Ethics in advertising and marketing in the Dominican Republic: Interrogating universal principles of truth, human dignity, and corporate social responsibility.

摘要

This research project has explored and critically examined the intersections between the use of concepts, principles and codes of ethics by advertising practitioners and marketing executives and the standards of practice for mass mediated and integrated marketing communications in the Dominican Republic. A qualitative inquiry approach was considered appropriate for answering the investigation queries.;The extensive literature review of the historical media and advertising developments in the country, in conjunction with universal ethics theory, facilitated the structuring of the research questions which addressed the factors affecting the forces that shaped the advertising discourse; the predominant philosophy and moral standard ruling the advertising industry; the ethical guidelines followed by the practitioners; and the compliance with the universal principles of truth, human dignity and social responsibility.;A multi- methods research strategy was utilized. In this qualitative inquiry, data were gathered and triangulated using participant observation and in-depth, semi-structured interviews, supplemented by the review of documents and archival records. Twenty industry leaders were interviewed individually in two cities of the country, Santo Domingo and Santiago. These sites account for 98% of the nation-states' advertising industry. The interview process lasted six months. The data reduction and interpretation of the transcripts was reviewed and examined three times to guarantee accuracy. The analysis of document and archival records followed the same procedure as that of the interviews.;The results are presented in terms of the most important findings, grouped in 6 major themes: 1) The advertising industry in the Dominican Republic has a rich and influential history; 2) Dominican advertising practitioners are skeptical about the value of academic literature concerning the field; 3) Although there is some government regulation, for the most part the advertising industry in the Dominican Republic practices self-regulations; 4) Advertising and marketing professionals in the Dominican Republic receive little formal education and training regarding ethics and how to apply it in their field and rely more on workplace rules and practices as well as formal and informal networks; 5) There is a widespread adherence to universal ethical values such as truth, human dignity and social responsibility among advertising practitioners in the Dominican Republic; and 6) The advertising industry in the Dominican Republic faces a precipitous future because of consolidation, digitalization, globalization, and a new generation of consumers who take an "anything goes" approach concerning what one may or may not write, express or post about an institution, organization, product or individual.;The most relevant aspects of the findings are then discussed in the final chapter and some perspectives for future venues of research are analyzed.