Foreign markets offer higher profits potential than home market, as more businesses’ are expanding their revenue beyond their border, more competition is created. To outrun the competitors’, some corporates may choose to mislead others by posting false information regarding the firm or the product in their websites in order to gain market merits and confuse their rivals. This act may create some benefits to the firm and also negative impacts on its global performance. This paper, therefore, attempts to find out whether it is ethical to post false information on corporate websites and further see whether the potential benefits outweigh the costs.
Disinformation can mislead another firm (a rival) in making a decision to adjust to the market, this may cause them to suffer financial and other market loses. However, such kind of deceitfulness conducts as misrepresenting information or deceptive advertising, can seriously damage an organization’s name, bringing about a loss of clients and ultimately, revenue. Posting incorrect information intentionally on your website can lead to retributions and fines. Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) is has the authority to pass judgment on an organization’s website and other similar promotional platforms. According to Chelsey (2011), this authority implies that a third party, consumer or even a competitor for this matter can file a complaint to the agency whenever they feel the content on a website is misleading.
Likewise, unethical accounting can similarly be used to provide untruthful information about company resources. This happens when companies break the rules of accounting to misrepresent financial records to show a picture of the organization that is deceptive. For instance, a company may deliberately publish higher assets and conceal debts or other obligations, possibly in the loan qualification process or when selling a company (Randi, 2015). As pointed above, a company might gain market merits over others by giving them misleading information, but dishonesty can tarnish company’s name, loose market when customers boycott the misleading information. It can also be prosecuted. So false information is unethical and the costs outweigh the benefits.
- Chelsey, E. (2011). Making false claims on your web site can lead to fines and penalties.
- Randi, H. K. (2015). Examples of Unethical Decisions That Have Ruined Businesses.