Pub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2025-03-19DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.03.001
Adam Lindgreen , C. Anthony Di Benedetto
{"title":"Editorial: Outstanding Article Awards and Best Reviewer Awards 2024","authors":"Adam Lindgreen , C. Anthony Di Benedetto","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.03.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.03.001","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"127 ","pages":"Page A1"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144106059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2025-04-25DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.04.001
Amir Javadinia , Satish Jayachandran , Sina Aghaie
Firms are frequently engaged in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. The prevailing view is that CSR efforts can protect firms from the negative consequences of adverse firm events such as product recalls. The present research challenges that view by demonstrating that CSR efforts may increase or decrease customers' unfavorable reactions to a product recall and that the relationship differs in different CSR domains. Using data from the automobile industry, the authors find that post-recall market share has a non-linear relationship with pre-recall CSR efforts in both product and environment domains but in different directions. The post-recall market share has an inverted U-shaped relationship with pre-recall product CSR but a U-shaped relationship with pre-recall environment CSR. The study provides guidance to managers regarding the use of CSR in different domains to manage the impact of adverse events in both B2B and B2C settings.
{"title":"The relationship between a firm's pre-recall product and environment CSR efforts and post-recall market share","authors":"Amir Javadinia , Satish Jayachandran , Sina Aghaie","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.04.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.04.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Firms are frequently engaged in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. The prevailing view is that CSR efforts can protect firms from the negative consequences of adverse firm events such as product recalls. The present research challenges that view by demonstrating that CSR efforts may increase or decrease customers' unfavorable reactions to a product recall and that the relationship differs in different CSR domains. Using data from the automobile industry, the authors find that post-recall market share has a non-linear relationship with pre-recall CSR efforts in both product and environment domains but in different directions. The post-recall market share has an inverted U-shaped relationship with pre-recall product CSR but a U-shaped relationship with pre-recall environment CSR. The study provides guidance to managers regarding the use of CSR in different domains to manage the impact of adverse events in both B2B and B2C settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"127 ","pages":"Pages 88-99"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143868141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Propensity score modeling (PSM) is a powerful statistical technique that, in the appropriate data contexts, addresses biases from confounding and selection, which can otherwise distort results and lead to erroneous inferences. However, while the number of PSM applications in business marketing research is growing, many studies mistakenly assume that PSM is a universal solution for all endogeneity issues. Often, studies lack sufficient detail about the specific endogeneity problem they aim to address, which is a critical issue, as PSM is appropriate only for certain types of endogeneity. Additionally, essential tests to confirm the validity and robustness of PSM results are frequently overlooked or insufficiently reported, raising concerns about the reliability of findings. This article aims to enhance the rigor of PSM applications in business marketing research by offering updated practical guidance on its appropriate use, key aspects to report, and common misconceptions and errors to avoid. A practical example of PSM implementation in Stata is included, along with a comprehensive checklist of justifications and best practices to guide business marketing researchers in their future PSM-based studies.
{"title":"Propensity score modeling for business marketing research","authors":"Peter Guenther , Miriam Guenther , Shekhar Misra , Mariia Koval , Ghasem Zaefarian","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.03.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.03.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Propensity score modeling (PSM) is a powerful statistical technique that, in the appropriate data contexts, addresses biases from confounding and selection, which can otherwise distort results and lead to erroneous inferences. However, while the number of PSM applications in business marketing research is growing, many studies mistakenly assume that PSM is a universal solution for all endogeneity issues. Often, studies lack sufficient detail about the specific endogeneity problem they aim to address, which is a critical issue, as PSM is appropriate only for certain types of endogeneity. Additionally, essential tests to confirm the validity and robustness of PSM results are frequently overlooked or insufficiently reported, raising concerns about the reliability of findings. This article aims to enhance the rigor of PSM applications in business marketing research by offering updated practical guidance on its appropriate use, key aspects to report, and common misconceptions and errors to avoid. A practical example of PSM implementation in Stata is included, along with a comprehensive checklist of justifications and best practices to guide business marketing researchers in their future PSM-based studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"127 ","pages":"Pages 14-28"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143714398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper explores the contingencies that affect the integration of operating models of large manufacturing firms and their downstream actors, such as dealers and service partners, when developing global services. A qualitative in-depth case study is employed as the research methodology. The research follows a theory adaptation approach in which global service development in the context of manufacturing firms (i.e. servitization across international borders) is the domain theory, while contingency theory is the lens used to observe, identify, and discuss the influence of specific factors on the integration of the operating models of downstream actors. We identify four key contingencies impacting this integration: market heterogeneity, downstream network configuration, end customers' orientation, and service partners' resistances. These contingencies significantly influence the balance between global and local adaptation of the operating models of downstream actors, highlighting the complexity of developing global services in fragmented networks. This study contributes to the existing literature by proposing a novel empirical model that explains how the interrelations between the identified contingencies affect the integration of operating models of downstream actors. Using this model, the paper shows three scenarios that unfold from these interrelations, each having positive and negative outcomes that managers should consider.
{"title":"A contingency perspective on global service development in manufacturing firms.","authors":"Giulia Capanni , Mario Rapaccini , Momeni Beheshte , Knapp Timon , Poeppelbuss Jens","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.04.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.04.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper explores the contingencies that affect the integration of operating models of large manufacturing firms and their downstream actors, such as dealers and service partners, when developing global services. A qualitative in-depth case study is employed as the research methodology. The research follows a theory adaptation approach in which global service development in the context of manufacturing firms (i.e. servitization across international borders) is the domain theory, while contingency theory is the lens used to observe, identify, and discuss the influence of specific factors on the integration of the operating models of downstream actors. We identify four key contingencies impacting this integration: market heterogeneity, downstream network configuration, end customers' orientation, and service partners' resistances. These contingencies significantly influence the balance between global and local adaptation of the operating models of downstream actors, highlighting the complexity of developing global services in fragmented networks. This study contributes to the existing literature by proposing a novel empirical model that explains how the interrelations between the identified contingencies affect the integration of operating models of downstream actors. Using this model, the paper shows three scenarios that unfold from these interrelations, each having positive and negative outcomes that managers should consider.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"127 ","pages":"Pages 100-118"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143890577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The advent of cutting-edge digitalization has introduced a range of organizational capabilities that have been proposed to assist business-to-business (B2B) manufacturers in attaining a strategic advantage within the intensely competitive global landscape. Nevertheless, the process of digitization poses multiple roadblocks in its execution, leading to a sense of scepticism among manufacturers in the B2B sector about its adoption for the purpose of enhancing their quality management and agility across the supply chain. The current research is a pioneering effort in examining the interplay between digital dexterity (DigDex), supply chain quality management (SCQM), supply chain agility (SCAG), and supply chain performance (SCP) within the distinctive sphere of B2B manufacturing. In order to gain a deeper comprehension of the efficacy of the interplay between various functional capabilities, this study investigates the effectiveness of regulatory governance in providing assistance to B2B manufacturers. This examination is conducted through empirical analysis utilizing data collected from a sample of 291 B2B manufacturers based in India. The research advances the understanding of the mechanisms by which DigDex, SCQM, and SCAG interact for bettering SCP. Practically, these findings guide practitioners to optimize digital capabilities judiciously, tailoring regulatory governance approaches for comprehensive supply chain enhancement in the dynamic B2B manufacturing landscape.
{"title":"Exploring relationship between digital dexterity, supply chain quality management, agility and performance – Empirical evidence from Indian B2B manufacturers","authors":"Saumyaranjan Sahoo , Nazrul Islam , Ashwani Kumar , Sachin Kumar Mangla","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.03.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.03.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The advent of cutting-edge digitalization has introduced a range of organizational capabilities that have been proposed to assist business-to-business (B2B) manufacturers in attaining a strategic advantage within the intensely competitive global landscape. Nevertheless, the process of digitization poses multiple roadblocks in its execution, leading to a sense of scepticism among manufacturers in the B2B sector about its adoption for the purpose of enhancing their quality management and agility across the supply chain. The current research is a pioneering effort in examining the interplay between digital dexterity (DigDex), supply chain quality management (SCQM), supply chain agility (SCAG), and supply chain performance (SCP) within the distinctive sphere of B2B manufacturing. In order to gain a deeper comprehension of the efficacy of the interplay between various functional capabilities, this study investigates the effectiveness of regulatory governance in providing assistance to B2B manufacturers. This examination is conducted through empirical analysis utilizing data collected from a sample of 291 B2B manufacturers based in India. The research advances the understanding of the mechanisms by which DigDex, SCQM, and SCAG interact for bettering SCP. Practically, these findings guide practitioners to optimize digital capabilities judiciously, tailoring regulatory governance approaches for comprehensive supply chain enhancement in the dynamic B2B manufacturing landscape.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"127 ","pages":"Pages 44-61"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143761122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper examines the relationship between small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and their outsourced Digital Marketing Service Providers. It aims to: (1) investigate whether training SME clients enhances the quality of their relationship with Digital Marketing Service Providers; (2) determine if the effect of training varies across relational and transactional relationship types; and (3) explore the mediating roles of positive emotions and trust. Two studies were conducted: a quasi-experimental design involving surveys of Australian SMEs (n = 413), followed by a qualitative design involving interviews with Australian Digital Marketing Service Providers (n = 14) and Australian SMEs (n = 13), guided by agency theory. Both studies tested and explored the roles of training, relationship types, positive emotions, and trust in improving relationship quality. The findings indicate that training significantly enhances relationship quality, with the strongest effects observed in transactional relationships. Additionally, positive emotions and trust act as key mediators in this association. This research is the first to examine how training can foster positive relations in digital marketing outsourcing, demonstrating its potential to improve relationship quality.
{"title":"Training clients in digital marketing: The key to a feel-good B2B relationship with SMEs","authors":"Karen Sutherland, Rory Mulcahy, Jacqueline Burgess, Meredith Lawley","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.05.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.05.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper examines the relationship between small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and their outsourced Digital Marketing Service Providers. It aims to: (1) investigate whether training SME clients enhances the quality of their relationship with Digital Marketing Service Providers; (2) determine if the effect of training varies across relational and transactional relationship types; and (3) explore the mediating roles of positive emotions and trust. Two studies were conducted: a quasi-experimental design involving surveys of Australian SMEs (<em>n</em> = 413), followed by a qualitative design involving interviews with Australian Digital Marketing Service Providers (<em>n</em> = 14) and Australian SMEs (<em>n</em> = 13), guided by agency theory. Both studies tested and explored the roles of training, relationship types, positive emotions, and trust in improving relationship quality. The findings indicate that training significantly enhances relationship quality, with the strongest effects observed in transactional relationships. Additionally, positive emotions and trust act as key mediators in this association. This research is the first to examine how training can foster positive relations in digital marketing outsourcing, demonstrating its potential to improve relationship quality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"127 ","pages":"Pages 148-163"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143927726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2025-05-10DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.04.003
Yulong David Liu , Justin Zuopeng Zhang , Jianwen Zheng , Muhammad Mustafa Kamal
In today's volatile business environment, B2B enterprises are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence-enabled information systems to support strategic responsiveness and enhance innovation outcomes. Drawing on dynamic capability theory, this study examines how AI-enabled systems improve decision-making performance and, in turn, foster innovation. Using data from 246 B2B firms in Australasia, we find that decision-making performance significantly mediates the relationship between AI adoption and innovation performance. Our findings reveal that strategic agility significantly moderates this mediated relationship, amplifying innovation performance when agility is present at moderate levels but plateauing when agility becomes excessive. We also explore the moderating roles of decision-making styles (intuitive, experience-based, rational), though these effects were not statistically significant. Nonetheless, both rationality and experience-based processing show significant direct effects on decision-making performance, highlighting the relevance of cognitive traits in digitally enabled decision contexts. By unpacking the complex interactions between digital technologies, cognitive styles, and organizational agility, this study advances a more nuanced understanding of innovation enablers in B2B settings. The findings offer theoretical and practical insights into the alignment of technological, cognitive, and strategic capabilities to drive innovation outcomes.
{"title":"Artificial intelligence-enabled systems and innovation in B2B firms: The role of strategic agility and decision-making performance","authors":"Yulong David Liu , Justin Zuopeng Zhang , Jianwen Zheng , Muhammad Mustafa Kamal","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.04.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.04.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In today's volatile business environment, B2B enterprises are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence-enabled information systems to support strategic responsiveness and enhance innovation outcomes. Drawing on dynamic capability theory, this study examines how AI-enabled systems improve decision-making performance and, in turn, foster innovation. Using data from 246 B2B firms in Australasia, we find that decision-making performance significantly mediates the relationship between AI adoption and innovation performance. Our findings reveal that strategic agility significantly moderates this mediated relationship, amplifying innovation performance when agility is present at moderate levels but plateauing when agility becomes excessive. We also explore the moderating roles of decision-making styles (intuitive, experience-based, rational), though these effects were not statistically significant. Nonetheless, both rationality and experience-based processing show significant direct effects on decision-making performance, highlighting the relevance of cognitive traits in digitally enabled decision contexts. By unpacking the complex interactions between digital technologies, cognitive styles, and organizational agility, this study advances a more nuanced understanding of innovation enablers in B2B settings. The findings offer theoretical and practical insights into the alignment of technological, cognitive, and strategic capabilities to drive innovation outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"127 ","pages":"Pages 164-174"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143927727","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2025-05-09DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.04.002
Corentin Le Bot , Rozenn Perrigot , Anna Watson , Gérard Cliquet
During the franchisee recruitment process, franchisors and franchisee candidates must both engage and screen each other to determine whether they are a suitable match. To facilitate this, they usually exchange a number of signals that reduce information asymmetry. Whilst several authors have attempted to examine the role of signals in the decision-making process, these studies have overlooked the evolution of signals over the recruitment process and the active role of both parties in reaching an informed decision. Building on a dynamic integrative view of signaling theory, our research aims to provide a more thorough understanding of the signaling strategies franchisors and franchisee candidates adopt during this process. We rely on data stemming from in-depth interviews with 29 franchisors and 34 franchisee candidates in the French market. Our findings challenge the literature on franchisee recruitment by showing how franchisors and candidates alike customize their signals and screen each other over the recruitment process in order to decide whether to contract based on their assessment of person-organization fit. Our research thus confirms the relevance of frameworks combining the latest developments in signaling theory and the person-organization fit perspective to examine contexts of information asymmetry, thereby opening new avenues for research in B2B settings. Additionally, our paper offers managerial implications for franchisors and franchisee candidates by helping them effectively send and interpret mutual signals to avoid adverse selection.
{"title":"A dynamic integrative view of signaling strategies during the franchisee recruitment process","authors":"Corentin Le Bot , Rozenn Perrigot , Anna Watson , Gérard Cliquet","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.04.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.04.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During the franchisee recruitment process, franchisors and franchisee candidates must both engage and screen each other to determine whether they are a suitable match. To facilitate this, they usually exchange a number of signals that reduce information asymmetry. Whilst several authors have attempted to examine the role of signals in the decision-making process, these studies have overlooked the evolution of signals over the recruitment process and the active role of both parties in reaching an informed decision. Building on a dynamic integrative view of signaling theory, our research aims to provide a more thorough understanding of the signaling strategies franchisors and franchisee candidates adopt during this process. We rely on data stemming from in-depth interviews with 29 franchisors and 34 franchisee candidates in the French market. Our findings challenge the literature on franchisee recruitment by showing how franchisors and candidates alike customize their signals and screen each other over the recruitment process in order to decide whether to contract based on their assessment of person-organization fit. Our research thus confirms the relevance of frameworks combining the latest developments in signaling theory and the person-organization fit perspective to examine contexts of information asymmetry, thereby opening new avenues for research in B2B settings. Additionally, our paper offers managerial implications for franchisors and franchisee candidates by helping them effectively send and interpret mutual signals to avoid adverse selection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"127 ","pages":"Pages 133-147"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143927725","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2025-04-05DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.03.009
Pramod Iyer, Atanas Nik Nikolov, Stefan Sleep, Brad Eskridge, Dierto Matanda Moke, Jennifer Hutchins
Sales management has undergone significant transformations in response to the changing external environment and the adoption of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including Seamless AI and Einstein (Sales AI). These technological advancements have reshaped the industrial sales management landscape and customer journeys. To thrive in this evolving environment, industrial firms must embrace marketing agility, characterized by proactiveness, responsiveness, flexibility, and speed. This study explores business-to-business (B2B) firms' challenges when integrating AI into their sales management processes. Based on the dynamic capabilities literature, we argue that marketing agility plays a mediating role in the adoption of AI technology and sales team performance in uncertain business contexts. Additionally, we investigate the moderating effects of marketing influence and internal organizational climate on the relationship among AI technology adoption, agility, and performance. We collected data from B2B sales managers from companies generating at least $5 million in annual revenues and employing more than 100 individuals. Our findings underscore the necessity for aligning strategic decisions, such as technology adoption (and use), with marketing agility to affect firm performance positively. Theoretically, this study contributes to the emerging literature on the facilitators of marketing agility in B2B firms.
{"title":"Navigating the AI wave for sales management: The mediating role of marketing agility","authors":"Pramod Iyer, Atanas Nik Nikolov, Stefan Sleep, Brad Eskridge, Dierto Matanda Moke, Jennifer Hutchins","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.03.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.03.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sales management has undergone significant transformations in response to the changing external environment and the adoption of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including Seamless AI and Einstein (Sales AI). These technological advancements have reshaped the industrial sales management landscape and customer journeys. To thrive in this evolving environment, industrial firms must embrace marketing agility, characterized by proactiveness, responsiveness, flexibility, and speed. This study explores business-to-business (B2B) firms' challenges when integrating AI into their sales management processes. Based on the dynamic capabilities literature, we argue that marketing agility plays a mediating role in the adoption of AI technology and sales team performance in uncertain business contexts. Additionally, we investigate the moderating effects of marketing influence and internal organizational climate on the relationship among AI technology adoption, agility, and performance. We collected data from B2B sales managers from companies generating at least $5 million in annual revenues and employing more than 100 individuals. Our findings underscore the necessity for aligning strategic decisions, such as technology adoption (and use), with marketing agility to affect firm performance positively. Theoretically, this study contributes to the emerging literature on the facilitators of marketing agility in B2B firms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"127 ","pages":"Pages 62-73"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143777487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2025-03-26DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.03.004
Thomas E. DeCarlo , Andrea L. Dixon , Jeff Johnson , Son K. Lam
Research on the intraorganizational dimension of the sales role (IDSR) underscores salespeople's proactive behavior, such as internal navigation and individual drivers thereof, to deal with challenges in internal selling. However, extant literature has not provided insights into the crucial last mile of the internal selling process (ISP), the stage between the final sales presentation and the actual closing of the sale. In four waves of in-depth interviews, we perform a micro-analysis of how salespeople's perception of two key characteristics of the last mile of ISPs, hierarchical extensiveness and personnel specialization, can serve as both a benefit and a challenge. Data also reveal salespeople's complex strategies and organizational factors that affect the valence of these ISP characteristics. These findings have important implications for managing salesperson IDSRs.
{"title":"Salespeople's experience with last-mile internal selling processes: Benefits and challenges","authors":"Thomas E. DeCarlo , Andrea L. Dixon , Jeff Johnson , Son K. Lam","doi":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.03.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indmarman.2025.03.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Research on the intraorganizational dimension of the sales role (IDSR) underscores salespeople's proactive behavior, such as internal navigation and individual drivers thereof, to deal with challenges in internal selling. However, extant literature has not provided insights into the crucial last mile of the internal selling process (ISP), the stage between the final sales presentation and the actual closing of the sale. In four waves of in-depth interviews, we perform a micro-analysis of how salespeople's perception of two key characteristics of the last mile of ISPs, hierarchical extensiveness and personnel specialization, can serve as both a benefit and a challenge. Data also reveal salespeople's complex strategies and organizational factors that affect the valence of these ISP characteristics. These findings have important implications for managing salesperson IDSRs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51345,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Marketing Management","volume":"127 ","pages":"Pages 1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143698008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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