Change--how to remove the fear, resentment, and resistance

This article introduces active learning, which is an innovative education methodology for the workplace classroom. It is used to help people remove their fear, resentment, and resistance to the change process itself. Active learning makes education more effective compared with the predominantly used traditional lecture-type teaching methodology.     

The renegotiation of the lomé convention

Negotiations for an extension of the Lomé Convention of February 28, 1975 (Lomé I) began — almost unnoticed by the public — on July 24, 1978. An analysis of the experiences with the Lomé Convention and the demands and amendments presented by the contracting parties is offered in the following article.

     

Buyer-supplier relational characteristics and joint decision making

This paper explores propositions dealing with the influence of buyer-supplier relational characteristics on their joint decision making. Specifically, the proposed conceptual framework focuses on the link between three relational constructs (trust, commitment, relationship maturity) and two types of joint decision making (strategic and tactical). Strategic decisions are those that “expand the pie” for both parties (integrative decisions), and tactical decisions are those that “divide the pie” between the two parties (distributive decisions). We propose that the effect of relational characteristics on joint decision making is likely to be moderated by the characteristics of the supplier organization (such as team orientation) and its environment (such as competitive intensity). We conclude with a brief discussion of the implications and possible extensions of the theoretical model.     

Personal selling and sales management: A relationship marketing perspective

The authors examine how the practice of personal selling and sales management is changing as a result of the increased attention on long-term, buyer-seller relationships and identify some implications of these changes. Changes in the traditional personal selling and sales management activities are needed to support the emergence of the part-nering role for salespeople. For salespeople in the part-nering role, the personal selling shifts from a focus on influencing buyer behavior to managing the conflict inherent in buyer-seller relationships. The emphasis on building relationships rather than making short-term sales and the use of sales teams dictates changes in the way firms select, train, evaluate, and compensate salespeople and members of sales teams. In this article, the authors have suggested some issues concerning the emerging partnering role for salespeople that deserve the attention of scholars interested in personal selling and sales management research. Barton A. Weitz is the J. C. Penney Eminent Scholar Chair in Retail Management at the Warrington College of Business Administration at the University of Florida. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University and his research interests are in the areas of personal selling effectiveness, salesperson motivation, and channel relationships. His research has been published in theJournal of Marketing, theJournal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, theJournal of the Academy of Marketing Science, andAdministrative Science Quarterly. He has coauthored two textbooks,Selling: Building Relationships andRetail Management. Kevin D. Bradford is an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Notre Dame. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida. His research interests include issues in buyerseller relationships and increasing salesperson effectiveness.     

Tendency to an “orderly” development policy

Recently the new convention between the EC and the ACP states (Lomé II) which is to succeed the one due to expire on March 1, 1980 (Lomé I), was signed after protracted, tough and tense negotiations which were at times even brought to a halt because the negotiating parties set out from widely diverging target positions¹. The following article discusses the most important results of the negotiations and their repercussions on trade, investment and finance.     

Relationship marketing and distribution channels

The interest of practitioners and academics in channel relationship management has shifted from corporate channel structures and relationships in conventional channels governed by use of power to relationships between independent firms involving contractual and normative control mechanisms. In this article, we identify several factors leading to this change of interest, propose a scheme for classifying channel relationship research based on control mechanisms, and suggest areas for future research involving the use of contractual and normative control mechanisms in conventional channel relationships. He is the former editor of theJournal of Marketing Research, an academic trustee of the Marketing Science Institute, and a member of the Direct Selling Education Foundation Board of Directors. His research on channel and sales management issues and personal selling effectiveness has been published in theJournal of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Research, Marketing Science, andAdministrative Science Quarterly. He is the co-author of three textbooks,Retailing Management, Essentials of Retailing, andPersonal Selling: Building Partnerships. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Florida. Her research interests are in the area of channel relationship management, particularly decision-making processes, coordination, and relationship dynamics.     

A cross-national investigation of incentive sales compensation

Why do managers choose one sales compensation form rather than another? Theoretical answers typically focus on the type of plans managers should design, not on the factors that managers actually consider. Managers from various national origins pursue and weigh objectives through experience in a way that theoretical models may not capture. Incorporating conceptualizations from a wide range of disciplines, we specify a model examining the influence of cultural factors on sales compensation decisions of managers (incentive vs. fixed pay and parity vs. equity allocation). The model, tested with data collected from bank managers across six European countries, illustrates the importance of considering national culture when designing sales force compensation policies applied across multiple countries. We also find evidence that most European bank managers accept incentive pay to motivate salespeople but, perhaps paradoxically, overwhelmingly reject equity allocations to achieve control and parity. We discuss the implications of our findings for research on international governance systems and the diffusion of sales force management practices.     

Managing conflict to improve the effectiveness of retail networks

Retailers are becoming involved with networks consisting of multiple firms in order to more effectively perform business activities such as supply chain management. This research develops and tests a framework outlining the effects of conflict in networks and how conflict management can mitigate and exacerbate these effects. A study of 81 simulated networks finds that inter-personal and task conflict have a negative effect on network member satisfaction and desire to be a member of the network. The use of a collaborative conflict management style has a positive effect on satisfaction and desire for continuity, but the effects of accommodative and confrontational styles depend on the level of inter-personal and task conflict present in the network.