Deck 11: Building an Effective International Workforce

Question 1

Define the four philosophies companies might embrace in making international staff decisions.

Answer 1

No Answer

Question 2

____________________ is a consequence of making a mistake in selecting and managing expatriates.

A) wasted relocation costs.
B) loss of direct and indirect costs.
C) damaged relations with local employees.
D) high turnover after repatriation.
E) all of the above.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Which step should a company provide for an expatriate immediately upon his or her return home?

A) match employee with home sponsor who will cover company changes.
B) clearly communicate reentry job options.
C) establish career development plan.
D) narrow list of reentry job options.
E) ask employee to list professional expectations.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is a common challenge for repatriating employees?

A) adjustment to a lower standard of living.
B) feeling unappreciated by the company.
C) feeling alienated and distanced from home cultural environment due to changes during the assignment.
D) having to reorient to changes in the home company.
E) all of these.

Question 5

A strategy to facilitate repatriation of overseas employees might be to

A) put them in a lower-level position with limited job pressure.
B) make sure they do not have to attend meetings.
C) reassign them to another country as soon as possible.
D) bring them home for a short assignment before their final return.
E) do all of these.

Question 6

When it comes to repatriation,

A) companies commonly offer employees training to deal with reverse culture shock.
B) employees often find it easy to reinsert themselves.
C) companies are beginning to realize how expensive it is to neglect it.
D) all of these.
E) none of these.

Question 7

In order to prepare for an international assignment, expatriates should

A) rely on the company.
B) consider taking steps on their own.
C) wait until they get to the location to worry about it.
D) focus on learning policies.
E) do all of these.

Question 8

Which factor should be considered when determining the rigor of a cross-cultural training program for an expatriate assignment?

A) length of assignment.
B) importance of assignment.
C) the extent to which the person will be working with the local population.
D) cultural toughness.
E) all of these.

Question 9

_________________ is the degree of difference between an expatriate's home culture and the assigned culture, and the relative difficulty of adjustment.

A) culture shock.
B) cultural toughness.
C) diversity.
D) expatriate distress.
E) cultural trauma.

Question 10

As part of a cross-cultural training program, expatriates should

A) practice culturally appropriate behavior.
B) learn culturally appropriate behavior.
C) understand cultural differences.
D) do all of these.
E) do none of these.

Question 11

To help expatriates be effective and minimize any adjustment problems, training and preparation should

A) be rigorous before, during, and after the assignment.
B) include only the employee.
C) focus on company policies and procedures in the foreign location.
D) all of these.
E) none of these.

Question 12

Europeans and Scandanavian firms differ from US MNCs and other MNCS with a tendency to emphasize ______________________ in their selection of expatriates.

A) flexibility and cultural competencies
B) technical competency.
C) previous performance in the firm.
D) managerial favoritism.
E) an expatriate's desire to be overseas.

Question 13

The most important factors for expatriate success include certain

A) personal attributes, such as tolerance.
B) soft competencies such as motivation.
C) the ability to bridge cultural differences in building relationships
D) the accompanying spouse's or partner's ability or motivation to adapt.
E) all of these.

Question 14

When all the important jobs at the foreign subsidiary are held by PCNs, then the MNC is using a ________________ philosophy.

A) geocentric.
B) ethnocentric.
C) polycentric.
D) regiocentric.
E) all of these.

Question 15

Which of the following is a common challenge for repatriating employees?

A) adjustment to a lower standard of living.
B) feeling unappreciated by the company.
C) feeling alienated and distanced from home cultural environment due to changes during the assignment.
D) having to reorient to changes in the home company.
E) all of these.

Question 16

Which of the following is not a true statement about the benefits of using expatriates?

A) there is greater employee retention and commitment.
B) key skills and expertise are transferred to the foreign operation.
C) better overall performance of the foreign operation can be seen.
D) sending a PCN abroad is typically inexpensive.
E) know-how about local markets is transferred back to the parent company.

Question 17

What factors should a manager consider when selecting expatriates?

Question 18

Why do companies need to focus on their repatriation process? What are the steps for improving the repatriation process?

Question 19

What is the three-step process involved with training to be an expatriate?

Question 20

Describe four typical repatriation challenges returning employees face.

Question 21

Discuss the current trends in expatriate preparation.

Question 22

Name four consequences and resulting implications of expatriate failure.

Question 23

What are the different ways that the human resource function can be organized within a firm?

Question 24

Discuss the benefits of a strategic perspective on international human resource management for a firm.

Question 25

The staffing model that is more concerned about hiring the best person (according to abiity) for the job regardless of nationality is the:

A) ethnocentric philosophy.
B) polycentric philosphy.
C) regiocentric philosophy.
D) geocentric philosophy.
E) ethnic diversity philosophy.

Question 26

Which of the following is not part of the social welfare approach of international human resource management?

A) Narrow, training tends to be technology-specific.
B) individual performance drives pay levels.
C) Offers high job security.
D) Extensive subsidies for housing, health, child care.
E) Pay determined on a group basis and not performance-driven

Question 27

Which human resource management strategy has the best chance of positively impacting firm performance for countries transitioning to market-based economies?

A) social welfare.
B) cost-containment.
C) invest-in-employee.
D) win-win.
E) international transition.

Question 28

Which is not part of the cost-containment approach for international human resource management?

A) individual performance drives pay levels.
B) eliminate subsidies for employee welfare.
C) negative human resource management link to firm performance.
D) high job security offered.
E) reduction of training expenditures.

Question 29

An advantage in using PCNs to manage subsidiaries is that:

A) They have knowledge of the local environment.
B) They have knowledge of the local environment.
C) Multicountry experience gives upward moving managers new perspectives.
D) PCNs have a lower failure rate than the other staffing options.
E) They are adept at motivating employees from the host country.

Question 30

A multinational can use a(n) _______________ philosophy in making international staffing decisions.

A) geocentric.
B) ethnocentric.
C) polycentric.
D) regiocentric.
E) all of these.

Question 31

A strategy that would give a firm well-educated employees, who also have the language and cultural skills to succeed in their home country and to operate effectively in the parent-company environment, might be to hire

A) employees from a local competitor.
B) host-country nationals and send them to local training programs.
C) foreign students who come to the parent-company country for study.
D) third-country nationals who have studied in Australia.
E) none of these.

Question 32

The strategy with the best prospect of producing managers with experience across a variety of countries and organizational circumstances is to

A) send managers on project-oriented short-term assignments at a subsidiary location.
B) rotate promising managers through different foreign assignments over several years.
C) send managers to a top-notch b-school.
D) do all of these.
E) do none of these.

Question 33

American multinationals are relying more on traditional expatriate assignments than in the past.

Question 34

If a company wants someone with expertise in local culture and business practices to fill a management position in a foreign subsidiary, the best option is probably a third-country national.

Question 35

When deciding staffing option, firms should look at firm size, market, industry, and culture.

Question 36

Ethnocentric philosophy is an approach where headquarters make all key decisions and foreign subsidiaries have little autonomy.

Question 37

An expatriate family situation is often the most important predictor of success or failure.

Question 38

More rigorous training is needed for expatriates headed to countries with high cultural toughness.

Question 39

Expatriate training programs today are most likely to focus on business etiquette.

Question 40

Most expatriates are demoted rather than promoted after they return from their overseas assignment.

Question 41

Less than 40 percent of all companies give their expatriate employees cross-cultural training prior to departure.

Question 42

US companies increasingly want their managers to have international experience. In some cases, it is essential for moving up the corporate ladder.

Question 43

There is a trend toward shorter overseas assignments when posting expatriates.

Question 44

Self-focused training programs work best for Chinese managers.

Question 45

In Korea, a job interview can be conducted using a team approach and the line of questioning can venture into the personal life of the candidate.

Question 46

The biggest drawback with PCNs is their limited grasp of local cultures and business practices.

Question 47

Once abroad, PCNs are referred to as inpatriates.

Question 48

A(n) ________________ philosophy places human resource management control in the hands of the foreign subsidiary, while the home office still makes broad strategic decisions.

A) polycentric.
B) ethnocentric.
C) regiocentric.
D) execucentric.
E) geocentric.

Question 49

A bank facing strong local competition in an overseas branch is likely to use which staffing strategy?

A) third-country.
B) new hires.
C) parent-country nationals.
D) expatriates.
E) host-country nationals.

Question 50

Sending inpatriates to the home-country locations can be beneficial because

A) they can learn specific skills and procedures.
B) it can socialize them into the company culture.
C) it can socialize them into the company culture.
D) of all of these.
E) of none of these.

Question 51

Employees who are sent from a foreign subsidiary to the home country offices are called

A) transfers.
B) expatriates.
C) inpatriates.
D) parent-country nationals.
E) none of these.

Question 52

Managers in which group are most likely to be chosen for their potential and ability, regardless of their nationality?

A) expatriates.
B) international cadre.
C) host-country nationals.
D) third-country nationals.
E) inpatriates.

Question 53

Firms that effectively manage their international human resources are typically

A) better at identifying new business opportunities around the world.
B) less likely to lose business due to violations of cultural norms.
C) subject to lower turnover of overseas staff that are satisfied and committed.
D) better able to adapt to the changing business environment worldwide.
E) all of these.

Question 54

Some companies are reluctant to hire host-country nationals for top management positions because

A) they know too much about the local market.
B) they don't understand the corporate culture.
C) they are too expensive.
D) it would dilute their ability to control foreign operations or to maintain a unified corporate culture.
E) it would be too difficult to work within the employment laws of some countries.

Question 55

_________________ provide(s) a broad framework of what constitutes acceptable international human resource practices.

A) corporate strategy.
B) international human resource philosophy and core policies.
C) government policy.
D) cultural behavior.
E) the CEO.

Question 56

Cultural difference between a parent company and subsidiary locations can

A) make it difficult to promote needed organizational change.
B) minimize conflicts between employees in different countries.
C) ease the sharing of information and technology between units.
D) involve all of these.
E) none of these.

Question 57

Inpatriates are typically HCNs who are brought to the multinational's parent country to fill a temporary assignment lasting from months to 2 years

Question 58

Chinese firms tend to emphasize previous performance, technical skills, and a desire to be assigned overseas when choosing expatriates.

Question 59

U.S. firms tend to experience more expatriate failure than their European or Japanese counterparts.

Question 60

Companies with a highly trained, flexible, and motivated international workforce may have an important strategic advantage over competitors.