Deck 11: Global Human Resource Management

Question 1

Host country nationals are workers already living in the foreign or host country where the U.S. company is opening operations and are being employed by the U.S. company.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Geert Hofstede identified _____ major dimensions of national culture are they apply to human resource management.

A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five
E) six

Answer 2

D

Question 3

In the United States, multi-employer bargaining, or a situation in which a number of employers join together to bargain with a given labor union, is much more common than in Germany.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

In Japan, a lot of training and development is focused upon improving the group, with instruction addressed to small groups and testing focusing upon group questions and answers. In contrast, training and development programs in the United States typically center upon the individual, with individual assignments, readings, testing, and so forth.

Question 5

A computer programmer from India continues to receive his or her Mumbai, India base salary and is kept on the Indian operation's balance sheet. Then the company adds various allowances for cost of living, housing, education to this base salary so that the employee's overall standard of living while working in the company's London, England office will be the same as his or her standard of living in Mumbai thus would be an example of the balance sheet approach.

Question 6

Reebok transferring the manufacturing of its sneakers to a third-party company in Thailand would be an example of both outsourcing and offshoring.

Question 7

Statistics reflect how immigration laws and the ability of foreign-born individuals to work in a given country vary widely throughout the world. For example, 25.7 percent of the labor force in the United States is foreign born, but in Australia this figure is less than one percent.

Question 8

A company, which has identified an employee with future managerial potential, sending that employee to a three-week university-sponsored program to help develop the individual's decision making and leadership skills, would be an example of development.

Question 9

Of the following, which is NOT true regarding females in the workforce?

A) Scandinavian countries such as Sweden and Norway have very high female labor force participation rates, with 76.1 percent of eligible females working in each country.
B) The female labor force participation rate in Turkey is very high at 80 percent.
C) The female labor participation rates in Mexico are about 46.7 percent.
D) The female labor participation rates in Poland are 56.5 percent.
E) The female labor participation rates in the United States are 69.9 percent.

Question 10

One key purpose of performance appraisal is to prevent employees from developing and learning new skills, ultimately saving the company money.

Question 11

The United Nations International Labor Organization (ILO)sets minimal standards that involve prohibitions against slave or forced labor, restrictions on the use of child labor, certain basic job safety protections, and the right of workers to form labor unions.

Question 12

Of the following, which is NOT true regarding technological implications on human resource management?

A) Companies based in the United States are far more likely to have at least some operations in other countries than in the past.
B) The Internet, computers, and easy air travel have made it much easier for U.S. companies to conduct business in other countries.
C) Technological advances have created what some call a "knowledge economy."
D) The role of human resources and those who manage such resources has become less important in today's global economy.
E) Corporate accountants and human resource managers now fulfill more strategic, higher-level knowledge-based functions.

Question 13

According to Hofstede research, Russia can be described as a low power distance country, because strict hierarchies are maintained in the performance appraisal system, and managers evaluate subordinate employees.

Question 14

A U.S. company sending an employee to work for a few years in its Madrid, Spain office while also learning the Spanish language would be an example of training.

Question 15

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)established free trade between the United States, Argentina, and Brazil.

Question 16

Although the global economic recession that began in 2008 increased unemployment rates throughout the world, some countries have faced persistently higher rates of unemployment than others.Unemployment rates in Eastern European countries such as Poland and the Slovak Republic consistently have been in the _____ percent range.

A) 15
B) 25
C) 35
D) 40
E) more than 50

Question 17

Contracts which typically establish work policies including rates of pay, amounts of vacation time, and seniority rights of employees are referred to as collective bargaining agreements.

Question 18

Statistics reflect how immigration laws and the ability of foreign-born individuals to work in a given country vary widely throughout the world. In Japan, _____ percent of the labor force in is foreign born.

A) 25.7
B) less than 1
C) 46.5
D) about 33
E) more than 50

Question 19

Hofstede identified five major dimensions of national culture as they apply to human resource management throughout the world: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism vs. collectivism, introversion vs. extroversion, and masculinity vs. femininity.

Question 20

A situation in which a number of employers join together to bargain with a given labor union is called co-determination.

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT true about Qatar?

A) Citizens of Qatar are unhappy because they have become second-class residents in their own land.
B) Because of Qatar's incredible economic growth, it has had to import workers by the hundreds of thousands from all over the world.
C) Today, Qatar citizens make up 75 percent of the people living in Qatar.
D) While Qatari citizens are well taken care of financially, many complain that the best jobs are given to expatriate foreigners.
E) Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world.

Question 22

Hofstede's dimension of long-term vs. short-term orientation refers to

A) the extent that people think of themselves as members of a group or collective, rather than discrete individuals.
B) the degree of equality of authority distribution in a given society and its workplaces, and employee expectations related to the same.
C) a culture's desire for predictability, or the lack of predictability in the workplace and elsewhere.
D) values such as competition, assertiveness, and achievement versus values like care for the weak and relationships.
E) the extent to which members of a given society value future planning as opposed to a more immediate short-term perspective.

Question 23

General Motors transferring manufacturing of its Saturn automobiles from a GM plant in Detroit, Michigan to a GM plant in Monterrey, Mexico is engaging in _____.

A) outsourcing
B) offshoring
C) importing
D) exporting
E) franchising

Question 24

Employees from the home countries who are sent to work for their companies overseas are known as _____.

A) host country nationals
B) parent country nationals
C) third country nationals
D) inpatriates
E) developers

Question 25

A U.S. company sending an employee to work for a few years in its Madrid, Spain office would likely see to it that the employee learns to speak Spanish. This is an example of _____.

A) co-determination
B) development
C) a needs assessment
D) training
E) repatriation

Question 26

Hofstede's dimension of _____ relates to the extent that people think of themselves as members of a group or collective, rather than discrete individuals.

A) power distance
B) uncertainty avoidance
C) individualism vs. collectivism
D) masculinity vs. femininity
E) long-term vs. short-term orientation

Question 27

The rate of expatriate failure has traditionally been _____ percent or more.

A) 15
B) 30
C) 45
D) 60
E) 75

Question 28

Of the following, which is NOT true about individualism and collectivism?

A) It relates to the extent that people think of themselves as members of a group or collective, rather than discrete individuals.
B) The United States is a highly individualistic culture.
C) In highly individualistic cultures, people are expected "to make it on their own."
D) Many Asian countries such as Japan rank high on collectivism.
E) In collectivist countries, people tend to think of themselves as individuals rather than as part of a group.

Question 29

Hofstede's dimension of power distance refers to

A) the extent that people think of themselves as members of a group or collective, rather than discrete individuals.
B) the degree of equality of authority distribution in a given society and its workplaces, and employee expectations related to the same.
C) a culture's desire for predictability, or the lack of predictability in the workplace and elsewhere.
D) values such as competition, assertiveness, and achievement versus values like care for the weak and relationships.
E) the extent to which members of a given society value future planning as opposed to a more immediate short-term perspective.

Question 30

Jonathan is a U.S. citizen who works for U.S. based company, XYZ Computers. He was sent by XYZ Computers to France to help open a branch overseas. Jonathan is a(n)_____.

A) host country national
B) parent country national
C) third country national
D) trainer
E) developer

Question 31

Hofstede's dimension of masculinity vs. femininity refers to

A) the extent that people think of themselves as members of a group or collective, rather than discrete individuals.
B) the degree of equality of authority distribution in a given society and its workplaces, and employee expectations related to the same.
C) a culture's desire for predictability, or the lack of predictability in the workplace and elsewhere.
D) values such as competition, assertiveness, and achievement versus values like care for the weak and relationships.
E) the extent to which members of a given society value future planning as opposed to a more immediate short-term perspective.

Question 32

The process of assessing employee performance is called _____.

A) performance appraisal
B) development
C) a needs assessment
D) training
E) repatriation

Question 33

Of the following, which is NOT true regarding regulatory issues including immigration and border security?

A) In Canada, labor relations are primarily regulated at the provincial level rather than at the national level.
B) France instituted its well-publicized 35-hour work week in 1998.
C) Belgium increased its work-week to 42 hours per week.
D) Governmental regulations related to immigration and border security are among the most important in the field of international HRM
E) The Unites States has more restrictions that the EU related to foreign worker entry into its borders.

Question 34

The process that takes place when the expatriate employee returns home is called _____.

A) co-determination
B) collective bargaining
C) a needs assessment
D) expatriate failure
E) repatriation

Question 35

Hofstede's dimension of _____ relates to values that are traditionally associated with one gender or the other.

A) power distance
B) uncertainty avoidance
C) individualism vs. collectivism
D) masculinity vs. femininity
E) long-term vs. short-term orientation

Question 36

Hofstede's dimension of individualism vs. collectivism refers to

A) the extent that people think of themselves as members of a group or collective, rather than discrete individuals.
B) the degree of equality of authority distribution in a given society and its workplaces, and employee expectations related to the same.
C) a culture's desire for predictability, or the lack of predictability in the workplace and elsewhere.
D) values such as competition, assertiveness, and achievement versus values like care for the weak and relationships.
E) the extent to which members of a given society value future planning as opposed to a more immediate short-term perspective.

Question 37

A company that has identified an employee with future managerial potential might send that employee to a three-week university-sponsored program to help improve the individual's leadership skills. This is an example of _____.

A) co-determination
B) development
C) a needs assessment
D) training
E) repatriation

Question 38

Hofstede's dimension of uncertainty avoidance refers to

A) the extent that people think of themselves as members of a group or collective, rather than discrete individuals.
B) the degree of equality of authority distribution in a given society and its workplaces, and employee expectations related to the same.
C) a culture's desire for predictability, or the lack of predictability in the workplace and elsewhere.
D) values such as competition, assertiveness, and achievement versus values like care for the weak and relationships.
E) the extent to which members of a given society value future planning as opposed to a more immediate short-term perspective.

Question 39

A U.S. company that hires another U.S. company, such as Automatic Data Processing Corporation (ADP)to process all of its corporate payroll functions is engaging in _____.

A) outsourcing
B) offshoring
C) importing
D) exporting
E) franchising

Question 40

Of the following, which is NOT true of expatriates?

A) There is risk of expatriate failure.
B) Family issues may play a part in expatriate success.
C) There is some evidence that the "culture shock" that employees face upon repatriation can be greater than the culture shock they initially faced when first going to work in a foreign country.
D) Host-country national expatriates, in particular, may represent a cheaper source of labor than other alternatives.
E) Expatriate assignments may provide very useful career development opportunities.

Question 41

______ occurs when an expatriate does not complete his or her full expatriate assignment.

Question 42

_______ established free trade between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

A) NAFTA
B) NAACP
C) WTO
D) World Bank
E) NLRB

Question 43

Of the following, which is NOT true regarding cultural differences in performance appraisal?

A) In Mexico, the norm is not to give feedback at the outset, but instead to focus first upon something positive.
B) In the U.S., it is not uncommon for employers to be direct with negative feedback.
C) In the U.S. performance reviews are typically conducted at the group level.
D) In Japan, performance reviews are typically group oriented.
E) It is not uncommon for Japanese performance reviews to focus upon how employees and groups can improve over the long-term.

Question 44

_____ involves the process of transferring an organizational function to another country whether outsourced or not.

Question 45

Providing employees with skills specific to the job they are going to be doing refers to ______.

Question 46

______ involves preparing employees for new future assignments or higher level positions.

Question 47

Workers who are already living in the foreign or host country where the parent company is opening operation refers to _______.

Question 48

A major complaint about the NAALC process is that _____.

A) it is not profitable
B) it lacks any real "teeth."
C) it violates human rights laws
D) it prohibits free trade
E) it employs child laborers

Question 49

Of the following, which is NOT true about NAALC?

A) It is an agreement outside the main NAFTA agreement.
B) A major complaint is that it lacks any real "teeth."
C) It requires each member of NAFTA to strongly enforce its own existing labor laws and regulations.
D) It prohibits free trade among the NAFTA countries
E) It has an enforcement mechanism whereby parties in any of the NAFTA countries can approach the labor department in their own country and file a formal complaint about labor standards in another NAFTA country.

Question 50

______ refers to employees from a new parent or host country who are being employed in a given foreign country.

Question 51

Perhaps the most interesting labor relations system in the world exists in _____.

A) Canada
B) Great Britain
C) Germany
D) Australia
E) Mexico

Question 52

Keeping an employee on the home country's salary structure and also providing additional allowances refers to the ______.

Question 53

_____ is the process of a company subcontracting a certain production function to a third party.

Question 54

______ refers to the process of assessing employee performance.

Question 55

Negotiations in which a number of employers jointly bargain with a given labor union is known as _____.

A) mediation
B) repatriation
C) collective bargaining
D) multi-employer bargaining
E) co-determination

Question 56

The _____ approach involves keeping an employee on the home country's salary structure and also providing additional allowances.

A) balance sheet
B) collective bargaining
C) labor union
D) co-determination
E) training

Question 57

The primary goal of labor unions is to _____.

A) engage in negotiations with employers
B) engage in negotiations with suppliers
C) engage in negotiations with customers
D) engage in negotiations with environmental advocates
E) engage in negotiations with other unions

Question 58

______ involves preparing employees for new future assignments or higher level positions.

Question 59

_______ are employees who are working in countries other than their native countries.

Question 60

Employees from the home country that are sent to work for their company overseas refers to _______.

Question 61

Discuss expatriate issues as they affect staffing for global businesses.

Question 62

Scenario - Symon Enterprises
Symon Enterprises is an international construction company with global offices in twenty foreign markets around the world. Symon currently has over 15,000 employees around the world. The company has an excellent record as being an employer of choice. It recently was voted the number three company to work for in the world by Forbes Magazine.
Symon Enterprises has become very adept at effectively handling its human resources even though there are vast differences in the various countries it services. The company attributes its HR success to the expertise of its HR directors. Symon's practice has always been to hire human resource managers and directors from the country where they will
When Symon Enterprises has work to be performed within a country where workers prefer clear rules and guidelines to follow, it can be stated that the company is most likely working within which one of the following Hofstede's cultural dimensions?

A) Individualism
B) Power distance
C) Uncertainty avoidance
D) Short-term orientation
E) Masculine dimension

Question 63

Scenario - Symon Enterprises
Symon Enterprises is an international construction company with global offices in twenty foreign markets around the world. Symon currently has over 15,000 employees around the world. The company has an excellent record as being an employer of choice. It recently was voted the number three company to work for in the world by Forbes Magazine.
Symon Enterprises has become very adept at effectively handling its human resources even though there are vast differences in the various countries it services. The company attributes its HR success to the expertise of its HR directors. Symon's practice has always been to hire human resource managers and directors from the country where they will
Employee compensation, performance appraisals, and benefits vary greatly from culture to culture. Which one of the following would not be considered a challenge facing Symon Enterprises when it comes to global compensation and performance management?

A) Some countries evaluate the group rather than the individual.
B) The idea of taxation and tax levels may vary greatly from county to country.
C) Foreign compensation packages need to be compatible with the home country's compensation level.
D) Some cultures require strict hierarchies to be maintained during the evaluation process.
E) A country's culture may greatly affect the way feedback should be presented to an employee.

Question 64

A contract comprehensively setting forth employee terms and conditions of employment at a given workplace or group of workplaces refers to a _________.

Question 65

Differentiate between training and development and describe the different types of training and development that a company can offer.

Question 66

Differentiate between outsourcing and offshoring. Analyze the pros and cons of these practices.

Question 67

"Culture does not have any impact on performance appriasal." Do you agree with this statement? Defend your position.

Question 68

Scenario - The Campbell Corporation
The Campbell Corporation is a multinational business, which currently operates in five foreign markets. It manufactures stuffed toys for children around the world and is very pleased with the quality of its products. At present, this company has about 900 employees split equally between the five markets it serves. Fifty percent of its employees are host country nationals and this balance seems to work effectively for contributing to the success of the Campbell Corporation.
The Campbell Corporation has faced many difficulties in gaining knowledge about human resource management in foreign marketplaces. Even though the challenges have been considerable, they have not weakened the desire of this company to succeed. The Campbell Company hopes to soon enter its sixth foreign market, Switzerland. Past experiences have taught the owners of this company that it must gain knowledge of the foreign country's culture prior to entering its marketplace if it hopes to be successful.
Which one of the following would be least likely to be present if the Campbell Corporation found itself manufacturing its products within a foreign country that embraces unionization?

A) The International Labor Organization has established the right of workers to have the freedom of association.
B) The main goal of labor unions is to negotiate with employers to try and reach a collective bargaining agreement acceptable to both sides.
C) Employees may file grievances if they feel their rights under the contract are not maintained.
D) The host country will set the wage that all workers are to be paid regardless of union affiliation.
E) Bargaining agreements typically address rates of pay, vacation time, and seniority rights of employees.

Question 69

A _______ is a formal organization representing a group or groups of employees.

Question 70

________ are negotiations in which a number of employers jointly bargain with a given labor union.

Question 71

Scenario - The Campbell Corporation
The Campbell Corporation is a multinational business, which currently operates in five foreign markets. It manufactures stuffed toys for children around the world and is very pleased with the quality of its products. At present, this company has about 900 employees split equally between the five markets it serves. Fifty percent of its employees are host country nationals and this balance seems to work effectively for contributing to the success of the Campbell Corporation.
The Campbell Corporation has faced many difficulties in gaining knowledge about human resource management in foreign marketplaces. Even though the challenges have been considerable, they have not weakened the desire of this company to succeed. The Campbell Company hopes to soon enter its sixth foreign market, Switzerland. Past experiences have taught the owners of this company that it must gain knowledge of the foreign country's culture prior to entering its marketplace if it hopes to be successful.
If the Campbell Corporation wanted to subcontract one of its production processes to a third party currently in Switzerland, this action would most likely be referred to as which one of the following?

A) Outsourcing
B) Co-determination
C) Multi-employer bargaining
D) Repatriation
E) Insourcing

Question 72

Scenario - Symon Enterprises
Symon Enterprises is an international construction company with global offices in twenty foreign markets around the world. Symon currently has over 15,000 employees around the world. The company has an excellent record as being an employer of choice. It recently was voted the number three company to work for in the world by Forbes Magazine.
Symon Enterprises has become very adept at effectively handling its human resources even though there are vast differences in the various countries it services. The company attributes its HR success to the expertise of its HR directors. Symon's practice has always been to hire human resource managers and directors from the country where they will
Symon Enterprises sends approximately 20% of its workers on overseas assignments. All of the following are considered advantages to be gained by the company from sending expatriates on foreign assignments except which one?

A) Expatriate failure rate is extremely low if they serve ten-years or more on one assignment.
B) It helps parent company with control related to structure.
C) Workers from the parent country will help to impose the values of the organization on the foreign workplace.
D) Expatriates serve to supply the labor market if there are not enough qualified workers available to fill the company's needs.
E) Expatriates can impart the cultural norms of the company to the foreign workers.

Question 73

Discuss the role labor union play in global human resource management. Does the impact unions have vary in different countries? Explain.

Question 74

Scenario - The Campbell Corporation
The Campbell Corporation is a multinational business, which currently operates in five foreign markets. It manufactures stuffed toys for children around the world and is very pleased with the quality of its products. At present, this company has about 900 employees split equally between the five markets it serves. Fifty percent of its employees are host country nationals and this balance seems to work effectively for contributing to the success of the Campbell Corporation.
The Campbell Corporation has faced many difficulties in gaining knowledge about human resource management in foreign marketplaces. Even though the challenges have been considerable, they have not weakened the desire of this company to succeed. The Campbell Company hopes to soon enter its sixth foreign market, Switzerland. Past experiences have taught the owners of this company that it must gain knowledge of the foreign country's culture prior to entering its marketplace if it hopes to be successful.
If the Campbell Corporation conducts its business within a country where workers prefer to be evaluated as part of a group, the cultural dimension of that nation most closely resembles which one of the following?

A) Short-term orientation
B) Collectivism
C) Power distance
D) Individualism
E) Femininity

Question 75

Briefly describe the five cultural dimensions identified by Geert Hofstede as they apply to human resource management.

Question 76

The employee representation on corporate boards in Germany refers to ______.