Final Project Randy Werner ADJ/235 February 19, 2012 Simone Goldstein

Final Project

Having a code of ethics is something that all people have and use on a daily basis. Being in a sales environment you are constantly seeing people use their own code of ethics. Some of those people have an honest code of ethics while others seem to bend their code to fit the situation that they are involved in with a specific customer. Since I have been in sales all of my life I am a big believer that not only having a personal code of ethics but to follow the companys code of ethics is a major plus in being successful. My personal code of ethics is to be honest with the customers and to figure out what works best for them. I do not believe in hiding anything from the customer and to make sure that they are happy when they leave the store. It is also very crucial to follow up with the customer to make sure that they understand how to use what they purchased from you and that you will be there in the long run for them. Every major company that I have worked for or represented has a basic standard code of ethics and if you believe in those codes and follow them you will see success. When it comes to the code of ethics in criminal justice I believe that those codes are very similar to the code of ethics in sales that I follow on a daily basis. When it comes to the unwritten code of ethics in criminal justice I seem to struggle a bit. For example the unwritten code that is present within law enforcement, better known as the blue code of silence, states that you never turn on your fellow officer. Im not a believer in this type of ethics as it goes completely against everything I believe in. One study shared that since the Rodney King incident a lot of changes have taken place amongst police officers around the country. Even though the code stills exists, more officers are coming forward when one officers sees another officers commit a crime or do something that goes against the law and what they are doing (Wright, 2010). When it comes to my own career if I notice someone doing something

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wrong or illegal to gain a sale, it is my responsibility to bring this up to my upper management and follow protocol within the company, not to protect or shield a sales person that is doing something illegally. When it comes to ethical dilemmas, ones own personal ethical code comes into play on a daily basis. As research has shown individual ethical values do affect ethical decisions based on the salesperson and the clientele that they are working with (Ferrell, 2007). In my present career I face ethical dilemmas every week and you find yourself really having to dig deep to figure out what is right and what is wrong. Recently an elderly woman came into my store and was asking about upgrading her cell phone to a new model and the possibility of even moving up to a smart phone. During this conversation I discovered that she was basically looking for the opportunity to get access to the internet due to the fact that where she lives the internet on her computer was not very good. We discussed her options which included the possibility of moving her home phone and internet over to our program with Verizon Wireless and our home phone connect and mobile broadband program. She really liked the idea and decided that this was something we should do. During this conversation our store manager was watching me perform the sales sequence process with the customer and thought we would not only get a couple of new lines out with the home phone and mobile broadband but also an upgrade to a new smart phone line. However, in my own mind I was concerned about the customer having major issues with the learning process of a smart phone and the fact that this woman was almost 80 years old. The manager thought I shouldnt spend the customers money and let her get what she wants. I completely disagree with this type of selling and ethically I would feel very bad when the woman would struggle with the learning curve of the new phone. I ended up explaining to the customer that I did not feel it would be in her best interest to get a smart phone and instead just to stay with

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the basic feature type phone that she has been use to. But in return it would be an excellent program for her to get our new home phone and mobile broadband program which would save her money that she was spending with the local telephone company. The customer really appreciated my honesty and the fact that I did not take advantage of her, so in return she has recommended to others to come and see me. Sometimes getting the most out of each customer is not always the best practice and you should treat each customer like you would treat your own mom and dad. It is difficult to determine how I would characterize the ethical framework that I use to construct my own personal code of ethics. In the reading we have done throughout this course I would have to say that I have found myself going both ways, what I mean by this is, I can see parts of me believing in a deontological system and another part of me believing in a teleological system. What I can say is that I am a strong believer that what is right is right and you need to ask yourself before doing anything, Is this the best thing for me? I guess when I look at it from this standpoint I would have to say that my life is based around the natural law ethical system. When it comes to a persons ethical code it also has to be tied directly to that persons moral values. If a person has a strong moral belief, and they follow those beliefs on a daily basis then they will be a strong person overall. A good example of this is when I am working with another representative and I hear that sales rep talking about how they are going to go out and party all weekend, while their family is left at home. To me this explains that this person does not have the right type of moral standards to really advance within our company. Most of the times the type of reps that do these things are the ones that are young and with a new family. I make this statement because I was once there age and I remember some of the stupid things I did when I should have been at home supporting my family and not out running around. I have

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since, grown up, but I have also learned that you cannot live your life that way. Unfortunately it took a divorce for me to learn this tough life lesson and in my second marriage I know that the mistakes I made was due to the fact that my personal code of ethics and morals were not in my best interest. When I first started my schooling here at the University of Phoenix my plan was to become a police officer or to work in some form of criminal justice. A little over a year into my classes I learned that due to my age getting into criminal justice, at least the fields I wanted to be in, was going to be impossible. I grew up around law enforcement with an uncle that was a Maricopa County Sheriff in Phoenix, Arizona. I use to almost every free weekend I had riding with my uncle when he was on patrol. I learned so much from him and I dreamed that one day I would be doing this. I would have to say that my personal code of ethics at that time matched closely with that of his and being a county sheriff. My career path went a different direction when I married at a young age and began having a family. I continued to try and get into law enforcement at an early age but kept having doors shut on me do to the fact that I did not have any type of college degree. Once my children grew up and I had the ability to go back to school and get a degree, as I stated earlier, I learned it was too little, too late. However I have enjoyed a very long lasting career in sales and my personal code of ethics, now, conforms to that of the company I presently work for. The one thing that I really enjoy with my present employer is the fact that on a yearly basis our company performs ethical training that is required for everyone. Doing this just reiterates to me how important strong ethics and morals are, not only for the company but also for me. As I mentioned earlier I lost a lot in my younger days, due to the fact that I had bad ethics and not very strong morals. Having strong morals and a rigid code of ethics needs to be a mainstay in everyones

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life. I have never been the church going type and was not raised around any church. So for me to say that I owe my life to god or to base any of my thoughts around god and his word would be a lie. I have many friends that go to church on a regular basis and they run their life based on his words and thats fine for them but I am not that way and I believe in just running my life on what is good is good and as long as I do not break the law then I am successful.

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References Wright, B. (2010). Civilianising the blue code? An examination of attitudes to misconduct in the police extended family. International Journal Of Police Science & Management, 12(3), 339356. doi:10.1350/ijps.2010.12.3.190

Ferrell, O. C., Johnston, M. W., & Ferrell, L. (2007). A FRAMEWORK FOR PERSONAL SELLING AND SALES MANAGEMENT ETHICAL DECISION MAKING. Journal Of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 27(4), 291-299.

Pollock, J. M. (2004). Ethics in crime and justice: Dilemmas and decisions (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.