‘Sales ethics is an oxymoron’

Ethics is a very important and influential factor in interpersonal relationships which involve persuasion and leadership. When one has to rely and relies on the integrity and objectivity of the other person, ethics become all the more important. The correctness and incorrectness of intentions and behaviours in dealing with others, when they are encompassed with morality, are called Ethics (Boldrin and Levine 2008). According to Katalin (2005), ethical conduct involves a person observing established and accepted principles of morality of his /her own profession. Ethics provides the rationale for deciding what is right or wrong in given circumstances. Ethical standards in a society form the basis on which the ethical standards of a profession are built. Sales profession of organisations is no exception to this rule. But growing competition among business organizations and industrial houses prompt them to resort to marketing and selling strategies, which many times appear unethical. It appears that organizations resort to any practice that props up their sales (Dobson, 1997). Even established organizations are falling prey to such temptations. Misleading advertisement about non-existing features in product, wrong assurances on quality and alluring and tempting promises on characteristics like durability have become commonly accepted norms of marketing strategies. Not surprisingly the consumers have reached a stage where they are forced to believe, rather decisively that sales ethics is an oxymoron (Hair et al.2009). An ‘oxymoron’ is a combination of oppositely meaning words in literature. For example ‘honest thief’ is an oxymoron. When ‘sales ethics’ are dubbed as oxymoron, it is quite evident that sales are perceived to be devoid of any ethics (Duska 2007). This article attempts