The Regulation of Fee and Comparative Advertising: The Case of the Veterinarians of British Columbia

The advertising and promotion of professional Services are constrained by the codes of ethics of various professional associations in Canada. Provincial governments provide a leg is lative man date within which professional organizations may govern their member ships. The rational is that only profe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Services marketing quarterly 2001-07, Vol.22 (2), p.49-72
Main Authors: Wyckham, Robert G., Collins-Dodd, Colleen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advertising
Advertising restrictions
Associations
British Columbia
Comparative advertising
Ethics
fixed price advertising
Legal status, laws, etc
Medical sector
Professional advertising
regulation of advertising
Salaries, fees, etc
Studies
Veterinarians
Veterinary medicine
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:The advertising and promotion of professional Services are constrained by the codes of ethics of various professional associations in Canada. Provincial governments provide a leg is lative man date within which professional organizations may govern their member ships. The rational is that only professionals are capable of setting rules that balance the needs of their member ships with those of their clients and the general public. Recently, a member of the British Columbia Veterinary Medical Association challenged the BCVMA rules governing fee advertising and comparative advertising under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Court ruled that while both of these regulations in fringe on veterinar i ans' freedom of expression, the prohibition of comparative advertising is a reason able limit of that right while the rule banning fee advertising is not. Between the time of the presentation of evidence and the receipt of the Court's ruling, a survey was conducted to determine the attitudes of veterinarians in British Columbia to advertising within their profession. The results on this study indicate that the very conservative attitudes of the veterinarians of British Columbia mirror the strict advertising regulations of their association.
ISSN:1533-2969
1533-2977
DOI:10.1300/J396v22n02_04