An analysis of the “core” decision process of the Hunt and Vitell model of ethical decision making in marketing

The purpose of this article is to analyze the nature of the deontological and teleological evaluations in the Hunt and Vitell model and offer a revision that more accurately reflects how the process actually occurs. Previously published works concerning ethical business models identify or imply limitations with the “core” decision-making process. In particular, concerns exist with (1) the process by which the decision is made, (2) how the deontological and teleological assessments are conducted, and (3) the process for overriding ethical judgments. The nature of the ethical evaluation process and the way the ethical evaluations are approached and made were examined via a pilot study and an analysis of business executives. The results of the study support the hypotheses implied from the literature and the pilot study. Specifically, (1) decision makers do not think about their ethical analysis in deontological and teleological terms or as individual philosophical ethical theories. Thus, assessments tend to involve both deontological and teleological components, (2) decision makers tend not to compartmentalize deontological and teleological analyses and, (3) both deontological and teleological issues are likely to be involved when behavioral intentions differ from ethical judgments. These findings necessitate minor changes being made to the Hunt and Vitell model in the areas of the ethical evaluation process and the mechanism for overriding ethical judgments.