Marketing communication: principles and practice

P R O F E S S I O N A L I S M
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Clampitt (1991) provides a catalogue of ethical dilemmas facing the manager,
all of which concern behaviour and communicative actions:
• secrecy (intentional concealment)
• whistle-blowing (publication of information about corporate or fellow
colleagues’ abuses or negligence)
• leaks (anonymous whistle-blowing)
• rumours and gossip (speculation and unconfirmed reports)
• lying (a false statement intended to deceive)
• euphemisms (use of a less offensive expression to avoid causing distress)
• ambiguity (vagueness which can cause misinterpretation)
• apology (reforming or transforming perceptions of motive and reputation)
The problem is one of ensuring that people and corporations strive for ethical
behaviour. Ethical organizations are created and sustained by individuals of
personal integrity, operating in a culture of principle, and governed by
conscientious policies. Policy is concerned with what and how information
is gathered, and with how it is used. This information may be about, or be
desired by, the individual, the corporation, and/or the community. In terms
of individual character, Clampitt suggests five tests for engendering a spirit
of honourable communication:
1 discretion: the intuitive ability to discern what is and is not intrusive and
injurious, so as to be able to navigate in and between the worlds of personal
and shared experience
2 relevancy: deals with the question of what to communicate and what
information is necessary
3 accuracy: requires that communicators deal with truth and reliable
information
4 fairness: requires that speaking and listening are judicious in avoiding
ambiguity, correcting inaccuracy, defending reputation, and dealing with
impropriety
5 timing: when to communicate is a question of judgement – of not
restricting someone else’s choices or undermining truth and trust
Leaders have to place significant trust in their stakeholders, to the extent
that allowing ‘their’ values to be assimilated and contribute to the process of
evolving and building ‘our ethics’. Employees and managers need to be part
of this evolution. The fragmentation of diversity places particular emphasis
on ethics.