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The Legal, Ethical, And Social Responsibility Ramifications Of Anheuser Busch Inbev 's Beer Products

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Abstract This is a research and analytical paper on the legal, ethical, and social responsibility ramifications of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s deceptive advertising scheme for its Beck’s beer products. Beck’s beer was marketed using the labels such as “German Quality” and “Originated in Germany.” It was found out that the beer is no longer produced in Germany because the brewery has been transferred to St. Louis, Missouri. A class action lawsuit was filed against Anheuser-Busch and a preliminary court approval of the agreement with the plaintiffs granted consumers a refund of up to $50 on products purchased from May 2011. Anheuser-Busch has also agreed to adjust the labels in its packaging to clarify that the beer is US-made. The deceptive advertising of Anheuser-Busch violated state laws governing unfair and deceptive trade and is unethical based on utilitarian ethical theory, Kantian theory, and social contract theory. It was also against the social responsibility principles. Table of Contents Introduction 4 Legal Analysis 5 Ethical Analysis 7 Utilitarian Ethical Analysis 7 Kantian Ethical Analysis 10 Social Contract Ethical Analysis 12 Social Responsibility Analysis 13 Conclusion 17 References 19 Introduction When an advertisement or promotion has any representation, omission, or practice that misleads consumers, there is a deception (Richards, 2013). This paper analyzes the legal, ethical, and social responsibility ramifications of the false

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