Call for Book Chapters: Products for Conscious Consumers: A Marketing Guide to Develop and Sell Ethical Products

Editors: Kemi Ogunyemi and Vanessa Burgal

Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University

Publisher: Yet to be Determined

There are many reasons why businesses should move towards more responsible behaviour. The best one would be an internal willingness to do so due to a decision to be an ethical business. This is the most compelling reason. However, other motivations could include the fact that consumers are better informed and becoming more conscious of the ethical footprint of the product and services they buy. There have been instances where people boycott certain businesses because they learn about their moral failures at different stages of the product life cycle. For example, people avoid businesses that depend on child-labour, businesses that violate fair-trade principles, businesses that pollute the environment, etc. This book is a guide for companies that want to produce goods and services in ways that enhance human flourishing in the world, to do business responsibly. We want to show that to achieve this, a clear understanding of the pivotal position of the marketer, and of how to assure ethical conduct as he or she carries out his/her individual responsibilities, is critical. Such a human-centered approach would help the company, especially the marketing function, to innovatively develop goods and services that are truly good for the human person and the planet. We are therefore looking at the process of creating value from the product design to the commercialisation and we will suggest what must change in the company processes to achieve the goal of being responsible.

We also decided to write this book to show how a responsible business can help its customers/clients make a difference to responsible development in the world. It touches on several important points:

A.     The role of business in society – business as a form of intermediation to ease life and providence between peoples would lose its purpose if it were to destroy or damage society rather than help it achieve its bigger goal of the flourishing of all its members. Much of business is driven by the marketing function.

B.     Marketers can make a difference in various ways towards achieving the common good in the societies where they operate. They can achieve this by first not deliberately harming others. Beyond this, they should actively do good by producing truly good goods and services. While seeking business profitability, many marketing practices could easily do harm, either deliberately or negligently. This book highlights the potential for harm as well as the potential for good.

C.    In the face of the lack of awareness and/or willingness/motivation of its customers, a business, through its marketing function, can drive responsible behaviour and global sustainability imperatives by incentivising consumers to do the right thing – to act intelligently and to show consideration for others.

Tentative table of contents (Please submit proposals outside of those mentioned below for our consideration if you think they fit the intent of the book):

      SECTIONS:

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

A.      ETHICAL MARKETING: The place of marketing within Business; responsible business from the marketer’s perspective. Every business professional is a marketing professional. The variety of ethical challenges faced in the process of doing business – some are connected to the marketing role. 

Chapter 2. Ethical marketing: concepts and reasons (Why should I be ethical; what is the harm I am doing?)

Chapter 3. From ideation to commercialisation I. Market research principles. Product/Service development consequences.

Chapter 4. From ideation to commercialisation II. Applying ethics to the Marketing Mix. From choosing the right place to determining a responsible price, designing an ethical communication campaign, and executing an appropriate promotional plan.

B.      CONSUMER ETHICS

Chapter 5. How responsible am I for the consumers choice?

Chapter 6. Marketers and the lack of consumer awareness. Is the consumer well informed?

●        Required and trustworthy information: ingredients, production, safety…

●        Why is transparency needed?

●    CSR. What is the role of the CSR strategy with regards to consumer education? Are the CSR strategies truly honest?

Chapter 7. Marketers and the lack of willingness/motivation of the customers

●        What if the consumer does not feel responsible?

●        Encouraging/incentivising the customer to do the right thing.

C.      ENVIRONMENTAL MARKETING

Chapter 8. Considering the short-term and long-term impact of the products / services on the planet.

Chapter 9. How to reduce any negative impact on the environment? Defining marketing strategies and tactics to limit any negative effect on the environment. Example: “don’t buy this jacket (PATAGONIA)”

Chapter 10. Am I instrumentalising my sustainable marketing?

●        Green marketing: is it real?

●        Am I using CSR as a marketing gimmick?

D.      MARKETING FOR SOCIETY

Chapter 11. Considering the impact of the products / services on people.

Chapter 12. How to reduce any negative impact on the SOCIETY? Example: TOMS’ one for one.

Chapter 13. Going beyond justice: a marketer who cares; after sales support; product footprints.

E.       REGULATORS & POLICY MAKERS

Chapter 14. Knowing the rules and following them; media regulations.

Chapter 15. Being proactive in both very regulated and less regulated markets.

CONCLUSIONS

Chapter 16: Finally, heart and mind: Developing good goods and services that serve the consumer.

NEXT STEPS:

Please submit a 100-word abstract to be considered for inclusion in the book (the expected full chapter length is 6000 words), accompanied by a 100-word bio. Deadline: April 25, 2021.

Unifying chapter structure

INTRODUCTION

BODY (arranged in themes and sub themes) and giving real examples

CASE STUDY

CONCLUSION and recommendations

References

250-word bios

250-word chapter summary

3 to 5 key words or phrases

Timeline for writing and completing the manuscript:

Deadline for chapter proposals: April 25, 2021

Proposal acceptances: May 1, 2021

First chapter draft submissions: July 29, 2021

Preliminary comments: August 7, 2021

Full chapter submissions: August 22, 2021

Peer review process (each contributor to review two chapter drafts): September 8 to October 2, 2021

Action on reviewers’ comments and final chapter submissions: October 28, 2021

Full chapter acceptances: November 1, 2021

Manuscript to publishers: November 2, 2021

Download PDF