Sally Bateman and Kara McAfree have recently begun working as trainees selling furniture for a large department store. Sally has a very aggressive style, whereas Kara strongly believes in giving the customer the best information possible and then selling them a product that best fits their needs.

One day, one of Kara's customers came in shopping for furniture. Sally told the customer Kara was out of the store. After Sally determined they were shopping for a new dining table and chairs, she showed them a certain style and told the couple it was brand new. The customer left the store.

Kara happened to overhear the conversations and approached her co-worker with some concerns. Sally initially thought Kara was frustrated because the couple was Kara's customer and she wanted to make sure she got credit for the sale. Kara's main concern, however, was that Sally lied to the customer about the table being new when it was in fact a year old. Sally told Kara that everyone uses "hype" to make sales and if she wants to make her sales figures, she will have to do it too.

Performance appraisals are quickly approaching and Kara knows she is getting a poor review because her sales pale in comparison to Sally's. She talks to a co-worker about the review process and asks him if she should tell management that Sally's high numbers are the result of her staling customers and lying about products. He tells Kara that he thinks it would be a bad idea because it might make her look like she is making excuses. He makes it sound as if management may condone the use of sales hype.

Please watch the following video clip in either Windows Media or RealPlayer Streaming format:

Sales Hype Video (part 1) Windows Media (WMV, 1.33 MB, 2 minutes)

Sales Hype Video (part 2) Windows Media (WMV, 1.10 MB, 2 minutes)

Sales Hype Video RealPlayer (RM, 4 minutes)

Click here to view files: https://www.mediafire.com/folder/0sjsq2rdhswnu/Case_2

If you have Real Player and clicking on the link does not work, right-click on the link, select "Copy Shortcut" or "Copy Link Location" (depending upon your browser). Then open the Real Player program on your computer, go to the "File" menu, select "Open," paste the link into the window, and click "OK." The video should then load and begin playing.

Directions

After reading the Case Study and watching the corresponding video, answer these questions in an essay.

1. Describe the situation faced by Kara.

2. What would you do if you were Kara?

3. What are the ethical considerations, if any, in this case?

4. What level of moral development are Sally and Kara operating at in this business situation?