Ethical Response to IKEA Catalogue
Week 5 – Discussion Forum 2
Ethical Response to IKEA Catalogues (Case Study) [WLOs: 2, 3] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3]
Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, read Chapter 8: Ethics and Marketing in your textbook (Hartman et al., 2021). In addition, you may wish to review Chapter 15 in A Companion to Business Ethics (Links to an external site.) (Frederick, 1999), and The Slippery Relationship Between Brand Ethic and Profit (Links to an external site.) (Bertilsson, 2014).
In 2012 IKEA erased all images of women from the catalog it made available to consumers in Saudi Arabia, which is a country with a culture that strictly regulates the role of women including their photographs in newspapers and television. IKEA was criticized for not committing to gender equality. However, reissuing the catalog with images of women risked Saudi censorship, harsh penalties, and ending the company’s business opportunities in the country.
In business ethics courses students typically approach ethical issues by recommending future choices or criticizing past mistakes as an outside observer. In this discussion forum, take the perspective of an ethical advisor to IKEA during the time of their catalog scandal. In an initial post of at least 400 words, citing at least two scholarly, peer-reviewed resources, respond to the following:
Explain the criticism that IKEA compromised its values for pursuit of profit by practicing gender inequality with the removal of women’s images from its catalog. Do you believe that IKEA’s removal of women’s images was ethically justifiable? Explain why or why not, incorporating utilitarianism, deontology, or virtue ethics in your explanation.
Considering the case study, analyze the challenge of an organization deciding between cultural sensitivity and organizational values. Should an organization ever alter its marketing campaign to reflect prevalent values of the countries where it does business?
Evaluate the perspective that IKEA should not continue to do business in Saudi Arabia. By doing business in Saudi Arabia, is IKEA supporting the country’s treatment of women? Explain this perspective, and how it can be ethically supported by incorporating an ethical theory.
Finally, recommend how IKEA can continue business in Saudi Arabia and make better ethical choices. What steps can be taken to address gender discrimination? How should the organization handle cultural differences that challenge its values? Argue for how this recommendation is ethical by applying an ethical theory.
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