Keun S. Lee

An Empirical Assessment of Salesperson Motivation, Commitment, and Job Outcomes

This study contributes to the efforts to integrate work commitment constructs into the long-dominant expectancy theory framework of salesforce motivation and performance. Responses were gathered from 231 industrial salespeople in order to: 1) provide evidence concerning discriminant and convergent validity of two measures of work commitment and 2) distinguish expectancy and commitment constructs; and investigate the relationships between motivation, commitment, and two important outcomes—effort and performance. The results of the study indicate that conceptual and empirical differences do exist between commitment variables and expectancy-based motivation variables. Job commitment and extrinsic motivation are found to be related to salesperson effort, which in turn is related to salesperson performance.

Sales force commitment and turnover

Abstract This article investigates salesperson turnover by examining the differing effects of job and organizational commitment on industrial salespeoples propensity to withdraw from selling jobs. Traditional approaches have focused on company turnover thus failing to consider salespeoples attitudinal and behavioral orientations that may lead them to leave selling jobs. The results of this study indicate that organizational commitment is significantly related to withdrawal from an organization.

Commitment and involvement: Assessing a salesforce typology

Varying levels of organizational commitment and job involvement generate a salesperson typology which is empirically assessed. Ten hypotheses are tested using a national sample of 235 industrial salespeople. Eight of the hypotheses are supported Significant differences in salesperson effort, performance and turnover propensities are identified for four salesperson categories.

Inner‐age satisfaction in Africa and Asia: a cross‐cultural exploration

Field survey studies undertaken in Nigeria, Korea, China and India explored the way inner‐age satisfaction is experienced in those culturally diverse societies. Chronologically 20 to 59 year old respondents’ inner‐age satisfaction was gauged as the average difference between feel, look, do, and interest cognitive (self‐perceived) and desired (ideal) inner‐age dimensions. Analyses of covariance (with chronological age factored out) across the four nations showed Nigeria to differ significantly in terms of inner‐age satisfaction from each Asian population, contrary to the Asian societies where no differences were found across samples (except between Korea and India where inner‐age satisfaction differed at a p .05). High levels of satisfaction with inner‐age (coming about when cognitive and desired ages are equal) commonly transpired: 31.4 per cent of Indian, 36.9 per cent of Nigerian, 44.3 per cent of Chinese, and 44.9 per cent of Korean respondents. Age dissatisfaction in an elder direction (ideal age older than self‐perceived age) was atypical and happened most often among Nigerian (23.4 per cent) and least among Korean subjects (10.7 per cent). In contrast, wishing for a younger innerage was a commonplace phenomenon in India (50.6 per cent of the sample), as well as in China where it occurred the least (36.6 per cent). The study’s findings imply the universal nature of the way human beings (irrespective of culture) perceive and feel about inner‐age, as well as the potential of an inner‐age satisfaction psychographic as a relevant consumer behavior segmentation trait for marketing planners of age‐sensitive products and services who seek to standardize their global branding and distribution.

Korean Workers’ Motivation Tools: Commitment and Incentive‐Based Motivation and Their Relative Impact on Behavioral Work Outcome

This research examines the linkage between commitment (organizational and job), motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic), and work outcomes (effort and propensity to leave) using the Korean sample. With its focus on the relative impact of loyalty‐based commitment and incentive‐based motivation on work outcome behavior, this study highlights Confucian culture and expectancy theory. Using survey data, support was found for all the hypotheses except the paths from job involvement to effort. In particular, organizational commitment was found to have the highest influence on effort and propensity to leave, presenting empirical support for the eminence of loyalty as a motivational tool in a collectivistic work culture. Managerial implications and future research are discussed.

The Influence of Media Exposure on Materialism, Fashion Innovativeness and Cognitive Age: A Multi-Country Study

Past research has demonstrated that the media have far-reaching impact and consequences on consumer behavior. However, most of it was done in Western countries, and it is likely that consumers’ attitudes toward media and their exposure to various types of media vary widely across countries (e.g., Zhang, et al. 2006). This research explores if there are any differences in the influence of media on important aspects of consumer behavior across different cultures. Based on the consumer socialization literature this research hypothesizes a significant relationship between mass media usage and cognitive age, fashion innovativeness, and materialism across three culturally diverse countries: India, Korea and the United States.

Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Contemporary Values Research in Consumer Behavior: A Critical Analysis

Marketing research concerning the relationship of consumer values to their marketing related behaviors has found a resurgence in the past decade. This paper identifies some problematic issues concerning this area of research and addresses gaps in both conceptual and methodological conceptions of values oriented studies. Areas of concern include definitional confusion, choice of instruments, cross cultural studies, value prioritization and conflict resolution. Some suggestions and implications for future research are discussed.

The Influence of Salesperson Motivation and Role Perception: An Empirical Analysis

This paper empirically examines the effects of salesperson type on motivation components (intrinsic and extrinsic) and role perception (role ambiguity and role conflict). Industrial salespeople are divided into: ( 1) institutionalized stars, (2) lone wolves, (3) corporate citizens, and (4) apathetic salespersons. The results of this study indicate that, except role conflict, motivation components and role ambiguity are significantly related to the salesperson types. Implications for managers and future research are also presented.

The Influence of Multi-Level Cultures of Intercultural Negotiation: National, Business, and Organizational Cultures of the U.S. and Japan

This article discusses on three major aspects of culture: national, business, and organisational. The three levels of culture are conceptually distinguished and their influence on intercultural business negotiations is examined. In the process, American and Japanese business cultures with respect to the three levels are contrasted. Managerial implications are also provided.

Salesperson Types and their Linkage to Reward Valence, Job Satisfaction, Job Effort, and Propensity-to-Leave: An Empirical Investigation of Retail Salespeople

Salespersons are classified into four different types based on the conceptualization of Blau and Boal (1987). Using midpoints of organizational commitment (OC) scores and job involvement (n) scores, this paper divides 192 retail salespeople into institutionalized stars (high OC and high JI), lone wolves (low OC and high JI), corporate citizens (high OC and low JI), and apathetic salespersons (low OC and low JI). An empirical analysis reveals that, as hypothesized, institutionalized stars have the highest levels of reward valence, job satisfaction, and job effort, while apathetic salespersons show the extreme opposite. Lone wolves and corporate citizens show mixed results for reward valence. Interestingly, however, lone wolves, while working harder than corporate citizens, are less satisfied and more likely to leave the company.