The Relationship Between Sales Skills And Salesperson Performance: An Empirical Study In Telekom Malaysia

Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk memahami pengaruh dimensi kemahiran jualan yang terdiri daripada kemahiran interpersonal, kemahiran kecekapan menjual, kemahiran teknikal dan kemahiran pemasaran terhadap prestasi jurujual. The objectives of this present study are to understand the influence of sales skills dimensions which are: interpersonal skills, salesmanship skills, technical skills and marketing skills on salesperson performance

The impact of cultural sensitivity on business growth in the container shipping industry

For firms around the world, globalization brings new challenges as well as new opportunities. This process, in which information, products, people, money and technology cross national boundaries, has been rapidly growing (Walters 2001). In the current globalised business environment marked by diverse cultures and multiple interactions, recognition of cultural differences is critical. While globalization seeks to integrate different cultures in one standardized form, the culture, ethics, behaviour and local laws in each country or society serve to maintain local variations (Huff and Smith 2008). Based on an understanding of the inherent business potential of global markets, global firms have devoted efforts to searching for new markets both for selling their products and for finding more cost-efficient manufacturing opportunities (Johnson, Lenartowicz, and Apud, 2006; Walters 2001). The need to understand the systems involved in international institutions, new markets, and retail business has yielded an ongoing desire to enhance knowledge to support business (Dixon 1982, 1984, 1991). In a global business environment that includes person-to-person interactions, cross cultural gaps can become an obstacle that may negatively affect the outcome of business engagements. Sensitivity to cultural gaps and the ability to bridge them can positively impact the target of business engagements and thus enhance business (LaBahn and Harich, 1997; Su et al. 2008). This research aims to enhance knowledge regarding the impact of cultural sensitivity on business engagements in general and on sales performance in the container shipping industry in particular. The theoretical model used in this research is a mediation-based model emerging from market observations that were supported and reinforced by the literature review. The model is based on the notion that salespersons who are more culturally sensitive will develop higher level relationships with their customers. These relationships, in turn, will yield higher sales performance. The initial model was based on the positive effect of cultural sensitivity on relationship level found in the literature (Nguyen and Nguyen 2014). That initial model assumed that the correlation between the predictor variable of cultural sensitivity and the criterion variable of sales performance is mediated by the level of the salesperson-customer relationship. Yet the research findings provided no indication of the involvement of a mediation model. According to the results, relationship level plays no role in the relationship between cultural sensitivity and success in sales performance. Indeed, in cross-cultural business environments the component of cultural sensitivity is so significant in predicting performance that it renders the relationship level component statistically non-significant as a predictor of performance. This finding adds a very important layer of knowledge to global business regarding the importance of cultural sensitivity. Instead, the outcome of this research points to a different proposed model of cross-cultural sales engagements. The dimensions of relationship level, and primarily trust, that were previously assumed to be necessary for building a strong relationship with the business partner turned out to be statistically insignificant in predicting performance when cultural sensitivity is included in the model. In a cross-cultural business environment, sales can flourish without the necessity for a high relationship level with the customer so long as the salesperson maintains high cultural sensitivity. Furthermore, this study reviews topics complementary to the research: globalization, culture, cultural diversity, cultural sensitivity and relationship level, thus enhancing the body of knowledge regarding the impact of cultural sensitivity on business engagements in general and on sales performance in the container shipping industry in particular. The analysis is based on actual sales performance data and can thus provide global companies with practical knowledge regarding how cultural sensitivity and level of relationship between salesperson and customer are related to success in sales performance—the company's source of income

Legal Dimensions of Salespersons\u27 Statements: A Review and Managerial Suggestions

Salespeople can generate liability problems for their organizations through both intentional and inadvertent statements, yet the sales management and personal selling literature has not provided adequate discussion of these problems. The authors describe the various ways salespeople initiate such liability and include specific advice for sales managers interested in guiding salesperson behavior

Дослідження системи операційного менеджменту організації, на прикладі Apple Computer, Inc

The object of investigation is the process of managing of operating activities of Apple, Inc. The aim of the work is to formulate theoretical approaches and to develop practical recommendations on directions of improvement of operating management at the organization. Research methods cover methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, detailing, system approach. This master’s research paper analyzes the operational management of Apple, Inc. and provides recommendations for it’s improvement. In particular, the main directions of solving the problems of operational management of the company have been outlined, the proposals on improvement of expansion distribution network and organization of innovative activity of the Apple Inc. have been made.Об'єкт дослідження ‒ процес управління операційною діяльністю компанії Apple, Inc. Мета дослідження - формування теоретичних підходів та розробка практичних рекомендацій щодо напрямів вдосконалення системи операційного менеджменту компанії Apple, Inc. Методи дослідження: методи аналізу, синтезу, порівняння, деталізації, системний підхід. У роботі проведено аналіз операційного менеджменту Apple, Inc., а також викладені рекомендації щодо його вдосконалення. Зокрема, окреслено основні напрями вирішення проблем операційного менеджменту компанії, внесено пропозиції щодо розширення дистриб’юторської мережі, а також вдосконалення організації інноваційної діяльності Apple Inc.Introduction 6 CHAPTER 1 THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT 8 1.1 Meanings and definition of operational management 8 1.2 Principles and methods of operations management 12 1.3 Factors affecting the Operations activity of Apple Inc. company 21 CHAPTER 2 RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS 31 2.1 Сompany introduction 31 2.2 SWOT - analysis of Apple Inc. Company 46 2.3 Analysis of operation management at Apple Inc 50 CHAPTER 3 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING OF OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT AT THE APPLE INC 63 3.1 The main directions of solving operational management problems of the company 63 3.2 Recommendations concerning improvements of Distribution in the organization 65 3.3 Recommendations concerning improvements of innovative activity at the organization 67 CHAPTER 4 SPECIAL PART 73 4.1 Current trends in the field 73 4.2 Company policy in the market 75 CHAPTER 5 RATIONALE FOR RECOMMENDATIONS 77 5.1 Statement for recommendations at Company 77 CHAPTER 6 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY AT THE ENTERPRISE 79 6.1 The aim of occupational health 79 6.2 Organization of occupational health and safety at the enterprise 86 CHAPTER 7 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 92 7.1 Environmental issues in the field 92 7.2 Еnvironmental factors 94 Conclusions 96 References 98 Appendices 10

Digital entrepreneurs in technology-based spinoffs: an analysis of hybrid value creation in retail public–private partnerships to tackle showrooming

Purpose: Retail networks present new challenges in the B2B collaboration between technology-based spinoffs and traditional businesses. This research explores a public-private partnership that leverages advanced digital technologies via spinoffs to tackle the key challenge of showrooming that retail shops are facing. Showrooming is the phenomenon in which shoppers go to the physical stores to gather in-depth product information, and later on, decide to buy the product from online retail competitors. Design/methodology/approach: This research draws on a longitudinal qualitative study of a social context in which digital entrepreneurs are embedded. The empirical setting is a retail network in Italy, Germany, and Finland with a particular focus on the process in which a public-private partnership delivers innovation via spinoffs in the context of brick and mortar (B&M) shops. The research design enables an understanding of the complexity of the phenomenon from a business and a social perspective. Findings: New technology to tackle showrooming enables the creation of substantial hybrid value in retail partnerships. Spinoffs are key actors in leveraging digital technologies to create value faster and more tailored compared with large software companies. Spinoff entrepreneurs leverage on specific technologies (e.g., virtual reality and artificial intelligence) available inside organizations' network (i.e., PPPs). Spinoffs are found to be a fundamental actor in the process of dealing with showrooming because of their time to market. Large software companies usually are not interested in approaching B&M shops due to the high operational costs of product customization for B&M shops. Practical implications: Managers could use the success factors of the spinoffs in helping their B&M shops to improve both shopper experience and salesperson performance. For managers of B2B retail network, the results are useful towards increasing the involvement of shoppers while they are visiting physical stores, and it also improves salesperson performance. It also leads to the observation that cross-selling is one of the most effective responses to the phenomenon of showrooming. As practical implications for policymakers, the current research supports the view that PPPs should support the creation of spinoffs as a result of longitudinal innovation projects. Social implications: Retail technologies leveraged from a public-private partnership and commercialized by spinoffs are powerful tools to enable a better quality of salespeople's life in the working place. At the same time, these new technologies help shop owners increase the retention rates, conversion rates and reduce short-term loss, increasing the likelihood of B&M shops to survive in the condition of extreme competition caused by the showrooming phenomenon. Originality/value: This research proposes a model of hybrid value creation from networks in digital retail. The model indicates that public-private partnerships create spinoffs to explore showrooming and deliver substantial hybrid value (i.e., business and social) for physical retail shops, mainly because it influences the companies’ growth, employee performance, and customer satisfaction. This model expands the field of B2B marketing by identifying factors that enable spinoff creation from retail networks and proposes success factors and research propositions in retail networks

Success Strategies of Small Business Owners

In the United States, 20% of newly established small businesses, including small businesses in the life insurance industry, fail within 2 years, and over 50% of them fail during the first 5 years. The purpose of this multiple case study was to identify and explore the strategies that life insurance brokerage owners use to sustain business operations beyond 5 years. Porter\u27s 5 forces model served as the conceptual framework for exploring this subject matter. Owners of 3 separate small life insurance brokerage firms in Texas, who sustained their businesses beyond 5 years, participated in semistructured interviews. A secondary source of data was relevant company documents. Methodological triangulation and member checking assured the reliability and validity of the interpretations. Through thematic analysis and supporting software, 5 themes emerged: exceptional customer service, relationship-building, efficient promotional strategies, regular training of salespersons, and hiring the right employees. The application of the findings of the study could contribute to positive social change by reducing unemployment and thereby catalyzing an economic environment supporting employees, families, and communities