Deck 19: International Human Resource Management and Labor Relations

Question 1

If a firm is at the export department stage of internationalization, its manager is likely to be a host country national.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

European MNCs are more likely to follow an ethnocentric approach to staffing than either Japanese or U.S. firms.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

After training and development takes place, what comes next in the international human resource management process?

A) contribution to organizational effectiveness
B) performance appraisal
C) compensation and benefits
D) labor relations

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The primary advantage of using a host country national is that the manager already understands the local laws, culture, and economic conditions.

Question 5

What is human resource management? What tasks are handled by an international firm's HR department?

Question 6

What are the three groups from which international firms can hire?

Question 7

The initial step in the international human resource management process is identifying training and development needs.

Question 8

Ballston Manufacturing, an MNC, adheres to an ethnocentric staffing approach when filling senior-level positions for its foreign locations. As a result, Ballston most likely devotes significant resources to ________.

A) distributing products
B) building effective supply chains
C) selecting and training expatriate managers
D) determining compensation for local employees

Question 9

How can a firm improve its staff's expertise as export sales increase early in the internationalization process?

Question 10

What are the basic elements of the international human resource management process?

Question 11

________ is the set of activities directed at attracting, developing, and maintaining the effective workforce necessary to achieve a firm's objectives.

A) Labor selection
B) Employee development
C) Human resource management
D) Strategic operations implementation

Question 12

________ workers are office staff.

A) White collar
B) Red shirt
C) Blue collar
D) Green

Question 13

Why do international HR managers most likely need to adjust hiring, firing, and training methods on a country-by-country basis?

A) ensure compensation equity
B) comply with international laws
C) adjust for national and cultural differences
D) meet requirements of joint venture contracts

Question 14

Parent country nationals (PCNs) are commonly used to fill lower-level jobs abroad.

Question 15

What are the three staffing models common among international firms?

Question 16

What is the first step in the international human resource management process?

A) training and development
B) performance appraisal
C) define business skills necessary for the job
D) compensation and benefits

Question 17

________ workers are production workers.

A) White collar
B) White hat
C) Red shirt
D) Blue collar

Question 18

In a geocentric staffing model, the firm will prefer host country nationals to either parent country nationals or third country nationals.

Question 19

Decentralized firms tend to prefer home country nationals in international assignments.

Question 20

Which of the following most likely constrains the hiring practices and compensation systems of international firms operating in foreign locations?

A) local laws
B) capital budgeting
C) benefits availability
D) practices of competing firms

Question 21

________ are employees who are not citizens of the firm's home country or of the host country.

A) Parent country nationals
B) Locals
C) Third country nationals
D) Expatriates

Question 22

At which stage in the evolution of a firm's organizational structure are international staffing needs lowest?

A) export department
B) international division
C) global organization
D) matrix organization

Question 23

Which type of manager would most likely be employed to promote a global outlook through the firm's operations?

A) parent country national
B) host country national
C) third country national
D) home country national

Question 24

Companies that view themselves as multidomestic are more likely to ________.

A) provide visas to third country nationals
B) decentralize decision making
C) employ parent country nationals
D) centralize decision making

Question 25

Using ________ will most likely improve a subsidiary's ability to adjust to changes in local economic and political conditions.

A) parent country nationals
B) host country nationals
C) third country nationals
D) home country nationals

Question 26

PDF Enterprises, an MNE, uses a centralized approach to management, so its international managers will most likely be ________.

A) home country nationals
B) host country nationals
C) third country nationals
D) primary country nationals

Question 27

Pet Comfort Systems is a firm based in Chicago that has just started exporting a small number of pet beds to retail stores in London, Tokyo, and Paris. The export department manager at Pet Comfort Systems is most likely from which country?

A) England
B) Japan
C) France
D) United States

Question 28

TechWare, an MNE based in Canada, has foreign operations in Singapore and Tokyo. TechWare's foreign offices are managed by parent country nationals. What is the most likely advantage of this staffing policy?

A) develops community ties
B) generates innovative ideas
C) minimizes costs of relocating managers
D) facilitates communication with headquarters

Question 29

________ are residents of the international business's home country.

A) Parent country nationals
B) Host country nationals
C) Third country nationals
D) Primary country nationals

Question 30

Michael is a United States citizen who was sent from the U.S. headquarters to Italy to oversee procedural changes in one of the corporation's manufacturing subsidiaries. Michael is a ________.

A) parent country national
B) host country national
C) third country national
D) primary country national

Question 31

Samsung tends to follow an ethnocentric staffing model. From which group will it most likely hire for upper-level management positions?

A) parent country nationals
B) host country nationals
C) third country nationals
D) primary country nationals

Question 32

A firm's international division is usually located in ________.

A) the home country
B) the importing country
C) a centrally located country
D) the country with the highest foreign sales

Question 33

Firms using a(n) ________ primarily use parent country nationals to staff higher-level foreign positions.

A) ethnocentric staffing model
B) polycentric staffing model
C) geocentric staffing model
D) monocentric staffing model

Question 34

What term refers to people working and residing in countries other than their native country?

A) host country national
B) expatriate
C) nonpatriot
D) green card resident

Question 35

What is most important in staffing managerial employees?

A) differences in cultural conditions
B) legal differences
C) strategic and development issues
D) political differences

Question 36

What is a disadvantage of using host country nationals to manage foreign operations?

A) high relocation costs to firm
B) unfamiliarity with firm's practices
C) loss of key talent from headquarters
D) inability to understand local customs

Question 37

ATX Electronics, an MNC, typically fills high-level foreign positions with host country nationals. Which staffing model is most likely used by ATX Electronics?

A) ethnocentric staffing model
B) polycentric staffing model
C) geocentric staffing model
D) monocentric staffing model

Question 38

Mick is a native of South Africa. He works for Octagon, a British MNC, at the firm's Tokyo branch. Mick is best described as a ________.

A) parent country national
B) host country national
C) home country national
D) third country national

Question 39

Mercedes hired managers from the local community as operations managers in its Kentucky plant. Mercedes used ________.

A) parent country nationals
B) host country nationals
C) third country nationals
D) primary country nationals

Question 40

Who typically heads up an international division?

A) third country nationals
B) host country nationals
C) parent country nationals
D) primary country nationals

Question 41

Japanese firms have a tendency to ________.

A) reserve top positions for Japanese managers
B) fill foreign management positions too quickly
C) ignore nationality when filling management positions
D) employ only non-Japanese managers for foreign positions

Question 42

Tanya's job requires her to actively seek qualified managers to fill positions in other organizations. Tanya is most likely a(n) ________.

A) expatriate
B) headhunter
C) foreign marketer
D) manufacturers' agent

Question 43

________ is the early return of an expatriate manager to the home country because of an inability to perform in the overseas assignment.

A) Culture shock
B) Expatriate return
C) Expatriate failure
D) Managerial incompetence

Question 44

What is the primary reason for high expatriate turnover rates among U.S. firms?

A) difficulty with communication
B) lack of adequate compensation
C) problems adjusting to the location
D) inability to remain on a career track

Question 45

Why did Mercedes send a team of executives from Germany to oversee the start-up of its U.S. operations?

Question 46

John has been transferred to an office in Japan for a year. In his first few weeks, he began to feel confused and rejected as well as a sort of mourning for home. John is experiencing ________.

A) expatriate failure
B) repatriation
C) acculturation
D) culture shock

Question 47

In a brief essay, discuss differences in staffing strategies and labor relations in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

Question 48

The average U.S. expatriate costs the employer about ________ per year.

A) $3,000
B) $30,000
C) $100,000
D) $300,000

Question 49

________ is a psychological phenomenon that may lead to feelings of fear, helplessness, irritability, and disorientation.

A) Expatriate failure
B) Repatriation
C) Culture shock
D) Depression

Question 50

Which of the following is frequently asked by MNCs to fill short-term foreign assignments?

A) interns
B) headhunters
C) retired executives
D) new college graduates

Question 51

Which country has the highest expatriate failure rates?

A) South Korea
B) the United States
C) Germany
D) Japan

Question 52

Firms using a geocentric staffing model are primarily concerned with ________.

A) ensuring that home office views and policies are maintained
B) gaining support and assistance from local communities
C) hiring the best person available regardless of nationality
D) employing local managers with technical expertise

Question 53

Which method can reduce the level of culture shock an expatriate is likely to experience?

A) predeparture language training
B) increased foreign compensation
C) initial long-term assignments
D) personality testing

Question 54

________ refers to bringing a manager back home after a foreign assignment has been completed.

A) Expatriation
B) Repatriation
C) Expatriate failure
D) Acculturation

Question 55

The prominent cause of expatriate failure is ________.

A) a lack of financial resources
B) dietary problems in a new location
C) failure of the family to adjust
D) language barriers

Question 56

For years, some foreign firms hesitated to send women managers on foreign assignments to countries, such as ________, because the firms assumed the women would not be accepted in the culture that frowned on women working outside the home.

A) Canada
B) England
C) France
D) Japan

Question 57

Why is the geocentric staffing approach encouraged by the European Union?

A) protect currency rates
B) promote worker mobility
C) ensure consensus building
D) maintain reasonable wage rates

Question 58

Which of the following is a phase in the process of acculturation?

A) honeymoon
B) acceptance
C) acquiescence
D) anti-culturalism

Question 59

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using parent country nationals in international assignments?

Question 60

Maria, an HR manager at PolyTech, an MNE based in Canada, has been given the task of determining the best candidates for a managerial position at the firm's Tokyo facility. Which tool would help Maria the most in this task?

A) self-assessment checklist
B) performance appraisal
C) subordinate evaluation
D) risk assessment

Question 61

Most companies wait for a manager to gain 7 to 10 years of experience with the firm prior to getting a foreign assignment.

Question 62

It is common for large MNCs to hire new college graduates for immediate foreign assignments.

Question 63

Approximately 25 percent of all repatriated employees leave their employer within one year of returning home.

Question 64

What kinds of skills and abilities are necessary to work in a foreign location?

Question 65

What are headhunters?

Question 66

According to research, host country citizens react negatively towards female executives on foreign assignments because of cultural attitudes about women working outside of the home.

Question 67

Culture shock affects an expatriate's job satisfaction level, but does not tend to affect his or her effectiveness and productivity at work.

Question 68

Having the freedom to choose whether to accept or reject an expatriate assignment increases the likelihood a manager will be successful at the assignment.

Question 69

Until recently, headhunting in Europe was considered unethical.

Question 70

Standardized basic training methods tend to be less expensive than customized ones.

Question 71

________ is general education concerned with preparing managers for new assignments and/or higher-level positions.

A) Training
B) Development
C) Screening
D) Practicing

Question 72

The most promising candidates for a foreign assignment have managerial competence, appropriate training, and are able to adapt to new situations.

Question 73

Which instructional method allows global employees to access training materials when convenient?

A) classroom lectures
B) assessment centers
C) multimedia methods
D) role-playing activities

Question 74

What is a benefit of using customized training programs?

A) classroom lectures
B) assessment centers
C) multimedia methods
D) role-playing activities

Question 75

Which term refers to instruction directed at enhancing specific job-related skills and abilities?

A) training
B) development
C) screening
D) selection

Question 76

The ability of the family to adapt plays a relatively minor role in expatriate failure.

Question 77

What is a common source of recruits for international managers? Why do MNCs typically hire host country nationals for nonmanagerial positions?

Question 78

Dawson Enterprises, an MNE, has experienced numerous expatriation and repatriation problems in recent years. Which of the following activities would most likely increase the success rate of overseas assignments at Dawson?

A) providing expatriates with generous travel and housing stipends
B) ensuring that only unmarried managers are sent overseas
C) assigning mentors in the home office to expatriates
D) assigning new college recruits to foreign positions

Question 79

According to research, what is the primary barrier to a firm's successful entry into a foreign market?

A) lack of information
B) lack of foreign partners
C) lack of international talent
D) lack of knowledge about foreign customers

Question 80

Repatriated managers experience change and uncertainty as they adjust to returning home after a foreign assignment.