COLLEGE OF BUSINESS & ECONOMICS

Master of Science in Marketing

Graduate Programs and Certificates
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Presented here for your analysis and recommendation, is a real-world scenario. Your essay should be well
thought-out, written clearly and concisely. Be sure to respond to all questions associated with this scenario.
You will be evaluated on your ability to think critically, express yourself clearly (English composition skills), and
the synthesis of your analysis. The essay should be 500-750 words in length.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS / MARKETING ESSAY

Scenario: Can You Sell Customer Information?

You are the Director of Marketing for a successful on-line global retail store. You manage On-line Marketing
Managers in six global offices. (European Union countries, North America, Asia, India, South America and
Africa). When customers shop your online store, they leave an electronic trail that provides lots of information -
- from their name and address to the types of goods that interest them when they search the site and their
purchasing patterns.

Your customers are very loyal to your company because it is a certified "Green manufacturer,” so they answer
many survey questions which makes your customer database very rich in data. Because your company is
considered a leader in their market, a partner company (one of your electronics vendors) contacts you and
would like to buy this data from your company.

1. What are the marketing and ethical issues presented in this scenario for your global company?
2. What options are available to you as the Director of Marketing for your company? State the pros
and cons of each option you identify.
3. Based upon the options you identified above in question #2, describe, fully and succinctly, your
course of action.
4. Also address what action(s) you would take so that the Marketing Managers that you supervise in
each global office would know how to respond should they encounter a similar situation regarding
their own marketing department/marketing data.
5. In your opinion, is this a customer privacy (ethical) issue or a privacy law issue? Explain your
answer in detail.
6. Research a national marketing association website (like the American Marketing Association) and
review their "Code of Ethics" policies for "selling or sharing customer information". Document the
association and the link for any policies they have related to customer information/data. Do you
agree with their specific policies? Why or why not?
7. Describe the most important marketing concepts that you would like to learn from the Masters of
Science in Marketing Program at Regis University.

06.29.18