Sales Culture Research Articles

Culture for Sale: Unpacking Consumer Perceptions of Cultural Appropriation

Abstract High-profile instances of brands accused of cultural appropriation suggest that even the most prominent brands fail to fully understand the complexities of this phenomenon. This work experimentally unpacks consumer perceptions of cultural appropriation and its impact on brand attitudes and purchase interest. The authors begin by developing and validating a scale for measuring perceptions of cultural appropriation. Next, a series of studies demonstrates that viewing this phenomenon through a historical lens can help determine when and why the use of cultural elements is viewed as appropriative. Specifically, an emphasis on historical power imbalance explains why liberal consumers are more likely to recognize cultural appropriation and why commercializing disadvantaged cultures is considered appropriation, whereas using elements from advantaged cultures may be more acceptable. The conceptualization further identifies brand actions and interventions that influence perceptions of cultural appropriation, including externally emphasizing historical power imbalance, how brands obtain cultural elements, and how brands represent the culture in their product offerings and marketing. These findings help marketers (1) avoid launching products that can be damaging to the brand and offensive to consumers and (2) understand how to better promote products in a way that prevents rather than amplifies these negative perceptions.

РАЗВИТИЕ РОЗНИЧНОЙ ТОРГОВОЙ СЕТИ БАШКИРИИ В 1945-1953 ГГ.

Analyses qualitative and quantitative changes in the structure of the retail network of state-operated and cooperative trade in Bashkiria in 1945 to 1953. On the basis of archive documents, it shows the main tendencies in developing goods turnover in the republic, and traces the evolution of the retail network towards ever greater coverage of the consumer base. The aim of the research is to determine the effectiveness of the development and distribution of the trade network in Bashkiria in 1945 to 1953. During the post-war economic recovery, the development of trading network in Bashkiria had several main aspects. First, it was steady expansion of the retail network, creating new organizations, constantly shrinking the areas covered by one outlet. Second, the retail network started to specialize actively, which helped build an effective system of selling goods of complex assortment and the overall sales culture. A decrease in prices and the ruble getting stronger led to the rapid growth of solvency among the people, nevertheless, mechanistic distribution of goods among trading organizations caused an unplanned excess of goods which were left in storehouses and in the retail chain. As a result, despite increasing the commodity weight, plans for the goods turnover were not fulfilled completely, in many districts of the republic there were shortages of fast moving consumer goods. The storage departments of factories were highly ineffective. They dispatched goods irregularly, incompletely and violating the set assortment. The main result of the research is the analysis of the dynamics of the expansion of the trade network. It showed a number of problems which negatively affected creating and fulfilling plans for goods turnover.

Bad apples or poisonous tree? Corporate culture’s role in the Wells Fargo scandal

Research methodology This case investigation used firsthand statements, reports, testimony and regulatory records. While widely publicized in the popular press, this case is based on primary documents. On their website, many documents were obtained from Wells Fargo’s Corporate newsroom, such as the internal audit report shared with shareholders and press releases. Most other sources were from US regulatory websites (.gov) or congressional testimony. In a few places, quotes and comments came from reliable journalistic sites that cite their sources and follow a journalist’s code of ethics and conduct, ensuring that the reported remarks and data were verified. Case overview/synopsis Since 2016, Wells Fargo Bank has faced multiple customer mistreatment investigations and resultant fines. Public outcry and distrust resulted from Wells Fargo employees creating hidden accounts and enrolling people in bank services without their knowledge to meet desired levels of sustained shareholder growth. Over the past five years, Wells Fargo has been fined and returned to customers and stockholders over $3bn. Wells Fargo executives spent the first year of the scandal citing improper behavior by employees. Leadership did not take responsibility for setting the organizational goals, which led to employee misbehavior. Even after admitting some culpability in creating the extreme sales culture, executives and the Board of Directors tried to distance themselves from blame for the unethical behavior. They cited the organizations’ decentralized structure as a reason the board was not quicker in seeing and correcting the negative behaviors of these ‘bad apple’ employees. Wells Fargo faced multiple concurrent scandals, such as upselling services to retirees, inappropriately repossessing service members’ vehicles, adding insurance and extra fees to mortgages and other accounts and engaging in securities fraud. As time has passed, the early versions of a handful of “bad apples” seem to be only a part of the overall “poison tree.”The dilemma, in this case, is who is responsible for the misbehavior and the inappropriate sales of products and services (often without the customer’s knowledge)? Is strategic growth year-over-year with no allowances for environmental and economic factors a realistic and reasonable goal for corporations? This case is appropriate for undergraduates and graduate students in finance, human resources, management, accounting and investments. Complexity academic level An active case-based learning pedagogical approach is suggested. The materials include a short podcast, video and other materials to allow the faculty to assign pre-class work or to use in the classroom before a case discussion.

Understanding How Salesperson Envy and Emotional Exhaustion Lead to Negative Consequences: The Role of Motivation

Understanding How Salesperson Envy and Emotional Exhaustion Lead to Negative Consequences: The Role of Motivation

Create a Sales Culture to Increase Revenue

Create a Sales Culture to Increase Revenue

‘Culture for Sale’: The Effects of Corporate Colonization on the UK Museum Sector

For the United Kingdom, the 2008 financial crisis coupled with the subsequent economic austerity programme forced many public institutions to engage in various cost-cutting and fundraising ventures. In parallel, corporate ideologies came to dominate how academics, officials and professionals debated public activities, in turn profoundly affecting the provision of communal services. This paper explores how ‘corporate colonization’ ( sensu Deetz, 1992), fuelled by austerity, claims public institutions for commercial interests. Drawing on in-depth interviews with senior staff, this paper demonstrates how retrenchment of external support in the UK museum sector has been an uneven process, resulting in the manifestation of three experiential states of corporate colonization: organizational perennity, organizational perseverance and organizational precarity. We thus investigate the differential and uneven ways in which corporate colonization affects organizations pertaining to the UK cultural sector. Overall, we argue that the austerity culture in the UK affects museums in largely negative ways by forcing them to respond to the progressive need to satisfy short-term financial interests.

The Influence of Changes in Sales Culture and Competitive Advantages to Consumer Behavior Online Shop on Covid-19 Pandemic Conditions

Coronavirus has introduced us to life online. Online Shop development or online store through internet media already mushed in Indonesia. The quality of service that exceeds the expectations of consumers can attract consumer shopping and consumer confidence in the Online Shop is a key point to establish long-term relationship with consumers. The research uses primary data obtained from questionnaires distributed to 75 entrepreneurs affected by COVID-19. This study explains the partial and simultaneous influences between marketing culture variables (X1), competative Excellence (X2), and consumer attitudes (Y). A significant and positive influence and reliable on the use of Sales Culture and Competitive Advantage on Consumer Behavior. This indicates that the Sales Culture (X1) and Competitive Advantage (X2) Usage variables provide a simultaneous effect of 22% on Consumer Behavior (Y).

Flori Pharma: maintaining ethics in an unethical sales environment

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes are as follows: what tasks are to be done by medical representatives in pharmaceutical industry? This study also highlights various competencies required to do effective selling in this industry; analyzes and discusses different unethical practices going on in the market; explains why ethical norms are necessary in sales context when sales targets are already achievable with unethical means; and develops and comments on strategies Flori Pharmaceutical can make to overcome on these unethical issues. What should be the response of Dahar to the email of Naveed khan? What course of action should be taken by Dahar in the deceitful reporting case of Mohsin Ali? Case overview/synopsis Flori is considered a leading and growing multinational organization in the highly competitive environment of Pakistan pharmaceutical industry with over 40 years of experience. The company aims to command a leading position in developing new health-care products as it offers a wide range of diabetic, cardiovascular, respiratory and vitamin products based on quality as a result of high research and examination. Recently, an email to Bilal Dahar on March 2017 from Flori’s star sales person Naveed Khan has forced management to take some strong decisions regarding ethical norms and values to be adopted by medical representatives of Flori pharmaceuticals. The email highlighted the issues related to sales pressure which are leading toward unethical sales practices. Dahar just not have to maintain Flori’s ethical code of conduct but he and his team also has to work hard to achieve more than 26% growth rate in sales revenue as compared to last year. Dahar knew that the highly competitive environment of pharmaceutical industry has led most of the stake holders to indulge in unethical behavior to achieve their individual targets. He knew that this is dangerous in long term for the multinational organizations such as Flori pharmaceuticals as if the similar behavior continues, the sales culture and values of the organization would be on stake. He also has to decide what decision to be taken against deceitful reporting issue of one of the top-performer territory managers, who was key person in helping Flori to close the sales year 2016 with the revenue of Rs. 6.4bn, a 26% growth over the last year. The case is rich enough to provide a platform regarding management of several ethical challenges in pharmaceutical selling and developing strategies based on them. Complexity academic level BBA, MBA final year. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 8: Marketing.

Procedure to raise the administrative culture of the merchants of the Santa Rosa shopping center, province “El Oro”, Ecuador

One of the problems that arises in the valuations made by the maximum exponents of the market in different parts of the world, is focused on the lack of a sales culture, which of course articulates with the administrative culture that merchants assume in a given context, reason that induced the present investigation, whose objective is to build a procedure to raise the administrative culture of the merchants of the Santa Rosa Shopping Center, Province “El Oro” Ecuador. Methods, both theoretical and empirical, were used, among them, interview, non-participant observation, documentary review and fundamentally expert method. For the elaboration of the procedure, the theoretical basis of the literature review, the results of the diagnosis and the judgments issued by the experts were taken as the basis. As a main result achieved, a procedure was obtained whose implementation will contribute to raising the administrative culture of the merchants of the center under study, which will result in an increase in sales and economic and financial stability. The procedure possible to achieve stability Functional and performance competitiveness

‘Culture for Sale’: The Effects of Corporate Colonization on the UK Museum Sector

‘Culture for Sale’: The Effects of Corporate Colonization on the UK Museum Sector

From Tupperware to Scentsy: The gendered culture of women and direct sales

AbstractConsumer culture has transformed the lives of working women and family life for well over a century. Perhaps one of the most gender distinct forms of consumer culture introduced in the 20th century was the direct sales industry. The business model of direct sales depends on women's social circles as a means to market products directly to consumers, antithetical to retail spaces of malls and shopping outlets. In this literature review, I explore how women construct meaning behind products in this sales culture, while examining the emotional investment that women make as direct sales consultants and the personal outcomes of this investment. To begin, I include a brief history of the direct sales industry with a focus on three pioneering companies: Avon, Tupperware, and Mary Kay as foundational to women's contributions and involvement in the industry today. Next, I explore the pathways that motivate women's draw to direct selling as a form of emotional labor that allows them to balance professional work and family life while yielding minimal financial gain. I analyze the messaging of direct sales companies that cleverly speak directly to women's needs for recognition and assist in constructing personal identity and self‐worth. Finally, I examine trends for the future of direct sales companies as they look to maintain relevance through global markets and brand recognition that will expand beyond women's social circles and parties.

Wells Fargo: Fall from Great to Miserable: A Case Study on Corporate Governance Failures

This case study examines corporate governance issues at Wells Fargo and Company. The bank was embroiled in controversies due to its cross-selling tactics and the enormous pressure the management exerted on the employees to ensure its success. Investigations by media, followed by statutory agencies, revealed the creation of fake accounts without the knowledge of the customers, sometimes forging their signatures. The CEO of the bank had to resign after facing a hostile US Senate Banking Committee hearing. Wells Fargo had to pay a fine of USD185 million to various statutory agencies. The board used clawback provisions on the CEO and the head of Community Bank. The latter was held responsible for the audacious sales culture which resulted in sales integrity issues. Wells Fargo seemed to have a perfect board, a lead director and a much acclaimed CEO, apart from seven board committees. External auditors were one of the ‘big fours’. This case is intended to stimulate discussion in the class on why corporate governance practices fail, despite a seemingly healthy governing structure.

Sales Culture and Misconduct in the Financial Services Industry:An Analysis of Cross-Selling Practices

SUMMARY Over the past decade, a series of malpractice incidents in the financial services industry have shown that the risk of misconduct is not a theoretical possibility. Accordingly, the promotion and implementation of new ethics, values, and behaviours in banks and other financial institutions are primary objectives on the international regulatory agenda. Recent cases of mis-selling of financial products widened the scope of discussion towards financial firms’ sales practices. In particular, the widespread use of cross-selling techniques in the financial services industry caught regulatory attention, above all, among the European Supervisory Authorities. The ensuing debate was underpinned by the crucial question of how to guarantee a sustainable use of cross-selling by banks and financial institutions. This article addresses this question by analysing cross-selling in relation to the specificities and risks posed by the financial services industry. Whilst it was possible to elaborate on regulatory solutions in relation to a distorted use of financial practices, such as securitization and interest rate benchmarks, now it is also desirable to discuss the optimal strategy to prevent cross-selling from being the ‘tool’ for financial misconduct. This is of significance given the recognized potential of misconduct cases to pose systemic threats to financial stability.

An Empirical Study of the Relationship between Sales Culture and Customer’s Perceived Value

The present research was done to investigate the relationship between sales culture and customer’s perceived value in banks of Poledokhtar. The data of the study, which is correlative and operational in nature, were collected by a descriptive- surveying method. The research population included the employees and customers of the private and governmental banks in Poledokhtar city. The employees were 141 and the customers were unlimited in number. All the employees were selected to participate in the study. Also, 384 customers were selected by Cochrane formula as the research sample. Data collection was done by means of a questionnaire whose face validity and content validity were confirmed by experts, and its structure and convergence validity was confirmed by statistical methods. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed through its construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The value of this coefficient for the variable sales culture was found to be 0.945, and 0.911 for the perceived value. The data were analyzed with the benefit of structural equation modeling. The findings of the research indicated that there is a direct and significant relationship between sales culture and customer’s perceived value. Also, there is a direct and significant relationship between all the six dimensions of sales culture and customer’s perceived value.

Culture for Sale? An Exploratory Study of the Crow Fair

This paper describes an ethnographically-oriented participant-observation study conducted during the annual Crow Fair, held in south central Montana. Data collected included audio-recorded interviews with participants, participant observations, photographic and video recordings. Narrative interviews were transcribed and analyzed using the constant comparison method. Multiple data sources improved the veracity of this study through triangulation, and four themes emerged from the data: commercialization, alcohol abuse, spirituality, and community. The researchers discuss these themes and their conclusions regarding the "selling" of Native American culture as a form of cultural transmission. Theme analysis revealed the researchers recognized that the principal researcher had changed his view of the Crow Fair as being frivolous to having a deeper purpose and meaning to participants.

The yin and yang of introducing a sales culture: the Amalgam Bank Case

Purpose– The purpose of this study was to explore the introduction of a “sales culture” at one of the ten largest US banks. Identifying and analyzing the existing human relations problems should enable constructive competitive improvements to be made in the future.Design/methodology/approach– The major findings of our interviews with tellers and customer service representatives are compared to how the managers presented the sales culture, as well as the relevant cultural literature. The metaphor of the yin and the yang will be used to shed light on the tense and fluctuating interconnection of certain phenomenon.Findings– Amalgam Bank’s sales did increase, but unanticipated problems also surfaced. The new sales duties slowed service and irritated customers. The teller referral quota proved unrealistic. The sales incentive point system provided little motivation. The negative tended to be stressed in sales meetings. When employees raised concerns, their managers replied with silencing behaviors. Further, there were double standards, lessened career opportunities and some inconsistent managerial practices. Increased turnover and resistance ensued. Addressing these problems should bring the parties’ interests into better balance and produce a more stable and competitive culture.Research limitations/implications– Doing a comparative analysis can confirm what aspects of the sales culture literature are relevant and where inductive modifications might be called for. Consideration needs to be given to what results might be due to a poor managerial implementation, and what results can be attributed to the conflicting aspects of the original service-oriented culture and the new sales culture. More fieldwork needs to be done to provide confirmation for these findings and expand upon them.Practical implications– Both theory and practice could be improved by integrating material from anthropology, sociology, human relations, organization culture and marketing.Social implications– This paper focused on the social issue of culture change. Utilizing competitiveness as an outcome variable, the social implications of this study are tremendous.Originality/value– This study goes back to the roots of the Human Relations movement: fieldwork. In an era where most scholars hand out surveys and analyze corresponding numbers, the current authors actually went out in the field and meticulously interviewed the subjects. This increased the quality and depth of the survey, while providing a true barometer of the reaction to the proposed culture change. Although this method of study is not original, it is hardly ever done anymore in a “survey-driven” research environment. This fieldwork methodology is one of the most important contributions of this paper.

Relationship building in the financial services marketplace: The importance of personal selling

Radical changes have resulted in heightened consumer mobility and intense competition in the financial services industry. In order to create and maintain a competitive edge, today’s financial service firms must establish and maintain a highly integrative, customer-oriented sales culture based on building trust and relationship enhancement. Importantly, in the twenty-first century, financial service firms have to utilize technology effectively so as to provide easily understandable and usable employee and customer information. In this article, we suggest that traditional and non-traditional financial services firms will benefit from adopting technological methods from the direct selling industry. To this end, we offer managerial implications for successful implementation of technologically astute personal selling processes in the financial services marketplace.

Regaining Client Trust Requires FurtherCommitment by Wealth Managers

It has been a stressful time for ultra-high-net-worth families since the beginning of the new millennium. In addition to recent widespread vilification of the wealthy, they, like other investors, have suffered from the financial near-meltdown in 2008, volatile equity markets, historically low bond yields, and highly publicized instances of misinformation, deceit, and fraud by institutions and individuals. This latter issue continues to be the foremost concern for many families. With reduced trust in financial advisors, they exhibit less confidence in dealing with these challenging times. If wealth advisors require any additional motivation to do the right thing to regain client trust, they need to look no further than building a better, more lasting, and more profitable business. Wealthy clients are embracing client-focused wealth managers in increasing numbers. A quick survey of such firms, using words like “independent,” “unconflicted,” “trustworthy,” and “ethical,” yields numerous hits. Such an emphasis will help firms obtain new clients, and then help retain and grow those clients over time. It also will permit firms to achieve premium pricing for a “brand” that delivers a client-first approach. And lastly, it will allow wealth management organizations to attract and retain employees, who will flock to such an alternative and away from advisors that have a sales culture and a profit-first orientation.

What Does the New Economy Mean to Malaysian Tellers?

The rise of the New Economy has restructured work, necessitated changing skills requirements, as well as spurred new training needs amongst employees. Such new skills and training needs are prerequisites to survive and thrive in the New Economy. Importantly, these skills and training are also prerequisites for upward mobility in a system of inequality. This paper illustrates the case of Malaysian tellers as the Malaysian banking industry operates in the New Economy. Although the New Economy and the emergence of the sales culture requires Malaysian tellers to be more knowledgeable, this paper argues that due to their unionised status and given their positions at the bottom rung of the occupational hierarchy, tellers in Malaysia are disadvantaged and often excluded in the process of training and knowledge acquisition.

Assessing and measuring sales culture within commercial banks in Jordan

PurposeThis study aims to assess and measure the sales culture within the commercial banks in Jordan, and to provide top management of these banks with the database which may be required for improving the banks' selling effectiveness.Design/methodology/approachThe study has been conducted on a convenience sample of 1,000 employees selected from those of all the commercial banks operating in Jordan. Sales culture was measured by using the Sales Culture Index (SCI), consisting of 65 statements. The data required for this study were collected by a self‐structured questionnaire.FindingsThe findings of the study indicate that the overall employees' perception of sales culture in the surveyed banks is moderate. However, the sales culture in the non‐Jordanian banks was stronger than that in the Jordanian banks.Research limitations/implicationsAs is the case in any study, some limitations relevant to this study cannot be abandoned. For instance, the findings of this study are based on self‐report perceptions of both the employees and the customers. Data collected by this approach may or may not be accurate to that extent, which reflects the respondents' real feelings.Practical implicationsThe results of this study would enable management in the commercial banks in Jordan to design internal marketing programs aimed at building a strong service‐minded sales culture among employees.Originality/valueThis is a first attempt to assess and measure the sales culture in the commercial banks in Jordan.