Relationship building in small businesses - the case of linking personal selling with collectivism

This paper examines the link between personal selling and collectivism found in small clothing and shoe retailers in New Zealand, Portugal and Hungary. The study uses three culturally similar, predominately Anglophone nations, as most prior research with a cultural factor is conducted in culturally dissimilar nations and the results are hard to generalise across culturally similar countries. The results of the study show a strong link between choice of personal selling as a promotional tool and the collectivist orientation on the part of the retailers. The main conclusion of this paper therefore, is that where there is a definitive link between personal selling and collectivism in small clothing and shoe retailers, there also needs to be an understanding on the part of these retailers of how to most effectively use personal selling in their business.PublishedPeer ReviewedAaker, J. L. and Maheswaran, D. (1997), The Effect of Cultural Orientation on Persuasion, Journal of Consumer Research 24(December): 315-328. Baligh, H. H. (1994), Components of Culture: Nature, Interconnections and Relevance to the Decisions on the Organisation Structure, Management Science 40(1): 14-27. Bond, M. H. (1991), Beyond the Chinese Face: Insights from Psychology, Hong Kong: Oxford University Press. Boone, L. E. and Kurtz, D. L. (1992), Contemporary Marketing, 7th Edition, Fort Worth: The Dryden Press. Brooksbank, R. (1995), The New Model of Personal Selling: Micromarketing, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management XV(2): 61-68. Burnett, J. (1993), Promotion Management, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. Fam, Kim S. and Merrilees, Bill (1998), Cultural Values and personal Selling: A Comparison of Australian and Hong Kong Retailers' Promotion Preferences, International Marketing Review 15(4): 246-256. Goff, B.G., Boles, J.S., Bellenger, D.N. and Stojack, C. (1997), The Influence of Salesperson Selling Behaviors on Customer Satisfaction with Products, Journal of Retailing 73(2): 171-183 Greenley, G. E. and Shipley, D. (1992), A Comparative Study of Operational Marketing Practices among British Department Stores and Supermarkets, European Journal of Marketing 26(5): 22-35. Hall, E. T. (1976), Beyond Culture, New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday. Hawes, J. M., Rao, C. P. and Baker, T. L. (1993), Retail Salesperson Attributes and the Role of Dependability in the Selection of Durable Goods, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management 13(4) Fall: 61-71 Hofstede, G. (1980), Culture's Consequences, Beverly Hills. CA: Sage Publications. Jackson, J.H., Hawes, D.K. and Hertel, F.M. (1979), Pricing and advertising practices in small retail businesses, American Journal of Small Business 4(2): 22-34. Kelley, L., Whatley, A., Worthley, R. and Lie, H. (1986), The Role of the Ideal Organisation in comparative management: A Cross-Cultural Perspective of Japan and Korea, Asia Pacific Journal of Management 3 (2): 59-75. Kirbride, P.S. and Chaw, S. W. (1987), The Cross-Cultural Transfer of Organisational Cultures: Two Case Studies of Corporate Mission Statements, Asia Pacific Journal of Management 5 (1): 55-66. Manning, G. L. and Reece, B. L. (1998), Selling Today: Building Quality Partnerships, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Marks, R. B. (1997), Personal Selling: A Relationship Approach, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. McCort, D. J. and Malhotra, N. K. (1993), Culture and Consumer Behaviour: Toward an Understanding of Cross-Cultural Consumer Behaviour in international Marketing, Journal of International Consumer Marketing 6(2): 91-127. Money, R. B., Gilly, M. C. and Graham, J. L. (1998), Explorations of National Culture and Word-of-Mouth Referral Behaviour in the Purchase of Industrial Services in the United States and Japan, Journal of Marketing 62(October): 76-87. Nowak, G. J., Cameron, G. T. and Krugman, D.M. (1993), How Local Advertisers Choose and Use Advertising Media, Journal of Advertising Research 33 (6): 39-49. Otnes, C. and Faber, R. J. (1989), An Examination of Variables Influencing Local Advertiser Media Selection, Proceedings of the 1989 Conference of the American Academy of Advertising. Runyon, K. E. and Stewart, D. W. (1987), Consumer Behaviour and the Practice of Marketing, Ohio: Merrill Publishing Company. Smith, A. and Sparks, L. (2000), The Role and Function of the Independent Small Shop: The Situation in Scotland, International review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research 10(2): 205-226