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To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2006.10.003 Byline: Michael Segalla (a), Dominique Rouzies (b), Madeleine Besson (c), Barton A. Weitz (d) Keywords: Distributive justice; Compensation; Performance pay; Sales force management; National culture Abstract: Why do managers choose one sales compensation form rather than another? Theoretical answers typically focus on the type of plans managers should design, not on the factors that managers actually consider. Managers from various national origins pursue and weigh objectives through experience in a way that theoretical models may not capture. Incorporating conceptualizations from a wide range of disciplines, we specify a model examining the influence of cultural factors on sales compensation decisions of managers (incentive vs. fixed pay and parity vs. equity allocation). The model, tested with data collected from bank managers across six European countries, illustrates the importance of considering national culture when designing sales force compensation policies applied across multiple countries. We also find evidence that most European bank managers accept incentive pay to motivate salespeople but, perhaps paradoxically, overwhelmingly reject equity allocations to achieve control and parity. We discuss the implications of our findings for research on international governance systems and the diffusion of sales force management practices. Author Affiliation: (a) Human Resource Management, HEC School of Management, Paris, GREGHEC, 78351 Jouy-en-Josas, France (b) Marketing, HEC School of Management, Paris, GREGHEC, 78351 Jouy-en-Josas, France (c) Institut National des Communications/GET, 91000 Evry, France (d) JC Penney Eminent Scholar Chair in Retail Management, Warrington College of Business Administration, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA

The influence of the decision makers' regional culture on the recruitment and promotion of staff is evaluated through a comparative study of managers in six European countries. Characteristics of key sales personnel for international staffing policies are identified.

Research describing human resource management with respect to nationality and cultural groupings is presented. In particular it is suggested that matching decision making to national culture leads to more efficiency in such situations as cross-border mergers or alliances.

Byline: Michael Segalla There is a rich body of literature regarding the choice of medium for business communications. Much of this literature seeks to understand the choice and usage of, and attitudes towards, differing media. Theories about the choice of using electronic media range from symbolism, message equivocality, the distance between message partners, the number of message partners, the perceived richness of the media, and the attitudes of message recipients (Trevino et al., 2000). The past few years have seen the choice of electronic media, specifically e-mail, grow enormously. Increasingly, the advantages of e-mail seem to be linked to dysfunctional behaviour and attitudes. This study explores these questions with a survey of 750 European business executives. The survey specifically focuses on identifying dysfunctional usage and attitudes among a cross-section of managers who routinely use e-mail for their work in large firms.

A time zone chart is presented for assisting in the planning of international conference calls.

Management power maps are presented charting responsibility and hierarchy, illustrated for European and North American firms.

Mr. Jean Lavigne, president of Motorola France, is an engineer who has spent his career in the high-tech field, holding a series of senior management positions with DEC and Schlumberger before joining Motorola. He is a bona fide member of France's business elite and has a keen understanding of America and its business environment. In the following interview, he makes the argument that: France is often misunderstood by foreign business managers, has excellent, if somewhat hidden, policies of government aid to foreign research and development investment in France, has policies that produce one of the highest quantities of engineers and technicians in Europe, and is aggressively expanding outside of its own internal markets because this is the natural path for French firms. Jean Lavigne was appointed as Motorola France Country Manager in November 1994. He is also president and CEO of Motorola SA and Motorola Semiconductors SA. Jean Lavigne started his career as a research associate at MIT's Electrical Systems Laboratory. He joined Schlumberger in 1964 and enjoyed a successful 23-year international career in a succession of operational roles spanning R&D, quality control, manufacturing, and general management. In 1987 he joined DEC in Europe, where he was responsible for interconnect technology. He quickly moved to the position of European Manufacturing Engineering and Technology Manager and became a member of the Corporate Technology Task Force in charge of driving worldwide process technology strategies and investments. Through pan- European partnerships and technology standards interests, Jean Lavigne also became a member of DEC's European Government Affairs team. Fluent in two languages, he is a board member of many of France's top companies and is regularly sought after by government ministries. Jean Lavigne is a graduate engineer, with a major in mechanical engineering, from Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts et Metiers in Paris. He then received a master of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia and an MBA from MIT's Sloan School of Management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]