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This paper aims to tests a conceptual model capturing the influence of personalized advertising on customer perceptions of brands in social media and identifies three market segments based on customers’ reactions to personalized ads.

Two studies are developed to test the model using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Additionally, cluster analysis, multi-group analysis (MGA) and serial mediation tests are also conducted to provide better insights into the results.

The results of the two studies show that all nine hypotheses are supported except for H4 in Study 1. Three market segments (ad lovers, ad adjusters and ad haters) are identified. Each segment has a typical attitude toward personalized advertisements.

Built on self-congruence literature, the current research posits that consumer-brand self-congruence can be established when a customer sees a brand advertised on Facebook after searching for that brand online. Consistently, this paper finds that through self-congruence, personalized advertising has a positive impact on brand-related outcomes.

Three segments identified – “ad lovers,” “ad adjusters” and “ad haters” are important for marketers. Companies should develop an appropriate advertising campaign for each segment, especially once the general data protection regulation is in place. Companies will be subject to a noncompliance penalty if an advertisement is posted on a user s account without approval. Identifying this segment promptly will not only enable companies to save resources but also help avoid legal complications associated with privacy concerns.

This research sheds light on the effects of personalized advertising on customer perceptions of brands in social commerce.

Distinguishes empirically between the power that the manufacturer‐employee salesperson possesses in relation to the manufacturer itself in a channel containing an industrial distributor. Finds support for the belief that, compared with the manufacturer, the manufacturer’s salesperson has as much, if not more, influence on the distributor. Also examines the possible effects of a manufacturer salesperson’s specific power bases on the distributor’s perception of salesperson power and on distributor satisfaction.

Working from the expanded model of adaptive selling behavior offered by Eckert and Plank (2004), this paper attempts to add greater depth and specificity to the adaptive output categories making them more useful for research advancement and for both the teaching and execution of an adaptive selling approach. Relevant literature is identified, organized, and offered as theory sources to support and expand the adaptive selling model.

The birth of the African Capacity Building Foundation on February 9, 1991, was the culmination of intense efforts and groundbreaking commitment to capacity building in Africa by Africa Governors of the World Bank, the Bank itself and the cofounding Institutions ‐ the African Development Bank and the United Nations Development Program, as well as numerous other individuals. The successes chalked by ACBF towards attainment of its objectives have vindicated those who held the view that establishing an indigenous African institution, with focus on and commitment to the course of Africa’s development was the right course of action at the time. Twenty years on, ACBF has supported nearly 250 projects and programs in 44 African countries and committed more than US$400 million to build capacity on the continent. Projects and programs supported by the Foundation have drawn synergy with and complemented countless other activities of various development institutions operating on the Continent. ACBF’s support has been crucial in the building of development capacity in Africa, whether in ministries of finance and economic planning or central banks. For many among us who dedicated to this initiative and worked towards its realization, we remain humbled by the opportunity to witness the twentieth anniversary of ACBF.

This paper aims to examine the impact of customer perceptions about a salesperson’s combined use of adaptive selling (AS) and selling orientation (SO) on customer trust in the salesperson. Based on insights from attribution theory, the contingency model of salespeople’ effectiveness, relationship marketing and market orientation literatures, the authors analyze the interplay between customer perceptions of salespeople’s AS and SO, and how this affects customer trust. Furthermore, adopting a contingency perspective, the authors investigate how two important situational variables (i.e. length of buyer–seller relationships and importance of purchase for the buyer) affect this relationship.

This study is based on regression analysis with two- and three-way interactions, using survey data from 134 business-to-business (B2B) buyers.

The results indicate that the interplay between AS and SO is negatively related to trust, and that the above situation is attenuated in sales contexts characterized by high purchase importance or enduring buyer–seller relationships.

The empirical findings are based on firms from a single industry. Second, a cross-sectional research design is adopted. Third, the absence of measures of objective performance (e.g. sales) might be regarded as a limitation.

The study suggests that salespeople willing to win customer trust should modify their approach across the relationship life cycle. Similarly, when purchase importance for the customer is low, salespeople interested in building relationships based on trust should combine AS and customer orientation. In contrast, when purchase importance is high, salespeople can only generate more trust by increasing customer orientation/reducing SO. These findings might inspire sales trainers and sales managers in developing training experiences based on adaptation and customer orientation.

The research contributes in several ways to the literature. First, the simultaneous effect of AS and SO on performance (i.e. customer trust) was investigated. Second, the analysis of the interaction between AS and SO was complemented by testing two important boundary conditions residing in the selling situation: purchase importance and relationship length. Third, this study is the first to examine the interplay among AS, SO and selling context outside using customer data from actual B2B sales interactions. Also, it enhances knowledge of the effects of AS on sales outcomes by adding a long-term, relational outcome (i.e. trust) to previous work that tended to focus on short-term outcomes (i.e. sales revenues). Furthermore, by investigating perceived benefits from the point of view of customers rather than sellers, our findings add to previous studies of AS which relied too heavily, or exclusively, on the voice of the seller. Finally, this study shed further light on the role played by SO in affecting customer-based performance.

This study aims to contribute to the ongoing discussion of how consumers approach shopping directly via social media by explicating decisions related to trust on social media and how various types of electronic word of mouth (eWOM; ratings and reviews, recommendations and referrals and social media communities) contribute to these decisions.

A total of 198 respondents with experience shopping directly via social media were instructed to select the platform on which they had the most shopping experience (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, etc.) to answer relevant survey questions. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used for analyzing the results.

Findings reveal that eWOM provided by strong ties (recommendations and referrals; social media communities) is superior to weak ties (ratings and reviews). Surprisingly, ratings and reviews do not significantly relate to trust in the retailer, suggesting that this information may be necessary but not sufficient for trusting retailers on social media.

This research distinguishes trust decisions related to shopping on social media and clarifies how each type of eWOM uniquely influences trust in the retailer by using tie strength theory.

The purpose of this study is to assess the suitability of religion and religiosity in small and medium-scale enterprises’ (SMEs) tax compliance in Ghanaian markets. The current research attempts to obtain insights into the advantages of Ghanaian religious notoriety in tax compliance based on the perceptions of entrepreneurs.

A questionnaire survey is the main tool used in this research. A total of 472 questionnaires were distributed to SMEs without Ghana revenue authority. Because of self-administered instrument, all the questionnaires were returned for analysis.

The results suggest that Ghanaian religious notoriety does not explain SMEs’ tax compliance and that tax evasion is seen as ethical. Institutional, firm and entrepreneurs’ characteristics are important determinants of SMEs’ tax compliance.

The results of this research paper will help regulators and Ghana Revenue Authority in developing tax compliance education without compromising on religion.

This paper provides empirical evidence of the suitability of religion and religiosity in emerging markets in general and Ghana in particular and enhances the level of understanding of SMEs’ tax compliance.