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This paper seeks to deepen and improve our understanding of business ethics in services by developing a typology that reconciles and integrates disparate and often conflicting ideas and viewpoints while providing practical guidance for ethical decision-making.

The paper examines current theoretical approaches in ethics to provide an understanding of the ethical theories, how they have been applied and how they have evolved in businesses and marketing. It discusses conceptual issues related to ethical dilemmas and the available typologies.

Based on the axioms of the Triple-A Framework for Ethical Service Research, the Typology of Ethical Dilemmas in Services (TEDS) is proposed. The typology identifies three types of dilemmas based on four dimensions considering all service interactions guided by normative ethics (virtue, deontological and consequentialism).

The proposed DILEMMAS process illustrates the practical application of TEDS.

This paper extends the ethics and services literature by offering a novel theoretical and practical approach to addressing ethical dilemmas. TEDS is authentic, advances our knowledge and applies to all service organizations that aim to manage ethical dilemmas effectively.

The purpose of this paper is to explore potential benefits of gamification (application of game-playing elements) for financial well-being and motivation to save.

A preliminary survey of college students explored how gamification principles incorporated into money-savings/personal finance smartphone apps could improve financial well-being. The main study utilized Mechanical Turk participants, exposing them to financial game app descriptions that emphasized social features (e.g. leaderboards and ability to share achievements) or economic features (e.g. ability to earn real money or a higher interest rate). Objective and subjective financial measures including expertise with financial apps, perceived benefits of financial apps and behavioral intentions were examined.

Financial worry, financial literacy, subjective knowledge and expertise with money-savings/financial applications predicted financial well-being. Additionally, consumers varied in their preferences for certain financial game app features based on past financial app experience. Those who already used a financial app tend to exhibit higher subjective (though not objective) knowledge, and want both “social” and “economic” features of financial applications, whereas those with no experience are more motivated by economic features.

These results could be used to guide game designers regarding which features may be more attractive to consumers depending on their prior expertise with financial smartphone applications. Financial services marketing would benefit from further research into whether smartphone financial applications that emphasize social features have benefits for consumers’ motivation and financial well-being.

Examining college students about to enter the real world and the general population, this project contributes to research to improve understanding of financial well-being by examining how already having a financial gamification application impacts perceptions of knowledge and expertise, as well as intentions to save given a more socially focused vs economically focused savings app. Additional research needs to further explore gamification as an experimental intervention to ultimately improve both subjective financial well-being and objective financial behaviors, especially for consumers with lower expertise and high risk of financial vulnerability.