Skip to main content
Log in

The Impact of Service Supplier’s Unethical Behavior to Buyer’s Satisfaction: An Empirical Study

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

Abstract

In today’s marketing conditions, it becomes really vital for companies to establish an appropriate relationship with suppliers and salesperson based on ethical values in order to survive. Besides, ensuring an effective relationship between the parties would contribute to increase buyer satisfaction along with economic and social satisfaction. In this study, the direct effects of suppliers’ and salespersons’ unethical behaviors on buyer satisfaction, and the moderator effect of communication between buyer–supplier relationships are examined. The results of the study have revealed that unethical behaviors of suppliers and salesperson affect buyer satisfaction negatively and the communication variable has moderately affected. The results are providing important advantages for buyers who want to improve the relationships between the suppliers and their salesperson for pharmaceutical enterprises.

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

Access this article

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Badenhorst, J. A. (1994). Unethical behavior in procurement: A perspective on causes and solutions. Journal of Business Ethics, 13(9), 739–745.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, H., & Fritzsche, D. J. (1987). Business ethics: A cross-cultural comparison of managers’ attitudes. Journal of Business Ethics, 6(4), 289–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowman, J. S. (1976). Managerial ethics in business and government. Business Horizons, 19(5), 48–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, A. B. (1975). Managerial ethics: A post-watergate review. Business Horizons, 18(2), 75–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carter, C. R. (2000a). Precursors of unethical behavior in global supplier management. The Journal of Supply Chain Management, 36(Winter), 45–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carter, C. R. (2000b). Ethical issues in international buyer–supplier relationships: A dyadic examination. Journal of Operations Management, 18, 191–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chugh, D., Bazerman, M. H., & Banalji, M. R. (2005). Bounded ethicality as a psychological barrier to recognizing conflicts of interest. Harvard Business School, 1–34.

  • Donaldson, T., & Preston, L. E. (1995). The stakeholder theory of the corporation: Concepts, evidence, and implications. Academy of Management Review, 20(1), 65–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duerden, J. (1995). Walking the walk’ on global ethics. Directors and Boards, 19(3), 42–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaski, J. F., & Nevin, J. R. (1985). The differential effects of exercised and unexercised power sources in a marketing channel. Journal of Marketing Research, 22(2), 130–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geyskens, I., & Steenkamp, J.-B. E. M. (2000). Economic and social satisfaction: Measurement and relevance to marketing channel relationships. Journal of Retailing, 76(1), 11–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geyskens, I., Steenkamp, J.-B. E. M., & Kumar, N. (1999). A meta-analysis of satisfaction in marketing channel relationships. Journal of Marketing Research, 36(2), 223–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gino, F., Moore, D. A., & Bazerman, M. H. (2008). See no evil: When we overlook other people’s unethical behavior. Tepper Business School, Harvard Business School, Working Paper, pp. 1–29.

  • Hair, J. F., Jr., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E., & Tatham, R. L. (2006). Multivariate data analysis (6th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, J. A., Eckerd, S., Wilson, D., & Greer, B. (2009). The effect of unethical behavior on trust in a buyer–supplier relationship: The mediating role of psychological contract violation. Journal of Operations Management, 27, 281–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, J., Kim, M., & Kveampully, J. (2009). Buying environment characteristics in the context of E-service. European Journal of Marketing, 43(9), 1188–1204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laczniak, G. R., Berkowitz, M. W., Brooker, R. G., & Hale, J. P. (1995). The ethics of business: Improving or deteriorating? Business Horizons, 38(1), 39–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lagace, R. R., Dahlstrom, R., & Gassenheimer, J. B. (1991). The relevance of ethical salesperson behavior on relationship quality: The pharmaceutical industry. The Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 11(4), 39–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levy, M., & Dubinsky, A. J. (1983). Identifying and addressing retail salespeople’s ethical problems: A method and application. Journal of Retailing, 59(1), 46–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewicki, R. J., & Robinson, R. J. (1998). Ethical and unethical bargaining tactics: An empirical study. Journal of Business Ethics, 17(6), 665–682.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manning, L., Baines, R. N., & Chadd, S. A. (2006). Ethical modelling of the food supply chain. British Food Journal, 108(5), 358–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marchetti, M. (1997). Whatever it takes. Sales and Marketing Management, 149(13), 28–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGuire, J. B., Sungren, A., & Schneeweis, T. (1988). Corporate social responsibility and firm financial performance. Academy of Management Journal, 31(4), 854–872.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Messick, D. M. (1996). Why ethics is not the only thing that matters. Business Ethics Quarterly, 6(2), 223–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Messick, D. M., & Bazerman, M. H. (1996). Ethical leadership and the psychology of decision making. Sloan Management Review, 37(2), 9–22.

    Google Scholar 

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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, P. E. (1989). Creating ethical corporate structures. Sloan Management Review, 30(2), 81–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.

  • Patterson, P. G., Mandhachitara, A. R., & Smith, T. (2001). Switching costs as a moderator of service satisfaction processes in Thailand. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 14(1), 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quinn, D. P., & Jones, T. M. (1995). An agent morality view of business policy. Academy of Management Review, 20(1), 22–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramaseshan, B., Yip, S. C. L., & Pae, J. H. (2006). Power, satisfaction, and relationship commitment in Chinese store–tenant relationship and their impact on performance. Journal of Retailing, 82(1), 63–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenbaum, M. S., & Kuntze, R. (2003). The relationship between anomie and unethical retail disposition. Psychology & Marketing, 20(12), 1067–1093.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sabharwal, N., Soch, H., & Kaur, H. (2010). Are we satisfied with incompetent services? A scale development approach for service recovery. Journal of Services Research, 10(1), 125–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlegelmilch, B. B., & Robertson, D. C. (1995). The influence of country and industry on ethical perceptions of senior executives in the United States and Europe. Journal of International Business Studies, 26(4), 859–881.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schweitzer, M. E., Ordonez, L., & Douma, B. (2004). Goal setting as a motivator of unethical behavior. Academy of Management Journal, 47(3), 422–432.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, H. A. (1983). Reason in human affairs. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trice, H. M., & Beyer, J. M. (1984). Studying organizational cultures through rites and ceremonials. Academy of Management Review, 9(4), 652–659.

    Google Scholar 

  • 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 

  • Yu, J., & Cooper, H. (1983). A quantitative review of research design effects on response rates to questionnaires. Journal of Marketing Research, 10, 36–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tuba Sert.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kaynak, R., Sert, T. The Impact of Service Supplier’s Unethical Behavior to Buyer’s Satisfaction: An Empirical Study. J Bus Ethics 109, 219–226 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1121-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1121-5

Keywords

Navigation