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A survey of sales managers was conducted to determine the extent to which the performance level and unethical behavior of sales personnel affect the sales manager's supervisory reactions to unethical behavior. The results showed that the performance level of sales personnel and the consequences of their unethical acts affected sales managers in some of their disciplinary reactions. The results were compared with the contradicting and supporting results of earlier studies.

Role-playing sales managers were asked to evaluate the personnel records of a salesperson who has been found to be using an unethical selling practice. Overall, saleswomen and salespeople who were described as extremely overweight were evaluated more harshly. Using excuses as justification did not neutralize the sales managers' supervisory responses and, in the case of blaming one's unethical behavior on the unethical behavior of customers, harsher disciplinary treatment resulted. Attribution theory is used to explain the findings. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

The influence of trust upon sales manager-sales personnel relationships is analyzed. Trust influences job satisfaction and indirectly influences employee turnover.