1Research Scholar, BSMED, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, T.N
2Professor & Director, BSMED, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, T.N
3Professor, Loyola Institute of Technology and Science, K.K Dist, T.N
Online published on 4 August, 2018.
Retail sales people play a minor role in the success of retail organizations. They are labeled as order fillers (Dubinsky & Mattson, 1979). Researchers differ on this opinion that, it may not be right in the case of Gems and Jewellery Industry. Research in the Indian context, especially in Gems and Jewellery Industry is scarce. An attempt has been made to study and understand the relationship between ‘Selfefficacy’ with respect to ‘Retail sales person effectiveness’ in two geographical regions and divisions.
The objective of the study is to examine the relationship between Self-efficacy of retail sales person’ related to ‘Sales person effectiveness’ in an emerging market economy like India as well as to discover the similarity or difference among the regions and divisions studied.
The South Indian operation of a national retail jeweller provided the research provenance from which two regions and two divisions were selected for the study. Systematic random sampling was adopted. A sample size of ‘152’ retail sales executives with an experience of 1–4 years from two regions and two divisions were selected for the purpose of the study. Self-efficacy was assessed with the General self-efficacy scale of Schwarzer & Jerusalem (1999) and Sales person effectiveness was assessed by using Sales Personnel Sales effectiveness scale (SES) of Assissi Menachery & R. Venkatapathy (1999).
The result shows that there is a positive relationship between Self-efficacy and ‘Retail sales person effectiveness’ across the regions and product divisions studied.
Based on the results it can be concluded that Retail industry requires hiring the right personnel, to excel among the competitors. Nurturing and developing the managerial skills suiting to the region and specific training needs may be considered by the company. Allocation of competent and result oriented sales executives and balance them in both divisions and regions would be an operational objective that HR department may set.
Effectiveness, Gems and Jewellery Industry, Retail sales person effectiveness, Sales, Selfefficacy
