Ethical Issue: Los Angeles–based clothing company Barabas seized the moment afte

Question

Ethical Issue: Los Angeles–based clothing company Barabas seized the moment after Sean Penn's notorious Rolling Stone interview with brutal Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán. The clothier used the name and likeness of the drug lord on its website, flanked by photos of attractive male models wearing the same distinctive cotton shirts of the Fantasy and Crazy Paisley lines. The all-caps announcement read: “EL CHAPO GUZMAN WEARING BARABAS SHIRT!”Footnote The Internet exploded with astonishment and bafflement after Penn's interview with the crime boss. Barabas' excitement about its infamous customer also met with criticism, but the company couldn't keep the $128 shirts on the shelves.Footnote At one point Internet traffic crashed the Barabas website. Yet public outrage ultimately prompted the clothier to remove overt references to El Chapo and his photos. However, if one types El Chapo into the search window on the main page of the Barabas site, the shirts pop right up. Is it ethical to resort to such extreme means to drive sales?

Explanation / Answer

Ethics is as a science, involves systemizing, defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior. While business ethics are the set of value that the business promotes and inculcates across the hierarchical structure.

According to Fernando, the basic principles people are expected to follow in their professional career are the following:

Morality talks about self-understanding of being correct or incorrect. Baraba buzz that was created out the drug pin being in feature is a marketing tactic but morally incorrect. A scrutiny of content is inevitable for a socially answerable company. It is worst for brands that have young, dynamic consumers in the formative stage of life. If we look at the ethical literature the brand has followed Consequentialist theory of egoism. The theory propounds that decisions are taken on the basis of the consequence or outcome that one foresees. If the outcome is going to be positive for oneself, it is considered positive and implemented in spite of the fact that it is unethical or immoral.

Sales numbers are an integral part of business that sustains business in the long run, but being ethical in conduct is vital for long-term sustenance of the brand (also umbrella brand if any).

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