Commentary on a Moral Evaluation of Sales Practices

Abstract

David M. Holley has provided an interesting and thoughtful appraisal of personal selling from a societal viewpoint. It is obvious that A Moral Evaluation of Sales Practices focuses on concern for the welfare of the buyer in the context of personal selling. The purpose of this commentary is to (1) comment on the Holley framework for evaluating the morality of various sales practices and (2) comment on the realities of professional practice in personal selling. Holley provides an appraisal of the market system and basically agrees that there is justification for this system in meeting people's needs and desires for products. His basic assumption is that voluntary exchange occurs only if (1) buyers and sellers understand what they are giving up and receiving (2) that coercion or severely restricted alternatives do not impinge on the ability to choose and (3) buyers and sellers are able to make a rational judgement about benefits and costs. The idea of voluntary exchange is very idealistic and exists only as a desired state of the world. Holley assumes that knowledge, non-compulsion and rationality conditions must exist to have a voluntary exchange. Most marketers and philosophers would like to achieve these conditions but unfortunately, the inadequacy of communication systems and the lack of knowledge and understanding on both the part of buyers and sellers make this model impossible to attain. Stating it another way, Holley wants to eliminate ignorance, compulsion and irrationality to achieve an ideal exchange. He does acknowledge that in actual practice there is virtually always some divergence from the ideal because of imperfect information, irrational influences or external constraints. Even when conditions are not