DETERMINANTS OF SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE MARKETING DECISIONS

Purpose - Marketing as a social and management process can improve the well-being of consumers and other stakeholders. In order to improve consumer well-being, it is necessary that managers make decisions in a way that each of them is viewed through the prism of ethics and social responsibility. However, the question arises: what are the factors that influence the implementation of ethics and social responsibility in marketing decision-making process. The aim of this work is to determine the factors that affect marketing decisions that are consistent with the principles of ethics and social responsibility. Design/methodology/approach - Based on the theoretical background several hypotheses that assume the impact of individual and organizational factors on the adoption of marketing decisions are set. They are tested on a sample of the most successful Croatian companies. The survey instrument included the original scale, Socially responsible marketing decisions". Findings - It was found that the socially responsible marketing decisions are determined by individual and organizational factors. A positive relationship between the perceived role of ethics and social responsibility in achieving business performance and socially responsible marketing decisions is established. In addition, there is a connection between stakeholder orientation of the company and socially responsible marketing decisions. The impact of the code of ethics and foreign ownership on ethical marketing decisions was established. Practical implications - Based on the research results it can be concluded that the application of ethics and social responsibility in marketing is under the influence of different factors. Some can be controlled, but some are out of the control of managers. Originality/value - The study whose results are presented is based on the application of the original scale "Socially responsible marketing decisions". The correlation between the perception of the importance of ethics and social responsibility in achieving business performance and application of ethics in making marketing decisions is established.