Question 1

In weak economic times the importance of global employee staffing for gaining competitive advantage is much less than in strong economic times.

Accepted Answer

In weak economic times, the importance of global employee staffing for gaining competitive advantage increases as companies seek to reduce costs and tap into new markets.

Question 2

From a broader perspective, staffing encompasses the many activities related to moving employees into, throughout, and out of an organization in the pursuit of satisfying work demand and meeting organizational objectives.

Accepted Answer

This statement accurately describes staffing as a process that goes beyond just hiring employees and includes activities such as promotions, transfers, and terminations to meet organizational demands and goals.

Question 3

Recruitment involves gathering appropriate information and deciding from among the candidates who to choose to fill the work demand.

Accepted Answer

Recruitment involves attracting and identifying potential candidates, while selection is the process of deciding which candidates to choose to fill the work demand.

Question 4

Expatriation involves the special staffing activity involving transfer of an employee upon the completion of a foreign assignment back to his or her own country.

Accepted Answer

Expatriation involves the process of sending an employee to a foreign country to work, not the process of returning them to their home country after an assignment. The return process is referred to as repatriation.

Question 5

As an additional potential disadvantage, an ethnocentric staffing approach limits the promotional and developmental opportunities of HCNs, which might lead to their increased dissatisfaction and related costs of lower productivity and increased turnover.

Accepted Answer

An ethnocentric staffing approach prioritizes expatriates from the parent country, which can limit opportunities for host country nationals (HCNs) and lead to dissatisfaction and negative consequences such as lower productivity and increased turnover.

Question 6

A Geocentric staffing policy works well especially within industries whose products or services involve minimal cultural differentiation such as in the electronics or automotive industry.

Accepted Answer

A Geocentric staffing policy, which involves selecting the best people for key positions regardless of nationality, works well in industries like electronics or automotive where the products or services are relatively standardized worldwide, minimizing the need for local cultural adaptation.

Question 7

Although there has been an increase in the number of women being sent to foreign assignments, women still lag significantly behind their male MNC expatriate counterparts.

Accepted Answer

While there has been progress in sending more women on foreign assignments, they still comprise a small percentage of MNC expatriates overall and are typically underrepresented in higher-level assignments. Therefore, women still lag significantly behind their male MNC expatriate counterparts.

Question 8

A major reason given by managers for selecting men over women for foreign expatriate assignments falls into the category of business necessity-to avoid costly failure and to promote and optimize the competitive viability of business operations abroad.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true and supported by research on gender and international assignments. Many managers still hold the belief that men are more suited for foreign expatriate assignments due to perceived differences in communication style, assertiveness, and adaptability. However, this bias can limit opportunities for qualified female employees and hinder a company's diversity and inclusion efforts.

Question 9

One major reason why there are significantly fewer women than men that are sent by MNCs in expatriate assignments is that women simply tend to have less interest in being expatriates.

Accepted Answer

This statement is not entirely accurate. While it's true that some women may not be interested in being expatriates, there are also many women who are interested but may face barriers such as family responsibilities or gender biases that prevent them from getting the opportunity. Therefore, the gender gap in expatriate assignments cannot be attributed solely to women's lack of interest.

Question 10

Staffing needs often influence an MNC's selection decision for the location of foreign direct investment, where there increasingly is a preference, due to greater dependence upon advanced technologies in operations, for countries that can offer labor with relatively higher levels of literacy, skills, and discipline rather than merely the lowest wages.

Accepted Answer

The statement correctly reflects the influence of staffing needs on an MNC's selection decision for the location of foreign direct investment. MNCs prioritize countries that offer a skilled and disciplined workforce over those with the lowest wages due to the increasing dependence on advanced technologies in operations.

Question 11

The geographic scope of sources considered for locating qualified potential job candidates might be worldwide when the company is following a geocentric approach and is searching for top talent regardless of nationality.

Accepted Answer

When a company follows a geocentric approach, they search for top talent regardless of nationality, and as such, the geographic scope of sources considered for locating qualified potential job candidates might be worldwide.

Question 12

Company newsletters, bulletins, and computerized intranet in-house communication systems can carry announcements of job openings for a foreign assignment or can be used in a foreign operation to support a local "promotion-from-within" policy.

Accepted Answer

Company newsletters, bulletins, and computerized intranet systems are common channels for announcing job openings for a foreign assignment or supporting a local promotion-from-within policy in a foreign operation.

Question 13

Many organizations have developed useful skills inventories on both local and global levels that facilitate an external labor market search for employees with interest and requisite skills to fill an international assignment.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Many organizations have developed useful skills inventories...

Question 14

Organizations rarely use informal communications as a means to "spread the word" and identify possible internal candidates for promotion or for a transfer assignment.

Accepted Answer

Organizations often use informal communications, such as word-of-mouth recommendations and referrals from current employees, to identify potential candidates for promotion or transfer assignments.

Question 15

Due to the informal, non-professional nature of the employee referral method, the number of companies around the world that use it in external recruitment has dramatically decreased.

Accepted Answer

The statement is incorrect. In fact, many companies continue to use employee referrals as a valuable recruitment method, and some even offer incentives to employees who successfully refer a candidate who is hired.

Question 16

Under an employee-referral approach employees typically are provided a financial reward and/or gift for referring a candidate who is eventually hired.

Accepted Answer

Under an employee-referral approach, employees are usually given a financial reward or gift for referring a candidate who is hired.

Question 17

The practice of hiring family members, sometimes referred to as nepotism, often is banned and associated with corrupt business practices.

Accepted Answer

Nepotism is often associated with favoritism and can lead to unqualified individuals being hired or promoted, as well as a lack of diversity and fairness in the workplace. Many companies have policies against hiring family members to avoid potential conflicts of interest and maintain a level playing field for all employees.

Question 18

Triangulation literally means to measure something from three different angles to achieve an accurate assessment.

Accepted Answer

Triangulation involves measuring or assessing something from three different points or perspectives in order to get a more accurate understanding of it.

Question 19

The employment interview is generally the most frequently used method for employee selection, yet in the hands of untrained managers and supervisors it often has one of the lowest validity rates in predicting the future company success of a job candidate.

Accepted Answer

The statement is true.

Question 20

The least important criterion for selecting employees for a foreign assignment traditionally has been "demonstrated technical competence."

Accepted Answer

Demonstrated technical competence is one of the most important criteria for selecting employees for a foreign assignment.

Quiz 6: Global Staffing