業務人員就業力之相關研究

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(1)A Study on the Salesperson Employability Skills in Taiwan . by Sung-Mao Chang A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION Major: International Workforce Education and Development. Advisor: Chih-chien Steven Lai, Ph. D. National Taiwan Normal University Taipei, Taiwan June, 2009.

(2) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First, I would like to recognize the opportunity provided to me by the IWED (Graduate Institute of International Workforce Education and Development, National Taiwan Normal University). Within the two years, I have learned a lot from IWED professors and classmates. Most grateful to my academic and thesis advisor Dr. Steven Chih-Chien Lai for the support provided throughout the study period. Also sincere thanks to the other members of my thesis committee members for their support and invaluable comments provided throughout the research process.. Furthermore, thanks to my graduate. colleagues for their comments and useful suggestions during the study period. Particular thanks to Ada, Marcus, and Yusupha for their suggestions and criticisms. Special thanks to my sister – May, with her help I could collect expected copies of samples. Also many thanks to Tim for his insightful advice and support particularly during the data analyses stage. The statistical analysis and use of the SPSS software would not have been easy without his intervention in providing those thoughtful suggestions. Finally, many thanks to my family members for their patients and understanding accorded during these difficult times. Their support, love and care have been the means for the strength of will and commitment exhibited during the research period..

(3) ABSTRACT. Employment and employability are not the same thing. Being employed means having a job; for people who are not adequately prepared, having a job is likely to be a temporary condition. Being employable means possessing qualities needed to maintain employment and progress in the workplace. This research placed an emphasis on salespersons. The researcher discovered that many articles mentioned the different traits, skills, competency, and characteristics of a salesperson, and in some nations, the concepts of competency and employability are regarded the same meaning. But little attention has been given to the point of salesperson’s employability skills. As a result, the purpose of this study is to examine salesperson employability skills. The research results are presented in descriptive and inferential statistics. Both independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA were used during the analytical stage. The researcher developed the 32 salesperson employability items, and such as interpersonal skills, emotional quotient, the attitude of working, learning attitude, and the sense of responsibility are the top five of important items as suggested by the subjects. However, Internet marketing ability, financial management related skills, Microsoft Office software application skills, basic computer skills, and English proficiency are the last five items as suggest by the subjects in this research. The result meets some scholars’ researches in the previous studies. In addition, people in different gender, age, and positions have different opinions for the importance of employability skills items.. Key words: competency, salesperson, employability skills. I.

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(5) TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT. ................................................................................................................. I. TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. III LIST OF TABLES ..............................................................................................................V LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... VII CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................…1 Background of the Reserach ..........................................................................................….1 Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................................3 Purposes of the Reserach ....................................................................................................4 Questions of the Research...................................................................................................5 Significance of the Research...............................................................................................6 Delimitations and Limitations.............................................................................................7 Definition of Terms ............................................................................................................8 CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW ...........................................................................9 Employability.....................................................................................................................9 Required Employability for Salesperson .........................................................................23 Employability Framework for Salesperson .......................................................................31 CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................35 Research Framework ........................................................................................................35 Research Method ............................................................................................................36 Research Procedure ........................................................................................................36 Instrumentation ................................................................................................................39 Sampling ..........................................................................................................................42 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................................44 CHAPTER IV. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS............................................................47 The Importance of Employability Skills from Salespersons’ Perception ..........................47 The Importance of Salesperson Employability Skills by Gender Difference......................54 III.

(6) The Importance of Salesperson Employability Skills by Age Difference...........................56 The Importance of Salesperson Employability Skills by Position Difference ....................58 Summary..........................................................................................................................68 CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMNEDATIONS ....................................71 Conclusions......................................................................................................................71 Recommendations ............................................................................................................73 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................77 APPENDIX A. QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SALESPERSON EMPLOYABILITY SURVEY (CHINESE VERSION) ..........................................................83 APPENDIX B. QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SALESPERSON EMPLOYABILITY SURVEY (ENGLISH VERSION) ..........................................................87. IV.

(7) LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1. Unemployment Rate of Nations .............................................................................2 Table 1.2. Vacancy of Industry and Service in Taiwan ............................................................3 Table 2.1. Definitions of Employability From Different Researchers....................................12 Table 2.2. Employability Skills Framework..........................................................................13 Table 2.3. Employability Skills and Contributions................................................................16 Table 2.4. Employability Skills from National Youth Commission.......................................17 Table 2.5. Employability Skills 2000+..................................................................................18 Table 2.6. Characteristics of Four Major Types of Salespeople .............................................26 Table 2.7. Competency Mode...............................................................................................28 Table 2.8. Employability Skills ............................................................................................33 Table 3.1. Reliability Statistics .............................................................................................41 Table 3.2. Reliability of Scales .............................................................................................41 Table 3.3. Data of Variables by Entries and Values ...............................................................43 Table 3.4. Coding System Using in SPSS Data Analysis ......................................................45 Table 4.1. The Ranking of Salesperson Employability..........................................................48 Table 4.2. Results of Independent Samples T-test on Gender................................................55 Table 4.3. Results of Independent Samples T-test on Age.....................................................57 Table 4.4. Result of One-way ANOVA for Basic Computer Skills .......................................59 Table 4.5. Post Hoc Tests for Basic Computer Skills against Position ...................................59 Table 4.6. Result of One-way ANOVA for MS Office Application Skills.............................60 Table 4.7. Post Hoc Tests for MS Office Application Skills against Position ........................60 Table 4.8. Result of One-way ANOVA for Internet Marketing Ability .................................61 Table 4.9. Post Hoc Tests for InternetMarketingAbility against Position .............................61 Table 4.10. Result of One-way ANOVA for Collaboration with Others................................62 V.

(8) Table 4.11. Post Hoc Tests for Collaboration with Others against Position............................62 Table 4.12. Result of One-way ANOVA for Team Conflict Resolutions ..............................63 Table 4.13. Post Hoc Tests for Team Conflict Resolutions against Position ..........................63 Table 4.14. Result of One-way ANOVA for the Ability to Acquire New Knowledge ...........64 Table 4.15. Post Hoc Tests for the Ability to Acquire New Knowledge against Position .......64 Table 4.16. Result of One-way ANOVA for Willingness to Learn........................................65 Table 4.17. Post Hoc Tests for Willingness to Learn against Position ...................................65 Table 4.18. Result of One-way ANOVA for Career Planning ...............................................66 Table 4.19. Post Hoc Tests for Career Planning against Position...........................................66 . VI.

(9) LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1. The Conceptual Framework ...............................................................................35 Figure 3.2. Research Procedure............................................................................................38. VII.

(10) CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. 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 1.

(11) several months, but employability means one should be prepared and have sufficient ability in order to be employed (Little, 2001). Table 1.1. Unemployment Rate of Nations. Unit: %. Period R.O.C. U.S.A. Japan Germany France U.K.. Italy. South Korea. Singapore H.K.. P.R.C.. 1997. 2.7. 4.9. 3.4. 11.5. 10.8. 7.1. 11.5. 2.6. 1.4. 2.2. 3.0. 1998. 2.7. 4.5. 4.1. 11.1. 10.3. 6.1. 11.7. 6.8. 2.5. 4.7. 3.1. 1999. 2.9. 4.2. 4.7. 10.5. 10.0. 6.0. 11.4. 6.3. 2.8. 6.2. 3.1. 2000. 3.0. 4.0. 4.7. 9.6. 8.6. 5.5. 10.5. 4.4. 2.7. 4.9. 3.1. 2001. 4.6. 4.8. 5.0. 9.4. 7.8. 4.8. 9.5. 4.0. 2.7. 5.1. 3.6. 2002. 5.2. 5.8. 5.4. 9.8. 7.9. 5.1. 9.0. 3.3. 3.6. 7.3. 4.0. 2003. 5.0. 6.0. 5.3. 10.5. 8.5. 4.8. 8.7. 3.6. 4.0. 7.9. 4.3. 2004. 4.4. 5.5. 4.7. 10.6. 8.8. 4.6. 8.0. 3.7. 3.4. 6.8. 4.2. 2005. 4.1. 5.1. 4.4. 11.7. 8.8. 5.0. 7.7. 3.7. 3.1. 5.6. 4.2. 2006. 3.9. 4.6. 4.1. 10.8. 8.8. 5.4. 6.8. 3.5. 2.7. 4.8. 4.1. 2007. 3.9. 4.6. 3.9. 9.0. 8.0. 5.3. 6.1. 3.2. 2.1. 4.0. 4.0. 2008. 4.1. 5.8. 4.0. 7.8. 7.4. 5.7. 6.8. 3.2. 2.4. 3.5. 4.2. 2009*. 5.6*. 8.8*. 4.6*. 8.5*. .... 7.1*. .... 3.8*. 2.9*. 5.1*. 4.3*. 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%), 2.

(12) 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. Industry and Service Year. Vacancy. Rate of vacancy. Vacancy. Rate of vacancy. Service 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, 3.

(13) 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 4.

(14) 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?. 5.

(15) 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.. 6.

(16) 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.. 7.

(17) 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.. 8.

(18) CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW. In this chapter, we present the literature review regarding the “importance of employability”, including definition of employability and different views of employability; “Required employability skills for Salesperson”: currently what employability skills salesperson should have; “Employability Framework for Salesperson”: three main employability frameworks, developing the salesperson employability skills in this research.. Employability. Employers complain that the HR staff could hardly recruit talented employees; however, job hunters also complain about finding jobs (Shi, 2007). Although there are many factors to why job hunters cannot find a suitable job, Shi mentions that developing the employability as a priority helps job hunters seek employment and maintain their job.. Definition of Employability First, the concepts of employment and employability are different. However, some people apply employment rate to measure one’s employability. Employment, in general, is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. Therefore, employment is the fact of getting a job, but employability is how one should be prepared and own sufficient ability to be employed (Little, 2001). In general, employment refers to the concern about whether one could get a job within three to six months after graduation; relatively, employability refers to 9.

(19) long-term development of one’s career, and one owns sufficient abilities to transfer from the original field to another. The term of employability does not just focus on the rate of employment, but most importantly, it is put an emphasis on developing competitive advantage ability in the future. Employability is not a new term. Beveridge (1909) defined it as a way to distinguish whether people have an ability to be employed or not. Briefly, employability is the means to tell whether the unemployed has the ability to be rehired or not. After the World War II, Feintuch (1955) discussed employability on the basis of social background, and focused on handicapped people, and emphasizes the topic on this group who is inferior in the labor market. In the 1950’s to 1960’s, employability was redefined as one’s potential ability to be employed. One’s employability will be judged by one’s past performance in the work place, and the attitude is relatively important (Soloff & Bolton, 1969). As a result, then, the main mission was to help the unemployed return to the work place through changing his/her attitude. In the 1970s, people attached importance on one’s professional expertise, work skills, and value, but not attitude only. Following Hoyt (1978) suggested that if one wishes to occupy his/her advantageous position in the work place and keep the job, it is very important to focus on the skill of interpersonal relationships. Therefore, one’s core employability transfers to strengthen interpersonal skill, and build up social networks, to gain and keep the job, furthermore, to seek a next job. Atkinson (1984) explained that employability includes attitude, knowledge, skill, and any other factors related to any performance in the labor market. Gradually, with the time change, an employee recognizes that his/her career development will be changed. In other words, employability is explained as the accumulation of one’s ability to sale oneself in the 10.

(20) employment. In the 1990’s, the concept of employability goes deeply, for instance, including the labor market environment, the policy of corporations and so on as suggested by de Grip, Van Loo, and Sandders (2004). This time, four dimensions of employability include individual property, professional skills, conditions of employment, and training policies from government and employers. Thus, the responsibility to develop employability falls on the individual, the government, and the employer. Employability is about having the capabilities to gain the initial employment, maintain employment and obtain new employment if required (Hillage & Pollard, 1998). In the 2000’s, employability is a process of learning that leads to individuals gaining and retaining fulfilling work as suggested by Harvey, Locke and Morey (2002). Besides, they explain employability as the way how individuals engage with opportunities, reflect, and articulate their skills and experiences. Yorke (2006) defined employability as a set of achievements - skills, understandings and personal attributes - that make graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy. To sum up, there had been many research papers discussing employability and defined its meanings. The condensed information presented in Table 2.1. The report Employability Skills for the Future (ACCI/BCA, 2002) defined employability as skills required not only to gain employment, but also to progress within an enterprise so as to achieve one’s potential and contribute successfully to enterprise. “Employability Skills Framework” was developed through the views of employers and research with small and medium-sized and large enterprises. Size ranged from enterprises of two employees to over 1000 employees in Australia.. 11.

(21) Table 2.1. Definitions of Employability from Different Researchers Scholar. Year. Definition. Beveridge. 1909. Employability is to tell if one has the ability to work.. Feintuch. 1955. Employability refers to one’s potential ability to be employed.. Hoyt. 1978. Employability focus on using social skills to get, main the current job, and seek the opportunity for this job.. Atkinson. 1984. Employability includes attitude, knowledge, skill, and any other factors related to any performance in the labor market.. Hillage and Pollard. 1998. Employability refers to have the capabilities to gain initial employment, maintain employment and obtain new employment if required.. Harvey et al.. 2002. Employability is a process of learning that leads to individuals gaining and retaining fulfilling work.. de Grip et al.. 2004. Discussing employability by four dimensions, including personal characteristic, professional skills, labor market environment, and training policies.. Yorke. 2006. A set of achievements - skills, understandings and personal attributes - that make graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations.. The following Table 2.2 presents a consolidation of the personal attributes, skills and elements that frame the “Employability Skills Framework.” Facets of the skill that the employer identified as important, noting that the mix and priority of these facets would vary from job to job. 12.

(22) Table 2.2. Employability Skills Framework Skill Communication. Element Listening and understanding Speaking clearly and directly Writing to the needs of the audience Negotiating responsively Reading independently Empathizing Using numeracy effectively Understanding the needs of internal and external customers Persuading effectively Establishing and using networks Being assertive Sharing information Speaking and writing in languages other than English. Teamwork. Working with people of different ages, gender, race, religion or political persuasion Working as an individual and as a member of a team Knowing how to define a role as part of a team Applying teamwork skills to a range of situations, e.g. futures planning, crisis problem solving Identifying the strengths of team members Coaching, mentoring and giving feedback. Problem solving. Developing creative, innovative solutions Showing independence and initiative in identifying problems and solving them Solving problems in teams Applying a range of strategies to problem solving (table continues) 13.

(23) Table 2.2. (Continued) Skill. Element. Problem solving. Using mathematics including Budgeting and financial management to solve problems Applying problem-solving strategies across a range of areas Testing assumptions taking the context of data and circumstances into account Resolving customer concerns in relation to complex project issues. Initiative and enterprise. Adapting to new situations Developing a strategic, creative, long-term vision Being creative Identifying opportunities not obvious to others Translating ideas into action Generating a range of options Initiating innovative solutions. Planning and organizing Managing time and priorities – setting timelines, coordinating tasks for self and with others Being resourceful Taking initiative and making decisions Adapting resource allocations to cope with contingencies Establishing clear project goals and deliverables Allocating people and other resources to tasks Planning the use of resources including time management Participating in continuous improvement and planning processes Developing a vision and a proactive plan to accompany it Predicting – weighing up risk, evaluating alternatives and applying evaluation criteria Collecting, analyzing and organizing information Understanding relationships 14. basic. business. systems and their (table continues).

(24) Table 2.2. (Continued) Skill Self-management. Element Having a personal vision and goals Evaluating and monitoring own performance Having knowledge and confidence in own ideas and vision Articulating own ideas and vision Taking responsibility. Learning. Managing own learning Contributing to the learning community at the workplace Using a range of mediums to learn – mentoring, peer support, networking, information technology (IT), courses Applying learning to ‘technical’ issues (e.g. learning about products) and ‘people’ issues (e.g. interpersonal and cultural aspects of work) Having enthusiasm for ongoing learning Being willing to learn in any setting – on and off the job Being open to new ideas and techniques Being prepared to invest time and effort in learning new skills Acknowledging the need to learn in order to accommodate change. Technology. Having a range of basic IT skills Applying IT as a management tool Using IT to organize data Being willing to learn new IT skills Having the occupational health and safety knowledge to apply technology. Having the appropriate physical capacity Source: Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry & Business Council of Australia, 2002.. Each employability skills contribute to some facets in the organization. For example, communication contributes to productive and harmonious relations between 15.

(25) employees and customers; teamwork contributes to productive working relationship and outcomes; self-management contributes to employee satisfaction and growth; technology contributes to effective execution of tasks and etc. The relationship between employability skills and its contributions refer to Table 2.3. Table 2.3. Employability Skills and Contributions Category Communication. Teamwork. Contributes to Productive and harmonious employees and customers. relation. Productive working relationships and outcomes. Problem solving. Productive outcomes. Initiative and enterprise. Innovative outcomes. Planning and organizing. Long term and short-term strategic planning. Self-management Learning. Technology. between. Employee satisfaction and growth Ongoing improvement and expansion in employee and company operations and outcomes Effective execution of tasks. Source: Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry & Business Council of Australia, 2002. Based on “Employability Skills framework” offered by ACCI/BCA (2002), National Youth Commission (2006) conducted a program about employability of college students and categorized employability into three dimensions. Table 2.4 shows the detailed information.. 16.

(26) Table 2.4. Employability Skills from National Youth Commission Attitude and related-teamwork ability in work. Self-management and self-learning. Adequate work attitude. Learning attitude and flexibility. Stability and Ability of planning self anti-pressure ability career Item. Teamwork Work ethics. Understand industrial development Self-promotion skill Creativity. Professional skill Communication skills Problem-solving Professional skills ICT English Ability to put theory into practice. Leadership Source: National Youth Commission, 2006.. From the report, the respondents of college students and employers, both pointed out the same results that the most important top eight employability, including adequate work attitude, stability and anti-pressure ability, teamwork, learning attitude and flexibility, communication skills, problem-solving, professional knowledge & skills, and ICT (information computer technology). On the other hand, the Conference Board of Canada (2001) suggested that “Employability Skills 2000+” are the critical skills one needs in the workplace, whether one is self-employed or working for others. Employability Skills 2000+ is the employability skills, attitudes and behaviors that one needs to participate and progress in today’s dynamic world of work, including communication, problem solving, positive attitudes and behaviors, adaptability, working with others, and science, technology and mathematics skills. The main dimensions and framework of 17.

(27) Employability Skills 2000+ presented in Table 2.5. Table 2.5. Employability Skills 2000+ Dimension. Sub-dimension. Item. Fundamental Skills. Communicate. Read and understand information presented in a variety of forms Write and speak so others pay attention and understand Listen and ask questions to understand and appreciate the points of view of others Share information using a range of information and communications technologies Use relevant scientific, technological and mathematical knowledge and skills to explain or clarify ideas. Manage Information. Locate, gather and organize information using appropriate technology and information systems Access, analyze and apply knowledge and skills from various disciplines. Use Numbers. Decide what needs to be measured or calculated Observe and record data using appropriate methods, tools and technology Make estimates and verify calculations. Think & Solve Problems. Assess situations and identify problems Seek different points of view and evaluate them based on facts Recognize the human, interpersonal, technical, scientific and mathematical dimensions of a problem Identify the root cause of a problem Evaluate solutions to make recommendations or decisions (table continues) 18.

(28) Table 2.5. (Continued) Dimension. Sub-dimension. Item. Fundamental Skills. Think & Solve Problems. Be creative and innovative in exploring possible solutions implement solutions Check to see if a solution works, and act on opportunities for improvement Readily use science, technology and mathematics as ways to think, gain and share knowledge, solve problems and make decisions. Personal Management Skills. Demonstrate Positive Attitudes & Behaviors. Feel good about yourself and be confident Deal with people, problems and situations with honesty, integrity and personal ethics Recognize your own and other people’s good efforts Take care of your personal health Show interest, initiative and effort. Be Responsible. Set goals and priorities balancing work and personal life Plan and manage time, money and other resources to achieve goals Assess, weigh and manage risk Be accountable for your actions and the actions of your group Be socially responsible and contribute to your community. Be Adaptable. Work independently or as a part of a team Carry out multiple tasks or projects Be innovative and resourceful: identify and suggest alternative ways to achieve goals and get the job done Be open and respond constructively to change (table continues). 19.

(29) Table 2.5. (Continued) Dimension. Sub-dimension. Personal Management Skills. Be Adaptable. Learn Continuously. Item Learn from your mistakes and accept feedback Cope with uncertainty Be willing to continuously learn and grow Assess personal strengths and areas for development Set your own learning goals Identify and access learning sources and opportunities. Work Safely. Teamwork Skills. Work with Others. Plan for and achieve your learning goals Be aware of personal and group health and safety practices and procedures, and act in accordance with these Understand and work within the dynamics of a group Ensure that a team’s purpose and objectives are clear Be flexible: respect, be open to and supportive of the thoughts, opinions and contributions of others in a group Recognize and respect people’s diversity, differences and perspectives. individual. Accept and provide feedback in a constructive and considerate manner Contribute to a team by sharing information and expertise Lead or support when appropriate, motivating a group for high performance Understand the role of conflict in a group to reach solutions Manage and resolve conflict when appropriate. Participate in Plan, design or carry out a project or task from start to finish Projects & Tasks with well-defined objectives and outcomes (table continues) 20.

(30) Table 2.5. (Continued) Dimension. Sub-dimension. Teamwork Skills. Participate in Projects & Tasks. Item Develop a plan, seek feedback, test, revise and implement Work to agreed quality standards and specifications Select and use appropriate tools and technology for a task or project Adapt to changing requirements and information Continuously monitor the success of a project or task and identify ways to improve. Source: The Conference Board of Canada, 2001. In this section, the researcher explored that employment and employability are not the same thing. Being employed means have a job. For those who is not adequately prepared, having a job is to be a temporary condition. Developing employability is the way to maintain employment and progress in the workplace (Bhaerman & Spill, 1988).. Different Views of Employability Employability is adopted comprehensively all over the world. The concept of employability is possibly no different or slightly different, but some researchers use different terms to interpret it. According to Human Resource Development Canada (1994), some regions of Europe defined the concept of employability as skills, or qualification. In France, it is known as crossing competencies, or transferable competencies. In England, people take employability, core skills, and common skills at the same concepts. Recently, the British called it as key skills. In Italy, it is known as knowing how to be. In Germany, people call it as key qualifications. In Denmark, it is known as process, or independent qualifications. In Australia, it is known as key 21.

(31) competencies. In Dutch, it is known as core competencies, transversal competencies, or key competencies. In the U.S.A., it is known as necessary skills, skills needed for employment, or employability skills. Besides that people use different words to define the term “Employability” from country to country, a great deal of 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. Besides, the terms of skills relates to the other term, such as capabilities, competencies or attributes (Lees, 2002). This all makes the term “Employability” more difficult to construct, dimension and conceptualize. Skills plus Project regards employability as the composition of personal qualities, skills of various kinds, and subject understanding. Traditionally, the concept of personal qualities is undervalued, but it is especially significant to include it as the part of employability (Knight & Yorke, 2004). Atkins (1999) noted that one’s personal qualities contribute to learning, and develop various skills as well; otherwise, various skills benefit the development of subject learning. Spencer and Spencer (1993) mentioned that there are various factors that influence work performance, including skills, knowledge, self-concept, trait, and motive. They further explained that skills and knowledge are easier to develop by training, whereas self-concept, trait, and motive will be difficult to develop. The Association of Graduate Recruiters (1995) suggested graduates should own career management skills and effective learning skills after seeking for a job, including self-awareness, self-promotion, exploring and creating opportunities, action planning, networking, matching and decision-making, negotiation, political awareness, coping with uncertainty, development focus, transfer skills and self-confidence. However, an investigation found that employers expect 22.

(32) their employee to be equipped with qualities such as knowledge, intellect, willingness to learn, self-management skills, and communication skills, team-working and interpersonal skills as suggested by Harvey, Moon, Geall and Bower (1997). Yorke (1999) found that SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in Merseyside mainly valued the skills of their employees at oral communication, handling one’s own work load, team-working, managing others, getting to the heart of problems, critical analysis, summarizing and group problem-solving. On the other hand, SMEs valued attributes of their employees included being able to work under pressure, commitment, working varied hours, dependability, imagination/creativity, getting on with people and willingness to learn. Knight and Yorke (2004) conducted an interview to 97 college-educated freshmen and found out the four dimensions when they met the question “what factors will help you get your job”, including degree experience, personal qualities, communication skills, and more pragmatic aspects. Human Resource Development Canada (2002) suggested that when discussing employability, connecting nine essential skills, such as reading, using documents, math, writing, oral communicate, work with others, using computer, continual learning, and skills of thinking.. 23.

(33) Required Employability for 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 this activity, also known as salesman, sales people, sales representative, and so on. Generally, salesperson plays an important role in a profit-oriented organization. Moss (1978) proposed that from his research, senior managers consider top salesperson higher performance on the following traits: enthusiasm, well-organized, and obvious ambition. Greenberg (1986) suggested that successful a salesperson has three essential traits: empathy, ego drive, and ego strength. Spiro and Weitz (1990) regarded that a salesperson should be equipped with some traits, such as self-monitoring, empathy, androgyny, opener, and locus of control. Each type of sales work requires its own unique configuration of traits, attributes and qualities in its practitioner (McMurry, 1961). According to McMurry’s studies, he has disproved the myth that a real salesperson can sell anything to anybody. He also pointed out in order to build a productive sales force, managers should ascertain the category of sales to be undertaken and decide what qualities the incumbents will need. Generally, the public may regard talking to customers and taking orders as a salesperson’s main missions, yet skills that are effective in one type of selling situation are not necessarily effective in another. Gwinner (1968) suggested that salesperson should change the ways of communication in different situation. Scheibelhut and Albaum (1973) mentioned that a salesperson with different traits could reach good selling performance in different selling scenario. Thompson (1973) proposed that a salesperson cannot use the same selling method to all customers 24.

(34) without doing any adjustment. Weitz (1981) summarized that selling is an interaction between a buyer and a seller; hence it is very hard to finds common traits or behaviors’ patterns to successful salesperson. Stevens (1989) pointed out that since 1973, the HR Chally group has studied some 250 sales forces and more than 100,000 salespeople across the nation, and afterwards Steven identified four major types of sales specializations, such as closing sales, consultative sales, relationship sales, and display sales. Closing sales, this type of salesperson usually starts with little but cold calls and must aggressively initiate customer contact. The risk of failure is high because salespeople do not have sufficient time to interact with their customers. In this sales environment, the salesperson must have a positive attitude, and quickly establish a prospect’s emotional need for the product. Relationship sales, they like independence and freedom. This type of salesperson usually needs to require great patience over a long period to cement a deal with a customer. They believe a good relationship will eventually generate at least some business. Display sales, this type of salesperson receive the compensation without completing the sales. They require little personal involvement, relatively little risk of personal rejection. For example, most retail salespeople and bank tellers who sell product by catalog are display sales. Consultative sales, this type of salesperson usually focus on selling high technology products or supply intelligent service, such as computer systems, consulting or legal service. These sellers also perform extremely well with prestige and new concepts. They are more academically inclined than the other type of salesperson. They also interact with top executives; therefore, they much exhibit the abilities of self-confidence, patience, and quickly develop personal relationship. However, Flynn and Murray’s research (1993) showed that in some countries, consultative sales may 25.

(35) not work that well. Table 2.6 shows the typical characteristics of the four main types of salespeople. Table 2.6. Characteristics of Four Major Types of Salespeople Closing. Consultative. Relationship. Display. Sales. Sales. Sales. Sales. Extroverted. Characteristics. Energetic. Status and image conscious. Optimistic. Academic. Competitive. Patient. Hopes for financial success. Self-confident. Positive attitude Highly Self-confident. Independent & self-developm ent Team oriented Not impulsive or willing to take extreme risks. Strong work ethic. Low career ambition. Independent. Easily bored. Cooperative. Enjoys people. Patient. High physical energy level. Traditional, tends to be conservative Strong and rigid value system. Impulsive Tends to focus on home and other goals. Source: Stevens, 1989. . Flynn and Murray (1993) proposed that European customers have high expectations that a salesperson will be honest and meet their commitments, and he/she embodies the integrity of the company by keeping the promises or their words. A salesperson must have a unique breadth of knowledge about the product or service the sell; otherwise, the customers become skeptical about the competence if the salesperson has to call someone else whenever the customers ask about the product. An interesting issue proposed from the research as suggested by Flynn and Murray (1993): U.S. sales techniques are not translatable. For example, sales methods that work in the U.S. – like intense questioning about an organization’s business strategy 26.

(36) may not do the trick overseas. Salesperson may ask a prospect about the company’s decision-making process in a early meeting in the U.S., in order to help the salesperson address the different demands of the departments or individuals who are involved in making a particular purchase decision; however, the question would be unacceptable and offend the potential customer, because it steps outside the bounds of the salesperson’s role as it exists in Europe. While European buyers anticipate their salespeople to understand their business, not too close. The study shows that European executives are not interested in making the salesperson a part of the decision-making process, unlike their counterparts in the United States. Sales force, for example value-added selling, while useful in the U.S., may backfire in Europe or other areas. According to the research, consultative selling skills are threatening to European customers, who fear that the salesperson may divulge confidential information to competitors. Kim and Hong (2005) cited Spencer and Spencer’s iceberg model to measure salespeople’s performance. Spencer and Spencer’s iceberg model theory argues that competency may be composed of three main categories: motive and traits, self-concept, and knowledge and skills. Kim and Hong (2005) point out that a salesperson that has a higher level of competencies will have higher performance than an average salesperson. At the conclusions of Kim and Hong’s research (2005), they pointed out that competencies such as impact and influencing, achievement orientation, analytical thinking, initiative/persistence, problem solving (motive and traits), flexibility, self confidence, and self-control (self-concept) are regarded as meaningful components of competency which have straight influence on salesperson’s performance. The iceberg model shows in Table 2.7.. 27.

(37) Table 2.7. Competency Model Model. Dimension. Competency. Impact and Influencing. Motive and Traits. Achievement Orientation Analytical Thinking Initiative/Persistence Problem-solving. Competency Model. Flexibility. Self-Concept. Self Confidence Self Control. Knowledge and Skills. Aligning Customer/supplier Strategic Objective Engaging in Self-appraisal and Continuous Learning. Source: Spencer and Spencer, 1993.. Warech (2002) proposed that one company used structured interviews to select bright prospects to expand its already successful sales staff. Several indicators were comprised, such as build partnerships with customers, builds relationships, communication, customer and quality focus, demonstrating a desire and ability to learn, drive for results, influencing skills, interpersonal skills, mobilizing internal networks and resources, performing and managing work, and problem identification and solving. The process had to be structured based on competencies so that a number of managers could screen sales candidates. Each salesperson in this company can create an individual development plan and the company can introduce a performance 28.

(38) management system that is based on the salesperson-competency model as mentioned above. When constructing dimensions and conceptualizing the employability of salesperson, salesperson-competency model might be a reference as suggested by Warech (2002). On the other hand, Brook (2006) identified which specific competencies are most essential for a salesperson to have in order to enjoy a successful sales career from the perspective of the executives, sales managers and marketing executives who hire them. Salesperson’s learned skill and set of skills or even knowledge of a product are not necessarily to both of employers and customer. Instead, in Brook’s research, it is something much different: self management and character. Self-management and character mean the ability to: . Be empathetic, patient and focused. . Have impeccable integrity. . Meet all commitments. . Be answerable for your own successes or failures. . Work hard to meet your commitments. . Have a proactive, positive and resourceful attitude. . Hold trust and confidentiality. Here it is a contrast: Flynn and Murray (1993) mentioned salesperson must have a unique breadth of knowledge about the product or service the sell; otherwise, the customers become skeptical about the competence if the salesperson has to call someone else whenever the customers ask about the product; however, Brook (2006) argued employers and customers less emphasize on salesperson knowledge of product than other mentioned competencies. Expectations from salesperson differ from 29.

(39) nations to nations cause the different views. Although researchers suggest salesperson’s required competencies, skills, traits, employability in different way, by this review can help construct the dimension of salesperson employability skills in the research.. 30.

(40) Employability Framework for Salesperson. In this section, the author suggested three main employability structures from the conference Board of Canada - Employability Skills 2000+ (2001), Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry & Business Council of Australia, Employability Skills Framework (2002), and Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory - Kathleen (1993) summarized. from different. researchers and cited. most. frequently. employability attributes and organized into the three categories as Employability Skills. These employability skills frameworks formed the instrument of this research.. Employability Skills 2000+ The Conference Board of Canada (2001) proposed that Employability Skills 2000+ are the employability skills, attitudes and behaviors that one need to participate and progress in today’s dynamic world of work, and invited and encouraged students, teachers, parents, employers, labor, community leaders and governments to use Employability Skills 2000+ as a framework for dialogue and action. Understanding and applying these skills will help one enter, stay in, and progress in the world of work. Employability Skills 2000+ was categorized into three main dimensions, including fundamental skills, personal management skills, and teamwork skills. Fundamental skills include communicate, manage information, use numbers, think & solve problems; personal management skills include demonstrate positive attitudes and behaviors, be responsible, be adaptable, learn continuously, and work safely; teamwork skills includes work with others, and participate in projects and tasks. The details information refers to Table 2.5.. 31.

(41) Employability Skills Framework The report Employability Skills for the Future (ACCI/BCA, 2002) defined employability as skills required not only to gain employment, but also to progress within an enterprise so as to achieve one’s potential and contribute successfully to enterprise strategic directions. “Employability Skills Framework” was developed through the views of employers and research with small and medium-sized as well as large enterprises. Size ranged from enterprises of two employees to those with over 1000. employees. in. Australia.. Employability. skills. framework. includes. communication, teamwork, problem solving, initiative and enterprise, planning and organizing, self-management, learning, and technology. The details information refers to Table 2.2.. Employability Skills Kathleen (1993) proposed that critical employability skills identified by different researchers vary considerably in the way they are organized. For example, Poole (1995) identified 76 different skills in nine categories, and SCANS (1991) research group named 36 skills and traits in eight categories, and so on. However, there is also a great deal of agreement among the skills and traits identified. Kathleen (1993) listed employability attributes by the different researchers revealed those that were cited most frequently. These were then organized into the three categories, such as basic skills, higher-order thinking skills, and affective skills and traits. The details are shown in Table 2.8.. 32.

(42) Table 2.8. Employability Skills Category. Basic Skills. Higher-Order Thinking Skills. Affective Skills and Traits. Oral communication. Problem solving. Dependability/Responsibility. Reading, esp. understanding and following instructions. Learning skills, strategies. Positive attitude toward work. Creative, innovative thinking. Conscientiousness, punctuality, efficiency. Decision making. Interpersonal skills, cooperation, working as a team member. Basic arithmetic Writing. Self-confidence, positive self-image Item. Adaptability, flexibility Enthusiasm, motivation Self-discipline, self-management Appropriate dress, grooming Honesty, integrity Ability to work without supervision. Source: Kathleen, 1993.. 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. But the researcher attempts to synthesize the common items from the mentioned employability skills, and form the salesperson employability skills framework shown in chapter III.. 33.

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(44) CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY The framework, methods, procedures, instrumentation, sampling, and data analysis in this research are presented in this chapter. It explains the quantitative research processes used to explore the employability of salesperson.. Research Framework. The conceptual framework of this research is constructed according to the previous research purpose, and literature reviews. The details refer to Figure 3.1. Through the literature review, the researcher has the understanding to which degree employability was defined by different researchers, and stated in many different ways. The researcher intends to examine the salesperson employability skills from the point of view of the salesperson. By this research, the researcher explore further into which items of employability the salespersons think highly of, and especially, for those who wish to become a salesperson, having better understanding of which items of salesperson employability skills they should develop as a priority.. Theoretical Items Demographics. 1. Employability Skills Framework (Australian) 2. Employability Skills (U.S.A) 3. Employability Skills 2000+ (Canada). Salesperson Employability Skills. Figure 3.1. Research framework 35. Gender Age Position.

(45) Research Methods. A quantitative method approach was employed for data gathering in this research for the questions. A quantitative questionnaire with some items taken from the Employability Skills Framework developed by ACCI/BCA (2002), Employability Skills 2000+ developed by the conference Board of Canada(2001), and Employability Skills developed by Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, Kathleen (1993). The questionnaire is used to explore the level of importance of salesperson’s employability skills. The test used a Likert-type scale. Subjects were based on a five-point Likert scale: 1 = not important at all, 2 = less important, 3 = NA/neutral, 4 = important, 5 = very important. The subjects were instructed to refer to their working experiences in Taiwan as a salesperson and to fill out the questionnaire. Besides, to test the validity and reliability of this questionnaire, HR experts examined the questionnaire and modified in order to meet the demand of this research, and an internal reliability analysis was performed on overall items in the questionnaire to instruct the reliability.. Research Procedure. The research was carried out through eleven stages and the detailed information is presented below: 1. Identifying the research topic: the research topic was firstly proposed by the researcher. The research topic was discussed and finalized. 2. Identifying the research purpose and research questions. 3. Reviewing the relevant literature: to better understand the relevant research 36.

(46) finding in this field, reviewing the relevant literature is required. 4. Establishing research method: to adopt a quantitative approach, in order to answer the research questions. 5. Developing the questionnaire: based on the employability skills framework (ACCI/BCA, 2002), Employability Skills 2000+ (the conference Board of Canada, 2001), and Employability Skills (Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, Kathleen, 1993), the researcher developed the questionnaire. 6. Conducting HR experts reviewing: considering of the validity of the instrument, HR experts were invited to examine the questionnaire and advised it. 7. Delivering the questionnaires: the distribution period is from April, 20th, 2009 to May, 10th, 2009. 8. Collecting the questionnaires: the deadline of collecting the questionnaire is May, 10th, 2009. After the deadline, returned samples would be regarded as invalid. 9. Coding and analyzing the data: the researcher screened the received questionnaires. SPSS (Statistics Package for Social Science, version 17) was used to do analysis of the data. 10. Writing the research findings and conclusions: based on the result of data analysis, conducting the writing of research finding, and proposed the conclusions. 11. Proposing the thesis. This section describes the procedure of this study, and the procedures are as Figure 3.2 shows.. 37.

(47) Identifying the research topic. Identifying the research purpose & research questions. Reviewing the relevant literature. Establishing research method. Developing the questionnaire. Conducting HR experts reviewing. Delivering the questionnaire. Collecting the questionnaire. Coding and analyzing the data. Writing findings and conclusions. Proposing the thesis Figure 3.2. Research Procedure. 38.

(48) Instrumentation Development and questionnaire, and Validity and Reliability presented in this section.. Development of Questionnaire The researcher in this study developed the questionnaire based on the employability skills framework (ACCI/BCA 2002), employability skills 2000+ (The Conference Board of Canada, 2001), and Employability Skills (Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory as suggested by Kathleen, 1993). The employability skills framework includes 8 main categories, such as communication, teamwork, problem solving, initiative and enterprise, planning and organizing, self-management, learning, and technology; Employability Skills 2000+ was categorized into three main dimensions, including fundamental skills, personal management skills, and teamwork skills, in total 56 items; Employability Skills (Kathleen, 1993) includes three dimensions, including 19 items. In the research, the researcher referred to previous studies and formed the questionnaire. As a result, a salesperson’s employability skills include 32 items. A completed questionnaire is presented in Appendix A for detailed information. The subjects in the study were instructed to indicate the importance of employability skills they think highly of. The items of employability level were measured by a five-point scale - 1 = not important at all, 2 = less important, 3 = NA/neutral, 4 = important, 5 = very important. Examples as to how to correctly fill in the questionnaire were given. In order to increase the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, the items of categories shuffled and presented in random in order to prevent speculation of question purpose or response set from the samples.. 39.

(49) Validity and Reliability In order to increase the validity of the questionnaire, HR experts invited to review the questionnaire, and items could be added or deleted if necessary. The researcher also reached content validity by discussing the items and its meaning with HR experts. The HR experts are professors who have been in teaching and educating for many years. The HR experts have published many scholarly journals, including peer-reviewed articles. In the questionnaire, previously, there were 30 items. One of the participant experts suggested the items should be advised. After discussing with advisor, the researcher added the items of Internet marketing ability and financial management related skills. Kurlan (2006) established 21 core competencies for sales, and through his research, he proposed that salespeople definitely need to become more internet savvy, and Internet competence should be salesperson’s competency number 22. On the other hand, a good salesperson not only sells the product, but receives the account receivables to close a deal completely. As a result, based on previous studies, the two items were added into the questionnaire. After completing HR experts review, two salespeople were invited to review the questionnaire and aid to modify the Chinese writing. The finalized questionnaire items are listed in Appendix A. After collecting the samples, an internal reliability analysis was performed on each item. The questionnaire items were found to demonstrate generally stable reliability. The value of coefficient α was up to 0.910, indicating high reliability of subjects’ responses regarding salesperson’s employability skills. The details show in Table 3.1 and Table 3.2.. 40.

(50) Table 3.1. Reliability Statistics Cronbach' s Alpha. N of Items. .910. 32. Table 3.2. Reliability of Scales Item 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26. Cronbach's Alpha if Item Deleted. Basic computer skills MS Office application skills Internet marketing ability Collaboration with others Team conflict resolution Data collection ability Ability of data analysis The ability to acquire new knowledge Willingness to learn The ability to change oneself Learning attitude Emotional Quotient Career planning Interpersonal skill The ability of conflict resolution Ability to plan Leadership Creativity Ethics Loyalty The sense of responsibility The attitude of working Oral presentation skill Listening attentively The ability to coordinate Independent thinking. .910 .910 .908 .909 .907 .905 .906 .905 .906 .906 .906 .908 .911 .908 .906 .905 .906 .907 .908 .908 .906 .907 .906 .906 .905 .907 (table continues). 41.

(51) Table 3.2. (Continued) Item 27 28 29 30 31 32. Cronbach's Alpha if Item Deleted. Problem solving ability English proficiency Chinese proficiency Marketing knowledge Marketing skills Financial management related skills. .906 .912 .909 .907 .906 .909. Sampling. According to research purpose, the respondents are those who are working as a salesperson. The researcher attempts to have a better understand from the view of the salesperson, to explore the importance of ranking of employability skills to them. And through the literature review, the researcher attempts to compare the result of the research with the previous studies, and bring up a comparison. The researcher adopted snowball sampling method for the selection of samples. The distribution period of this questionnaire is from April, 20th, 2009 to May, 10th, 2009. And the deadline of collecting the questionnaire is May, 10th, 2009. After the deadline, return subjects were regarded as invalidation. In total, the researcher sent out 370 copies of questionnaire, and 251 copies of questionnaire were collected by May 10th, 2009. The return rate is 67.8%. Five copies of the samples were found to be invalidated; therefore, in total 246 copies of questionnaire were used in this research. The Table 3.3 below shows a view of the sample population and their demographic.. 42.

(52) Table 3.3. Data of Variables by Entries and Values (n = 246) Variable 1 Gender 2 Age. 3 Education. 4 Major. 5 Domestic Production. 6 Position. 7 Years of Current Position 8 Years of Working Experience. Entries. Percentage (%). Male: 148 Female: 98 Less than 25 years: 38 26 ~ 30 years: 87 31 ~ 35 years: 57 36 ~ 40 years: 44 More than 41 years: 20 Graduated school or above: 54 College: 159 Vocational school: 28 Others: 5 Society: 28 Art: 1 Medical: 14 Science: 40 Law: 4 Business and Administration: 147 Agriculture: 2 Others: 10 Agriculture: 1 Industry: 8 Services: 216 Others: 21 Sales manager: 50 Senior salesperson: 58 Salesperson: 138. 60.2 39.8 15.4 35.4 23.2 17.9 8.1 22 64.6 11.4 2 11.4 0.4 5.7 16.3 1.6 59.8 0.8 4.1 0.4 3.3 87.8 8.5 20.3 23.6 56.1. Less than 5 years: 160 (%) 6 ~ 10 years: 72 (%) More than 11 years: 14 (%) Less than 5 years: 114 6 ~ 10 years: 75 More than 11 years: 57. 65 29.3 5.7 46.3 30.5 23.2. 43.

(53) Data Analysis. The distribution period was fixed before delivering the questionnaire. The data for this research was analyzed using SPSS (Statistics Package for Social Science) for Windows. The 32 items in the questionnaire were coded using a 5-point Likert scale. The demographic variable, such as gender, age, education background, major, domestic production, position, years of current position, and years of working experience of subjects can be referred in Table 3.4. In this study, 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? Descriptive statistics including mean and percentage were used for data. description in this research. All items were processed with arithmetic mean ranking, in order to answer the question of No.1: what is the rank of employability from the perception of salespersons. The researcher used independent samples T-test to approach the question No.2 and No.3 questions: do male and female view salesperson’s employability skills differently; and do salespersons with different ages view employability skills differently. One-way ANOVA analysis was used to approach the question of No.4: Do salespersons, senior salespersons, and manager salespersons 44.

(54) view salesperson employability skills differently. Table 3.4. Coding System Using in SPSS Data Analysis (n = 246) Categories 1. Gender 2. Age. 3. Education. 4. Major. 5. Domestic Production. 6. Position. 7. Years of Current Position. 8. Years of Working Experience. Entries 1 = Male 2 = Female 1 = Less than 25 years 2 = 26 ~ 30 years 3 = 31 ~ 35 years 4 = 36 ~ 40 years 5 = More than 41 years 1 = Graduate school or above 2 = College 3 = Vocational school 4 = Others 1 = Society 2 = Art 3 = Medical 4 = Science 5 = Law 6 = Business and Administration 7 = Agriculture 8 = Others 1 = Agriculture 2 = Industry 3 = Services 4 = Others 1 = Sales manager 2 = Senior salesperson 3 = Salesperson 1 = Less than 5 years 2 = 6 ~ 10 years 3 = More than 11 years 1 = Less than 5 years 2 = 6 ~ 10 years 3 = More than 11 years. 45.

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(56) CHAPTER IV. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS Based on the data collection and analysis, the findings of this research are presented in this chapter. There are four research questions, descriptive statistical analysis presenting the ranking of each employability item; independent samples T-test is used to approach the questions “Do different genders of salespersons view salesperson employability skills differently” and “Do salespersons with different ages view salesperson employability skills differently”; one-way ANOVA used to approach the question “Do salespersons, senior salespersons, and sales managers view salesperson employability skills differently” in this research.. The Importance of Employability Skills from Salespersons’ Perception. The data of the questionnaire reveals the ranking of employability items from the view of the salespersons. The ranking is based on the importance from the responses of the subjects. The details refer to table 4.1. “Interpersonal skill (4.66),” “Emotional quotient (4.63),” “The attitude of working (4.60),” “Learning attitude (4.55),” and “The sense of responsibility (4.54)” are the top five items as suggested by the subjects. On the contrary, “Internet marketing ability (3.76),” “Financial management related skills (3.79),” “MS Office application skills (3.83),” “Basic computer skills (3.89),” and “English proficiency (3.91)” are the last five items as suggest by the subjects. These 32 items of salesperson employability skills in this research are developed from three main employability frameworks which are mentioned in previous chapters. All of the items are important to the employability of each salesperson. However, the significance of each item vary from different positions. 47.