Question 1

Training programs designed for preparing employees for assignments abroad consist of area studies, practical information, and cross-cultural awareness.

Accepted Answer

Training programs for international assignments typically include area studies (such as learning about the history, culture, and customs of the target country), practical information (such as obtaining visas and setting up housing), and cross-cultural awareness training (to help employees navigate cultural differences and potential misunderstandings).

Question 2

In a short essay, explain why some international firms chart global career paths for employees, and discuss the reasons women still do not enjoy equal access to senior management positions in most countries.

Accepted Answer

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Question 3

MNEs with a global mindset encourage an ethnocentric orientation among managers and employees working abroad.

Accepted Answer

MNEs with a global mindset encourage a geocentric orientation among managers and employees working abroad, where they value diversity and local inputs in decision-making. An ethnocentric orientation promotes the superiority of one's own culture, which can lead to cultural clashes and failure to adapt to local markets.

Question 4

What are the principal characteristics of managers who are best suited to working in foreign environments?

Accepted Answer

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Question 5

Which of the following best summarizes the goal of cross-cultural awareness training for expatriates?

Accepted Answer

The goal of cross-cultural awareness training for expatriates is to enable them to effectively communicate with local customers and employees and be sensitive to the host-country's culture, as they work in a foreign environment. This allows them to navigate cultural differences and build positive and productive relationships with stakeholders in their host country.

Question 6

Developing talent is a multistep collaboration between human resource managers and executive management.

Accepted Answer

Developing talent is a collaborative effort that involves the human resource managers and executive management working together to identify and develop top talent within the organization. This process typically involves a series of steps, such as identifying potential candidates, providing training and development opportunities, and creating a supportive work environment that encourages growth and development.

Question 7

Worldwide staffing with PCNs helps firms develop an integrated global enterprise.

Accepted Answer

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Question 8

Area studies refer to ________.

Accepted Answer

Area studies refer to factual knowledge of the historical, political, and economic environment of the host country. It is important for businesses operating in foreign countries to have a deep understanding of the local culture, customs, and business practices in order to successfully operate in the market. This knowledge helps firms to adapt their strategies and operations to meet the needs of the local market, and avoid cultural misunderstandings that could harm their business.

Question 9

Which of the following is the term used to describe an expatriate's return to his/her home country following completion of a foreign assignment?

Accepted Answer

Repatriation refers to an expatriate's return to his/her home country following completion of a foreign assignment. Reverse culture shock refers to the disorientation and anxiety experienced by an individual when returning to their home culture after living in a foreign culture. National integration is the process by which people of different backgrounds come together to form a cohesive society. Codetermination refers to a labor-management system in which workers and management jointly participate in decision making.

Question 10

Cross-cultural awareness training tends to lower intercultural sensitivity and effectiveness.

Accepted Answer

This statement is false. Cross-cultural awareness training is designed to increase intercultural sensitivity and effectiveness by providing individuals with knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for effective communication and interaction with people from different cultural backgrounds.

Question 11

________ refers to the tendency to view other cultures through the lens of your own culture.

Accepted Answer

The self-reference criterion refers to the tendency to view other cultures through the lens of your own culture, which can lead to misunderstanding and misinterpretation of other cultures. Codetermination refers to a cooperative approach to decision-making between management and workers, segregation refers to the separation of different groups based on characteristics such as race or class, and cross-cultural awareness refers to an understanding and appreciation of different cultures.

Question 12

Which of the following most likely complicates international performance appraisals?

Accepted Answer

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Question 13

How can international human resource managers effectively minimize culture shock for expatriates?

Accepted Answer

Training personnel to understand the host country's government, culture, and language is the most effective way to minimize culture shock for expatriates. This will help them adapt to their new surroundings and avoid misunderstandings that can lead to culture shock. Allowing a short trip or inviting foreign employees to the expatriate's home can also be helpful, but they are not as effective as providing thorough training. Asking the expatriate to return to the headquarters is not a solution to culture shock, as it removes them from the host country and does not address their difficulties in adjusting to the new culture.

Question 14

Conrad's training for his assignment in Romania would most likely include ________.

Accepted Answer

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Question 15

Define repatriation. Discuss some of the difficulties faced by repatriated employees. How can human resource managers assist repatriated employees?

Accepted Answer

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Question 16

In a short essay, discuss the connection between expatriate assignment failure and culture shock. What are the different components of training designed to prepare expatriates for assignments abroad?

Accepted Answer

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Question 17

Which of the following sums up the goal of training Conrad for his assignment in Romania?

Accepted Answer

The goal of training Conrad for his assignment in Romania is to increase his effectiveness abroad, which suggests that he will be better equipped to handle the challenges and opportunities of working in a different cultural and business environment. This is likely to benefit both Conrad and his employer, as he will be able to achieve his goals more efficiently and effectively. The other options (B, C, and D) are not as relevant to the goal of training Conrad for his assignment in Romania. Repatriation is a separate issue that is not directly related to his training, the per-unit cost of production is not mentioned, and enhancing overall freedom for employees is not relevant to Conrad's specific assignment in Romania.

Question 18

Critical incident analysis examines an episode in which tension arises between an employee and a foreign counterpart due to a cross-cultural misunderstanding.

Accepted Answer

Critical incident analysis is used to examine specific incidents that have caused tension or conflict in the workplace, and cross-cultural misunderstandings are a common source of such incidents. Therefore, it is true that critical incident analysis could be used to examine a situation where tension arises between an employee and a foreign counterpart due to cultural differences.

Question 19

The human resources department of Global Choppers designs trainings for employees in a way that helps them avoid the self-reference criterion. This implies that the training designed by the human resources department of Global Choppers ________.

Accepted Answer

The self-reference criterion refers to the tendency of viewing other cultures through the lens of one's own culture. Therefore, a training program that helps employees avoid this bias would counter the negative effects of the self-reference criterion. Option A is incorrect because it refers to a different bias, suspicion and distrust towards foreign assignments, which is not related to the self-reference criterion. Option B is incorrect because cultural awareness is an important part of countering the self-reference criterion. Option C is incorrect because cultural intelligence is the ability to adapt to other cultures, and a program that helps employees avoid the self-reference criterion would likely enhance their cultural intelligence.

Question 20

Critical incident analysis examines ________.

Accepted Answer

Critical incident analysis examines specific events or incidents that have caused disruption, conflict or other challenges within an organization or between organizations. Option B describes such an incident where cultural differences led to tension between employees and foreign counterparts, making it the best choice. Option A is not specific to a critical incident analysis and could happen for other reasons. Option C is a performance evaluation issue, which is not necessarily a critical incident. Option D is too general and does not describe a specific incident that can be analyzed.

Quiz 17: Human Resource Management in the Global Firm