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Purpose This paper aims to identify, assess and classify the most significant mentee outcomes of formal mentoring processes aimed at managerial development. Design/methodology/approach After conducting an extensive literature review to identify the most significant mentee outcomes in the management field, a survey was conducted with a sample of 80 experienced mentees. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) has been performed to simplify and contribute to operationalizing these results. Finally, focus group and nominal group techniques were conducted with practitioners to better understand the findings. Findings A total of 27 mentee outcomes have been identified in the literature. EFA analysis has allowed us to downsize the 27 outcomes into four factors encompassing the most relevant mentee outcomes. The authors then provide an interpretation and discussion of the results. Originality/value This work compiles, reviews and systematizes existing studies on mentee outcomes in the field of management, classifying the results in a novel manner.

Despite the growing prevalence of employee exemplification in the workplace, there is limited understanding of this assertive self-focused tactic. This study proposes to expand the exemplification research domain by exploring the emotional and behavioral conditions under which this impression management tactic is effective. Data analysis from 206 supervisor–employee dyads reveals that the indirect relationship between exemplification and individual performance through a supervisor’s liking is conditional on an employee’s emotional intelligence. Specifically, the exemplification effect on performance is sharply negative when a salesperson’s emotional intelligence is low, and it becomes insignificant when a salesperson is highly emotionally intelligent. This moderating effect is also strengthened by a supervisor’s age. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

This paper proposes an explanatory model of the intention to pay for fair trade food products based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theory. The research aims are to test the effects of general attitudes toward sustainable food products on the valuation of fair-trade food products, to study the effects of emotions on willingness to pay for fair trade food products and to analyse the mediating role of product evaluation and emotions. The proposed model was tested using an ordinary least squares estimation and an analysis combining the properties of parallel and serial mediation on a representative sample of 305 consumers in the Basque Country (Spain). Descriptive analyses indicate that respondents had a favourable attitude toward sustainable products and positively valued fair trade products. The willingness to pay was moderate. The results show the importance of emotions, especially pride, in transforming attitudes toward sustainable food products into a willingness to pay for fair trade food products. This study links the more general literature on sustainable products to that of fair-trade products, broadening the focus of the S-O-R theory. In addition, it helps fair trade organisations understand consumer behaviour influenced by positive emotions and attitudes towards sustainable products, including fair trade products.

Purpose This article aims to present the differences in implementation between individual mentoring programs (IMPs) and group mentoring programs (GMPs). Design/methodology/approach This exploratory study used semi-structured interviews with 16 experts: mentoring program (MP) coordinators, consultants and mentors. During the interviews, the steps in implementing a mentoring program were reviewed and discussed by practitioners. Findings Based on the interviews and contrasting with the proposed implementation model, the authors compared IMPs and GMPs. The results highlight the role of the GMP coordinators, especially in the selection of mentors, mentees and generating resources that favor the beneficial effects of group dynamics on mentoring processes. Practical implications This model for implementing MPs and the differences identified between IMPs and GMPs provide practical help to program coordinators (PCs) and mentors to deploy MPs by highlighting the relevant aspects. Originality/value Mentoring is a Human Resource Development (HRD) technique whose implementation at the program level needs further deepening for practitioners. This is the first work that emphasizes the differences to be considered in the design and implementation of MPs by taking the individual or group dimension of mentoring.

Rural tourism has attracted increasing attention in recent decades. It responds to new market demands, some of which driven by a nostalgic quest for a ‘rural idyll’, as well as the need of many European rural territories to find new sources of income and development. Local products represent a relevant asset for appealing to rural tourist experiences, enhancing local identity and regional economies. Based on a study of the rural tourist experience as lived by visitors of a Portuguese schist village, the present paper analyses the role of nostalgia and sensory experiences in leading to tourists’ purchase of local products, using a conditional process analysis. Results confirm this link and also show that tourists seem to be more affected by these dynamics than excursionists. Implications of results for management and development of rural territories involving tourism and sales of local products are further discussed.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is presently one of the most interesting topics in the field of consumer behavior. However, not enough is known about the underlying mechanisms that explain how and when consumer CSR perceptions shape consumer behaviors such as loyalty. The present study proposes and demonstrates that CSR positively influences consumer loyalty through two mediators (how), which are gratitude -an emotion- and commitment -an attitude-; regional identity is also introduced for the first time as a moderator on those relationships (when). Two studies, based on two different consumer samples with reference to two different food retailers, are conducted to test these hypotheses. The results support the hypotheses and prove the mediation effects. Furthermore, they provide evidence of how consumers' regional identity moderates the model's indirect effects and they also reveal the conditional nature of these effects. This study's outcomes have theoretical contributions and implications for marketers.

Purpose Inter-organizational mentoring (IOM) is a human resource development tool that is used when the mentor and mentee belong to different organizations. As mentees are the focus of the IOM process, the success of this type of program is highly reliant on their characteristics. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to derive the most desirable characteristics for mentees in IOM. Design/methodology/approach An intensive review of the literature on mentoring for managers and business professionals was carried out to identify mentee characteristics. These characteristics were then ranked for their importance to IOM using the Hybrid Delphi method (with 130 informants taking part in a Delphi survey and 19 expert IOM practitioners taking part in Focus Group and Nominal Group Technique sessions). An exploratory factor analysis identified the three main underlying factors behind the listed mentee characteristics. Findings In total, 17 relevant mentee characteristics were identified and ranked and then synthesized into three essential factors for the mentee. The results were discussed in the light of existing studies. Originality/value The mentee characteristics and factors identified in this study will be of great practical value to coordinators of IOM programs. Also, the review of the literature and the obtained results will help other researchers who wish to expand on this topic.

Research on salesperson creativity remains as one of the most under-researched topics in the sales literature despite the evidence that encouraging creativity in the sales domain is a source of competitive advantage. This paper aims to fill this research gap by exploring the influence of perceived ethical climate on salesperson creative performance, paying special attention to the role that emotions play in this process. Data provided by 176 supervisor–salesperson dyads confirm that the trust/responsibility dimension of an ethical climate is positively related to salesperson creative selling by increasing salespeople's organizational pride. Similarly, the perception of unethical selling practices negatively affects salesperson organizational pride, reducing the expression of creative behaviors. Moreover, the negative effect of unethical selling practices on creative performance is stronger (more negative) when salespeople's identification with an organization increases. Managerial implications and future research directions are also addressed SI

Purpose Although trust is considered a dyadic and bidirectional phenomenon, the majority of trust research has not considered it as such. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to closing this research gap by analyzing the influence of supervisor’s propensity to trust on salesperson trust in supervisor, considering the mediating role of servant leadership (SL). Additionally, the authors delve into the relationship between trust in supervisor and salesperson turnover by examining the moderating effect of perceived ethical climate (EC). Design/methodology/approach Information was provided by 145 salesperson–supervisor dyads from 145 companies across various industries. SEM and PROCESS procedures were used to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings The results indicate that a supervisor’s disposition to trust is positively related to employee trust in the leader via its impact on perceived SL behaviors. However and contrary to the expectations, supervisor’s propensity to trust is found to have a direct negative impact on trust in the supervisor, suggesting the presence of additional mediating variables. Finally, the trust dimension of EC moderates the negative influence of trust on salesperson turnover intentions. Research limitations/implications The findings highlight the practical benefits of fostering trust in the workplace and confirm the significant role of trust in the identification of servant leaders. In addition, the study shows that a supervisor’s disposition to trust can have a relevant effect on salesperson’s turnover intentions. Moreover, the results demonstrate the beneficial role of an ethical work climate. Originality/value This study offers insight into how to improve the retention of efficient employees and the role of trust, analyzed at a dyadic level, in this process. In addition, the findings suggest why servant leaders adopt this leadership style.

Drawing on the Job Demand-Resources (JD-R) theory, the present study investigates the underlying mechanisms through which capability control, a type of behavior-based control, influences salesperson turnover. Using a sample of 145 industrial salesperson–supervisor dyads from different industries, this study's findings reveal that capability control contributes to decreasing salesperson turnover intentions, both directly and indirectly. Specifically, management capability control reduces work overload and increases work meaning, thus lowering salesperson turnover intention. The findings also confirm that these effects are contingent on the complexity of a product. When product complexity is low, capability control increases work overload and decreases work meaning, which has a positive effect on salesperson turnover intention. This study discusses these findings' theoretical and managerial implications.

Inter-organizational mentoring, in which mentoring and mentoring belong to different organizations, is a management development practice that is increasingly being implemented by professional associations and regional clusters. It is an instrument that can contribute to the improvement of the competitiveness of associated companies and their professionals, facilitating the identification and transmission of knowledge of the sector. In order to facilitate the effective implementation of this practice, it is necessary to identify the key aspects of the relationship between mentor and mentor, on which the success of an inter-organisational mentoring programme is based. To this end, after an exhaustive bibliographical analysis, a Delphi study has been carried out to assess the relevance of these key characteristics of the mentoring relationship. The results show that respect, honesty, confidentiality and trust are the most relevant characteristics in the mentor-mentored relationship. This exploratory article also identifies the differences in valuation between groups that have participated in inter-organizational vs. traditional mentoring experiences. The results provided are relevant for inter-organizational mentoring program coordinators, mentors and mentored, in order to know and control the keys to the success of a mentor-mentored relationship in an inter-organizational mentoring program. KEY WORDS: alternative mentoring, formal mentoring, inter-organizational mentoring, mentoring relationship, career development, management development.

Although previous studies revealed the positive perception effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on consumer behavior, the influence mechanism and the impact of individual characteristics on the effect have been underexplored. The purpose of this study is not only to examine the mediating role of the emotion of admiration in the relationship between consumer perception of CSR and advocacy behaviors but also to explore the moderating role of the consumer moral virtue of integrity in the relationship between CSR perception and feelings of admiration. Data was collected from customers of a food company located in Spain, and the results show that the company's CSR practices positively influence consumer advocacy behaviors both directly and indirectly through consumer admiration for the company. Consumer integrity moderates the relationship between consumer perception of CSR and admiration. Specifically, CSR practices have a stronger admiration effect on consumers who are high in integrity. The overall importance of consumer perceptions of CSR suggest that, in the food industry, the perception of appropriate CSR practices has a positive impact on consumer attitudes and behaviors, which are also conditioned by individuals' moral virtues.

El mentoring inter-organizacional es una practica de mentoring alternativo que esta comenzando a ser liderada por asociaciones y colegios profesionales. A diferencia del mentoring tradicional, el mentoring inter-organizacional tiene lugar cuando mentor y mentorizado pertenecen a organizaciones diferentes. El mentor es una pieza fundamental dentro de la practica del mentoring inter-organizacional, por eso es necesario conocer los resultados que para los mentores tienen este tipo de practicas de mentoring alternativo. Este es un articulo exploratorio cuyo objetivo es determinar mediante metodologia cuantitativa los resultados para los mentores en la practica del mentoring inter-organizacional, asi como distinguir si los resultados mas relevantes afectan igualmente a los mentores en activo y a los retirados.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to present a conceptual model that comprises the four phases of an inter-organizational mentoring (IOM) process. Design/methodology/approach This study used a focus group of 19 expert coordinators on IOM programs who met once at the Basque College of Economists. The session was recorded and notes were taken and distributed to all participants. Findings Based on the focus group, the authors developed a four-phase model of IOM. The phases this conceptual model proposes for IOM are awakening, transcendence, organizational bond and maturity. Practical implications These four phases should help mentors to guide mentees in the completion of an effective IOM process. This model is a re-conceptualization from the traditional mentoring phases, as the nature of the mentoring process is different. However, getting to understand the phases of IOM will enlighten the understanding of this phenomenon that is a growing option for managers in their career development as IOM helps managers to acquire skills and competencies. Originality/value This work contributes to the comprehension of this new form of alternative mentoring, clarifying for mentees and mentors, what process they are going to follow. Additionally, it provides clear criteria for inter-organizational program coordinators on how to organize these kinds of programs. In the opinion of the authors, this paper is original because it provides an in-depth understanding of IOM, which is an HRD technique that has barely been studied to date.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the essential mentor characteristics for effective inter-organizational mentoring. This kind of HR development technique, where mentor and mentee belong to different organizations, is becoming increasingly popular and so far has been scarcely studied.Design/methodology/approachFirst, a rigorous literature analysis to identify primary mentor characteristics for managers and professionals has been performed; second, a Delphi analysis has determined their relevance according to the opinion of 125 experienced mentors, mentees and program coordinators that have carried out inter-organizational mentoring processes in Spain; and third, an exploratory factor analysis has reclassified the mentor characteristics into a smaller number of factors.FindingsIn total, 29 relevant mentor characteristics have been identified and valued. The foregoing characteristics are related to seven underlying dimensions or factors that serve to characterize an effective mentor for inter-organizational mentoring programs.Originality/valueThe research extends the existing literature regarding mentor characteristics of those mentors who are engaged in inter-organizational mentoring. In addition, this work offers a valuable contribution to inter-organizational mentoring research based in a Delphi method that includes both academic and practitioner perspectives in a cultural context that may have not received previous attention. The findings can be valuable for both academics who investigate this topic of growing interest, and for practitioners who must face the selection and training of mentors.

Previous studies have long recognized and examined adaptive selling as an effective behavior. Although some studies have assumed and revealed moderating factors that impact the effectiveness of adaptive selling behavior, few studies have examined an individual's skill as a moderator on this effect. This study focuses on political skill as a type of skill that has been recently found to have positive effects on sales performance. Furthermore, this study includes intrinsic motivation as an additional moderator that enables political skill to be invested in effective selling behavior. Our analysis of 249 salespeople and 145 supervisors in a matching sample largely supports our hypotheses that the positive effects of adaptive selling behavior on sales performance are highest when both political skill and intrinsic motivation are high. As political skill represents a skill related to intraorganizational behavior, this study complements the traditional view found in the literature on selling behavior, which only focuses on customer-directed interaction.

Impression management tactics have recently been identified as effective strategies for coping with work stressors. However, despite the evidence that using a combination of tactics can provide more favorable outcomes than using a single tactic, previous studies have often examined impression management tactics in isolation. Furthermore, many sales organizations view their employees' proactive behaviors as essential for gaining a competitive advantage, but our knowledge about the antecedents of proactivity at work is still limited. To address this knowledge gap, we introduce a theoretical model that explains the joint moderating effects of combining two forms of impression management tactics on the relationship between work-family conflict and salespeople's proactive behaviors. We study 249 salesperson-supervisor dyads, and the results indicate that work-family conflict is negatively related to salespeople's proactive behaviors through emotional exhaustion. In addition, the combination of ingratiation and self-promotion has a buffering effect on the relationship between work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion.

Work overload is a critical but understudied stressor at work, particularly for boundary-spanning positions. Recent studies have highlighted the need for more research on the identification of different predictors of the use of intimidation, a type of assertive impression management tactic. Relying on Lazarus's transactional theory, this study hypothesized and investigated a mediated moderation model that includes resilience, work overload, and its outcomes. This paper contributes to the organizational literature by examining the use of intimidation by salespeople as a reaction to stressful circumstances and the association between this tactic and salespeople's performance. The information provided by 248 employee–supervisor dyads confirmed the proposed model. Work overload has a positive association with intimidation, and the direct effect of work overload on intimidation depends on the level of an employee's resilience. Finally, the use of intimidation has a negative association with supervisor-rated performance.

This study aims to explore and understand whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) could be considered as an indirect cue of certain product characteristics, turning it into an effective instrument to encourage credibility and trust in a food brand and thereby influence consumers’ purchase intention; the study also considers how consumers’ integrity influences these effects of trust and credibility. The proposed model and the mediation and moderation hypotheses were tested with conditional process analysis and were generally supported by data collected from 252 consumers. The results have important implications for companies, revealing that CSR dimensions impact consumer purchase intention by generating greater credibility and trust. Moreover, among consumers with higher integrity, the effects are more significant. Finally, it is the economic dimension of CSR that has the clearest impact on consumer intentions.

PurposeThis study's main objective is to analyse the role of the consumer's ethnocentrism as a potential segmentation basis and to detect product origin-sensitive groups. The relationship between the consumer's regional ethnocentrism, local and regional identity and corresponding valuation and purchase of food products from a region is also examined.Design/methodology/approachThe responses of 358 consumers residing in two Spanish regions are analysed by means of a mediation analysis and a cluster analysis.FindingsThe results suggest the convenience of considering ethnocentric consumer tendencies, also at the regional level, when studying attitudes, valuation, information search and effective purchase of foods of diverse categories and origins.Originality/valueThe main contributions of this work derive from the assessment of consumer ethnocentrism at a subnational level (which is much less present in the literature) and the evidence of its usefulness for segmenting the market and detecting groups of origin-sensitive consumers, which can be useful to companies that produce and market food products in different regions.

Alternative mentoring is an emerging practice in the professional development of engineers and, lately, in engineering professional associations. Traditional mentoring takes place within the same organization and it is based on a systematic relationship between a mentor (a professional that holds a high rank and experience in the company) and a mentee (a junior professional that belongs to the same organization). Through this relationship the mentee acquires knowledge, competences and values that promote more effective professional development. In parallel to traditional mentoring, new alternative mentoring practices -individual, group or mixed- are being used more and more. These new practices take place in an environment outside the mentor´s or mentee´s organization. The goal of this article is, firstly, to demonstrate through exploratory empirical evidence the advantages of alternative mentoring vs. traditional mentoring, secondly, to identify the factors that, according to engineers, a quality alternative mentoring process has to provide, and finally, to detail those results that this type of human resource development technique can bring to the organizations in which the mentees work.

Traditional mentoring that takes places between a mentor and a mentee who belong to the same organization has been professionally studied during the last four decades. In engineering discipline, mentoring has been used within companies in an intuitive and not very systematic way, mainly for knowledge management, transfer and also in order to develop key competences. In that sense, professional associations can play a fundamental role in the systematization of mentoring programs that help the integral development of engineers. The changing organizational environment determines that professionals must develop in wider facets and in a very rapid way. In response to the precedent need, new forms of alternative mentoring have arisen and represent an opportunity for engineers. That is why their implementation through professional associations should be studied, as other disciplines do already. This contribution presents the principal mentoring modalities that have been applied in the professional sphere and proposes the key elements for the implementation of inter-organizational mentoring systems through engineering professional associations as an additional way of providing added value to their collegiate members. The conclusions of this work show singular advantages for this type of alternative mentoring, that can be explained because of the need of the mentee to learn beyond his / her organization and because the nature of the relationship transcends to the organization itself. Likewise, a series of steps are proposed in order to follow the exploration of this alternative mentoring phenomena.

Previous literature has addressed the concepts of local products, regional products and traditional products as if they were independent concepts. However, in practice, many food products combine all three concepts. The objectives of this paper are as follows: first, to explore the valuation of food products that have local, regional and traditional features through the analysis of specific product categories; second, to study the possible link between the level of consumer ethnocentrism and the valuation and effective purchase of local-regional-traditional food. The results show that consumers value these products highly and buy them in high proportions. In addition, levels of consumer ethnocentrism are sometimes, but not always, related to the actual purchase of these local-regional-traditional food products. This finding highlights the need to include a product’s category in analyses of the effects of consumer ethnocentrism. The majority of previous studies examine the consumer’s valuation and intention to buy local or traditional products at a general or abstract level, which does not allow respondents to evaluate a specific food product that they can find in the market and consume. An important contribution of this work is its level of analysis: we analyze specific food product categories in two different geographic environments in Spain.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the results of applying executive coaching (EC) as a management competency training and development strategy, setting up a comparison with other known training and development methods. Design/methodology/approach A dual sample is used. On the one hand, information is collected from a sample of 100 managers who participated as coachees in an EC process. On the other hand, the study provides the opinions of 236 HR managers as prescribers and promoters of company executive training and development actions. Findings The results suggest that EC is an effective management training and development method (MTDM). Furthermore, it is confirmed to be more effective than the rest of the techniques analysed in relation with sustained and observable management behaviour changes, whilst also providing advantages and drawbacks in its use. Practical implications Coaching seems to provide the most effective method for altering a selected number of concrete managerial behaviours, although its cost, length, and specificity limit its capacity to be used exclusively as a tool for continuous and generalised management training. Originality/value In addition to incorporating two different samples and points of view within the analysis, this work contributes evidence regarding behaviours addressed in EC processes – a feature that has received little analysis in the academic literature – and breaks new ground by comparing the results of this method with other MTDMs in terms of their degree of effectiveness in attaining observable and lasting behaviour changes.

This investigation studies the influence of parents on the level of regional ethnocentrism in their children. The proposed model considers the parents’ levels of regional identity and regional ethnocentrism as potential antecedents of ethnocentrism among their children. The results are based on 195 triads consisting of young consumers and their parents. The findings show that despite low levels of ethnocentrism among youth, parental influence is significant and greater than the effect of other variables. The exploratory analysis presented here supports the assumption that consumer ethnocentrism is a general tendency acquired during childhood through the process of socialization.

Purpose: The objective of this study is to contribute to the sales management literature by analyzing whether self-monitoring dimensions (the ability to adjust the presentation of one’s self and the sensitivity to the expressive behaviors of others) play a moderating role in the use of impression management—supervisor liking—performance rating nomological network. Methodology/approach: Empirical analysis is based on dyadic data from 122 industrial salespeople and their sales managers in 9 different industries. Structural equation modelling was used to analyze the psychometric proprieties of the measurement scales, and conditional process analysis was used to test the proposed hypotheses. Research implications: The results obtained indicate that the use of supervisor-focused impression management tactics is an indirect antecedent of a salesperson’s performance rating through sales manager liking, but not the self-focused tactics. Results also show that a self-monitoring dimension i.e., the ability to adjust the presentation of one’s self, moderates the “impression management—supervisor liking—performance rating” chain. These results provide an increased understanding of the processes involved in sales managers—salespeople’s interactions. Practical implications: The main implication for salespeople is that the use of impression management tactics to influence performance ratings only is effective when they use supervisor-focused tactics because attempts to influence via self-focused tactics will not have any effect. The most important implication for sales managers’ is that not all impression management tactics are successfully executed and that the identification of combinations of impression management tactics and the levels of salespeople’s self-monitoring can positively influence performance appraisals by generating evaluative biases. Given that evaluative biases can produce inequitable behaviors by sales managers in the task assignments and support provided to the salespeople, it is important that sales managers are aware of when they can occur (i.e., when salespeople with a moderate ability to adjust their self-presentation use supervisor-focused tactics). Originality/value/contribution of the article: This article contributes to the existing knowledge by two important means. First, this study proposes a model and presents an empirical test of constructs that mediate (i.e., supervisor liking) and moderate (i.e., self-monitoring dimensions) the “use of impression management tactics—sales manager liking—performance appraisal” relation. This model responds to calls for studies that analyze how impression management tactics are related to performance appraisal and when the relation between the use of these tactics and performance rating occurs. Two, this study uses data from both salespeople and their sales managers, which minimizes any risk of common method variance bias.

Purpose The changing nature of work dynamics demands that managers keep up-to-date in skills, knowledge, and competencies. Besides, nowadays these professionals need to understand the business beyond the frontiers of their own organizations. This phenomenon has led to new forms of alternative mentoring for managers and entrepreneurs, as companies battle for talent in a globalized way. Professional associations, consultancy firms, and other agents are starting to offer mentoring programs in which the mentor and mentee often belong to different organizations or take place within a group. Design/methodology/approach The purpose of this study is to present a conceptual model for alternative mentoring for managers. This model is a new approach to mentoring, and it will try to clarify some of the bases of a phenomenon that is increasingly present in the managerial field. Findings The paper also suggests some advantages of alternative mentoring when compared to traditional mentoring. Originality/value This paper contributes to a better understanding of new forms of alternative mentoring while providing practitioners in the field with a better understanding of key issues for alternative mentoring.

[EN] Executive coaching has become one of the principal leadership development strategies of our time. However, this is a field of HRD that has been discussed far more often in professional than academic literature and further research is required. This work analyses the relation existing between the main explanatory factors of executive coaching effectiveness and the different types of results that can be achieved. This study also provides an empirical test of the effectiveness of executive coaching using the first three levels of Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model (1975). Responses from 176 executives are analyzed, assessing their perceptions of their latest experience of executive coaching. Structural modelling is used to match factors affecting the success of executive coaching to its results. The resulting model highlights the influence exercised by the coach, and to a lesser extent the coachee and the process, on coachee satisfaction. It also shows how the coach influences the coachee’s learning. The results also suggest that there is a positive relationship between satisfaction, learning and behavioral change, as Kirkpatrick suggests. The development of a final focus group, in which human resources managers, coachees and coaches took part, contributed to improvements in the discussion and interpretation of the results. In the light of these results, the implications for the professional and academic area are considered. [ES] El coaching ejecutivo se ha convertido en una de las principales estrategias de desarrollo directivo de nuestros tiempos. Sin embargo, es un campo del área de desarrollo de RR.HH. en el que predomina la literatura profesional sobre la académica y que está necesitado de más investigación. Este trabajo analiza la relación existente entre los principales factores explicativos de la eficacia del coaching ejecutivo y los diferentes tipos de resultados que se pueden alcanzar. Este estudio aporta además una prueba empírica de la eficacia del coaching ejecutivo utilizando los tres primeros niveles del modelo de evaluación de Kirkpatrick (1975). Se analizan las respuestas de 176 directivos valorando sus percepciones acerca de su última experiencia de coaching ejecutivo. Se utiliza modelización estructural para relacionar factores que inciden en el éxito del coaching ejecutivo con los resultados del mismo. El modelo resultante pone de relieve la influencia que ejercen el coach, y en menor medida el coachee y el proceso, sobre la satisfacción del coachee. También muestra cómo se materializa la influencia ejercida por el coach sobre los aprendizajes del coachee. Asimismo, los resultados sugieren la existencia de una relación positiva entre satisfacción, aprendizaje y cambio de comportamiento, tal y como sugiere Kirkpatrick. Un focus group final en el que han tomado parte directivos de recursos humanos, coachees y coaches ha contribuido a la mejora de la discusión e interpretación de los resultados. A la luz de estos resultados, se plantean implicaciones para el ámbito profesional y académico. We wish to express our most sincere thanks to all the managers and coaches who collaborated in this research, either by answering the questionnaire, or through their active participation in the validation stages of the questionnaire, the pre-test and testing of results. The authors received financial support for the research from the University of the Basque Country, University-Society grant (Ref.: US12/07), FESIDE foundation (Research grant, 2015) and the European Coaching School.

Although sales tasks require creative thinking, salespeople&rsquo, s creativity has been identified as one of the most under-researched topics in the sales literature. This study contributes to filling this gap by understanding how responsible leadership and corporate social responsibility (CSR) perceptions can contribute to fostering salespeople&rsquo, s creativity. This study&rsquo, s empirical analysis is based on information provided by 176 supervisor&ndash, salesperson dyads from 96 companies, and the results indicate that responsible leadership is positively related to salespeople&rsquo, s creativity. Furthermore, our findings confirm that the relationship between responsible leadership and salespeople&rsquo, s creativity is mediated by salespeople&rsquo, s CSR perception, their job satisfaction, and their identification with the organization. Sales leaders should recognize that by practicing responsible leadership behavior, they can create this type of work environment for their subordinates.

In this paper, we propose an explicative model for the effective purchase of various brands of local products, incorporating private and public motivations into a causal chain and considering product availability as a possible moderator of the effects of these purchase factors on local products. The results obtained by applying conditional process analysis and a Tobit model to the responses of 195 young consumers show that local identity can have direct and/or indirect effects on the effective purchase of four different brands of local, traditional, and nontraditional products. Furthermore, for two of these brands, perceived product availability moderates the relationship between product valuation and effective purchase. [EconLit citations: C51, Q13].

Purpose – Although servant leadership (SL) improves the overall effectiveness of individuals and teams, it remains understudied. The aim of this paper is to provide insight into the mediating mechanisms through which perceived SL affects salespersons’ proactive and adaptive behaviors. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered from 145 industrial salespeople and their supervisors across a variety of businesses and sectors in Spain. Findings – SL enhances salespeople’s adaptivity and proactivity by positively affecting their self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, SL directly shapes the development of adaptive behaviors among salespeople, although this direct influence is not significant when considering proactivity. Additionally, the use of outcome-based control mechanisms enhances the positive effects of SL on salespeople’s intrinsic motivation. Practical implications – The results demonstrate that sales managers can promote more proactive and adaptive behaviors among sales staff by recognizing the importance of service and their moral responsibilities to the success of their subordinates. Originality/value – Cognitive evaluation theory was used to examine the direct and indirect effects of perceived SL on two emergent change-oriented behaviors (adaptivity and proactivity) using a matched sample of industrial salespeople from a variety of industries, thus providing a basis for the generalization of results. Moreover, in analyzing the moderating effects of outcome control, the conditions under which SL is more or less effective were examined.

Salesperson adaptivity and proactivity are two emergent forms of sales performance that are particularly important when work requirements cannot be clearly anticipated and employees need to address complex situations. This study attempts to contribute to the existing literature by exploring the underlying mechanism that links emotional intelligence (EI), an ability that is considered fundamental in customer interactions, to adaptive and proactive performance. A dyadic sample of industrial salespeople and their immediate supervisors reveals that EI has a positive influence on salesperson adaptivity and proactivity through its effect on their perceived self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. Additionally, the indirect effect of self-efficacy on adaptive and proactive sales performance is found to depend on a salesperson's perceived organizational support and ability to bounce back. Certain implications of this study, as well as suggestions for future research, are also addressed.

The literature highlights the growing dissatisfaction of consumers with foods from industrial production systems. Their concern for health and the desire to support local producers led them to search for other alternatives: products that are local, traditional and typical of a particular region, such as many Geographical Indication (GI) food products. This paper explores the relationship between the purchase of GI food products, the attitudes towards proximity, tradition, and ethnicity, and consumer ethnocentric tendencies. The results, obtained through a mediation analysis, show that aspects such as products made by small companies and transparency (in terms of their production process) attain greater significance among consumers with higher levels of sub-national ethnocentrism. Moreover, these consumers appreciate that: (1) the products have been made using traditional methods, and (2) in addition to be typical of the region, these products can be bought directly from the producer, without intermediaries. Consumers who value these aspects, closely related to each other, present a greater purchase intention and a higher purchase frequency of food products with protected geographical status.

Purpose – Consumer ethnocentrism and consumer animosity provide marketing management with two useful concepts to understand the reasons behind consumers’ purchase decisions concerning domestic vs imported products. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the antecedents and consequences of animosity and ethnocentrism within a single model, and respondents’ evaluations of a specific product category are solicited. Design/methodology/approach – The study is conducted within an ideal context for the study of consumer animosity: data were collected in Belgrade shortly after the US-led NATO bombings of 1999. The surveys were carried out in person at the interviewees’ home. The sample was part of a regular omnibus panel composed of 270 adult respondents, of which 92.2 percent agreed to participate. Findings – The findings indicate that animosity and consumer ethnocentrism are distinct constructs. Also consistent with previous research, results obtained confirm that each construct has unique antecedents and consequences. Practical implications – Once consumer animosity and ethnocentrism levels have been measured, managers can then make decisions about whether to promote their country of origin or, alternatively, create more powerful local connections for their products. Thus, the consideration of animosity and ethnocentrism can be part of a firm’s international strategies. Originality/value – Previous studies on consumer animosity have demonstrated through structural equation modeling that the two constructs are distinct and have distinct antecedents, but research has not examined both the antecedents and the consequences of animosity and ethnocentrism in the same study. Thus, this study investigates the antecedents and consequences of animosity and ethnocentrism within a single model.

ResumenEste trabajo pretende un mayor conocimiento de la relación entre la antigüedad en el puesto de los directivos de una muestra de empresas innovadoras españolas y sus comportamientos en relación a los procesos de resolución de problemas, de información y cognitivos. Los resultados obtenidos a partir de las respuestas de 136 directivos de distintos departamentos son consistentes con investigaciones y planteamientos previos y advierten de los efectos a largo plazo de la antigüedad en el puesto sobre la capacidad de respuesta de los directivos ante los cambios en el entorno, así como la tendencia a ignorar los problemas o conflictos antes que afrontarlos de manera cooperativa. Además, a medida que la antigüedad en el puesto aumenta, los directivos observan: a)menores cambios en las preferencias de los consumidores; b)menores oportunidades derivadas de cambios en la tecnología, y c)mayor dificultad para predecir los cambios que los competidores realizarán en los productos.AbstractThis research paper is intended to provide a greater insight into the relationship between the length of service of managers from a sample of innovative Spanish companies and their behaviour towards problem solving, information and cognitive processes. The results obtained from 136 managers from various departments are in line with prior studies and warn of the long-term effects of length of service on managerial ability to respond to change and tendency to overlook problems or conflict as opposed to attentively dealing with them. Specifically, as length of service increases, managers notice: (i)less changes in customer preferences; (ii)less opportunities arising from advances in technology; and (iii)more difficulties in predicting their competitors’ upcoming product improvements.

Published studies of new product development in Spain provide conflicting evidence regarding the role of cross-functional integration in new product success. One possible explanation for these results is the use of idiosyncratic scales for measuring the level of cross-functional integration. This study adopts the scale items used in a previous study and replicates that research process using data collected from managers of 134 Spanish companies involved in new product development. Findings confirm the appropriateness of these scales in a Spanish context and the importance of crossfunctional integration to new product success in Spanish firms. No support is found for the hypothesis that participative management is positively correlated with the level of cross-functional integration. Cross-functional integration is found to be negatively related to goal incongruity and positively related to top-management support for integration.

Research into self-monitoring (SM) confirms that people differ when it comes to how much they observe, regulate, and control themselves in certain social settings and interpersonal relationships. Research also shows that high self-monitors, as opposed to low self-monitors, perform better in boundary-spanning positions that require good communication skills. Therefore, it is a matter of interest to analyze the effects of SM on salespeople's behavior, and on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in particular. It has been proven that this behavior affects the performance of organizations and influences supervisors' evaluations of subordinates. Although a number of studies examine the antecedents of OCB, certain relationships have yet to be looked at. This study proposes and tests a model stating that salespersons' OCB is determined by salespersons' SM, with this relationship being mediated by salespersons' person–organization (PO) fit and job satisfaction. This study also analyzes the moderating effect of salespersons' SM on PO fit to job satisfaction relationships, as well as on job satisfaction to OCB relationships. Data collected from 122 supervisor–salesperson dyads in 35 companies across 9 different sectors confirm the proposed model. In fact, the results show that SM, both directly and indirectly, has a positive effect on OCB due to the way in which it influences salespersons' PO fit and job satisfaction. The results also confirm the moderating role of SM in the relationships between job satisfaction and OCB, and between PO fit and job satisfaction. Certain implications of this study, as well as directions for future research, are also addressed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Despite the extensive work carried out by sales researchers regarding the influence of organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) on significant individual and organizational outcomes, it is still of interest to address new research questions and support previous results with samples from different organizational settings and other countries. Researchers have also identified the need to thoroughly investigate relationships between different antecedents of extra-role behaviors. In this study, we intend to test a two-part model. The first part of the model assumes that a salesperson's OCB is determined by Person–Organization fit and that this relationship is mediated by the salesperson's job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The second part examines the impact that such behavior may have on the supervisor's rating of the salesperson's performance. Data collected from 122 salesperson–supervisor dyads from 35 firms confirmed that Person–Organization fit has a positive effect on OCB due to the effect it has on the salesperson's job satisfaction. The results also verified the positive effect of OCB on the supervisor's evaluation of the sales agent's performance, both directly and indirectly, through the impact OCB had on the supervisor's fondness of the salesperson. Certain implications of this study, as well as directions for future research, are also addressed.

PurposeDespite the recognition that the subordinate's influence is a particularly noteworthy feature of the social context with considerable potential to affect the performance evaluation process, there are almost no studies that consider this influence in a selling context. Attempting to contribute to address these needs, the model presented here depicts a number of social and situational factors influencing supervisor's rating of salesperson's performance, primarily operating through affective processes.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 122 salespeople and their immediate managers from 35 firms pertaining to nine different industries.FindingsSEM results indicated that supervisor‐focused impression management was positively related to the supervisor's liking of the salesperson. Consistent as well with prior research is the positive influence of supervisor's affect towards salesperson on the supervisor's ratings of sales performance, both directly and indirectly, through the effect on salesperson's perceived interpersonal skills. Finally, a salesperson's physical attractiveness demonstrated significant positive effects on performance ratings, through the influence on supervisor's liking and salesperson's interpersonal skills.Practical implicationsThese results have important managerial implications: sales managers should be aware that salespeople might be using impression management tactics and that the use of these behaviours might influence the way that they evaluate their employee's performance. Managers should also remain vigilant to the potential bias based on physical appearance in hiring and supervising salespeople.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the knowledge of the social and affective variables that influence the sales performance appraisal process, an area of research that is almost unexplored.

In the previous chapter (Part I), we proposed a model relating the composition and external communication activities of NPD teams to the performance of NPD programmes. In this chapter (Part II), through the use of structural equations analysis, we compare the model to a sample of 136 managers from different functional areas at 121 innovative Spanish firms. The results indicate that the impact of explanatory variables on new product programme performance differs according to the measure of performance considered. The cross-functional nature of NPD teams, the presence of product champions in NPD teams and the gathering of information by all NPD team members were all shown to positively influence new product performance. Firms should be aware of the importance of the aforementioned variables.