Case Study: Do Buyers Have to Be Ethical? Please comment. (in not more than 100 words) In general, people expect salespeople to do whatever it takes to make the sales. But sometimes, that pressure to do something "extra" comes from the buyer. Currently, the International Olympics Committee is investigating a scandal that involves inappropriate demands for gifts from decision makers in order for Salt Lake City to receive the Olympic Games. Texas prison officials investigated a security fence purchase after several; death-row killers escaped; did gifts play a role in a poor decision? Don't buyers have to adhere to the same ethical standards as sellers? In general, they do. Laws regarding bribery and fraud apply equally to buyers as well as sellers. But in the high-pressure arena of selling, salespeople aren't likely to squeal on a customer who just signed a big sale. And the losers aren't likely to know, or be able to prove, why they lost the sale. Gifts of some type are accepted by an estimated 97 percent of all buyers. Some companies, though, are cracking down on buyers. IBM has a long- standing policy of accepting no gifts, not even a cup of coffee. Yet, IBM does offer promotional products, like clocks and other merchandise, with the IBM logo as gifts to its clients. These gifts are not large enough to sway a sale, but IBM's dilemma is an example of the challenge facing buyers and sellers. How much is enough, without being too much