Магистерский диплом (ВКР) на тему Ethical Marketing focusing on Greenwashing

Содержание:

Introduction. 3

1. Theoretical framework. 5

1.1. Ethical Marketing. 5

1.2 Greenwashing: manufacturing grass roots civic
organizations. 9

1.3 Marketing Communication. 15

1.3.1. Definition of basic terms. 15

1.3.2. Marketing Communication Mix. 19

1.3.3 Non-standard Methods of Marketing Communication. 23

1.4 Czech greenwashing on advertising. 26

1.4.1. Development of the legal regulation of advertising
communication. 26

1.4.2. Current state of legislation of advertising
communication. 29

1.4.3 Non-legal Regulation of Marketing Communication. 34

2 Research Methodology. 39

3 Case study. 43

3.1 Introduction. 43

3.2 Ethical Aspects of Marketing. 43

3.3 Ethical Approach to Marketing. 52

3.4 Corporate Social Responsibility. 55

3.4.1 Marketing Communication to publics. 57

3.5 Unethical sides of company’s Marketing. 61

4 Discussion and Recommendations. 65

Conclusion. 67

Bybliography. 69

Введение:

Changes in the economy have revealed a number of new
unresolved issues of a methodological nature, which are of great scientific and
practical importance for ensuring the sustainable development of industrial
enterprises. One of these issues that need to be addressed is the organization
of the system effective interaction of subjects of market relations based on
the social and ethical concept of marketing. It is necessary to ensure that the
goals of the industrial enterprise are aligned, the needs of its consumers and
society as a whole.

The enterprise is the economic basis of society, but
it, acting in its own interests without taking into account the interests of
the social superstructure, can cause destructive changes in social and economic
structures. The desire of the enterprise for constant expansion, monopoly
position in the market, maximizing profits for until recently, by reducing
production costs and increasing prices, it was a generally accepted and
recognized motivational basis for the development of industrial enterprises. Marketing
in the era of mass production and mass sales is a typical example of just such
a content of entrepreneurial activity, which ultimately led, in a poorly
regulated market, to an overproduction of the mass of commodities, deepening
cyclical crises and other destructive economic and social consequences for
society.

The socio-ethical concept of marketing is based on a
new approach to enterprise management, focused on meeting the rationalizing
needs of consumers. The norms of social and ethical marketing make the
production activity of an industrial enterprise dependent on the guidelines of
public development and from the imperative of improving the living environment.

Research in this area indicates that the management
system of an industrial enterprise based on the socio-ethical concept of
marketing is one of the most effective ways to ensure its reliable, sustainable
and effective functioning.

This approach becomes especially relevant in the
situation of the so-called green washing, which is covered with concern for the
surrounding reality, but misleads the end consumer.

A marketing approach to the development of industrial
the sphere of business based on a socio-ethical concept still remains
insufficiently developed, which determines the relevance of the topic of
dissertation research.

The works of such domestic and foreign authors as D.
A. Aaker, J. R. Berman, P. Bird, A. A. Bravermann, A. M. Godin, J. H. Gordon, and
P. Doyle are devoted to general theoretical issues of marketing management. ,
R. L. Coles, F. Kotler, J.-J. Lamben, S. McCormick, M. McDonald, O.K. Oiner, J.
Harrington, J.S. Harrington, J. Evans, J.N. Yule, et al.

The development of a market economy requires a deeper
understanding and practical implementation of the tasks associated with the
problem of greenwashing in advertising. Scientific works devoted to the
organization of an industrial enterprise management system based on the
socio-ethical concept of marketing, in our opinion, is not enough. The studies
presented in the specialized literature do not create a systematic approach to
studying this issue. The problem of managing industrial enterprises within the
framework of the laws of supply and demand is also among the poorly researched.
This served as the basis for the choice of the topic, determined its relevance,
the setting of goals, objectives and required a comprehensive study.

Going green is becoming a profitable business strategy
seeing the environmental scenario today. Greenwashing practices not only open a
new market of environment lovers, but also enjoy a favorable public sentiment
among existing customers, and supportive government policies to help the
company grow more.

The aim of the thesis is to show the specifics of
ethical aspects focusing on the act of portraying an organization’s product or
services as environmentally friendly only for the sake of marketing.

The research question of the thesis is the following:
Based on the example of the company, to which extent major multinational
corporations can use ethical and unethical practices in their marketing
communication.

The methods used in the work are, in particular,
literature search, case study, synthesis and analysis.

Заключение:

The term "greenwashing" is formed from a
combination of the English words green (green, eco-friendly) and whitewashing
(whitening). Literally translated greenwashing means "green
laundering" or "green camouflage".

The topic of conscientious consumption, concern for
the environment and the rejection of all disposables is gaining popularity.
Many brands are forced to adapt to the new eco-reality in order to gain the
confidence of the consumer, who is thinking about their responsibility for
environmental pollution. Some are switching to alternative energy sources, the
second are beginning to recycle waste, and still others are abandoning plastic
and producing special collections from recycled materials. However, while
someone is financing real eco-initiatives, others are limited only to loud
statements.

This is how the term "greenwashing"
appeared, which today is increasingly found on the pages of ecobloggers. It is
used to refer to marketing gimmicks where products are advertised as natural
and safe for nature when they are not. Many marketers use dishonest tactics to
show their involvement in the green trend and build the reputation of an
eco-friendly brand. Counterfeit ecolabels, vague wording and advertising
slogans with the prefixes “bio” and “organic” are just a few examples of
speculation on the eco-theme.

Recent research shows that sustainability of products
influences consumer choice. Therefore, more and more environmentally friendly
food products, toys, clothes and cosmetics appear on sale every year. However,
in practice, not all of them are. Various marketing techniques help to disguise
products as “eco”, “bio” and “organic”. In 2007, experts from the American
company UL formulated seven "greenwashing sins" — signs that help
determine that the company is abusing consumer confidence and misleading them.

For example, you can create the illusion of
"naturalness" by painting the package green and printing an image of
a sprout or tree on it. Some marketers get creative and come up with their own
labels that look like the original eco-label. Others use labels like “nature-friendly”,
“all natural product” or “100% organic”. However, none of the above can
guarantee the sustainability of products. To be convinced of this, it is enough
to study their composition. In addition, such pseudo-ecological products are
often more expensive than simple ones.

Another common greenwashing trick is partially true,
when manufacturers label the packaging as "no preservatives" or
"no parabens". In the composition of such products, these substances
may indeed be absent, but this does not mean that there is no other chemistry
there. Sometimes brands draw the attention of buyers to the fact that their
product does not contain substances or does not use technologies that are
already prohibited by law. In addition, the most unscrupulous manufacturers
independently "assign" ecolabels to their products. They use it
without being certified.

A truly environmentally friendly product causes
minimal damage to the environment and health at all stages of the life cycle —
from the extraction of raw materials to disposal. At the same time,
"pseudo green" marketing not only misleads buyers, but also
undermines the entire eco-market. Usually this happens according to the
following scheme: a person begins to use pseudo-natural products, and then at
some point he learns about the deception, becomes disappointed and returns to
non-ecological analogs. As a result, organic producers are losing competitive
advantage and customer confidence.

Today greenwashing is found in almost all areas of
life. Until now, they were not regulated in any way by law, so manufacturers
could use such designations, relying only on their conscience. Because of this,
many people continue to associate the eco, bio, and farm labels with natural
products. If the proposal is approved, such labels will be placed only on
organic products, and producers of sustainable products will have to confirm
their natural composition.

In the European Union, there is a significant array of
rules in the field of legal regulation of advertising activities, including
those that restrict misleading advertising. At the same time, it is important
that the above norms be implemented in practice. Consequently, in order to
improve the current situation, the EU decided to strengthen control over the
implementation of legal norms in the field of advertising. Therefore, the CIS
member states should take into account the positive experience of the EU in the
field of combating misleading advertising in order to improve the protection of
both consumers and business entities from all manifestations of unfair
commercial practices.

Фрагмент текста работы:

1. Theoretical framework 1.1. Ethical Marketing The
term "marketing" comes from the English "market" (market)
and means activities in the field of the sales market. However, marketing as a
system of economic activity is a broader concept. The key to marketing is a
two-pronged and complementary approach. On the one hand, this is a thorough and
comprehensive study of the market, demand, tastes and needs, the orientation of
production towards them, and the targeting of products. On the other hand, it
has an active influence on the market and existing demand, on the formation of
needs and consumer preferences. In industrialized countries, purchasing
preferences are the main driving force behind creative work. After all, even
the labor of the highest qualifications for the manufacture of a product of the
highest quality and with the lowest production costs, which is very necessary
for society, may ultimately turn out to be unproductive only because the
product did not find its buyer, did not end up in final consumption. This can
happen for the reason that the potential consumer did not know about the
existence of the product he needed or did not know where to buy it. To connect
the manufacturer and the consumer, to help find each other and thereby make the
work of the first truly productive — this, in fact, is the main goal of any
marketing activity [1].

Therefore,
marketing is a type of human activity aimed at meeting needs and wants through
exchange. This definition is based on the following basic concepts: needs,
needs, requests, goods, exchange, transaction and market.

Marketing
in its essence is a market management concept, which is determined by the level
of development of the country’s economic system as a whole. That is, the processes
of economic development normalize the sequence of actions of a specific
organization in the implementation of its tasks through marketing activities. A
more developed economy makes higher demands on the ways of organizing the
activity of an economic entity in the external environment. Thus, the economy
in its development involves such mechanisms that indirectly affect the tools of
individual elements of the economic system.

Socio-ethical
marketing (socio-ethical marketing, social marketing) is a complex interaction
of a commercial firm operating on the market with clients, counterparties,
various public institutions, based on the recognition of the decisive role of
the company’s social responsibility.

Areas
of prestigious advertising (PR) — activities within the framework of social and
ethical marketing:

—
Purposeful formation of a system of methods for improving the contact of the
company with target audiences;

—
Use of the entire set of marketing communication tools (advertising,
exhibitions, fairs);

—
Development and consistent implementation of a strategic image concept based on
real, not imaginary, achievements of the company;

—
Anticipation of information crisis situations (development of development
scenarios, at least "known crises", preparation of a crisis
headquarters, miscalculation of the most probable topics of "disclosure of
compromising evidence" by competitors and (or) opponents of the
corporation in power structures);

—
Awareness by the top management and the personnel core (ideally — by all
employees of the company) of the public mission of the company;

—
Adherence to universal human moral standards.

PR
in the framework of social and ethical marketing is an activity that combines
elements of management and social technology, contributing to the success of a
business and the satisfaction of social needs. PR techniques are used at all
stages of working with a product or service. At the design stage, the wishes
and comments of consumers are taken into account. [2.37]

Production
takes into account not only the interests of the consumer, but also the need to
fulfill government orders, export activities, import substitution, and the
release of goods for socially vulnerable groups of the population. The price is
dictated not only by the ratio of supply and demand, but also by social,
environmental, geopolitical factors. Searching for a place in the market, the
marketing policy of the company should take into account the state of the
market infrastructure, consumer psychology, and socio-cultural realities.

Socio-ethical
marketing involves meeting the needs of consumers without infringing on the
interests of other consumers and society as a whole. In the conditions of the
formation of the post-industrial era, the ability of an enterprise to prolong
its existence and its success depend on the timely consideration of the
development of the external environment, i.e. from marketing, and from the
continuous growth of its information potential (in the broadest sense of the
word), the ability to flexibly adapt to market requirements. To do this, it is
necessary to timely create and introduce new products on a market basis,
studying and forecasting not only the market, but also trends in socio-economic
development, achievements of scientific and technological progress. Obviously,
it is necessary and. fulfillment of all marketing and management functions does
not mean the presence of appropriate services (units) in the company.
Competition gives rise to aspirations for monopoly, which lead to a clash of
interests and separation of economic actors. However, in the modern economy,
there are also integration processes leading to the achievement of
harmonization of interests and the integration of production and management.

Marketing
is a type of human activity aimed at meeting needs and demands through
exchange.

Social
marketing is a process that includes the management of an organization and all
its activities from the moment when the idea of the main product of the
organization appears to its production and delivery to the consumer.

Socio-ethical
marketing is the study and formation of the needs of buyers, and their
satisfaction with more effective methods than competitors are, if the
well-being of all members of society is increased [5, p. 44].

Well-being
is a set of material, spiritual, social benefits that the subject of well-being
owns and uses to meet his needs.

Social
marketing is a mechanism for reconciling the needs and interests of consumers,
the needs and interests of an enterprise and the needs and interests of
society.

The
production concept of marketing is that consumers will only buy products that
are widely available and affordable.

The concept of product improvement states that consumers will buy only
those products that have the best performance properties, have the highest
quality and, most