Unethical situation

Misleading Advertising Practices at Company X Name Course Professor Institution City Date A major issue facing many companies today is the use of misleading or false advertising to promote their products and services. One such company that has engaged in this unethical practice is Company X. This sizeable multinational consumer goods corporation produces a variety of food, beverage, cleaning, and personal care items. Company X recently launched a nationwide advertising campaign across print, digital, and television platforms to promote their new fruit juice product. The ads prominently claim the juice is "100% all-natural fruit juice" and emphasize it is a nutritious product "squeezed fresh" from ripe fruits. However, consumer advocacy groups have taken a closer look at the ingredients label of the juice, discovering the primary ingredient to be high fructose corn syrup, a highly processed artificial sweetener. Further down the ingredients list shows that the actual fruit juice content is estimated at just 5%. This is a misleading representation of their juice product's true nature and quality to consumers across the country who may be making purchasing decisions based on deceptive advertising by Company X. From a utilitarian ethical perspective, the consequences of Company X's misleading advertising determine its morality. The utilitarian approach is based on the principle of utility, or generating the greatest aggregate good for all those affected (www.sciencedirect.com, n.d.). In this case, the good Company X seeks is increased profits and greater market share for their new juice product in the short-term, which directly benefits the company financially. However, this temporary economic gain for Company X comes at the great expense of consumers being manipulated through explicit false advertising claims and essentially lied about the true nature and contents of the product they are purchasing. The widespread dissemination of egregiously misleading information through a nationwide ad campaign could erode consumer trust in the honesty and transparency of Company X's marketing practices. Once the deceptive advertising is exposed, it will likely cause significant backlash and public relations issues if customers feel tricked and deceived by the company's intentional manipulation using false marketing. The damage to Company ...