Deck 7: International Employee Relations

Question 1

Comparing union membership in different countries is as easy as analyzing and comparing most other forms of international data.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The strength of trade unions is usually measured by union membership (relative to the number of people eligible to join a union) and reflects what unions do and how effective they are.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

As MNEs become more global and more connected across borders, they must deal with these ILOs and the widely varying national and local unions.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

MNEs often develop worldwide approaches to issues such as executive compensation, but such a global approach to labor and employee relations is quite rare.

Question 5

Unions view that MNEs ask workers in one country to volunteer to "bid down" their wages and benefits to keep their jobs to compete with workers in other countries.

Question 6

Works councils are a critical component of worker relations in many countries, mainly Europe.

Question 7

One of the most important pressures for international human resource management (IHRM) and MNEs in international employment law and employee relations is the increased possibility of litigation.

Question 8

Obstacles to multinational bargaining include all of the following EXCEPT

A) widely varying industrial relations laws and practices among different countries.
B) major economic and cultural differences among different countries.
C) presence of centralized decision-making authority for unions.
D) none of these

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT an approach to employee relations followed by IHR departments within MNEs?

A) Hands-off
B) Monitor
C) Guide and advise
DAssimilation

Question 10

The term political unionism refers to unions who tend to be very political and generally achieve their objectives through political action rather than through direct ________ bargaining.

A) business
B) collective
C) census
Dnone of the above

Question 11

Major differences in labor relations can be found relative to issues such as

A) the level at which bargaining takes place.
B) the type of workers involved.
C) the degree of centralization of union-management relations.
Dall of the above

Question 12

Current U.S. employee relations practices are quite different from those in other countries. Primary features include:

A) typically professional and technical workers do not form or join unions
B) contracts between unions and employers are negotiated primarily at the local level between a single union and a single employer
C) collectively bargained contracts typically last for three years
Dall of the above

Question 13

In the U.S., the only mandatory subjects for bargaining are wages, hours, and __________.

A) working conditions
B) performance standards
C) benefit payments
Dall of the above

Question 14

Wherever they operate, MNEs must seek out clarification regarding labor practices, including

A) scope of unions.
B) type of workers who belong to unions.
C) affiliations.
Dall of the above

Question 15

Work _________ have the right to receive information and to provide consultation relative to many decisions a firm makes.

A) councils
B) consultants
C) counselors
Dcontractors

Question 16

Co-determination is a legal requirement in which employees are __________ on supervisory boards or boards of directors.

A) represented
B) consultants
C) advisors
Dnone of the above

Question 17

Errors in judgment and decisions in foreign jurisdictions, mistakes when dealing with foreign employees, and international assignees are all forms of

A) bargaining terms.
B) litigation risks.
C) IHRM practices.
D) none of the above

Question 18

List and briefly describe the various international federations and labor union organizations.

Question 19

What questions need to be addressed before global labor relations can evolve?

Question 20

Identify and explain three approaches to labor relations in the global context.

Question 21

What are the primary concerns of the labor relations movement about the operation of MNEs?

Question 22

Discuss the litigation risks MNEs face in global employee relations