Consumers and | Business Ethics | University of Maryland University College

Purpose:  In this project, you will assess marketing from a business perspective.  Specifically, you will complete research and use the course material to discuss a product, brand or industry, discuss how the product is suited to marketing of a particular company.  You will also learn about the responsibilities of marketers in relation to ethics.

Outcomes met by completing this project:

1. identify ethical issues that arise in domestic and global business environments using an understanding of ethical concepts and of legal and business principles

How to Set Up the Paper

Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document that is double-spaced, 12-point font.  The final product will be between 6-8 pages in length excluding the title page and reference page.  Write clearly and concisely.

Instructions:

The five “conceptions of a consumer” presents a framework for examining and organizing the purchase decision process of consumers. Thus, the framework presents an opportunity to examine the responsibility of the marketer to consider the ethical ramifications to its consumer base, i.e. Corporate Social Responsibility.  The following 5 conceptions are defined and explained in the Business Ethics Workshop, eBook, Chapter 12. 

1. The wary consumer 

2. The contracting consumer 

3. The protected consumer 

4. The renegade consumer 

5. The capable consumer

Course Material and Research

This project requires you to do research on the Internet.  You are expected to use course material going beyond defining terms.  You are expected to explain the ‘why and how’ of a situation.  Avoid merely making statements but close the loop of the discussion by explaining how something happens or why something happens, which focuses on importance and impact.  In closing the loop, you will demonstrate the ability to think clearly and rationally showing an understanding of the logical connections between the course material and the question(s) being asked.  Using one or two in-text citations from the course material throughout the entire paper will not earn many points on the assignment.  The support must be relevant and applicable to the topic being discussed.  Points are not earned for mentioning a term or concept but by clearly and thoroughly explaining or discussing the question at hand.

Your Role

As consumers we can define our attitudes and acceptance or rejection of advertising based upon our perceptions and experience.  But as students of Business Management, we are called upon to examine the topic more in depth and from a corporate perspective.  Project 2 will address the following questions from the perspective of a business owner or chief marketing officer. 

Use this link: Project 2 Template to complete this project.(included in the uploaded file)

Review the Paper 

Read the paper to ensure all required elements are present.

The following are specific requirements that you will follow.  Use the checklist to mark off that you have followed each specific requirement.  

Checklist

Specific Project Requirements

Proofread your paper

Read and use the grading rubric while completing the memo to ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the highest possible grade. 

Submit file in Assignment Folder as a Word or RTF file.  No pdf files will be graded.

Third person writing is required.  Third person means that there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (second person writing).  If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person. 

Contractions are not used in business writing, so do not use them.  

Paraphrase and do not use direct quotation marks.  Paraphrase means you do not use more than four consecutive words from a source document.  Instead put a passage from a source document into your own words and attribute the passage to the source document by using an in-text citation. 

Changing words from a passage does not exclude the passage from being a direct quote.   If more than four consecutive words are used from source documents, this material will not be included in the grade and could lead to allegations of academic dishonesty.

Use in-text citations and provide a reference list that contains the reference associated with each in-text citation.

Note that a reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa.  

You are expected to use the weekly course materials to develop the analysis and support the reasoning.   See the module, Learn How to Support What You Write.  There should be a robust use of the course materials along with a thorough analysis.

The citations must contain the title of the eBook, the chapter title and year.  The case scenario facts are not cited but do not use more than four consecutive words when completing the project.  If more than four consecutive words are used from source documents, this material will not be included in the grade and could lead to allegations of academic dishonesty.

You may not use books in completing this project.  Dictionaries, encyclopedia and Wikipedia may not be used.