Responses to Gift-Giving in a Business Context: An Empirical Examination
This study compared ratings of discomfort on the receipt of gifts and intentions to repay gifts between male and female purchasing executives. Significant main effects of sex and years of purchasing experience on discomfort ratings were found. In addition, no significant main effect of sex on intention to repay scores was uncovered. These results suggest that in a business context the giving of gifts to male or female purchasing executives may not be an effective method for influencing future commerce. At the very least, business decision makers need to consider carefully the efficacy of gift-giving as a form of persuasion.