Ethics in Sales Management, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Research in ethics in sales management has been an ongoing endeavor resulting to a wide diversity of findings as well as opinions attributed to available literature. At any one time, everybody must have been enticed to purchase an item against his or her wish and intention. Salesmanship is a profession that has attracted significant criticism due to the unethical dimension that has been attributed to the practice. The implication of ethics is a set of standards as well as rules that serves as a guide for the conduct of an individual or members in a given organization (Ingram, LaForge,  Schwepker & Charles, 2007). Ethics also engrosses to a belief system of an individual and comprises knowledge of wrong and right. This paper posits to shed light on ethics in sales management and its contribution in enhancing performance of sales personnel in the organization.

Theoretical framework

Different scholars have made significant contributions in the field of ethics in sales management leading to vital information concerning the issue. McClaren, (2013) has documented that, tthics in sales management plays a very significant role in sales and it is indispensable pace setter for integrity of the behavior of salespeople in an organization. Ethics in sales management is guided by a Code of Ethics that has the implication of a set of pertinent responsibilities, behaviors as well as actions that are predictable from the sales management team in the organizations (McClaren, 2013). Ethics in sales management is at times anticipated to extend beyond concerns of socially responsible consequently offering the needed assistance to the organization sales management representatives concerning the unsurpassed course of action in situations that appear extraordinary.

According to Schweppes, Charles & Good, (2007), it is recommended that, the sales management department in an organization acquire the relevant knowledge concerning the policies allied to ethics in sales management so that they can align the goals and the objectives of the organization with the policies of the marketing department of the organization (Schweppes, Charles & Good, 2007). The sales managers must also align the ethics in sales management policies to international law, the social customs, standards as well as other laws that exist in the organization.

Ferrell, Johnston, Mark & Ferrell, (2007) suggested that, ethics in sales management plays a critical role in sales and therefore, it is an indispensable feature in the integrity of behavior of the salesperson. Ethics in sales management is closely related to social responsibility which exemplifies the ethical behavior and it is regarded as a concern of an individual or the entire institution due to the gravity of the consequences of the actions of the salesperson. This has potential implications on the interests of other stakeholders (Ferrell, Johnston, Mark & Ferrell, 2007).

The management team in any organization is fully accountable for an ethical as well as an unethical conduct that may be attributed to the salesperson in that organization. The sales manager is confronted with some ethical issues comprising of ethical dilemmas that are associated with the salespersons coupled with ethical aspects concerning decisions made with regard to employment as well as appraisal of the salespersons.

Conducting business with ethics plays a critical role in the determination of the right approaches to resolving dilemmas that are allied to moral consequences. Salespersons must encounter such ethical dilemmas in their daily duties and therefore they are obligated to protect the vulnerabilities of the customers against potential exploitation (Ferrell, Johnston, Mark & Ferrell, 2007).  In an organization, the role of the salespeople is associated with boundary spanners as their duties revolve within the boundary between clients and the business. Therefore, the consequences of their actions are critical because they are the conduit of the business output to the client. This situation therefore warrants an ethical for the salespersons as they perform their duties that are attributed to treating the client, the organization or both fairly (Ingram, LaForge,  Schwepker & Charles, 2007). A code of ethics therefore must be applied in the situations of sales management in the organization. This involves an expression of appropriate values intrinsic to the organization through a conduct of behavior that are congruent to the values of the organization.

Ethics in any business is associated with an integral role by ensuring that the business achieves the set objectives as well as goals. It is the responsibility of members of the working fraternity of rank in the organization to ensure that good ethical standards are maintained at the place of work for the business to function at its peak (Ingram, LaForge, Schwepker & Charles, 2007).  A work ethic involves some laid down moral principles that are anticipated to serve as a guide to the employee during accomplishment of roles and duties as assigned in the organization. The sales management team in the organization has the unduly obligation of comprehending the ethical factors as enshrined in the docket of ethics.

Discussion and Findings

Ethics at work is a key issue that governs the integrity of the employee. Integrity involves an elementary component of ethics that is responsible for enhancing a culture of trust among cuctomers in the business, coworkers as well as supervisors. Integrity is also responsible for promoting honesty as well as high moral standards among the employees in a workplace. Promotion of ethics in sales management is a pace setter to a sturdy sense of responsibility that technically encroach on the amount and quality of work undertaken on a stipulated timeframe. When the element of responsibility is intrinsically entrenched in business workforce the employees are unleashed the burden that is commonly associated with high echelons of physical supervision coupled with a culture of self supervision. Attributing sufficient emphasis to quality is a vivacious ethical component that facilitates a proper execution of roles and responsibilities of workers in a given timeframe in a manner that is promotional its worthiness. In the absence of quality in the organization, the employees tend to perform their duties just for the sake of keeping their jobs which sooner or later degrades the quality of products or services at the cost of the business.

Recommendations

Ethics in sales management facilitates for a sound criteria that enhances arriving at moral judgments. Sales managers must have some form of ethical philosophy and idealism that is relevant in judging the actions against a pertinent and universal standard guiding principle. Creation of ethical climate is a critical consideration in ethics among sales management in an organization. The critical aspect of ethical climate is the perception of a working environment based on a moral dimension. In this respect, four dimensions associated with an ethical climate are worth consideration.

• Policies and rules
• Trust and responsibility
• Peer behavior
• Bottom-line sales orientation.

An organizations sales management has the responsibility of promoting a highly constructive ethical climate through putting emphasis on four outcomes in the workplace which include the following:

• A knowledge and understanding of ethics by the employees
• Evaluation of the ethical climate by the management which is applicable in the diagnosis of probable problems
• The role of managers in leading through role models
• The application of ethical checklist by the managers to evade poor decision making in situations of ethical dilemma.

Conclusion

As an important part of ethics in sales management, promotion of sound ethical behavior for the sales force in an organization is a significant accomplishment. Sales managers must take proactive measures in educating professional sales personnel prior to dispatching them to their respective fields. Although training in ethics has not been considered as an issue of priority in many organizations, possession of sturdy ethical values in the organization demands much emphasis on ethical training. Majority of the salespeople believe that they have all needed knowledge of rights and wrongs but their ethical sensitivity must be enhanced through training thus increasing further their awareness of ethics.

The creation of a constructive, healthy as well as ethical environment at the workplace must be initiated by the top management. The sales manager has the obligation of treating the juniors fairly and honestly which subsequently translates to the way the juniors address the customers. The starting point involves knowledge coupled with practice of code of ethics by the top managers in the organization, therefore enticing the junior workers to follow suit.

References

Ferrell, O. C., Johnston, Mark, W. & Ferrell, L., (2007).  A framework for personal selling and sales management ethical decision making.  Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. Vol. 27 Issue 4, p291-299. 9p. 1.

Ingram, T. N., LaForge, R. W., Schwepker, Jr. & Charles, H., (2007). Salesperson ethical decision making: the impact of sales leadership and sales management control strategy. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. Vol. 27 Issue 4, p301-315. 15p.

McClaren, N., (2013). The Personal Selling and Sales Management Ethics Research: Managerial Implications and Research Directions from a Comprehensive Review of the Empirical Literature. Journal of Business Ethics. Vol. 112 Issue 1, p101-125. 25p. 1 Diagram, 1 Chart. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1235-4.

Schwepker, Jr., Charles, H. & Good, D.J., (2007). Sales management’s influence on employment and training in developing an ethical sales force. Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management. Vol. 27 Issue 4, p325-339. 15p.