Marketing Chiefs' List of Ethical Concerns

Amid corporate scandals rocking the U.S., including cases involving brand names such as Enron, Tyco, Pfizer and Martha Stewart, a new poll from IDG's CMO magazine reports the top 3 list of E. concerns U.S. senior marketing executives have:



- 48% of marketing executives believe improper accounting practices is number one among three top ethical issues facing U.S. bizz, followed by

- conflicts of interest (42%) and

- deceptive sales and marketing practices (42%).



Fully a third (31%) of marketing chiefs are not confident U.S. companies are taking appropriate actions to stem the tide of corporate scandals. In their careers as marketers, the executives say they have personally witnessed colleagues: participating in high pressure, misleading or deceptive sales tactics (45%); misrepresenting company earnings, sales and/or revenues (35%); withholding or destroying information that could hurt company sales or image (32%), and conducting false or misleading advertising (31%).



When asked the best way to deter future unethical behavior,

- 73% answered increasing penalties for offenders,

- 64% suggests employee education programs, and

- 52% recommends continued publicity about those being punished for unethical behavior. See full CMO Magazine Poll results