A Research Odyssey in Sales Management

Marketing in general, and selling in particular, tends to be the most conspicuous organizational functions to customers and the general public at large. As such, many researchers have examined ethics in sales. Three general conclusions emerge from my research on ethics. First, although sales personnel view several business practices and situations differently (visà-vis being appropriate or inappropriate), none of the practices is viewed as particularly ethically troublesome. Second, salespersons basically are unaware whether their firms have company policies addressing the business practices investigated. And third, salespeople want greater guidance from management in the conduct of their jobs than they currently receive vis-a-vis business ethics.