José Luis Munuera

EFFECTS OF INTERACTIVITY IN A WEB SITE: The Moderating Effect of Need for Cognition

This paper examines how consumers process the information available, and what their experiences are, when exposed to an interactive Web site as compared with a noninteractive Web site. The experiment developed analyzes two versions of a Web site in which the capacity to interact with the message has been manipulated. The results show that the interactive Web site leads to more information processing, higher favorability toward the product and the Web site, and greater flow state intensity. In addition, the findings confirm the hypothesized moderating effect of need for cognition on information processing. Implications for new media researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Determinants and consequences of ethical behaviour: An empirical study of salespeople.

– The main purpose of this research is to gain a clearer understanding of several key determinants and consequences of the ethical behaviour of salespeople., – Questionnaires were administered during regularly scheduled meetings to a total of 280 financial services salespeople. The salespeople questioned were mainly specializing in selling high‐involvement financial products (e.g. mortgages, life insurance) to final consumers., – Results suggest that method of compensation and control system (CS) are important determinants of ethical behaviour. Age (AGE) also proves to be a significant antecedent of ethical behaviour. However, education (EDU) is not significantly related to ethical behaviour. Additionally, a salespersons ethical behaviour leads to lower levels of role conflict‐intersender and higher levels of job satisfaction, but not higher performance., – To improve generalization of the findings, future research should broaden the sample by including a variety of industries. Likewise, the use of longitudinal data could provide new insights into the antecedents and consequences of ethical behaviour of salespeople and in particular the relationship with performance. Continuing research is needed to further analyse the relationship between ethical behaviour and other relevant behaviours that may take place during the interaction with the customer (e.g. organisational citizenship behaviours and customer orientation)., – This research is, to our knowledge, the first study that simultaneously identifies and analyses several key antecedents and consequences of the ethical behaviour of salespeople., – This study adds to the literature by reducing the existing gap and showing companies insights into how to foster ethical sales behaviour and the positive consequences that this behaviour has on their salespeople.

Trade Fairs as Services: A Look at Visitors’ Objectives in Spain

Abstract Trade fairs are an important element of the promotion strategy for industrial products. They are also a source of information about market trends for managers of those companies that attend these events. In this study, we consider trade fairs as services offered by trade fair organizations (TFOs), with visitors as clients. We present an empirical study developed in Spain to analyze the objectives of small and medium-sized companies who visit trade fairs.

The effects of sales training on sales force activity

This study examines the effects of sales training on sales force performance and customer orientation in the context of small and medium‐sized companies (SMEs). The results give empirical evidence of the importance of sales training investment as a means of increasing sales performance. However, more training investment does not imply higher levels of customer‐oriented selling. Yet, higher levels of salespeople performance and customer‐oriented selling are observed when specific training methods and content are implemented. Additionally, customer‐oriented selling positively influences sales force performance, and sales training seems to moderate the relationship between sales force performance and effectiveness. Managerial implications and applications are discussed, and suggestions for future research are presented.

Reflections on the Use of Instructional Technologies in Marketing Education

The use of instructional technologies in higher education generally, and marketing education in particular, appears to be increasing at an accelerating pace. Even so, there is a paucity of evidence regarding the incremental contribution of these technologies to student learning. This article offers several observations on the use of instructional technologies in marketing education and recommends the development of a comprehensive framework that can be used to evaluate existing and emerging technologies and guide future research.

The Influence of the Compensation System and Personal Variables on a Salesperson's Effective Listening Behaviour

Effective listening is crucial for salespeople to succeed in todays personal selling environment, yet poor listening is still one of the most important factors contributing to a salespersons failure. Despite its importance, very little research has focused on effective listening in this context. This study proposes a model that explains the effective listening behaviour of salespeople in terms of their method of compensation, ability to use customer knowledge, intrinsic motivation, gender, education and experience. The findings suggest that the above factors, with the exception of experience, are significant determinants of effective listening in the sales environment. A discussion of theoretical and managerial implications is presented, and key areas for future research are suggested.