Synopses & Reviews
The author contrasts Adam Smith's market to the prevailing American market stating that, in order to achieve the same results that Adam Smith's perfectly competitive market could have created, a socially responsible behavior on the part of marketing is necessary. Marketing can achieve greater profits and higher quality of life for the whole society by being consumer oriented and proactive, and by considering consumers' well-being the highest priority. Marketing must reach out and cater to, not only the mainstream core markets, but to those who are less than equal opportunity consumers. These are special market segments such as the poor, elderly, minorities, and those who are particularly vulnerable. Marketing must also develop environment and consumer-friendly products and services.
The prevailing market conditions in the United States are in favor of certain select groups. Furthermore, many conditions in the existing market are borderline pathological and need to be corrected. In addition to these, there are those consumers who are very vulnerable such as the elderly, the poor, the undereducated, and the frail. These groups cannot make the best purchase decisions nor do they have access to many facets of the market. Marketing must make a special effort to provide education, information, and protection for them and must bring as many people as possible into the mainstream of the economy. Unless marketing can take a proactive position and bring about products and services that are good, functional, and non-hazardous, consumers will not be able to optimize their purchase decisions.
Review
Highly recommended for all academic and large public library business collections.Choice
Synopsis
This unique book posits that by being socially responsible, marketing can achieve greater profits as well as a higher quality of life for the whole society. This mission can be accomplished by being proactive, consumer oriented and by considering consumers' well-being as the highest priority. Marketing must reach out and cater to those who are less than equal opportunity consumers. Marketing must also develop environment- and consumer-friendly products and services.
About the Author
A. COSKUN SAMLI is a Research Professor of Marketing and International Business at the University of North Florida at Jacksonville.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Socially Responsible Marketing is Good Marketing
Social Responsibility--A Historical Perspective
Redirection in Social Responsibility
The Myth of the Equal Opportunity Consumer
Appendix
Distorted Risk Management as it Affects Underprivileged Consumers
Why Ethics Don't Work
Social Responsibility from a Consumerism Perspective
Developing Consumer Friendly Products
Developing Consumer Friendly Services
Developing Environment Friendly Products
The Changing Economic Power Structure and Marketing
Marketing Efficiency vs Marketing Effectiveness
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index