Ethics at the sales‐purchasing interface: A case of double standards?

Examines ethics at the interface between sales and purchasing. Argues that it is an area of organizational life riven with unethical practices and that, despite the attempts to improve the situation, these practices remain widespread and persistent. Organizational concern with the current situation is expressed much more strongly with respect to purchasing than with respect to sales. This willingness to apply double standards, even within the same organization, offers a clue to the explanation for the continued unethical environment in which purchasing and sales interact. Suggests that the individuals concerned must accept some of the responsibility, but the major responsibility lies with organizational factors such as culture and the influence of superiors. Concludes that organizations will tend to get the behaviour which they reward and value within their culture.