Pia Polsa

Management Practices in Solution Sales—A Multilevel and Cross-Functional Framework

Business-to-business sales has changed from being an isolated function with little cross-functional influence to becoming an integrated part of long-term customer management and from an operational practice to a strategically focused part of business strategy. This suggests a need to change the unit of analysis from the activities and attributes of the salesperson toward strategic and managerial practices. This research, involving nine multinationally operating firms, identifies management practices pertinent to solution sales, develops a multilevel and cross-functional framework for the management of solution sales, and shows that managerial and strategic practices have statistically significant hierarchical relationships with overall sales performance.

The effects of market orientation on effectiveness and efficiency: the case of automotive distribution channels in Finland and Poland

Explores the effect of market orientation on operating effectiveness and cost efficiency using data drawn from automotive distribution channels in Finland and Poland. The results indicate that market orientation is positively associated with measures of effectiveness such as service quality and overall customer service level. Market orientation also has a positive influence on measures of cost efficiency, such as productivity and sales per employee. In addition, profitability measures were highly associated with operating effectiveness and cost efficiency. Additional analysis suggests that market orientation has a greater effect on operating effectiveness, such as service quality, in Poland, a less‐developed country, than in Finland, a more‐developed country. Based on the findings, important managerial and research implications are proferred.

Leadership and cooperation in marketing channels: A comparative empirical analysis of the USA, Finland and Poland

Marketing channels exist in an increasingly competitive international and global environment. Consequently, many firms have reengineered their marketing channels systems by placing greater emphasis on fostering higher levels of cooperation among international channel participants. However, there are relatively few studies that explore cross‐cultural issues in marketing channels. Thus, investigating whether cultural differences influence how channel participants react to a firm’s channel strategies is an important issue that needs to be addressed. This study comparatively examines channel leadership styles, cooperation, and channel member performance across three divergent national cultures. More specifically, the study seeks to assess whether employing uniform channel strategies produces similar responses from channel members in different countries. Using data drawn from a sample of automobile dealerships in the USA, Finland, and Poland, inconsistent results were found, which suggest that using leadership stylesto foster cooperation among channel members across different national cultures on a standardized basis is not an appropriate channel strategy. Based on the findings, international channel management implications, limitations, and directions for future research are proferred.

Governmentality at the Base-of-the-Pyramid

The Base-of-the-pyramid (BoP) corporate strategy perceives market-based solutions to the problem of global poverty. The strategy is premised on the view that people in BoP markets live in fundamental lack, which can be overcome with business intervention. The merits of this idea seem obvious, but its ideological premise within contemporary capitalism is often lost on many. The purpose of the authors in this paper is to explore the ideological premise of the BoP strategy. The authors employ Foucault’s notion of “governmentality” to suggest that corporate adoption of the BoP strategy mimics a neocolonial incursion into heretofore inaccessible markets, by constituting the poor as free, self-governing individuals—modern citizens in the Western liberal sense—toward facilitating market control and exploitation for corporate ends.

Do Mobile CRM Services Appeal to Loyalty Program Customers

Not until very recently has mobile phone technology become sophisticated enough to allow more complex customized programs, which enable companies to offer new services to customers as part of customer relationship management (CRM) programs. In order to enhance customer rela-tionships and to be adopted by customers, new mobile services need to be perceived as valuable additions to existing services. The purpose of this study was to investigate the appeal of new mobile CRM services to airline customers. An empirical study was conducted among loyalty program customers (frequent flyers) of an airline that was considering using MIDlet applica-tions in order to add new mobile services to enhance customer relationships. The results show that customers do not yet seem to be ready to fully embrace new mobile applications. Although the services appeared to slightly improve customers’ image of the airline, the services did not seem to enhance their loyalty towards it. However, customers who already used sophisticated mobile services, such as the Mobile Internet, had a significantly more positive attitude towards the proposed services. Thus the success of mobile CRM seems closely linked with customers’ readiness to use existing mobile services. Before engaging in costly new investments, companies need to take this factor into serious consideration.

Manufacturer channel management behavior and retailers’ performance: an empirical investigation of automotive channel

In a supplier‐dominated channel system, how a supplier manages the channel has profound influence on its retailers’ overall operations. The effect of supplier channel management behavior on retailers’ market orientation and overall business performance is examined in the context of automotive supplier‐dealer relationship. Investigating the effect of channel management behavior along three dimensions, directive, participative, and supportive, the results support that the participative and supportive management styles have a positive effect on market orientation. Further analysis shows that both supplier management leadership and market orientation are linked to various perceptual, productivity, volume, and profit performance measures. The results offer important managerial implications and future research directions.

EU Deregulation and dealer-supplier relations in automotive distribution

Purpose – The automotive industry in the European Union (EU) faces a sharply reduced regulatory environment, with Block Exemption (1400/2002). Economists have predicted fundamental changes in the market as a result of the modified Block Exemption. In this article, the aim is to investigate how the relationship between a car dealer and its main supplier (i.e. an OEM or its national representative), affects how the dealer perceives threats and opportunities in this more competitive environment.Design/methodology/approach – Based on relationship marketing theory, propositions about antecedents and consequences of commitment to a supplier are formulated for the changing automotive market. Data were collected from 413 car dealerships in Belgium, The Netherlands and Finland, countries without domestic automobile brands.Findings – Commitment to the main supplier is mainly driven by satisfaction and trust. The more car dealers are committed to their main supplier, the lower the threat they perceive from new inter...

Managing International Distribution Channel Partners: A Cross-Cultural Approach

Although the topic of conflict has been extensively studied in the distribution channels literature from a domestic perspective, there is relatively little published research examining the construct within the international distribution channels context. This is of particular concern because cross-national channel partnerships are on the rise, and divergent cultures may engender heightened conflict, which has a deleterious effect on channel performance. This article explores the extent to which different channel leadership styles, predicated on Hofstedes dimensions of national culture, can be effective strategies to manage conflict in international distribution channels. Specifically, the article examines whether the relationship between leadership style and conflict in international distribution channels is moderated by national culture. Additionally, the impact of manifest conflict on international channel partner performance is investigated. A conceptual model and research propositions are developed. The use of leadership styles to manage disagreements among international channel partners is argued to be culturally specific. International channel management implications and directions for future research are suggested.

Globalization of Local Retailing: Threat or Opportunity? The Case of Food Retailing in Guilin, China

Small-scale retailing is characteristic of many developing and emerging economies. It has been argued that in the course of economic development a retail environment will be transformed into a more efficient system by fewer but larger retailers that often are gigantic global players. However, in many societies, small retailers have other functions in addition to retailing. As shown in a sample of small retailers in the People’s Republic of China, many retailers started their businesses due to unemployment or retirement. In countries such as China where the social security safety network is lacking, starting a small-scale business is one way to earn a living. The benefits of the modernization on retailing notwithstanding, this paper discusses how economic development and efficiencies of scale in retailing may destroy a well-functioning system that provides income for less-fortunate individuals. The findings are based on observations and interviews conducted in 1993–2010 in Guilin, China.

Managing Channel Partner Relationships: A Cross-National Study

With cross-border channel partnerships increasingly being forged in global markets, manifest conflict between international partners has become a serious problem leading to potentially deleterious effects on overall channel performance. Using data drawn from a cross-national study of distribution practices in three countries, we investigate whether national culture moderates the relationship between leadership style and channel partner conflict, which, in turn, may impact overall channel performance. Based on the empirical results, a standardized “one size fits all” leadership strategy for conflict management in international channels is unlikely to be successful. Cross-cultural channel management implications are discussed, study limitations are described, avenues for future research are identified, and recommendations are offered for managing cross-national channel partner relationships.