Additionally, Kai Bo Food Supermarket offers a selection of fruit, vegetables, and canned goods. The company's objective is to supply fresh food at an affordable cost. A journalist conducted a comparison of Kai Bo and ParknShop’s products, revealing that ParknShop has higher prices. Some of Kai Bo's products are sold at half the price of ParknShop's counterparts. To capture a significant portion of the market, Kai Bo adopts a low-price strategy for its food offerings. This approach necessitates the use of various cost-containment measures by Kai Bo.
Despite the potential danger and harm caused by the quality of Kai Bo's products, customers are lured by the appealingly low prices. However, before
...exploring the ethical dilemma posed by Kai Bo's actions, it is important to note the 6 fundamental ethical values espoused by the American Marketing Association (AMA) Code of Ethics. These values reflect what people consider desirable, important and morally right: honesty, responsibility, fairness, respect, openness and citizenship. It is evident that Kai Bo's violation of several ethical codes is at the heart of their ability to offer low prices.
In 2009, Kai Bo altered the expiry date on certain food products by using new tags to conceal the original expired date. Subsequently, Kai Bo sold these expired products at a reduced price. It is important to note that the expiration dates are authorized and assigned by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, and therefore should not be modified by Kai Bo or any other parties.
Kai Bo's actions have contravened the principle
of honesty, fairness, and responsibility. Honesty entails being candid and upfront in dealings with stakeholders and customers. Kai Bo attempted to mislead customers into purchasing expired food, which has the potential for health risks. They failed to furnish truthful information. Furthermore, fairness mandates that products must be accurately represented.
Despite not taking into account the interests of the seller, Kai Bo solely retrieved expired food left on shelves while failing to address their actions following public awareness. As per their value of responsibility, they should provide an explanation to their customers and accept any consequences resulting from this practice. Additionally, it has been reported that Kai Bo was involved in an incident where poisonous frozen scallops were sold in 2010.
Despite conducting product testing, Kai Bo continues to sell inexpensive scallops from potentially harmful suppliers. Consumption of these scallops may result in paralysis or death. Additionally, the company fails to disclose the associated risks with customers.
It is considered illegal and unethical for Kai Bo to sell harmful items to the public. This not only fails to deliver promised benefits to customers but also endangers their safety, which contradicts the ethical principle of a mutually advantageous exchange between buyers and sellers. Therefore, Kai Bo has neglected its obligation to serve stakeholders and must discontinue offering these products.
As per the consumer bill of rights, marketers must provide truthful information about their products and ensure their safety. This is because consumers have the right to be informed and safe. However, Kai Bo Food Supermarket violated these responsibilities by altering expiration dates on scallop labels and selling expired goods at a discounted sale event. Such unethical actions can result in adverse
publicity, particularly if customers discover that the company prioritizes offering bargains.
Instead of compromising the quality of the food, it would be reasonable and ethical to reduce operation hours or implement an automatic system to lower listing prices. The hope is that the company can offer nutritious products at an affordable price that truly benefits their customers.
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