Nwamaka A. Anaza

How organizational and employee‐customer identification, and customer orientation affect job engagement

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of organizational and employee‐customer identification on job engagement. The paper also aims to explore the role of customer orientation in the model as a consequence of identification, in addition to an antecedent of engagement.Design/methodology/approach – This study utilizes an online survey administered to Cooperative Extension employees in frontline service roles. Amos 18.0 was employed to examine the proposed structural model.Findings – This study examines and finds that employee‐customer identification is an important contributing factor for customer orientation and job engagement among frontline employees in service industries. The findings also reveal that customer orientation acts as an intervening effect necessary in linking organizational identification and employee‐customer identification to job engagement.Research limitations/implications – The studys results advance understanding and consequently reveal the importance of employe...

Developing our understanding of patronizing frontline employees

Purpose – In an overwhelming portion of the US service economy, the multifaceted responsibilities that frontline employees play as patrons have been overlooked within the academic literature. The notion of employees as customers is a common business practice that garners sizeable benefits to both the firm and its employees; unfortunately, research on this topic is still in its infancy. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of internal marketing and job satisfaction on employee patronage, and the role of patronage on employee engagement in a Cooperative Extension Service System.Design/methodology/approach – An online survey administered to Cooperative Extension employees in frontline service roles was used to test the proposed structural model. Structural equation modeling carried out using the Amos 18.0 software program was employed to analyze the proposed hypotheses.Findings – It was found that internal marketing is composed of five dimensions, as tested using a second‐order hierarchical str...

Increasing business-to-business buyer word-of-mouth and share-of-purchase

Purpose – This study aims to examine the satisfaction-loyalty framework on word-of-mouth communications (WOMC) and share-of-purchases in situations where business-to-business (b-t-b) buyers have a relationship with both the salesperson and the selling firm. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses an online panel to examine respondents with b-t-b purchasing authority for their given firm. Lisrel 8.52 was used to examine the proposed structural model. Findings – This study finds that satisfaction, loyalty and WOMC with regards to the salesperson directly impacts satisfaction, loyalty and WOMC with the selling firm, respectively. Also, the study finds that certain levels of buyer satisfaction and loyalty impact post purchase behavior and spending. Research limitations/implications – Several contributions emerge from the proposed model to advance relationships within b-t-b markets by examining methods in which salespeople can directly influence their company’s financial outcome in the form of increased ...

Predictors of Buyer-Seller Firm Conflict

Research on gender differences within buyer-selling firm relationships is lacking, particularly with respect to exchanges that detail the role of ongoing relationships, communication frequency alignment, and economic satisfaction on conflict. This study examines a model assessing the effects of buyer economic satisfaction, relational duration, and communication frequency alignment on conflict. The study finds that buyer economic satisfaction, relational duration, and communication frequency alignment are negatively related to conflict with the selling firm. In addition, the results indicate that gender moderates the relationship between communication frequency alignment and conflict, suggesting that male and female buyers differ with regard to conflict.

Loyalty to Social Ventures in Social Media: The Role of Social Cause Involvement, Identification, and Commitment

ABSTRACT Recently, more social organizations are engaging in market transactions to achieve financial self-reliance. In today’s highly competitive market, it is imperative for such social ventures to bolster long-term support from their consumers through every possible point of access, such as social media. Given the importance of social media in enhancing customer relationships, this study examines factors that promote consumers’ loyalty toward social ventures, focusing on intentions to participate in cause-related activities and opinion-sharing behavior via social media. Data obtained from 304 US consumers confirmed that consumer involvement, identification, and commitment were key determinants of consumer loyalty in social media. The results also showed that the effect of involvement was mediated by identification and commitment. The findings suggest that social ventures should not only attract interested segments through social media, but also engage and enhance their sense of belonging and commitment.

The heart in organizational buying: marketers’ understanding of emotions and decision-making of buyers

Purpose Organizational buying behavior has often been treated as a rational activity, even though humans are involved in the decision-making. Human decision-making often includes a complex cadre of emotions and rationalizations. Subsequently, organizational buyers may not only be driven by logic, testing and facts, but also by emotions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role that emotions play in organizational buying behavior. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews were conducted with marketing decision-makers for one of the most valuable brands in the world. The role that emotions play in the behavior of organizational buyers is elucidated from the perspective of these marketing professionals. Findings Emotions are prevalent at all stages in the organizational decision-making process and various discrete emotions fuel action tendencies among buyers. Efforts are made by marketers to strategically manage the emotions buyers experience. Practical implications Although organizational buyers must see the functional value of a product or brand, companies need to consider ways in which brands can connect with buyers on an emotional and personal level. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature by offering insights into which discrete or specific emotions are most prominent in organizational buying behavior and how the manifestation of these emotions impact decision-making at each stage in the buying cycle.

Staying engaged on the job: The role of emotional labor, job resources, and customer orientation

Purpose Frontline employees face constant emotional demands in the course of providing services to their customers, which can impact job engagement. This study aims to investigate the influence of emotional labor (surface and deep acting) and job resources (having a mentor and availability of expressive emotional network resources) on employees’ customer orientation and their relationship to three dimensions of job engagement: vigor, absorption and dedication. Design/methodology/approach Using data collected from food service providers, a conceptual model based on the job demands–resources theory is developed and tested. Findings Findings show that having a mentor and expressive emotional network resources increases customer orientation, which in turn increases vigor, absorption and dedication. However, surface acting negatively affects customer orientation, which indirectly reduces job engagement. Originality/value Consistent with the main tenet of the job-demands and resources theory, it was found that surface acting reduces engagement, whereas job resources (expressive emotional network resources and mentorship) boost engagement. Moreover, the results suggest that the commercialization of human feelings still remains an important topic for service providers to consider during service interactions because its presence affects frontline service employee engagement levels.

Ethical climate and job satisfaction among organizational buyers: an empirical study

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between ethical climate and facets of job satisfaction among organizational buyers. Design/methodology/approach – This research is an empirical study. Data are collected from the industrial buyers using online panel. The INDSALES scale, the scale developed to measure job satisfaction of boundary spanners, was used to measure the job satisfaction. Partial least squares, a components-based structural equation modeling approach, was employed to conduct data analysis. Findings – The key finding was that buyer’s organizational policy mediates the relationship between buyers’ perception of ethical climate and buyers’ satisfaction with pay and promotion as well as satisfaction with coworkers and supervisors. The findings also show that work satisfaction can be achieved at different levels based on particular components associated to the work environment. Practical implications – The role of ethical climate in this study offers insights into manag...

Empathy and affect in B2B salesperson performance

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore salesperson empathy and the moderating impact of positive/negative affect on a salesperson’s listening and adaptive selling behaviors. It also seeks to identify whether and how empathy influences performance. Design/methodology/approach The study’s hypothesis was analyzed using data collected from business-to-business salespeople working for a manufacturing firm. A partial least squares analysis was used to test the study’s proposed hypotheses. Findings The results of this study show that empathy and the moderating role of positive affect foster desirable sales behaviors (listening and adaptive selling behaviors) that subsequently enhance in-role (expected) and extra-role (discretionary) performance. Originality/value Contributions from the findings enhance the literature through its consideration of how the direct effect of empathy on sales behaviors (a salesperson’s listening and adapting selling behavior) is moderated by the salesperson’s positive and negative affect and how sales behaviors impact final sales outcomes (in-role and extra-role performance).

Salesperson Resistance to Sharing Market Intelligence in Sub-Saharan Africa

This article presents a framework for exploring salesperson(s) resistance to sharing market intelligence in emerging markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. The authors propose that resistance to sharing market intelligence with relevant others, including the firm, coworkers, intermediaries, and sales managers, is a function of various individual, leadership, and organizational (firm) factors. This framework helps researchers understand how and why resistance develops among salespeople. Moreover, implications from these findings are presented to assist practitioners who wish to persuade and encourage African salespeople to share market intelligence for the benefit of their firms.