Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between love of money, pressure to perform and unethical marketing behavior in the cosmetic industry in Uganda. The methodology was cross-sectional and correlational. A questionnaire was administered to collect data on a sample of 169 marketers selected randomly from five cosmetic companies in Uganda. Results indicate that if the salespersons are willing to perform unprofessional assignments for monetary gain or if they have a burning desire for success regardless of how they should succeed, this is bound to result into unethical marketing behavior. Furthermore, the present study reveals that as pressure to perform increases through the achievement of targets and deadlines, unethical behavior increases and moves in the same direction as a result of the effect. Unrealistic targets combined with fixed deadlines promote and strengthen unethical marketing behavior. Thus love of money through its components, Success, Motivator, Evil, Budget and Equity can be moderated by management control - as management control improves, unethical marketing behavior is minimized. Even if the cosmetics industry in Uganda is very much in its infancy with only five manufacturers and this may limit generalizability, this study argues that companies should employ staff with good working experience in the marketing profession and there should be continuous staff screening of their behaviors over the years. Company image should be a top priority and management should design targets that are realistic to avoid continuous reported unethical behaviors among their staff.

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