In my previous posts I have discussed many sites of the Amazon’s Pricing Algorithm: from describing what the issues were, through how it has effected the customers and retailers, to how the company is responding to all of these accusations. But it has come the time to address the final and (in my opinion) the most important question: How should Amazon itself act in order to bring positive change into its business?
I have decided to suggest a possible solution based on a specific deontological (Deon = duty; focus on duties or obligations) framework-Kant’s Ethics. This framework says that “In making ethical decisions we should first consider those decisions as potential universal truths: if everyone acted this way, would it be acceptable?”
In other words, if all companies (even the ones cooperating with Amazon) and retailers acted in the same- unethical way, would Amazon accept that? I believe that this is the best ethical framework to go by, because Amazon (being such a huge company) does cooperate with many smaller/ equal businesses. What if they all acted in the same way? (“Eye for an eye” if you will…)
I believe that deontological framework would be more successful in fixing this issue than teleological framework, because it doesn’t focus on outcomes as much. Amazon obviously is now very “outcome oriented” where they care about the fast and high sales, rather than how it makes others feel/ if it’s right or wrong.
First of all, I think that Amazon should treat their workers with more respect, by improving the working conditions. They should, also explain to customers how their pricing algorithm works and make sure that everybody is aware of it. I also think that they should show more support to small business owners by creating a “small retailers” filter option.
Also, I think that Amazon should make it clear what products they are making “extra” profits off of, so that way we can look for cheaper options.
When approached with a question about their actions, Amazon should be able to answer more in-depth instead of giving vague and unclear answers. As a customers, I personally do not believe companies that cannot even explain why they act in a certain way.
When it comes to customer reviews, Amazon has been blamed in the past for gifting high-status consumer reviewers with free products from publishers, agents, authors and manufacturers. I personally do not believe in that kind of approach. People might lie about what they actually think of a product in order to receive free “stuff”. How is that supposed to help us when judging if we want to purchase something?
All together- Amazon seems like a very successful company, and it definitely is very convenient to buy from. But they do need to work on their ethical values and make sure that they hold people responsible for stakeholder abuse. If they could fix these issues they definitely have a potential to grow even more.
I hope that you enjoyed learning about some of the issues that Amazon is dealing with!
Thanks for reading!
Business ethics 
I do think they need to start thinking about the overall actions if everyone were to do the same actions. They seem very outcome oriented and in the end that will not help the business, they need to put better focus on the employees and their customers. I think that the company could greatly benefit from adding a section for small businesses. People tend to feel better supporting small businesses and it would be great to get their names out there and help that business expand.
I think it is a bit crooked that they are giving incentives for better reviews on products, therefore probably producing some false reviews.
Thank you for keeping us updated on Amazon and to know what to look for in the future shopping with them.
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Thanks for your comment! and yes, they definitely should not give people rewards for putting up good reviews. I am glad that you agree with my idea of supporting small businesses. I agree that it could benefit both the owners and Amazon.
Also, Amazon does need to focus more on their employees.
Thanks for reading all of my posts and responding.
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I agree that Amazon should implement deontological frameworks, and specifically, Kant Ethics. They need to ask themselves, “would we want to buy from someone who we know is doing the same thing we are”? I think if they truly think about it, they would say that they would not want to. I also agree that if they want to keep using the same strategy they are currently using, then they should have their pricing algorithm listed for all to see. I think listing their pricing algorithm might hurt them slightly to begin with, but I expect them to rebound quickly. Furthermore, I believe that it could help them financially, as it would be better to do this now then be plastered throughout the media, if people start to make a big deal out of it in the future. The impact is much smaller and it has the possibility of saving them a large sum of money.
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Thanks for reading and commenting. I am glad that you enjoyed my post, and agree with my solution ideas. Amazon definitely needs to be more transparent in their course of action. People tend to be more loyal towards companies that are truthful.
It would definitely bring them profit at the end, and help fix the negative opinion that they might be dealing with since the issues with algorithm and customer/ employee treatment are all over the media.
Thanks for reading!
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I believe that Amazon should give better working conditions and should maybe be a little more honest on their formula, but I understand what they have done to this point. We live in a very information oriented age and Amazon doesn’t have a obligation to show the absolute lowest price first. Part of that problem would be that while the lowest maybe small, the shipping costs might make another wholesaler more valuable and therefore they would be the best option. I think its up to the customer to read in to what they are paying for before they click accept and move forward with their transaction. With Amazon’s model catering to different customers with different needs, they have no reason to live up to the difficult task of sorting which prices are lowest. Let the Consumer Decide for themselves which product and wholesaler is best for them.
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I understand your point of view, but in my opinion if a company claims that they are selling ‘the best product for the best price’ and they promote it as a featured product when in reality is not the best price nor quality that’s a lie. And lying is unethical to me. But I see how customers should pay attention to what they are paying for. Thanks for sharing your opinion!
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