Zafar U. Ahmed

Spousal influence in Singaporean family purchase decision‐making process

Purpose – Although considerable consumer research has focused on family purchase decision‐making in families in Western countries, only limited attention has been paid to family purchase decision‐making within Eastern cultures. This study was designed to explore for the possible differences and similarities in spousal influences in different cultural environments by comparing Singaporean family purchase decision‐making process to that of US families.Design/methodology/approach – Quota sampling was adopted to generate primary data for the examination of Singaporean spousal influence in family purchase decision‐making; data previously reported on US spousal families was used to compare with the primary data collected in Singapore.Findings – Differences in marital values between Singaporean husbands and wives were found to be associated with differences in perceived patterns of influence throughout the family decision‐making process. The findings indicate that family purchase decision‐making is a culture‐spe...

Sales Training in a Dynamic Market

Abstract The Singaporean hotel industry is examined, with particular emphasis on me differences between global and local sales force training. Empirical evidence indicates that there is a wide divergence between global and local practices. It appears that global firms perceive that sales training leads to greater sales force performance and view sales training as being part of their strategic marketing plan. Global firms also employ a more formal training curriculum, focus on “soft” competencies, and have an established training culture. Conversely, local firms rely upon “on-the-job training (OJT)” and appear not to understand that sales training programs can be a source of competitive advantage. Managerial implications and suggestions for future research are presented.

International versus Local Retail Sales Force Training in Singapore

ABSTRACT Sales training practices of international and domestic retailers are contrasted in the context of the internationalizing retail environment of Singapore. An empirical evaluation identifies significant differences between domestic and international retailers with respect to the use of various sales training techniques, particularly: the formality of training practices, the implementation of sales training, and follow-up to sales training. Additionally, sales techniques and ethical values regarding sales practices were also significantly different. The managerial implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are provided.

Research handbook on the globalization of Chinese firms

Contents: 1. Industrial Innovation in Chinese Firms Li Yu and Zhang Yanming 2. Transportation Costs as a Barrier to Globalization for Nine Asian Countries Including China Junqian Xu and Craig C. Julian 3. Chinas Foreign Direct Investment across the U.S. Chen Cheng and Xiaohong He 4. Global Optimal Values of Enterprise Cluster Fitness for Chinese Firms Tang Linjia and Lin Li 5. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Productivity in China Xiaowen Tian, Moxi Song and Ran Tian 6. An African Perspective of the Globalization of Chinese Business Practices Gido Mapunda 7. The National Governments Role in Chinese Outward Foreign Direct Investment Dirk Hotbrugge and Sue Claire Berning 8. Risk and Return of Mezzanine Debt Yun Li and Ho Kim Hin 9. The Consumers Role in Globalization and Management Innovation Meng Tao, Dong Dahai and Zhang Yuan 10. HR strategy and practices in Chinese Multinational Companies Jingqi Zhu and William Wei 11. Economic Globalization and Regional Economic Integration in China Rong Yizhong 12. Corporate Information Disclosure Internalities in Chinas Stock Market Li Xiang and Liu Qijie 13. The Home-Country Employment Effect of Transnational Corporations Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in China Huiqun Liu and Jinyong Lu 14. The Empirical Link between Innovation, Learning and Performance in Chinese International Joint Ventures Craig C. Julian and Junqian Xu 15. Barriers to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Chinas Hinterland Areas Clemens H. Hofmeister 16. Reconciling Differing Models of the Business: A Key Step in the Transfer of Production Technology into Chinas Export-Led Economy David N. Macarthur and Ronald L. Schill Index