in the class might be as well. Communication amongst your peers is also another excellent source of information. There is a communication/chat room page set up on MyUni for our course, and I urge you to use it to discuss issues amongst yourselves and me. If I can help with any problems discussed on the topic boards I will. -
Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
The University’s policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following five principles: 1) assessment must encourage and reinforce learning; 2) assessment must measure achievement of the stated learning objectives; 3) assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance; 4) assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned; and 5) assessment must maintain academic standards (see: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/700/ )
Assessment Weighting Related Learning Outcome Individual Assignment
Individual Case Study Analysis20% 1. Understand the role and importance of ethical decision making in the marketing environment
2. Identify professional ethical issues and problems
3. Apply a range of theories to analyse opportunities in more complex marketing concepts
4. Identify and evaluate the various stakeholders related to the ethical dilemma and their values
5. Apply reasoning to justify decision making
6. Develop and improve written communication skillsIn Class Team Debates
Group Case Study Writing & Oral Presentation
20%1. Research an industry and/or specific organisational ethical issues thoroughly from multiple stakeholder points of view
2. Develop oral communication and persuasion skills
3. Develop and improve analytical skills
4. Develop a case presenting sides factually and impartiallyTeam Reflection on
Debates & Observations20% 1. Develop and improve oral communication skills
2. Apply reasoning to justify decision makingFinal Exam 40% 1. Understand the role and importance of ethical decision making in the marketing environment
2. Identify professional ethics
3. Able to apply a range of theories to analyse opportunities in more complex marketing concepts
4. Utilise frameworks for ethical decision making, such as the 10-step model
5. Identify and evaluate the various stakeholders related to the ethical dilemma
6. Develop and improve analytical skills
7. Develop and improve written communication skillTotal 100% Assessment Related Requirements
· To gain a pass for this course, a mark of at least 45% must be obtained on the examination as well as a total of at least 50% overall. Students not achieving the minimum exam mark will be awarded no more than 49.· Legible handwriting and the quality of English expression are considered integral parts of the assessment process. Marks may be deducted in the final examination because of poor handwriting.· Assessment marks before the final exam will be displayed on the course website. Students are encouraged to check their marks and notify the Lecturer-in-Charge of any discrepancies.· Examples of previous assessment will be posted on the MyUni site· Extensions to the due date of individual assessment may be granted under special circumstances. An extension request based on illness or on exceptional personal circumstances must include the "Supporting Statement/Certification Form" that is page 4 of the Supplementary Assessment application available at: www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/pdfs/supp_applic.pdf Students applying for an extension based on medical reasons must visit their medical practitioner, with that approved University form, and have the medical practitioner complete it. A normal doctor's certificate will not be accepted.· All assignments are to be lodged prior to the due date and time. A late assignment where no extension has been granted will be penalised by a reduction of 5% of the mark given for each day,or part of a day, that it is late.
· Students in this course may NOT take into the examination a DICTIONARY of any kind. In this course, the use of calculators in the examination is not permitted.
Assessment Detail
The assessment components are as follows:Individual Assignment 20%Due Date: 5.00pm,Monday 27th January 2014Individual assignment – Word Limit –2000 +/-10%
Students will have to hand in an individual case study analysis on Save the Turtles (case to be supplied and available for download online through MyUni).The format will be that described under Case Study Analysis in the Business School Communication Skills Guide http://www.adelaide.edu.au/professions/hub/downloads/Communication-Skills-Guide.pdf.Students will use the Stakeholder Interaction Model (covered in Session 1) to identify all relevant interactions and connections to consider and identify their values and decision making processes. They will then rank the stakeholders in order of importance from the position of the company as well as interest groups (two separate lists required) and justify the order.Students are then required to suggest alternative courses of action for both the company and the interest groups and make a final recommendation.
Assessment Criteria – Assignment 1
Criterion Weighting 1. Ability to identify ethical issues / problems using concepts and ideas from the course, e.g. theoretical approaches 30% 2. Ability to identify stakeholder’s, their values and ethical marketing decision
processes, rank them and justify your ranking 30%30% 3. Ability to develop alternative courses of action, justify a decision and apply reasoning for choices and recommendations (clarity and logic) 30% 4. Presentation, grammar and referencing 10% Total 100%
In class group debates 20%
Due Date: Ongoing during class time – schedule to be advised
Students will form groups of four at the beginning of the Semester and will participate in debates. The groups will be provided with the debating topics in class which will come from the videos or readings for the week.
Students will be assigned teams at the beginning of the Semester and will deliver a minimum of four debates which are scheduled throughout the Semester. Students who are not debating will take on the role of observers and will be responsible for evaluating the performance of the debating teams.
Teams will be given the debating topic and have at least an hour to prepare their arguments before delivering the debates in class time. Each team member will have strictly one and a half to two minutes to deliver their debate. The debates will be filmed so students can review them later.
Students will have an opportunity to present several debates over the course and the best marks for four of them will be taken for the team’s final mark (differences in team member marks may apply if team members are absent).
The debates will be marked on the following criteria:
1. Credibility – ability to demonstrate confidence with material, body language, eye contact – 4%
2. Using evidence – using relevant supporting examples, explanations, statistics, expert opinion – 4%
3. Reasoning – using a logically structured argument with an attention grabbing introduction, clear signposts, thought provoking conclusion – 4%
4. Emotional appeal – demonstration of enthusiasm, passion, connecting with the audience, call to action – 4%
5. Theory from the course – utilising relevant theory and content from lectures, readings and videos to use in arguments – 4%
TOTAL 20%
Group Reflection on Debates & Observations 20%
Due Date: Friday 7 February 2014
Group assignment – Word Limit – 3000 +/-10%
Each debating team must do a self evaluation of their performance in their debates as well as an evaluation of the teams they observe on the weeks not assigned to debate.
It is essential to be concise as you will have eight evaluations (four of your own debates and four of your peers). Each evaluation will be an average of 300-350 words per evaluation. Guidelines
for the individual evaluations will be presented in a workshop in week 2.
Teams must put in their evaluations each week by the following Sunday before the following lecture. Teams must then submit all of these evaluations in their final report with a 400-500 word reflective summary at the due date (Friday 1 November).
The final reflective summary must include:
• A reflection on how the debate and team process has impacted their professional, critical and persuasive speaking skills, and;
• How the process might add value to each team member’s future in a broader context
The marking criteria for the Team Reflection on Debates and Observations are as follows:
1. Descriptions – what happened during the debates, what elements were used – 3%
2. Analysis – how and why different elements were used and how effective they were – 4%
3. Recommendations – what could your team/ your observed teams do to improve their persuasive speaking skills for next time? – 5%
4. Reflective summary – how the debate and team process has impacted on your team – 4%
5. Weekly submission of reflections – 2%
6. Presentation, clarity, grammar and style of final submission – 2%
TOTAL 20%
Final Exam 40%
Date: To Be Confirmed
There will be a 3 hour exam. Students will be given the case study in advance of the exam and asked to conduct a 10-step model to apply ethical decision making. On the day of the exam, students will be supplied a clean copy of the case – no notes or previously supplied case will be allowed in to the examination room.Submission
Students are asked to submit their assignments with the appropriate coversheets to the lecturer on the day and time specified in this course outline at the start of the lecture, i.e. in class, unless otherwise notified by the lecturer.Presentation of Assignments· Please must retain a copy of all assignments submitted.· Please attach an ‘Assignment Cover Sheet’, which is signed and dated by you before submission.· All group assignments must be attached to a ‘Group Assignment Cover Sheet’, which must be signed and dated by all group members before submission. All team members are expected to contribute approximately equally to a group assignment.Lecturers can refuse to accept assignments, which do not have a signed acknowledgement of the University’s policy on plagiarism.
Assignment Guidelines including Referencing Details
A copy of the Postgraduate Programs: Communication Skills Guide will have been given to you at the beginning of your program. This guide will assist you structure your assignments. A copy of the
guide can also be downloaded from
http://www.business.adelaide.edu.au/current/mba/download/2009MBACommSkillsGuide.pdf
This publication also provides guidelines on a range of other important communication skills including writing essays and management reports, making oral presentations etc. In preparing any written piece of assessment for your postgraduate studies it is important to draw on the relevant ‘literature’ to support critical analysis. Also essential is to reference the literature used. Correct referencing is important because it identifies the source of the ideas and arguments that you present, and sometimes the source of the actual words you use, and helps to avoid the problem of plagiarism. Further information on plagiarism is provided later in this course outline. The Harvard system is widely used in the Business School. Guidelines for the use of this style of referencing can be found in the Communication Skills Guide.
Further assistance with referencing is available from the Faculty’s Learning Support Advisors. The contact details are provided on page 6 of the Communication Skills Guide.
Late Assignment Submission
Students are expected to submit their work by the due date to maintain a fair and equitable system. Extensions will generally only be given for medical or other serious reasons. All requests for extensions must be emailed to the lecturer in charge of the course before the due date. Each request will be assessed on its merits. A late assignment (without prior arrangement) will be penalised by a 5% mark reduction for each day that it is late.
Return of Assignments
Lecturer’s aim to mark and return assignments to students within two (2) weeks of the due date with written feedback. Students are responsible for collecting their marked assignments from either their tutorials or lectures. If assignments aren’t collected after two (2) weeks, the assignments will be available at the Student Hub for two (2) weeks. The remaining assignments will only be posted out to the students, if the correct mailing addresses are on the assignments.Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.
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Student Feedback
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as CEQ surveys and Program reviews.SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/ ), course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at least once every 2 years. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data can be found at: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/clpd/selt/aggregates -
Student Support
- Academic Integrity for Students
- Academic Support with Maths
- Academic Support with writing and study skills
- Careers Services
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- LinkedIn Learning
- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
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- YouX Student Care - Advocacy, confidential counselling, welfare support and advice
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Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Elder Conservatorium of Music Noise Management Plan
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
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Fraud Awareness
Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.
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