Alcohol Abuse in the Sales Force |
| |
| Authors: | W E Patton Michael Questell |
| |
| Institution: | 1. W. E. Patton, III (DBA, University of Colorado) is Professor of Marketing at Appalachian State University. He has over ten years of experience in sales and sales management in the automobile industry. His current research interests are field sales force management and industrial marketing. His articles have appeared in the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research, and Journal of Consumer Affairs. He is past editor of the Appalachian Business Review, serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Marketing Education, and is a vice-president of the Southern Marketing Association.;2. Michael Questell (B.S. in Physics, MBA, Appalachian State University) has served in technical systems and sales positions with Teledyne-Alvac and Electronic Data Systems. |
| |
| Abstract: | AbstractMuch of the literature on the problem of alcohol abuse in the nation and in the work place implies that salespeople should be particularly susceptible to problem drinking. Most discussion of alcohol abuse by salespeople has been anecdotal and speculative in nature, however, and little empirical research has been reported to support the anecdotes and speculations. This study examines the problem of sales force alcohol abuse and reports the findings of a nationwide survey of field sales managers concerning the extent of this problem in the nation's sales forces, the methods of dealing with alcohol-abusing salespeople, and factors related to problem drinking in the sales force. Implications for sales managers, sales management educators and trainers, and researchers in the field of sales and sales management are also discussed. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
