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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.