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1 – 10 of 951
Article
Publication date: 23 May 2020

Pravin Nath

While metrics are becoming increasingly important for marketing’s relevance, there is also a need to understand how they, as enablers of learning, affect marketing’s adaptive…

Abstract

Purpose

While metrics are becoming increasingly important for marketing’s relevance, there is also a need to understand how they, as enablers of learning, affect marketing’s adaptive capabilities that ensure its long-term success. Therefore, this study aims to test the association of marketing and financial metrics use and the metric-based orientations of training and compensation, with two key marketing routines – exploitation, i.e. the perfecting of existing activities while allowing for incremental adaptations and exploration or experimentation accompanied by radical adaptation.

Design/methodology/approach

The study gathers data from 205 managers and uses partial least squares structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized relationships.

Findings

Marketing metrics encourage both forms of marketing adaptation. Financial metrics use discourages exploration. Market orientation and long-term orientation strengthen (weaken) the positive (negative) relationship between marketing (financial) metrics use and marketing exploration. Metric-based training is more positively associated with both adaptive capabilities than a metric-based compensation orientation, albeit weakly.

Research limitations/implications

The study’s central proposition – that different metrics or metric orientations are associated with distinct types of knowledge, interpretations, mindsets, motivations and cultural contexts – provides a deeper theoretical understanding of the pathways by which a metric emphasis affects marketing adaptation.

Practical implications

Marketing managers should emphasize marketing metrics and training more than compensation, to promote marketing exploitation/exploration, while exercising caution in overstressing financial metrics given their negative association with exploration. This latter negative relationship can be weakened (as can the positive one between marketing metrics and exploration be strengthened) with increased market orientation and long-term orientation.

Originality/value

This study addresses the research gap regarding the relationship between metrics as a configurational element of marketing organization and marketing adaptation.

Article
Publication date: 9 November 2015

Ofer Mintz and Imran S. Currim

This paper aims to develop a conceptual framework, in an effort toward building a contingent theory of drivers and consequences of managerial metric use in marketing mix…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a conceptual framework, in an effort toward building a contingent theory of drivers and consequences of managerial metric use in marketing mix decisions, this paper develops a conceptual framework to test whether the relationship between metric use and marketing mix performance is moderated by firm and managerial characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on reviews of the marketing, finance, management and accounting literatures, and homophily, firm resource- and decision-maker-based theories and 22 managerial interviews, a conceptual model is proposed. It is tested via generalized least squares – seemingly unrelated regression estimation of 1,287 managerial decisions.

Findings

Results suggest that the impact of metric use on marketing mix performance is lower in firms which are more market oriented, larger and with worse recent business performance and for marketing and higher-level managers, while organizational involvement has a lesser nuanced effect.

Research limitations/implications

While much is written on the importance of metric use to improve performance, this work is a first step toward understanding which settings are more difficult than others to accomplish this.

Practical implications

Results allow identification of several conditional managerial strategies to improve marketing mix performance based on metric use.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the metric literature, as prior research has generally focused on the development of metrics or the linking of marketing efforts with performance metrics, but paid little attention to understanding the relationship between managerial metric use and performance of the marketing mix decision and has not considered how the relationship is moderated by firm and managerial characteristics.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 49 no. 11/12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 March 2005

Golbou Ghassemieh, Liz Thach and Armand Gilinsky

The questions of when and what types of human resource (HR) support are needed tend to be unanswerable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This article addresses this…

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Abstract

The questions of when and what types of human resource (HR) support are needed tend to be unanswerable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This article addresses this gap in the strategic HR literature. Hiring, training, employee retention/satisfaction, wages and benefits programs, and worker's compensation insurance are important to SMEs seeking to build strong capabilities and resources and to increase their competitive advantage.This article presents an analysis of the existing HR literature for SMEs. It introduces a decision model to help SMEs choose a cost-effective HR strategy, listing a range of options from hiring the HR function to electronic HR (eHR) and outsourcing

Details

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship, vol. 8 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2574-8904

Article
Publication date: 19 April 2023

Rachana Jaiswal, Shashank Gupta and Aviral Kumar Tiwari

Amidst the turbulent tides of geopolitical uncertainty and pandemic-induced economic disruptions, the information technology industry grapples with alarming attrition and…

Abstract

Purpose

Amidst the turbulent tides of geopolitical uncertainty and pandemic-induced economic disruptions, the information technology industry grapples with alarming attrition and aggravating talent gaps, spurring a surge in demand for specialized digital proficiencies. Leveraging this imperative, firms seek to attract and retain top-tier talent through generous compensation packages. This study introduces a holistic, integrated theoretical framework integrating machine learning models to develop a compensation model, interrogating the multifaceted factors that shape pay determination.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing upon a stratified sample of 2488 observations, this study determines whether compensation can be accurately predicted via constructs derived from the integrated theoretical framework, employing various cutting-edge machine learning models. This study culminates in discovering a random forest model, exhibiting 99.6% accuracy and 0.08° mean absolute error, following a series of comprehensive robustness checks.

Findings

The empirical findings of this study have revealed critical determinants of compensation, including but not limited to experience level, educational background, and specialized skill-set. The research also elucidates that gender does not play a role in pay disparity, while company size and type hold no consequential sway over individual compensation determination.

Practical implications

The research underscores the importance of equitable compensation to foster technological innovation and encourage the retention of top talent, emphasizing the significance of human capital. Furthermore, the model presented in this study empowers individuals to negotiate their compensation more effectively and supports enterprises in crafting targeted compensation strategies, thereby facilitating sustainable economic growth and helping to attain various Sustainable Development Goals.

Originality/value

The cardinal contribution of this research lies in the inception of an inclusive theoretical framework that persuasively explicates the intricacies of a machine learning-driven remuneration model, ennobled by the synthesis of diverse management theories to capture the complexity of compensation determination. However, the generalizability of the findings to other sectors is constrained as this study is exclusively limited to the IT sector.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 61 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 June 2017

Mirta Diaz-Fernandez, Mar Bornay-Barrachina and Alvaro Lopez-Cabrales

The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between human resource management (HRM) practices and innovation performance in Spanish manufacturing firms. The paper…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between human resource management (HRM) practices and innovation performance in Spanish manufacturing firms. The paper focuses on the number of existing patents, analyzing the extent to which this variable is favored by HRM practices. It will also assess the extent to which patents explain the firm performance and mediate in the relationship between the latter and HRM practices.

Design/methodology/approach

The objective is to assess these relationships using the Spanish Survey of Industrial Strategic Behavior. The longitudinal analysis focuses on the years between 2001 and 2008, a period of great economic growth in Spain.

Findings

The findings show that the most innovative firms were also the most competitive ones. Furthermore, employment security positively affects innovations over time and training on new technologies is associated with the number of patents, when overall compensation practices are high.

Practical implications

This study demonstrated the existence of two objectives that HR managers should be aiming at. On the one hand, the development of patents should be a priority for obtaining better results over time. On the other hand, management should invest in HRM practices because they favor innovation and are neither a waste of time nor resources.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature, surpassing the limitations of previous research, by assessing the role of HRM practices in innovation and company outcomes and by using a longitudinal study design.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 38 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 October 2011

Satish Mehra, Aaron D. Joyal and Munsung Rhee

This paper seeks to study the impact of adopting quality orientation as a business operations philosophy to enhance a firm's performance. Specifically, it aims to identify various…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to study the impact of adopting quality orientation as a business operations philosophy to enhance a firm's performance. Specifically, it aims to identify various indicators that make up a quality orientation philosophy, and to research their role in improving business performance in the banking sector of the service industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper surveyed retail banking firms for this study, and used path analysis and structure equation modeling (SEM) to develop the study model. This model was tested to develop the process by which quality orientation philosophy, if adopted, can impact a business's performance.

Findings

Results indicate that specific indicators of quality orientation, when operationalized as a business philosophy, can enhance a banking firm's performance. This study also provides an insight for managers as to the process of adopting quality orientation philosophy in their businesses.

Research limitations/implications

Research was conducted on a specific sector of service industry: the banking sector. The relatively small size of the study sample may impact the outcome of research applicability in some large businesses. However, the research does provide valuable insights as to how other businesses can adopt quality orientation in their operations.

Originality/value

This paper examines the process by which operational activities should be designed to effect a service firm's performance by placing emphasis on the quality aspect of each indicator that comprises quality orientation. This differs from other studies in the sense that it first operationalizes quality orientation as a set of indicators, and then shows how individual indicators influence business performance.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 28 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 March 2007

Ashish Pandey

The purpose of the current study is to examine the utility of Six Sigma interventions as a performance measure and explore its applicability for making the training design and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the current study is to examine the utility of Six Sigma interventions as a performance measure and explore its applicability for making the training design and delivery operationally efficient and strategically effective.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a single revelatory case study. Data were collected from multiple sources. In depth interviews of Six Sigma champion, black belt and green belt executives were conducted for understanding the Six Sigma interventions in HR function in general and in training functions in particular.

Findings

Application of Six Sigma approach was found to be helpful for better alignment of training function in MNC bank with the organizational requirements. Six Sigma changed the role of the function towards proaction. Research limitations/implications – This study has usual limitation of single case study research. Moreover, the impact of Six Sigma and its dependence on organizational structure, organizational culture, leadership role, social embeddedness, role stress etc. are identified as areas for future research.

Practical implications

The study brings out the applicability of Six Sigma approach for HR department and training function.

Originality/value

The paper delineates the application of Six Sigma approach in training function. It explores the applicability of this approach to ensure the training effectiveness by pulling the training function closer to internal and external customers' requirements and by its strategic alignment with organizational goals.

Details

Journal of European Industrial Training, vol. 31 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0590

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 October 2022

Tobias Otterbring, Peter Samuelsson, Jasenko Arsenovic, Christian T. Elbæk and Michał Folwarczny

Previous research on salesperson-customer proximity has yielded mixed results, with some studies documenting positive proximity effects on shopping responses and others…

Abstract

Purpose

Previous research on salesperson-customer proximity has yielded mixed results, with some studies documenting positive proximity effects on shopping responses and others demonstrating the reverse. To reconcile such mixed findings, this paper aims to test whether and how salesperson proximity influences a series of key customer outcomes in actual retail settings using sample sizes that are considerably larger than most former investigations.

Design/methodology/approach

We conducted two high-powered field studies (N = 1,312) to test whether salesperson‐customer proximity influences consumers’ purchase behavior and store loyalty. Moreover, we investigated whether the short-term effects on purchase behavior were moderated by the extent to which the consumption context had a clear connection to consumers’ own bodies.

Findings

Salesperson proximity increased purchase incidence and spending in consumption contexts with a bodily basis (e.g. clothes, beauty, health), suggesting that consumers “buy their way out” in these contexts when a salesperson is violating their personal space. If anything, such proximity had a negative impact on consumers’ purchase behavior in contexts that lacked a clear bodily connection (e.g. building materials, furniture, books). Moreover, the link between proximity and consumer responses was mediated by discomfort, such that a salesperson standing close-by (vs farther away) increased discomfort, with negative downstream effects on shopping responses. Importantly, the authors found opposite proximity effects on short-term metrics (purchase incidence and spending) and long-term outcomes (store loyalty).

Research limitations/implications

Drawing on the nonverbal communication literature and theories on processing fluency, the current work introduces a theoretically relevant boundary condition for the effects of salesperson-customer proximity on consumers’ purchase behavior. Specifically, the bodily basis of the consumption context is discussed as a novel moderator, which may help to explain the mixed findings in this stream of research.

Practical implications

Salesperson-customer proximity may serve as a strategic sales tactic to improve short-term revenue in settings that are closely tied to consumers’ own bodies and characterized by one-time purchases. However, as salesperson proximity was found to be associated with lower store loyalty, irrespective of whether the shopping setting had a bodily basis, the risk of violating consumers’ personal space may have costly consequences from a long-term perspective.

Originality/value

The present field studies make three central contributions. First, we introduce a novel moderator for proximity effects in various sales and service settings. Second, we test the focal hypotheses with much higher statistical power than most existing proximity studies. Finally, we document that salesperson-customer proximity ironically yields opposite results on short-term metrics and long-term outcomes, thus underscoring the importance of not solely focusing on sales effectiveness when training frontline employees.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 57 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1997

Nigel F. Piercy, David W. Cravens and Neil A. Morgan

The significance of the search for sales organization effectiveness is underlined by the major costs represented by the field salesforce for many organizations, and it is…

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Abstract

The significance of the search for sales organization effectiveness is underlined by the major costs represented by the field salesforce for many organizations, and it is heightened by the pressures of global competition and new challenges to develop long‐term customer relationships as the foundation for competitive and sustainable marketing strategies. A study of sales management in British companies adds to an emerging research stream by identifying certain characteristics of superior performance and effectiveness in the business‐to‐business sales organization. We find that conventional measures of salesforce size, call‐rates, costs and productivity reveal relatively little about the differences between more effective and less effective sales organizations and may be dangerously misleading. The hallmarks of effective sales organizations we found to be: balanced compensation strategy; successful salesperson characteristics, in terms of motivation, customer orientation, team orientation, and sales support orientation; high performance in the drivers of sales effectiveness, i.e. sales presentation, technical knowledge, but most particularly adaptiveness, teamwork, sales planning, and sales support; the use of behaviour‐based control approaches involving effective monitoring, directing, evaluating and rewarding activities by sales managers; and, sound organizational structures. The research findings contribute benchmarks to a powerful management agenda to be addressed by executives in pursuing sales organization effectiveness.

Details

Journal of Marketing Practice: Applied Marketing Science, vol. 3 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2538

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2006

David S. Murphy

Exploratory research which provides insight into the global leadership potential that is being developed in Mexican companies through their management practices.

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Abstract

Purpose

Exploratory research which provides insight into the global leadership potential that is being developed in Mexican companies through their management practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of 500 executives of firms that were members of the American chamber of commerce of Mexico. The response rate, with follow up mailings, was 69.4 per cent (347 questionnaires). The questionnaires gathered information about the criteria used in making executive management promotion decisions and for performance evaluation.

Findings

Significant differences between management practices in Mexico and the US were identified. These differences may influence the ability of Mexican companies to compete in the global market place.

Research limitations/implications

Further research should be conducted to measure the effects of different management styles and cultural differences on the ability of firms to compete in the global market place. The findings in this paper may not be generalizable to companies in cultures that are significantly different from Mexico.

Practical implications

Mexican companies, when compared to US firms, appear to place more emphasis on administrative management skills than on leadership skills. In addition, they place less emphasis on developing international expertise. To increase their level of global competitiveness and orientation the paper recommends that the companies modify their training programs and management practices.

Originality/value

This paper provides a new view of the reward and promotion practices within Mexican companies and relates that view to the development of global managers. This paper should be of interest to executives in Mexico and companies with operations in Mexico, and to researchers interested in global management.

Details

Management Research News, vol. 29 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0140-9174

Keywords

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