Marketing and the Common Good

Marketing is among the most powerful cultural forces at work in the contemporary world, affecting not merely consumer behaviour, but almost every aspect of human behaviour. While the potential for marketing both to promote and threaten societal well-being has been a perennial focus of inquiry, the current global intellectual and political climate has lent this topic extra gravitas. Through original research and scholarship from the influential Mendoza School of Business, this book looks at marketing's ramifications far beyond simple economic exchange. It addresses four major topic areas: societal aspects of marketing and consumption; the social and ethical thought; sustainability; and public policy issues, in order to explore the wider relationship of marketing within the ethical and moral economy and its implications for the common good. By bringing together the wide-ranging and interdisciplinary contributions, it provides a uniquely comprehensive and challenging exploration of some of the most pressing themes for business and society today.

Patrick E. Murphy is Professor of Marketing at the Mendoza Business School, Notre Dame University, USA. Patrick specializes in marketing and business ethics issues and his recent work has focused on normative perspectives for ethical and socially responsible marketing, distributive justice as it relates to marketing decision making, emerging ethical concerns in advertising, stakeholder theory, and marketing as well as ethics and corporate social responsibility for marketing in a global marketplace John F. Sherry, Jr. is Herrick Professor of Marketing and Chairman of the Department at the Mendoza Business School, Notre Dame University, USA. John is an anthropologist who studies the sociocultural and symbolic dimensions of consumption, and the cultural ecology of marketing. His recent work has focused on experiential retailing, holistic branding, and consumption aesthetics. Among his current project is a study of the social rituals involved in tailgating during football games

Part I: Introduction 1. The Common Good: The Enduring Effort to Re-Center Marketing 2. A Larger View of Marketing: Marketing's Contributions to Society Part II: Societal Aspects of Marketing and Consumption 3. Slouching toward Utopia: When Marketing is Society 4. The Case for Clarity 5. How Marketing Serves the Common Good 6. Social Issues in Marketing Part III: Catholic Social Thought Issues in Marketing 7. Caritas in Veritate: Updating Catholic Social Teaching for Responsible Marketing Strategy 8. A Commentary on Catholic Social Teaching and 'Wanting the Right Things' Part IV: Sustainability Issues in Marketing 9. Consumption in the Un-Commons: The Case for Re-Claiming the Commons as Unique Markets 10. Marketing's Contributions to a Sustainable Society 11. Creative Destruction and Destructive Creations: Environmental Ethics and Planned Obsolescence Part V: Public Policy Issues in Marketing 12. Childhood Obesity: Marketing to Kids 13. Firearms and the Common Good: A Meaningful Discussion about Solutions 14. Notre Dame and the Federal Trade Commission Part VI: Ethical Issues in Marketing 15. From Twins to Strangers: Considerations of Paired Kidney Donation across Gift and Market Economies 16. Ethics in Selling: A Case Oriented, Stakeholder-Focused Approach 17. Discerning Ethical Challenges for Marketing in China Part VII: Conclusion 18. Can we get there from here?: Charting the Contours of the Common Good 19. Afterword