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The international marketing literature abounds with studies outlining the various similarities and differences that exist across cultural and national boundaries (e.g. Hofstede 1980 ). Unfortunately, many of these studies have focused on descriptive comparisons between cultures and nations. This article develops a measurement instrument designed to explicate the degree to which national identity can be specified and the differences between that national identity and other nations. Utilizing Churchill's (1979) , and Anderson and Gerbing's (1988) guidelines for scale construction and application, this article develops an instrument to measure national identity and establishes norms for its usage, using samples from the United States, Japan, and Sweden. The overall objective of this study is threefold: 1) to develop an empirically sound instrument for measuring national identity; 2) to explore the importance placed on a unique national identity in the three nations comprising the sample; and 3) to consider differences in the underlying dimensions comprising these countries’ national identity and their impact on marketing strategy. The development of such a measurement instrument should provide a means by which the results of cross-cultural and cross-national research can be empirically tested and on which more rigorous theory building can be based.

One of the recent trends in sales research has been a growing focus on relationally based buyer‐seller interactions. Although existing sales literature is in general agreement as to the theoretical composition of buyer‐seller relationships, a lack of empirical evidence exists for the interrelationships of various aspects of relational selling (e.g. customer orientation, adaptability, and service orientation) on individual salespersons’ performance. Investigates the effect of these relational selling characteristics on the performance of individual salespeople. The results show a positive relationship exists between customer orientation and actual performance as measured by average annual sales dollars. Implications of the results for sales managers and sales researchers are discussed.

Drawing on the theory developed by the Nordic school of service marketing, the authors devise a model that involves the direct effects of technical (physical good quality) and functional (service quality and servicescape) elements of the service encounter on customers’ behavioral intentions. They test the model using service customers in the fast-food and grocery industries in eight countries (Australia, China, Germany, India, Morocco, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States). Notable differences exist between fast-food and grocery customers in the eight countries. The relative effects of the technical and functional service elements on behavioral intentions also differ significantly across countries.