Suchergebnisse

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between salesperson role perceptions and use of neutralization techniques, given the relationship orientation of the salesperson. Direct relationships between salesperson role conflict, role ambiguity, role task self-efficacy and a salesperson's propensity to use neutralizations to attribute their unethical selling behavior are tested. The moderating effects of role-relationship orientation on the aforementioned relationships are also explored


Design/methodology/approach
Survey data were collected from 163 (cross-industry, B2B/B2C non-retail) salespeople. Results were analyzed and seven hypotheses were tested using SmartPLS to estimate and evaluate a (partial least squares) structural model.


Findings
The study findings conclude that role ambiguity, role task self-efficacy and role relationship orientation directly impact a salesperson's tendency to use neutralization techniques to justify unethical sales behavior. Role relationship orientation serves to moderate the relationship between role conflict and neutralization use.


Research limitations/implications
This research integrates attribution and role theories to isolate the conditions where salespeople are prone to use neutralization techniques to justify their unethical behavior. Salesperson role relationship orientation is explored to understand the moderating effects on the salesperson role–neutralization relationships.


Practical implications
Sales managers are provided guidance (e.g. training and coaching) to help salespeople navigate feelings of negative role perceptions (role conflict, role ambiguity, role self-efficacy) to minimize the impact on justification of unethical sales behaviors.


Originality/value
This research builds on the sales and ethics literatures by incorporating role and attribution theory to better understand how salespeople approach dealing with their own unethical behavior and the implications on maintaining relationships with their customers.

PurposeThis study aims to examine how contractual mechanisms, trust and ethical levels impact opportunism in marketing channel relationships between manufacturers and distributors. Because the type of interactions, short-term or transaction-based vs long-term or relation-based, may also affect the level of opportunism, the study includes two scenarios to assess the impact of interaction type.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data from 145 distributors were collected with 69 being transaction-based and 75 being relation-based interactions.FindingsThe sole use for transaction-based and relation-based interactions is not a significant deterrent for opportunistic behavior by a distributor. Ethical level is negatively related to opportunism in transaction-based interactions, perhaps because of calculative commitment. Trust positively moderates the relationship between contractual enforcement and opportunism in transaction-based interactions. Under relation-based interactions, the opposite occurs as trust reduces contractual enforcement efforts, and thus, opportunism is reduced as well. Ethical level negatively moderates the relationship between contractual enforcement and opportunism in transactional and relational based interactions.Originality/valueResearchers have called for a more holistic approach to better understand phenomena. This study addressed that call by being the first to include contracts, trust, ethical level and opportunism within the context of the transaction and relation-based interactions between a manufacturer and a distributor. Contractual enforcement is not a significant deterrent of opportunism for transactional or relational interactions. Trust is negatively related to opportunism only in transaction-based interactions; perhaps, the threshold for acting opportunistically may be lower because of the short-term nature of the interaction. The ethical level is negatively related to opportunism in transaction and relational interactions.

Purpose
This paper aims to explore the role of leadership in influencing the strategy implementation behaviors of salespeople. This paper also seeks to examine the moderating influence of competitive environment on the leadership style – salesperson implementation of sales strategy relationship.


Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from a sample of 190 business-to-business salespeople in different industries. The study's hypotheses were tested using partial least squares (PLS).


Findings
The results of the study show that a transformational leadership style has stronger effects on the sales strategy implementation behaviors of salespeople when compared to transactional leadership. However, in highly competitive environments, the effects of transactional leadership on the sales strategy implementation behaviors of salespeople become stronger. The results also show when salespeople implement sales strategy, it has a positive impact on their sales performance.


Practical implications
Sales managers should adapt their leadership style depending on the competitive environment that operate in. As transformational leadership and transactional leadership are not mutually exclusive, managers should tailor their use of these styles to improve the strategy implementation behaviors of their salespeople. Managers should also train their salespeople on the use of sales strategy.


Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by showing that the effectiveness of a particular leadership style is often contingent on the external environment. This research also demonstrates that when salespeople are strategic in their approach to selling, they will improve their sales performance.

The importance granted to information transparency in improving the accountability of public administrations has become increasingly greater in recent years under a scenario of economic and financial crisis as a tool of control. Although academic studies are aimed at identifying the key factors underlying a higher level of economic-financial information disclosure by local governments, there exists considerable heterogeneity in the results obtained. In this sense, we have carried out a meta-analysis to validate previous empirical results, and highlight causes of the variations and contradictions identified. Our study shows the variables analysed to be positively associated with the disclosure of public financial information, but also that this depends on the context in which the research is carried out. Adapted from the source document.

For businesses where resources are scarce and the environment is volatile in political, economic and cultural terms, such as the current case of Mexico and Turkey businesses might suggest, the pursue of business practices that adopt a market orientation (MO) is critical to maintain market share and survive. We address whether MO and innovation and dynamism levels, relevant constructs in such volatile business environments, differ among small businesses in Mexico and Turkey. The analysis was conducted from an ownership (manager vs. owner) and gender (male vs. female) approach. Findings suggest that gender differences were not significant with respect to MO, innovation, and dynamism in Turkey. Neither there were gender differences with respect to MO in Mexico. However, women in Mexico showed a higher orientation for innovation and dynamism. Owner and manager differences towards MO, innovation, and dynamism were not found significant in both regions denoting the importance that these concepts attain regardless of being an owner and manager. Entrepreneurial forces remain focused on exhibiting a marketing concept that leads to remain as a source of income, employment, and growth