Organizational identification and independent sales contractor performance in professional services

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the drivers of independent sales contractor (ISC) performance. As independently contracted sales agents, the ISC model is a growing method of non-permanent employment utilized in many sectors. Specifically, this study seeks to fill a gap in the literature related to the under-researched link between ISCs and organizational identification. Design/methodology/approach This study conducts an exploratory, mixed-methods study based on data collected from 189 ISCs from a professional services firm. Findings Results demonstrate that outcomes related to sales performance, retention and advocacy are influenced directly and indirectly by organizational identification. It also shows that tangible benefits related to financial and marketing values are the strongest predictors of ISC organizational identification. Intangible dimensions such as value congruence, management trust and embeddedness play a limited role in the model. Research limitations/implications Results show that ISC sales performance is enhanced when an ISC views their identity and the identity of the firm as highly interdependent. These findings suggest that organizational identification can be a key performance indicator when evaluating the return on marketing investment for a firm. Practical implications This study provides some important guidance to managers responsible for ISCs. First, the study identifies the primary drivers of organizational identification. Specifically, the study demonstrates that financial and marketing benefits are the primary relational antecedents of organizational identification. Both value congruence and operational benefits play relatively minor roles. Similarly, the results show that both organizational identification and historic sales performance are critical predictors of sales performance. Originality/value Few researchers have examined the link between ISCs and organizational identification. Organizational identification is of particular importance in the study of ISCs, as they possess the dual identity of an independent agent and that of a sales representative of the firm they are under contract. This study contributes to existing literature by extending previous studies that examine antecedents of sales performance

Investigating social marketing sponsorships: Terminology, stakeholders, and objectives

In spite of rapidly increasing professional interest and involvement, the extant literature concerning social marketing sponsorships remains scant. In order to begin to address this gap, the purpose of the current research is to investigate the concept of the social marketing sponsorship. The research in this paper (a) reviews the sponsorship literature and theory - specifically focusing on what is meant by sponsorship when used in social marketing; and (b) reports the results of empirical case research on the formation and implementation of a sponsorship designed to support a social marketing program aimed a reducing stigma and changing behaviors around mental health. The paper reports on how social marketing sponsorships compare to commercial sponsorships in terms of (a) the identification of key stakeholders and their roles, (b) the objectives of the stakeholders involved, and (c) how sponsorships are formed, developed, and implemented.Social marketing Sponsorships Partnerships Case research Mental health

An Empirical Exploration of Sponsorship Sales in North American Professional Sport: Is It Time to Rethink Our Approach?

Sponsorship sales in professional sport is an area of increasing attention and growing investment, but the sport management literature offers only limited research about sales strategies and tactics. As a result, practitioners and academics alike have called for investigation in the area. In response to this need, the purpose of this paper is to empirically explore sponsorship sales in professional sport. Sponsorship sales professionals working for sport properties in the four major North American sport leagues were surveyed on a variety of sponsorship sales-related variables and factors. A total of 92 sponsorship sales professionals responded to the study, for an estimated 15.3 percent response rate. At the time of the data collection, the 92 respondents worked in the National Football League (NFL) (37), Major League Baseball (MLB) (16), National Basketball Association (NBA) (18), and National Hockey League (NHL) (21). A series of practical, conceptual, and comparative results are presented, highlighted by turnover as a problem, the importance of activation/servicing in sponsorship sales, and the high level of investment clubs are making in sponsorship sales

The sponsor-global event relationship: A business-to-business tourism marketing relationship?

The Olympic Games are well established as a global event with vast marketing benefit. Two major benefits from the Olympics derive from sponsorship and tourism. In terms of sponsorship, The Olympic Partner (TOP) sponsorship programme is widely recognized as one of the most successful, profitable and effective sponsorship arrangements, if not marketing relationships in general. The purpose of this research is to explore these special TOP sponsor-International Olympic Committee relationships, as a case study, to explore the 'sponsor-mega-event' relationship as an example of a business-to-business (B2B) tourism marketing relationship. Indeed, a variety of perspectives on key attributes of the relationship are explored, including the nature of the relationship, key elements of the sponsorship (e.g. evaluation) and the specific location (e.g. the impact of the location of the host city/country of the Olympic Games). As exploratory research into a new area, the paper reviews relevant literature and reports on an expert interview with a TOP sponsor to support conceptual and empirical development of the concept. Results of the interview are assessed in to the context of existing literature and summarized in a proposed B2B marketing relationship

China's Olympic destination: Tourist evaluations of China and the Games

Purpose – This paper aims to report on the views that tourists in China have about the country, its people, the country as a destination and the 2008 Olympic Games that were held there. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilizes a survey in which responses were gathered from 288 tourists in Beijing, China during the 2008 Olympic Summer Games. The study presents results for China's three images (country, destination, and mega-event) using an attitudinal framework and explores the patterns of relationships using linear regression. Findings – Results of the study show that tourists perceive China positively in terms of the country and people competencies and the character of the people. China is less positively viewed in terms of country character. As a destination, China is seen positively for its built environment but less positively for its natural environment. Positive experiential and logistical beliefs characterize the Olympic Games, while beliefs about security are less positive. The data support the assertion that the three images are important and related. In addition, the evaluation of China as a destination involves the relationship of the country image evaluation to the evaluation of the Olympic Games. Originality/value – This paper addresses a gap that exists in image-based research on mega-events. In particular, this study explores mega-event image in the context of the host country and destination images

China and the Olympics: Views of insiders and outsiders

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the views of residents and foreigners of the Olympics and the host country before and after the mega-event within the context of marketing theory on country image effects and psychology theories attribution. Design/methodology/approach: This is achieved by studying the views of American and Chinese respondents of China and the Olympics before and after the Beijing Olympics. Samples of Chinese and Americans were surveyed before and after the Beijing Summer Olympics concerning their images of the Olympics, China and its people, and China as a vacation destination. Cross-national and pre-post comparisons are made and interaction effects are noted using MANOVA. Findings: Significant cross-national and time differences and several interaction effects are found across all three focal objects of image measurements. Large country differences are found. Despite how technically successful the Games might have looked, post-event assessments are overwhelmingly lower. Additional differences in views and interaction effects are discussed in terms of the intended and unintended impacts of the event on local and foreign respondents. Research limitations/implications: Only one location in China and one foreign country are surveyed. Practical implications: The paper has important implications for both the effects of mega-events on country images and the effects of the host country on the event brand image. These issues have relevance for countries seeking to host mega-events and those who manage these events and make decision about where they will be held. Originality/value: This is the first cross-national study of the Olympics and their effects using before-and-after event measures. It also combines analyses of both the event and the place images from the perspectives of both those who live in the country and residents of other countries. Attribution theory is a useful reference theory for mega-event assessments

Linking place, mega-event and sponsorship evaluations

Purpose: Little research has examined sponsorship within the context of mega-event and related host images. This paper seeks to explore the relationships among country, destination, mega-event and sponsor images through the evaluations formed of each entity. Design/methodology/approach: Based on data collected from 291 Canadian consumers two months after the Beijing Olympics, a SEM model examines the relationships among consumer evaluations of the host country, the country as a destination, the mega-event itself and sponsors. Findings: Results support the hypothesized model and present a paradoxical situation for the Olympics hosted by China. While the overall country evaluation was found to have a strong and positive effect on its evaluation as a tourist destination and the destination evaluation has a subsequent positive relationship with Olympic evaluations, a direct and negative relationship between the evaluation of the country and of the Olympic Games was also supported. Research limitations/implications: Future research should examine the relationship among country, destination, mega-event and sponsor images in other mega-event and country contexts. In addition, the pattern of these relationships should be assessed longitudinally. Practical implications: This study provides evidence to show that the Olympic Games image is resilient and can thrive in challenging contexts. Further, sponsors can be assured that they are receiving value from Olympic sponsorships. Originality/value: These results extend previous literature on sponsorship evaluation into the large, global sponsor context. In addition, this study examines the role of the host country in understanding the influence of the mega-event on sponsor images