Reconciliation of deterministic and knowledge management approaches for a better understanding of SFA’s impact on salespersons’ performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-371
Author(s):  
Kaouther Jridi ◽  
Amel Chaabouni ◽  
Abdelfattah Triki
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Pharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Absorptive Capacity ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Sales Force ◽  
Customer Relationship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sales Force Automation ◽  
African Context ◽  
Management Approaches

Purpose The purpose of this study is to reconcile the deterministic and the knowledge management approaches to investigate a framework that provides an explanation of the sales force automation (SFA) practices’ impact on salespersons’ performance through the organizational absorptive capacity in the African pharmaceutical industry. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory study was conducted to understand SFA uses in the pharmaceutical industry; then a total of 186 medical representatives were sampled and partial least squares analysis was performed. Findings The results identified the positive impact of organizational absorptive capacity on SFA use. In addition, the use of the SFA positively influenced the salespersons’ performance. Finally, age plays a positive moderating role in the relationships between use of SFA as a tool for internal coordination between actors and salespersons’ performance. Practical implications This research could be useful for managers of pharmaceutical laboratories to SFA use as a tool of coordination between the actors, as a tool of management of the customer relationship and as a tool of management knowledge. Originality/value In contrast with the existing studies dealing with deterministic approach when studying the use of SFA, this study exploited the reconciliation between deterministic and knowledge management approaches to propose a conceptual framework dealing with the relationship between the SFA use, the organizational absorptive capacity and the salespersons’ performance in the pharmaceutical industry. This research proposed and tested a framework adapted to the African context.

scholarly journals The Effects of Organizational Absorptive Capacity, Professional Experience and Training over the Use of Sales Force Automation

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-32
Author(s):  
Kaouther Jridi ◽  
Amel Chaabouni
Keyword(s):  
Absorptive Capacity ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Sales Force ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
Professional Experience ◽  
Continuous Training ◽  
Sales Force Automation ◽  
Absorptive Capacities ◽  
The Impact

This research brings out the impact of training and professional experience on organizational absorptive capacity and the use of Sales Force Automation (SFA). A quantitative study was conducted on a sample of 186 medical sales representatives who work in the pharmaceutical industry. The method of structural equations based on the PLS approach and linear regression have been deployed for data analysis. The results reveal a positive impact of the training over organizational absorptive capacity (potential absorptive capacity and realized absorptive capacity) and the use of SFA as well as a positive impact of professional experience on organizational absorptive capacity. Furthermore, the organizational absorptive capacity has a positive influence on the use of the SFA. This study contributes to the literature on SFA use by examining the role of training, professional experience, realized and potential absorptive capacities in the SFA use. This research is appropriate for managers of pharmaceutical companies who constantly seek to improve the use of SFA technologies. Thus, the staff of these companies is more likely to perform their duties in a way that promotes their realized and potential absorptive capacities and the best use of SFA through continuous training for inexperienced and experienced salespeople.

Big data analytics capabilities and knowledge management: impact on firm performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (8) ◽  
pp. 1923-1936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Ferraris ◽  
Alberto Mazzoleni ◽  
Alain Devalle ◽  
Jerome Couturier
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Data Analytics ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Big Data Analytics ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
External Sources

Purpose Big data analytics (BDA) guarantees that data may be analysed and categorised into useful information for businesses and transformed into big data related-knowledge and efficient decision-making processes, thereby improving performance. However, the management of the knowledge generated from the BDA as well as its integration and combination with firm knowledge have scarcely been investigated, despite an emergent need of a structured and integrated approach. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Through an empirical analysis based on structural equation modelling with data collected from 88 Italian SMEs, the authors tested if BDA capabilities have a positive impact on firm performances, as well as the mediator effect of knowledge management (KM) on this relationship. Findings The findings of this paper show that firms that developed more BDA capabilities than others, both technological and managerial, increased their performances and that KM orientation plays a significant role in amplifying the effect of BDA capabilities. Originality/value BDA has the potential to change the way firms compete through better understanding, processing, and exploiting of huge amounts of data coming from different internal and external sources and processes. Some managerial and theoretical implications are proposed and discussed in light of the emergence of this new phenomenon.

Salesperson profitability in relationship marketing

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 306-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Said Echchakoui
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Marketing ◽  
Transaction Cost Economics ◽  
Retention Rate ◽  
Sales Force ◽  
Customer Relationship ◽  
Critical Duration ◽  
Sales Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dynamic Exchange ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – This paper aims to answer a prominent question that arises for the manager who wishes to recruit a salesperson to maintain and develop a portfolio–customer relationship: Under which condition is this decision profitable for the firm? Though several authors have underscored the importance of the salesperson's role in the creation of purchaser–salesperson relationships, in the author's knowledge, no study has focused on the salesperson's profitability in the relationship approach. This issue is significant for sales managers because the investment in sales force is greater, and the relationship profitability with customers is not guaranteed. Design/methodology/approach – Econometric model based on transaction cost economics theory and dynamic exchange between firm, salesperson and a customer. Specifically, this model links between customer life value, firm financial value, salesperson cost and relationship time. Findings – Three zones are identified that can characterize the dynamic salesperson profitability. It was shown that only one zone can be profitable to the firm. Research limitations/implications – This result is important because it can solve the equivocal posit between scholars with regard to the success or the failure of relationship marketing. This study also specifies the critical retention rate, the critical duration time in which a salesperson begins to be profitable. Originality/value – In the author's knowledge, this study is the first to use an exchange model to show in which conditions the salesperson will be profitable in relationship marketing.

Impact of knowledge sharing and absorptive capacity on project performance: the moderating role of social processes

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 453-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Imran Ali ◽  
Ata Ul Musawir ◽  
Murad Ali
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Absorptive Capacity ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Knowledge Governance ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose This study aims to propose an integrated model to examine the impact of knowledge governance, knowledge sharing and absorptive capacity (ACAP) on project performance in the context of project-based organizations (PBOs). This study also examines the moderating role of social processes on the relationships among these variables. Design/methodology/approach To test the proposed model, cross-sectional data were collected regarding projects from 133 PBOs in Pakistan’s information technology/software industry. The data were analyzed using the partial least squares – structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method and PRCOESS tool. Finally, this study also uses causal asymmetry analysis to check asymmetric relationship in the key constructs. Findings The results generally support the proposed model. Knowledge governance and knowledge sharing are important antecedents for improving the ACAP of the project, which in turn significantly improves project performance. Additionally, social processes positively moderate the relationship between knowledge sharing and ACAP, as well as between ACAP and project performance. Research limitations/implications The findings suggest that PBOs should invest in developing a knowledge governance system that guides and stimulates knowledge sharing within and between projects. This would boost the ACAP of projects and lead to superior project performance. Originality/value This study addresses the important issue of knowledge management in IT/software projects. It proposes a unique model that integrates the key constructs of knowledge management and describes their effect on project performance.

Mobile Business Applications

2009 ◽  
pp. 2163-2168
Author(s):  
Cheon-Pyo Lee
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Sales Force ◽  
Customer Relationship ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Mobile Business ◽  
Sales Force Automation ◽  
Business Applications ◽  
Scale Usage ◽  
E Mail

As an increasing number of organizations and individuals are dependent on mobile technologies to perform their tasks, various mobile applications have been rapidly introduced and used in a number of areas such as communications, financial management, information retrieval, and entertainment. Mobile applications were initially very basic and simple, but the introduction of higher bandwidth capability and the rapid diffusion of Internet-compatible phones, along with the innovations in the mobile technologies, allow for richer and more efficient applications. Over the years, mobile applications have primarily been developed in consumer-oriented areas where products such as e-mail, games, and music have led the market (Gebauer & Shaw, 2004). According to the ARC group, mobile entertainment service will generate $27 billion globally by 2008 with 2.5 billion users (Smith, 2004). Even though mobile business (m-business) applications have been slow to catch on mobile applications for consumers and are still waiting for larger-scale usage, m-business application areas have received enormous attention and have rapidly grown. As entertainment has been a significant driver of consumer-oriented mobile applications, applications such as delivery, construction, maintenance, and sales of mobile business have been drivers of m-business applications (Funk, 2003). By fall of 2003, Microsoft mobile solutions partners had registered more than 11,000 applications including e-mail, calendars and contacts, sales force automation, customer relationship management, and filed force automation (Smith, 2004). However, in spite of their huge potential and benefits, the adoption of m-business applications appears much slower than anticipated due to numerous technical and managerial problems.

Social customer relationship management factors and business benefits

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheshadri Chatterjee ◽  
Ranjan Chaudhuri ◽  
Demetris Vrontis ◽  
Alkis Thrassou ◽  
Soumya Kanti Ghosh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Customer Relationship Management ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Relationship Management ◽  
Customer Relationship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Leadership Support ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Actual Use

Purpose This study aims to identify the business benefit of and factors affecting the use of social customer relationship management (SCRM) in Indian organizations. Design/methodology/approach Building on theoretical foundations, a conceptual model of factors affecting SCRM in Indian organizations is developed and empirically tested through a survey and corresponding analysis using SPSS and AMOS software. Findings The study presents empirical evidence that technological competence, environmental characteristics and organizational environment positively impact the actual use of SCRM on Indian organizations. Additionally, leadership support of organizations impacts positively the actual use of SCRM in organizations, while the trust factor insignificantly impacts the latter. The actual use of SCRM in organizations was found to have a positive impact on their business benefits. Research limitations/implications The theoretical model is built on the constructs of the technology, environment and organizational framework. It has added new factors, such as leadership support and trust, and thereby identified the business benefits of organizations using SCRM mediating through the organizations’ actual use of SCRM. The proposed model is simple, implementable and has a high explanative power of 81 per cent. Practical implications The study provides practitioners with evidence and practicable knowledge regarding the means and impact/benefits of SCRM use in Indian organizations. Originality/value The study is one of few empirical studies on the topic and contributes valuable knowledge to extant works through additional factors, theoretical conceptualization and empirical scientific findings of both scholarly and executive worth.

scholarly journals Barriers to the use of mobile sales force automation systems: a salesperson’s perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaakko Sinisalo ◽  
Heikki Karjaluoto ◽  
Saila Saraniemi
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Sales Force ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sales Personnel ◽  
Tablet Pcs ◽  
Sales Force Automation ◽  
Automation Systems ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the barriers associated with the adoption and use of mobile sales force automation (SFA) systems from a salesperson’s perspective. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative investigation of two business-to-business companies was conducted. Data collected from ten semi-structured interviews with directors or sales managers were analyzed to understand the main barriers to SFA system adoption. Findings – The study confirms the existence of three barriers (customer knowledge, quality of information and the characteristics of mobile devices) to a mobile SFA system use and identifies two additional barriers: lack of time and optimization issues. Research limitations/implications – The explorative nature of the study and the qualitative method employed limit the generalizability of the results. The propositions could be further validated and tested with a wider population. Practical implications – Organizations wishing to speed the adoption of a mobile SFA system should evaluate the importance and significance of the five identified barriers to adoption, and plan how to overcome them. It is important for the providers of the mobile SFA systems to focus on developing systems that can exploit the different characteristics of each channel and, in parallel, overcome the inherent limitations of any single channel. The content of an SFA system should be customizable for each type of mobile device. Originality/value – Ever increasing mobility has led to a rise in the use of smartphones and tablet PCs (tablets) in business and the consequent growth in the use of SFA systems. Although SFA systems have been studied for roughly 30 years, little is known of the impact of newly developed mobile devices on sales management and sales personnel.

The effect of shipping knowledge and absorptive capacity on organizational innovation and logistics value

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 218-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eon-Seong Lee ◽  
Dong-Wook Song
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Absorptive Capacity ◽  
Organizational Innovation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Maritime Logistics ◽  
Logistics Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine what types of shipping knowledge are crucial in order for shipping companies to survive in dynamic business environment, and to investigate how the shipping knowledge affects the company’s performance (i.e. organizational innovation and logistics value). This paper also diagnoses the moderating effect of absorptive capacity on the relationship between the shipping knowledge and its effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the literature, a theoretical framework and relevant hypotheses are established so as to show associated relationships between shipping knowledge, absorptive capacity, and organizational innovation and logistics value. Data are collected for an empirical analysis and a moderated hierarchical regression analysis is conducted to test the hypotheses. Findings – Results show that a high level of shipping knowledge has a positive influence on the organizational innovation and logistics value of shipping companies. The findings also indicate that, while the absorptive capacity of shipping companies moderates the positive impact of shipping knowledge on the logistics value, it directly affects the improvement of organizational innovation. Research limitations/implications – This research verifies that effective knowledge management of shipping companies plays a significant role in developing organizational innovation and improving logistics performance. The research findings provide shipping companies with a strategic insight into the identification of critical sources for competitive advantage and greater organizational performance from an organizational learning perspective. Practical implications – This line of research is served as an indicator of a good strategic direction for the practitioners engaged in the maritime transport and logistics industry, in order for them to become better integrated entities in a global logistics system as well as maximize their competitive advantages. Originality/value – This paper makes the first attempt in its kind at empirically examining the types of shipping knowledge and its overall effectiveness in terms of the improvement of organizational innovation and logistics value. The moderating role of absorptive capacity on the impact of knowledge on organizational performance has also been initiated in the maritime logistics research.

The Hidden Minefields in the Adoption of Sales Force Automation Technologies

2002 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 98-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheri Speier ◽  
Viswanath Venkatesh
Keyword(s):  
Customer Relationship Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Relationship Management ◽  
Voluntary Turnover ◽  
Sales Force ◽  
Customer Relationship ◽  
Job Fit ◽  
Sales Force Automation ◽  
Person Organization Fit ◽  
Automation Tools

Sales force automation technologies are increasingly used to support customer relationship management strategies; however, commentary in the practitioner press suggests high failure rates. The authors use identity theory as a lens to better understand salesperson perceptions associated with technology rejection. They collected survey data from 454 salespeople across two firms that had implemented sales force automation tools. The results indicate that immediately after training, salespeople had positive perceptions of the technology. However, six months after implementation, the technology had been widely rejected, and salesperson absenteeism and voluntary turnover had significantly increased. There were also significant decreases in perceptions of organizational commitment, job satisfaction, person–organization fit, and person–job fit across both firms. Finally, salespeople with stronger professional commitment indicated more negative job-related perceptions as experience with the technology increased.

Key factors for a successful implementation of a customer relationship management technology in the Tunisian hotel sector

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nedra Bahri-Ammari ◽  
Khaldoon Nusair
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Customer Relationship Management ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Relationship Management ◽  
Sales Force ◽  
Customer Relationship ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial System

Purpose – This study aims to show the contribution of the determinants of customer relationship management (CRM), namely, customer-centric organizational culture and customer-centric management system, in explaining CRM performance. The moderating role of employee support has also been examined. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was administered to 406 CRM users in 15 four- and five-star hotels in Tunisia. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings – The results show that a consumer-centric managerial system positively affects CRM technology. Managerial system contributes to have an efficient CRM technology implemented that provides sales force with customer information, competitor information, leads for cross-sell/up-sell opportunities, tracks product availability and measures customer loyalty. These dimensions are negatively affected by a consumer-centric organizational culture. CRM technology once implemented with an adapted consumer-centric vision will enhance the CRM performance. Moreover, the use of CRM technology by employees leads to higher performance. CRM performance can improve when different CRM components are used and supported by employee. Exchange of relevant information that provides technology can improve in regaining lost customers, in acquiring customers and in improving the total return per customer and reducing customer migration. Practical implications – The findings help managers to consider adopting a customer-oriented CRM strategy that considers all the variables that may affect the performance of this technology (initiation, maintenance and retention). Companies will be able to reconsider some notions related to CRM strategies: restructuring the human factor, disseminating information, changing hotel culture and training of users. Originality/value – This study is the first to explain CRM performance in Tunisian hotels. It helps to highlight the importance of the visitors’ behavior in hotels, which explains, among other things, the difficulty of maintaining long-lasting relationship with hotel guests, despite a good system management and a good customer-centric culture.

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