Discussion Board 3 Response
I simply concur with Mancini’s that indeed a company should not always produce and sell products and services as long there is a market. Selling ANY products including harmful such as tobacco is unethical due to the harmful effects it causes on society (Davidson, 2003). For religious ethics, it is worthy to produce beneficial goods and services. On the contrary, products such as cigarettes are doing more harm than good to the consumers and the general public. Another example includes production and selling of illegal goods and services that have a market including heroine and sex trade. In line with Mancini’s argument, it is not advisable to engage in sex trade merely because a market exists.
However, the statement is based on the economic concept of supply and demand which is also the essence for the market economy. The economic theory of supply and demand stipulates that more products and services are produced and supplied to the market as per consumer demand – availability of the market (Gölgeci, Karakas, & Tatoglu, 2019). As long as there are consumer needs that must be satisfied, a company can always produce the products to meet consumer demand. However, the economic theory of demand and supply cannot always apply in reality. Rather, the company must take into consideration including the legality and possible harm of the products and services offered for sale in the market. In this case, not ANY market must be served by the company.
In conclusion, while the market is the main motivator of production, not every market is worthy even if it the product generates profit for the owners. Rather, a company needs to consider the social benefits of the products and services rather maximizing profit. Therefore in concurrence with Mancini, I also disagree with the statement that “A company should produce and sell any product as long as there is a market for it”. A company must, therefore, desist from producing and selling sin products and services.
References
Davidson, D. K. (2003). Selling sin: The marketing of socially unacceptable products. Greenwood Publishing Group.
Gölgeci, I., Karakas, F., & Tatoglu, E. (2019). Understanding demand and supply paradoxes and their role in business-to-business firms. Industrial Marketing Management, 76, 169-180.