Factors in sales success.

For the job of combination agent, an objective measure of job performance was correlated with each of 17 other variables in a sample of 346 agents, on whom were also obtained scores on a test of life insurance knowledge and data on life insurance ownership. "The data presented are consistent with the conclusion that the salesman's belief in his product (as measured by his own buying behavior) and his motivation are more important in determining how well he does his job than is product knowledge. Length of service shows no significant relation to job performance." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An approach to an objective criterion for research managers.

Traditional clinical rating practices for evaluating research-manager performance are mainly subjective and fail to objectively quantify performance. This research shows that quantification is possible using operation-research techniques for group-centered evaluation. The technique was tested by evaluating manager performance in 4 dissimilar departments averaging 19 professional men each. An upper-management executive supplied comparative clinical ratings. A mathematical model provided a framework permitting objective study of each department's contribution in relation to company goals. The technique has exceptional analytical qualities and permits convenient quantification of research-manager performance. The results suggest that the validity of the clinical, subjective approach to management evaluation should be questioned. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of task performance, helping, voice, and organizational loyalty on performance appraisal ratings.

Despite the fact that several studies have investigated the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and performance appraisal ratings, the vast majority of these studies have been cross-sectional, correlational investigations conducted in organizational settings that do not allow researchers to establish the causal nature of this relationship. To address this lack of knowledge regarding causality, the authors conducted 2 studies designed to investigate the effects of task performance, helping behavior, voice, and organizational loyalty on performance appraisal evaluations. Findings demonstrated that each of these forms of behavior has significant effects on performance evaluation decisions and suggest that additional attention should be directed at both voice and organizational loyalty as important forms of citizenship behavior aimed at the organization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prediction of sales success from factorially determined dimensions of personal background data.

A concurrent validity study was made of the scores of 210 salesmen and 16 district managers on 15 personal background dimensions, identified previously by factor analysis. Differences between factor-score means for the manager and sales groups and for the upper- and lower-rated sales groups were significant for the factors Financial Responsibility (001, 001), Early Family Responsibility (01, 01), and Stability (001, 05). Multiple-regression analyses of the factor scores against each of 5 criterion measures of on-the-job behavior yielded correlations of 42, 50 and 36 for the 3 major criteria of overall performance, and mean and maximum sales volume rank. The criteria route difficulty and tenure gave correlations of 27 and 30. Interpretation of the highest-weighted factors in these analyses indicates the logical, dynamic relationships between personal background and job behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationships between general and specific attitudes toward work and objective job performance for outdoor advertising salesmen.

Product-moment correlations were computed between and among 10 scales measuring general and specific work attitudes and 2 objective, numerical measures of sales performance for 72 outdoor advertising salesmen who completed a 100-item attitude questionnaire. General work attitudes were positively related (r = .42, .46) to objective sales performance. In addition, attitudes toward supervision were strongly related to general work attitudes and other work aspects, suggesting that the supervisor really did represent the company to these salesmen who were on highly isolated jobs. Of some interest was the general low relationship between attitudes toward compensation and benefits to other attitudes and to actual job performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and ability factors in sales performance.

A variety of personality and ability tests were utilized in a study devised to isolate effective predictors of sales success and to study the various factors in sales performance. The Ss were 65 dealer salesmen employed by a mojr petroleum company. Objective criterion measures were developed using sales figures covering a 4-year period. After cross-validation 2 tests emerged as reliable predictors. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Arithmetic subtest yielded correlations with criterion measures in the low .30s. The Tomkins-Horn Picture Arrangement Test yielded correlations in the high .50s. On the latter test measures of dependence, sociophilia, self-confidence, and happiness were found in association with successful sales performances; measures of low aggression, sociophobia, and strong superego were found in association with poor performance. From Psyc Abstracts 36:05:5LD06M. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding performance ratings: Dynamic performance, attributions, and rating purpose.

The present two studies integrate and extend the literatures on dynamic performance, performance attributions, and rating purpose, making several important contributions. First, examining attributions of dynamic performance, Study 1 predicted that performance mean and trend would affect judged ratee ability and effort and that performance variation would affect locus of causality; both predictions were supported by the results. Second, investigating the interaction between dynamic performance and rating purpose, Study 2 predicted that performance mean would have a stronger impact on administrative than on developmental ratings, whereas performance trend and variation would have a stronger impact on developmental than on administrative ratings; again, both predictions were borne out by the results. Third, both studies found that performance trend interacted with performance mean and variability to predict overall ratings. Fourth, both studies replicated main effects of dynamic performance characteristics on ratings in a different culture and, in Study 2, a sample of more experienced managers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The roles of rater goals and ratee performance levels in the distortion of performance ratings.

The goal-directed perspective of performance appraisal suggests that raters with different goals will give different ratings. Considering the performance level as an important contextual factor, we conducted 2 studies in a peer rating context and in a nonpeer rating context and found that raters do use different rating tactics to achieve specific goals. Raters inflated their peer ratings under the harmony, fairness, and motivating goal conditions (Study 1, N = 103). More important, raters inflated their ratings more for low performers than for high and medium performers. In a nonpeer rating context, raters deflated ratings for high performers to achieve the fairness goal, and they inflated ratings for low performers to motivate them (Study 2, N = 120). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sociometric ratings as predictors of academic performance.

An experiment to determine the degree of accuracy with which sociometric ratings can be used to predict academic performance. A 14-item sociometric questionnaire was administered to 86 students before any academic grades were available. 2 rating measures, one emphasizing future job performance and the other dealing with personal adjustment, were found to be significantly related to academic performance (r = .40, p     

Predicting success in business.

Correlations were computed between earnings and each of 15 variables for 196 businessmen who had received the Master of Business Administration degree 15 years earlier. 4 correlations were significant at the 5% level. The highest, .24, was for offices held as an undergraduate. The other 3 were grades in elective graduate courses, Masculinity of the SVIB, and undergraduate professors' ratings. The group was reduced by omitting owner-operators. The remaining group constituted 116 employees. The only variable which correlated significantly with an Administrative-Level criterion was the SVIB scale for Personnel Director. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Presentation modality and indirect performance information: Effects on ratings, reactions, and memory.

The authors investigated whether raters integrate indirect (second-hand) information from an employee's co-worker with their direct observations when completing performance evaluations. Performance levels of direct and indirect information and presentation modality (auditory vs. textual) were manipulated (N=220). Results showed that indirect information was perceived to be of highest utility when the performance levels of the direct and indirect information were consistent. Confidence in performance ratings was lowest when the indirect source delivered negative performance feedback that was contrary to the rater's own positive observations. Indirect information was only reflected in the performance ratings when direct observations were positive. There was a significant 3-way interaction between performance level of the direct information, performance level of the indirect information, and presentation modality on memory for performance incidents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

包钢营销管理信息网络平台的构建与实施

通过对原销售业务流程再造,运用现代网络技术建立起包钢营销管理信息网络平台,使包钢的营销管理水平上了一个新台阶.     

Personality and job performance: Test of the mediating effects of motivation among sales representatives.

Research shows consistent relations between personality and job performance. In this study the authors develop and test a model of job performance that examines the mediating effects of cognitive-motivational work orientations on the relationships between personality traits and performance in a sales job (N=164). Covariance structural analyses revealed proximal motivational variables to be influential mechanisms through which distal personality traits affect job performance. Specifically, striving for status and accomplishment mediate the effects of Extraversion and Conscientiousness on ratings of sales performance. Although Agreeableness was related to striving for communion, neither Agreeableness nor communion striving was related to success in this sales job. The importance of the proposed motivational orientations model is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prediction of success from examination of performance during the training period.

Production during early weeks of the learning period was correlated with average production after completing learning for a group of power sewing machine operators. In accordance with initial hypotheses, correlations are low during the first few weeks, rising steadily as the learning period progresses, but remaining lower than those obtained in studies using learning performance criteria rather than ultimate level of proficiency. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting success in college: A longitudinal study of achievement goals and ability measures as predictors of interest and performance from freshman year through graduation.

The authors examined the role of achievement goals, ability, and high school performance in predicting academic success over students' college careers. First, the authors examined which variables predicted students' interest and performance in an introductory psychology course taken their first semester in college. Then, the authors followed students until they graduated to examine continued interest in psychology and performance in subsequent classes. Achievement goals, ability measures, and prior high school performance each contributed unique variance in predicting initial and long-term outcomes, but these predictors were linked to different educational outcomes. Mastery goals predicted continued interest, whereas performance-approach goals predicted performance. Ability measures and prior high school performance predicted academic performance but not interest. The findings support a multiple goals perspective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exploring how constraints created by other people influence intraindividual variation in objective performance measures.

Objective performance indicators have low test-retest reliability, particularly in complex jobs. Yet, little is actually known about the reasons why objective performance indicators lack temporal stability. The authors address this issue by using data from a sample of 106 professional football players to explore how the actions of other people influence intraindividual variation in performance. Results suggest that weekly measures of performance outcome exhibit substantial variability within individuals. A significant portion of this within-person variance is explained by environmental fluctuation created by the constraining actions of other people. Individuals with highly fluctuating past performance exhibit stronger relationships between the actions of competitors and subsequent performance outcomes. The intraindividual relationship between fluctuating constraints and performance outcomes is also stronger for individuals in more complex jobs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting success in supervisory training programs by the use of psychological tests.

How valid are the Wonderlic, How Supervise?, and the F scale in predicting success in supervisory training programs? S were students in a supervisory training course in a night school. The criterion was the grade received in the course. "It can be concluded that in this preselected homogeneous group the use of the How Supervise? Scale and the F Scale predicts with a high degree of accuracy those who are able to successfully complete a supervisory training course." Early in the course, the Wonderlic had predictive value but not later. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluating dynamic performance: The influence of salient Gestalt characteristics on performance ratings.

It is well recognized that performance changes over time. However, the effect of these changes on overall assessments of performance is largely unknown. In a laboratory experiment, we examined the influence of salient Gestalt characteristics of a dynamic performance profile on supervisory ratings. We manipulated performance trend (flat, linear-improving, linear-deteriorating, U-shaped, and ∩-shaped), performance variation (small, large), and performance mean (negative, zero, positive) within subjects and display format (graphic, tabular) between subjects. Participants received and evaluated information about the weekly performance of different employees over a simulated 26-week period. Results showed strong main effects on performance ratings of both performance mean and performance trend, as well as interactions with display format. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Faking by sales applicants of a forced choice personality inventory.

The Gordon Personal Profile was given to 265 sales employees of a food distributor, and to 471 employment applicants. Applicants scored significantly higher than employees on all scales. "Applicants practically never earn a minus value on any response while employees often do. Applicants never indicate as most like themselves some derogatory alternative in a tetrad… . Greater range in response among applicants can be obtained in several ways. For example four complimentary statements can be used in a tetrad of more subtle items." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)