Deck 14: International Human Resources Management

Question 1

Human resource management by and large tends to combine all of the following activities except:

A)recruitment and selection.
B)training and management development.
C)compensation and conditions of employment.
D)industrial relations.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

One problem that makes it difficult to evaluate the performance of expatriate managers objectively is:

A)lack of training by evaluators.
B)unintentional bias.
C)lack of validity tests.
D)unintended consequences.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

In multinational corporations,managers must perform duties at home in the domestic environment before being allowed to work in the firm's overseas subsidiary.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

In a 2012 study of 120 international companies,it was reported that the stereotype for an expatriate manager has changed.This new evidence suggests that the expatriate manager's profile has changed to:

A)male,with a partner,transferred for 3-5 years.
B)female,without a partner,transferred for 1 year.
C)male and female,with a partner and children,negotiable.
D)single males preferred over married females.

Question 5

A key issue in international labour relations is the degree to which organised labour is able to limit the choices available to an international business.A firm's ability to pursue a ________________ strategy can be significantly constrained by the actions of labour unions.

A)transnational or global standardisation
B)global standardisation or localisation
C)transnational or localisation
D)global standardisation or mass customisation

Question 6

An expatriate manager is a citizen of one country who is working abroad in one of his or her firm's subsidiaries.

Question 7

Of the four strategies pursued by international businesses - localisation strategy,international strategy,global standardisation strategy and transnational strategy - HRM policies need to be congruent with the firm's strategy.Consequently,for example,a transnational strategy imposes different requirements for staffing,management development and compensation practices than a localisation strategy.

Question 8

A largely overlooked but critically important issue in the training and development of expatriate managers is to prepare them for:

A)entry into their respective positions.
B)potential conflict.
C)multiskilling and multitasking.
D)re-entry into their home-country organisation.

Question 9

A geocentric staffing policy requires host-country nationals to be recruited to manage subsidiaries,while parent-company nationals occupy key positions at corporate headquarters.

Question 10

In Australian MNEs,expatriate managers learn how to adopt the work practices of the firm's overseas venture.

Question 11

General Electric (GE)is not just concerned with hiring people who have the skills required for performing particular jobs;it wants individuals whose behavioural styles,beliefs and value systems are consistent with those of GE.This would be an example of ethnocentrism.

Question 12

The most common approach to expatriate pay is the ___________ approach.

A)budget survival
B)expenditure accounting
C)balance sheet
D)assumptions accounting

Question 13

With four types of international strategy to choose from,the one that is most compatible with a polycentric staffing policy is the transnational strategy.

Question 14

A principal concern of organised labour is that the multinational can counter union bargaining power by threatening to:

A)put all of its employees on employment contracts.
B)force employees to work reduced hours.
C)disallow unions onto the work premises.
D)move production to another country.

Question 15

'Cultural myopia' refers to the firm's failure to understand host-country cultural differences that require different approaches to marketing and management.

Question 16

In a report based on interviews with 12,000 business leaders in 40 countries,in 2012 women were largely employed in ________________ roles.

A)finance and human resource management
B)logistics and management development
C)purchasing and sales management
D)training and occupational health and safety

Question 17

The stereotypical expatriate is a male,accompanied by a partner,who is transferred from company HQ to a foreign subsidiary for a term of three to five years.

Question 18

Astrazeneca,one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies,has taken great pains to show that its human resource management practices are:

A)engaging and well-liked.
B)disbursed and disseminated.
C)equitable and fair.
D)open and transparent.

Question 19

According to the results of a study by R.L.Tung,the most consistent reason cited by European expatriates for expatriate failure among their group was the inability of the manager's spouse to adjust to a new environment.

Question 20

When an Australian multinational firm is assessing and reassessing its labour practices,a concern of organised labour is the attempt by the firm to:

A)import too many of its manufactured goods into AustraliA.
B)import and impose unfamiliar labour practices from other countries.
C)totally casualise the workforce.
D)rotate employees 'home and away'.

Question 21

_______ makes it difficult to evaluate the performance of expatriate managers.

A)Lack of cultural experience
B)Unintentional bias
C)Jealousy
D)Lack of respect

Question 22

In-house company training programs can foster ________,which comes in the form of shared experiences,informal networks and company jargon.

A)esprit de corps
B)cultural sensitivity
C)cultural resentment
D)jealousy

Question 23

Compensation practices varying from country to country,labour laws prohibiting union organisation,and the strong pursuit of equal employment legislation are all complexities in:

A)customer orientation.
B)external stakeholders.
C)human resources.
D)supplier confidence.

Question 24

A support network of friends is a critical need for the expatriate to gain:

A)governmental training.
B)cultural training.
C)language training.
D)practical training.

Question 25

In regard to expatriate pay,the ____________ises purchasing power across countries,so employees can enjoy the same living standard in their foreign posting that they enjoyed at home.

A)balance sheet approach
B)standard of living approach
C)merit approach
D)correspondence approach

Question 26

________ should be seen as the final link in an integrated,circular process that connects good selection and cross-cultural training of expatriate managers with completion of their term abroad,and reintegration into their national organisation.

A)Indopatriation
B)Expatriation
C)Repatriation
D)Propatriation

Question 27

__________ manager is a citizen of one country who is working abroad in one of his or her firm's subsidiaries.

A)An expatriate
B)A cross-divisional
C)A cross-cultural
D)An ethnocentric

Question 28

Those MNE employees who are assigned to foreign operations for an extended period of time,say three to five years,are usually described as expatriates.However,changing business circumstances have seen an increase in the use of a more flexible,short-term approach for an international business operator,otherwise known as:

A)an information and communications disseminator (ICD).
B)an international relations facilitator (IRF).
C)a role and outcomes negotiator (RON).
D)an international business traveller (IBT).

Question 29

Home country managers' appraisals may be biased by:

A)distance and by their own lack of experience working abroad.
B)distance and by ineptitude.
C)jealousy and by their own lack of experience working abroad.
D)their own experiences working abroad and by jealousy.

Question 30

The type of training that is aimed at helping an expatriate manager,and his or her family,ease themselves into day-to-day life in the host country,is called:

A)cognitive training.
B)practical training.
C)technical training.
D)cultural training.

Question 31

A large and expanding body of academic research suggests that a strong fit between __________________quired for high profitability.

A)corporate culture and products
B)marketing practices and industrial relations
C)corporate culture and ethics practices
D)human resources practices and strategy

Question 32

____________ograms are designed to increase the overall skill levels of managers,through a mix of ongoing management education and rotations of managers through a number of jobs within the firm,to give them varied experiences.

A)Organisational development
B)Technical development
C)Management development
D)Personnel development

Question 33

_________ is concerned with the selection of employees for particular jobs.

A)Compensation policy
B)Staffing policy
C)Performance appraisal policy
D)Training policy

Question 34

To reduce bias in performance evaluations,many expatriates think that more weight should be given to _______ manager's appraisal than to _______ manager's appraisal.

A)a functional;a human resource
B)a human resource;a functional
C)an off-site;an on-site
D)an on-site;an off-site

Question 35

____________n be used as a conduit for exchanging valuable performance-enhancing knowledge within the organisation.

A)Secret board meetings
B)Unstructured employee gatherings
C)Informal management networks
D)Formal human resource groups

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT a component of the typical expatriate compensation package?

A)transportation premium
B)base salary
C)foreign service premium
D)allowances

Question 37

In regard to the types of allowances often included in an expatriate's compensation package,______allowance is paid when the expatriate is being sent to a difficult location.

A)an education
B)a housing
C)a hardship
D)a cost-of-living

Question 38

The type of training that seeks to foster an appreciation for the host country's culture is called:

A)cultural training.
B)technical training.
C)language training.
D)practical training.

Question 39

It is advisable to arrange for a familiarisation trip to the host country,prior to transfer,as a form of:

A)practical training.
B)language training.
C)cultural training.
D)political training.

Question 40

___________ staffing policy is one in which all key management positions are filled by parent-company nationals.

A)An ethnocentric
B)An intercentric
C)A polycentric
D)A geocentric

Question 41

In the context of international labour relations,what does the acronym ITS stands for?

A)International Trade Secrets
B)International Trade Statistics
C)International Trade Secretariats
D)International Trade Sanctions

Question 42

Unless a host country has ____________ the expatriate's home country,the expatriate may have to pay income tax to both the home and host country governments.

A)diplomatic relations
B)a trade treaty
C)a positive balance of trade
D)a reciprocal tax treaty

Question 43

Organised labour has responded to the increased bargaining power of multinational corporations by taking which of the following actions?

A)Trying to impose regulations on multinationals through organisations such as GATT.
B)Trying to achieve international regulations on multinationals through such organisations as the United Nations.
C)Trying to establish regional boards.
D)Trying to lobby multinational corporations to restrict their global reach to three or fewer foreign countries.

Question 44

The ____________tion of an international business is typically responsible for international labour relations.

A)international business
B)human resource management
C)finance and accounting
D)legal

Question 45

Much to the annoyance of the United Auto Workers,many Japanese auto plants are not unionised.This demonstrates which concern?

A)International companies force employees to join unions against their will.
B)Companies can counter their bargaining power with the power to move production to another country.
C)International businesses will keep highly skilled tasks in its home country and farm out low-skilled tasks for foreign plants.
D)International businesses attempt to import employment practices and contractual agreements from a home country.

Question 46

What type of unions generally try to get better pay,greater job security and better working conditions for their members through collective bargaining with management?

A)management
B)labour
C)statutory
D)volunteer

Question 47

Which of the following is NOT a response that organised labour has taken as a result of increased bargaining power of multinationals?

A)try to establish international labour organisations
B)lobby for legislation to restrict multinationals
C)bribe multinational executives
D)obtain help from organisations like the United Nations

Question 48

According to the textbook,in practice,the international trade secretariats (ITS)have had:

A)resounding success.
B)virtually no success.
C)moderate success.
D)good success in industrialised nations,but less success elsewhere.

Question 49

What does a firm typically do when a reciprocal tax treaty is not in force?

A)pays one-third of the expatriate's income tax in the host country
B)pays one-half of the expatriate's income tax in the host country
C)pays the expatriate's income tax in the host country
D)requires the expatriate to pay his or her own income tax in the host country

Question 50

What type of allowance ensures that an expatriate will enjoy the same standard of living in the foreign posting as at home?

A)hardship allowance
B)base salary allowance
C)cost-of-living allowance
D)education allowance