Iyer, P., Nikolov, A. N., Sleep, S., Eskridge, B., Moke, D. M., & Hutchins, J. (2025). Navigating the AI wave for sales management: The mediating role of marketing agility. Industrial Marketing Management, 127, 62-73. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0019850125000550

Examine how the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies affects sales team performance in B2B firms. Drawing on Dynamic Capabilities Theory, the study finds that AI improves performance primarily by enhancing marketing agility—a firm's ability to respond quickly, proactively, and flexibly to market changes. Using data from B2B sales managers, the authors show that marketing agility mediates the relationship between AI adoption and sales performance, while organizational climate and marketing influence further strengthen these effects. The study concludes that firms achieve the greatest benefits from AI when technology adoption is combined with agile marketing capabilities

1. Matanda, D. (2026). “Congo of Hope and Results: Rethinking Governance to Better Serve the People”. A Manifesto for an Effective State, Responsible Governance, and Better Public Service (work in progress). This book offers a strategic reflection on the governance challenges facing the Democratic Republic of the Congo and presents a transformative vision grounded in results-oriented management, accountability, public-sector effectiveness, and citizen-centered service. Through the concept of Everyday Life Governance, the author outlines practical pathways toward a more efficient, transparent, and responsive state capable of sustainably improving the living conditions of its people.

2.  “Price versus Purpose: Exploring Hotel Consumers' Intentions to Purchase and Recommend Across Seasonal and Travel Contexts”. This study investigates how deal-oriented marketing (DOM), focusing on price discounts and promotional deals, and charity-related marketing (CRM), incorporating social cause contributions, impact hotel guests' intentions to purchase and recommend services. Importantly, the research examines these effects through the lens of perceived value as a key mediator, while considering how travel purpose (business, leisure, family) and seasonality (peak vs. off-peak periods) moderate these relationships

3. “Beyond the Office: Understanding Work Arrangement Effects on Sports Fan Spending”: How various work arrangements affect sports fans' spending on services (like subscriptions and virtual event access) versus products (such as jerseys and branded merchandise), and how is this relationship mediated by social media interaction, as explained by the Attention Economy and Time Allocation Theories?

4.  “Analyzing the Impact of Advertising Speed and Emotional Arousal on Impulse Buying in Retail: The Moderating Role of Shopping Motivations.": What is the impact of different advertising speeds on impulse buying in retail? How does slow-motion, normal, and accelerated advertising affect impulse buying through induced emotional arousal? Additionally, how does this relationship vary among consumers with distinct shopping motivations

5.   “Scarcity Marketing in CSR Initiatives: Enhancing or Undermining Consumer Trust.” How do CSR initiatives such as charitable donations and health and wellness programs that use scarcity marketing influence consumers' perceived value of these initiatives? How does this perceived value, as a mediator, impact consumers' trust in a company's CSR efforts?

6.  “Centralized vs. Decentralized SFCS: Unveiling the Mediating Effect of Selling Orientation on Consumer Trust.”: examine the nuanced interaction between SFCS centralization and the perceived trustworthiness of salespeople. This interaction is further complexified by the selling orientation, which acts as a lens through which consumers interpret sales behaviors

7. Effects of Cumulative Environmental Pollution on Mental Health and Related Risk Behaviors among Urban Youth: The Mediating Role of Stress and Cognitive Load in Kinshasa. This study examines how cumulative exposure to environmental pollution, including air pollution, traffic congestion, and waste-related pollution—affects the mental health and risk-taking behaviors of urban youth in Kinshasa. Drawing on Environmental Stress Theory, Cognitive Load Theory, and Self-Regulation Theory, the study proposes that environmental pollution increases stress and cognitive load, which in turn diminish self-control and contribute to behaviors such as impulsivity, aggression, delinquency, and the use of psychoactive substances.

Academic Conferences & Research Presentations

🏛 Society for Marketing Advances (SMA)

• SMA Doctoral Consortium Fellow (2024)

• Research presentations in marketing and sales management

• Engagement with leading marketing scholars and researchers

🏛 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS)

• Research presentations and scholarly networking

• Participation in marketing research discussions and professional development activities

🏛 Academy of Marketing Theory and Practice (AMTP)

• Research presentations in sales management, leadership, and organizational performance

• Academic collaboration and research dissemination

  1. Matanda, Dierto (2023). Strategic Dynamics of SFCS: Leadership Styles and Centralization in Fostering Salesperson Loyalty.  2024 AMTP conference, Hilton Head Island, SC.

  2. Matanda, Dierto (2025). AI-Driven Customer Touchpoints: A Catalyst for Improved Sales Cycles: Through the lens of the service-dominant logic and queueing theory, the study will provide a comprehensive lens through which to assess AI's role in sales efficiency and customer relationship management. Academy of Marketing Theory and Practice, SC.

🏛 American Marketing Association (AMA)

• Conference participation and professional engagement

• Research exchange and best-practice discussions in marketing and sales

🏛 Kennesaw State University

• Doctoral Research Symposiums

  1. Matanda, Dierto (2024). Hotel Marketing Offers and Their Role in Shaping Purchase and Referral Intentions. KSU Doctoral Consortium, Kennesaw, GA 

• Dissertation presentations

• Research workshops and academic seminars

• Ph.D. training and scholarly development activities