Salesperson Self-Regulated Learning and Online Customers’ Patronage: An Ambidexterity Perspective

Although the roles of exploratory and exploitative learning as alternative sales skills have been documented, there is not yet a clear consensus, and empirical evidence in the online sales context is lacking. In addition, existing studies have tended to examine the two activities in parallel, without looking into the dyadic situation of balanced or imbalanced exploratory-exploitative learning. Grounded in the WeChat business context, this study explores how online sales agents’ balanced and imbalanced ambidextrous learning influence customers’ e-loyalty and, in turn, their patronage intention and behavior. Polynomial regression and response surface analysis are performed on 226 dyads, and the results support the hypothesized balance effect. Further, asymmetrical imbalance effects are identified, with customers exhibiting higher e-loyalty and better patronage outcomes when online sales agents adopt more exploitative learning than exploratory learning. This study helps improve understanding of the efficiency of personal selling in a virtual context.

K- Means Clustering on Based Classification Method of Sales Agent

Agent is one of very important assets for distributors. A better knowledge of the agents and their behavior is required, particularly to support decisions related to the company's business strategy and to manage a better relationship with distributors. Such knowledge can be obtained by classifying agents based on their behavior through historical data, such as the sale and purchase transaction data. One approach that can be done is a segmentation approach can be done by dividing the agents into several segments. In this paper, Data Mining techniques i.e. K-means clustering method is exploredto classify sales agents. By implementing k-means, the knowledge about the best agents can be acquired along with the agents that have least contribution to the distributor.

At Home in the World: Co-productions and Indian Alternative Cinema

Several Indian filmmakers and production houses making ‘alternative’ and ‘independent films’ have sought to develop co-production deals with European film funds, international film festivals, film markets and sales agents. Their bid is to build a profile with art house and ‘specialty cinema’ audiences in Europe, Asia and the USA, while also seeking to impact the Indian domestic market. This article analyses the assembling of such productions, and their aesthetic form, including a reflection on charges that their adaptation to international distribution requires a conformity to what is acceptable and intelligible to ‘international audiences’. It also explores how alternative films oriented to international art cinema affect the understanding of what constitutes ‘national cinemas’. The article explores these themes through two films, Qissa (2013) and The Lunchbox (2012).

Visual Style of Embodied Virtual Sales Agents

The present study explored the effects of naturalism-stylization visual style of embodied virtual agents in an e-commerce website. An experiment was conducted in which participants (n=110) were paired with either the naturalistic or stylized agent that simulated the roles of a virtual sales assistant. It was shown that stylized agent produced significantly higher social perceptions of agent, perceived website social presence, perceived website social support than naturalistic agent. Moreover, stylized agent evoked significantly higher sense of website trust and lower perceived website financial risk from participants as compared to naturalistic agent. Further, the effects of visual style of agent on perceived website social presence was fully mediated by social perceptions of agent whereas the effects of visual style of agent on perceived website social support was partially mediated by perceived website social presence. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed in this paper.

Assessing Upstream Determinants of Antibiotic Use in Small-Scale Food Animal Production through a Simulated Client Method

Small-scale food animal production has been celebrated as a means of economic mobility and improved food security but the use of veterinary antibiotics among these producers may be contributing to the spread of antibiotic resistance in animals and humans. In order to improve antibiotic stewardship in this sector, it is critical to identify the drivers of producers’ antibiotic use. This study assessed the determinants of antibiotic use in small-scale food animal production through simulated client visits to veterinary supply stores and surveys with households that owned food animals (n = 117) in Ecuador. Eighty percent of households with food animals owned chickens and 78% of those with chickens owned fewer than 10 birds. Among the households with small-scale food animals, 21% reported giving antibiotics to their food animals within the last six months. Simulated client visits indicated that veterinary sales agents frequently recommended inappropriate antibiotic use, as 66% of sales agents recommended growth promoting antibiotics, and 48% of sales agents recommended an antibiotic that was an inappropriate class for disease treatment. In contrast, few sales agents (3%) were willing to sell colistin, an antibiotic banned for veterinary use in Ecuador as of January 2020, which supports the effectiveness of government regulation in antibiotic stewardship. The cumulative evidence provided by this study indicates that veterinary sales agents play an active role in promoting indiscriminate and inappropriate use of antibiotics in small-scale food animal production.

Pelatihan Daring Aplikasi Media Sosial dalam Pemasaran Produk Kerajinan Bambu di Selaawi, Garut, Jawa Barat

ONLINE TRAINING OF SOCIAL MEDIA APPLICATION FOR MARKETING BAMBOO CRAFT PRODUCT IN SELAAWI, GARUT, WEST JAVA. The distribution of goods and services needs marketing to reach the potential customers. The development of internet technology expand the marketing of goods and services from traditional to online market. The bamboo artisans of Selaawi Subdistrict, Garut Regency, realized that it was necessary to market their products online to increase the market share of their craft products, which are currently distributed offline. The Community Service (PPM) Team of Fikom Unpad conducted "Online Training on Social Media Applications for Marketing Bamboo Craft Products in Selaawi, Garut Regency" for creative bamboo economic people in Selaawi Subdistrict, who have not used social media or not optimally used social media as a marketing and promotion channels for bamboo handicraft products. This PPM aims to elevate bamboo artisan’s knowledge in using social media to support the marketing and distribution of bamboo handicraft products directly to customers and sales agents. The social media skills is expected to invite buyers, and increase bamboo artisan’s income. PPM activity presented speakers who owned Amygdala Bamboo, the Head of Selaawi subdistrict, the coordinator of bamboo craft artisans in Selaawi, and PPM Team of Fikom Unpad. This PPM activity was conducted online through Zoom Cloud Meetings, which was attended by bamboo crafts artisans and other participants.

Kelas Mimpi Entrepreneurship Program for Scavenger Children of Jatipadang

Scavengers are one of the biggest social problems for Jakarta. Scavenger areas have existed in Jakarta for a long time such as the Gang Saibun RT 08/09 Jatipadang, South Jakarta. Here, more than 300 scavengers illegally occupy vacant areas owned by the Regional Government. Scavenger children are exposed to problems including 1) economic poverty, and 2) attitude or character problems arising from their negative environments. In addition to the issues facing outsiders ttempting to aid the scavenger communities, there are additional problems which must be addressed. This study aims to provide a descriptive evaluation of the efforts to implement Kelas Mimpi entrepreneurship programs which seek to empower the scavenger children of Jatipadang, carried out by the Community Service Team at Al Azhar University of Indonesia. The study concludes that the entrepreneurship program was successfully implemented because it combined two integrated programs: 1) Entrepreneur Hard Skills Program (Online Sales Agent); and 2) Soft Skills Program (motivation, character building & service excellent). Moreover, this program succeeded in providing positive impacts in various measurable ways including 1) economic improvement of participants through online business transactions, 2) improvement of the positive character of participants, and 3) increased ability to provide excellent services as online sales agents. Keywords: entrepreneur, community development, scavenger children

Wage Transparency and Social Comparison in Sales Force Compensation

When wages are transparent, sales agents may compare their pay with that of their peers and experience positive or negative feelings if those peers are paid (respectively) less or more. We investigate the implications of such social comparisons on sales agents’ effort decisions and their incentives to help or collaborate with each other. We then characterize the firm’s optimal sales force compensation scheme and the conditions under which wage transparency benefits the firm. Our results show that the work environment—which includes such aspects as demand uncertainty, correlation across sales territories, and the possibility of help/collaboration—plays a significant role in the firm’s compensation and wage transparency decisions. In particular, wage transparency is more likely to benefit the firm when demand uncertainty is low, sales outcomes are positively correlated across different sales territories, and sales agents can collaborate at low cost. We find that, contrary to conventional wisdom, social comparisons need not reduce collaboration among agents. Our study also highlights the importance of providing the right mix of individual and group incentives to elicit the benefits of wage transparency. This paper was accepted by Juanjuan Zhang, marketing.