You Work For Urban Outfitters In The Marketing Department ✓ Solved

You work for Urban Outfitters in the Marketing Department. Y

You work for Urban Outfitters in the Marketing Department. Your research has shown that Native American designs are popular. You developed mock-ups for new products based on traditional Navajo patterns. Because you live near the Navajo Reservation, you know how devastating the recent COVID-19 pandemic hit that population. As you put your proposal together, you included a provision that 1% of all profits from these items go to the Navajo Nation Department of Health. Company leadership has asked you to prepare a memorandum assessing only the ethical implications of using Navajo patterns and culture in these products (not legal issues). Assume licensing of the NAVAJO trademark is handled separately by legal. The memorandum should be no more than 1000 words including an executive summary, and must include: A) an executive summary; B) a brief statement of the issue; C) alternative strategies the company could adopt; D) facts relevant to the issue and information you would like to have; identification of key ethical theories you will apply and why; E) analysis of social responsibility and ethical factors; F) a formal recommendation. Integrate visual aids within the text and include proper citations to at least three outside sources in APA style.

Paper For Above Instructions

Executive Summary

This memorandum assesses the ethical implications of marketing products that adopt traditional Navajo patterns by Urban Outfitters, with a proposed 1% profit donation to the Navajo Nation Department of Health. While the proposal aims to create social benefit and meet market demand, ethical concerns include cultural appropriation, exploitation, and insufficient benefit to Indigenous stakeholders. Applying stakeholder theory, deontological respect for cultural integrity, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) principles, the recommended course is to pause launch, engage directly with Navajo Nation representatives, negotiate partnership and licensing agreements that ensure fair compensation and cultural control, increase the social contribution beyond 1% conditional on transparent oversight, and implement co-branding that centers Navajo voices (Freeman, 1984; Carroll, 1991; Scafidi, 2005).

Statement of the Issue

Urban Outfitters proposes products using traditional Navajo patterns. Ethical questions are: Is it respectful to use Indigenous cultural designs for profit? Does a 1% profit donation meaningfully address historical and present harms? How should the company involve Navajo stakeholders in design, profit-sharing, and messaging? This memo examines these questions focusing only on ethics, not legal matters (United Nations, 2007).

Alternative Strategies

• Proceed with launch and donate 1% of profits to Navajo Nation Department of Health (current plan).
• Delay launch; negotiate formal partnership and revenue-sharing agreement with Navajo Nation and cultural stewards.
• Co-create product line with Navajo artisans and designers, offer royalty model and capacity-building support.
• Avoid using Navajo patterns; develop inspired designs that are culturally neutral and support Navajo causes without appropriation.

Relevant Facts and Information Needed

Known facts: traditional Navajo patterns are culturally significant; Navajo Nation experienced disproportionate COVID-19 impacts; a 1% profit pledge is included in the current proposal (Navajo Nation Department of Health, 2020). Information required: (1) whether any Navajo designers, leaders, or the Diné Development Corporation have been consulted; (2) how “profit” is defined and tracked; (3) expected revenue and projected donation amount; (4) whether authentic artisan participation or licensing will be pursued; (5) potential reputational risks based on precedent (e.g., prior controversies between brands and Indigenous communities) (Reuters, 2012).

Ethical Theories and Rationale

Three frameworks guide the analysis:

1. Stakeholder theory (Freeman, 1984): Evaluate obligations to affected parties (Navajo Nation, artisans, customers, shareholders).
2. Deontological ethics (respect and rights): Respect cultural integrity and self-determination; avoid using culture merely as means to profit (United Nations, 2007; Scafidi, 2005).
3. Utilitarian CSR perspective (Carroll, 1991): Assess overall benefits and harms across stakeholders, including long-term social impact versus short-term profits.

Analysis of Social Responsibility and Ethical Factors

Using Navajo patterns without meaningful Navajo participation risks cultural appropriation, commodification, and reputational harm (Rogers, 2006; Young, 2010). A 1% profit donation is well-intentioned but may be insufficient ethically if it is uncoordinated with Navajo leadership and lacks transparency (Scafidi, 2005). Stakeholder theory requires direct engagement with those whose cultural property is used; the Navajo Nation has established trademarks and institutions to manage cultural goods, and bypassing them disregards self-determination (Navajo Nation Department of Health; Smith, 1999). From a utilitarian CSR lens, co-creative models and fair royalties produce higher shared value—supporting economic development, preserving cultural practice, and reducing reputational risk—yielding more aggregate benefit than a marginal donation. Deontologically, using patterns without Navajo consent treats culture instrumentally, violating duties of respect and recognition (United Nations, 2007).

Integrated Visual Aid: Alternatives — Ethical Tradeoffs

Formal Recommendation

Recommended course: Delay product launch and immediately initiate government-to-company and community-level consultations with Navajo Nation leadership, the Diné Development Corporation, and Navajo artists. Negotiate a formal, transparent partnership that includes:

• Fair licensing and royalty payments or profit-sharing that exceed a token 1% and are calculated on gross revenue with independent auditing;
• Co-branding and attribution that centers Navajo designers and storylines, and supports cultural stewardship;
• Capacity-building investments (e.g., training, pay for artisans, supply-chain inclusion) and multi-year commitments to Navajo community health beyond the initial donation;
• Public transparency: clear reporting of payments, design authorship, and community impacts;
• Contingency: if negotiations fail or Navajo partners decline, do not launch the line to avoid appropriation.

This recommendation aligns with stakeholder obligations, respects Indigenous rights, and maximizes long-term shared value while reducing legal and reputational risk (Carroll, 1991; Scafidi, 2005).

Implementation Steps (Summary)

1) Halt launch timeline and notify leadership. 2) Assign cross-functional team (legal, procurement, CSR, marketing) to open dialogue with Navajo representatives. 3) Draft partnership principles (fair pay, cultural control, transparency). 4) If agreement reached, co-develop products and communications; track and report results publicly. 5) If no agreement, withdraw product concept and invest in alternative Navajo-led initiatives.

In sum, a move toward partnership and co-creation transforms a problematic appropriation risk into an ethically defensible and socially beneficial initiative. Short-term sacrifice of speed and margin is justified by stronger stakeholder relationships, brand integrity, and meaningful social impact (Rogers, 2006; Smith, 1999).

References

• Carroll, A. B. (1991). The pyramid of corporate social responsibility: Toward the moral management of organizational stakeholders. Business Horizons, 34(4), 39–48.
• Freeman, R. E. (1984). Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach. Boston: Pitman.
• Navajo Nation Department of Health. (2020). COVID-19 response and resources. Navajo Nation Department of Health. Retrieved from https://www.ndoh.navajo-nsn.gov/
• Rogers, R. A. (2006). From cultural exchange to transculturation: A review and reconceptualization of cultural appropriation. Communication Theory, 16(4), 474–503.
• Scafidi, J. (2005). Who Owns Culture? Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law. Rutgers University Press.
• Smith, L. T. (1999). Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. Zed Books.
• United Nations. (2007). United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. United Nations.
• Young, J. O. (2010). Cultural Appropriation and the Arts. Wiley-Blackwell.
• Urban Outfitters, Inc. (2020). Annual Report (fiscal year ended January 31, 2020). Urban Outfitters, Inc.
• Reuters. (2012). Navajo Nation sues Urban Outfitters over alleged trademark use. Reuters. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/