This chapter introduces the research background, problem statement, research purposes, and research questions, significance of the study, limitations, delimitations and definition of terms.
Background of the Research
With the financial crisis spreading all over the world since 2008, the unemployment rate has increased. Not only many employees are laid off, but some of companies close the vacancies for recruiting. According to the Quarterly National Economic Trends proposed by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan (2009), the unemployment rate all over the world has increased, including in Taiwan, to 5.6% in the first quarter of 2009. The details of unemployment rate refer to Table 1.1. Shi (2007) mentioned that according to reliable accounting reports, the unemployment rate in young adults is higher than the overall unemployment rate and high education graduates complain that they cannot find jobs.
On the other hand, employers complain that their HR staff cannot seek the right people to fit in the limited positions in the organization. The report from the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan (2009), showing that in 2009, the unemployment rate is up to 5.6%, but there are still many job vacancies waiting to be applied for.
When facing the current high unemployment rate, some researchers restart to examine the employability of workers. But employment and employability are different concepts. Employment means that someone can get a job in reality within
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several months, but employability means one should be prepared and have sufficient ability in order to be employed (Little, 2001).
Table 1.1.
Source: ILO, OECD, Singapore Ministry of Manpower
Note: 1. The figures of Germany are registered unemployment rates 2. Data from France are seasonally adjusted
According to the report from the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan (2009), showing that the vacancy rate in Taiwan has been reduced since 1997, and in 2008 the vacancy was 135,822. The details refer to Table 1.2. That explains why employers still open positions to job hunters and require human power. The research report from 104 Job Bank’s Corporation, the largest website for human resources service in Taiwan, pointing that in 2009 many companies still need to recruit employees. The result estimates the needs for sales (29.6%),
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marketing (12.2%), and engineer research (10.6%) are still targeted. If job hunters upgrade and strengthen their employability to meet the demands of the employers, they might have higher chance to be recruited.
Table 1.2.
Vacancy of Industry and Service in Taiwan
Industry and Service Industry Service
Year
Vacancy Rate of vacancy Vacancy Rate of
vacancy Vacancy Rate of vacancy
1997 204,104 3.39 120,705 3.92 83,399 2.84
1998 204,618 3.41 115,268 3.78 89,350 3.02
1999 201,829 3.32 113,616 3.72 88,213 2.92
2000 205,271 3.33 113,745 3.70 91,526 2.96
2001 177,341 3.03 97,027 3.38 80,314 2.70
2002 161,483 2.79 93,902 3.29 67,581 2.30
2003 151,750 2.61 90,472 3.16 61,278 2.07
2004 153,808 2.54 91,061 3.08 62,747 2.03
2005 158,041 2.58 93,476 3.15 64,565 2.04
2006 165,217 2.65 99,421 3.30 65,796 2.04
2007 160,325 2.53 92,648 3.05 67,677 2.06
2008 135,822 2.13 74,770 2.45 61,052 1.84
Source: Directorate-general of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, 2009.
Statement of the Problem
Shi (2007) mentioned that many people are unwilling to seek for sales jobs,
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because, from their impressions, they consider it as a job which requires a lot of hard work. Instead, people prefer to seek for administration positions, or paperwork jobs.
Without understanding the required employability, it is a pity to quit seeking sales positions. In addition, there are many sales vacancies waiting outside. Stevens (1989) suggested that different types of sales work require their own unique configuration of traits and qualities. For example, extroverted, energetic, optimistic, competitive, patient, self-confident, team-oriented, cooperating, people-person, and some other traits and qualities are regarded as required typical characteristics for being a successful salesperson.
In general, employability represents a set of comprehensive abilities, skills, traits, and competencies. Many researchers proposed the definitions and dimensions of employability differently, but the researchers targeted in salesperson’s employability skills in this research. Sherer and Eadie (1987) proposed that employability skills are not job specific, but are skills which cut horizontally across all industries and vertically across all jobs from entry level to chief executive officer.
Although a large number of studies have been made on employability, little is known about salesperson’s employability skills. Besides, little attention has been given to the point that salesperson with different gender, age, and positions may require different set of employability skills. As a result, so far the study of salesperson employability skills has been superficial.
Purposes of the Research
Employability is becoming an important issue, especially in the years when more and more people are unemployed and they reexamine what their employability skills
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are. The data from 104 Job Bank’s Corporation shows that many companies still need to recruit salespersons in 2009. From the literature review, there are many researchers that studied what is employability, but the study of salesperson employability skills has been strangely neglected. As a result, the researcher attempted to investigate the importance of the salesperson’s employability skills from the view of current salespersons in Taiwan, and whether the importance of employability skills are regarded differently from salespersons with different gender, age, and positions. By comparing the different group’s view to employability skills, the result could be viewed as a reference for further training, or recruit arrangement. As for other variables of the subjects in this research, those are not the researcher’s present concern.
Questions of the Research
In this research, the researcher attempts to answer the questions as below:
1. Speaking of employability’s importance, what is the ranking of salesperson employability skills from the perception of salespersons?
2. Do different genders of salespersons view salesperson employability skills differently?
3. Do salespersons with different ages view salesperson employability skills differently?
4. Do salespersons, senior salespersons, and sales managers view salesperson employability skills differently?
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Significance of the Research
Employability is about having the capabilities to gain initial employment, maintain employment and obtain new employment if required (Hillage & Pollard, 1998). Many studies revealed what competency, traits, skills, employability skills a successful salesperson should have, but there is little attention has been given to the point of the study on salesperson employability skills. In the first place, the researcher attempts to explore a salesperson’s employability framework in this research. In the second place, a close look at the ranking of salesperson’s employability skills will reveal that which items of employability skills are regarded imperative to sales founded on current worker’s observation. Furthermore, this research explores the importance of salesperson employability skills by gender, age, and position difference.
In brief, this research contributes to help salespersons and job hunters for sales position have a clear idea in which aspects they should strengthen in order to obtain and maintain their employability skills as a priority.
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Delimitations and Limitations
Delimitation
This research has a few delimitations. Related to the subjects, it is delimited to in Taiwan and not generalized to other countries. Also based on the research purpose, it is delimited to salespersons in Taiwan and was not generalized to all positions in the organization. This research is delimited to the demographic data of gender, age, and position of subjects; because these variables are what the researcher is interested in for this study.
Limitations
Besides the fact that people use different words to define the term
“Employability” from country to country, many researchers use different terms to define the concept of employability, such as core skills, key skills, generic skills, personal transferable skills, common skills, work, work skills or employment skills.
Also, skills relate to the other terms, such as capabilities, competencies or attributes (Lees, 2002). This all makes salesperson employability skills more difficult to construct, dimension, and conceptualize. The instrument of this research is derived from literature review. For example, “Employability Skill Frameworks” (Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry & Business Council of Australia [ACCI/BCA], 2002) is one of the employability frameworks used to construct the questionnaire of this research. This was originally used in the Australian industry and leading business enterprises in Australia. The details refer to Chapter II. Moreover, for the purpose of the thesis and given the time frame and the budget, the samples are limited.
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Definition of Terms
Employability
Employability means one should be prepared to be employed. Employability skills framework includes communication, teamwork, problem solving, initiative and enterprise, planning and organizing, self-management, learning, and technology (Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry & Business Council of Australia, 2002).
Competency
Competencies are characteristics that individuals have and use in appropriate, consistent ways in order to achieve desired performance levels. These characteristics include knowledge, skills and aspects of self-image, social motives, and traits, thought patterns, mind-sets, and ways of thinking, feeling and acting.
Salesperson
A sale is the pinnacle activity involved in selling products or services in return for money or other compensation. It is an act of completion of a commercial activity.
A salesperson is the one who executes the above job description. Steven identified four major types of sales specializations, such as closing sales, consultative sales, relationship sales, and display sales. Also, salespersons are also known as salespeople, salesman, sales, sales representatives, and so on.
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