Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Sales Profession as a Subculture: Implications for Ethical Decision Making

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Salespeople have long been considered unique employees. They tend to work apart from each other and experience little daily contact with supervisors and other organizational employees. Additionally, salespeople interact with customers in an increasingly complex and multifunctional environment. This provides numerous opportunities for unethical behavior which has been chronicled in the popular press as well as academic research. Much of the research in sales ethics has relied on conceptual foundations which focus on individual and organizational influencers on ethical decision making. While significant, contributors to this research suggest that alternative theoretical perspectives and methods of investigation should be utilized and call for more research on the status of professional selling as a whole. We answer this call by exploring an alternative and complementary perspective based on the theory of occupational choice, social learning, and work groups to gain insight on how the sales profession evolves as its own subculture that extends beyond individual and organizational boundaries. First, we discuss the characteristics of the sales profession and empirically examine the relationship between typical individual and organizational factors and sales professionals’ perceptions of ethical behavior. Second, we offer a theoretical explanation that our findings may be due to how salespeople choose and are socialized into the subculture of the sales profession. Third, we examine this theoretical perspective via qualitative in-depth interviews with experienced sales professionals. Results and implications are discussed in terms of a sales profession code of ethics and future research directions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Attia, A. M., & Honeycutt, E. D, Jr. (2012). Measuring sales training effectiveness at the behavior and results levels using self- and supervisor evaluations. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 30(3), 324–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bagozzi, R. P. (1980). Performance and satisfaction in an industrial salesforce: An examination of their antecedents and simultaneity. Journal of Marketing, 44(Spring), 65–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borkowski, S. C., & Ugras, Y. J. (1998). Business students and ethics: a meta-analysis. Journal of Business Ethics, 17(11), 1117–1127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casserly, M. (2012, September 25). The 10 best careers for wannabe entrepreneurs. Forbes.com.

  • Cayla, J., & Arnould, E. (2013). Ethnographic stories for market learning. Journal of Marketing, 77(July), 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chonko, L. B., & Hunt, S. (1985). Ethics and marketing management: An empirical examination. Journal of Business Research, 13(4), 339–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cicala, J. E., Bush, A. J., Sherrell, D. L., & Deitz, G. D. (2014). Does transparency influence the ethical behavior of salespeople? Journal of Business Research, 67(9), 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Craft, J. L. (2013). A review of the empirical ethical decision-making literature: 2004–2011. Journal of Business Ethics, 117, 221–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darmon, R. Y. (1998). A conceptual scheme and procedure for classifying sales positions. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 18(3), 31–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dixon, A. L., & Tanner, J. F. (2012). Transforming selling: why it is time to think differently about sales research. Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 32(1), 9–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dubinsky, A. J., Berkowitz, E. N., & Rudelius, W. (1980). Ethical problems of field sales personnel. MSU Business Topics (Summer), 11-16.

  • Dubinsky, A. J., & Gwin, J. M. (1981). Business ethics: Buyers and sellers. Journal of Purchasing and Materials Management, 17(4), 9–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dubinsky, A. J., Howell, R. D., Ingram, T. N., & Bellenger, D. N. (1986). Salesforce socialization. Journal of Marketing, 50(October), 192–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dubinsky, A. J., & Ingram, T. M. (1983). Important first-line sales management qualifications: What sales executives think. Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 3(1), 18–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Agency theory: An assessment and review. Academy of Management Review, 14(1), 57–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, K. R., McFarland, R. G., Dietz, B., & Jaramillo, F. (2012). Advancing sales performance research: a focus on five underresearched topic areas. Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 32(1), 89–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferrell, O. C., & Ferrell, L. (2011). The responsibility and accountability of CEOs: The last interview with Ken Lay. Journal of Business Ethics, 100(2), 209–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferrell, O. C., & Gresham, L. (1985). A contingency framework for understanding ethical decision-making in marketing. Journal of Marketing, 49(3), 87–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferrell, O. C., Johnston, M. W., & Ferrell, L. (2007). A framework for personal selling and sales management ethical decision making. Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 27(4), 291–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fogel, S., Hoffmeister, D., Rocco, R., & Strunk, D. P. (2012). Teaching sales. Harvard Business Review, 90(7/8), 94–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glesne, C. (1998). Becoming qualitative researchers. White Plains, NY: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goolsby, J. R., & Hunt, S. D. (1992). Cognitive moral development and marketing. Journal of Marketing, 56(January), 55–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham, J., Nosek, B. B., Haidt, J., Iyer, R., Koleva, S., & Ditto, P. H. (2011). Mapping the moral domain. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(2), 366–385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, J. D., & Riggle, R. J. (2009). Ethical salesperson behavior in sales relationships. Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 29(2), 151–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawes, J. M., Rich, A. K., & Widmier, S. M. (2004). Assessing the development of the sales profession. Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 24(1), 27–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmeister, D. C., & Rocco, R. A. (2012). 2011–2012 Sales effectiveness survey. Chicago: DePaul University, Center for Sales Leadership.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland, J. L. (1973). Making vocational choices. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Homburg, C., & Jensen, O. (2007). The thought worlds of marketing and sales: Which differences make a difference? Journal of Marketing, 71(July), 124–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Honeycutt, E. (2002). Sales management in the new millennium: An introduction. Industrial Marketing Management, 31(7), 555–558.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunt, S. D., & Vitell, S. J. (1986). A general theory of marketing ethics. Journal of Macromarketing, 6(Spring), 5–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jantan, M. A., Honeycutt, E. D, Jr, Thelen, S. T., & Attia, A. M. (2004). Managerial perceptions of sales training and performance. Industrial Marketing Management, 33(7), 667–673.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaptein, M. (2008). Developing and testing a measure for the ethical culture of organizations. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 29(7), 923–947.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kurland, N. B. (1996). Sales agents and clients: Ethics, incentives, and a modified theory of planned behavior. Human Relations, 49(1), 51–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lagace, R. R., Ingram, T. N., & Boorom, M. L. (1994). An exploratory study of buyers’ perceptions of salesperson unethical behavior: scale development and validation. In R. Achrol & A. Mitchell (eds.), Enhancing knowledge development in marketing, Proceedings of the American Marketing Association Conference (pp. 118–123). Chicago.

  • Lewis, P. V. (1985). Defining ‘business ethics’: Like nailing jello to a wall. Journal of Business Ethics, 4(10), 377–383.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loe, T. W., Ferrell, L., & Mansfield, P. (2000). A review of empirical studies assessing ethical decision making. Journal of Business Ethics, 25(3), 185–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcos-Cuevas, J., Critten, P., Squire, P., & Seakman, J. I. F. (2014). Enhancing the professional mindset of future sales professionals: Key insights from a master in sales transformation. Journal of Marketing Education, 36(2), 144–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, G. W., Moncrief, W. C., Rudd, J. M., & Lee, N. (2012). Revolution in sales: the impact of social media and related technology on the selling environment. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 32(2), 349–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McClaren, N. (2000). Ethics in personal selling and sales management: A review of the literature. Journal of Business Ethics, 27(3), 285–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • 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, 112(1), 101–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McClaren, N., Adam, S., & Vocino, A. (2010). Investigating socialization, work-related norms, and the ethical perceptions of marketing practitioners. Journal of Business Ethics, 96(1), 95–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mulki, J. P., Jaramillo, J. F., & Locander, W. B. (2009). Critical role of leadership on ethical climate and salesperson behaviors. Journal of Business Ethics, 86(2), 125–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, W. H. (2004). In pursuit of short-term goals: Anticipating the unintended consequences of using special incentives to motivate the sales force. Journal of Business Research, 57(11), 1265–1275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nauta, M. M. (2010). The development, evolution, and status of Holland’s theory of vocational personalities: Reflections and future directions for counseling psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57(1), 11–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Fallon, M. J., & Butterfield, K. D. (2012). The influence of unethical peer behavior on observers’ unethical behavior: A social cognitive perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 109, 117–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pettijohn, C., Pettijohn, L., & Taylor, A. J. (2008). Salesperson perceptions of ethical behaviors: Their influence on job satisfaction and turnover. Journal of Business Ethics, 78(4), 547–557.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramsey, R. P., Marshall, G. W., Johnston, M. W., & Deeter-Schmelz, D. R. (2007). Ethical ideologies and older consumer perceptions of unethical sales tactics. Journal of Business Ethics, 70(2), 191–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, S. L., & O’Leary-Kelly, A. M. (1998). Monkey see, monkey do: The influence of work groups on the antisocial behavior of employees. Academy of Management Journal, 41(6), 658–672.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Román, S., Ruiz, S., & Munuera, J. L. (2002). The effects of sales training on sales force activity. European Journal of Marketing, 36(11/12), 1344–1366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, W. T., & Robertson, D. C. (2003). A typology of situational factors: impact on salesperson decision-making. Journal of Business Ethics, 46(3), 213–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salancik, G. J., & Pfeffer, J. (1978). A social information processing approach to job attitudes and task design. Administrative Science Quarterly, 23, 224–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sales Education Foundation. (2015). www.salesfoundation.org.

  • Sales & Marketing Executives International. (2015). www.smei.org.

  • Schmitz, C., & Ganesan, S. (2014). Managing customer and organizational complexity in sales organizations. Journal of Marketing, 78(November), 59–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, B. (1975). Organizational climates: An essay. Personnel Psychology, 28, 447–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, B. (1987). The people make the place. Personnel Psychology, 40, 437–454.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, B., & Reichers, A. E. (1983). On the etiology of climates. Personnel Psychology, 36, 19–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwepker, C. H, Jr, & Good, D. J. (2004). Marketing control and sales force orientation. Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 24(3), 167–179.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwepker, C. H, Jr, & Ingram, T. N. (1996). Improving sales performance through ethics: The relationship between salesperson moral judgment and job performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 15(11), 1151–1160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Storbacka, K., Ryals, L., Davies, I. A., Nenonen, S., & Davies, I. A. (2009). The changing role of sales: viewing sales as a strategic cross-functional process. European Journal of Marketing, 43(7/8), 890–906.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel, H. (1981). Human groups and social categories. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trevino, L. K. (1986). Moral reasoning and business ethics: implications for research, education, and management. Journal of Business Ethics, 11(5/6), 445–459.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2010). Occupational outlook handbook. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/home.htm.

  • University Sales Center Alliance. (2015). www.universitysalescenteralliance.org.

  • Valentine, S. (2009). Ethics training, context, and sales and marketing professionals’ satisfaction with supervisors and coworkers. Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 29(3), 227–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valentine, S., & Fleischman, G. (2004). Ethics training and businesspersons’ perceptions of organizational ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 52(4), 391–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verbeke, W., Dietz, B., & Verwall, E. (2011). Drivers of sales performance: a contemporary meta-analysis. Have salespeople become knowledge brokers? Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39(3), 407–428.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, O. C., Churchill, G. A., & Ford, N. M. (1975). Organizational determinants of the industrial salesman’s role conflict and ambiguity. Journal of Marketing, 39(January), 32–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wax, Ken. (2012). Salespeople are different—And so are companies, www.trainingmag.com.

  • Weaver, G. R., Trevino, L. K., & Cochran, P. L. (1999). Corporate ethics programs as control systems: Influences of executive commitment and environmental factors. Academy of Management Journal, 42(1), 41–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wotruba, T. R. (1990). A comprehensive framework for the analysis of ethical behavior, with a focus on sales organizations. Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 10(2), 29–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R. K. (1994). Case study research: Design and methods (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business, University of Mississippi, University, MS, 38677, USA

    Victoria Bush

  2. Fogelman College of Business and Economics, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 38152, USA

    Alan J. Bush

  3. California Polytechnic University, Pamona, 3801 W. Temple Av., Pamona, CA, 91768, USA

    Jared Oakley

  4. Department of Management, Marketing, & Information Systems, College of Business Administration, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, TX, 78363, USA

    John E. Cicala

Authors
  1. Victoria Bush
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alan J. Bush
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jared Oakley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. John E. Cicala
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Victoria Bush.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bush, V., Bush, A.J., Oakley, J. et al. The Sales Profession as a Subculture: Implications for Ethical Decision Making. J Bus Ethics 142, 549–565 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2753-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2753-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation