Moral Intensity, Issue Characteristics, and Ethical Issue Recognition in Sales Situations

Evelyne Rousselet (evelyne.rousselet@univ-eiffel.fr), Bérangère Brial (berangere.brial@univ-eiffel.fr), Romain Cadario (romain.cadario@dauphine.fr) and Amina Béji-Bécheur (amina.becheur@univ-eiffel.fr)
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Evelyne Rousselet: IRG - Institut de Recherche en Gestion - UPEM - Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée - UPEC UP12 - Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12
Bérangère Brial: IRG - Institut de Recherche en Gestion - UPEM - Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée - UPEC UP12 - Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12
Romain Cadario: DRM - Dauphine Recherches en Management - Université Paris Dauphine-PSL - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, LEM - Lille économie management - UMR 9221 - UA - Université d'Artois - UCL - Université catholique de Lille - Université de Lille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Amina Béji-Bécheur: IRG - Institut de Recherche en Gestion - UPEM - Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée - UPEC UP12 - Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12

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Abstract: Researchers have considered individual and organizational factors of ethical decision making. However, they have little interest in situational factors (McClaren, Journal of Business Ethics 112(1):101–125, 2013) which is surprising given the many situations sales persons face. We address this issue using two pilot qualitative studies successively and a 2 by 2 within-subject experiment with sales scenarios. Qualitative and quantitative data are obtained from front-line employees of the main French retail banks that serve low-income customers. We show that the recognition of an ethical issue differs depending on the role behavior salespersons are engaged in and the nature of the conflict of interest they face. Moreover, the combined effect of these two situational characteristics is mediated by moral intensity. This study not only adds evidence on situational factors affecting ethical decision but also extends empirical research on sales ethics by revealing sales situations that are not considered in the empirical literature. The research implications of the findings are discussed along with the study's limitations and suggestions for future research.

Date: 2018-10-22
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Published in Journal of Business Ethics, 2018, 163, pp.347-363. ⟨10.1007/s10551-018-4020-1⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01914773

DOI: 10.1007/s10551-018-4020-1

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