No abstract

Purpose -To examine the effects of urbanization and industrial concentration on the propensity of firms to export, and to determine whether these aspects of geography affect smaller firms differently than larger ones. Design/methodology/approach -Based on expectations from economic geography and organizational learning theories, logistic regression was used to assess the effects of firm size, urbanization and industrial concentration on the export choices of 43,707 manufacturing firms located in the Southeastern USA. Findings -Results indicate that geography affects choices to export, and that these choices differ with firm size. The smallest manufacturers (fewer than 20 employees) were most likely to export from urban areas and in concentrated industrial sectors. Industry-specific differences were also found. Research limitations/implications -Results from the Southeastern USA are consistent with findings from China, though caution should be used in generalizing from these findings. The findings suggest that both internal and external scale economies must be considered in order to understand the export success of small firms. Practical implications -These findings suggest that factors external to the firm affect the learning and decision process of smaller firms in very different ways than larger firms. Small firms are more dependent on their geographic environments than larger firms, when engaging the global economy. Originality/value -This is the first paper to examine the simultaneous effects of internal and external scale economies on the propensity of firms (and particularly small firms) to engage in export activities.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether and under what condition does affective orientation (AO) drive salesperson performance (SP) and whether there is a tradeoff between affective orientation and the need for cognition (NFC). Using career stage theory, this research proposes that emotion is important and that the relationship between AO and SP is conditional and mediated. Design/methodology/approach The hypothesized model is tested using survey data that were collected from 611 attendees at a Midwest regional sales meeting of a national direct selling organization. The model was estimated using 5,000 bootstrapped samples drawn to assess the conditional and indirect effects. Findings The findings reveal that AO increases SP when mediated through motivation to work (MW), but only during the salesperson’s initial stage of their career – their first year. In subsequent career stages, AO’s impact on SP diminishes, while NFC’s impact on SP remains significant regardless of career stage. Research limitations/implications The data were collected from a single selling organization. Practical implications This study increases the understanding of the relationship between salesperson emotion (AO) and SP. This informs sales managers that new salespeople interpret information both emotionally and cognitively, which impacts the management of early career salespeople. Originality/value Sales research rarely investigates the role of emotion. This research finds that emotion can be an asset to new salespeople. However, the need for emotion (AO) decreases with experience and no longer has a significant impact on performance after the initial stage.

Pay-to-play (P2P) fantasy sports participation is growing rapidly. The combination of its resemblance to gambling and its exemption from regulation creates a significant public policy concern. For a sports fan with no interest in gambling, P2P fantasy sports may appear to be a safe and legal alternative. This research investigates that assumption by examining the relationship between sports fanship, fantasy sports, and gambling. First, two-part models are assessed to determine the likelihood of participation in P2P fantasy sports, sports betting, and online gambling and, conditionally, the amount spent on each of the three by those who participate. Second, a moderated-mediation model investigates the direct and indirect effects of fanship on P2P fantasy sports, sports betting, and online gambling. Results indicate that playing P2P fantasy sports leads to higher levels of sports betting and online gambling. Fans high in materialism engage directly in sports betting, but fans low in materialism engage through fantasy sports. Finally, the authors propose recommendations for public policy changes and private intervention.