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Deception and Withholding Information in Sales

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  • Carson, Thomas

Abstract

The ethics of sales is an important, but neglected, topic in business ethics. I offer criticisms of what others have said about the moral duties of salespeople and formulate what I take to be a more plausible theory. My theory avoids the objections I raise against others and yields plausible results when applied to cases. I also defend my theory by appeal to the golden rule and offer a justification for the version of the golden rule to which I appeal. I argue that salespeople have prima facie duties to do the following: 1. warn customers of potential hazards, 2. refrain from lying and deception, 3. fully and honestly answer questions about what they are selling, and 4. refrain from steering customers toward purchases they have reason to think will harm the customers. The paper concludes with a brief appendix that discusses the implications of the ethics of sales for the social responsibilities of business.

Suggested Citation

  • Carson, Thomas, 2001. "Deception and Withholding Information in Sales," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 11(2), pages 275-306, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:buetqu:v:11:y:2001:i:02:p:275-306_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Anu Pynnönen & Tuomo Takala, 2018. "The Discursive Dance: The Employee Co-operation Negotiations as an Arena for Management-by-fear," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(1), pages 165-184, January.
    2. Marian Eabrasu, 2020. "Cheating in Business: A Metaethical Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 162(3), pages 519-532, March.
    3. Mary Lyn Stoll, 2002. "The Ethics of Marketing Good Corporate Conduct," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 121-129, November.
    4. Marco Meyer & Chun Wei Choo, 2024. "Harming by Deceit: Epistemic Malevolence and Organizational Wrongdoing," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 189(3), pages 439-452, January.

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