The effect of perceived ethical climate on the search for sales force excellence

Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management

Volumn 24, Issue 3, 2004, Pages 199-214

  Weeks, William A ^a   Loe, Terry W ^b   Chonko, Lawrence B ^c   Wakefield, Kirk ^d  

^a BAYLOR UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS   (United States)

^c UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON   (United States)

^d BAYLOR UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 17244372834     PISSN: 08853134     EISSN: 15577813     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/08853134.2004.10749031     Document Type: Article

References (116)

1. Ahmed, Irfan, and A. Parsuraman (1994), “Environmental and Positional Antecedents of Management Commitment to Service Quality: A Conceptual Framework,” in Advances in Services Marketing and Management, vol. 3, Teresa A. Swartz, David E. Bowen, and Stephen W. Brown, eds., Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 69-93.
2. Aquino, Karl (1998), “The Effects of Ethical Climate on the Availability of Alternatives on the Use of Deception During Negotiation,” International Journal of Conflict Management, 9 (July), 215-217.
3. Babakus, Emin, and Gregory W. Boller (1992), “An Empirical Assessment of the ‘SERVQUAL’ Scale,” Journal of Business Research, 24 (3), 253-268.
4. Babin, Barry J., James S. Boles, and Donald P. Robin (2000), “Representing the Perceived Ethical Work Climate Among Marketing Employees,” Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, 28 (3), 345-358.
5. Barnett, Ted, and Cherly Vaicys (2000), “The Moderating Effect of Individuals’ Ethical Work Climate and Ethical Judgments and Behavioral Intentions,” Journal ofBusiness Ethics, 27, 4 (October), 351-362.
6. Bashaw, R.E., and E.S. Grant (1994), “Exploring the Distinctive Nature of Work Commitments: Their Relationships with Personal Characteristics, Job Performance and Propensity to Leave.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 14, 2 (Spring), 41-56.
7. Bass, Ken, Tim Barnett, and Gene Brown (1998), “The Moral Philosophy of Sales Managers on Its Influence on Ethical Decision Making,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 18, 2 (Spring), 1-17.
8. Behraman, Douglas N., and William D. Perreault, Jr. (1982), “Measuring the Performance of Industrial Salespeople,” Journal ofBusiness Research, 10, 3 (September), 335-370.
9. Behraman, Douglas N., and William D. Perreault, Jr. (1984), “A Role Stress Model of the Performance and Satisfaction of Industrial Salespersons,” Journal of Marketing, 48 (Fall): 9-21.
10. Bellizzi, Joseph, and Ronald W. Hasty (2001), “The Effects of a Stated Organizational Policy on Inconsistent Disciplinary Action Based On Salesperson Gender and Weight,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 21, 3 (Summer), 189-199.
11. Berry, Leonard L., and A. Parsuraman (1997), “Listening to the Customer-The Concept of a Service-Quality Information System,” Sloan Management Review, 38 (Spring): 65-76.
12. Berry, Leonard L., and A. Parsuraman, Valarie Zeithaml, and Dennis Adsit (1994), “Improving Service Quality in America: Lessons Learned,” Academy of Management Executive, 8 (May): 32-52.
13. Boling, T.E. (1978), “The Management Ethics ‘Crisis’: An Organizational Perspective,” Academy of Management Review, 3, 2 (April), 360-365.
14. Bruce, Willa (1990), Problem Employee Management. Westport, CT: Quorum.
15. Bruce, Willa (1994), “Ethical People Are Productive People,” Public Production and Management Review, 17 (3), 241-252.
16. Capell, Kerry, Gail Edmondson, and David Fairlamb (2003), “Opening Up the Boardroom: Ahold. Marconi. Vivendi. Will Scandals Force Companies to Clean Up Their Act?” Business Week (May 19), 50.
17. Carman, James M. (1990), “Consumer Perceptions of Service Quality: An Assessment of the SERVQUAL Dimensions,” Journal of Retailing, 66 (1), 33-55.
18. Chonko, Lawrence B. (1995), “Decision Making When Ethical Considerations Are Involved,” in Ethical Decision Making in Marketing, Lawrence B. Chonko, ed., Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 62-92.
19. Chonko, Lawrence B., and Shelby D. Hunt (1985), “Ethics and Marketing Management: An Empirical Examination,” Journal ofBusiness Research, 13 (August), 339-359.
20. Chonko, Lawrence B. John F. Tanner, and William A. Weeks (1993), “Sales Training: Status and Needs,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 13, 4 (Fall), 81-86.
21. Chonko, Lawrence B., Thomas R. Wotruba, and Terry W. Loe (2002), “Direct Selling Ethics at the Top: An Industry Audit and Status Report,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 22, 2 (Spring), 87-96.
22. Chonko, Lawrence B., Terry W. Loe, James A. Roberts, and John F. Tanner (2000), “Sales Performance: Timing and Type of Measurement Make a Difference,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 20, 1 (Winter), 23-36.
23. Churchill, Gilbert A., Jr., Neil M. Ford, and Orville C. Walker, Jr. (1974), “Measuring the Job Satisfaction of Industrial Salesmen.” Journal of Marketing Research, 11 (August), 254-260.
24. Churchill, Gilbert A., Jr., Neil M. Ford, and Orville C. Walker, Jr., Steven W. Hartley, and Orville C. Walker, Jr. (1985), “The Determinants of Salesperson Performance: A Meta-Analysis,” Journal of Marketing Research, 22 (May), 103-118.
25. Churchill, Gilbert A., Jr., Neil M. Ford, and Orville C. Walker, Jr., Orville C. Walker, Jr., Mark W. Johnston, and John F. Tanner, Jr. (2000), Sales Force Management, 6th Edition, Burr Ridge, IL: Irwin McGraw-Hill.
26. Clark, Margaret M. (2003), “Corporate Ethics Programs Make a Difference, But Not the Only Difference,” Human Resource Magazine, 48 (July), 36.
27. Cronin, Joseph J., Jr., and Steven A. Taylor (1992), “Measuring Service Quality: A Reexamination and Extension,” Journal of Marketing, 56 (July): 55-68.
28. Cullen, John B., and B. Victor (1993), “The Effects of Ethical Climates on Organizational Commitment: A Multilevel Analysis,” Washington State University, Pullman.
29. Cullen, John B., and B. Victor, Praveen Parboteeah, and Bart Victor (2003), “The Effects of Ethical Climates on Organizational commitment: A Two-Study Analysis,” Journal of Business Ethics, 46 (2), 127-141.
30. Deshpande, Satish P, Jacob Joseph, and Vasily V. Maximov (2000), “Perceptions of Proper Ethical Conduct of Male and Female Russian Managers,” Journal of Business Ethics, 24 (2), 179-183.
31. Dubinsky, Alan J., and S.W. Hartley (1986), “Antecedents of Retail Salesperson Performance: A Path-Analytic Perspective.” Journal of Business Research, 14 (June): 253-268.
32. Dubinsky, Alan J., and S.W. Hartley, M.A. Jolson, R.E. Michaels, M. Kotabe, and C.U. Lim (1992), “Ethical Perceptions of Field Sales Personnel: An Empirical Assessment.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 12, 4 (Fall), 9-21.
33. Ergeneli, Azize, and Semra Arikan (2002), “Gender Differences in Ethical Perceptions of Salespeople: An Empirical Examination in Turkey,” Journal of Business Ethics, 40 (3), 247-260.
34. Ferrell, O.C., and L.G. Gresham (1985), “A Contingency Framework for Understanding Ethical Decision Making in Marketing,” Journal of Marketing, 49 (Summer), 87-96.
35. Ferrell, O.C., and L.G. Gresham, and S.J. Skinner (1988), “Ethical Behavior and Bureaucratic Structure in Marketing Research Organizations,” Journal of Marketing Research, 25 (February), 103-109.
36. Ferrell, O.C., and L.G. Gresham, L.G. Gresham, and J. Fraedrich (1989), “A Synthesis of Ethical Decision Models for Marketing,” Journal of Macro Marketing, 9 (Fall): 55-64.
37. Flynn, B.B., R.G. Schroeder, and S. Sakakibara (1994), “A Framework for Quality Management Research and an Associated Measurement Instrument,” Journal of Operations Management, 11, 4 (March), 339-367.
38. Fritzche, David J. (2000), “Ethical Climates and the Ethical Dimension of Decision Making,” Journal of Business Ethics, 24, 2 (March), 125-140.
39. Garvin, D.A. (1991), “How the Baldridge Award Really Works,” Harvard Business Review, 69 (November-December), 80-93.
40. George, William R. (1990), “Internal Marketing and Organizational Behavior: A Partnership in Developing CustomerConscious Employees at Every Level,” Journal of Business Research, 20 (January), 63-70.
41. Gronroos, Christian (1983), “Strategic Management and Marketing in the Service Sector,” Marketing Science Institute Working Paper Series Report No. 83-104, Marketing Science Institute, Cambridge, MA.
42. Grosshans, Werner (1989), “High Ethical Standards-Essential to Success,” Association of Government Accountants Journal, 38, 3 (Fall), 62-66.
43. Hampton, Ron, Alan J. Dubinsky, and Steven J. Skinner (1996), “A Model of Sales Supervisor Leadership Input and Retail Salespeople’s Job-Related Outcomes,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 14 (Fall): 33-42.
44. Hartline, Michael D., and O.C. Ferrell (1996), “The Management of Customer-Contact Service Employees: An Empirical Investigation,” Journal of Marketing, 60 (October): 52-70.
45. Hrebiniak, L.C., and J. A. Allutto (1972), “Personal and Role-Related Factors in the Development of Organizational Commitment,” Administrative Science Quarterly, 17, 4 (December), 555-572.
46. Hunt, S.D., and S. Vitell (1990), “The General Theory of Marketing Ethics: A Retrospective and Revision,” in Ethics in Marketing, John Quelch and Craig Smith, eds., Chicago: Richard D. Irwin, 775-784.
47. Hunt, S.D., and S. Vitell, Lawrence B. Chonko, and J.B. Wilcox (1984), “Ethical Problems of Marketing Researchers,” Journal of Marketing Research, 21 (August), 309-324.
48. Hunt, S.D., and S. Vitell, Lawrence B. Chonko, and J.B. Wilcox, and V.R. Wood (1985), “Organizational Commitment and Marketing,” Journal of Marketing, 49 (Winter), 112-126.
49. Hunt, S.D., and S. Vitell, Lawrence B. Chonko, and J.B. Wilcox, and V.R. Wood (1989), “Corporate Ethical Values and Organizational Commitment in Marketing,” Journal of Marketing, 53 (July), 79-90.
50. Hyman, Michael R. (1990), “Ethical Codes Are Not Enough,” Business Horizons, 33 (March-April), 15-23.
51. Jaramillo, Fernando, Francois A. Carrillat, and William B. Locander (2003), “Starting to Solve the Method Puzzle in Salesperson Self-Report Evaluations,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 23, 4 (Fall), 369-377.
52. Kane, Jeffrey S., H. John Bernardin, Peter Villanova, and Joseph Peyrefitte (1995), “Stability of Rater Leniency: Three Studies,” Academy of Management Journal, 38 (4), 1036-1051.
53. Kanji, G.K., and M. Asher (1995), Total Quality Management: A Systematic Approach, London: Carfax.
54. Kelley, Scott W, and Michael J. Dorsch (1991), “Ethical Climate, Organizational Commitment and Indebtedness Among Purchasing Executives,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 11, 4 (Fall), 55-65.
55. Kelley, Scott W, and Michael J. Dorsch, S.J. Skinner, and O.C. Ferrell (1989), “Opportunistic Behavior in Marketing Research Organizations,” Journal of Business Research, 18, 4 (June), 327-340.
56. Klein, Katherine J., and JoAnn Speer Sorra (1996), “The Challenge of Innovation Implementation,” Academy of Management Review, 21 (4), 1055-1080.
57. Knowles, R. (1992), “Unethical Conduct May Lead to Bad Faith Claims,” National Underwriter, 96 (12), 5-14.
58. Kracher, Beverly, Abha Chatterjee, and Arlene R. Lundquist (2002), “Factors Related to the Cognitive Moral Development of Business Students and Business Professionals in India and the United States: Nationality, Education, Sex and Gender,” Journal of Business Ethics, 35, 4 (February), 255-268.
59. Leong, Siew Meng, Donna M. Randall, and Joseph A. Cote (1994), “Exploring the Organizational Commitment-Performance Linkage in Marketing: A Study of Life Insurance Salespeople,” Journal of Business Research, 29 (1), 57-64.
60. Liu, Sandra S., Lucette B. Comer, and Alan J. Dubinsky (2001), “Gender Differences in Attitudes Toward Women as Sales Managers in the People’s Republic of China,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 21, 4 (Fall), 303-312.
61. Loe, Terry W. (1996), “The Role of Ethical Climate In Developing Trust, Market Orientation, and Commitment to Quality,” Ph.D. dissertation, University of Memphis, TN.
62. Loe, Terry W., and William A. Weeks (2000), “An Experimental Investigation of Efforts to Improve Sales Students’ Moral Reasoning,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 20, 4 (Fall), 243-252.
63. MacKenzie, Scott B., Philip M. Podsakoff, and Michael Ahearne (1998), “Some Possible Antecedents and Consequences of In-Role and Extra-Role Salesperson Performance,” Journal of Marketing, 62 (3), 87-98.
64. Mathieu, John E., and Dennis M. Zajac (1990), “A Review and Meta-Analysis of the Antecedents, Correlates and Consequences of Organizational Commitment,” Psychological Bulletin, 108 (2), 171-194.
65. Meyer, J.P., and N.J. Allen (1997), Commitment in the Workplace: Theory, Research, and Application. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
66. Meyer, J.P., and N.J. Allen, S.V. Paunonen, I.R. Gellatly, R.D. Goffin, and D.N. Jackson (1989), “Organizational Commitment and Job Performance: It’s the Nature of the Commitment that Counts.” Journal of Applied Psychology, 74 (1), 152-156.
67. Morris, J.N., and J.D. Sherman (1981), “Generalizability of an Organizational Commitment Model.” Academy of Management Journal, 24, 3 (September), 512-526.
68. Morrow, Paula C. (1983), “Concept Redundancy in Organizational Research: The Case of Work Commitment,” Academy of Management Review, 8 (3), 486-500.
69. Mowday, Richard T., Lyman W. Porter, and R. Dubin (1974), “Unit Performance Situational Factors and Employee Attitudes in Spatially Separated Work Units,” Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 12, 2 (October), 231-248.
70. Mowday, Richard T., Lyman W. Porter, and R. Dubin, and Richard M. Steers (1982), Employee-Organizational Linkages. New York: Academic Press.
71. Mowday, Richard T., Lyman W. Porter, and R. Dubin, and Richard M. Steers (1979), “The Measurement of Organizational Commitment,” Journal of Vocational Behavior, 14 (April): 224-247.
72. Oakley, Ellwood F., III, and Patricia Lynch (2000), “PromiseKeeping: A Low Priority in a Hierarchy of Workplace Legitimacy,” Journal of Business Ethics, 27, 4 (October), 377-392.
73. Ostroff, Cheri (1993), “The Effects of Climate and Personal Influences on Individual Behavior and Attitudes in Organizations,” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 56, 1 (October), 56-91.
74. Paine, Lynn S. (1994), “Managing for Organizational Integrity.” Harvard Business Review, 72, 2 (March-April), 106-117.
75. Parasuraman, A., Valarie A. Zeithaml, and Leonard L. Berry (1994), “Reassessment of Expectations as a Comparison Standard in Measuring Service Quality: Implications for Future Research,” Journal of Marketing, 58 (January), 111-124.
76. Peterson, Dane K. (2002), “The Relationship Between Unethical Behavior and the Dimensions of the Ethical Climate Questionnaire,” Journal of Business Ethics, 41, 4 (December), 313-326.
77. Peterson, Dane K., Angela Rhoads, and Bobby C. Vaught (2001), “Ethical Beliefs of Business Professionals: A Study of Gender, Age and External Factors,” JournalofBusinessEthics, 31, 3 (July), 225-232.
78. Phillips, Lynn D., Dae R. Chang, and Robert Buzzell (1983), “Product Quality, Cost Position and Business Performance: A Test of Some Key Hypotheses,” Journal of Marketing, 47 (Spring), 111-124.
79. Piercy, Nigel F., David W Cravens, and Nikala Lane (2001), “Sales Manager Behavior Control Strategy and its Consequences: The Impact of Gender Differences,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 21, 1 (Winter), 39-50.
80. Posner, B.Z., and W.H. Schmidt (1987), “Ethics in American Companies: A Managerial Perspective,” Journal ofBusiness Ethics, 6 (July), 383-391.
81. Posner, B.Z., and W.H. Schmidt (1993), “Values Congruence and Differences Between the Interplay of Personal and Organizational Value Systems,” Journal ofBusiness Ethics, 12 (5), 341-347.
82. Randall, Donna (1987), “Commitment and the Organization: The Organization Man Revisited,” Academy ofManagement Review, 12 (July), 460-471.
83. Randall, Donna (1990), “The Consequences of Organizational Commitment: Methodological Investigation,” Journal of Organizational Behavior, 11, 5 (September), 361-378.
84. Rest, James (1986), Moral Development: Advances in Research and Theory, New York: Praeger.
85. Riketta, Michael (2002), “Attitudinal Organizational Commitment and Job Performance: A Meta-Analysis,” Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23 (3), 257-266.
86. Robin, D.P., and E.R. Reidenbach (1987), “Social Responsibility, Ethics and Marketing Strategy,” Journal of Marketing, 39 (April), 20-27.
87. Schneider, Benjamin (1975), “Organizational climate: An Essay,” Personal Psychology, 28 (Winter), 447-479.
88. Schneider, Benjamin, and J. Rentsch (1988), “Managing Climates and Cultures: A Future Perspective,” in Futures of Organizations, J. Hage, ed., Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 181-200.
89. Schwepker, Charles H., Jr. (2001), “Ethical Climate’s Relationship to Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment and Turnover Intention in the Salesforce,” Journal of Business Research, 54, 1 (October), 39-52.
90. Schwepker, Charles H., Jr., O.C. Ferrell, and Thomas N. Ingram (1997), “The Influence of Ethical Climate and Ethical Conflict on Role Stress in the Sales Force,” Journal of Academy of the Marketing Science, 25 (Spring), 99-108.
91. Shaw, William H. (1996), “Business Ethics Today: A Survey,” Journal ofBusiness Ethics, 15, 5 (May), 489-500.
92. Shepherd, C. David (1999), “Service Quality and the Sales Force: A Tool for Competitive Advantage”, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 19, 3 (Summer), 73-82.
93. Sims, Randi L., and K Galen Kroeck (1994), “The Influence of Ethical Fit on Employee Satisfaction, Commitment and Turnover,” Journal of Business Ethics, 13, 12 (December), 939-947.
94. Singhapaki, Anusorn, and Scott J. Vitell (1991a), “Analyzing the Ethical Decision Making of Sales Professionals,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 11, 4 (Fall), 1-12.
95. Singhapaki, Anusorn, and Scott J. Vitell (1991b), “Research Note: Selected Factors Influencing Marketers’ Deontological Norms,” Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, 19, 1 (Winter), 37-42.
96. Sividas, Eugene, Susan Bardi Kleiser, James Kellaris, and Robert Dahlstrom (2003), “Moral Philosophy, Ethical Evaluations and Sales Manager Hiring Intentions,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 23, 1 (Winter), 7-21.
97. Steers, Richard M. (1977), “Antecedents and Outcomes of Organizational Commitment,” Administrative Science Quarterly, 22 (1), 46-56.
98. Still, Leonie V. (1983), “Part-Time Versus Full-Time Salespeople: Individual Attributes, Organizational Commitment, and Work Attitudes,” Journal of Retailing, 59 (Summer), 55-79.
99. Teas, R. Kenneth (1993), “Consumer Expectations and the Measurement of Perceived Service Quality,” Journal of Professional Services Marketing, 8 (2), 33-53.
100. Trevino, Linda Klebe (1986), “Ethical Decision Making in Organizations: A Person-Situation Interactionist Model,” Academy of Management Review, 11 (July), 601-617.
101. Tyagi, PK. (1985), “Relative Importance of Key Job Dimensions and Leadership Behaviors in Motivating Salesperson Work Performance,” Journal of Marketing, 49 (Summer), 76-86.
102. Verbeke, W, C. Ouwerkerk, and E. Peelen (1996), “Exploring the Contextual and Individual Factors on Ethical Decision Making of Salespeople,” Journal ofBusiness Ethics, 15 (November), 1175-1187.
103. Victor, Bart, and John B. Cullen (1987), “A Theory and Measure of Ethical Climate in Organizations,” in Research in Corporate Social Performance andPolicy, William C. Frederick and Lee E. Preston, eds., Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 51-71.
104. Victor, Bart, and John B. Cullen (1988), “The Organizational Bases for Ethical Work Climate,” Administrative Science Quarterly, 33 (March), 101-125.
105. Victor, Bart, and John B. Cullen (1990), “A Theory and Measure of Ethical Climate in Organizations,” in Business Ethics Research Issues and Empirical Studies, W.C. Frederick and L.E. Preston, eds., Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 77-97.
106. Vitell, S.J., and D.L. Davis (1990), “The Relationship Between Ethics and Job Satisfaction: An Empirical Investigation,” Journal ofBusiness Ethics, 9 (June), 489-497.
107. Warner, Melanie (2003), “Exorcism at Tyco,” Fortune, 147, 8 (April 28), 106-110.
108. Wech, B.A., K.W. Mossholder, R.P. Steel, and N. Bennett (1998), “Does Work Group Cohesiveness Affect Individuals’ Performance and Organizational Commitment? A Cross-Level Examination,” Small Group Research, 29, 4 (August), 472-494.
109. Weeks, William A., and Jacques Nantel (1992), “Corporate Codes of Ethics and Sales Force Behavior: A Case Study,” Journal ofBusiness Ethics, 11, 10 (October), 753-760.
110. Weeks, William A., and Jacques Nantel, and Carl G. Stevens (1997), “National Account Management Sales Training and Directions for Improvement,” Industrial Marketing Management, 26, 5 (September), 423-431.
111. Wimbush, J.C., and J.M. Shepard (1994), “Toward Understanding of Ethical Climate: Its Relationship to Ethical Behavior and Supervisory Influence,” Journal of Business Ethics, 13 (August), 637-647.
112. Wimbush, J.C., and J.M. Shepard, and S.E. Markham (1997), “An Empirical Examination of the Multi-Dimensionality of Ethical Climate in Organizations,” Journal of Business Ethics, 16, 1 (January), 67-77.
113. Woodruff, D.M. (1995-96), “Ten Essentials for Being the Low-Cost, High-Quality Producer,” Management Quarterly, 36, 4 (Winter), 2-7.
114. Wotruba, Thomas R. (1990), “A Comprehensive Framework for the Analysis of Ethical Behavior, with a Focus on Sales Organizations,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 10, 2 (Spring), 29-42.
115. Wotruba, Thomas R. (1993), “A Framework for Teaching Ethical Decision Making in Marketing,” Marketing Education Review, 3 (Summer), 2-8.
116. Wyld, D.C., and C.A. Jones (1997), “The Importance of Context: The Ethical Work Climate Construct and Models of Ethical Decision Making-An Agenda for Research,” Journal of Business Ethics, 16, 4 (March), 465-472.