Buyer/customer behavior--perceptions--negotiations--decision making.

Peterson, Robert M., and George H. Lucas (2001), "What Buyers Want Most from Salespeople: A View from the Senior Level," Business Horizons, 30 (October) 7, 576-586. [Inks]

Within the context of consultative selling (partnership selling), this study examines the characteristics buyers

want most in a salesperson. The dimensions identified through qualitative analysis as being required for effective selling (high level, consultative) include: expertise, contributions, representation, trustworthiness, and compatibility. The results of the study offer support for these proposed relationships. The authors suggest the selling organization must first decide the type of relationship it choose to seek with its customers. Finally, the authors provide implications for practitioners and study limitations.

Peterson, Robert M., and George H. Lucas (2001), "Expanding the Antecedent Component of the Traditional Business Negotiation Model: Pre-Negotiation Literature Review and Planning-Preparation Propositions," Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 9 (Fall), 1-13. [Gilliland]

The authors investigate an often-overlooked and important part of the negotiation process: pre-negotiation planning and preparation. Many successful negotiators attribute their success to the pre-negotiation phase, yet it is seldom examined in the academic literature. The authors suggest that pre-negotiation consists of intelligence gathering, formulation of goals and objectives, strategy development, and preparations for the actual negotiation. A set of research propositions is offered that tie characteristics of behaviors to an planning activities. More specifically, these in-level negotiator characteristics such as age and experience, level of education, gender, and national culture (which is examined from a Hofstede perspective), and situational constraints such as a competitive or collaborative bargaining position.

Rind, Bruce, and David Strohmetz (2001), "Effect of Beliefs About Future Weather Conditions on Restaurant Tipping," Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 31 (10), 2160-2164. [Reynolds]

The authors examine whether beliefs about future weather conditions affect restaurant tipping. An experimental design was used to test the research question. Participants included 60 parties (211 customers, with a mean of 3.5 per party) eating dinner in a mid-scale Italian restaurant in central New Jersey. A female server acted as the experimental accomplice. The server wrote on the back of customers' checks either nothing, that the weather would be good the next day, or that the weather would not be so good the next day. Giving a favorable forecast (22.21 percent) resulted in significantly higher tips, compared to writing nothing (18.75 percent) or giving an unfavorable forecast (18.18 percent). The results of the current study are in line with those of previous research. The authors conclude that beliefs about weather can affect mood and behavior.

Sharland, Alex (2001), "The Negotiation Process as a Predictor of Relationship Outcomes in International Buyer-Supplier Arrangement," Industrial Marketing Management, 30 (October) 7, 551-559. [Inks]

Long-term relationships are increasingly sought after by both buying and selling organizations. Often the relative success of the long-term relationship is a function of both parties' evaluation of the relationship at any give point in time. This paper examines the impact of negotiation process activities on relationship evaluation. The authors develop and test (using a sample of 193 members of the National Association of Purchasing Managers) "a model of negotiations activities and the impact on relationship evaluations." The results of the study suggest some support for the relationships specified in the model. Specifically, the results indicate that "marketing managers can discern clues during the negotiation process that indicate the likelihood of a successful relationship."

Swanson, Scott R., and Scott W. Kelley (2001), "Service Recovery Attributions and Word-of-Mouth Intentions," European Journal of Marketing, 35 (1/2), 194-211. [Reynolds]

The study investigates the impact of service recovery attributions on consumers' intentions to engage in word-of-mouth after the service recovery. Respondents are presented with satisfactory service recovery scenarios that vary with regard to stability (perceived likelihood of reoccurrence) and locus (responsibility of the recovery). Three services industries are examined. The results show that when service failures are effectively resolved, consumers are shown a strong motivation to engage in positive word-of mouth relating to their experience. Stability and locus also interact to influence consumer intentions to share a service recovery experience. Shorter service recovery times were also found to be associated with a stronger propensity to share information and give recommendations.