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Journal of Business Ethics

Erschienen in:

22.10.2018 | Original Paper

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

verfasst von: Evelyne Rousselet, Bérangère Brial, Romain Cadario, Amina Béji-Bécheur

Erschienen in: Journal of Business Ethics | Ausgabe 2/2020

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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.

Vorheriger Artikel Orientation Toward Key Non-family Stakeholders and Economic Performance in Family Firms: The Role of Family Identification with the Firm

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Source the website of the Ministry of Economic and Financial Affaires: https://www.economie.gouv.fr/installation-de-l-observatoire-de-linclusion-bancaire.

Following Poujol et al. (2016), we use the term “bank salesperson” rather than “bank front-line employee,” although both are equivalent in the French context.

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Titel: Moral Intensity, Issue Characteristics, and Ethical Issue Recognition in Sales Situations
verfasst von: Evelyne Rousselet
Bérangère Brial
Romain Cadario
Amina Béji-Bécheur
Publikationsdatum: 22.10.2018
Verlag: Springer Netherlands
Erschienen in: Journal of Business Ethics / Ausgabe 2/2020
Print ISSN: 0167-4544
Elektronische ISSN: 1573-0697
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-4020-1

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