What are these companies considered sales oriented or market oriented?
Write a marketing ethics paper on Amazon and SHEIN use 8 academic/professional sources. 1500-2000 words
Jaworski & Kohli (1993), DelVecchio et al. (2004), Hamilton & Chernev (2004) ,Currim (2013) Moorman & Day (2016)
How to Write: A Marketing Ethics Analysis of Amazon and SHEIN—Sales-Oriented vs. Market-Oriented Approaches
Introduction
Begin by introducing the concepts of sales orientation and market orientation as two fundamental philosophies that guide organizational marketing strategies. Explain that while sales-oriented firms primarily emphasize increasing sales volume through aggressive promotional activities and short-term revenue generation, market-oriented firms prioritize understanding customer needs, creating long-term customer value, and building sustainable competitive advantage. Introduce Amazon and SHEIN as two globally recognized e-commerce companies whose rapid growth has generated both commercial success and ethical concerns related to marketing practices, consumer behavior, sustainability, labor standards, data privacy, and competitive strategy. Conclude the introduction by stating that the paper will evaluate whether Amazon and SHEIN operate as sales-oriented or market-oriented organizations while analyzing their marketing ethics through established marketing theories and scholarly literature.
Section 1: Understanding Sales Orientation and Market Orientation
Define sales orientation and discuss its primary characteristics.
Explain:
Emphasis on increasing sales.
Aggressive promotion.
Short-term profitability.
High-volume selling.
Persuasive selling techniques.
Limited customer relationship focus.
Transactional marketing.
Define market orientation using Jaworski and Kohli (1993) and Moorman and Day (2016).
Discuss:
Customer orientation.
Competitor orientation.
Market intelligence generation.
Information dissemination.
Responsiveness to customer needs.
Long-term customer relationships.
Value creation.
Competitive advantage.
Conclude by comparing both approaches and explaining why market orientation has become increasingly important in today’s competitive business environment.
Section 2: Company Overview – Amazon
Provide a brief overview of Amazon.
Include:
Company history.
Business model.
E-commerce operations.
Product diversification.
Cloud computing.
Digital services.
Global presence.
Competitive position.
Customer-centric philosophy.
Mission.
Core values.
Discuss Amazon’s marketing strategy and explain how its emphasis on customer experience, personalization, convenience, innovation, logistics, and digital technologies contributes to its competitive advantage.
Section 3: Company Overview – SHEIN
Provide an overview of SHEIN.
Discuss:
Fast-fashion business model.
Digital-first strategy.
Global expansion.
Ultra-fast supply chain.
Low-cost pricing.
Social media marketing.
Influencer marketing.
Consumer engagement.
Target market.
Competitive positioning.
Explain how SHEIN has achieved rapid international growth through technology, data analytics, trend responsiveness, and digital marketing while also attracting ethical scrutiny.
Section 4: Are Amazon and SHEIN Sales-Oriented or Market-Oriented?
Evaluate each company separately.
Amazon
Analyze whether Amazon demonstrates characteristics of a market-oriented organization.
Discuss evidence related to:
Customer obsession.
Personalization.
Recommendation systems.
Customer feedback.
Innovation.
Prime membership.
Convenience.
Long-term relationship building.
Data-driven decision making.
Also acknowledge areas where Amazon demonstrates sales-oriented behaviors, such as promotional campaigns, cross-selling, upselling, and marketplace expansion.
Reach a balanced conclusion regarding Amazon’s dominant orientation.
SHEIN
Evaluate whether SHEIN demonstrates a stronger sales orientation or market orientation.
Discuss:
Rapid trend identification.
Consumer data analytics.
Social media engagement.
Aggressive pricing.
Impulse purchasing.
Flash sales.
Frequent product launches.
Limited product life cycles.
Customer responsiveness.
Analyze whether SHEIN’s strategy prioritizes immediate sales growth over long-term customer and societal value.
Support the discussion using Jaworski & Kohli (1993) and Moorman & Day (2016).
Section 5: Marketing Ethics Issues
Critically analyze the ethical issues associated with both companies.
Discuss Amazon’s ethical considerations, including:
Market dominance.
Competition.
Seller relationships.
Employee working conditions.
Consumer privacy.
Artificial intelligence.
Algorithmic recommendations.
Environmental sustainability.
Tax concerns.
Discuss SHEIN’s ethical issues, including:
Fast fashion.
Environmental sustainability.
Waste generation.
Labor practices.
Supply chain transparency.
Intellectual property concerns.
Product safety.
Consumer overconsumption.
Influencer marketing.
Explain how ethical marketing extends beyond profitability to include social responsibility, stakeholder trust, transparency, fairness, and sustainable business practices.
Section 6: Application of Marketing Literature
Apply the required scholarly literature throughout the analysis.
Specifically integrate:
Jaworski & Kohli (1993) – Market orientation framework.
DelVecchio et al. (2004) – Consumer perceptions, branding, or marketing effectiveness (as appropriate to your course materials).
Hamilton & Chernev (2004) – Consumer behavior and decision-making.
Currim (2013) – Marketing analytics, customer insights, or strategic marketing (depending on the assigned reading).
Moorman & Day (2016) – Customer value, market orientation, and modern marketing strategy.
Use each article to evaluate Amazon’s and SHEIN’s marketing philosophies rather than simply summarizing the literature. Compare theoretical concepts with actual company practices and explain where the companies align or deviate from established marketing principles.
Section 7: Comparative Analysis
Compare Amazon and SHEIN across key marketing dimensions.
Discuss:
Customer orientation.
Sales orientation.
Ethical decision-making.
Consumer trust.
Innovation.
Marketing strategy.
Data utilization.
Brand loyalty.
Corporate social responsibility.
Competitive advantage.
Sustainability.
Stakeholder relationships.
Evaluate similarities and differences while identifying which organization demonstrates stronger adherence to market-oriented principles and ethical marketing practices.
Section 8: Recommendations
Provide evidence-based recommendations for both companies.
For Amazon, consider recommendations such as:
Strengthening ethical AI governance.
Enhancing worker welfare.
Increasing supply chain transparency.
Improving environmental sustainability.
Strengthening marketplace fairness.
For SHEIN, consider recommendations such as:
Improving supply chain transparency.
Strengthening labor standards.
Expanding sustainability initiatives.
Reducing environmental impact.
Enhancing product quality.
Promoting responsible consumption.
Improving ethical sourcing.
Support recommendations using scholarly marketing and ethics literature.
Conclusion
Summarize the major findings regarding whether Amazon and SHEIN are primarily sales-oriented or market-oriented organizations. Explain that while both companies use sophisticated customer insights and digital marketing strategies, their approaches differ in balancing customer value creation with aggressive sales growth. Reinforce that ethical marketing requires organizations to integrate profitability with transparency, sustainability, stakeholder responsibility, and long-term customer relationships. Conclude by emphasizing that adopting stronger market-oriented and ethically responsible practices will enhance competitive advantage, consumer trust, and long-term organizational success.
References
Prepare a References page using APA 7th edition formatting. Arrange all references in alphabetical order without numbering. Include a minimum of eight academic and professional sources, ensuring the required course readings are incorporated:
- Currim (2013)
- DelVecchio et al. (2004)
- Hamilton & Chernev (2004)
- Jaworski & Kohli (1993)
- Moorman & Day (2016)
Supplement these with at least three additional peer-reviewed scholarly or professional sources on marketing ethics, market orientation, consumer behavior, corporate social responsibility, digital marketing, or e-commerce. Ensure that every source listed is cited within the paper and that all in-text citations correspond accurately to the reference list.
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|
