Journal of Business-To-Business Marketing最新文献

{"title":"The Role of Grit and Emotional Exhaustion in the Selling Process","authors":"L. Matthews, D. Edmondson","doi":"10.1080/1051712X.2022.2121509","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1051712X.2022.2121509","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Purpose The focus of this article is to provide an overview of the existing business-to-business literature on two sales constructs that have been of interest to marketers. Although relatively new to the sales literature, the first construct is grit. This construct has been studied in a wide variety of manners for 130 years; however, within the sales literature, this construct has only been explored for the past three years. The second construct has been investigated in the sales literature for over 20 years is emotional exhaustion, which is one of the three dimensions of burnout. Furthermore, this article then introduces the eight manuscripts included in this special issue which expand marketing’s knowledge on these two constructs of interest. Research Implications Currently in the sales literature, there is a lack of research containing the grit construct. This article contributes to the marketing and sales literature by showcasing the importance of researching grit in sales. In addition, this article discusses the most popular researched burnout dimension, emotional exhaustion. Although emotional exhaustion has been studied in the sales literature, there is still additional research needed in order to fully understand the intricacies and situations that might lead to or result from a salesperson’s experiencing emotional exhaustion. Further, as with many underexplored constructs, such as grit, there is also an inconsistency in the research findings related to the relationship between grit and emotional exhaustion. Therefore, this article examines this inconsistency and provides some additional research ideas for consideration. Practical Implications This article calls attention to two constructs that can impact a sales organization’s long-term success. Prior research on each of these constructs is provided which highlights what a sales organization should and should not do in order to increase grittiness and reduce emotional exhaustion levels of their salesforce. Originality/Value/Contribution This article contributes to the literature in several meaningful ways. First, this article provides a detailed table of articles previously published in the sales literature that include the construct of grit. Second, this article investigates emotional exhaustion and its role in the sales process. A brief discussion on how grit might impact emotional exhaustion is also provided. Finally, based on prior research as well as insights gleaned from the eight articles included in this special issue, future research opportunities and suggestions are presented.","PeriodicalId":46235,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business-To-Business Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47793147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reducing Salesperson Turnover Intentions via Organizational Market Orientation and Selective Hiring: A Job Demand-Resources Approach","authors":"David E. Fleming, Andrew B. Artis, Eric G. Harris, J. R. Fergurson, M. Askew","doi":"10.1080/1051712X.2022.2121503","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1051712X.2022.2121503","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Purpose This study is designed to respond to repeated calls for research on sales person retentionby building upon a mature research stream to identify ways to reduce turnover in boundary spanning employees and the resultant effect it has on organizational productivity. Specifically, this research draws on the Job Demands-Resources model to explore the effect of employee perceptions of firm market orientation as a way to reduce role stressors and subsequently turnover intentions. It also looks at employee traits that may serve as a buffer to the role stress to turnover intentions link and can be part of the hiring selection process (in this case grit). In so doing, this research uses a sample of early career salespeople to examine the effects of a firm’s market orientation (MO) and selective hiring for specific traits (level of grit) on a salesperson’s intention to quit using Job Demand-Resources as a framework. Design/Methodology/Approach The authors utilized a questionnaire to collect data from a sample consisting of 260 respondents who were employed full-time and worked in either B2B or B2C sales as boundary-spanning employees. The measures utilized in this study have been used in previous research and have demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity. Analysis of the latent constructs was conducted using PLS-SEM. The model was assessed as specified in the hypotheses and was estimated using the PLS algorithm to obtain path coefficient estimates. Findings Findings suggest that organizations can benefit internally from strong MO by mitigating stressors placed on boundary-spanning employees. Those who perceived strong MO in their employer experienced more clearly defined roles, which led to decreased role ambiguity. These increased levels of job satisfaction, which reduced turnover intention. Additionally, Grit appears to only moderate the link between role conflict and job satisfaction, which suggests that grit can serve as an additional resource salespeople can tap into in response to the demands of role stressors thereby reducing their likelihood of leaving their positions. Research Implications In this research, inclusion of market orientation as an antecedent to role stressors in the Job Demands-Resources model expands the conceptualization of the construct as it relates to salespeople in that market orientation is something the firm can control directly. This opens research opportunities to use this model in the sales literature. In addition, the job-demands-resources model expands the role of grit beyond positive psychology to be viewed as a resource in stressful situations and puts the role of grit into a theoretical framework for use in business contexts. As such, the current work suggests that the grit scale can be used to replace measures used for similar constructs such as tenacity. Practical Implications This research suggests that role ambiguity can be reduced by the presence of a market orientation. This reduction in r","PeriodicalId":46235,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business-To-Business Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47944117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding How Salesperson Envy and Emotional Exhaustion Lead to Negative Consequences: The Role of Motivation","authors":"Tyler Hancock, E. Pullins, C. M. Johnson, Michael Mallin","doi":"10.1080/1051712X.2022.2121504","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1051712X.2022.2121504","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand how salesperson motivations can affect negative states such as envy and emotional exhaustion in the workplace. The study uses Social Comparison Theory and Self-Determination Theory to explain how motivation influences the development of envy and emotional exhaustion, resulting in both turnover intentions and unethical selling practices. This study aims to bridge a gap in the burnout and motivation literature by focusing on envy and emotional exhaustion in the salesforce and answering calls for more research on salesperson well-being, envy, and burnout. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a survey research methodology to address the effects of motivation on negative outcomes, envy, emotional exhaustion, turnover intentions, and unethical selling behaviors. Two hundred and eleven salespeople were surveyed to test the hypotheses. Established scales from prior research were adapted for use in the study and met appropriate levels of composite reliability. The model fit statistics met acceptable thresholds specified in the structural equation model literature. The study used a two-step structural equation modeling approach. First, the measurement model was validated using a CFA to test for reliability, unidimensionality, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Next, the structural model hypotheses were tested using AMOS 27. Next, the serial mediation and moderated serial mediation effects were assessed using the bootstrap method with 5000 bootstraps and a 95% confidence interval. Finally, estimands were created within AMOS 27 to test the indirect and interaction effects in the full structural model. Findings The results show that intrinsic motivation decreases the development of envy, which positively affects emotional exhaustion, turnover intentions, and unethical selling behaviors. The findings show that intrinsic motivation in the salesforce helps to prevent unfavorable comparisons that lead to envy and emotional exhaustion. Thus, sales organizations that nurture intrinsic motivators in the workplace are more likely to prevent salespeople from seeking employment elsewhere and discourage unethical selling behaviors. Additionally, the serial mediation analysis shows that envy and burnout mediate the relationships between intrinsic motivation on both unethical selling and turnover intentions through negative, fully serially mediated relationships. These findings suggest that a sales organization can take action to prevent envy and emotional exhaustion from causing severe problems by implementing intrinsic motivators. Finally, the interaction effects between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation show high levels of extrinsic motivation negate the effects of intrinsic motivation and increase the development of envy, emotional exhaustion, turnover intentions, and unethical selling behaviors. These findings show that sales organizations that invest heavily in extrinsic motivators such ","PeriodicalId":46235,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business-To-Business Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46427215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Nuanced Analysis of Salesperson Grit: Exploring Perseverance, Consistency, and Mind-set","authors":"Matthew M. Lastner, Michael C. Peasley, Mark J. Pelletier","doi":"10.1080/1051712X.2022.2121505","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1051712X.2022.2121505","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Purpose The increasing interest of grit research in sales represents an opportunity as sales-dependent organizations stand to benefit significantly from an enhanced understanding of how grit arises and how it affects sales performance. The nature of sales, with high levels of stress and rejection, presents conditions in which individuals possessing high levels of grit should find greater success than their less gritty peers. However, three predominant issues limit the findings of previous research on grit in a sales and marketing context: scholars have elected to measure grit (1) with adolescents before personality traits are fully established, (2) in non-sales contexts, or (3) using only one of the two dimensions of grit, generally assessing perseverance but not consistency. Thus, due to differing opinions among researchers regarding the usefulness of grit’s proposed subdimensions, perseverance and consistency of interests, the scant research in that has examined grit within organizational contexts presents a muddled picture of grit’s potential utility for the field of sales. Therefore, this study addresses all three concerns by investigating grit in a B2B sales setting, with adult salespeople, and on both dimensions of grit. Methodology Survey data were collected from 473 B2B salespeople (i.e. employed full-time in business-to-business sales as a salesperson) representing a cross-section of industries, including advertising, auto parts, business solutions, computer and technology-related sales, insurance, promotional products, telecommunications, and transportation and logistics. The model design allowed for exploration of two antecedents to grit, growth mind-set and self-efficacy, and two outcomes of interest, salesperson performance and organizational commitment. Further, we incorporate the contingent role managers can have on the relationships between growth mind-set and self-efficacy with perseverance of effort and consistency of interest by expanding a salesperson’s locus of control. All of these relationships were tested with Mplus v8, using a maximum likelihood estimator with robust standard errors. Findings Our findings build upon previous sales research examining the effects of grit on sales outcomes by demonstrating that each of grit’s dimensions has a positive relationship with performance and determining that the positive effects of grit extend to salesperson commitment to the organization. Moreover, we determine that a growth mind-set and self-efficacy are predictive of salesperson grit and that locus of control plays a moderating role in these relationships. However, we demonstrate that grit’s perseverance and consistency dimensions are not impacted uniformly by a growth mind-set and locus of control, indicating that additional insights may be gleaned from assessing and analyzing the grit construct using both dimensions. In particular, the results show that a salesperson’s growth mind-set is positively associated with per","PeriodicalId":46235,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business-To-Business Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44904737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improving Business-to-Business Relationship Quality Through Salespeople’s Grit and Political Skill","authors":"C. H. Schwepker, Megan C. Good","doi":"10.1080/1051712X.2022.2121508","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1051712X.2022.2121508","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Purpose Two characteristics – Grit and Political Skill – appear to offer meaningful value to industrial marketers through improving customer relationship quality. The premise of this study is to investigate the role of these characteristics of business-to-business salespeople as they influence selling approaches and ultimately long-term customer relationships. Previous research in both academic and practitioner literature has noted political skill and grit are individually linked to salespeople but remain chiefly unexplored simultaneously and in terms of their impact on customer relationships. Methodology/Approach The data used in this research are from a sample of 240 business-to-business salespeople collected electronically by using the online platform of a national data broker. Self-reports were made about their grit, political skill, and customer relationship quality. These constructs were combined in a structural equation model. SPSS/Amos software was used to conduct multivariate analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the measurement properties of each construct, while structural equation modeling was applied to evaluate the hypothesized relationships. Findings Results suggest grit is directly related to political skill and both are positively related to relationship quality. The results from this study lend credence to existing customer relationship literature and serve to extend our understanding, specifically as applied to business-to-business salespeople. In particular, we learn more about the role of grit and political skill in affecting the ability of salespeople to establish and maintain customer relationships. Research Implications In terms of the theoretical contribution, this study explores a seller’s perspective of two potentially important sales characteristics and relationship quality to extend findings on customer relationships. While grit has been considered an antecedent of outcome performance, the interaction between grit and political skill, and their impact on business-to-business salespeople’s customer relationship quality had heretofore not been examined. This study extends previous research on grit and political skill by examining the association between the two as well as the impact on relationship quality. Our research strengthens the importance of grit and political skill by finding the synergy between the two indicates that when these characteristics of salespeople are possessed or developed they can enhance the relationship building conducted by business-to-business salespeople. Practical Implications Sales leaders may benefit from administering the salesperson grit and political skill scales as part of the screening process and developing these values among salespeople through training and coaching. Sales leaders should emphasize the positive impact of adopting these in focusing on customers. The study makes a practical contribution through an improved understanding of how a seller’s co","PeriodicalId":46235,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business-To-Business Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46420612","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Cascading Impact of Performance Pressure on Supervisor Bottom-Line Mentality and Salesperson Hypervigilant Decision Making, Emotional Exhaustion, and Engagement","authors":"Barron W. Brown, Jennifer A. Locander, William B. Locander","doi":"10.1080/1051712X.2022.2121502","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1051712X.2022.2121502","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Purpose Pressure to achieve or exceed performance goals accompanies many sales positions in business-to-business (B2B) organizations. Sales supervisors experience pressure from executives to hit sales targets, exceed quotas, and increase market share. Such pressures may result in supervisor adoption of a bottom-line mentality (SBLM). When this occurs, supervisors tend to focus solely on achieving bottom-line results. When supervisors manage the sales force with this mentality, it may cause their salespeople to experience mental and emotional stress. Individual salespeople are likely to cope with the stress induced by SBLM by employing dysfunctional decision-making behaviors. Ironically, the dysfunctional decision-making techniques used to alleviate the stress engendered by SBLM may actually increase salesperson emotional exhaustion. In this stressful and results-driven environment, salespeople may direct their efforts toward obtaining certain goals at the expense of other priorities, such as their emotional well-being. When salespeople experience emotional exhaustion, various negative outcomes may result. In the present study, we investigate whether emotional exhaustion affects salesperson cognitive and emotional engagement and intentions to seek alternative employment opportunities. Essentially, this study assesses the potential trickle-down effect of performance pressure from organizational executives down organizational channels to sales supervisors and the sales force. Empirically, we examine how SBLM affects salesperson decision making, emotional exhaustion, job engagement, and turnover intention. Methodology A theoretical model of our hypothesized relationships is presented and tested using a sample of 274 business-to-business (B2B) salespeople. The sample was obtained through Qualtrics Panels, and a project manager was utilized to conduct an initial cleaning of the data to improve objectivity during data collection and analysis. Survey respondents were subjected to multiple screening questions and attention checks to enhance data quality. All constructs used in the survey were adapted from previous research and were measured using 7-point likert scales. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to assess the measurement properties of all constructs, and structural equation modeling (i.e. AMOS 26) was utilized to test the hypothesized relationships in our model. Findings The results highlight multiple negative repercussions of the hypothesized trickle-down effect of organizational performance pressure on sales supervisors and the sales force. Specifically, our findings show that (1) performance pressure from organizational executives incites SBLM, (2) SBLM encourages hypervigilant decision making in salespeople, (3) hypervigilant decision making is a strong predictor of emotional exhaustion, and (4) emotionally exhausted salespeople have lower levels of both cognitive and emotional job engagement and higher intentions to seek al","PeriodicalId":46235,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business-To-Business Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47006837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Referrals are A Double-Edged Sword: A Relative Theory of Referral Effects","authors":"Liming Zhao, Xuejiao Bai","doi":"10.1080/1051712X.2022.2058539","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1051712X.2022.2058539","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Purpose To investigate the internal mechanism by which comprehensive positive referrals in B to B marketing generate multiple effects. Methodology/Approach Author conducted 2 preliminary explorations. Practitioner note 1 analyzed the influence of ERV and IB on referral effect. Practitioner note 2 analyzed the influence of the interaction between them on referral effect. The data came from a questionnaire survey of 112 purchasing staffers from 40 fresh food supermarket chains operating in China. Findings Referrals whose effective referral value (ERV) is lower than a certain level are more likely to produce negative effect, and vice versa. The boundary condition depends on the initial belief (IB) of potential customers on the comprehensive performance level of the referred suppliers. The author calls this mechanism the relative theory of referral effect. Research Implications First, this practitioner note makes a theoretical contribution to the research literature related to WOM and referral effect. This is the first literature to introduce IB into the referral multiple effects analysis framework, and the first to reveal the mechanism of multiple effects from the perspective of the relative level of ERV and IB. Second, this paper contributes to the research on WOM. Rocklage and Fazio (2020) analyzed the mechanism of negative effects of positive emotions in positive WOM (PWOM) due to product categories, but it should be noted that the independent variable was positive emotions rather than the positive information content itself. In this sense, this practitioner note is the first to analyze the negative effects of positive information, which enriches the literature related to WOM. Practical Implications the preliminary findings of this practitioner note have guiding significance for marketing practice. That it is unlikely that the referrer will have a positive impact on high-reputation suppliers. For suppliers with low and medium reputation levels, the referrer is a double-edged sword. Therefore, it is not recommended that high-reputation suppliers implement supplier-selected-referral programs, and low and medium-reputation suppliers should be cautious in selecting referrers, for the referrer may have negative effects. Originality/Value/Contribution The author makes up for this deficiency in the existing research by building a multiple effect analysis framework including ERV and IB, thus promoting the development of research theory related to WOM and referral effects.","PeriodicalId":46235,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business-To-Business Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42964911","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Servant Leadership Effects on Salesperson Self-Efficacy, Performance, Job Satisfaction, and Turnover Intentions","authors":"K. Westbrook, R. M. Peterson","doi":"10.1080/1051712X.2022.2068820","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1051712X.2022.2068820","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Purpose Servant leadership has been tested as having a positive impact on employee self-efficacy which has been tested in the marketing literature within a service-delivery context. To date, there are no studies testing the Servant Leadership → Self-Efficacy path leading to salesperson job satisfaction, sales performance, and turnover intentions within a B2B context. The purpose of this study is to assess whether servant leadership has a direct relationship on salesperson self-efficacy (positive), job satisfaction (positive), performance (positive) and turnover intentions (negative). Second, the intent is to test whether servant leadership indirectly affects turnover intentions through self-efficacy, job satisfaction and performance as single and serial mediated paths. Finally, the study tests whether gender, firm size and job demands as challenge and hindrance stressors serve to moderate these hypothesized paths. Method Data was gathered over a 10-day period using an online survey from a survey panel of U.S. sales professionals who sell products and services to businesses within their sales role. The data was approximately evenly split between females and males and between smaller firms (less than 250 employees) and larger companies (more than 250 employees). The authors used Hayes Process Model 4 to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings Key results in this study suggest that servant leadership has a direct impact on salesperson job satisfaction (positive), self-efficacy (positive), and turnover intentions (negative), but fails to influence salesperson performance directly. Further, salesperson job satisfaction directly decreases turnover intentions; performance directly increases turnover intentions; but self-efficacy fails to have a direct impact on turnover intentions. Servant leadership has a direct impact on turnover intentions and indirect influence through job satisfaction (single mediator) and through self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and performance as serially mediated paths (Self-Efficacy → Job Satisfaction and Self-Efficacy → Performance). One significant finding is that servant leadership fails to directly influence salesperson performance suggesting that self-efficacy may exhibit suppressing the effects on Servant Leadership → Salesperson Performance path. Finally, the results indicate that gender (binary) and firm size (< 250 employees and > 250 employees) fail to serve as moderators on the proposed paths. However, servant leadership behaviors buffer the effects of challenge and hindrance stressors at low and moderate levels, but fail to have a buffering effect at high levels of challenge and hindrance stressors. Implications This study confirms that sales managers should consider adopting servant leadership to raise salesperson job satisfaction to aid in retaining sales talent (lower turnover intentions). Furthermore, sales managers who adopt servant leadership behaviors raise salesperson self-efficacy, which is a","PeriodicalId":46235,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business-To-Business Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49275202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stop making excuses: reducing unethical behavior and improving performance and relationship quality","authors":"Megan C. Good, C. H. Schwepker","doi":"10.1080/1051712X.2022.2058545","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1051712X.2022.2058545","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Purpose The premise of this article is to investigate the role of neutralization techniques by business-to-business salespeople as they influence ethical views and impact unethical behaviors, performance, and relationships. Research has previously noted the prevalence and impacts of excuse-making by individuals. Identified as neutralization techniques, these practices have been linked to salespeople in both academic and practitioner literature, but remain chiefly unexplored in terms of impacts on individual outcome measures. Methodology The data used in this research are from a sample of 240 business-to-business salespeople collected electronically by using the online platform of a national data broker. A scenario presented a typical sales activity previously determined to be unethical. The salespeople were asked to evaluate the level of harm (Moral Intensity) of an activity described in a scenario and indicate their agreement/disagreement with possible justifications (Neutralization techniques). The two most common types are denial of injury where the accused claims there is no harm resulting from the unethical act and appeal to higher loyalties which involves the unethical actor claiming the unethical behavior was committed on behalf of loyalty to some other party, rather than the norms guiding expected ethical behavior. Self-reports were made about their ethical/unethical behaviors, relationship quality with customers and estimates of their performance in their sales position. All constructs as shown in the Figure were combined in a structural equation model. SPSS/Amos software was used to conduct multivariate analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the measurement properties of each construct, while structural equation modeling was applied to evaluate the hypothesized relationships. Findings Moral intensity was found to directly reduce unethical behaviors as moderated by neutralization techniques (excuses). Unethical behaviors were negatively related to relationship quality and value enhancing behavior performance. The results from this study lend credence to ethical decision-making models and serve to extend our understanding of them, specifically as applied to business-to-business salespeople. In particular, we learn more about the role of neutralization techniques in affecting the ethical decision-making of salespeople. In terms of the theoretical contribution, this study explores a seller’s perspective of moral intensity, neutralization techniques, and important sales behaviors and outcomes to extend findings reported in previous studies. Previous research suggests that unethical behaviors by salespeople can negatively impact both their performance in creating customer value and the quality of their customer relationships. This study extends previous research as to how neutralization techniques may work in this process and relate salesperson unethical behavior negatively to relationship quality among a broader s","PeriodicalId":46235,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business-To-Business Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47284399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Process-Based Framework for B-to-B Service Quality: A Practitioner Note of Management Consulting Service","authors":"N. Venkateswaran","doi":"10.1080/1051712X.2022.2058540","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1051712X.2022.2058540","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Purpose This practitioner note proposed a consulting service quality model based on service process, which contains four dimensions: potential service capability (PoSC), process service capability (PrSC), situational interaction capability (SIC), and service outcomes (SO). The four dimensions were transformed from INDSERV scale which was specialized for B-to-B service. Methodology The research design used in this practitioner note is descriptive. Very simple normalization methods were used for calculations. The internal relationships among them were tested by the analysis of a convenient sample of 263 management consulting customers in India. Constructs validity was tested applying Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity and the Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy analyzing the strength of association among variables. The KMO measure of sampling adequacy was first computed to determine the suitability of using factor analysis. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) also used to estimate uni-dimensionality of selected variables. Findings  Among all the significant variables in this practitioner note, several results are found: (a) PoSC has a profound impact on PrSC and SIC, especially on SIC. (b) SIC is a support for PrSC. (c) PrSC has significant positive impact on SO. For consulting firms, playing a good role in problem diagnosis, design optimization, and project control level, copy writing quality and other aspects will greatly improve the level of service quality. Research Implications The research aims, scope and objectives of this study is too broadly. It can be narrowed so that the level of focus of the study may be increased in near future. This study is targeted to only specific set of management consulting firms Practical Implications Theoretically, results from this practitioner note will contribute to service quality assessment for B-to-B companies. INDSERV is a promising advance in measuring customer service, and modeling customer service as a process allows more complex and interesting model generation. Originality This practitioner note build a unique services quality model of management consulting based INDSERV scale. Based on causal and structural modeling of the service process, managers can allocate resources across the system to B-to-B service aspects based on relative changes in customers’ feedback on them. Modeling customer service in this way allows more complex and interesting model generation. INDSERV scale appropriately confirm that the items are phrased in a meaningful manner for consulting management industry.","PeriodicalId":46235,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business-To-Business Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43389326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}