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.

Accepted Answer

Host country nationals are local workers who are being employed by a foreign company in their country.

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

Accepted Answer

Geert Hofstede identified five major dimensions of national culture as they apply to human resource management. These dimensions include power distance, individualism-collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity-femininity, and long-term/short-term orientation. Each of these dimensions has implications for how businesses operate and manage their employees in different cultural contexts.

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.

Accepted Answer

In Germany, multi-employer bargaining is more common due to its coordinated market economy, where industry-wide agreements are typical. In contrast, the U.S. has a more decentralized bargaining system.

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.

Accepted Answer

This statement accurately describes the cultural differences in training and development approaches in Japan and the United States.

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.

Accepted Answer

The statement accurately describes 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.

Accepted Answer

Outsourcing refers to the delegation of specific business operations or processes to an external service provider or third-party company, while offshoring specifically refers to the relocation of a business process or operation from one country to another. In this scenario, Reebok is delegating the manufacturing of its sneakers to a third-party company in Thailand, which means it is outsourcing the manufacturing process. Additionally, the manufacturing process is being relocated from one country (presumably where Reebok is based) to another country (Thailand), which means it is also an example of 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.

Accepted Answer

The statement is incorrect because, as of recent data, the percentage of the labor force in Australia that is foreign-born is significantly higher than one percent, reflecting Australia's high immigration rates.

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.

Accepted Answer

This scenario describes a common process for employee development, in which an organization invests in the growth of an employee with the potential to take on a leadership role through a structured program or training opportunity.

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.

Accepted Answer

This statement is false. According to the World Bank, the female labor force participation rate in Turkey was 33.5 percent in 2020, which is significantly lower than the stated 80 percent.

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

This statement is false. The purpose of performance appraisal is to evaluate an employee's performance, provide feedback, and identify areas for improvement. By doing so, it can help employees develop new skills, improve their performance, and contribute more effectively to the company. This, in turn, can benefit the company by improving productivity and efficiency, enhancing employee satisfaction and retention, and ultimately driving business success.

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.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. The ILO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes social justice and promotes decent working conditions around the world. One of its main functions is to set international labor standards, including those related to the prohibition of slave or forced labor, restrictions on child labor, basic job safety protections, and the right 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.

Accepted Answer

The statement "The role of human resources and those who manage such resources has become less important in today's global economy" is not true. Technological advances have actually made HR more important, as they are needed to manage the global workforce and facilitate communication and collaboration across different locations.

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.

Accepted Answer

According to Hofstede's cultural dimensions, Russia is actually a high power distance country, meaning that there is a significant power gap and strict hierarchies are maintained. This can be seen in the way that managers have a great deal of authority and decision-making is centralized. Performance appraisals may still be conducted by managers, but this is consistent with a high power distance culture.

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.

Accepted Answer

Sending an employee to work in a foreign office while also learning the language is a form of training, both in terms of gaining practical experience and developing language skills.

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) established free trade between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, not 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

Accepted Answer

The passage directly states that unemployment rates in Eastern European countries like Poland and the Slovak Republic have consistently been in the "percent range." The options given are 15%, 25%, 35%, 40%, and more than 50%. While it is possible that some countries could have unemployment rates higher than 15%, this option is the lowest and therefore the most likely to be correct based on the information given.

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.

Accepted Answer

Collective bargaining agreements are negotiations between employers and labor unions to establish work policies and conditions. These agreements usually cover issues such as wages, benefits, hours of work, and working conditions. Once an agreement is reached, it becomes binding on both parties and governs the relationship between the employer and the employees represented by the union.

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

Accepted Answer

According to the data from the Migration Policy Institute, less than 1 percent of the labor force in Japan is foreign born as of 2021.

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.

Accepted Answer

Hofstede's five dimensions of national culture are power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism vs. collectivism, masculinity vs. femininity, and long-term vs. short-term orientation. Introversion vs. extroversion is not one of them.

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

The situation described is actually known as collective bargaining, not co-determination. Co-determination refers to a system of governance where workers are represented on a company's board of directors.

Quiz 11: Global Human Resource Management