Aggressive Sales and Quotas or Unfair Business Practice 1

Aggressive Sales and Quotas or Unfair Business Practice

Describe, specifically, the ethical dilemma that Peter faced.

Aggressive Sales and Quotas or Unfair Business Practice 2

Ethical dilemma that Peter faced lies in between the option of him trying to persuade more customers

in San Francisco to purchase as much online directory advertising as possible and the option of

ignoring the point that their market was saturated with small business owners who had already

purchased large advertising packages way beyond their needs.

What are virtues Peter needed to act as he did? What do you think motivated him?

The virtues that Peter needed include: truthfulness - in order to explain to the top executives of the

company that they had to use another way to meet the quota they expected and telling the truth to

clients about their advertising needs; justice – in order to visit each business to give them an honest

evaluation of their advertising needs – by downgrading their packages with the company to ones that

really suited them. According to the excerpt, the motivation behind Peter’s actions were for the

company, in the long term, to move business to more appropriate and rightful online advertising

packages and to make more money, through their sales team, from referrals and customer retention.

What were the risks Peter faced in making this decision?

Among the risks that Peter faced include: going beyond his mandate to question and challenge his top

executives intellect decisions and goals expected of him to sell as much online directory advertising

packages in his quota in order for the company to make more sales; the risk of the company losing

money through their sales in the short term while implementing their leeway strategy in the quota.

What factors do you think assist people in making moral decisions in the face of a great deal of

pressure?
Aggressive Sales and Quotas or Unfair Business Practice 2

Factors that assist in making moral decisions in the face of a great deal of pressure include: autonomy –

the principle that addresses the concept of independence that allows the individual freedom of choice

and action; nonmaleficence – the concept of not causing harm to others; beneficence – which reflects to

the responsibility to contribute to the welfare of the client based by being good, proactive and to

prevent harm when possible; justice – the principle that reaches out to if an individual is treated

differently, the individual has to offer a rationale that explains the necessity and appropriateness of

treating this individual differently; fidelity – the principle that aims at building trust with clients and

build faith in the therapeutic relationship if growth is to occur by fulfilling expected obligations.