Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Understanding Salespeople's Intention to Behave Unethically: The Effects of Perceived Competitive Intensity, Cognitive Moral Development and Moral Judgment

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

Abstract

Three factors considered to potentially influence salespeople's intentions to behave unethically are empirically examined. Although moral judgment is commonly considered a precursor to moral intentions, the effects of cognitive moral development and perceived competitive intensity on moral intentions are not well understood. Results suggest that all three factors influence salespeople's intention to behave unethically. Implications and directions for future research are provided.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ajzen, I. and M. Fishbein: 1980, Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior (Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ).

    Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong, J. S. and T. S. Overton: 1977, 'Estimating Nonresponse Bias in Mail Surveys', Journal of Marketing Research 14, 396–402.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bartels, R.: 1967, 'A Model for Ethics in Marketing', Journal of Marketing 31, 20–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bingham, F. G. and P. Dion: 1991, 'Are Buyers Misled by Their Perceptions of Salespeople: An Empirical Investigation', The Journal of Marketing Management 1, 43–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blasi, A.: 1980, 'Bridging Moral Cognition and Moral Action: A Critical Review of the Literature', Psychological Bulletin 88, 1–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bommer, M., C. Gratto, J. Gravander and M. Tuttle: 1987, 'A Behavioral Model of Ethical and Unethical Decision Making', Journal of Business Ethics 6, 265–280.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J., L. Pant and D. Sharp: 1993, 'A Validation and Extension of a Multidimensional Ethics Scale', Journal of Business Ethics 12, 13–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cronbach, L. J.: 1951, 'Coefficient Alpha and Internal Structure of Tests', Psychometrika 16, 297–334.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davison, M. L. and S. Robbins: 1978, 'The Reliability and Validity of Objective Indices of Moral Development', Applied Psychological Measurement 2, 391–402.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dayton, E.: 1979, 'Utility Maximizers and Cooperative Undertakings', Ethics, 13–41.

  • Dubinsky, A. J. and T. N. Ingram: 1984, 'Correlates of Salespeople's Ethical Conflict: An Exploratory Investigation', Journal of Business Ethics 3, 343–353.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dubinsky, A. J. and B. Loken: 1989, 'Analyzing Ethical Decision Making in Marketing', Journal of Business Research 19, 83–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrell, O. C., L. G. Gresham and J. Fraedrich: 1989, 'A Synthesis of Ethical Decision Models for Marketing', Journal of Macromarketing 9, 55–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrell, O. C. and S. J. Skinner: 1988, 'Ethical Behavior and Bureaucratic Structure in Marketing Research Organizations', Journal of Marketing Research 25, 103–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrell, O. C. and L. G. Gresham: 1985, 'A Contingency Framework for Understanding Ethical Decision Making', Journal of Marketing 49, 87–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraedrich, J., D. M. Thorne and O. C. Ferrell: 1994, 'Assessing the Application of Cognitive Moral Development Theory to Business Ethics', Journal of Business Ethics 13, 829–838.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frazier, G. L. and R. C. Rody: 1991, 'The Use of Influence Strategies in Interfirm Relationships in Industrial Product Channels', Journal of Marketing 55, 52–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs, J. and K. Widaman: 1982, Social Intelligence: Measuring the Development of Sociomoral Reflection (Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ)

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldman, S. A. and J. Arbuthnot: 1979, 'Teaching Medical Ethics: The Cognitive-Developmental Approach', Journal of Medical Ethics 5, 170–181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goolsby, J. R. and S. D. Hunt: 1992, 'Cognitive Moral Development and Marketing', Journal of Marketing 56, 55–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gundlach, G. T. and P. E. Murphy: 1993, 'Ethical and Legal Foundations of Relational Marketing Exchanges', Journal of Marketing 57, 35–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, R. S.: 1992, 'A Multidimensional Scale for Measuring Business Ethics: A Purification and Refinement', Journal of Business Ethics 11, 523–534.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawes, J. M., K. E. Mast and J. E. Swan: 1989, 'Trust-Earning Perceptions of Sellers and Buyers', Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management 9, 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hegarty, W. H. and H. P. Sims, Jr.: 1978, 'Some Determinants of Unethical Decision Behavior: An Experiment', Journal of Applied Psychology 63, 451–457.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hosmer, L. T.: 1985, 'Moral Standards for Strategic Decisions: The Philosophical Tool', in W. D. Guth (ed.), Handbook of Business Strategy (1985/1986 Yearbook) (Warren, Gorham, & Lamont, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunt, S. D. and S. Vitell: 1986, 'A General Theory of Marketing Ethics', Journal of Macromarketing 6, 5–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, L., A. Taylor and J. Burton: 1981, 'A Factroial Study of the Moral Content Components Test', Educational and Psychological Measurement 14, 613–624.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, T. M.: 1991, 'Ethical Decision Making by Individuals in Organizations: An Issue-Contingent Model', Academy of Management Review 16, 366–395.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joreskog, K. G.: 1979, 'Basic Ideas of Factor and Component Analysis', in K. G. Joreskog and D. Sorbom (ed.), Advances in Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Models (Abt Books, Cambridge, MA), pp. 5–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohlberg, L.: 1969, 'Stage and Sequence: The Cognitive-Developmental Approach to Socialization', in D. A. Goslin (ed.), Handbook of Socialization Theory and Research (Rand McNally, Chicago, IL), pp. 347–480.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, R. M. and S. D. Hunt: 1994, 'The Commitment-Trust Theory of Relationship Marketing', Journal of Marketing 58, 20–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nunnally, J. C.: 1978, Psychometric Theory (McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, NY).

    Google Scholar 

  • Penn, W. Y. and B. D. Collier: 1985, 'Current Research in Moral Development as a Decision Support System', Journal of Business Ethics 4, 131–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Randall, D. M. and M. F. Fernandes: 1991, 'The Social Desirability Response Bias in Ethics Research', Journal of Business Ethics 10, 805–817.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reidenbach, R. E., D. P. Robin and L. Dawson: 1991, 'An Application and Extension of a Multidimensional Ethics Scale to Selected Marketing Practices', Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 19, 83–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reidenbach, R. E. and D. P. Robin: 1990, 'Toward the Development of a Multidimensional Scale for Improving Evaluations of Business Ethics', Journal of Business Ethics 9, 639–653.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reidenbach, R. E. and D. P. Robin: 1988, 'Some Initial Steps Toward Improving the Measurement of Ethical Evaluations of Marketing Activities', Journal of Business Ethics 7, 871–879.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rest, J. R.: 1986a, DIT: Manual for the Defining Issues Test (University of Minnesota Center for the Study of Ethical Development, Minneapolis, MN).

    Google Scholar 

  • Rest, J. R.: 1986b, Moral Development: Advances in Research and Theory (Praeger Publishers, New York, NY).

    Google Scholar 

  • Rokeach, M. J.: 1968, 'The Role of Values in Public Opinion Research', Public Opinion Quarterly 32, 547–559.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rummell, R. J.: 1967, 'Understanding Factor Analysis', Journal of Conflict Resolution 11, 444–480.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schonemann, P. H.: 1970, 'On Metric Multidimensional Unfolding', Psychometrika 35, 349–366.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skipper, R. and M. R. Hyman: 1993, 'On Measuring Ethical Judgments', Journal of Business Ethics 12, 535–545.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snarey, J.: 1985, 'Cross-Cultural Universality of Social-Moral Development: A Critical Review of the Kohlbergian Research', Psychological Bulletin 97, 202–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trevino, L. K.: 1986, 'Ethical Decision Making in Organizations: A Person-Situation Interactionist Model', Academy of Management Review 11, 601–617.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verbeke, W., C. Ouwerkerk and E. Peelen: 1996, 'Exploring the Contextual and Individual Factors on Ethical Decision Making of Salespeople', Journal of Business Ethics 15, 1175–1187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vinson, D. E. and J. M. Munson: 1976, 'Personal Values: An Approach to Market Segmentation', in K. L. Bernhardt (ed.), Marketing: 1776-1976 and Beyond (American Marketing Association, Chicago, IL), pp. 313–317.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vroom, V. H.: 1964, Work and Motivation (John Wiley and Sons, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Webster, F. E.: 1992, 'The Changing Role of Marketing in The Corporation', Journal of Marketing 56, 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weeks, W. A. and J. Nantel: 1992, 'Corporate Codes of Ethics and Sales Force Behavior: A Case Study', Journal of Business Ethics 11, 753–760.

    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 & Sales Management 10, 29–42.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marketing and Legal Studies, College of Business and Economics, Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg, MO, 64093, U.S.A.; E-mail

    Charles H. Schwepker Jr.

Authors
  1. Charles H. Schwepker Jr.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Schwepker, C.H. Understanding Salespeople's Intention to Behave Unethically: The Effects of Perceived Competitive Intensity, Cognitive Moral Development and Moral Judgment. Journal of Business Ethics 21, 303–316 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005950108509

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005950108509

Keywords

Search

Navigation