Hotel Marketing Managers' Responses to Ethical Dilemmas

ABSTRACT This research concerns the perceptions and decisions of lodging sales and marketing executives in dealing with ethical marketing issues. Respondents were given ten vignettes, representing ethical dilemmas in the five categories of ethical behavior (coercion and control, personal integrity, physical environment, paternalism, and conflict of interest) identified by previous researchers. They were first asked to determine whether each issue was a question of ethics or not. Next, the respondents were asked what action they would take given the dilemma. The findings did not reveal any consistent pattern of respondent perceptions or actions. All of the vignettes embodied ethical choices. Results indicate a need for lodging sales and marketing executives to develop and adhere to ethical guidelines for the unique situations they face.