The relationship between ethical and customer-oriented service provider behaviors
Vince Howe, K. Douglas Hoffman, Donald W. Hardigree
Journal of Business Ethics · 1994 · Volume 13 · Issue 7
Abstract
This study examines the relationship between the ethical behavior and customer orientation of insurance sales agents engaged in the selling of complex services, e.g. health, life, auto, and property insurance. The effect of ethical and customer-oriented behavior, measured by the SOCO scale (Saxe and Weitz, 1982), on the annual premiums generated by the agents is also investigated. Customeroriented sales agents are found to engage in less unethical behavior than their sales-oriented counterparts. Further, sales-oriented agents are found to perceive greater levels of unethical behavior among their significant others. Alarmingly, higher levels of sales premiums are found among those agents who engage in unethical behavior.
Keywords
Economic Growth, Service Provider, Great Level, Ethical Behavior, Unethical Behavior
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