Thomas Brashear Alejandro

To bolster their competitiveness and profitability, prominent e-commerce platforms have embraced dual retailing channels: self-operating channels and online marketplaces. However, a discernible trend is emerging wherein e-commerce platforms are expanding their marketplaces to encompass competitive third-party suppliers. Motivated by this trend, this study sought to examine the strategic integration of a third-party product amidst the competition between a self-operating channel and a marketplace. This investigation involved the development of a game-theoretic model involving a platform and two representative suppliers—an incumbent supplier and a new entrant. Specifically, we delved into establishing an equilibrium partnership between the platform and the new entrant supplier while also evaluating the self-operating strategy of the established supplier. Our analysis uncovered a counterintuitive outcome: an escalation in the commission rate resulted in diminished profits for the established supplier. Furthermore, we ascertained that the economic implications of a competitive product entry pivot significantly on product quality. Lastly, we demonstrated that the revenue-sharing rate plays a pivotal role in influencing the self-operating strategy of the established supplier, and the market equilibrium hinges on the interplay among product quality, the commission rate, and the revenue-sharing rate. These insights provide invaluable guidance for marketers and e-commerce platforms in their strategic decision-making processes.

O objetivo deste estudo é desenvolver um modelo preditivo que aumente a precisão do planejamento operacional de negócios usando dados de uma pequena empresa. A partir de técnicas de aprendizado de máquina (AM), são apresentadas estratégias de expansão, reamostragem e combinação que permitiram superar várias das limitações enfrentadas pelas pesquisas conduzidas até então. O estudo adotou uma nova técnica de engenharia de recursos que permitiu aumentar a precisão de um modelo preditivo, encontrando 10 novos recursos derivados dos originais, desenvolvidos automaticamente através das relações não-lineares encontradas entre eles. Por fim, foi criado um classificador com regras para prever, com alta precisão, a receita da pequena empresa. De acordo com os resultados apresentados, a abordagem proposta abre novas possibilidades para a pesquisa sobre a AM aplicada a pequenas e médias empresas.

Purpose: This paper aims to examine a longitudinal study of mentoring functions and their effect on salesperson attitudes and intentions.Design/methodology/approach: The research is based on a multi-year study of salespeople beginning when the salesperson entered the industry being examined.Findings: The level of interaction between the mentor and protégé was found to be the only antecedent examined that related to the perceived quality of mentoring functions. Age, education and length of employment for both parties; the degree of age and education difference; and the length of the mentoring relationship were not significant. Successful mentoring appeared to be based heavily on a mentor’s willingness and ability to interact frequently with the protégé.Originality/value: This study adds to the literature on mentoring, looking at mentoring in a sales context. Research examining mentoring in a sales setting is much more limited than in many other professions, so the findings represent a valuable addition to the sales mentoring literature. Its influence on sales socialization may be very important.

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate factors that affect the use of value-based selling and the subsequent influences on salespeople’s sales performance.Design/methodology/approach: Industrial salespeople from five steel manufacturers were surveyed. Scales measure three components of value-based selling: comprehension, crafting and confirmation. Partial least squares path analysis tested the conceptual model.Findings: Salespeople’s learning orientation has the greatest impact on the use of value-based selling. Managerial support exerts a positive effect on crafting. Salespeople’s experience has a positive impact on comprehension and confirmation. The implementation of value-based selling has a positive effect on sales performance.Research limitations/implications: The research is cross-sectional, with a small sample size (n= 60). The data were collected from a single source (i.e. salespeople).Practical implications: The results suggest that value-based selling is a multi-component sales process that requires balancing managerial actions among individual and organizational factors.Originality/value: This paper presents a broad evaluation of measures and assessments of value-based selling in business-to-business sales settings. The findings provide new elaborations on the theoretical and practical implications of value-based selling and reveal which individual and organizational factors affect the usage of value-based selling.

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the role of social norms of justice and relationalism in salesperson–sales manager relationships, and their role in developing salesforce commitment and turnover.Design/methodology/approach: This study uses structural equation modeling to analyze survey data from 402 business-to-business salespeople.Findings: As discrete foundational norms, distributive, procedural and interactional (interpersonal, informational) justice develop higher-order norms of relationalism, which then reflect on increased commitment and reduced turnover intention of the salesforce. Among the justice norms, interpersonal justice has the strongest impact on relationalism.Research limitations/implications: The paper shows how each justice norm has a distinct impact in shaping relational norms, and that interpersonal justice has the highest impact. In addition, with enhanced relationalism salespeople become more committed and have lower turnover intentions. Future research could use a longitudinal study, present manager’s side in the model and measure and compare the impact of supervisor- versus organization-focused justice.Practical implications: To enhance relationalism, and thus in turn increase commitment and decrease turnover intention of salesforce, sales managers should pay attention to the salespeople’s perceptions of justice norms (distributive, procedural, informational and interpersonal justice), especially interpersonal justice, as it has the highest impact on relationalism. The specific ways to enhance justice perceptions are discussed.Originality/value: This paper is the first to show how each justice norm is unique in its importance to shape the relationship between sales manager and salespeople in a way that increases the quality of relational norms, governing the relational process into a highly committed one. It also shows that among the four justice norms, interactional justice has the highest impact on relationalism. In addition, this is the first study to show that relationalism decreases turnover intention of salespeople.

Proposal of model management graduate programs in business area from the evaluation systems of Brazil (CAPES) and of the United States (AACSB)The Brazilian evaluation system of graduate programs has been improving since 1976 and it is considered one of the most efficient and modern in the world. The goal of this paper is to propose a management model of graduate programs in business field based on the evaluation systems of Brazil and the United States. This research was conducted in eight business school programs: four programs in Brazil that are recognized by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Committee for Postgraduate Courses of Higher Education Students (CAPES) and four in USA programs accredited by Association to Advance Collegiate School of Business (AACSB). The research method was an exploratory multiple case study with two basic components: documentary research, through an in-depth study of evaluation systems; field research with the program coordinators to identify how the evaluation systems are used to develop the programs. The model of management proposed in this study intend not only to reach the requirements of CAPES evaluate system, but also to considerate the program reality and the key components for its improvement including: mission and the vision; strategic plan; faculty; research structure; students; and results that encloses the scientific-technological production, former students, and the program impact