Social contracts and marketing ethics

In this article, the authors describe the need and the search to date for a normative moral foundation for marketing. Social contract theory appears p romising because of its clear correspondence to the exchange relationships central to marketing thought and practice. The authors introduce it in a sp ecific formulation known as Integrative Social Contracts Theory (ISCT). Thi s theory provides a coherent framework for resolving ethical issues that ar ise among different communities and is therefore particularly appropriate b ecause marketers frequently engage in boundary-spanning relationships and c ross-cultural activities. The authors explore the application of ISCT to et hical decision making in marketing through the use of bribery as a major il lustrative example. They discuss implications for managers and researchers.