Analyzing the Ethical Decision Making of Sales Professionals

Abstract

This study examines the relative influences of corporate ethics codes, Machiavellianism, and gender on various components of sales professionals' decision making in ethical situations. The results from a mail survey of American Marketing Association members suggest that the ethical climate of an organization influences a salesperson's perceptions of an ethical problem and his/her perceptions of alternative courses of action. The most ethically sensitive salespeople were found to be more agreeable with both punitive and non-punitive types of remedial actions and less agreeable with a no-action alternative. The results also revealed a negative relationship between Machiavellianism and deontological norms.