Is this an ethical business practice?

by sabastious 20 Replies latest jw friends

  • sabastious
    sabastious

    A group of business people put their money together and start a casket design business. They come up with a business scheme that they think will yield the greatest revenue. They decide to design and manufactor three caskets:

    1. The first will be sold for a very cheap price. This can be done because many design and structural shortcuts are taken while manufactering the casket. In fact, it will be designed in such a way that would incite an emotional response from shoppers because they will not want to put their dead loved one within such a "cheap looking" cakset.
    2. The second will be designed to be the "middle of the pack" casket, but not necessarily cheap.
    3. The third will be the "overpriced" casket of which will be of the finest quality through and through.

    Once the caskets are engineered and made readily available for manufactering and distribution the group starts up business. They choose to showcase the three available caskets outside of line of sight with eachother. Any customer that walks in will see the shoddy design first and, if all goes well, an emotional response will happen. Next they will find themselves with the overpriced casket which, if all goes well again, will incite another emotional reaction because it will likely be far too expensive, but they would love to get it if they had the money. Then they approach the final casket which is still above average price, but starkly different than the two other caskets prices. Barring extenuating circumstances, the group alleges, the customer will likely purchase the casket even if they normally would think it was too expensive if they were shown it first.

    -Sab

  • snowbird
    snowbird

    Practical, if not ethical.

    Psychological manipulation.

    Happens all the time.

    Syl

  • sabastious
    sabastious
    Happens all the time.

    This is an irrelevant and distracting piece of data.

    edit: for the question I asked.

    -Sab

  • sabastious
    sabastious
    Psychological manipulation.

    So, in your opinion, psychological manipulation is unethical in any form?

    -Sab

  • snowbird
    snowbird

    ROFL!

    Syl

  • snowbird
    snowbird
    So, in your opinion, psychological manipulation is unethical in any way?
    -Sab

    If for the purpose of exploitation, yes.

    All others, I'm non-commital.

    Syl

  • NomadSoul
    NomadSoul

    Yes it happens all the time. A perfect example..................... religion! lol Okay Okay Okay I come in peace! LOL

    Well, it's a tough question. One part of me says it's a genious plan, my other half tells me it's just wrong to do that to a person that's going through an emotional time. But that's what they get for being emotionally weak!

  • sabastious
    sabastious
    If for the purpose of exploitation, yes.

    ex·ploit

    1. to utilize, especially for profit; turn to practical account: to exploit a business opportunity.
    2. to use selfishly for one's own ends: employers who exploit their workers.
    3. to advance or further through exploitation; promote: He exploited his new movie through a series of guest appearances.

    -Sab

  • AudeSapere
    AudeSapere

    Not unethical at all. It would be unethical if the highest priced product was made of cheap materials.

    The placement and presentation of the 3 similar products of varying quality and price is all a part of sales and marketing.

    Very common technique.

    Some people actually *do* want the cheapest available - no matter what.

    Others want the most elaborate, expensive - no matter what.

    I think most settle for the middle-of-the road - and like to see what details the alternatives present.

    -Aude.

  • satinka
    satinka

    Typical marketing strategy.

    satinka

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