Sales representative vs. firm commitment: The moderating role of national distance

IF 7.8 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Industrial Marketing Management Pub Date : 2025-05-01 DOI:10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.04.006

Meng Wang , Flora F. Gu , Danyang Zhao , Dongjin He

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Abstract

Although the international relationship marketing literature has extensively studied the subject of commitment, most previous research has investigated commitment at the firm level, with limited attention given to the critical role of the buyer's commitment towards the sales representative (sales-rep) in seller firms. This study, grounded in social exchange theory and international relationship marketing research, investigates how cross-border national distances between exchange dyad influence the effect of firm and sales-rep commitment on both the seller's and the buyer's benefits. Using survey data from international buyers across 29 countries (regions) and secondary national distance indices, we find that the buyer's sales-rep commitment, like firm commitment, positively impacts both the seller's sales share performance and the buyer's special treatment benefits. Furthermore, we find that cross-border economic and cultural distances can weaken the positive effect of firm commitment, while cultural distance strengthens the positive effect of sales-rep commitment. These findings contribute novel insights to social exchange theory by shedding light on the significance of both firm and sales-rep commitment and provide practical recommendations for firms to leverage commitment in managing their international buyers.

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销售代表与坚定承诺：国家距离的调节作用

尽管国际关系营销文献广泛地研究了承诺这一主题，但大多数先前的研究都是在企业层面上调查承诺，很少关注卖方企业中买方对销售代表的承诺所起的关键作用。本研究以社会交换理论和国际关系营销研究为基础，探讨跨国国家之间的交换距离如何影响企业和销售代表承诺对卖方和买方利益的影响。通过对29个国家（地区）国际买家的调查数据和二级国家距离指数，我们发现买家的销售代表承诺与坚定承诺一样，对卖家的销售份额绩效和买家的特殊待遇福利都有积极的影响。此外，我们发现跨国界的经济和文化距离会削弱企业承诺的正向效应，而文化距离会增强销售代表承诺的正向效应。这些发现通过阐明企业和销售代表承诺的重要性，为社会交换理论提供了新的见解，并为企业在管理国际买家时利用承诺提供了实用建议。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Industrial Marketing Management Multiple-

CiteScore

17.30

自引率

20.40%

发文量

255

期刊介绍： Industrial Marketing Management delivers theoretical, empirical, and case-based research tailored to the requirements of marketing scholars and practitioners engaged in industrial and business-to-business markets. With an editorial review board comprising prominent international scholars and practitioners, the journal ensures a harmonious blend of theory and practical applications in all articles. Scholars from North America, Europe, Australia/New Zealand, Asia, and various global regions contribute the latest findings to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of industrial markets. This holistic approach keeps readers informed with the most timely data and contemporary insights essential for informed marketing decisions and strategies in global industrial and business-to-business markets.