IM Chapter 17

Work councils in Europe help determine compensation plans and _____.

approve the plans before their implementation

One of the best ways for monolingual, English-speaking expatriate sales representatives to communicate effectively with their foreign customers is to _____.

attempt to understand their language and culture

In contrast to expatriates, local nationals have _____.

better knowledge about a country's business structure and systems

Two factors that are considered important requisites for international marketing positions are _____.

breadth of knowledge and a positive outlook

The most common reasons for a manager to refuse an assignment abroad are concerns for _____.

family and career

The problems that families face when they are repatriated are _____.

financial readjustments and lifestyle changes

A characteristic of international salespeople that enables them to be sensitive to foreign market habits and adapt to foreign company requirements is _____.

flexibility

True or false: More and more countries feel that talented individuals should pursue opportunity, regardless of their home country.

True

True or false: The same training program that is used to train domestic employees cannot be used to train foreign employees.

True

The most important advantage of recruiting expatriates in a foreign sales force is that they ______.

can communicate influentially with their headquarters' personnel

Expatriates who return home from a foreign assignment often feel that they _____.

experience a loss in status

Companies that most aggressively make foreign management experience part of a successful corporate career are _____.

global companies

The drawbacks of an expatriate sales force include _____.

high costs and cultural and legal barriers

The features that a company's management looks for when recruiting international marketing personnel are _____.

high stamina and enjoyment of travel

When short-term assignments extend into a longer time, expatriates are often offered _____.

home-leave benefits and travel allowances for the spouse

Before assigning an employee to a career-long foreign assignment as an expatriate, a company needs to ensure that the employee _____.

is sufficiently effective

A disadvantage for virtual expatriates is that they _____.

lack close contact with subordinates and customers

The most common career-related reason for expatriates resigning from their positions after returning home is the _____.

lack of a concrete and detailed career plan

The best way to recruit managers and sales representatives for international marketing assignments is through _____.

referral programs

In a(n) ________, salespeople are considered to be at the low end of the social order.

relationship-oriented culture

Usually the largest personnel requirement abroad is the _____.

sales force

International personnel officially represent their company abroad and are required to be _____.

sensitive to the variations in behavior across countries

A disadvantage for virtual expatriates on short-term travel to other countries is _____.

the possibility of crime and violence against them

Why are companies increasingly recruiting third-country nationals?

Because they speak several languages Because they are familiar with an industry or foreign country.

Match the requisite required for a salesperson to be effective in the international marketplace (in the left column) to its features (in the right column).

Breadth of knowledge: Involves familiarity with subjects both on and off the job Positive outlook: Involves liking one's job and where one is doing it

Identify the factors that are known to maintain high levels of motivation among international marketing personnel. (Check all that apply.)

Communication with the home office Promotion Opportunity to improve status

_____ is necessary for international salespeople because it helps them avoid feeling antagonism toward and confusion in foreign environments.

Cultural empathy

Identify a true statement about international sales representatives.

Different techniques should be used to motivate marketing employees from different countries.

Identify a reason for selection errors in the hiring of international sales representatives.

Different traits are successful in different cultures.

Match the home-country nationals that move to a foreign country (in the left column) to the ease with which they adjust to the foreign culture (in the right column).

Expatriate employees: Find it easier to adjust to new cultures, as they are often isolated from cultural differences Expatriates' families: Find it harder to adjust to new cultures, as they constantly encounter cultural differences

As world trade grows and more companies hire locals for marketing jobs, there is an increase in the number of companies that rely on ______ when the products being sold are highly technical.

Expatriate personnel

A company has introduced into a foreign market a highly technical product that requires personnel with extensive background information to sell it. What kind of sales personnel are likely to best sell the product?

Expatriates

Match the type of sales representatives that an international sales manager recruits (in the left column) to the activity they are best assigned to (in the right column).

Expatriates: Selling high-technology products in information-oriented countries Natives: Selling consulting services in relationship-oriented countries

True or false: If the individual values for rewards across two very different cultures are exactly the same, employers can use the same motivational systems in each culture to motivate their employees.

False

True or false: Like individualistic cultures, relationship-oriented cultures view performance measures of individual performance as extremely important in evaluating salespeople.

False

True or false: Many excellent prospects for foreign marketing assignments turn them down because of strong evidence that international service is detrimental to both the employee and the firm in the long run.

False

True or false: People who support the development of language skills argue that learning a new language improves only cultural understanding.

False

True or false: Third-country nationals are a group whose nationality influences where they work and for whom.

False

Match the types of cultures in the left column to the ways in which they evaluate the performance of their salespeople in the right column.

Individualistic cultures: Performance measures are based on sales revenues generated. Relationship-oriented cultures: Performance measures are based on close observation and opinions

Identify the changes in the new millennium that have altered the way that companies choose their chief executives. (Check all that apply.)

Increasing globalization of companies Increasing international competition Accelerated changes in technology

Match the types of cultures in the left column to the spans of control their international organizations usually have for salespeople.

Individualistic cultures: Their companies have broader spans of control. Relationship-oriented cultures; Their companies have narrower spans of control.

Match the types of cultures (in the left column) to their methods of controlling salespeople (in the right column).

Individualistic cultures: They primarily use incentive systems as a control tool. Relationship-oriented cultures: They use corporate culture and frequent interactions with supervisors as tools of control.

Match the types of foreign assignments that expatriates receive (in the left column) to their correct description (in the right column).

One-time assignments: Work abroad for a long time before returning to the parent company Career-long assignments: Work abroad for a long time, without returning to the parent company Professional expatriates: Work abroad in country after country

Identify factors that have contributed to the emergence of virtual expatriates. (Check all that apply.)

Reluctance of executives to move abroad. Advancements in communication technologies.

_____ have been the most common way to overcome employees' family-related concerns that hinder them from accepting marketing assignments in foreign countries.

Special compensation packages

What must a company's management do in order to meaningfully select personnel for international marketing positions?

Specifically define the expectations it has of its people

Identify the factors that an international sales manager must take into account when designing a sales force for a foreign market. (Check all that apply.)

The technology of a product or service that the company offers The Size of the company's accounts The degree to which a country is relationship oriented or information oriented

Identify the disadvantages of hiring local nationals. (Check all that apply.)

Their advice is generally ignored by those at the home office. Their effectiveness is reduced because of their limited English-speaking ability.

Identify the advantages of an expatriate sales force.

They are dependable and can influence headquarters. They have more technical and product-line knowledge They add to the prestige of the product line.

Identify a true statement about salespeople who dislike travel and lack energy.

They are fatigued more easily by their job demands.

________ ___________ nationals are expatriates from their own countries who are employed by foreign companies in a third country.

Third county

Identify the characteristics of people with cultural skills. (Check all that apply.)

Tolerating ambiguity Displaying empathy Switching to another culture's point of view

One of the reasons for the increasing preference for hiring locals over expatriates is the locals' _____.

ability to overcome cultural and legal barriers

Recruiters for international marketing assignments need to carefully examine the likelihood that employees' families will successfully _____.

adjust to a new culture

Highly skilled, career-minded employees typically will not go abroad unless there is proof of _____.

advance planning to protect career development

The main disadvantage of recruiting local nationals to an international sales team is that their _____.

advice is often ignored by headquarters personnel

Companies that implement personal career planning begin with _____.

choosing to send a person abroad

The need to develop cultural awareness among expatriates is increasing because _____.

companies are growing dependent on foreign revenue

The largest difficulties in _____ occur in conglomerates that employ domestic and foreign personnel.

compensation planning

A factor that causes a foreign country to limit the number of non-nationals a company brings into the country is the ______.

concern about foreign corporate domination

To ensure that a candidate will operate effectively in a foreign culture, a company's international marketing positions should include _____ along with a description of the position.

country-specific requirements

Before sending expatriates on international assignments, companies need to provide the employees, and more importantly, their families with _____, in order to minimize rates of return due to adjustment issues.

cross-cultural training

Good companies raise understanding of foreign issues by routinely sending home-office personnel abroad and giving them _____.

cross-cultural training

A majority of expatriate failures are attributed to a lack of _____.

cross-cultural understanding

Experts believe that the dissatisfaction of expatriates' families with the compensation they receive when they are repatriated can be reduced by _____.

decreasing the benefits provided overseas

In the media, personal selling is often _____.

depicted negatively as a career

Understanding between managers and sales personnel is hindered by _____.

differences in language, culture, and communication styles

The development of third-country national executives indicates that nations ______.

do not exclusively own their citizens' personal skills and motivations

An advantage of recruiting employees to an international sales team as virtual expatriates is that they _____.

do not have to uproot their families

An important trait for international personnel, not needed in domestic sales positions, is _____.

emotional stability

Companies recruit their sales forces for foreign countries from _____.

expatriates, local nationals, and third-country nationals

An advantage of employing virtual expatriates in a company is that _____.

extra expenses of an actual move can be avoided

The choice of expatriates over locals is often complicated by the ______.

host government's feelings about foreign workers

Historical patterns of commerce have always followed _____.

immigration paths

The development of third-country national executives reflects the ______.

internationalization of business

The primary methods used to evaluate the traits required by international marketing personnel are _____.

interviews and role-playing exercises

Companies recruiting a sales force for a foreign country find it hard to recruit local nationals because the country's _____.

large firms have already recruited the smartest personnel

A disadvantage of relying on an expatriate sales force is the _____.

limited number of highly trained personnel willing to move abroad

There is an increasing preference for _____ in a company's foreign sales team.

local nationals

Match the type of salesperson companies employ (in the left column) to the correct description (in the right column).

local nationals: Low maintenance cost High maintenance

Most of the problems in training programs for both expatriates and local nationals originate from _____.

long-established behavior and attitudes

Due to the high level of required independence while working abroad, expatriate and third-country personnel must possess ______.

maturity

If an internationally assigned salesperson is ineffective due to his or her inability to make independent ethical decisions, the salesperson most likely lacks ______.

maturity

A majority of countries limit work permits for non-nationals to specific positions when _____.

nationals cannot fill them

People with cultural skills generally remain _____.

nonjudgmental about others' behavior

Most companies begin to view themselves as global companies when their _____.

overseas revenues surpass domestic revenues

One major reason many people resist repatriation is _____.

pay

Companies have the lowest returnee attrition rate when they implement _____.

personal career planning

Companies find that recruiting executives for international assignments is simplified when these candidates are given _____.

promotions for their good performance

The best cultural bridges between the home country and the foreign country for firms seeking to penetrate a foreign market are _____.

recent immigrants and their children

Garth will be moving overseas for a short-term job assignment. His family will stay home. Garth's income may include a(n) ______.

separation allowance

As growing markets and domestic-only competition have faded in recent years, fewer chief executives are coming from _____.

single-discipline backgrounds

Companies assign a number of marketing personnel to foreign countries based on the ______.

size of the operation and the availability of qualified locals

The major drawback of offering special allowances to expatriates to help them take care of their families' needs is that the families _____.

stop receiving them when the assignment ends

After international sales managers decide what type of people are needed in a market's sales force, they begin implementing aspects of design such as

territory allocation and customer call plans

With respect to hiring sales representatives, several researchers suggest that _____.

the selection criteria must be localized

A major drawback of a company recruiting local nationals for a sales force for a foreign operation is _____.

the shortage of trained personnel

Countries often give work permits for a limited period of time considered long enough for the purpose of _____.

training a local for the position

Match the type of training program in the left column to its emphasis in the right column.

training for expatriates: focuses on culture and special sales problems training for local nationals: focuses on the company's products, technical information, and selling methods

The most common reason expatriates become dissatisfied and decide to return home from their assignments early is _____.

unsuccessful family adjustment

Employees in a company's international sales force who manage the company's operations in a foreign market without moving to the other country are known as _____.

virtual expatriates

Internal labor union committees in Europe that are involved in setting rules about compensation for the whole company are known as

work councils