Are buying decisions influenced by Ethics?

This is my first blog on this complex subject that has fascinated me for the last 8 years. As a teacher of this subject, I continue to learn every time I step out to teach. I share one such experience here. I was lecturing a class of MBA students in Bangalore on the vitures of ethics and how companies with good ethics attract more customers. Up went a hand and a question - "Sir, do you think an Indian buyer would ponder over the ethics of the brand owner when choosing a mobile telephony service, or would he or she go by the price and features?" I had no answer. As I drove home, I searched for an answer, got none and went to sleep. When I woke up I had the answer, which was so simple. Business Ethics in India was at a stage of evolution where it would impact B2B decisions, but not yet B2C. It would take us some years to be where the Developed World is (or we believe the Developed World is), where a fair number of consumers base their decisions on the ethical standards of the brand owner. This should be true of many other developing countries. But reach there we will, and when that happens companies with good reputations would reap the benefits of their virtuosity!