Question 1

Luthans and Youssef postulated that in order for an organization to be the most efficient and innovative,it must have positive traits,states,and systems in order to promote positive behavior.

Accepted Answer

Luthans and Youssef postulated that in order for an organization to be the most efficient and innovative, it must have positive traits, states, and systems in order to promote positive behavior. The positive traits consist of conscientiousness, emotional stability, extroversion, agreeableness, openness to experience, core self-evaluations, and positive psychological traits.

Question 2

An approach to developing an expatriate compensation package that involves giving the expat a predetermined amount of money and letting the individual make his/her own decisions regarding how to spend it is referred to as localization.

Accepted Answer

Lump-sum method is an approach to developing an expatriate compensation package, which involves giving the expat a predetermined amount of money and letting the individual make his or her own decisions regarding how to spend it.

Question 3

According to a survey conducted by Brookfield Global Relocation Services,the most commonly cited objective of expatriate assignments in multinational corporations (MNCs)was filling a managerial or technical gap.

Accepted Answer

A 2015 survey of 143 multinational corporations (MNCs) conducted by Brookfield Global Relocation Services found that the most commonly cited objective of expatriate assignments was filling a managerial or technical gap, though career development and local relationship building were also mentioned by many employers as intended goals. They also found that the companies surveyed appeared optimistic about their global business outlook, with nearly 90 percent stating that they anticipated increasing or holding steady their number of international assignments.

Question 4

An ethnocentric multinational corporation (MNC)puts host-office people in charge of key international management positions.

Accepted Answer

An ethnocentric multinational corporation (MNC) puts home-office people in charge of key international management positions.

Question 5

Face-to-face human contact has lost its importance as a means of communication because of the growing prevalence of e-mail,web- and teleconferencing,and the increasing incidence of subcontracting and outsourcing.

Accepted Answer

As prevalent and useful as e-mail and web- and teleconferencing have become, and despite the increasing incidence of subcontracting and outsourcing, face-to-face human contact will remain an important means of communication and transferring "tacit" knowledge-knowledge that cannot be formalized in manuals or written guidelines. Hence, most companies continue to deploy human resources around the world as they are needed, although the range of options for filling human resource needs is expanding.

Question 6

Research shows that organizations that closely tie their training and human resource management strategy to their business strategy tend to outperform those that do not.

Accepted Answer

Research shows that organizations that closely tie their training and human resource management strategy to their business strategy tend to outperform those that do not. Stroh and Caligiuri conducted research on 60 of the world's major multinationals and found that effective human resource management (HRM) programs pay dividends in the form of higher profits.

Question 7

Multinational corporations (MNCs)are increasingly using home-country nationals,given the costs,guaranteed returns,and decreasing availability of host-country and third-country nationals and expatriates.

Accepted Answer

In recent years, there has been a trend away from using home-country nationals, given the costs, somewhat uncertain returns, and increasing availability of host-country and third-country nationals and inpatriates. Even if a multinational corporation (MNC) wanted to staff all management positions with home-country personnel, it would be unlikely to have this many available managers, and the cost of transferring and maintaining them in the host country would be prohibitive.

Question 8

Research proves that expatriates were most effective in subsidiaries located in developing countries or those that relied on a local customer base.

Accepted Answer

Research shows that expatriates were most effective when they were in charge of larger subsidiaries or those with a marketing theme similar to that at headquarters. It also shows that local managers were most effective in subsidiaries located in developing countries or those that relied on a local customer base.

Question 9

Three-quarters of the companies surveyed in 2015 by Brookfield Global Relocation Services stated that they were facing increasing pressure to reduce the overall cost of their expatriate programs.

Accepted Answer

Three-quarters of the companies surveyed in 2015 by Brookfield Global Relocation Services stated that they were facing increasing pressure to reduce the overall cost of their expatriate programs. Part of this pressure may be due to the fact that traditional financial metrics, such as return on investment, are not utilized by the overwhelming majority of companies when evaluating the success or failure of their overseas program.

Question 10

Host-country nationals are local managers who are hired by a multinational corporation (MNC).

Accepted Answer

Host-country nationals are local managers who are hired by a multinational corporation (MNC). For a number of reasons, many multinational corporations (MNCs) use host-country managers at the middle- and lower-level ranks.

Question 11

Repatriation agreements typically promise an expatriate a specific position and salary when he/she returns to the home office.

Accepted Answer

Repatriation agreements tell an individual how long she or he will be posted overseas and promises to give the individual, on return, a job that is mutually acceptable. This agreement typically does not promise a specific position or salary, but the agreement may state that the person will be given a job that is equal to, if not better than, the one held before leaving.

Question 12

One study that compared U.S.,Indonesian,and Mexican managers found that behaviors can distinguish them from one another and that host countries would prefer a managerial style similar to that of their country.

Accepted Answer

One study that compared U.S., Indonesian, and Mexican managers found that behaviors can distinguish them from one another and that host countries would prefer a managerial style similar to that of their country. For example, positive managerial behaviors, such as honesty and follow-through with employees, distinguish Indonesian and U.S. managers from Mexican managers.

Question 13

The improved education of many populations around the world gives multinational corporations (MNCs)more options when considering international human resource needs.

Accepted Answer

The improved education of many populations around the world gives multinational corporations (MNCs) more options when considering international human resource needs. The emergence of highly trained technical and scientific employees in emerging markets and the increased prevalence of MBA-type training in many developed and developing countries have dramatically expanded the pool of talent from which MNCs can draw.

Question 14

The hardest training,in terms of preparation time,is to place a cultural integrator in each foreign operation.

Accepted Answer

The simplest training, in terms of preparation time, is to place a cultural integrator in each foreign operation.

Question 15

Offshore outsourcing is made possible by the increasing organizational and technological capacity of companies to separate,coordinate,and integrate geographically dispersed human resources across distant geographic borders.

Accepted Answer

Offshore outsourcing is made possible by the increasing organizational and technological capacity of companies to separate, coordinate, and integrate geographically dispersed human resources-whether employed directly by the firm or contracted out-across distant geographic borders. The development of this capacity can be traced to the earlier growth of international subcontracting as well as to the international diffusion of lean production systems (which originated with Japanese auto manufacturers) to other manufacturing and service sectors.

Question 16

Base salary is the amount of money that an expatriate normally receives in the home country plus a cost-of-living adjustment.

Accepted Answer

Base salary is the amount of money that an expatriate normally receives in the home country.

Question 17

According to a 2015 survey conducted by Brookfield Global Relocation Services,localization of expatriates is likely to be the most critical issue in managing a global workforce.

Accepted Answer

The 2015 Brookfield Global Relocation Services survey concluded that several issues will emerge as critical for managing a global workforce. At the top of the list, according to Brookfield, will be the localization of expatriates.

Question 18

Whether managers are trying to increase productivity or decrease turnover rates,it is good to get a sense of how employees feel they are being treated.

Accepted Answer

Whether managers are trying to increase productivity or decrease turnover rates, it is good to get a sense of how employees feel they are being treated. Times continue to change, and while employees in the past could be considered one unit, today people are realizing their individual talents and their need to be recognized.

Question 19

The process of evaluating how well a family is likely to stand up to the stress of overseas life is called adaptability screening.

Accepted Answer

The process of evaluating how well a family is likely to stand up to the stress of overseas life is called adaptability screening. A company will look for a number of things in this screening, including how closely knit the family is, how well it can withstand stress, and how well it can adjust to a new culture and climate.

Question 20

Borstorff and her associates examined a number of factors related to employee willingness and concluded that married couples without children at home or those with non-teenage children are the least willing to accept an overseas assignment.

Accepted Answer

Borstorff and her associates examined a number of factors related to employee willingness and concluded that married couples without children at home or those with non-teenage children are probably the most willing to move. They also concluded that employee and spouse perceptions of organizational support for expatriates are critical to employee willingness to work overseas.

Quiz 14: Human Resource Selection and Development Across Cultures