Ethics in Commerce
Sparrow Pharmaceuticals is the maker of several popular drugs
used to treat high blood pressure and arthritis. Over time, the
company has developed a positive relationship with many of the
patients who use its medications through a quarterly newsletter
that offers the latest information on new medical research findings
and general health and fitness articles. The company just has been
acquired by a group of investors who also own Soothing Waters Hot
Tubs and Spas. The marketing director for Soothing Waters would
like to use Sparrow’s mailing list for a direct-mail promotion.
Ethics Questions:
What should Sparrow Pharmaceuticals do? Do you think it is
ethical to use customer information across multiple divisions of
the same company? Explain. To which marketing management philosophy
do you think the marketing director for Soothing Waters subscribes?
Explain. Does the AMA Statement of Ethics address the use of the
customer information by multiple divisions of the same company? Go
to http://www.marketingpower.com and review the
statement. Then write a brief paragraph on how the AMA Statement of
Ethics relates to Sparrow Pharmaceuticals’ dilemma. (To locate the
Statement of Ethics students would go to http://www.marketingpower.com and in the top right
corner they would select, “About AMA,” and underneath “About AMA,”
there are several Gray tabs to choose from, select “Statement of
Ethics,” and begin to review the Statement of Ethics.) Instruction:
At least 60% of your paper must be original content/writing. No
more than 40% of your content/information may come from
references.
