Paul J. Solomon

The Role of Ethical Climate on Salesperson’s Role Stress, Job Attitudes, Turnover Intention, and Job Performance

This study builds on previous research to investigate the effects of ethical climate on salesperson’s role stress, job attitudes, turnover intention, and job performance. Responses from 138 salespeople who work for a large retailer selling high-end consumer durables at 68 stores in 16 states were used to examine the process through which ethical climate affects organizational variables. This is the first study offering empirical evidence that both job stress and job attitudes are the mechanisms through which a high ethical climate leads to lower turnover intention and higher job performance. Results indicate that ethical climate results in lower role conflict and role ambiguity and higher satisfaction, which, in turn, leads to lower turnover intention and organizational commitment. Also, findings indicate that organizational commitment is a significant predictor of job performance.

Effects of Model Attractiveness on Sales Response

Abstract In recent years an issue that has received increasing attention among both marketing professionals and the public at large is interpersonal attraction, particularly the physical attractiveness aspect of attraction. Advertisers who are concerned with whether the physical attractiveness of a model in an advertisement alters the purchase behavior of a customer must examine such questions as (1) What is the optimal level of attractiveness? (2) Do responses vary according to the sex of the model and/or the sex of the buyer? (3) Do responses vary according to the type of product being advertised? This study was undertaken to determine the actual purchase behavior of consumers toward point-of-purchase advertising displays that varied the attractiveness level of the advertising model in the display as well as the sex of the model and type of product.

Humor in Television Advertising

Abstract The use of humorous commercials is quite evident in television advertising today. This article reports the results of a content analysis of over 2.000 television commercials. Humorous advertisements were analyzed and compared to non-humorous commercials with respect to their use of animation, the number of models, product handling, humor placement, multisense usage, and the direction of the humor.

The Bicentennial Traveler: A Life-Style Analysis of the Historian Segment

This empirical investigation examines through life-style analysis travelers who are particularly interested in history. The findings seem to indicate there is a sizeable market segment of historian travelers who are different than their general population counterparts. The results have implications for marketing decision makers of tourism agencies and firms.

A longitudinal view of women's role portrayal in television advertising

This article concerns an issue of interest to both advertisers and consumers: female sex-role portrayal in television advertisements. A comparative study using content analysis was conducted for television commercials observed in 1977 and in 1980, respectively. Significant changes between these years are noted on a number of dimensions relevant to the way women are represented in television commercials. These changes are also interpreted in a broader historical perspective whenever possible. Both positive and negative changes are noted and discussed.

Brand Stereotyping and Image Transfer in Concurrent Sponsorships

Concurrent sponsorship, that is, when several brands simultaneously sponsor the same event, is a common yet understudied marketing communication situation. The research presented in this article explores the transfer of image that takes place among the sponsoring brands in this situation. The results of two experiments reveal that this image transfer is due to stereotypic processing. Additional analyses delineate more specifically the stereotyping process at work. They show first that the stereotype is ad hoc, rather than based on some a priori developed mental schema, and therefore that it is construed from the images associated with the concurrent sponsoring brands. And second, that brand stereotyping serves a cognitive rather than an evaluative function, thus suggesting a valence-neutral process whose outcomes can be beneficial or detrimental to a focal sponsor, depending on the images initially associated with the other sponsors. The implications of these findings for sponsorship research and practice are discussed, along with research limitations and future research avenues.

The Effectiveness of University Sponsorship in Increasing Survey Response Rate

The purpose of this research is to investigate mail survey response rate effects of local university sponsorship (i.e., targeting respondents living within the vicinity of a partner university). Data from 165 questionnaires reveal that (1) response rates in the home city of the sponsor university are higher than in out-of-state cities, (2) the effectiveness of university sponsorship does not diminish when prenotification techniques are also used, and (3) the effects of university sponsorship and prenotifications are additive, the best results being obtained when both techniques are used together.

The practice of business: Strategic planning for marketers

: The merits of strategic planning as a marketing tool are discussed in this article which takes the view that although marketers claim to be future-oriented, they focus too little attention on long-term planning and forecasting. Strategic planning, as defined by these authors, usually encompasses periods of between five and twenty-five years and places less emphasis on the past as an absolute predictor of the future. It takes a more probabilistic view of the future than conventional marketing strategy and looks at the corporation as but one component interacting with the total environment. Inputs are examined in terms of environmental, social, political, technological and economic importance. Because of its futuristic orientation, an important tenant of strategic planning is the preparation of several alternative scenarios ranging from most to least likely. By planning for a wide-range of future market conditions, a corporation is more able to be flexible by anticipating the course of future events, and is less likely to become a captive reactor--as the authors believe is now the case. An example of strategic planning at General Elecric is cited.

An Empirical Investigation of the Effect of the Energy Crisis on Tourism

This study investigates the effect of the energy crisis on a major industry in the United States — tourism. Behavioral and attitudinal patterns of 162 travel ers were collected and analyzed. The results reveal that there was a significant difference on several dimensions between travelers during the energy crisis and after the energy crisis had eased.

The Impact of Perceived Organizational Support on Self-Directed Learning in Sales Training

Perceived organizational support has a positive influence on the willingness of salespeople to use self-directed learning (SDL) projects. These SDL projects can be tailored to fit a salespersons distinct learning needs, to increase performance, and to achieve the overarching goals of collaborative members of a marketing channel. Hence, it is beneficial for channel members to create a supportive learning culture that promotes the use of SDL projects by salespeople. Salespeople within the insurance industry play an essential role inside their marketing channel. Data collected from 392 insurance salespeople in over 170 firms is used to empirically test how perceived organizational support influences the use of two types of SDL projects. Salespeople encouraged to use elective SDL projects reported higher levels of performance than those required to use compulsory SDL projects.