Analyzing the Content of Marketing Journals to Assess Trends in Sales Force Research: 1980–1992

Abstract

In order to objectively assess the progress of a discipline, it is important to periodically examine its publication outlets to identify topics and trends that reflect the state of knowledge. In this paper, the content of 13 years of sales force research in four established marketing/sales force journals was analyzed to identify the direction in which authors, editors, and reviewers Eire taking the field of sales force management. The authors find that sales force research is definitely becoming a more rigorous and scientific field of study. Implications for future sales force research are discussed.