PurposeThe current study aims to empirically examine the impact of formal salesforce control systems on salespeople and customer behavior.Design/methodology/approachData are collected from 704 salespeople and their respective visiting customers (704) in Ghana. The suggested hypotheses are tested through the structural equation (SEM) modeling technique.FindingsThe study results show that all three formal control mechanisms have positive and significant effects on customer-directed problem-solving and adaptive selling behaviors. Similarly, the study finds that salespeople's customer-directed problem-solving behavior increases, respectively, customer-directed opportunism and relationship continuity. Adaptive selling behavior also has significant positive effects on both customer-directed opportunism and relationship continuity, respectively.Practical implicationsThe study offers practical and theoretical insights into understanding salesforce control dynamics, customer-directed opportunism, adaptive selling behavior, customer-directed problem-solving behavior and continuity of relationships. The results also have significant consequences for sales organizations as they can help sales managers decide on the best form of salesforce control systems to deploy.Originality/valueThe current research demonstrates how control mechanisms can influence both adaptive selling and customer-directed problem-solving behaviors and how these could generate both customer-directed opportunism and relationship continuity.

This study aims to empirically test the effect of brand trust on brand commitment and brand loyalty while examining the mediating and moderating roles of brand commitment and brand reputation respectively. To achieve this aim, data is collected from 412 smartphone users in South Korea. The hypotheses advanced to achieve this aim are tested through the structural equations modeling technique. The results of the study reveal that brand trust and brand commitment positively and significantly influence brand loyalty. The study further finds that brand trust is positively and significantly related to brand commitment, while the latter mediates the relationship between brand trust and brand loyalty. Equally, the study finds support for the moderating role of brand reputation on the relationship between brand trust and brand commitment. The study provides managerial and theoretical illuminations into comprehending brand trust, brand commitment, brand reputation, and brand loyalty.

The overarching aim of this research is to empirically test the effect of customers’ self-determined needs on perceived customer effectiveness and green purchase behavior while assessing the moderating role of price. To achieve this aim, data is collected from 453 consumers in South Korea. The various hypotheses developed to achieve this aim are tested via the structural equations modeling technique. The results of the study reveal that autonomy, competence, and relatedness positively and significantly affect perceived customer effectiveness. Additionally, autonomy and competence positively and significantly influence green purchase behavior. The study further finds that relatedness is negative but significantly related to green purchase behavior. Moreover, the study reveals that perceived customer effectiveness is positive and significantly related to green purchase behavior. Similarly, the study finds support for the moderating effect of price on the relationship between perceived customer effectiveness and green purchase behavior. The current study provides managerial and theoretical insights into understanding green purchase behavior, self-determined needs as well as perceived customer effectiveness.

PurposeThis study sets out to empirically investigate the effect of salesforce output control on perceived job autonomy, customer-oriented selling behaviours and sales performance.Design/methodology/approachData are gathered from 704 salespeople and their visiting customers in Ghana. The hypotheses are tested using the structural equations modelling technique (SEM).FindingsAccording to the findings of the study, output control has a significant and positive impact on perceived job autonomy. It also discovers that perceived job autonomy improves both customer-directed problem solving and adaptive selling behaviours. Furthermore, the study finds that customer-directed problem solving and adaptive selling behaviours both improve sales performance. Moreover, the study uncovers that perceived job autonomy mediates the relationship between output control and customer-oriented selling behaviours, whereas both customer-oriented selling behaviours mediate the relationship between perceived job autonomy and sales performance.Practical implicationsThe current study provides both practical and theoretical insights into salesforce control dynamics, job autonomy, adaptive selling behaviour, customer-directed problem-solving behaviour and sales performance. The findings have important implications for sales organisations because they can assist sales managers in determining the best type of salesforce control systems to deploy and highlight the strategic role job autonomy plays in enhancing sales performance.Originality/valueThe current study shows how output control can influence salespeople's perceived job autonomy, adaptive selling and customer-directed problem-solving behaviours, and how these can improve sales performance.

The overarching aim of this research is to empirically test the effect of customer experience on customer perceived value and behavioral intentions while assessing the mediating role of customer perceived value. To achieve this aim, we collect data from 338 customers of restaurants in South Korea. The hypotheses intended to achieve this aim are tested using the structural equations modeling technique. The outcome of the research reveals that customer experience positively and significantly affects behavioral intentions. Additionally, customer experience has a significant positive effect on both hedonic and utilitarian value respectively. Hedonic value positively and significantly predicts behavioral intents while utilitarian value is negative but significantly related to behavioral intentions. The study further finds support for a mediating effect of hedonic value on the relationship between customer experience and behavioral intentions. The current study provides managerial and theoretical insights into understanding customer experience management, customer perceived value, and customer behavioral intentions.

The phenomenon of social cohesion has gained much traction in the extant literature. However, research that assesses how celebrity self-disclosure can be leveraged to engender social cohesion remains very scanty in the existing literature. The current study aims at empirically testing the effect of celebrity self-disclosure on social cohesion while accounting for the roles of fans’ behavior, social presence and attachment to celebrities. To realize this aim, data is collected from 306 Instagram users who follow at least one celebrity. The hypothesis intended to realize these aims are tested by adopting structural equation modeling technique. The results show that celebrities’ descriptive self-disclosure (but not emotional self-disclosure) influences fans’ archiving and commenting behavior. Additionally, celebrities’ emotional self-disclosure (but not descriptive self-disclosure) as well as fans’ commenting, and archiving behaviors are instrumental in predicting fans’ social presence. The study further finds that fans’ social presence is essential in predicting their attachment to celebrities, while their (fans’) attachment to celebrities and social presence are significant antecedents of social cohesion. Furthermore, attachment to celebrities is found to significantly mediate the relationship between social presence and social cohesion. The study provides practical and theoretical insights into understanding social cohesion, celebrity self-disclosure, fans’ behavior, social presence and attachment to celebrities.