Deck 1: Introduction and Overview

Question 1

Which of the following is an intergovernmental organization whose mission to help governments achieve sustainable economic growth and employment and rising standards of living, originally founded as a counterpart to NATO at the conclusion of World War II?

A)UN
B)OECD
C)WTO
D)IMF

Answer 1

OECD

Question 2

Company culture, climate, strategy, and organizational structure are all important ________ for MNC's foreign operations considerations.

A)external factors
B)strategic factors
C)tactical factors
D)internal factors

Answer 2

internal factors

Question 3

What is Corporate Social Responsibility?

A)A company's ability to achieve sustainable development
B)A company's capability to expand foreign direct investment into multiple foreign locations, providing employment opportunities beyond the company's domestic environment
C)A company's awareness of the need of socially responsible corporate behavior toward the environment, its community, and its employees
D)A company's ability to operate with high price to earning ratio

Answer 3

A company's awareness of the need of socially responsible corporate behavior toward the environment, its community, and its employees

Question 4

Which of the following is not an external factor influencing an MNC's decision-making process?

A)Demographics
B)Technological innovation
C)Social preferences
D)Employee retention rate

Question 5

NAFTA is what kind of agreement among which countries?

A)Multilateral, Mexico, Canada, and the U.S.
B)Multilateral, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam
C)Commodity Specific, Oman, UAE, and Saudi Arabia
D)Free Trade Zone, Germany, France, and Italy

Question 6

MERCOSUR is a multilateral agreement among which countries?

A)Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam
B)Germany, France, and Italy
C)Oman, UAE, and Saudi Arabia
D)Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay

Question 7

The ILO's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work did not cover which of the following areas?

A)Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
B)International import and export tariffs
C)The elimination of forced and compulsory labor
D)The abolition of child labor

Question 8

Labor unions, employer and professional associations are examples of ________.

A)Non-Government Organizations
B)Employee-Interest Organizations
C)Worker Protection Associations
D)PCNs

Question 9

Perhaps the strongest force today to counter the great global influence of MNCs is the combined impact of ________.

A)Labor unions
B)World Bank
C)NGOs
D)Financial IGOs

Question 10

Which of the following statements about company culture is not true?

A)Company culture is the overall prevailing set of assumptions, attitudes, beliefs, norms, practices, and value within the organization.
B)Company culture can have powerful influence on behavior of company members.
C)Company culture is relatively easy to change.
D)Company culture has major impact on management thinking patterns and philosophy.

Question 11

Which of the following is a fundamentally important priority for MNCs?

A)Aligning workforce management practices and human resource functions with company strategy.
B)Changing company culture periodically to provide change and variety in the work environment to maintain employee interest and satisfaction.
C)Measuring company climate every quarter to ensure appropriate fit.
D)Downsizing and running "lean" to optimize efficiency and productivity.

Question 12

Strategic Management should involve the identification of ________.

A)employee individual weaknesses
B)core company values and competencies
C)MNC's corporate responsibility liabilities
D)outsourcing opportunities in politically unstable areas

Question 13

Institutions should acquire the following moral responsibilities when it comes to international human resource management except which of the following?

A)Avoid the semblance of discriminatory treatment.
B)Foster personal enlightenment and self-enrichment of all employees.
C)Embrace the advent of globalization regardless of local trends.
D)Help all employees develop useful, marketable skills.

Question 14

What is the largest, most comprehensive IGO and global forum in the external environment of global workforce management?

A)WTO
B)UN
C)EU
D)NAACP

Question 15

An organization's international human resource management efforts should take into consideration

A)all employees at all levels and locations, including contingent workforce members.
B)only regular employees located in the country where the organization is headquartered.
C)only regular (non-contingent) employees of the organization, wherever they are located.
D)only employees, whether regular or contingent, located outside of the national boundaries where the organization is headquartered.

Question 16

Action-learning training methods, zero-based human resource forecasting, off shoring back office operations, and managing foreign worksite are examples of ________.

A)technological innovations
B)Chaos Theory
C)innovations in management practice
D)globalization effects on HRM practice

Question 17

With instant communications facilitated by the Internet and global cell phones and businesses operating in increasingly multi-national and multi-cultural capacities, cultures are experiencing rapid ________.

A)customization
B)decline
C)convergence
D)divergence

Question 18

When implementation of company plans and objectives has to be adjusted for local customization, it is an example of the influence of ________.

A)divergence
B)globalization
C)ethnocentrism
D)recapitulation

Question 19

Which organizational function is increasingly placed in the role of "conscience" of the organization, holding the responsibility of developing and monitoring the culture and overall internal environment that support ethical behavior?

A)Community Relations
B)Social Responsibility Function
C)Human Resources
D)Public and Government Relations

Question 20

World Bank and IMF are examples of ________.

A)NGOs
B)financial IGOs
C)trade unions
D)common markets

Question 21

The ___ was established in 1999 to bring together important industrialized and developing economies to discuss key issues in the global economy.

A)G-20
B)G-7
C)G-77
D)WTO

Question 22

As a result of rapid globalization, companies and managers who wish to remain within their national boundaries and not venture abroad are increasingly subjected to foreign influence because the "abroad" is coming to them in the form of foreign direct investment, foreign competition, foreign technology, and foreign labor.

Question 23

Global competition to increase market share and profitability by increasing the number of satisfied customers at lower cost is the primary driver of globalization.

Question 24

The two primary types of innovation that affect MNCs externally are innovations in management practice and innovations in technology.

Question 25

The WTO and the IMF are the only global intergovernmental organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations.

Question 26

NGOs are increasingly partnering with MNCs to help implement corporate commitments to social responsibility.

Question 27

Company climate, equivalent to company culture, is the overall level of satisfaction of the workforce, and is not prone to quick changes.

Question 28

An inclusive view of workforce management includes employees who do not have citizenship in the MNC's home country.

Question 29

Assisting all internal employees (excluding contingent labor), in the successful execution of their assignments is an important moral responsibility for MNCs.

Question 30

Cultural divergence is often felt with the implementation of company plans and objectives, which require local customization and adjustment.

Question 31

Employer and professional associations work for the benefit of the employer only, and generally disregard employee benefits and compensation negotiation.

Question 32

Local demographics such as gender, age, ethnicity, and skill base can greatly affect a MNC's ability to conduct business in a host country.

Question 33

More jobs have been lost worldwide in the manufacturing sector due to lack of skilled workers than to anything else.

Question 34

A key purpose of individual governments is to secure and protect the well being of its citizens, including economic livelihood.

Question 35

G20 countries are exclusively industrialized countries that meet regularly to discuss world economic and social issues including Russia.

Question 36

Effective workforce management is the key to both company strategy formulation and implementation.

Question 37

A company's human resources represent a primary source of competitive advantage through such key contributions as workforce innovation and human capability.

Question 38

Although individual member states continue to carry out specific employment policies and can follow their own employment regulations while satisfying general EU guidelines, the EU charter provides a common focus on employment rights.

Question 39

As described in the text, the Global Compact is a good example of a multilateral agreement.

Question 40

The ILO is only concerned with economic charters and regulations, similar to the WTO, but does not provide mandates on the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human rights and labor rights.

Question 41

Especially in such areas as quality control, corporate governance, and social responsibility, MNCs must consider all employees-including contingent workers-involved in their primary and secondary business practices.

Question 42

A fairly common aspect of unions throughout the world is that they tend to contribute to a very adversarial and stormy industrial relations climate characterized by frequent work stoppages, strikes, and even violence.

Question 43

Although NGOs can be very influential on the conduct of international business, they tend to not provide a significant source of country employment.

Question 44

Identify five different groups of external factors that influence global workforce management. For each group of factors, provide an example.

Question 45

What are financial IGOs? What are some ways in which they can influence the development of viable labor markets to support MNC foreign direct investment (i.e., the development of foreign operations)?

Question 46

What are various forms of influence of the UN and its ILO on global workforce practices?

Question 47

What is organizational culture? How can an MNC's organizational culture have a common influence across country operations that overcome potentially divisive cultural differences?

Question 48

Why is the human resource function often linked with business ethics? How can the HR function contribute to more ethical and socially responsible practices in the global workplace?