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Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Brian C. Briggeman / Trust has been considered an integral part of maintaining any successful business relationship, and without trust, a business transaction would likely not occur. While trust has been a necessary component of these transactions, there remains to be minimal research on if customers truly value trustworthiness in a sales representative. And if customers do indeed value a trusted relationship, little is known how sales representatives can best enhance these trusted relationships. The primary objective of this research was twofold; first the economic value of trust and its components was estimated in a loan officer and farmer relationship, and second, was identifying the most effective ways that loan officers or sales representatives can increase their own trustworthiness with farmers. An online survey distributed to Kansas farmers was composed of three main components; general trust section, a best-worst simulation, and a choice experiment section. The general trust section motivated respondents to think about their perceptions of trustworthiness. In a best-worst simulation, respondents indicated which statements most and least represented the four trust components. The last section prompted respondents to report the trust score of their current loan officer and ranked that loan officer against hypothetical loan officers. Using a rank-ordered logit, the willingness to pay (WTP) estimates were calculated, giving insight to the most valued components of trust. Results from the choice experiment show that farmers greatly value self-orientation far above the other three trust components. On average, farmers are willing to pay .90% interest rate for a loan officer to be very focused on them and their operation. For a very credible and a very reliable loan officer, farmers were willing to pay .80%. Intimacy, or strong connection between the loan officer and farmer, was a distant last with farmers only willing to pay .40%. In conclusion, Kansas farmers do place economic value on trust in a business relationship. Self-orientation was the most valued trust component, and sales representatives who want to deepen a trusted relationship should focus on bettering themselves. This paper will generate ample discussion as it is a significant contribution to the literature on trust in business relationships.

This thesis in the first part deals with the work of sales representatives. In the second part is presented the company UniCredit Leasing CZ, in which it analyzedis by work management control of sales representatives - employees and the representatives of the self-employed. The thesis compares two models rank sales representative, and external and internal management sales representative. The conclusion is evaluated the situation researched the company and suggasted recommendations to improve the management of business performance data and also to determine whether the position of sales representative, which is controlled by externally, has the potential and prospects in the future.

Small retailers are searching for a basis of competitive advantage to compete against larger retailers. The independent sales representative (rep) may represent such a basis. Little is known about how the role of reps and their performance is perceived by suppliers and retailers. We do not know what is expected from reps, if the reps' performance meets suppliers and retailers expectations, or whether met expectations lead to a basis of competitive advantage. Primarily, the study was designed to identify the role and contributions reps in the interactions between the supplier and retailer in the channel of distribution.

Companies from multiple branches use as one way to offer their products and services network of sales representatives. This thesis study mainly designing process of such network and process of planning day to day routes of sales representatives with focus on minimizing cost caused by their work. For designing such network set covering problem model and matching problem model were used. For planning sales representatives routes travelling salesman problem, multiple salesperson travelling salesman problem, vehicle routing problem, nearest neighbor heuristic and authors own solution were used. Usage of multicriterial decision making is briefly mentioned as tool for managing such network on examples of equipment selection. As demonstration on real case, data from Tata Global Beverages (Jemča) company were used.

Technology is becoming more central to people’s lives than ever before, and the most widely embraced technological device on the consumer market are mobile phones. This creates an ever-increasing market place for mobile apps, which during 2016 had revenues amounted to 88.3 billion U.S. dollars. The number is expected to increase, and together is estimated to generate 188.9 billion U.S. dollars in revenues 2020. One of the industries affected by this strong online presence is direct selling, where branded mobile apps have started to be used as a sales tool for sales representatives. The apps aim to facilitate the sales representatives’ daily work and bring new opportunities to engage with the end customers in a more convenient way. However, limited research exists about how the sales representatives experience the branded mobile apps in the industry. The purpose of this paper is to explore the sales representatives’ behavior and attitude towards using branded mobile apps within the direct selling industry. This study has been conducted by a quantitative descriptive and exploratory study using a survey. Sales representatives that placed an order exceeding 100 Euros during the last three weeks in five Western culture countries for one direct selling company were targeted. In total, 460 responses were gathered. The result gave some valuable insights although the initial hypothesized benefits could not be confirmed. The findings instead suggest separate items that contributed the most to sales representatives’ satisfaction and purchase intentions. In order to increase satisfaction among sales representatives, branded mobile apps used in direct sales should 1) facilitate the interaction with the company, 2) be easy to navigate with, 3) provide relevant information, 4) be convenient to shop from, and finally 5) work as a good conversation topic in a social context. Further on, the item identified to have the greatest contribution to purchase intentions is how convenient the app is to shop from, i.e. the same as number 4) above. The future challenge for the direct selling industry and its managers is thus to take advantage of these insights and further study how the attributes more practically can be implemented for their business. By focusing on these actions in the creation and development of branded mobile apps, the direct selling industry can expect to achieve higher satisfaction among their sales representatives and also increase their purchase intentions. / Dagens teknik har blivit en allt mer central del i människors liv, och den vanligaste enheten på konsumentmarknaden idag är mobiltelefoner. Detta har skapat en ständigt ökande marknad för mobilappar, som år 2016 genererade 88.3 miljarder U.S. dollar. Antalet appanvändare framöver förväntas att öka, och tillsammans generera 188.9 miljarder U.S. dollar i intäkter år 2020. En av de branscher som påverkats av denna starka närvaro online är direktförsäljning, där appar har börjat användas som försäljningsverktyg för konsulenterna. Apparna syftar till att underlätta konsulenternas dagliga arbete och ge nya möjligheter att engagera sig med slutkunderna på ett lättare och mer fördelaktigt sätt. Dock existerar det lite forskning och kännedom om hur konsulenterna upplever användandet av appar i branschen. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att undersöka försäljningsrepresentanternas beteende och attityd gentemot att använda appar inom direktförsäljningsbranschen. Studien har varit både beskrivande och undersökande, och har genomförts genom en samla in kvantitativ data med hjälp av en enkätundersökning. Kunder som har lagt en order över 100 Euros de tre senaste veckorna i fem västeuropeiska länder för ett direktförsäljningsföretag har studerats. Totalt erhölls 460 svar. Resultatet gav flertalet värdefulla insikter, även om de initiala hypoteserna syftade till att undersöka olika fördelar inte kunde bekräftas. Resultaten föreslår istället separata aspekter med störst påverkan på hur nöjda konsulenterna är, samt deras köpintentioner. För att öka nöjdheten bland konsulenter bör appar som används i direktförsäljning 1) underlätta samspelet med företaget, 2) vara lätta att navigera med, 3) tillhandahålla relevant information, 4) vara bekväm att handla från och slutligen 5) fungera som ett bra samtalsämne i ett socialt sammanhang. Vidare kunde det ses att den identifierade aspekten som bidrar mest till konsultenternas köpintentioner är hur bekvämt appen är att handla från, det vill säga samma aspekt som identifierades för konsulenters tillfredställelse under nummer 4) ovan. Den framtida utmaningen för direktförsäljningsindustrin och dess chefer är således att utnyttja dessa insikter och studera vidare hur dessa aspekter kan lämpas mer i praktiken för deras företag. Genom att fokusera på dessa åtgärder vid skapandet och utvecklingen av appar kan direktförsäljningsindustrin räkna med att erhålla högre tillfredsställelse bland sina konsulenter, samt att även öka deras köpintentioner.

Thesis in the first part deals with the theoretical background for the analysis of the educational system. It describes the different phases of the educational system and possible approaches to training staff. The next part is a practical analysis of the education system of sales representatives at Top Moravia Q. This study focuses on introductory training for sales representatives and subsequent training, a personal training manager, working meeting and seminars. Through qualitative and quantitative research investigated the views of program participants on its meaning, effectiveness and contribution. The final part of the evaluation of the findings made and formulated recommendations for improving the program and the educational system as a whole. Also evaluated the overall company's approach to educational activities.

Submitted by Mariana Dornelles Vargas (marianadv) on 2015-03-23T19:23:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 desempenho_representantes.pdf: 1655903 bytes, checksum: 48911914e86e19e15e097422c36dc5f7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-23T19:23:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 desempenho_representantes.pdf: 1655903 bytes, checksum: 48911914e86e19e15e097422c36dc5f7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Nenhuma / O objetivo deste estudo é avaliar o desempenho dos representantes da indústria farmacêutica no Estado de Goiás. No contexto de serviços eles desempenham o seu papel, transmitindo o conhecimento obtido por suas empresas, relacionado à pesquisa e desenvolvimento de seus produtos, para os clientes-médicos, como forma de auxiliá-los no processo decisório. A estratégia de pesquisa compreendeu duas fases; na exploratória, detalharam-se como as estratégias de marketing do setor farmacêutico são aplicadas na prestação de serviços e como estão estruturadas para estabelecer relacionamentos e promover a troca de informações e conhecimento com os médicos. A fase descritiva envolveu a coleta de dados qualitativos e uma pesquisa quantitativa conduzida com uma amostra de 218 representantes. Guiado pelas Teorias da Administração de Serviços e da Dinâmica do Papel Organizacional desenvolveu-se um modelo teórico e hipóteses de trabalho que testaram, por meio da técnica da Modelagem de Equações Estruturais, as relações existentes entre as dimensões da qualidade e da produtividade no desempenho com o controle percebido sobre a tarefa, o sistema de suporte da supervisão, os fatores desencadeantes do estresse e as tendências à saturação (burnout) destes funcionários. Os resultados indicaram a predominância de um modelo de trabalho caracterizado por elevados níveis de estresse e de saturação, com potencial para fortalecer os aspectos disfuncionais ao desempenho e, consequentemente, interferir nas dimensões técnicas e funcionais do encontro do serviço. / This study aims to evaluate the current status of the perfomance of the pharmaceutical industry sales representatives who work in the State of Goias. In the context of services, they play their role by transmitting the knowledge gained by their companies, related to research and development of its products to the physicians as a way to assist them in the decision making. The research strategy comprised two phases. The exploratory one detailed how marketing strategies are applied in providing services and how the pharmaceutical industry is structured to establish relationships and promote the exchange of information and knowledge with physicians. The descriptive phase involved the collection of qualitative and quantitative data from a sample of 218 sales representatives. Guided by the Services Administration and the Dynamics of Organizational Role Theories, this study also developed a theoretical model and working hypotheses that tested by the technique of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) the relationship between the dimensions of productivity and quality of perfomance with the perceived control on the task, the support system of supervision, the role stressors and burnout tendencies of these employees. The results indicated the predominance of a working model characterized by high levels of stress and burnout, with the potential to strengthen the dysfunctional aspects of performance and thus interfere with the technical and functional dimensions of service encounter.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T16:44:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Thais Cristina de Barros Nobrega.pdf: 1113760 bytes, checksum: 4a2b8c5cdddff897567dde0af48ba8b2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-10-24 / People are in constant interaction in organization. These interactions develop a network of relationships in which different elements are exchanged, among them we have knowledge. Usually these exchanges happen by way of common routine activities over conversations, situation sharing and while performing tasks. This process is called informal learning. So that knowledge may become a competitive advantage, companies must encourage social interactions in the network, learning the nature of the content exchanged and which are the people who carry out an important role in the process of informal learning, which means who the reference-actors are in the organization. This dissertation is a case study of a network of sales representatives from a pharmaceutical laboratory. Its aim is to evaluate what is relevant in defining of a reference-actor in this network, in view of technical knowledge. The study was performed in two stages: a) a focus group was conducted with 15 representatives to better define the problem and b) a quantitative study was conducted with 149 sales representatives. Data analysis was performed using the metrics of Social Network Analysis and sociograms, and also the variables to verify hypotheses. The study results revealed that the choice of a reference-actor is made individually, based on the perception of those who choose. It was concluded that technical knowledge is an important attribute in the choice of a referenceactor, however, relevant knowledge is the one recognized by the peers and deals with general knowledge, since the reference-actors are the same, regardless of the nature of the knowledge. Nonetheless, what happened was that the definition of a reference-actor in this network, the relationships established among the actors are more decisive than the technical knowledge this actor may possess. That is, the choice of an actor as source of information is more tied to the level of trust and closeness this actor has with the one who chose than with his expertise. The results also revealed that there are strong and cohesive subgroups in this network, but no interaction among these subgroups making this network weak, diluted with an untapped potential and unable to generate social capital / de relacionamentos em que diferentes elementos são trocados, dentre os quais está o conhecimento. Geralmente, estas trocas acontecem por meio de atividades cotidianas e corriqueiras, durante conversas, compartilhamento de situações e a realização de tarefas. Esse processo é chamado de aprendizagem informal. Para que o conhecimento se torne uma vantagem competitiva, as empresas devem incentivar as interações sociais na rede, conhecer a natureza do conteúdo trocado e quem são as pessoas que desempenham um papel importante no processo de aprendizagem informal, ou seja, quem são os atores-referência na organização. Esta dissertação é um estudo de caso de uma rede de representantes de vendas de um laboratório farmacêutico. Seu objetivo é avaliar o que é relevante na definição de um atorreferência nesta rede, na perspectiva do conhecimento técnico. A pesquisa foi realizada em duas etapas: a) foi realizado um grupo focal com 15 representantes para melhor definir a problemática e b) foi realizada uma pesquisa quantitativa com 149 representantes de vendas. A análise dos dados foi feita por meio das métricas de Análise de Redes Sociais e sociogramas, além das variáveis para verificação das hipóteses. Os resultados da pesquisa revelaram que a escolha de um ator-referência é feita de forma individual, baseada na percepção de quem escolhe. Concluiu-se que o conhecimento técnico é um atributo importante na escolha do ator-referência, porém, o conhecimento relevante é aquele reconhecido pelos pares e trata-se de um conhecimento geral, já que os atores-referência são os mesmos, independente da natureza do conhecimento. No entanto, o que se verificou foi que para a definição de um ator-referência nesta rede, as relações estabelecidas entre os atores são mais determinantes que o conhecimento técnico que este ator possui. Ou seja, a escolha de um ator como fonte de consulta está mais atrelada ao nível de confiança e à proximidade que este ator possui com que o escolheu do que com sua expertise. Os resultados também revelaram que nesta rede existem subgrupos fortes e coesos, porém não há interação entre estes subgrupos fazendo com que esta seja uma rede fraca, diluída, com um potencial subaproveitado e incapaz de gerar capital social

Bioethics, medicines, interests conflict and quality controlThe article analyzes the problems of pharmaceutical advertising that distorts, exaggerates or hides certain information (side effects of drugs), as well as the work of pharmaceutical sales  representatives, the problem of drugs’ risk, marketing authorization, access to drugs, therapeutic practice, conflicts of interest, and quality control in medicine. These issues have a greater importance in public health; since the lack of respect for the fundamental principles of bioethics (benefit, not harm, autonomy and consent) has a direct impact on the health of the population. / El artículo analiza la problemática de la publicidad farmacéutica que deforma, exagera o esconde ciertas informaciones (efectos secundarios de los medicamentos), así como la labor de los visitadores médicos, el problema del riesgo medicamentoso, la autorización de comercialización, el acceso a los medicamentos, la practica terapéutica, los conflictos de intereses y el control de calidad en medicina. Estos temas tienen una importancia mayor en salud pública, ya que el no respetar los principios fundamentales de bioética (beneficencia, no maleficencia, autonomía y consentimiento) incide directamente sobre el estado de salud de la población