Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/180523 
Year of Publication: 
2018
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 11505
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We use an incentivized experimental game to uncover heterogeneity in otherregarding preferences among salespeople in a large Austrian retail chain. Our results show that the majority of agents take the welfare of others into account but a significant fraction reveals self-regarding behavior. Matching individual behavior in the game with firm data on sales performance shows that higher concern for others is significantly associated with higher revenue per customer. At the same time, it is also associated with fewer sales per day. Both effects offset each other, so that the overall association with total sales revenue becomes insignificant. Our findings highlight the nuanced role of self- vs. other-regarding concerns in sales contexts with important implications for management and marketing research.
Subjects: 
other-regarding preferences
sales performance
experimental games
JEL: 
C91
D91
M31
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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