Innovativeness and new product commercialization are highly important for companies. Therefore, a deep understanding of the impact of all potentially influential drivers of success is critical. The ...purpose of the paper is to explore the impact of internal knowledge sharing on new product selling and sales innovativeness as well as the impact of empowerment on internal knowledge sharing and, indirectly, on new product selling and sales innovativeness.
The research encompassed 101 salespeople working at the top 1000 value added creators in Croatia. The questionnaire was developed and adapted using four scales, to assess internal knowledge sharing, new product selling, sales innovativeness, and empowerment. The data was analyzed by using the PLS-SEM method to examine the relationships between constructs.
As evidenced by the survey results, internal knowledge sharing positively impacts new product selling and sales department’s innovativeness, and empowerment is positively linked to internal knowledge sharing and, indirectly, to new product selling and sales department’s innovativeness.
Managers should underpin different activities in order to enhance empowerment and internal knowledge sharing with the aim to affect companies’ performance in commercialization of a new product and sales department’s innovativeness. Future research could include moderator variables between the empowerment construct and the internal knowledge sharing construct and deepen the insight into the type of information shared, the dynamics of sharing and the barriers in the process, and other factors that positively affect knowledge sharing.
Svrha – Cilj je rada istražiti utjecaj internog marketinga i osnaživanja na prodaju novog proizvoda i prodajnu inovativnost. Isto tako, istražuje se i veza između prodajne inovativnosti i prodaje ...novog proizvoda.
Metodološki pristup – Podatci su prikupljeni anketnim upitnikom namijenjenim prodajnim profesionalcima. Podatci su analizirani korištenjem PLS modeliranja strukturnih jednadžbi.
Rezultati i implikacije – Rezultati pokazuju da interni marketing (IM) i osnaživanje pozitivno utječu na prodaju novog proizvoda i prodajnu inovativnost. Veza između prodajne inovativnosti i prodaje novog proizvoda nije dokazana. Istraživanje upućuje na odnose među različitim konstruktima (interni marketing, osnaživanje, prodaja novog proizvoda, inovativnost) u području prodaje. Temeljem gore navedenih odnosa, vrhovni prodajni i menadžeri za razvoj novog proizvoda mogu planirati aktivnosti internog marketinga te osnažiti prodajnu silu kako bi na kraju poboljšali komercijalizaciju novog proizvoda i potaknuli svoju inovativnost.
Ograničenja – Istraživanje ima nekoliko ograničenja. Zbog veličine uzorka u istraživanju nije provedena provjera na neustanovljenu heterogenost. Po pitanju veze između prodajne inovativnosti i prodaje novog proizvoda bilo bi uputno uključiti moderatorske i medijatorske varijable. Druge prethodnice prodaje novog proizvoda i prodajne inovativnosti trebaju također biti istražene.
Doprinos – Rad upućuje na odnose između konstrukata u prodajnom okruženju koji, prema saznanjima autora, nisu bili predmetom prethodnih istraživanja.
Purpose: The aim of this paper is to expand the body of knowledge on employer branding by identifying the dimensions of employer attractiveness for Generation Z and to develop a framework for ...employee value creation in the specific context of Croatian culture.
Methodology: The research was conducted on a sample of 220 key informants using the scale developed by Berthon et al. (2005). Since the purpose of the paper was to identify the various dimensions of employer attractiveness as well as the key factors of attractiveness as the basis for value proposition underlying respondents’ perception of employer attractiveness, exploratory factor analysis was applied to analyze the data, i.e. a total of 25 identified employer attractiveness variables. After performing factor analysis, the average rates of importance were measured using summated rating scales for variables of individual factors.
Results: The study identified six organizational attractiveness dimensions relevant to Generation Z. In addition, a value proposition framework was developed. The attractiveness dimensions encompass Organization’s market orientation, Acceptance and good relationships with colleagues, Informal characteristics of the workplace, Potential of the workplace for gaining experience and career advancement, Salary and other material benefits, and Sense of belonging to the organization. The dimensions have changed compared to the original Berthon et al. (2005) scale. These differences can be attributed to the specific needs of young employees and to a specific culture and general current conditions.
Conclusion: In the “war for talent”, especially for young employees who enter the labor market for the first time, marketing concepts can be a powerful weapon. In order to attract them, their needs and wants should be deeply understood. Based on the proposed value proposition framework and the identified organizational dimensions, a valuable employer brand can be developed and the possibilities to attract and engage employees can be increased.
Salesperson’s job satisfaction is of particular interest to companies because it has been linked to performance and customer retention. Contemporary sales workplace is becoming increasingly complex, ...but sales managers still, and more than ever, play a significant role in shaping attitudes of their salespeople. us, it is important to understand the influence of different sales management practices on salespeople’s satisfaction which leads to better personal and organizational results. The main aim of this paper is to explore the influence of three types of sales management control (behavior-based, knowledge-based and outcome based control), sales management support and satisfaction with sales manager on salespeople’s job satisfaction. The research was conducted among sales force in Croatia and Italy and the data were analyzed by the PLS-SEM method. The study shows that knowledge-based control, manager support and satisfaction with manager positively impact salespeople’s job satisfaction. An influence of behavior-based control and outcome-based control was not demonstrated. e findings are partly in line with previous researches, but also provide new insights into aspects of manager-seller relations. e results can help sales managers to shape the target behavior and practices, and make them aware of the importance of their role in achieving job satisfaction among their subordinates. Top and human resource (HR) managers can also hire appropriate managers that can be encouraged to implement desired practices.
Customer relationship development represents a strategic goal for most organizations in contemporary market. In achieving this goal, salespeople as boundary spanners are crucial and particularly ...successful when highly satisfied. Satisfaction with manager is a part of the components that impact the overall employee satisfaction. Accordingly, sales manager's attitudes, behavior and skills (such as communication skills) can significantly impact their subordinates' satisfaction through their satisfaction with manager. The main aim of the study is to explore the relations between the components of effective manager's communication (i.e. listening skills, open communication and effective feedback) and satisfaction with sales manager, as well as the relations between the above satisfaction with manager and customer relationship development. The results will provide deeper insights into the said relationships in the sales context. Moreover, the beneficiaries of the study would be sales managers that can provide the impetus to improve communication with subordinates in order to achieve greater satisfaction among subordinates with the management and the overall satisfaction with the final goal to eventually positively impact the relationship with the organization's customers.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of internal marketing and empowerment on new product selling and sales innovativeness. The link between sales innovativeness and new ...product selling was examined as well.
Design/Methodology/Approach – Data was collected through a questionnaire aimed at sales professionals. PLS structural equation modeling was applied to analyze the data.
Findings and implications – The results show that internal marketing (IM) and empowerment positively affect new product selling and sales innovativeness. No link was found between sales innovativeness and new product selling. The current study highlights new relationships among different constructs (e.g. internal marketing, empowerment, new product selling, and innovativeness) in the sales context. Due to the above-mentioned linkages, top management, as well as sales and new product development managers can plan internal marketing activities and empower their salesforce to achieve better new product commercialization and enhance their innovativeness.
Limitations – The current study has few limitations. Due to the survey sample size, it was not tested for unobserved heterogeneity. With regard to the link between sales innovativeness and new product selling, it is recommended to include moderator and mediator variables. Other antecedents of new product selling and sales innovativeness should be investigated as well.
Originality – The paper identifies the relationships among constructs in the sales context which, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, have not been subject of previous research and have received limited attention in the literature.
Job burnout is a multidimensional construct that has been linked to a number of negative consequences among which decreased job satisfaction plays an important role. Burnout frequently occurs in ...client-centered professions, such as the sales profession. There is little research focused on this issue in the sales field, especially outside the USA. The main aim of this paper is to investigate the influence of three burnout components of job satisfaction among salespeople. Present research suggests that emotional exhaustion and personal non-accomplishment negatively influence job satisfaction among salespeople, whereas depersonalization does not.
The paper is based on the assumption that the participants in an exchange process can positively influence many aspects of their own businesses, if they master the knowledge and skills in the field ...of business negotiation. The aim of the paper is to contribute to the knowledge of the specific characteristics of negotiation in the corporate banking market and of the impact of individual sources of negotiation power on the agreed terms of exchange between the banking customer and the bank. The conducted research has shown that banking customers can directly influence the terms of exchange in the corporate banking market. Furthermore, the research has shown the influence that the individual sources of negotiation power have on the achievement of more favourable terms of exchange for corporate banking customers. Implications of the conducted research are multiple. For instance, the results of the research provide guidelines to corporate banking customers as to how to develop an effective negotiation strategy in the corporate banking market, thus helping them to achieve higher business competitiveness.
U suvremenom, na znanju baziranom gospodarstvu, zaposlenici igraju iznimno važnu ulogu te mogu pridonijeti postizanju konkurentske prednosti. Upravo iz navedenih razloga poduzeća nastoje privući ...kvalitetne, vješte i znanjem oboružane zaposlenike te istovremeno potaknuti predanost kod postojećih. U tom se naporu sve više koriste marketinške tehnike i pristupi koji se temelje na poznavanju želja i potreba zaposlenika i potencijalnih zaposlenika. Provedeno istraživanje imalo je za cilj utvrditi važnost pojedinih faktora atraktivnosti poslodavaca u očima budućih posloprimaca i to u specifičnostima hrvatske
nacionalne kulture. Povrh toga, istraživanjem se ukazalo na odnose i veze među pojedinim faktorima atraktivnosti te su prepoznate percepcije ispitanika prema obilježjima posla. Istraživanje je provedeno na uzorku od 72 ispitanika. Radi utvrđivanja međuovisnosti između pojedinih varijabli izračunat je Pearsonov koeficijent korelacije. Kako bi se bolje objasnile percepcije mladih prema obilježjima posla provedena je eksplorativna faktorska analiza. Provedenim istraživanjem prepoznati su najvažniji te najmanje važni faktori atraktivnosti, prepoznate su signifikantne razlike prema spolu, te veze među pojedinim varijablama. Povrh toga, istraživanjem su prepoznata tri faktora atraktivnosti, a to su sadržajna atraktivnost radnog mjesta, materijalni uvjeti rada te sloboda u obavljanju posla. Doprinos ovoga rada sagledava se u prepoznavanju veza među pojedinim varijablama ali i prepoznavanjem faktora atraktivnosti radnog mjesta u specifičnostima Republike Hrvatske
te kod mlađe generacije koja ulazi na tržište rada. Sve navedeno može pomoći praktičarima osobito menadžerima marketinga i menadžerima ljudskih resursa u oblikovanju atraktivnih radnih okolina, sa dimenzijama koje će predstavljat adekvatan odgovor na potrebe korisnika.
In today’s knowledge-based economy, employees play an important role, especially in gaining competitive advantage. It is for this reason that companies strive to attract skilled, high quality, knowledgeable employees and at the same time to stimulate engagement and
commitment among current employees. In this effort, companies increasingly use marketing techniques and approaches that rely on a deep
understanding of employees’ and potential employees’ needs and wants. This study was conducted with the aim of assessing the importance of each employer attractiveness factor in the eyes of future employees (Generation Z), taking into account the specificity of the Croatian national culture. Moreover, the paper identifies the relationships and the links between the attractiveness factors, and the respondents’ perceptions of job characteristics. The research was conducted on a sample of 72 respondents. The Pearson coefficient was calculated to assess the interdependence between individual variables. In addition, an
exploratory factor analysis was conducted to explain more in depth the perceptions of youth toward job characteristics. Based on the research results, the most and the least important attractiveness factors were identified, significant differences between genders were pointed out, and the links between the variables were highlighted. Moreover, three major attractiveness factors were identified - job content attractiveness, material working conditions and freedom in job performance. The contribution of this paper is based on the recognition of links between individual variables and also on the identification of job attractiveness factors in the specific context of the Republic of Croatia and in the eyes of the young generation ready to enter the job market. The findings may help professionals, especially marketing managers and human resources managers, in their efforts to develop an attractive job environment that provides an adequate answer to the needs
of customers (i.e. employees and prospective employees).
Ključne riječi
Job burnout is a multidimensional construct that has been linked to a number of negative consequences among which decreased job satisfaction plays an important role. Burnout frequently occurs in ...client-centered professions, such as the sales profession. There is little research focused on this issue in the sales field, especially outside the USA. The main aim of this paper is to investigate the influence of three burnout components of job satisfaction among salespeople. Present research suggests that emotional exhaustion and personal non-accomplishment negatively influence job satisfaction among salespeople, whereas depersonalization does not.