The purpose of any marketing strategy is to influence an environment, and the decisions of those within it, to a profitable end. With this in mind, this exciting new text considers marketing as a social activity-one that is as cultural, social and ethical as it is economic. Through this approach, students can learn to be critical of self-rationalising strategies that cause harm, and to consider whether authentically ethical marketing is possible--or whether, as cynics might suggest, ethical marketing is an oxymoron. This discursive book engages students with the social and ethical dimensions of professional marketing practice. Learners are actively encouraged to reflect on and to consider the role of marketing in society, the professionalization of marketing practice and the impact of the societal context on marketing. Real life examples are used throughout to illustrate key points. What makes this book unique is its fusion of the marketing and the social worlds, the material and the ethical, to enable practitioners and academics to take a broader social view and reflect on the direction of the field. This is an ideal introductory textbook in marketing ethics for students of business and management, as well as thoughtful, reflective practitioners.

Author Biography

Catherine McGuinn is the Head of the Department of Business and IT at the Institute of Technology Sligo, Ireland. Kate Duke is Lecturer in Marketing at the Institute of Technology Sligo, Ireland.