Marketing and Business Ethics

The cases of marketing and business ethics highlight some commendable and questionable activities of some business entities operating in Bangladesh. The activities are critically appreciated and later assessed through the lenses of marketing and/or business ethics. The first case is about Bidyanondo, a non-profit organization (NPO) in Bangladesh, established to support socially disadvantaged people’s primary need for food, education, health, clothing, and accommodation. The case highlights how Bidyanondo is solely running its activities through crowdfunding and volunteering services. The case explores the marketing strategies of Bidyanondo used for fundraising, through an ethical lens. In such pursuits, the case sheds light on two specific perspectives. First, what role ethical leadership can play to keep motivating the volunteers and donors to continue their support; second, how ethically the company is persuading audiences using emotional triggers, showcasing unprivileged people's miseries, and maintaining consistency in truth claims. The second case is on the Ready-Made Garment (RMG) industry of Bangladesh, which transformed itself from the least compliant RMG to one of the most compliant green RMG industries in the world. The case highlights business ethics from a B2B perspective where stakeholders’ (RMG companies, international buyers, and Government) ethical leadership, roles, and responsibilities are explored. This case also sheds light on how the adopted holistic perspective accommodating social good and a collaborative ecosystem among others contributed to sustainable growth in the RMG industry. This case also argues for adopting a proactive approach of ethical business in the future, because the reactive business approach may generate benefits in the short run but can be a reason for a significant loss of social well-being, which was evident in the globally known Rana Plaza disaster. The third case is a compilation of a few consumers’ real-life stories that they encountered with companies in different industries in Bangladesh. The stories highlight minor and occasionally major variations as far as the product quality and service commitments are concerned and showcase how such variations are breaching the ethical code of conduct for sustainable business as well as standard societal living.