Clearly, being transferred from sales to the secretarial division is a huge demotion. Aft...

Actually the sales department in most Japanese businesses is the lowest department of the organization. They're essentially telemarketers if they work on the phone or door to door sales people if they work out in the field, while secretaries are more like executive assistants. They aren't just anthropomorphic Keurig machines that take messages like we think of secretaries in the USA.

In all companies the world over the money-making part of the operation is of highest importance. Also, you don't think I'm actually going to believe that Japanese companies have no corporate sales representatives, only telemarketers and door-to-door salesmen, do you?

HaJime didn't explain it completely clear, but regular employees in sales divisions do not have high positions at all. But the thing with cleaning the toilets is exaggeration, secretaries of CEOs (and similar positions) definitely do not do that haha , and have a really high status (sorry for my english) i mean, this manga is just so random at moments, you simply cant think that deep about it.

Okay, I hear you. hehe

yeah, one of my best friends is a CEO's secretary. She does her job so perfectly that everyone in the company respects and fears her. It's a good thing she's both likeable and as funny as hell. LOL

This might have nothing to do with these discussions, but I really feel the need to say about this...
It seems, there are these or this "Anonymus" person who would comment on most yaoi manga, which she/he would help calming down some heated discussion, or give important information, answering people's question, helping to solve misunderstanding, and many more good deed.... They do it in such a nice, calm, proper manner way, that make me respect them... And I was wondering if they're the same person or not. Because I found the way they put the words in the comment were the same... You know how you could judge people emotion just from the words they write/type....

I want to say something else. I have years of experience in corporate executive positions - I wasn't always a worthless otaku LOL. Also, My brother-in-law is the USA national sales manager for a Japanese company you'd all recognize the name of. He goes to Japan regularly, and he's the person who meets with and entertains the Japanese Corporate Heads when they come to the USA. Trust me, the sales representative, the corporate sales representatives who land big contracts like the guy in the story did, and all sales representatives who are in the field make good money and can set their own level of income because they receive commissions, incentives, and bonuses. In general, they usually earn more than the other employees (including executive assistants). Clearly evident or not, they are high up on the corporate food chain. Whether japanese or american, sales is above most other divisions, and is often the most valued division in a corporation. Think about it. In any corporation, the people in the divisions that bring in money are more important to the company than most of the other employees. Salespeople get a bad name from stereotypes, some of which are well-deserved, but the truth is that it takes a certain, specific personality and well-developed skillset to do that job. Like me, most people aren't equipped with the personality, mentality, skills, or charisma for it -- few men and almost no women - that's reality. The ones who can do it often seem peculiar and offbeat, with too much come-and-go freedom to suit the other employees, but trust me, they are the darlings of any and all higher-ups and corporate heads, and are like gold to corporations the world over.