Deck 19: Global Human Resource Management

Question 1

Cultural toughness refers to the relationship between the country of assignment and how well an expatriate adjusts to a particular posting.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Expatriate failure refers to a manager's failure to understand host-country cultural norms and values, leading to ineffective work.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

In a seminal study, R.L. Tung revealed that for European firms, the top reason for expatriate failure was the inability of the manager to cope with larger overseas responsibilities.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

A citizen of Japan who moves to the United States to work at Microsoft would be classified as an inpatriate.

Question 5

An expatriate needs to have language fluency to show willingness to communicate.

Question 6

The most popular staffing policy is the ethnocentric approach.

Question 7

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

Question 8

According to Mendenhall and Oddou, poorly adjusted expatriates tend to be nonjudgmental and nonevaluative in interpreting the behavior of host-country nationals.

Question 9

Historically, most international businesses have been more concerned with training than with management development, focusing on preparing home-country nationals for foreign postings.

Question 10

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

Question 11

A manager might be sent on several foreign postings over a number of years to build his or her cross-cultural sensitivity and experience as part of a management development program.

Question 12

The geocentric approach is the most popular because it is the least expensive to implement.

Question 13

Most managers believe that knowledge of a foreign language is necessary to succeed in an international posting.

Question 14

Selection is the first step in matching a manager with a job.

Question 15

An executive who performs well in a domestic setting may not be able to adapt to managing in a different cultural setting.

Question 16

Firms may choose an ethnocentric approach to staffing as opposed to a polycentric approach because of the cost savings it promotes.

Question 17

A geocentric approach tends to weaken local responsiveness.

Question 18

A firm that adopts a polycentric approach to staffing is likely to suffer from cultural myopia.

Question 19

In the case of an ethnocentric approach, it is possible that managers may make decisions that are ethically suspect because they do not understand the culture in which they are managing.

Question 20

HRM professionals have a critically important strategic role.

Question 21

Where an expatriate community exists, firms often devote less effort to ensuring that the new expatriate family is quickly integrated into that group.

Question 22

A Japanese firm prefers expatriate Japanese managers to head its foreign operations because these managers have been socialized into the firm while employed in Japan. This indicates that the firm

A) believes that such managers cannot progress beyond middle-manager positions in their parent company.
B) follows an ethnocentric staffing policy to maintain a unified corporate culture.
C) is trying to create value by transferring core competencies to a foreign operation.
D) requires host-country nationals to be recruited to manage subsidiaries.

Question 23

Which of the following is a drawback of the polycentric approach to staffing?

A) Firms are likely to suffer from cultural myopia.
B) Host-country nationals are vulnerable to cultural misunderstandings.
C) This approach increases the cost of value creation.
D) Host-country nationals have limited opportunities for advancement beyond senior positions in their subsidiary.

Question 24

Cultural myopia refers to a firm's failure to

A) adapt to certain ethnocentric cultures.
B) act confidently in host countries.
C) understand host-country cultural differences.
D) prevent gender discrimination within the firm.

Question 25

A strong ________, the organization's norms and value systems, can help a firm to implement its strategy.

A) corporate culture
B) human resources division
C) mission statement
D) beliefs systems

Question 26

A firm's performance appraisal systems are an important element of its control systems.

Question 27

A polycentric approach may be effective for firms pursuing

A) an international strategy.
B) a localization strategy.
C) a transnational strategy.
D) a global standardization strategy.

Question 28

In an ethnocentric staffing policy,

A) all key management positions are filled by host-country nationals.
B) host-country nationals are recruited to manage subsidiaries.
C) all key management positions are filled by parent-country nationals.
D) the best people are recruited for key jobs throughout the organization, regardless of nationality.

Question 29

From a strategic perspective, the key issue in international labor relations is the degree to which organized labor can limit the choices of an international business.

Question 30

What is an advantage of the geocentric staffing policy?

A) It enables the firm to grow its human resources department.
B) It enables the firm to build a cadre of international executives who feel at home working in a number of cultures.
C) It enables the firm to build a cadre of home-country executives.
D) Firms may be better able to create value despite adverse experience curves and poor location economies.

Question 31

In polycentric firms, the lack of managers' mobility among national operations implies that pay can and should be kept country-specific.

Question 32

If a company recruits host-country nationals to manage subsidiaries while parent-country nationals occupy key positions at corporate headquarters, the firm is following ________ staffing policy.

A) a polycentric
B) an ethnocentric
C) a geocentric
D) an internal

Question 33

Base pay in most firms is set with regard to global market conditions.

Question 34

Labor unions generally prefer it if an international business keeps highly skilled tasks in its home country and farms out only low-skilled tasks to foreign plants.

Question 35

Which policy is mainly concerned with the selection of employees for particular jobs?

A) retention policy
B) staffing policy
C) incentive policy
D) appraisal policy

Question 36

________ seeks the best people for key jobs throughout the organization, regardless of nationality.

A) A polycentric staffing policy
B) An ethnocentric staffing policy
C) A geocentric staffing policy
D) A uniform staffing policy

Question 37

The international trade secretariats have had tremendous success.

Question 38

What is the difference between an ethnocentric and a polycentric staffing approach?

A) An ethnocentric staffing approach alleviates cultural myopia, while a polycentric staffing approach can lead to cultural myopia.
B) An ethnocentric staffing approach may be more expensive compared to a polycentric staffing approach.
C) An ethnocentric staffing approach seeks host-country nationals for all key positions, while a polycentric staffing approach seeks the best people for key jobs regardless of nationality.
D) An ethnocentric staffing approach is now used in most international businesses, while the polycentric staffing approach is on the wane.

Question 39

Most expatriates believe that more weight should be given to an on-site manager's appraisal than to an off-site manager's appraisal.

Question 40

Union influence in the auto industry is increasing in part due to Japanese carmakers building autos in the United States.

Question 41

Expatriate managers who lack ________ tend to treat foreign nationals as if they were home-country nationals.

A) self-orientation
B) cultural toughness
C) others-orientation
D) perceptual ability

Question 42

A geocentric staffing policy

A) requires host-country nationals to be recruited to manage subsidiaries, while parent-country nationals occupy key positions at corporate headquarters.
B) leads to ineffective use of human resources.
C) requires extensive documentation.
D) is compatible with both international and localization strategy.

Question 43

An organization's norms and value systems are known as its

A) corporate culture.
B) mission statement.
C) human resources.
D) organizational structure.

Question 44

A citizen of France who moves to the United States to work at Ford is a(n)

A) a host-country national.
B) a local.
C) an inpatriate.
D) an acquired citizen.

Question 45

A firm with ________ staffing policy will fill all key management positions with parent-country nationals.

A) a geocentric
B) an ethnocentric
C) a eurocentrict
D) a polycentric

Question 46

Which dimension of Mendenhall and Oddou's study suggests that an expatriate with high self-esteem, self-confidence, and mental well-being is likely to succeed in a foreign job posing?

A) self-orientation
B) others-orientation
C) cultural toughness
D) perceptual ability

Question 47

A polycentric approach to staffing is one in which

A) host-country nationals are recruited to manage subsidiaries while parent-company nationals occupy key positions at corporate headquarters.
B) standard psychological tests are used to assess perceptual ability and cultural toughness, when selecting a manager for foreign posting.
C) all key management positions are filled by parent-company nationals.
D) the best people, regardless of nationality, are recruited to fill key positions throughout the organization.

Question 48

The ability to understand why people of other countries behave the way they do is

A) self-orientation.
B) others-orientation.
C) perceptual ability.
D) cultural toughness.

Question 49

Expatriate failure refers to

A) expatriates who follow host-country norms instead of their home-country norms.
B) the inability of expatriate managers to treat foreign nationals as if they were home-country nationals.
C) the premature return of an expatriate manager to his or her home country.
D) the ethical drawbacks of the ethnocentric staffing approach.

Question 50

An ethnocentric approach to staffing is appropriate for firms that are pursuing

A) a localization strategy.
B) an international strategy.
C) a global standardization strategy.
D) a transnational strategy.

Question 51

Which of the following staffing approaches will be most effective for a firm that is pursuing a transnational strategy?

A) a polycentric staffing policy
B) an ethnocentric staffing policy
C) a geocentric staffing policy
D) an internal staffing policy

Question 52

In a seminal study, R.L. Tung found that among American multinationals, the biggest impediment to expatriate success was the

A) inability of the spouse to adjust.
B) manager's inability to adjust.
C) manager's inability to cope with larger overseas responsibilities.
D) lack of adequate technical training.

Question 53

Broadly speaking, a geocentric approach is compatible with

A) an international strategy.
B) both global standardization and transnational strategies.
C) a localization strategy.
D) both an international and a localization strategy.

Question 54

What is the most important advantage of using a geocentric staffing policy?

A) It enables the firm to build a cadre of international executives who feel at home working in a number of cultures.
B) It may be less expensive to implement than other policies, reducing the costs of value creation.
C) The higher pay managers on an international fast track enjoy is a source of inspiration within a firm.
D) It reduces the need for futile and time-consuming documentation.

Question 55

________ staffing policy seeks the best people for key jobs throughout the organization, regardless of nationality.

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

Question 56

A firm using a polycentric staffing policy will

A) be less likely to suffer from cultural myopia.
B) seek the best people for key jobs throughout the organization, regardless of nationality.
C) most likely follow an ethnocentric strategy.
D) be likely to have improved communication between host-country managers and parent-country managers.

Question 57

In a seminal study, R.L. Tung found that for Japanese multinationals, the biggest impediment to expatriate success was

A) the inability of the spouse to adjust.
B) inadequate compensation.
C) the manager's inability to cope with larger overseas responsibilities.
D) the lack of adequate technical training.

Question 58

________ staffing policy can be expensive to implement because training and relocation costs increase when transferring managers from one country to another.

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

Question 59

A firm following ________ approach to staffing believes that the host-country nationals should be recruited to manage subsidiaries, while parent-country nationals occupy key positions at corporate headquarters.

A) a geocentric
B) a eurocentric
C) a polycentric
D) an ethnocentric

Question 60

Mendenhall and Oddou's "others-orientation" dimension, in their study on what predicts success in foreign jobs postings, refers to the

A) expatriate's self-esteem, self-confidence, and mental well-being.
B) expatriate's ability to interact effectively with host-country nationals.
C) expatriate's ability to understand why people of other countries behave the way they do.
D) relationship between the country of the assignment and how well an expatriate adjusts to a particular posting.

Question 61

Which of the following statements is true regarding management development?

A) Historically, most international businesses have been more concerned with management development than with training.
B) Management development facilitates the creation of an informal network for sharing knowledge within the multinational enterprise.
C) Management development refers to specific training efforts to prepare home-country nationals for foreign postings.
D) Typically, management development programs use standard psychological tests to select managers for specific foreign postings.

Question 62

________ refers to the relationship between the country of assignment and how well an expatriate adjusts to a particular posting.

A) Cultural toughness
B) Self-orientation
C) Perceptual ability
D) Others-orientation

Question 63

The premature return of an expatriate manager to his or her home country is known as

A) repatriation.
B) inpatriation.
C) expatriate failure.
D) outpatriation.

Question 64

Historically, most international businesses have been

A) more concerned with training than with management development.
B) focused on smoothly transitioning their home-country nationals back from foreign postings to home postings.
C) more concerned with management development than with training.
D) less focused on training their home-country nationals for foreign postings than with training home-country managers.

Question 65

Which among the following should be done in order to reduce bias in the performance appraisal process for expatriates?

A) More weight should be given to an off-site manager's appraisal than to an on-site manager's appraisal.
B) The on-site manager should be of a different nationality than the expatriate manager.
C) Home-office managers should be consulted before an on-site manager completes a formal termination evaluation.
D) A former expatriate who served in the same location as a current expatriate should not be allowed to participate in the appraisal.

Question 66

________ makes it difficult to evaluate the performance of expatriate managers objectively.

A) Cultural relativism
B) Internal documentation
C) Unintentional bias
D) Others-orientation

Question 67

When evaluating expatriates, home-country managers usually rely on

A) the manager's ability to develop cross-cultural awareness.
B) hard data such as market share.
C) the ability of the expatriate to work with local managers.
D) a set of subjective criteria such as interpersonal skills.

Question 68

Bringing managers together in one location for extended periods and rotating them through different jobs in several countries helps the firm build

A) an expatriate community.
B) a formal management network.
C) an inpatriate community.
D) an informal management network.

Question 69

________ is considered the language of world business.

A) Chinese
B) English
C) Spanish
D) Hindi

Question 70

Practical training is

A) provided to foster an appreciation for the host country's culture.
B) aimed at helping expatriates improve their communication skills.
C) aimed at helping expatriate managers to build relationships in the host country.
D) aimed at helping the expatriate manager and family ease themselves into day-to-day life in the host country.

Question 71

Bringing managers together in one location for extended periods and rotating them through different jobs in several countries is a part of

A) the ethnocentric approach.
B) the global standardization strategy.
C) cultural toughness programs.
D) management development programs.

Question 72

Management development programs aim to

A) facilitate an ethnocentric approach to staffing.
B) reduce job rotations of managers.
C) build a formal management network.
D) build a unifying corporate culture.

Question 73

________ is the ability to understand why people of other countries behave the way they do.

A) Others-orientation
B) Cultural myopia
C) Perceptual ability
D) Cultural toughness

Question 74

________ makes it difficult to evaluate the performance of expatriate managers objectively.

A) Unintentional bias
B) Lack of proximity
C) Intentional bias
D) Inadequate hard data

Question 75

Training can help a manager and spouse cope with issues of adjusting to the foreign environment. ________ is aimed at helping the expatriate manager and family ease themselves into day-to-day life in the host country.

A) Language training
B) Practical training
C) Others-orientation training
D) Cultural training

Question 76

Which of the following issues was not addressed by Mendenhall and Oddou's study?

A) expatriate failure due to a spouse's inability to adjust
B) expatriate failure due to a manager's lack of self-esteem
C) expatriate failure due to lack of relationship development
D) expatriate failure due to a manager's inability to empathize

Question 77

Mendenhall and Oddou identified cultural toughness as one of the dimensions in their study on dimensions that predict success in foreign jobs postings. This dimension refers to the

A) expatriate's self-esteem, self-confidence, and mental well-being.
B) expatriate's ability to interact effectively with host-country nationals.
C) expatriate's ability to understand why people of other countries behave the way they do.
D) relationship between the country of the assignment and how well an expatriate adjusts to a particular posting.

Question 78

Which of the following is one of the factors that impact a spouse adjusting to expatriation?

A) the inability of the spouse to get a job in the foreign country due to poor training and education
B) laws against spouses freely coming and going from their home in the foreign country
C) spouses not being welcomed into the expatriate community
D) language differences making it difficult for a spouse to make new friends and feeling trapped at home

Question 79

In a seminal study, R.L. Tung found that for managers of European firms, the biggest impediment to expatriate success was the

A) manager's inability to cope with larger overseas responsibilities.
B) lack of adequate technical training.
C) inability of the spouse to adjust.
D) manager's inability to adjust.

Question 80

Firms pursuing ________ strategy increasingly are using management development as a strategic tool.

A) a localization
B) a global standardization
C) a transnational
D) an international