In the free trade world, industries tend to be treated differently, considering the nature of products and services offered. It is ethical to treat the industries differently, considering that the products offered may have varying impact on the consumers. In that case, enterprises cannot be targeted unfairly, considering that it is their ethical obligation to protect their consumers through the provision of products that promote a healthy community. The tobacco industry faces a significant challenge concerning negative targeting from the public considering the nature of products offered, which are deemed as inappropriate for human consumption. Although consumers are mandated to engage in the use of healthy products, it is essential for companies to engage in measures to protect their consumers.
Argument Supporting the Consumer
The tobacco industry engages in aggressive advertisement and marketing for the products, thereby enticing consumers into the use of the products without necessarily focusing on the harmful elements of the products (Blecher, 2008). The industry should focus on protecting the consumers by providing accurate information regarding the content and the adverse effects associated with the product. The tobacco industry engages in advertising strategies that take advantage of the human weakness, thus enticing the consumers towards the use of tobacco products despite the negative health issues. In the advertising and marketing strategies, the industry overlooks the harmful aspects of the products by hiding the truth from the public. Lack of disclosing correct information concerning a product is unethical considering that an industry does not place the interest of the consumer but instead focuses on its importance, which concerns the generation of income from the sale of the given products.
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Capitalism in Corporate Decision Making
Capitalism plays an essential role in the decision-making process within the corporate companies considering that the majority are based on private ownership. The tobacco industry is driven by capitalism, considering that the state does not influence the running and control of the sector (Franck, Filion, Kimmelman, Grad, & Eisenberg, 2016). Capitalism in the tobacco industry influence the nature of decisions made concerning marketing and advertisement of products considering that the sole purpose entails maximizing on sale to earn more profits. In that case, the industry continues to grow at the expense of the consumer’s health. Capitalism influences the industry to overlook the harmful properties of the tobacco industry, thus failing to meet the ethical obligation of protecting the consumers against harmful effects associated with the products (Palazzo & Richter, 2005). In the capitalistic economy, the industries that the freedom to engage in business operations without facing regulation and control from the state, which is an aspect that raises ethical concern regarding the protection of consumers' interests.
The Interests of the Consumer and of the Industry
The interests of the consumers should a vital aspect in any industry, considering that consumers have a significant role in the growth and development of any industry. In that case, I believe that industries can cater to their interests and the interests of the consumers. Although in the tobacco industry it is not practical to care for the benefits of the consumer considering the harmful elements of the products, it is possible to provide correct information that would indicate the dangers of the products. In that case, the consumers may have an obligation to make decisions on whether to the consumer the products based on the given information. Capitalizing on the interests of the industry and of the consumer helps in ensuring that consumers have the ability to chose products that would not be harmful based on the correct information provided.
References
Blecher, E. (2008). The impact of tobacco advertising bans on consumption in developing countries (1st ed., pp. 2-30). Cape Town: University of Cape Town.
Franck, C., Filion, K. B., Kimmelman, J., Grad, R., & Eisenberg, M. J. (2016). Ethical considerations of e-cigarette use for tobacco harm reduction. Respiratory Research , 17 (1), 53.
Palazzo, G., & Richter, U. (2005). CSR business as usual? The case of the tobacco industry. Journal of Business Ethics , 61 (4), 387-401.
