¶ … Globalization and international marketing ethics problems" by Yucel, Elibol and Da-delen was published in the International Research Journal of Finance and Economics in 2009. The outlines some of the ethical issues that marketers must deal with when they operate internationally. The authors seek to present guidelines to assist marketers in behaving ethically. The authors take the view that a uniform code of ethics should be adopted by either the WTO or the UN to help guide ethical practice for international marketers. The significance of the article is that it recognizes the complexity of the issue of ethics in international market. The authors realize that when different countries have different ethical systems, there are going to be instances where conflict arises. While this may not have been a significant issue for much of human history, in a globalized environment this issue is significant. The others provide a variety of philosophical perspectives to help understand this complexity and then outline some of the major sources of ethical dilemma with which international marketers are faced. Many marketers do not see their business in terms of these philosophical perspectives, so these perspectives can help to shed some light about why people make the decisions they make. Having a rudimentary understanding of the philosophies that different cultures hold is also important.

Such standards, the authors argue, would ensure that transactions are conducted in a fair manner. This would provide a better building block for the improvement of international business and would facilitate the increase in trade flows between different cultures. By removing barriers that can complicate transactions and increase risks, global standards of ethics would bring about greater levels of economic growth.
There is significant discussion of the nature of globalization. It is worth considering the underlying reasons for the promotion of globalization, and the authors touch on that. They touch on how globalization has been implemented, which is important for understanding the current state of ethical thought on international marketing. Firms face a number of dilemmas that arise from cultural differences, and the article highlights with some theoretical background some of the different dilemma types that may be faced by international marketers specifically.

The authors raise some important issues, none more than their core conclusion. While variability in ethical standards represents something of a minefield for international marketers, the issue of a global set of standards is equally contentious. Having a set of ethical values…