Deck 1: Global Professional in Human Resources

Question 1

Which of the following stages of globalization is an organization likely in if it is pursuing a polycentric staffing approach?

A) Domestic
B) Global
C) Multinational
D) Transnational

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following ways does a U.S. company practices regarding industrial relations differ from the approach of most nations?

A) Automatic representation
B) Government mandate approach
C) Positive approach
D) Employer free speech

Answer 2

D

Question 3

An organization has decided to utilize a geographic organizational structure. It has several offices throughout Europe and one office in Asia, in particular, in Shenzhen, China. Although the European offices are very well integrated into headquarters, the office in China has been running fairly independently. Of the locations, this office has been the most resistant to expatriates entering and to developing local talent, In fact, headquarters suspects that most of the hiring and promotions have been based on nepotism. Which of the following gaps does the China office NOT exhibit in this scenario?

A) Retention gap
B) Skill & competency gap
C) Knowledge sharing gap
D) Succession gap

Answer 3

A

Question 4

When assessing the gaps between actual and desired organizational performance, which of following measures would NOT considered ?

A) Benchmarked results
B) Training and development
C) Individual assessment
D) Task assessment

Question 5

Which of the following does NOT represent a strategic financial goal for a global company?

A) Effectively manage currency exchange fluvtuations
B) Decrease cost of goods
C) New market penetration
D) Increase revenue

Question 6

The HR Director of a multinational, U.S.-based company is proposing a staffing plan where foreign offices are staffed with as local nationals as possible instead of expatriates. Which of the following are NOT business justifications for this proposal?

A) Building local expertise competencies
B) Compliance with U.S. tax regulations
C) Favorable tax treatment by local government
D) Realization of cost savings

Question 7

Which of the following would a trainer emphasize in order to ensure that a training program focused on developing skills for a particular job is valid ?

A) Survey comparable off-the-shelf programs
B) Interview incumbent
C) Interview managers
D) Analyze the job description and job specifications

Question 8

A company is considering moving its production offshore to Shenzhen, China. The HR Manager is tasked with identifying the supply and demand for skilled labor, the costs of recruiting workers, and the turnover trends in the area. When conducting this environmental scan, which of the following types of influences best describes these indicators?

A) Political factors
B) Economic factors
C) International factors
D) Labor market factors

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a common mistake in selection procedures?

A) Ignore long-term strategic considerations and goals for the position
B) Adjusting global competencies to local cultures
C) Use insufficient or not valid selection criteria
D) Choose final candidate too quickly based on time constraints

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT a reason why individuals refuse international assignments?

A) Personal familial issues, like spouse is reluctant to change careers or children are already in high school
B) No clear, identified path for career development guaranteed after the assignment
C) Financial incentives are inadequate
D) Company's poor record of successful expatriations programs

Question 11

You are preparing an on-assignment checklist for an individual going on an international assignment. Which of the following items is the LEAST important to pursue ?

A) Creating avenues for communication
B) Identify school for children
C) Cross-cultural training
D) Moving/relocation services

Question 12

Which of the following factors is NOT a significant, variable in how an individual may adjust to a new cross-cultural environment?

A) Extent of previous experience on international assignments
B) Differences between the cultures
C) Length of time international assignment
D) Family situation

Question 13

Which of the following factors is an incentive for company to pursue localization?

A) Market reponsiveness
B) Brand integrity
C) Product quality
D) Economies of scale

Question 14

Which of the following BEST identifies the stages in the strategic planning process ?

A) Mission & Vision -> Determine Strategic Issues by performing a Gap Analysis, SWOT Analysis, & Benchmarking -> Strategy Formulation -> Strategy Implementation -> Evaluation & Control
B) Strategy Development -> Strategy Formulation -> Strategy Implementation -> Strategy Evaluation
C) Mission & Objectives -> Strategy Formulation -> Environmental scanning -> Strategy Implementation -> Evaluation & Control
D) Mission & Objectives -> Determine Action Plans -> Strategy Implementation -> Evaluation & Control

Question 15

In order to develop a global competency model for global leaders at a high tech company, a HR Manager decides to study the connotation of specific attributes across the various office locations. Which of the following types of culture would be the LFAST valuable to evaluate in order to develop a valid and reliable model?

A) Local culture
B) Professional culture
C) National culture
D) Corporate culture

Question 16

Which of the following factors is NOT likely an issue a human resources professional would help a family to work through to determine the appropriateness of an international assignment for the family at that time?

A) Is adventure and discovering new things characteristic of the family?
B) Is the family stable and relationships currently harmonious?
C) Is there a history of drug abuse in the family?
D) Are the children open to moving to the host country?

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT likely an issue a human resources professional would help a dual career family to work though to determine the appropriateness of an international assignment for the family at that time ?

A) How will the host country workers respond to a same sex family?
B) Will the accompanying spouse be able to find a job easily?
C) Will the employee consider commuting instead of moving the whole family to the host country?
D) How will the loss of income from one spouse impact the family and their finances?

Question 18

Which of the following factors dose ONT affect the trainability of individuals?

A) Perception of environment
B) Time
C) Ability
D) Motivation

Question 19

A U.S. based high tech company has built a R&D office in Bangalore, India. Four years have passed since the Greenfield operation was successfully built. During this time, the new location has taken on higher priority engineering projects and trained and developed managerial skills of its newly recruited manages in Bangalore. Headquarters wants the office to take on a new engineering project that would expand its business in the U.S. by adding a new product line. This project has been identified as the most important objective for the corporation in the mid-term. The project is still in the phase of identifying specifications and developing milestones, where the engineering management team is working closely with the product manager. Which of the following types international assignment is the most appropriate for the product manager during this phase of the project?

A) Extended business travel
B) Long-term expatriation
C) International commuting
D) Localized transfer

Question 20

Which of the following measures the level of learning achieved by the participants of a training program?

A) 360-degree feedback process
B) Performance tests
C) Performance appraisals
D) Pre-/post measures

Question 21

In which of the following situations do HR managers have the greatest impact on organizations?

A) Assume management roles on cross-functional projects
B) Actively participates in the long-term organizational strategic planning process
C) Providing legal counsel to managers
D) Evaluate and implement process improvements throughout an organization

Question 22

A Product Manager travels 2 weeks every month to the Asia office on business. The other 2 weeks of the month, she works at the U.S. based headquarters. She gets compensated in U.S. dollars. While in Asia, she works with the respective Engineering team to define specifications that will meet customer expectations. Which of the following describes her work situation?

A) Localized transfers
B) Extended business travel
C) Third country national
D) Short-term assignments

Question 23

A U.S. based high tech company decides to build a R&D office in Bangalore, India. Which of the following terns describes this kind of expansion decision?

A) Greenfield operation
B) International merger
C) Joint venture
D) Trading house

Question 24

According to Black and Mendenhall, which of the following factors is NOT a function of the individual that determines the degree of adjustment required in order to adapt to a new environment?

A) Relationship skills
B) Self-efficacy
C) Perception skills
D) Family-spouse adjustment

Question 25

According to the global performance management process, an organization should be aliging company systems in phases EXCEPT in which of the following stages?

A) Specifying each employee's performance plan
B) Defining global business strategy and objectives
C) Linking benefits & rewards as well as employee development to the process
D) Conducting the appraisal with each employee

Question 26

Which of the following id NOT a factor when developing a compensation and benefits plan for expatriates?

A) Internal company wide pay scale
B) Compensation and benefits of expatriates in other countries
C) Compensation and benefits of local nationals
D) Compensation and benefits of peers back home

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT a step in the Strategy Implementation stage of Strategic Planning?

A) Short-term organizational objectives are established
B) Actions plans are developed
C) Resource allocation
D) Long-term objectives are established and strategies defined

Question 28

Which of the following is a shared characteristic of all four levels of learning, as identified by Kirkpatrick?

A) Questioning
B) Reaction
C) Results
D) Behavior

Question 29

The HR Manager is creating an interactive training program on recruiting for a group of 20 R&D managers as well as one for a group of 20 production line leads. Which of the following is NOT a factor to consider bearing in mind these target audiences ?

A) R&D managers have probably had similar training in the past
B) Production line leads are probably kinesthetic learners
C) For the production line lead group, the best media to present this information is a video
D) The facilitator for the group of R&D managers should be a subject matter expert that can express content as "A" causes "B" incidents

Question 30

Which of the following type of listening is occurring when a person is thinking. "Robert has some legitimate points about the importance of quality and its importance in the company's growth" while listening to a ISO-9001 training session?

A) Active
B) Empathic
C) Informational
D) Evaluative

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT an external third-party source for recruiting ?

A) Private employment agencies
B) Labor unions
C) Outplacement firms
D) Agencies

Question 32

A U.S. based high tech company has built a R&D office in Bangalore, India. Four years have passed since the Greenfield operation was successfully built. During this time, the new location has taken on higher priority engineering projects and trained and developed managerial skills of its newly recruited manages in Bangalore. Headquarters wants the office to take on a new engineering project that would expand its business in the U.S. by adding a new product line. This project has been identified as the most important objective for the corporation in the mid-term. The project is still in the phase of identifying specifications and developing milestones, where the engineering management team is working closely with the product manager. The management team understand that is must create an international assignment program to have this project run smoothly. The team believes that extended business travel would be the most appropriate program. In order t confirm their belief, the HR manager does extensive research. The analysis shows that extended business travel will result in $10,000,000 additional revenue in the first year and $5,000,000 additional revenue in the second year due to the customization of the product to customer demand. The cost of the program is $400,000 initial investment plus a variable cost of $100,000 per year. What is the break-even point？

A) 2.4 months
B) 4.8 months
C) 6 months
D) 2 months

Question 33

After performing a global gap analysis, the global HR team has identified an initiative to identify at least three potential candidates for each Senior Director and VP position. In order to build accountability for implementing this initiative, which of the following pieces of information is NOT necessary?

A) Source of resources
B) Modes of communication
C) Benefit to the individual and organization
D) Developing S.M.A.R.T objectives

Question 34

Which of the following represents a HR strategic activity?

A) Recruitment of staff for new R&D project
B) Implement annual performance appraisal programs
C) Designing an employment brand
D) Provide specific job training programs

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a potential difference in benefits practices that Human Resources should evaluate when developing a global compensation and benefits strategy?

A) Leaves of absences
B) Life insurance benefits
C) Medical coverage
D) Reasons for termination

Question 36

According to Claus, which of the following HR activities is considered an upstream function?

A) Compensation
B) Employee relations
C) HRIS
D) Staffing

Question 37

Which of the following describes the global compensation and benefits strategy that would BEST align with an organization that has decided to pursue a polycentric staffing approach?

A) Utilization of headquarters policies with little adaptation to local considerations
B) Consistent local and global policies
C) Consistent policies within a region, but may not thoroughly consistent across regions
D) Consistent local policies, but may not be consistent across the organization globally

Question 38

Which of the following factors is NOT a significant variable in how an individual may re-adjust after returning home ?

A) Extent of previous experience on international assignments
B) Length of time on international assignment
C) Clarity of new job and role
D) Changes in family & friends

Question 39

A U.S. Based manufacturing company has decided to expand overseas to South Korea. Which of the following is an example of environmental scanning ?

A) Building internal training programs for the new international employees
B) Developing a compensation structure in line with the local market
C) Changing the company's product mix to take advantage of the new labor market
D) Analyzing the number of skilled workers in the area

Question 40

Which of the following is NOT a potential reason for a company's decision to fill a position through an international assignment?

A) Assist in creating alignment with headquarters' goals and objectives
B) Assist in developing a consistent culture across the corporation
C) Specific person is the most qualified candidate for the job
D) Lack of core skill sets for the position available in the area

Question 41

A .U. S. based Engineering Manager was sent to England for a short-term six-month assignment to recruit and build a team. He is almost dome with the assignmrnt and describes the entire opportunity as being exciting and challenging. He wants to stay in Europe further and hopes to go on future international assignments. According to Black and Mendenhall, which of the following stages of the cross-cultural adjustment cycle is the manager in?

A) Culture shock
B) Mastery
C) Adjustment
D) Honeymoon

Question 42

A company decides to pursue an international assogment program to fill a new position in is new office in Beijing, China. With the assistance of the human professional, the management team has finalized a list of job-specific selection crieria of the ideal candidate for the role. During the interviewing process, the key selection tool utilized was role-playing. Role-playing was done entirely in Mandarin bases around common business and family situations an expatriate may face. In addition , role-playing was utilized to show how the candidate had successfully protrayedidentified success factors in past behavior. Which of the following selection methods was NOT utilized in this scenario?

A) Work sample
B) Situational assessments
C) Self-assessment
D) Interview

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of a company and community site visit and orientation before an individual decides to accept an international assignment?

A) Results in the selection of the most qualified candidate
B) Encourages self selection
C) Helps an organization to dispel unrealistic expectations
D) Reduces employee turnover

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT a significant benefit for employers to clearly communicate the direct and indirect compensation strategy to their employees?

A) Better understanding of equity in structure
B) Minimize confusion over issues such as vacation policy
C) Clear understanding of compensation and performance through performance appraisals
D) Understanding the amount of money employers pay to maintain health care benefits

Question 45

You are responsible for hiring an entry-level engineer position in Bangalore, India. Which of the following recruitment sources is the least likely to be used?

A) Contingency-basis employment agencies
B) Recruiting at colleges? vocational schools
C) Employee referral program
D) Post jobs online on corporate website

Question 46

The success of an internal business process is evaluated by the extent to which that process meets the objectives of its function. Which of the following best describes this measurement of success?

A) Management by objective
B) Effectiveness
C) Balanced screcard
D) Efficiency

Question 47

What are the 4P's in Marketing?

A) Place, Product, Promotion, Partnership
B) Price, Place, Product, Promotion
C) Price, Product, Promotion, Productivity
D) Price, Product, Promotion, Partnership

Question 48

The HR Director of a multinational, U.S. based company is proposing a staffing plan where foreign office are staffed with as many third country nationals as possible instead of expatriates. Which of the following is an advantage to utilizing third country nationals vs. expatriates to fill international assignments?

A) Helps to create a truly global workforce
B) Helps solve specific problems to meet specific needs
C) Facilitates global integration and standardization
D) Helps to develop a pool of global executives

Question 49

An organization is in the growth stage of the organizational life cycle. It has five locations, one in the U.S. (headquarters), two in Asia, one in South America, and one in Europe. The foreign operations are relatively new, fully operational only within the last 5 years. During this time, each office has caucused on building both technical and managerial talent within its own site. Once a year the executive team from headquarters visits each office to meet with the managers at each site to discuss the coming fiscal year's strategic goals and objectives. Which of the following stages of globalization BEST descries the phase this company is in?

A) International
B) Transnational
C) Multinational
D) Domestic

Question 50

A corporation is considering building a greenfield operation for a R&D site in Bangalore, India According to the strategic plan, technical managers from headquarters will manage these employees and incorporate them in their current engineering product deployments. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of pursuing heterogeneous global teams?

A) Local responsivensiveness to custormers
B) Transfer of knowledge between the two or more sites
C) Easier to agree on a specific decision
D) More innovative ideeas developed

Question 51

Which of the following groups would NOT be considered to be subject matter experts (SME's) of a job function?

A) Current incumbents
B) Direct reports
C) Trained job analysts
D) Supervisours

Question 52

Which of the following is NOT an international assignee?

A) Expatriate
B) Inpatriate
C) Third country nationals
D) Local nationals

Question 53

Which of the following criteria is NOT a factor in determining the level of control of a non-U.S. corporation?

A) Labor relations centrally controlled
B) Principal place of business
C) Shared management
D) Interrelation of operations

Question 54

Which of the following is one of the primary outcomes of a job analysis?

A) Job specifications
B) Performance criteria
C) Highly structured questionnaires
D) Competency model

Question 55

Which of the following is NOT a reason why a company would pursue moving forward with an acquisition?

A) Improve customer relations
B) Increase their current market share
C) Acquire new skills and talents
D) Expand their product protfolio

Question 56

Which of the following decribes an employee's motivational potential, according to the job characteristics mode?

A) Ability to implement, responses, feedback
B) Motivation factors and incentives
C) Skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomu, feedback
D) job analysis, task significance

Question 57

Which of the following is NOT a potential reason for geographic differentials in pay?

A) Different cost of living standards
B) Incentive to attract akilled workers to an area, which normally has rain for 80% of the year
C) Existence of a large group of minorities in the area
D) Incentive to attract workers to a foreign country

Question 58

Which of the following stages of the International Assignment Process model is the most critical in determining the success of an international assignment?

A) Pre-departure preparation
B) Assessment and selection
C) On assignment
D) Completing the assignment

Question 59

Which of the following is the most important step when outsourcing the sert up of a new HRIS (human resource information system)?

A) Select the best HRIS system with extensive capabilities
B) Prepare a detailed request for proposal (RFP) defininf desired specifications
C) Analyze the organization's needs for building a HRIS system
D) Develop a complaint procedure for all work disputes

Question 60

Let's assume you need to develop a strategic employer branding program. Which of the following is one of the LEAST effective methods in prositive employer branding?

A) Providing above-market compensation packages
B) Gathering local confidence by socially responsible actions, ie environmentally conscious
C) Winning the Malcolm Baldrge National Quality Award
D) Implementation of flexible work arrangements that reduce turnover by 10%

Question 61

An organization decides to provide their employees who have stayed with the company for 15+ years a pension based on the average earnings in the last 3 rears of their employment with the company. Which type of formula does this utilize ?

A) Final pay
B) Cash balance plan
C) Flat dollar
D) Career-average

Question 62

Which of the following is NOT a potential difference in benefits practice that Human Resources should evaluate when compensating an expatriate or local national ?

A) Medical care
B) Hours worked per week
C) Social security
D) Vacation days

Question 63

Which of the following functions does a job description NOT serve?

A) Tool during performance appraisals
B) Tool for diversity plan
C) Tool for selection criteria
D) Tool for HR planning

Question 64

Which of the following laws does NOT apply outside of the United States for U.S. Based firms ?

A) Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
B) National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act)
C) Foreign Corruption Practices Act (FCPA)
D) Title VII of the Civil Right Act

Question 65

Which of the following represents an argument why nations should confer within organizations like the EU to create minimum labor standards worldwide ?

A) Passing judgment can be viewed as imperialistic
B) Puts some countries at a competitive disadvantage
C) In order to meet binding regulations of the respective organization
D) May impede a nation ? s comparative advantage, only worsening conditions for internally

Question 66

A U.S. based Engineering Manager was sent to England for a short-term six-month assignment to recruit and build a team. He is done with the assignment and has returned home. When going out with family and friends, he describes the entire opportunity as being exciting and challenging. He wishes he could have stayed in Europe longer. Which of the following repatriation programs is the MOST appropriate to ensure a successful repatriation ?

A) Re-entry training program
B) Compensation and benefits adjustment
C) Policies on repatriation
D) Recognition and appreciation

Question 67

Which of the following isNOT one of the four fundamental principles and rights at work established by the International Labor Organization (ILO)?

A) Collective redundancy
B) Elimination of forced or  compulsory labor
C) Abolition of child labor
D) Elimination of employment-related discrimination

Question 68

A U.S. Based high tech company has built a R&D office in Bangalore, India. Four years have passed since greenfield operation was successfully built. During this time, the new location has taken on higher priority engineering projects and has trained and developed managerial skills of its newly recruited managers in Bangalore. Headquarters wants the office to take on a new engineering project that would expand its business by adding a new product line. This project has been identified as the most important objective for the corporation in the mid-term. However, the site still lacks technical knowledge in a particular area. Which of the following types of international assignments is the most appropriate in order to fill this knowledge gap ?

A) Localized transfer
B) International commuting
C) Short-term assignment
D) Long-term expatriation

Question 69

You are in the process of developing a global compensation structure. Which of the following factors does NOT affect the strategy pursued ?

A) Laws and regulations
B) Cultural differences
C) Economic factors
D) Career management system

Question 70

Which of the following is the least important factor to consider when evalusting a third-party contractor to outsource benefits administration?

A) Detailed audit structure
B) Responsetime to client questions
C) Price
D) Preexisting/ existing relationships with carriers

Question 71

A Peoplesoft consultant is interested in moving up in management. In order to do that, she has just started attending a part-time MBA program at Columbia University. In addition, she realizes that she needs additional global experience. Which of the following would MOST benefit this person if they would like to pursue the management track ?

A) Job-sharing
B) Mentoring
C) Succession planning
D) Expatriate mentoring

Question 72

Which of the following is an explicit factor of a corporate culture ?

A) Authority and working relationships between employees
B) Values, norms and beliefs
C) Communication styles
D) Systems and processes

Question 73

Which of the following is a disadvantage of utilizing internal recruitment methods ?

A) Morale problem
B) Misplacements
C) Organizational inbreeding
D) Long orientation time

Question 74

Which of the following is NOT a potential outcome of a poor decision making process by the individual in resolving to pursue an international assignment?

A) Home country manager addresses problems quickly and thoroughly while the individual is on assignment
B) Dissatisfaction by assognee's family
C) Individual evaluates aspectds of the international assignment incorrectly due to the lack of knowledge in doing so
D) Unrealistic expectations about assignment

Question 75

A global team is made up of 5 individuals and a manager. The manager is located at headquarters in the U.S., 2 individuals are in Europe, and 3 individuals are in 3 different locations in Asia. The manager defines the group's goals, delegates work, and makes tough decisions when necessary. His team is made up of a creative innovator, a person to deal with all of the operational details and requirements, a person who continuously communicates across the group and explores alternatives; a strategic thinker, and a person to evaluate and curtail potential errors and negative consequences. In this scenario, which of the following is NOT an aspect that the manager should monitor in order to ensure a successful global team ?

A) Building trust amongst the team
B) Establishing goals and boundaries across the team
C) Add a person into the team to play the coordinator role
D) Resolving conflicts amongst the team

Question 76

An organization is in the global stage of globalization. Which of the following BEST describes the key functions of human resources professionals working in this company at this time?

A) Increasing activity in international assignment programs, so that they have an extensive knowledge about various host countries. Focused on change partner and navigator role.
B) Experts at moving resources back and forth across countries. Focused on only navigator role.
C) Increasing activity in international assignment programs, so that they have an extensive knowledge about various host countries. Focused builder and change partner role.
D) Experts at moving resources back and forth across countries. Focused on change partner and navigator role.

Question 77

A U.S. based high tech company has just built a new manufacturing operation in Beijing, China. Over the last two months, they have been trying to recruit skilled and unskilled labor to fill the new open positions. In addition, the company has decided to create 2 international assignments to fill identified skill gaps. One position is for a Senior Manufacturing Manager/Director to get the operation up and running within 4 more months meeting identified planned outs and the second position is for a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to deal with any engineering issues when developing the process. When trying to identify potential internal candidates for the Senior Manufacturing Manager/Director position through the skills inventory, which of the following skills is the LEAST relevant ?

A) Ability to speak Chinese
B) Past experience with creating new manufacturing operations
C) Past international experience
D) Strong technical understanding of manufacturing the designated product line

Question 78

Which of the following types of organizational structures would be MOST effective in being responsive to customer?

A) Line units
B) Matrix
C) Divisional
D) Functional

Question 79

After two years of selling mostly prototypes of their product, built to customer specifications, a company is beginning to commercialize this product. The current average cost to build the product is $1000 per unit, where $600 is the bill of materials and $400 id the direct labor. The company currently produces at the run rate of the 100 good units per week from 200 total units processed. The firm currently sells the product at $1500 per unit, without volume discounts. One of the major pressures from their customers is to cut costs by 40% within one year. Which of the following strategies should the firm pursue first based on the following research data ? Please assume there is infinite customer demand.

A) Acquiring a company overseas in order to manufacture the product, which would reduce costs by 75% in Year 1 (5% probability of the success )
B) Developing a turnkey operation that reduces costs by 65% in Year 1 (30% probability of the success )
C) Participate in a joint venture for new R&D that would help reduce costs by 50% by improving yields in Year 1 (20% probability of success )
D) Licensing out the technology to a corporation in another country that would reduce costs by 55% in Year 1 (15% probability of success )

Question 80

An organization is in the growth stage of the organizational life cycle. The company is a small staffing firm made up with a founder who largely performs a business development individuals, and 2 junior recruiters who perform most the administrative function. Each recruiter is paired up with a business development individual to target a specific niche in professions-sales and marketing vs. engineering vs. administrative staff (ie clerical, accounting, etc). Which of the following types of organizational structures is recommended?

A) Centralization
B) Divisional
C) Functional
D) Narrow span of control