Evaluating sales personnel: an attribution theory perspective

Article Abstract:

Using attribution theory, this study examines the influence internal (salesperson) and external (situation) information has on sales managers' causal attributions of and reactions to a salesperson's failure to close a sale. The findings of the investigation suggest that sales managers were more likely to make internal attributions for failure when the salesperson had a poor, rather than a good, work history and external attributions when the salesperson had a good, rather than a poor, work history. In addition, sales managers were more likely to make external attributions for failure when the salesperson faced a high, rather than a low, task difficulty and internal attributions when the salesperson faced a low, rather than a high, task difficulty. Finally, sales managers responded to the failure by directing their attention at the salesperson or the situation. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Employee performance appraisals, Performance appraisals, Information management

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An empirical assessment of salesperson motivation, commitment, and job outcomes

Article Abstract:

This study contributes to the efforts to integrate work commitment constructs into the long-dominant expectancy theory framework of salesforce motivation and performance. Responses were gathered from 231 industrial salespeople in order to: (1) provide evidence concerning discriminant and convergent validity of two measures of work commitment and (2) distinguish expectancy and commitment constructs; and investigate the relationships between motivation, commitment, and two important outcomes - effort and performance. The results of the study indicate that conceptual and empirical differences do exist between commitment variables and expectancy-based motivation variables. Job commitment and extrinsic motivation are found to be related to salesperson effort, which in turn is related to salesperson performance. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Analysis, Employee motivation, Commitment (Psychology)

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The use of social bases of power in retail sales

Article Abstract:

Five bases of social power - reward power, coercive power, legitimate power, referent power and expert power are set out in this study of how sales managers' social bases of power affect job attitudes by sales personnel. Factors used in evaluating worker attitudes are job satisfaction and motivation, job performance, commitment to the organization and role conflict and ambiguity. Questionaires were given to salespeople employed by a small department store chain. Noncoercive power was found to have a better effect on personnel resulting in more job satisfaction.

GENERAL MERCHANDISE STORES, Social aspects, Retail industry, Retail trade, Marketing, Retail stores, Stores, Selling, Sales management, Power (Social sciences), Political power

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