Document Type
Journal Article
Department/Unit
Department of Marketing
Title
The role of sales representatives in cross-cultural business-to-business relationships
Language
English
Abstract
© 2016 Elsevier Inc. This study responds to the call for the internationalization of sales research by collecting data from 160 international buyers spanning 33 countries and regions. Based on survey data, archival sales records and cultural-distance indices, this research examines the performance-enhancing effect of sales rep-owned commitment as well as its antecedents under varying degrees of cultural distance. Our results show a strong and direct impact of rep-owned commitment, independent of the effect of firm-owned commitment, on enhancing performance indicators including sales volume, importers' purchase share, and importers' future purchase intentions. Moreover, we find two important antecedents to rep-owned commitment: benevolence trust and capability trust. Interestingly, cultural distance moderates the effects of benevolence and capability trust on rep-owned commitment: the larger the cultural distance, the stronger the effect of benevolence trust but the weaker the effect of capability trust. We conclude with theoretical and managerial implications to international marketing research and practice.
Keywords
Cultural distance, Exporting, International marketing, Relationship marketing, Sales representatives, Trust
Publication Date
1-29-2016
Source Publication Title
Industrial Marketing Management
Publisher
Elsevier
Peer Reviewed
1
DOI
10.1016/j.indmarman.2016.10.002
Link to Publisher's Edition
ISSN (print)
00198501
Recommended Citation
Gu, Flora F., Jeff Jianfeng Wang, and Danny T. Wang. "The role of sales representatives in cross-cultural business-to-business relationships." Industrial Marketing Management (2016).