Professor in the Marketing Department and Head of The World We Want Area of Excellence, Paolo Antonetti has been appointed Section Editor for Marketing Ethics in the Financial Times-ranked Journal of Business Ethics. Learn more in the interview.

What does this position represent for you?

Journal of Business Ethics is a leading publication, among the 50 journals ranked by the Financial Times. As a professor interested in marketing ethics, I have always enjoyed reading the journal and have published several of my papers there over the years – including my first ever publication!

Becoming section editor for Marketing Ethics is an achievement for me, a recognition of my work in the field. It’s also a privilege which I see as an opportunity to contribute to the academic community. I love to be able to support as much as possible authors submitting to the section because I know very well how it feels to be waiting for editorial decisions.

What are your projects or ambitions for this mandate?

I think there is much more scope to improve and raise the visibility of research focused on ethics within marketing. Much of marketing research and thinking remains dominated by instrumental and strategic concerns. My ambition is to contribute to self-reflection in our discipline so that we can assess the ethical implications of our strategies.

I would like to see more papers published on the ethics of dominant contemporary themes or strategies in marketing. Just to offer some examples, digital marketing, luxury marketing, and the marketing of experiences/events, offer significant opportunities for thoughtful contributions around ethical marketing practice. 

How does this new role interact with the role of professor?

I also teach Marketing Ethics and I really think students benefit from research-based teaching. This role will just make it even easier for me to bring the latest research perspectives to the classroom.

As for the contribution to the School’s reputation, I think having faculty with senior editorial positions is always positive for an institution.

It is a further signal of the quality of research produced at the School and can also be a useful source of insight and experience for younger colleagues and PhDs.