Business Ethics And The Internet - Case Study Example

ritiсаl Discussion of Business This and the Internet Name: Course: Tutor: Institution Date Ethics in Internet and CSR The emergence of the internet development and adoption in business operations led to the emergence and occurrence of fundamental challenges in organizational management. In this case, organizations through social networking sites (SNS) establishment have establish new marketing approaches. The sites are charged with organizational marketing activities, used as promotional avenues. Despite the increased merits of internet adoption in marketing, the concept has received increased ethical challenges in its management. In particular, this has resulted to ethical challenges with respect to children targeting. Arguments and studies conducted with respect to unethical practices on children establish a range of unethical approaches adopted in marketing (Yu, 2011, p.276). However, it is argued that corporate social responsibility programs can help resolve these challenges. This argument seeks to evaluate the existing ethical issues and the respective overcoming corporate social responsibility programs. Wen-Ling, Kitchen and Moskovos (2009, p.306) conducted a study to evaluate the implications of internet promotion services on children. In this case, the study developed a hypothesis that children exposure to internet marketing exposed them to indecisiveness challenges. In this case, it developed a hypothesis that exposure to variety led to this challenge. In its analysis, the study established that use of internet marketing exposed children to wide choices variety. This is through the increased number of products availed online. This practice is a break from the traditional marketing approach that allowed for market targeting. Traditionally, marketing to children was limited on necessity products and provided enough information to aid in decision making. Therefore, children were exposed to relevant information only. However, the online internet marketing is a contrast to this traditional approach. On its part, the online marketing platform avails an increased product variety that influences children decision making framework. A consumer buying behavior is based on a definite decision making framework that involves five key stages namely need identification, information search, alternatives evaluation, purchasing, and post purchasing stages (Hoffman and Turley, 2002, p.35). As such, internet marketing provides competing information that creates a desire in children. By nature, children lack the capacity to develop appropriate decisions. Thus, the online marketing through presenting the products causes an unjustified need identification process that leads to irrational purchases in children. In addition, a study by Soba and Aydin (2013, p.112) established that a majority of the internet advertisements and promotional tools were overly exaggerated. In this case, the study established that in an effort to reduce the impeding industry and market competition, organizations overrated their products ability and features and their consequential capability to meet and satisfy the overall consumer needs. To this effect, the marketing approach seeks to influence the consumer base decision making process through needs establishment as well as alternatives evaluation by enlisting the products as superior. This approach has an increased implication on children’s purchasing process. Children have an increased trend in the development of an irrational decision making process. As such, the perception of the products as of superior quality in the market increases the overall products perception in the market leading to increased children purchase cases on products that are not a necessity and that fail to meet their needs (Lo, 2012, p.103). Nevertheless, despite the challenges facing the internet marketing approach, this does not justify the unethical practices. To this effect, studies have been developed to evaluate the extent to which corporate social responsibility can be utilized to mitigate these challenges. Katz (2008, p.198) conducted a study to evaluate the role of organizational transparency in marketing. In this case, organizations in the market can overcome internet marketing challenges through transparency. As such, the study sought to evaluate if such a practice had any implications in facilitating ethical behaviors’ in the market. In its analysis, the study established that organizations adopting these practices organizations enhanced accurate information presentation. As such, the presented information to the market presented an increased honesty and accuracy levels. Consequently, accurate information serves as an ideal enhancement tool in developing appropriate purchasing alternatives in the consumer decision making process. This argument can further be explained through the theoretical framework developed by Wechsler (2009, p.87). The authors sought to develop the rationale for transparency as an ethical practice in marketing. The authors argued that transparency allows for organizational marketing accountability in the respective organizations. As such, this allows for increased information accuracy in the market. Consequently, organizations adopting transparency ethical approach have an increased marketing information accountability levels. In addition, organizations in the market can adopt the virtual ethics approach in the market. In this case, the theoretical approach holds that organizational actions in the market are justified by their short and long term effects. Further, the theory holds that the actions implications are not only evaluated on the basis of their direct implications but also on the indirect implications. As such, CSR policies in marketing advocate for the adoption of society oriented marketing approaches. This implies that organizations should consider the overall societal implications of their marketing approach besides the direct impacts (Berry, 2006, p.199). Direct impacts in marketing are increased purchases and organizational revenues. However, indirect implications in the market include psychological impacts on children. Therefore, through the adoption of this approach, organizations can result to the adoption of societal sensitive structures in marketing. A further study developed by Colleoni (2013, p.229) established that through CSR practices, the market faces an increased sustainability option through the adoption of fair competition policies. In this case, the organizations adopting these policies have the ability to establish policies allowing for reduced negative implications. The fair competition policies in the market allow for the development and use of accurate policies in the market. As such, the organizations in the industry through this approach will increasingly adopt ethical practices through which children rights and ethical issues can be evaluated. Consequently, based on these corporate social responsibility issues in internet marketing, it is established that the issues can be addressed ethically to insulate children against such potential ethical exploitation (Leonidou, Leonidou and Kvasova, O. 2013, p.527). Business Targeting Children through the Online Social media Approach Recent organizational trends in the market have increased overall industry competitiveness. In this case, organizations in the market have resulted to targeting distinct consumer segments in the market. As such, organizations result to the use of increased consumer targeting approaches in the market. One of the recent market segments established is the children segment. The children population in the increased technology world is inclined to using the internet as a major communication and leisure avenue. In this case, organizations have resulted to internet marketing through the use of social media tools such as facebook. In facebook marketing, organizations have resulted to the use of facebook pages. Hansson, Wrangmo and Klaus (2013, p.114) argued that facebook pages provide an interaction avenue through which the organization can relate with the consumers. In targeting the children market segment, organizations increasingly utilize the avenue on facebook pages to interact with the consumer base. In order to create market relevance and influence, organizations in the market organization use facebook fun pages. The fun pages provide an avenue through which the organizations increase their familiarity through increased events promotion. In targeting the children market segments, organizations acknowledge the fact that children are not the ultimate decision makers in purchasing. In this case, organizations seek to target the parents alike in such fun pages. Therefore, a majority of the children target products are blended with the respective family goods to increase an overall market approach. In this case, such organizations target the parents as well as the children. Therefore, (Banz, Wagenpfeil, Neiss, Hammerschmidt and Wutzler, 2004, p.47) argued that the events promotion approaches target to acquire a combination of both the parents and children inputs. The fun pages seek to influence and propagate need recognition among children. As such the holding and advertising f the events online propagates the recognition of a need by the respective organizations on the children decision making framework. Therefore, the facebook pages encourage and stimulate the buying process decision making. In addition to increasing consumer needs recognition, the facebook fun pages seek to establish a product preference in the market. In this case, organizations seek to increase an organizations products market familiarity. In this case, the organizations seek to establish an increased market influence through which they showcase the product features and superiority aspects over others in the market. In this case, the approaches allow for increased market presence through product prioritization and preference creation. Increased marketing activities in the market through the social media increases the overall publicity in the market. Through this, the social media influence influences on the respective consumers’ information search and criteria evaluation stages. On one hand, the fun pages influence information search as they readily avail the relevant information to the consumers through regular products updates. In addition, they influence alternatives evaluation. Consumers’ selection process and evaluation is based on familiarly with the products (Peltier, Drago and Schibrowsky, 2003, p.264). Therefore, the use of the kids targeting fun pages increases the overall familiarity in the market thus influencing the overall market evaluation criteria. Therefore, the market and organizations through the use of the facebook fun pages social service networks exert their influence on the children markets. However, the adoption of these structure increases the overall market competitiveness as well as raising ethical issues of information misrepresentation to the consumer base. Therefore, it is imperative for the organizations to adopt strategic approaches in social media and facebook marketing and consumer targeting. One key strategic approach in the recommendations for adoption is the approach to the parents. Despite the fact that the organizations market and sell products targeting the children, it is imperative to understand that the children do not make purchase decisions. The parents form the ultimate decision makers who make the actual purchases. Therefore, it is imperative for the organizations to establish facebook fun pages that target the parents to influence their purchasing strategic decisions. Developing facebook pages that targets both the parents and the children would enhance increased purchase on the organizational products. Xun and Reynolds (2010, p.18) conducted a feasibility study to evaluate the implications of increased social media advertising and marketing strategies targeting the family as a whole. The study sought to establish the merits of targeting the family as a unit Rather Than various segments. In its analysis, the study established that organizations targeting the entire family through online and social media marketing had increased opportunities for expansion and growth with regard to increased sales. Estelami and Rezvani (2011, p.159) argued that organizations targeting the family as a whole had an increased opportunity for impulse buying. Further, Hudson, Hudson and Peloza (2008, p.292) argued that a majority of children products are bought in complement to other family products. For instance, for a children sporting service in the market, organizations in the industry can increase such sales through co joining such a service with retail shopping stores. As such, the parents can do their family shopping while allowing their kids have the fun activities outside such outlets. As such, this mitigates against the existing consumer time constraints in the market by allowing for increased multi tasking of the consumers. Therefore, in targeting children online, organizations should ensure that they provide appropriate market products targeting the consumers. Through this approach, such organizations will have an increased market base as they will increase children purchase as parents seek information on their own purchase choices. In addition, in targeting children through the facebook fan page channel, organizations should develop a functional system through which to facilitate customer care service specific for the children. In this case, the function should be developed to enhance increased strategic management of the system as well as enhancing children centred advertisements. Through the customer focused approach, organizations will increase their organizational market competitiveness by developing unique and children tailored products in the market. Therefore, it is apparent that through the development of a specific function in the department as well as combining family products with the children products online would enhance increased product success in the market. References Banz, K., Wagenpfeil, S., Neiss, A., Hammerschmidt, T. & Wutzler, P. 2004, "The burden of varicella in Germany", The European Journal of Health Economics : HEPAC, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 46-53. Berry, J. 2006, "The benefits of using a decision engine to optimise campaign planning for direct marketing", Journal of Database Marketing & Customer Strategy Management, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 198-202. Colleoni, E. 2013, "CSR communication strategies for organizational legitimacy in social media", Corporate Communications, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 228-248. Estelami, H. & Rezvani, Z. 2011, "Structural and perceptual determinants of the price of online business education", The Journal of Product and Brand Management, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 158-165. 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