Political Imperatives And Firm-Level Political Activities: A Study Of U.S. Multinationals

The existence of political threats, also known as “political imperatives”, represents one of the key distinctions between home country and international operations.  At the same time, little published research exists which addresses how firms deal with these types of threats.  This study explores the types of political activities firms use when faced with particular political imperatives.  The findings show that firm-level political activities vary depending upon the form of political imperative faced by the firm

The Relationship Between Attitudes Toward Technology, Adaptability, And Customer Orientation Among Professional Salespeople

The use of computer technology is increasingly becoming a way of life for professional salespeople.  Given the increased use of technology in virtually aspects of sales, it would seem natural to reconcile both the uses of, and attitudes toward, computers among professional salespeople with traditionally emphasized sales constructs such as adaptability and customer orientation.  The results of such an analysis would have implications for both academic sales research as well as sales managers and trainers who would benefit from an investigation into a propensity to accept computer technology and the ability to engage in significant sales activities that represent the human dimension.  The current study addresses this issue by assessing the relationships between salespersons’ attitudes toward computer technology, adaptability, and customer orientation.  The findings generally indicate a positive predisposition toward computer usage and a significant positive relationship between those attitudes and both adaptability and customer orientation among a sample of professional salespeople

Firm-level political behavior in theglobal marketplace

The purpose of this study was to investigate the political behaviors which firms use to deal with the political imperatives associated with international markets. The overarching hypothesis was that as political imperatives baring foreign market access increase so too will firm-level political behaviors designed to reduce these imperatives. Using a mail questionnaire data collection format, 171 completed survey instruments were obtained from executive-level decision markers at major U.S. corporations. The results show that: (1) firms engage in political activities designed to reduce the effects of political imperatives in foreign markets, and (2) the emphasis placed on these activities differs significantly depending upon the political imperative in question. Firms facing high levels of foreign transfer restrictions emphasize foreign lobbying, political industry alliances, political inducements, and political action committees. Firms facing high levels of domestic transfer restrictions do not significantly emphasize political inducements, but add domestic lobbying, public relations, and friendships with U.S. government officials to the activities associated with foreign transfer restrictions. On the other hand, firms facing high levels of ownership/control restrictions emphasize foreign lobbying and political industry alliances. J BUSN RES 1997. 40.113-126. © 1997 Elsevier Science Inc

Valued product attributes in an emerging market: a comparison between French and Malaysian consumers

In the increasingly global environment, a fundamental question for many firms is whether to create a global strategy that will allow for the maximum use of existing product offerings and marketing activities through standardization, or to what extent unique adjustments are required for success in a given local market. The purpose of this study is to compare sixteen product attributes, across three product categories (convenience, shopping, and specialty), and the importance placed on these global attributes by consumers in a developed market (France) versus an emerging market (Malaysia) in their product evaluations. The results indicate that two of the studied product attributes (product quality and appearance) can be standardized in global marketing strategies. The relevance of the other fourteen attributes is based on international market contingencies.