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This paper aims to examine a longitudinal study of mentoring functions and their effect on salesperson attitudes and intentions.

The research is based on a multi-year study of salespeople beginning when the salesperson entered the industry being examined.

The level of interaction between the mentor and protégé was found to be the only antecedent examined that related to the perceived quality of mentoring functions. Age, education and length of employment for both parties; the degree of age and education difference; and the length of the mentoring relationship were not significant. Successful mentoring appeared to be based heavily on a mentor’s willingness and ability to interact frequently with the protégé.

This study adds to the literature on mentoring, looking at mentoring in a sales context. Research examining mentoring in a sales setting is much more limited than in many other professions, so the findings represent a valuable addition to the sales mentoring literature. Its influence on sales socialization may be very important.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relative efficacies of intrinsic and extrinsic cues as drivers of customer loyalty to financial institutions between male and female bank customers.

A large-scale survey of 872 customers of a national bank serves as the study setting.

Results showed that extrinsic cues were the more effective correlates of customer loyalty and that gender does not moderate the relationships between image cues and customer loyalty.

The cross-sectional nature of the current study does not allow causal inferences. Therefore, future studies should adopt longitudinal designs.

Results suggest that, although transmitting a favorable image through extrinsic cues is critical, nevertheless, intrinsic cues (interactions among customers and bank personnel) should not be ignored. To reinforce this not only among current customers but also among potential customers, banks should use advertisements featuring favorable testimonials.

Empirical research in the banking services literature pertaining to the efficacies of intrinsic and extrinsic cues in forming customer loyalty is scarce. This study fills in the void. Also, in determining if the relationships between image and customer loyalty vary by gender, the authors not only looked at male versus female differences on the basis of average construct scores but also examined the structural relationships among the constructs.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an account of diamond detail and gem fraud status.

The paper discusses diamonds and gem fraud in the context of global terrorism.

It was found that there is evidence of blatant fraud in diamonds around the globe.

The paper adds insight into the trade in diamonds in the context of global terrorism.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of social capital and relationship quality on key account management (KAM) effectiveness.

Based on the literature, the authors designed a framework that links social capital, relationship quality and KAM effectiveness. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Using data from a sample of 172 business-to-business supplier firms, the authors examined this model.

The research results provide empirical support to the importance of relational aspects of KAM by showing how the relational aspects of relationship quality and social capital influence the effectiveness of the supplier-key account relationship.

The authors add to the literature on relational KAM by integrating theoretical perspectives on social capital, relationship quality and KAM. They develop a model that investigates the antecedents of the effectiveness of supplier–key account relationships from a relational perspective. The study explains the relationships between six constructs representing social capital (ability, benevolence, integrity, flexibility, information exchange and solidarity) and three constructs representing relationship quality (trust, satisfaction and relationship atmosphere), together with the relationships between these three constructs of relationship quality and KAM effectiveness.

The purpose of this study is to explore relational aspects of key account management (KAM) in terms of social capital and relationship quality. The second objective was to identify the main dimensions that shape social capital and relationship quality within the KAM context. Finally, the third objective was to explore how relational KAM is practiced in the Middle Eastern context.

This study used a qualitative methodology and a multiple case design. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with a sample of senior executives from large Saudi firms.

The results highlight the importance of relationship quality and social capital to KAM implementation. A multiple case study was used to build a relational framework for KAM in the Middle Eastern context.

Three strategies were identified for use within the context of KAM in the Saudi market. The first strategy consisted of a means of attracting potential customers. The second strategy involved communication, aimed at maintaining frequent contact with key accounts. Finally, the third strategy was concentrated in maintenance to help sustain the relationship with key accounts.

This study extends understanding and the application of KAM to the Middle Eastern context, contributing to social capital, relationship quality and the KAM literature.

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a powerful multivariate statistical technique that requires careful application. The use of SEM in international business research has substantially increased recently, necessitating a critical evaluation of its use in the field. Through an analysis of 148 articles in the international business (IB) literature, we detail the state of current use of SEM in IB research and compare its use to the established best practices. In many instances, SEM's use in IB has been faulty, suggesting that authors may have drawn incorrect conclusions. To expand the IB field's knowledge base, methodological accuracy is essential. Based on our review of the technique's use in IB research coupled with the established practices in the social science literature, we provide practical suggestions for better applying SEM in the IB literature.

Virtually all research on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) is rooted in a social exchange based view of citizenship performance. While we do not dispute the significant role exchange motives play in citizenship performance, we nevertheless see what amounts to a preoccupation with and over-reliance on social exchange processes in extant OCB theory. With the goals of improving the prediction of citizenship performance and advancing human resource management practice, we outline several new directions for OCB theory and research.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate to what extent bank manager's coaching, a managerial relationship behavior based on mutual trust, openness and quality of exchanges, affects front-line employee's performance through the mediating effect of salesperson's customer orientation.

The paper conducted a non-experimental, cross-sectional study; a Canadian bank agreed to participate in the study and 122 financial advisors with sales responsibilities answered a web-based survey; data were analyzed using structural equation modelling.

The paper found support for the hypotheses that managerial coaching behavior can help bank employees develop their customer orientation and increase their performance, as well as reduce opportunistic behavior (sales orientation). The paper found that the direct link between coaching and performance, plus the mediating effect of sales orientation and customer orientation (SOCO) can potentially explain a significant variation in employee's performance (r2=0.23). The paper also found that the hypothesized model provided better explanations of the phenomenon when compared with two rival models, one considering SOCO as a full mediator between coaching and performance, and the other one considering only the effect of coaching on performance.

In the banking sector, practitioners and scholars are paying increased attention to the role of trust and relationship behaviors in the development of market orientation and customer relationships. The paper identified a key relationship behavior (customer orientation) and tests its impact as a mediator between a relationship managerial behavior (coaching) and business outcomes (performance) in an international banking setting (Canada).

This paper's aim is to provide an empirical test of the assumption that coaching impacts salespeople's attitudes and behaviors under various contingencies.

The paper uses the survey responses of 2,532 salespeople and regression analyses.

Salesperson‐organization value fit reduces the likelihood that coaching will engender more affective commitment to the organization, improve satisfaction with job and supervisor and lower perceived role ambiguity. The number of years of formal education reduces the impact of coaching on affective commitment, satisfaction with job and supervisor. Salespeople's confidence in their company's product superiority over competitors' brands also reduces the effectiveness of coaching. Salesperson's organizational tenure has no impact on the effectiveness of coaching. Finally, the age of a salesperson dampens the positive relationship between coaching and affective commitment and job satisfaction but accentuates the negative relationship between coaching and perceived role ambiguity.

Analyses relied on cross‐sectional data. Thus the findings are only suggestive and causal relationships cannot be claimed. Also, the empirical setting limits the generalizability of findings to other professions.

Increasing the amount of coaching can engender positive attitudes and behaviors in salespeople. More coaching time should be devoted to younger salespeople, salespeople with lower confidence in the superiority of company's products over competitors' brands, salespeople with fewer years of formal education, and salespeople whose values fit the least with that of the organization.

The paper provides an empirical test of how, under different situations, coaching influences salespeople's attitudes and behaviors.