Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
10th International EMI Entrepreneurship & Social Sciences Congress, Ploiesti, Romanya, 10 - 13 Eylül 2024, cilt.1, ss.269-270
Sales professionals play a pivotal role in the development of customers, the management of customer relationships and the creation of corporate brand value in industrial markets. The relationships formed between sales personnel and purchasing officers of clients represent a significant lever for the attainment of marketing goals and objectives. Nevertheless, it is essential to consider the ethical boundaries that should be observed in the relationships between sales professionals and customers. It is imperative to prohibit the exploitation of professional boundaries, the utilization of deceptive tactics, the dissemination of incomplete or misleadinginformation, the disregard for customer privacy, and the implementation of practices that may inflict harm upon the customer or erode their trust. Nevertheless, one of the most prevalent areas of ethical violations in marketing is the personal sales activities of industrial organizations. Sales professionals, who constantly work under intense stress due to the nature of their work, often encounter ethical challenges in their interactions with their employer, colleagues, and customers.
This research examines the boundaries of marketing ethics in the relationships between organizational (industrial) buyers and sellers, with a particular focus on the opinions of sales personnel and purchasing officers. The study aimed to ascertain how sales personnel and purchasing officers perceive certain ethically questionable situations and whether there are differences in their views on marketing ethics. A quantitative study was conducted on a total of 213 professionals, comprising 108 sales personnel and 105 purchasing officers. The research data was collected by an online survey. Data analyses revealed significant differences between the ethical perceptions of salespeople and procurement officers regarding practices such as giving gifts to each other, establishing social relationships together and communicating on special occasions. In light of these findings, it is recommended that ethical codes of conduct be developed at the corporate level and arrangements made to ensure that these rules are adopted by all employees in order to prevent ethical problems in the relationships between salespeople and procurement officers