Ethics in B2B Markets
This section examines the ethical dilemmas faced by B2B marketers and how companies encourage ethical behavior. B2B markets often involve offering customers free dinners, golf games, and so forth, although such practices are illegal in some countries, such as the U.S. The top five countries with a penchant for bribery include Russia, China, Mexico, India, and Italy. Another ethical issue that affects B2B markets is misrepresentation of products. For example, Dean Foods, which manufactures the Silk brand of soy milk, experienced a lot of negative press after the company changed the word "organic" to natural on its labels and quietly switched to conventional soybeans which are grown with pesticides. Many grocers and consumers felt duped. What is considered unethical behavior and what isn't has always been up for debate. Following laws and regulations is only starting points for ensuring employees behave ethically. Companies are also developing ethics codes that provide general guidelines about how their employees should behave. Many firms also require ethics training so they know what to do when they face tricky ethical dilemmas. Having a reputation for ethical behavior is important because companies want to do business with firms that are responsible. Consumers are increasingly demanding that all companies in the supply chain behave ethically. Walmart has a reputation for ethical behavior in B2B relationships. Its buyers are not allowed to accept any perks from suppliers. Walmart and other companies have realized that perks drive up product costs and can influence buyer decisions in ways that are not beneficial to the company. Ethical behavior is highly subjective. What may seem like ethical behavior to one company may be considered unethical by another.
