Is Sales Ethics an Oxymoron?
Is Sales Ethics an Oxymoron?
Introduction
It has been said that sales ethics is an oxymoron. In this paper, this topic will be discussed. First, what is an oxymoron? It can be explained as the bringing together of two apparently contradictory concepts such as 'a great defeat ' or 'humiliating honor '. From this topic, it is saying that sales ethics is an oxymoron which indicates that there is no ethic in sales. It is suggesting that sales are in some degree unethical. For example, it may believe that ales or business is integrally harmful. Or we can say it is at best amoral and it is beyond the normal moral considerations. In order to better discuss the statement of the question, it is necessary for us to define the meaning 'sales ethics '. Sales or business ethics is the application of ethical values to business behaviour or sales function. When the first trade happened the argument of sales ethics (business ethics) has had drown a great attention (i.e. the Code of Hammurabi, created nearly 4,000 years ago, records that Mesopotamian rulers attempted to create honest prices. In the fourth century BCE, Aristotle discussed the vices and virtues of tradesmen and merchants. The Old Testament and the Jewish Talmud discuss the proper way to conduct business and even includes topics such as fraud, theft, misleading advertisements, environmental issues and just prices. ) Throughout the history of commerce to today, the issues of business ethics is a continuous source of debate as it moves through stages of development undertaken by politicians, leaders and entrepreneurs to protect the welfare of the business as well as the people through policies and rules.
But, if we discuss the term 'sales ethics ' separately we can hardly see any relation between the two words ' sales ' and 'ethics '. From Cambridge Dictionary it can be easily find that sales is defined as the activities associated with selling a product or service to achieve maximum profit while ethics as
Introduction
It has been said that sales ethics is an oxymoron. In this paper, this topic will be discussed. First, what is an oxymoron? It can be explained as the bringing together of two apparently contradictory concepts such as 'a great defeat ' or 'humiliating honor '. From this topic, it is saying that sales ethics is an oxymoron which indicates that there is no ethic in sales. It is suggesting that sales are in some degree unethical. For example, it may believe that ales or business is integrally harmful. Or we can say it is at best amoral and it is beyond the normal moral considerations. In order to better discuss the statement of the question, it is necessary for us to define the meaning 'sales ethics '. Sales or business ethics is the application of ethical values to business behaviour or sales function. When the first trade happened the argument of sales ethics (business ethics) has had drown a great attention (i.e. the Code of Hammurabi, created nearly 4,000 years ago, records that Mesopotamian rulers attempted to create honest prices. In the fourth century BCE, Aristotle discussed the vices and virtues of tradesmen and merchants. The Old Testament and the Jewish Talmud discuss the proper way to conduct business and even includes topics such as fraud, theft, misleading advertisements, environmental issues and just prices. ) Throughout the history of commerce to today, the issues of business ethics is a continuous source of debate as it moves through stages of development undertaken by politicians, leaders and entrepreneurs to protect the welfare of the business as well as the people through policies and rules.
But, if we discuss the term 'sales ethics ' separately we can hardly see any relation between the two words ' sales ' and 'ethics '. From Cambridge Dictionary it can be easily find that sales is defined as the activities associated with selling a product or service to achieve maximum profit while ethics as
References: Merriam-Webster. 2011. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethic accessed August 7, 2011. [4] Merriam-Webster. 2011. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethic (accessed August 7, 2011). [5] Crane, A. and D. Matten. Business Ethics: Managing Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability in the Age of Globalization. 3rd ed. (USA: Oxford University Press.2010) [6] Birsch, D [7] Brooks, L.J. and P. Dunn. Business & Professional Ethics for Directors, Executives & Accountants. 5th ed. (Mason, USA: South-Western College Publications.2009)