Abstract for: The role of goal setting practice on sales and on the broader commercial system: a case study

The Goal Setting Theory is by many researchers considered one of the major motivational theories. The theory is based on the assumption that setting challenging goals, hard to reach (goal difficulty), yet well described (goal specificity), contributes to a general improvement in working performances. The main purpose of this work is to demonstrate the power of a model in which tangible and intangible elements are integrated: processes underlying the goal setting practice together with processes underlying other business functions, such as commercial, financial and organizational ones. This paper is the result of a research project conducted with a firm operating in the Household Electrical Appliances industry. The firm has its registered office in Sicily, but operate in all Italy regions. In the first part of this paper, an analysis of Goal setting theory and the role of goal setting practice in enhancing individual performance is remarked. In the second part, the case-study, the evolution of the business, feedback analysis of adopted management growth policies, first step for model validation are discussed.