From my experience, I can definitely say that sales for a struggling company is potentially, the most serious trade compliance related ethical situation that can happen to the organization. This affects the complete supply chain from the time the sales department is contacted to quote or bid the order to when the order is ultimately shipped out the door. The sales person my knowingly quote a customer in a country like Iran in an attempt to win a large order. The order may be placed, down payment taken and revenue accounted for all while knowing it is nearly impossible to ship to this country. Sales for large orders can drive someone to bypass certain checks in place to prevent this from moving forward. The order can, in essence, be canceled but the future backlog has already been recorded to fluff the books. Also contacting and providing detailed information on certain products can be against the laws and will have to be reported if sensitive information like drawings or schematics have been passed along to the company requesting a quote.