Caring ethical climate and supervisor bottom-line mentality: impact on salesperson unethical behavior, job stress, and turnover intention

Purpose This study aims to better understand how a sales organization’s caring ethical climate and supervisor’s bottom-line mentality (BLM) impact the salespeople’s turnover intention through unethical behavior and job stress. Specifically, it is proposed that a caring ethical climate (CEC) supports the avoidance of a supervisor adopting a bottom-line mentality, which focuses on bottom-line outcomes to the neglect of other priorities. Design/methodology/approach The proposed model and hypotheses were assessed via structural equation modeling on a sample of 227 business-to-business salespeople. Findings The study found that supervisor bottom-line mentality is a dysfunctional attitude that leads to salespeople’s use of unethical behaviors, higher salesperson job stress and ultimately higher salesperson turnover intention. Salesperson perceptions of a caring ethical climate can lessen the negative effects of supervisor bottom-line mentality. Originality/value Theoretical and managerial implications suggest sales leaders may benefit from the organization’s development of a caring ethical climate and circumventing the creation of a supervisor’s bottom-line mentality. The findings contribute to ethical decision-making and ethical impact theories.