Committing and Supervising Unethical Sales Force Behavior: The Effects of Victim Gender, Victim Status, and Sales Force Motivational Techniques

Based on research using a national sample of sales managers, findings indicate that unethical behavior is related to victim status and the method for awarding sales force incentives. Unethical behavior is more likely when the victim is a salesperson that is held in low regard and when firms use an intra-firm competitive scheme that encourages competition among salespeople in the same sales force. Supervisory reaction to unethical behavior was found to be related to victim status, but not victim gender or intra-firm competition. Sales managers may be more lenient when the victim is held in low regard by announcing an intention to quit.