JOB REWARD PREFERENCES - A COMPARISON BETWEEN PORTUGAL AND INDIA

This dissertation explores differences in preferences for financial, support, intrinsic, and extrinsic rewards (Chiang and Birtch, 2007) across two distinct cultural contexts: Portugal and India. Reward practices that are effective in one country may be very different from those that are successful in the other. This is largely due to reward preferences that are shaped by individual needs, values and expectations, which are partially derived from cultural background (e.g., Fu et al., 2020; Kirkman et al., 2009; Oyserman et al., 2002). To empirically explore these differences, data were collected using a snowball sampling technique targeting management-related higher education students and professionals in both Portugal and India. The data analysis included bivariate and multivariate tests (regression analysis) using STATA 18.5. The results suggest that Portuguese participants place greater emphasis on intrinsic rewards, support rewards, and extrinsic rewards related to relationships, whereas Indian participants exhibit a stronger preference for extrinsic rewards related to status and power. Contrary to expectations, financial reward preferences do not significantly differ between the two countries. The study also finds gender differences, with women showing a stronger preference for all reward types except extrinsic rewards related to status and power, which are more valued by men. Finally, participants who are still studying show a weaker preference for extrinsic rewards related to status and power.