Ethics and personal selling: "Death of a Salesman" as an ethical primer

Article Abstract:

Quotations from Arthur Miller's play, "Death of a Salesman", are used to illustrate ethical issues faced by sales managers. Among the ethical issues discussed are: the aloneness of the sales representative in the field and his inability to meet with peers to discuss the ethics of a given situation; whether the sales representative should be encouraged to 'hustle', adhering to the laws of the state while acting in ethically questionable ways; the judgmental factors as to whether a decision is ethical or not; the lack of fail-safe ethical standards for selling; the personal responsibilities involved in ethical standards maintenance; the pressure on sales personnel to act in less than ethical ways; the ethical example set by executive management personnel; the elusiveness of ethical behavior; the trap of self-righteousness for the ethical salesperson; and the requirement that codes of ethics be dynamic.

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Professional and ethical standards among salespeople in a deregulated environment: a case study of the trucking industry

Article Abstract:

Passage of the 1980 Motot Carrier Act signaled a significant change in the direction of government regulation in the trucking industry, resulting in a substantially more competitive industry. Not surprisingly, the Act led to significant changes within the trucking industry, some positive and others negative. The purpose of this article is to examine the extent to which deregulation led to an increase or decrease in professionalism and ethical conduct among trucking company salespeople. Using results from a survey of domestic shippers, it is concluded that deregulation led to an increase or decrease in professionalism and ethical conduct among trucking company salespeople. Using results from a survey of domestic shippers, it is concluded that deregulation heightened professionalism and ethical standards among carrier sales representatives. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

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Will feminism change the ethics of the sales profession?

Article Abstract:

If the ratio of females to males in selling jobs continues to increase, will it change the ethics of the sales profession? Do women entering sales have a distinctly different moral orientation from men? This article reports on research that sought answers to these questions by examining the ethical standards and moral reasoning of a sample of young men and women college students preparing for business and sales careers. The findings suggest women's ethical judgements are likely to differe form men's in ways that could enhance the ethical climate of sales organizations but may also cause controversy. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

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Marlissa Mokhtar

Aug 17, 2009 @ 12:00 am

It is undeniable that more women are entering the sales field. Women, by nature, are more influential and proficient when it comes to selling a product/service. They have the ability to interact well to both male and female customers and not to forget, children.

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