The impact of adverse life events on salesperson relationships with customers

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deva Rangarajan ◽  
Michael Peasley ◽  
Bert Paesbrugghe ◽  
Rajesh V. Srivastava ◽  
Geoffrey T. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Life Events ◽  
Firm Value ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Customer Relationships ◽  
Personal Accomplishment ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Coping Mechanism ◽  
Adverse Life Events ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of stress as a result of adverse life events on a salesperson’s ability to effectively manage customer relationships. The framework identifies burnout as a key mediating variable and salesperson grit as a coping mechanism. Design/methodology/approach Survey data is gathered from 364 B2B salespeople and investigated using structural equation modeling in Mplus 8.2. Findings The findings reveal adverse life events and their corresponding stress diminish a salesperson’s ability to manage customer relationships effectively through the mediators of reduced personal accomplishment and depersonalization. Thus, negative events of a personal nature can have a significant impact on salesperson outcomes and should be taken with the same level of seriousness as job-related stress. Furthermore, results show that salesperson grit provides mixed results as a coping mechanism. Practical implications The findings indicate that practitioners should be mindful of the negative impact adverse life events can have on work-related outcomes. Organizations and sales managers must be intentional in managing relationships with their salespeople and strategic in the structure they use to manage customer relationships. Recommendations include the use of regular one-on-one meetings to open up a dialogue about work or personal issues the salesperson is experiencing and assigning multiple resources or staff to service valuable customers, thereby not relying on solitary salespeople. Originality/value Employee well-being contributes to firm value; yet, this is the first study in sales to explore the impact of adverse life events on salesperson outcomes.

Green marketing programs as strategic initiatives in hospitality

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Scott Rosenbaum ◽  
Ipkin Anthony Wong
Keyword(s):  
Firm Value ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Green Marketing ◽  
Loyalty Programs ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Guest Loyalty

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate a guest’s subjective appraisal of a hotel’s green marketing program, or green equity, along with value, brand and relationship equities on guest loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – Study 1 presents three models to explicate the role of a luxury hotel’s green initiatives in influencing guest loyalty. By means of structural equation modeling, one model emerges with the best fit. Study 2 examines how tourists assign economic value to a hotel’s green programs. Findings – Green equity plays a significant role in customers’ overall assessment of a hotel’s marketing programs; however, the effect is weaker when compared with the other indicators, including a hotel’s value proposition, brand image and loyalty programs. Furthermore, the results reveal that tourists are willing to pay a price premium for a hotel’s green marketing programs. Research limitations/implications – The paper links green marketing to the customer equity model and clarifies the impact of green marketing programs on loyalty and profitability. However, the study was conducted among luxury hotel guests and tourists in Macau, a leading gambling destination; thus, these customers might not have been concerned with green marketing initiatives. Practical implications – The results show that green initiatives are beneficial as long as managers include these initiatives in their overall strategic marketing programs that also promote firm value propositions, brand images and reputation. Originality/value – The paper clarifies the role of green marketing programs in hospitality and shows how hotels can benefit from enhanced guest loyalty and decreased operational expenses by implementing green initiatives.

Chasing productivity demands, worker well-being, and firm performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (9) ◽  
pp. 1823-1843
Author(s):  
Mastura Ab Wahab ◽  
Ekrem Tatoglu
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Flexible Work Arrangements ◽  
Flexible Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of chasing productivity demands on worker well-being and firm performance in manufacturing firms in Malaysia. Flexible work arrangements and human resources support are used as moderators to mitigate the adverse impacts associated with chasing productivity demands.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 213 workers from manufacturing firms through a survey questionnaire utilizing structural equation modeling.FindingsThe findings of the study show that flexible work arrangements play a significant role in moderating the relationship between chasing productivity demands and well-being, and between chasing productivity demands and firm performance. The study also shows that flexible work arrangements are important to buffer the adverse effects of chasing productivity demands on worker well-being. In addition, flexible work arrangements strengthen the positive effect of worker well-being on firm performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study highlights the importance of flexible work arrangements in overcoming the negative impact of the relationship between chasing productivity demands and worker well-being and strengthening the positive impact of the relationship between worker well-being and firm performance.Originality/valueThis study has extended the variable of chasing productivity demands in the existing literature on the job demands–job control model, specifically in manufacturing firms.

The impact of cash transfer programs on Brazilian’s well-being

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 1106-1118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Izete Pengo Bagolin
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
Cash Transfer ◽  
Social Program ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Absolute Poverty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transfer Programs ◽  
The Absolute ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate if there is any evidence of differentials in the well-being achievements of two groups which will be called the “artificially” and the “truly” not poor; and second, to test the hypothesis that income from work is a better entitlement than income received from social programs. Design/methodology/approach The author used data from the 2008 Brazilian Household Budget Survey and selected two groups. Both groups are composed of people living between the absolute and the relative poverty line. The group that is living above the absolute poverty line only due to cash transfer programs will be considered the “artificially” not poor. And people who are out of absolute poverty but not receiving any help from social program are considered the “truly” (and not absolutely) poor. The hypothesis was tested using structural equation modeling. Findings The results support the hypothesis that people who are not receiving income from cash transfer programs achieve a higher level of well-being in the dimensions of housing and food. Food and housing capabilities affect each other and such result reinforces the multidimensionality of the Brazilian poverty. Research limitations/implications The main limitations refers to the restrict number of dimensions and to the necessity to adapt the indicators available to answer the paper objectives. Practical implications The paper results can help the policy makers to better understand the cash transfer programs attainment and boundaries. Social implications The paper results highlight that the cash transfer programs, even being useful to improve people well-being, are not sufficient to promote human capabilities and are not truly undertaking the multidimensional deprivations of the poor. Originality/value The paper compares two groups of people living with identical amount of income acquired from different origins.

Perceived organizational support and employee well-being

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 469-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mashal Ahmed Wattoo ◽  
Shuming Zhao ◽  
Meng Xi
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Support ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Perceived Organizational Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Family ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Considering work and family responsibility has become an important issue due to changes in the lives of people, understanding work and family responsibilities is essential for organizations in assisting employees to increase their well-being. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to find the impact of perceived organizational support (POS) on work–family facilitation (WFF) and work–family conflict (WFC) and eventually on employee well-being. Design/methodology/approach A survey questionnaire is administered to 1,340 employees of Chinese enterprises. Structural equation modeling is used to test the model fit. Findings Results of this study indicate a significant positive relationship between POS and WFF and significant negative relation between POS and WFC. Results of this paper also indicate that WFF and WFC partially mediate the relationship between POS and employee well-being. Originality/value Over the past two decades, the extent of research on work–family literature has been increased. Most of the work–family research works have been conducted in the Western countries. Very little is known about whether these results are applicable to Eastern societies. This study is extended to focus on work–family literature by drawing a sample from different regions of China. The findings of this study may provide a good understanding of WFC and WFF for Chinese employees. This study stresses the importance of providing organizational support to increase the well-being of employees.

scholarly journals The transformational potential of Latin American retail experiences

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 769-783
Author(s):  
Pilar Gardiazabal ◽  
Constanza Bianchi ◽  
M. Abu Saleh
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Firm Outcomes ◽  
Transformative Potential ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate if retail services have a transformative potential to improve the well-being of customers in a Latin American market. Transformative studies have been conducted mostly in developed countries, and consumer well-being in a Latin American supermarket context has not been addressed previously. Specifically, this study aims to understand if customer satisfaction with a supermarket experience in Chile leads to positive customer well-being. Additionally, it is examined if customer well-being influences firm outcomes, such as customer loyalty, word-of-mouth (WOM) communication or retailer equity. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual model was developed, and data was collected through an online survey from 866 customers of a large supermarket chain in Chile. Hypotheses were tested with structural equation modeling. Findings The findings of this study support all the hypotheses of the model and confirm that customer satisfaction has direct and indirect effects on customer loyalty and other firm outcomes through customer well-being. Research limitations/implications This research is among the few studies in the academic literature that considers retail experience and well-being outcomes for supermarket customers in a Latin American context. Limitations derive from the cross-sectional nature of this study. Practical implications There are implications from this study contributing to the literature on customer retail experience, in terms of the potential to transform supermarket shopping in a Latin American country. This is particularly relevant in Latin America as the extent to which for-profit organizations acknowledge their relevancy of the individuals’ well-being is still at its infancy. Social implications This research provides empirical support to the importance of not only looking at traditional measures such as WOM, equity and loyalty but looking into the impact services have for customers’ life and well-being. Originality/value This study contributes to the services literature and addresses a gap in it by exploring the transformative potential of supermarket shopping on customer well-being and in turn the role of customer well-being in retail firm outcomes. The findings also contribute in considering Chile, a Latin American context that has been overlooked in the transformative services studies. This provides managerial implications for domestic and global companies that offer grocery retailing for consumers in this region.

Promoting safety participation through diversity and inclusion climates

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 308-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Paolillo ◽  
Silvia A. Silva ◽  
Margherita Pasini
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Diversity Climate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of diversity climate and inclusion climate on safety participation behaviors through the mediating effect of the motivation to actively promote safety at work. Design/methodology/approach Participants were 491 workers employed in four Italian metal-mechanical companies. They completed a paper questionnaire containing measures of psychological diversity climate, psychological inclusion climate, safety motivation participation and safety participation behaviors. Data were analyzed with structural equation modeling. Findings Results showed that safety participation motivation fully mediates the relationship between diversity climate and safety participation behaviors, whereas it partially mediates the relationship between climate for inclusion and safety participation behaviors. Practical implications The present findings can help managers to motivate employees in pursuing safety goals independently of compensation or obligation by creating an organization in which the main concern is caring for each other’s well-being. Originality/value This is the first study which has empirically tested the relationships between diversity climate, inclusion climate and safety behaviors. It has extended previous research which simply tested the effects of objective types of diversity on safety performance.

Child helplines: how social support and controllability influence service quality and well-being

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 385-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willemijn van Dolen ◽  
Charles B. Weinberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Service Quality ◽  
Quality Perceptions ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The authors investigate how employee social support impacts children’s perceptions of service quality of a child helpline chat service and the chatters’ immediate well-being. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to examine how action-facilitating support, nurturant support and emotional reflections influence the children and to test whether this impact varies depending upon the controllability of the issues discussed. Design/methodology/approach The authors develop hypotheses about the influence of social support and controllability on children’s perceived service quality and well-being. Chat conversations are coded on the social support given by the employee and the controllability of the issue. Questionnaires are collected to measure children’s service quality and well-being. Using structural equation modeling, hypotheses are tested with a sample of 662 children and chat conversations of a child helpline. Findings The study reveals that for children chatting about controllable issues, nurturant support and negative emotional reflections negatively influence the immediate well-being of these children. Positive emotional reflections positively influence immediate well-being. For children chatting about uncontrollable issues, nurturant support and negative emotional responses positively influence the perceived service quality. Originality/value This study contributes to the services marketing literature by broadening the current understanding of the impact of social support on children’s service quality perceptions and well-being, and by showing how this impact is moderated by the level of controllability of the issue discussed.

HRM reforms and job-related well-being of academics

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 597-619
Author(s):  
Jie Xia ◽  
Mingqiong Mike Zhang ◽  
Jiuhua Cherrie Zhu ◽  
Di Fan ◽  
Ramanie Samaratunge
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Chinese Universities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Analytical Technique ◽  
Hrm Practices ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of human resource management (HRM) reforms on job-related well-being of academics in Chinese universities. It also tests the mediating effect of work intensification (WI) and affective commitment (AC), and the moderating effect of perceived organizational justice (OJ) on the HRM‒well-being relationship to understand the influence mechanisms and boundary conditions. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was conducted in 25 Chinese universities, obtaining 638 usable questionnaires. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used as the analytical technique to examine the model fit and test hypotheses. Findings The findings reveal that the relationship of HRM and well-being is neither direct nor unconditional, and a win‒win scenario for both management and employee well-being is possible when organizations pursue HRM innovations. Research limitations/implications The limitations of this study are that data were collected at once and at a defined time, with no time lag being involved. In addition, all variables were self-reported. Practical implications Commitment-oriented HRM practices can create a win‒win scenario; when control-oriented HRM practices are necessary, managers should ensure OJ to offset their negative influence on employees. Originality/value This study is among the first to examine the impact of HRM on employee well-being in the context of Chinese higher education, contributing to the limited studies on HRM in Chinese public sector and the on-going debate on the nature of HRM in China.

HRM reforms and job-related well-being: the mediating effect of work intensification and affective commitment and the moderating effect of perceived organizational justice

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 45-47
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Justice ◽  
Affective Commitment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Chinese Universities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Intensification ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how HRM influences the well-being of academics. Design/methodology/approach Data is gathered from the responses of 638 academics employed in 25 Chinese universities to a questionnaire survey. This data is analyzed using structure equation modeling. Findings The relationship between HRM and well-being is not a direct one and is mediated by affective commitment and work intensification. Organizational justice is shown to have a moderating effect when control-oriented systems are in place. Practical implications Therefore, managers in control-oriented systems should employ organizational justice to lessen negative effects on well-being and commitment- oriented HRM practices should be introduced to create a “win-win” situation. Originality/value This paper has an original approach in examining the impact of HRM on well-being in the context of Chinese universities.

The impact of personal characteristics, quality of working life and psychological well-being on job burnout among Iranian external auditors

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-205
Author(s):  
Mahdi Salehi ◽  
Fereshteh Seyyed ◽  
Shayan Farhangdoust
Keyword(s):  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Job Burnout ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Quality Of Working Life ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

PurposeGiven the negative consequences of job burnout for both individual auditors and audit firms, the present study aims to examine the effect of auditors' personal characteristics, working life quality and psychological well-being on auditors' job burnout.Design/methodology/approachWe chose 240 auditors (junior, senior, manager and partner) who work at 53 audit and public accounting firms in Mashhad during 2015–2016 as our sample. The respondents were randomly selected and the data were gathered through the distribution of questionnaires of Walton’s (1973) quality of working, Ryff’s (1995) psychological well-being and Maslach and Jackson’s (1984) job burnout. We also employ structural equation modeling (SEM) along with statistical path analysis to test our hypotheses by using R statistical software.FindingsConsistent with our expectations and prior literature, our findings suggest that auditors' job burnout is significantly and positively influenced by auditors' personal traits, quality of working life and psychological well-being.Originality/valueThe present study is quite remarkable and unique in that it focuses on a specific audit market where there are significant differences in socio-economic, political and cultural factors with those of Western or European developed markets. The results provided in this paper could be fruitful for auditors, regulators and policymakers.

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