Societal Impacts of Marketing This case was writen by Judy Cohen. Assistant Prof
ID: 348027 • Letter: S
Question
Societal Impacts of Marketing This case was writen by Judy Cohen. Assistant Profes sor of Marketing Rider College Lawrenceville, New Jersey Len Quill has been working for Artifacts, Ltd., an importer of ethnic arts, for 4 years. Le was uniquely suited for a position at Artifacts, having majored in marketing and minored in cultural anthropology in college. Len started his career at Artifacts in the importing department of the home office in the United States. He soon became a buyer, traveling through South America and buying native arts from local communities. One of his major sources of artifacts is the Puna Native American tribe. Len became so interested in the tribe that he learnod their native language, and now he is the only person from Artifacts who works directly with the Punas. On a stop back at headquarters, Len's boss, Mary Mathers has asked Len to join her and a client for lunch. The client is Bob Littman, who owns several art galleries specializing in ethnic arts. Bob is very interested in the arts of the Puna Native Americans. The Puna Native Americans make woven baskets which are very distinctive. The shapes, patterns, and colors of these baskets denote symbols of important events in the tribe's long history. Although Bob is interested in the baskets, he wants to change the patterns and colors to reflect the tastes of his customers. It would be Len's job to market the idea to the Punas. Of course, the Native Americans would receive a good price for their wares. Although the Punas are not poverty stricken, there is certainly room to improve their standard of living. Mary Mathers is very enthusiastic about this opportunity; it will result in a large profit for Artifacts, Ltd. Len is not sure he wants to convince the Punas to change their artwork. As an anthropology major, Len learned of many societies which weakened when basic cultural symbols were changed. Even if the Punas are eager to enter into the contract to make the new type of baskets, Len is concermed that they are not aware of the damage such changes can do to their society. Len is leaving in a week for his next trip to South America. He is still unsure about how to handle the deal with Bob Littman. No contract has been signed, nor will a contract be signed until and unless Len gets an agreement from the Puna tribal council. Just as he is pondering this situation, Mary calls him into her office. Mary informs him that, if the Puna are willing to make baskets according to his specifications, Bob Littman insists on placing a large order that will be due in a short period of time. Len knows that in order to meet the deadline, the Puna would need to have both men and women working on the baskets. Traditionally however, making the baskets has been women's work. 1. 2. Who are the stakeholders and what are their stakes? How would you assess the stakeholders' legitimacy and power? What is the social responsibility of Artifacts, Ltd.? In this case? What are the ethical issues in this case? For Len? For Artifacts, Ltd.? For Littman? Should Len quill impose his own personal concerns upon a company decision What should Len do and why? Who are the stakeholders and what are their stakes? How would you assess the stakeholders' legitimacy and power?Explanation / Answer
Stakeholder is a person or group which is impacted/affected by a project. They are defined and identified by 3 attributes
The stakeholder power, urgency, and power is assessed through the level of internets and the impact they would have if the contract gets approved
S T A K E H O L D E R S & S T A K E S
1. Artifacts ltd –at stakes are
The artifact has moderate power, moderate legitimacy (financial and ethical) and high urgency
2.Len quill
Len works under his boss. Len has low power, moderate legitimacy (financial and ethical) and high urgency
3.Mary Mathers
Mary Mathers has moderate power, moderate legitimacy (financial and ethical) and high urgency
4.Puna native Americans and puna tribal council –
They have high moderate power, high legitimacy (legal, material, financial and ethical) and high urgency
5. Bob Littman
Bob Littman has moderate power , moderate legitimacy (financial and ethical) and high urgency
6. Clients of Bob
They have urgency.
2.What is the social responsibility of Ltd., in this case?
The social responsibility of any company is decided based on The impact of the company on the society in terms of four dimensions.- economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities.
Artifacts have an economic responsibility to drive profits for Puna. It has a legal and philanthropic responsibility to the community which acts as a source of revenue for the company. It has an ethical responsibility to protect the community’s standards, tradition and culture as well as protect the stakeholder Puna’s moral rights
Artifacts also has a responsibility towards its client Bob, in revenue generation.
3.What are the ethical issues?
The ethical issues are whether
Lens concerns about the society’s traditions are not just personal. The decisions can impact the society and its revenue in the long run. Hence he should make attempts to explain this to Mary and Bob. He should look out for other alternatives. he should not just go into the contract straight away because the competitive advantage of the tribe comes from using such traditional symbols. Accepting the contract would make them lose their competitive advantage as well as their tradition