Notes on Paper Batch Instructions, Ethics in Sales, and AI-Integrated Assignments

Paper Batch and Ethics Overview

• Timeline context: “one fun night two weeks ago,” holiday last week; class recording for those absent; purpose is to post instructions for the paper batch and save time during live sessions.
• AI integration note: Summer AI intensive led to reworking all writing assignments to incorporate AI; plan to go over updated instructions on screen and then post copies in Canvas.
• In-class flow: screen share of projected image; open Canvas for individual copies; questions welcome.

Paper Batch 1: Movies and Unethical Sales (Red Line; no ChatGPT)

• Format: five one-page, single-spaced papers; generally one page; one may extend slightly beyond one page.
• Prompt: watch a movie that prominently features unethical sales practices; select from bolded yellow options; avoid movies you have already seen.
• Suggested options (examples/past uses):
  • Boiler Room
  • Wolf of Wall Street
  • Glengarry Glen Ross
  • The Big Short
  • Thank You for Smoking
• Assignment structure (one-page, single-spaced, red line):
  • Write a summary of the sales environment depicted in the movie.
  • Provide at least two specific examples of unethical sales practices shown in the movie.
  • Assess realism: are these behaviors realistic or exaggerated? Might you expect to see them in a real sales environment?
  • Conclude with a discussion of how these practices could have been avoided; if you were in that situation and your manager asked you to behave unethically, what steps would you take to avoid it?
• Practical tips:
  • After watching, you’ll discuss in-class with peers who watched different movies.
  • Submission deadline: September\,29 (three weeks from the current date).
• References and citations:
  • The instructor is relatively soft on formatting; references help avoid plagiarism but exact formatting is not strictly enforced for these papers.
  • For the TED Talk (Prompt 5) provide the link at the top of the references when possible.

Paper Batch 2: Ethics and Selling (ChatGPT-enabled; prompts and analysis)

• Structure:
  • Use ChatGPT to develop three realistic ethical scenarios in sales.
  • Don’t over-engineer the prompt; you can specify industry, page length, or other constraints.
  • For prework, provide a two-sentence summary of each of the three scenarios (2-sentence per scenario).
  • Then pick one scenario and write about it in roughly a half-page: identify the dilemma, analyze through ethical theory, and propose a course of action for the salesperson.
  • Final: a concluding paragraph summarizing what you learned from the exercise, including reflections on using ChatGPT for scenario development and decision-making.
• Recap of steps:
  • Use ChatGPT to generate three realistic ethical scenarios.
  • Provide brief two-sentence summaries of the three scenarios.
  • Choose one scenario and write a more thorough half-page analysis.
  • Conclude with what you learned and how you’d apply it.
• Participants: Abigail, Sierra, etc.

Paper Batch 3: Complete AI Training (San Diego State micro-credential)

• Rationale: Integrate AI into teaching; SDSU micro-credential offers an AI training aligned with this goal.
• Time estimate: 2\text{-}10 hours; the instructor’s experience suggests around 2 hours for completion.
• Access: follow the link; select “Student”; enroll via your SSU credentials; free for students; you are not to use ChatGPT for this assignment.
• Deliverable (one-page, single-spaced):
  • First half: summary of key concepts covered in the course.
  • Second half: what you learned and how to apply that knowledge in classes and/or sales.
• Follow-up: after completing Prompt 3, use ChatGPT to generate a one-page paper about the SDSU AI micro-credential and compare it to your own paper from Prompt 3 in terms of accuracy and insight.
• Critical reflection: evaluate whether human-generated versus AI-generated writing provided better learning, and whether you would rely on a ChatGPT-based summary in the future.

Paper Batch 4: ChatGPT Comparison Wrap-up (Analytical reflection)

• Task: after Prompt 3, generate a ChatGPT prompt to produce a one-page paper about the SDSU AI micro-credential and compare with your own Prompt 3 paper.
• Questions to consider:
  • Is the ChatGPT output accurate and more or less helpful?
  • Did you learn more from your own drafting or from the AI-generated version?
  • In the future, would you generate a ChatGPT-based paper prior to taking the online course, or would that impede deep learning?
• Note: the teacher states “I don’t want you to do that this time” and wants you to complete the course first before evaluating the AI-assisted approach.

Paper Batch 5: TED Talk (Red Line; no ChatGPT)

• Task: self-select a TED Talk relevant to sales (topic could include persuasion, consumer decision making, management, negotiations, ethics, etc.).
• Structure of the paper (one-page, single-spaced):
  • First half: summary of the speaker’s main ideas and supporting examples.
  • Second half: your reflection—whether you agree or disagree, how it connects to what you’re learning, and relevance to your own experiences with salespeople.
• Practical guidance:
  • Pick a TED Talk quickly to avoid spending too much time searching; you can always switch if you dislike the initial choice, but avoid revisiting talks you used for other classes.

Logistics and Common Questions

• Tools and references:
  • You can link to TED Talks in your reference list to help others find the talks you referenced.
  • If you quote directly, include quotes; otherwise, a references section is optional depending on the instructor’s flexibility.
• In-class discussion: after papers are submitted, students who watched different movies share to expose peers to other options.
• Student engagement tips: be mindful of time and avoid getting stuck on a single TED Talk; the teacher warns about TED Talk rabbit holes.

Chapter 2: Ethics and Legal Issues in Sales (Lecture-payoff and key concepts)

• Why salespeople need their own code of ethics
  • Personal, organizational, and industry-level responsibilities; ethics are 360-degree, extending beyond customer interactions to coworkers and the firm.
• Three-dimensional ethical framework (360° view)
  • Customer goals, Company goals, and Company policies—alignment is essential for ethical behavior.
  • Ethics are influenced by social norms, personal goals, and laws; significant others (family, mentors, peers) shape ethics.
  • The Three Cs concept: customer goals, company goals, and company policies should be aligned with personal ethics.
• Historical context: evolution of sales and business ethics
  • Production Era: focus on making more and satisfying short-term seller needs; sellers acted as order-takers.
  • Sales Era (roughly through the early 1960s): shift to persuasion; focus on convincing buyers to choose your product over competitors.
  • Marketing Era (1960s–1990s): emphasis on understanding customer needs and solving problems; move toward long-term relationships and value creation.
  • Post-1990s: emphasis on long-term relationships, especially in B2B; value creation and problem-solving drive sales success.
• Key terms: manipulation vs. persuasion
  • Manipulation: reducing a buyer’s choices unfairly or leveraging information asymmetry to coerce a sale; unethical.
  • Persuasion: ethical influence through information, testimonials, and highlighting why your product is suitable; buyer retains final decision.
• Why ethics matter for business strategy
  • Ethical behavior aligns with long-term relationships and customer trust; unethical behavior may yield short-term gains but damages reputation and future sales.
  • Ethical behavior contributes to sustainable growth and brand value; it protects the buyer and builds trust for repeat business.
• Why be ethical: practical and normative reasons
  • Social norms and personal values influence ethical conduct; alignment with customer goals, company goals, and policies matters.
  • The “three Cs” and laws form part of the moral code that guides decision-making.
  • The roles of significant others and the surrounding social circle can reinforce or challenge ethical behavior (influences from parents, mentors, peers).
• Ethical decision-making checklist (mini-checklist)
  • Would I be embarrassed if a customer found out about this behavior?
  • Would my supervisor disapprove of this behavior?
  • Would other salespeople view this as unusual?
  • Am I considering this because I think I can get away with it?
  • Would I be upset if a salesperson did this to me?
  • Would my family and friends think less of me if I told them about this sales activity?
  • Am I concerned about possible consequences if I get caught?
  • Would this be front-page news or widely visible on social media?
  • Would society be better off if everyone engaged in this behavior?
• Common ethical concerns in sales (categories and examples)
  • Deception: information asymmetry, withholding important information, half-truths, misrepresentation; includes bribes and kickbacks.
  • Backdoor selling: bypassing the buyer’s specified purchasing process by contacting other decision-makers directly.
  • Exaggeration and misrepresentation: overstating benefits, lying about availability or guarantees, bad-mouthing competitors; praise of one’s own company over honesty.
  • Pressure tactics and “do what you must to close the sale”: ultimately unethical if it undermines informed consent.
  • Responsibility to customers vs. personal gain: maintaining integrity even when a manager or colleague pressures otherwise.
  • On the internal side: proper handling of expense accounts and company resources; avoid exploiting corporate systems for personal benefit.
• Additional considerations
  • In B2B, the buyer and seller often share more industry knowledge; a higher ethical standard is expected to preserve long-term relationships.
  • If a salesperson doesn’t know an answer, better to say they’ll check and follow up with the right information rather than bluff.
  • Ethical behavior extends to interactions about hazardous materials or regulated products (not deeply covered here but noted as a concern).
• Practical implications and classroom use
  • Students should read Chapter 2 and complete the online homework; connect ethical theory to real-world sales practice.
  • The Mark Cuban book is assigned for discussion in two weeks (September 22); a brief reading (roughly 100 pages) to be prepared for a robust class discussion.

Takeaways for Exam Preparation

• Know the difference between manipulation and persuasion; understand information asymmetry and its ethical implications.
• Be able to articulate the Three Cs: Customer goals, Company goals, and Company policies, and explain how alignment supports ethical conduct.
• Be able to discuss the sales-era progression from transaction-focused to relationship-focused selling, and why ethics strengthen long-term value.
• Be able to perform a quick ethical-dilemma check using the provided checklist and apply it to real-world or hypothetical scenarios.
• Be familiar with the structure and expectations of each Paper Batch prompt, including what to include in the two halves of the one-page papers and how to reflect on AI-assisted vs. human-generated writing.
• Remember deadlines and practical tips (e.g., TED Talk link inclusion, avoiding overlong TED Talk searches, and using references judiciously).

Quick Reference List of Movies Mentioned for Prompt 1

• Boiler Room
• Wolf of Wall Street
• Glengarry Glen Ross
• The Big Short
• Thank You for Smoking

Quick Reference List of Ethics Guidelines and Concepts

• Deception vs. Persuasion
• Information asymmetry
• Backdoor selling
• Misrepresentation and exaggerated guarantees
• Personal and corporate expense integrity
• Social norms and laws shaping ethics
• The three Cs framework: Customer goals, Company goals, Company policies

Final Notes

• The instructor emphasizes practical, actionable ethics tied to professional practice rather than purely abstract theory.
• Time management and efficient topic selection are encouraged to avoid time sinks in assignments, especially for TED Talks.
• Engagement in class discussion and sharing different movie perspectives enriches learning and broadens understanding of ethical sales practices.