Chapter 15: International Personal Selling and Personnel Management
TRUE/FALSE
1. International sales representatives’ expertise, ability, demeanor, and appearance all convey information
that is integral to the firm’s product or service offering and help shape the firm’s relationship with the
target market.
2. Companies primarily involved in exporting are likely to engage in extensive international sales
activity.
3. A firm that has manufacturer’s representatives in a particular market typically has a substantial overall
presence in that market.
4. A firm that has manufacturer’s representatives can range in its involvement from having a local sales
office operated by local and/or international sales representatives, to a wholly-owned subsidiary.
5. In the international selling context, the order getter is the individual who processes routine orders from
the customer; he or she is likely to be a local employee who is familiar with the local customs and
culture.
6. In the international selling context, the order taker takes little initiative in international transactions.
7. EDI relationships are possible primarily if the firms have the appropriate resources and trust their local
partner with the information.
8. In international marketing, most order getters work in the business-to-business area as field
salespeople, going to customers to solicit business.
9. In international marketing, order getters can be either local or international staff who are highly skilled
technically.
10. A third-country national is a truly international sales person, the expatriate who works in numerous
countries.
11. Home-country nationals are preferred by companies whose products are in the mature stage of the
product life cycle.
12. Usually, third-country nationals cost more than home-country nationals because of their special
expertise.
13. Inessa, a Kazakstani brand manager schooled in a university in the United States, working for Colgate
in Kazakstan, would be considered a home-country national.
14. International firms appear to prefer the local employee to the expatriate.
15. In South America, managers commonly “roll up their sleeves” and work on the assembly line as a way
of showing their solidarity with the work force.
16. A hard sell approach is not likely to be successful in most Asian countries.
17. Looking your counterpart directly in the eye is a sign of honesty in Asia.
18. In Latin America, the salesperson should focus on closing the deal and aiming towards the next sale.
19. A personal selling situation involves content; content includes substantive aspects of the interaction,
such as suggesting, offering or negotiating product-specific utilities and expectations.
20. A personal selling situation involves style; style refers to rituals, format, mannerisms, and ground-rules
of the buyer and seller during the course of their interaction.
21. Individuals from high context cultures use formal, direct communication that is verbally expressed.
22. Information such as status of the speaker, individual background, values, and associations are very
important in completing the message conveyed in high context cultures.
23. Negotiators from high-context cultures are less programmatic and less rigid, especially in time
management, contract signing, and closing deals.
24. Negotiators from low-context cultures follow Western logic, with the negotiation ending when an
agreement is formally reached and in writing.
25. International management experts estimate that the total cost of failed expatriate assignments is in the
“tens of thousands of dollars”.
26. International management experts estimate that more than fifty percent of expatiate assignments fail.
27. Research indicates that expatriates who are primarily interested in completing the assignment in order
to earn a promotion are the most likely to succeed in an international assignment.
28. There is virtually no way to diminish culture shock.
29. Training for an international assignment could be as simple as taking a short course in cross-cultural
communications.
30. The extrinsic aspects of motivation for an international assignment are addressed in the recruiting
process, which ensures that only those candidates who have the appropriate traits are deployed.
31. The company controls the extrinsic aspects of motivation.
32. For many companies, the cost-of-living adjustment is above and beyond that justified by the local
conditions.
33. Even though companies frequently provide a generous cost-of-living adjustment, it is uncommon for a
company to provide a housing allowance for the expatriate.
34. The education allowance covers the cost of educating the employee on the new environment in which
he or she will be working.
35. Household moving expenses to the country of assignment are usually covered by the company for the
expatriate.
36. The repatriation allowance covers expenses for moving to the host country.
37. Multinational corporations frequently offer as incentive a guaranteed promotion to the expatriate in the
company ranks upon his or her successful return from the country of assignment.
38. Once in the country of assignment it is important for the employee to forge connections with other
home-country expatriates.
39. Upon return to the home country, the employee frequently experiences a loss of status.
40. One of the most important actions of the company may be to simply keep the expatriate “in the loop”
for the duration of the assignment.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. What traits of the international sales representatives are likely to convey information that shapes the
relationship of the firm to the target market?
a.
Sales representatives’ expertise
c.
Sales representatives’ appearance
b.
Sales representatives’ demeanor
d.
All of the above
2. International sales representatives are often the frontline personnel in a firm’s relationship with the
a.
Target market
c.
Local government
b.
Distributors
d.
All of the above
3. Companies involved in exporting are likely to
a.
Send representatives to an international trade show
b.
Engage in minimal sales activity in international markets
c.
Have little control over the activities of the joint venture partner
d.
a and b only
4. In the international selling context, the order taker
a.
Processes routine orders from the customer
b.
Is a local employee
c.
Has important initiatives
d.
All of the above
5. Which of the following is not true about an order taker. An order taker
a.
Can show initiative
b.
Can persuade
c.
Can call on customer at his or her work place
d.
Can process the order
6. Order getters
a.
Are either local or international staff.
b.
Are over-the-counter salespeople, typically.
c.
Lack the important sales skills of order takers.
d.
All of the above.
7. Which of the following does not characterize order getters? They are individuals who
a.
Actively generate leads
b.
Process orders
c.
Persuade clients to purchase the firm’s products
d.
Go to clients’ places of business or home
8. An electronic data interchange (EDI) relationship enables the buying and selling firms to share
important data on
a.
Production
c.
Shipping
b.
Inventory
d.
All of the above
9. Which of the following is a requirement for an electronic data interchange (EDI) relationship?
a.
Firms should have the appropriate resources to facilitate EDI
b.
Firms should be able to trust each other
c.
a and b only
d.
None of the above are requirements
10. Which of the following is not an example of an expatriate working in a particular foreign country?
a.
Home-country national
c.
Third-country national
b.
Host-country national
d.
All of the above are expatriates.
11. Which type of person is also known as parent-company nationals?
a.
Home-country nationals
c.
Third-country nationals
b.
Host-country nationals
d.
Professional expatriates
12. Which type of representative is preferred by companies whose products are at the forefront of
technology, or when the selling function relies on extensive training and highly-specialized
information?
a.
Home-country nationals
c.
Third-country nationals
b.
Host-country nationals
d.
High context negotiators
13. Which of the following is not a disadvantage of using home-country nationals?
a.
Home-country nationals usually cost more than other types of representatives.
b.
Cultural barriers are more likely for home-country nationals.
c.
Home-country nationals lack personal connections to important decision makers.
d.
All of the above are disadvantages of using home-country nationals.
14. Which of the following is considered to be a “professional expatriate?”
a.
Home-country nationals
c.
Third-country nationals
b.
Host-country nationals
d.
Mercenary expatriates
15. Which type of representative is likely to cost the least?
a.
Home-country national
c.
Third-country national
b.
Host-country national
d.
Mercenary expatriate
16. In the case of both home-country nationals and third-country nationals it should be noted that:
a.
Repatriation issues are an important concern.
b.
Many governments dictate the number of foreign nationals permitted to be hired.
c.
Culture shock must be planned for.
d.
All of the above are true.
17. Anya was born in Russia, educated in America, and represents Ford in Moscow. Which type of
salesperson is Anya most likely to be?
a.
Home-country national
c.
Third-country national
b.
Host-country national
d.
Mercenary expatriate
18. Why do international firms often prefer to hire a local employee over an expatriate?
a.
The local employee is cheaper.
b.
The local employee knows the language.
c.
The local employee fits the country’s employment policies.
d.
All of the above are true.
19. In which country is a hard sell most likely to succeed?
a.
Saudi Arabia
c.
Japan
b.
Brazil
d.
Germany