Why I Do What I Do

Julie Irwin - Associate Professor of Marketing Director of Ethics Education

My Ph.D. is in psychology, but its overlap with economics has always fascinated me. I’m interested in the ways in which the laws of market behavior—which are fairly rigid and rational—interact with the whims of human psychology. The purpose of marketing is to discover and understand these whims, and so my research interests led me to the Marketing Department.

In particular, I like to explore how purchasing decisions often appear to directly contradict deeply held values and beliefs. The standard line about ethics and purchasing is that while people say they care about all sorts of moral issues, when it comes time to spend, they forgo these values and choose what is easiest or cheapest.

However, in my research, I haven’t found much evidence for this “moral hypocrisy.” I have found that people do want to follow through with their values, but figuring out how to express them in their purchasing is more difficult than expected. The slightest contextual change in how the product or service is marketed or presented can shift people away from the ethical choice.

For instance, consider animal testing for cosmetics, shampoos and other products. People may say they are against it, but the truth is it’s difficult to find out which companies test on animals and which do not. In order to find out, you need to do some research. The problem is, the research may entail all sorts of emotional and cognitive costs—you may find out that the shampoo you love is now off limits or you may have to think about suffering animals or you may need to really mull over how much this value matters to you compared with other attributes, such as price. In the end, you might just avoid finding out and buy the shampoo you have always bought.

In fact, I have shown that people practice this “willful ignorance” in the marketplace by not seeking out ethical information. But if they are given the information, they will use it. Imagine if all shampoos had an easy-to-understand icon guiding us about animal testing—most people would pay attention to it. Thus, this type of research leads to easily implemented strategies for marketers.

My research interests also fit nicely with my new position as director of ethics education at McCombs. In my business ethics classes and other educational initiatives, I hope to show that ethics are not “pie in the sky” philosophical goals incompatible with making money. On the contrary, I believe the marketplace often encourages all sorts of increases in public welfare (think of all of the safety innovations of the last few decades). I also think that people want to do the right thing, on average, and that when they do something contrary to their values often it is because something in the environment got in their way. In my classes, and in my research, I am fascinated by the idea of identifying these barriers, with the goal of reducing or even eliminating them.