Deck 16: Hiring and Managing Employees

Question 1

Scenario: Swingset International
Jerome Johnston,the human resource manager at the U.S.-based Swingset International,is developing an international staffing policy for the company.Jerome personally believes Swingset should send managers from the United States to manage each subsidiary.But the CEO of the company,Valerie Vermont,believes subsidiary operations ought to be managed by individuals from the host country.
The approach recommended by Jerome is called ________.

A)vertical integration
B)ethnocentric staffing
C)horizontal integration
D)geocentric staffing

Answer 1

B

Question 2

An important advantage of polycentric staffing is that it ________.

A)re-creates local operations in the image of home-country operations
B)eliminates the high cost of relocating expatriate managers and their families
C)helps a company develop global managers who can adjust easily to any business environment
D)employs managers from home who will look out for the company's interests

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following statements regarding ethnocentric staffing is true?

A)It can facilitate the transfer of special know-how.
B)It is a relatively inexpensive policy to implement.
C)It allows a company to "blend in" with the local market.
D)It is a poor choice for companies operating in highly nationalistic markets.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

A company that hires the best-qualified individuals,regardless of nationality,to manage foreign operations is utilizing a ________ approach.

A)horizontal integration
B)geocentric staffing
C)ethnocentric staffing
D)vertical integration

Question 5

Scenario: Swingset International
Jerome Johnston,the human resource manager at the U.S.-based Swingset International,is developing an international staffing policy for the company.Jerome personally believes Swingset should send managers from the United States to manage each subsidiary.But the CEO of the company,Valerie Vermont,believes subsidiary operations ought to be managed by individuals from the host country.
Which staffing policy should Swingset consider if it wants its foreign operations to be managed by the best-qualified individuals regardless of nationality?

A)nepotism
B)ethnocentric staffing
C)geocentric staffing
D)employee referrals

Question 6

Which of the following statements is true of geocentric staffing?

A)It reduces the high cost of relocating expatriate managers and their families.
B)It employs managers exclusively from the home country to look out for the company's interests.
C)It helps develop global managers who can adjust to any business environment.
D)It emphasizes on re-creating local operations in the image of home-country operations.

Question 7

The major drawback of polycentric staffing is the potential to ________.

A)lose control of host-country operations
B)experience a high incidence of expatriate failure
C)create barriers for the host-country office
D)create legal problems for the home-country office

Question 8

Scenario: Swingset International
Jerome Johnston,the human resource manager at the U.S.-based Swingset International,is developing an international staffing policy for the company.Jerome personally believes Swingset should send managers from the United States to manage each subsidiary.But the CEO of the company,Valerie Vermont,believes subsidiary operations ought to be managed by individuals from the host country.
The approach recommended by Valerie is called ________.

A)polycentric staffing
B)ethnocentric staffing
C)vertical integration
D)horizontal integration

Question 9

The major disadvantage of a geocentric staffing policy is its potential for ________.

A)creating barriers for the host-country office
B)being costly due to high salaries and moving costs of managers
C)creating legal problems for the home-country office
D)losing control of host-country operations

Question 10

Individuals from the home country manage operations outside the home country in ________ staffing.

A)ethnocentric
B)polycentric
C)regiocentric
D)geocentric

Question 11

Which of the following statements is true of ethnocentric staffing?

A)Ethnocentric staffing appeals to companies that maintain lose control over decision-making in branch offices abroad.
B)Companies that use ethnocentric staffing formulate policies designed to work in every country in which they operate.
C)Ethnocentric staffing is generally used to fill positions at all levels of an organization.
D)In ethnocentric staffing,individuals from the host country manage the operations abroad.

Question 12

A geocentric staffing policy is generally reserved for ________.

A)top-level managers
B)mid-level managers
C)nonmanagerial employees
D)lower-level staff

Question 13

Which of the following is a major drawback of ethnocentric staffing?

A)high costs of relocating managers
B)loss of control over host-country operations
C)loss of control over home-country operations
D)difficulty in the transfer of special know-how between branches

Question 14

A(n)________ policy would give the foreign units of a company a degree of autonomy in decision-making.

A)centralized production
B)vertical integration
C)mass customization
D)polycentric staffing

Question 15

Citizens who are working and living in their home country are called expatriates.

Question 16

The process of staffing a company and ensuring employees are as productive as possible is called human resource management.

Question 17

Which of the following is an appropriate and widely-used method for staffing international business operations?

A)collective narcissism
B)cronyism
C)nepotism
D)geocentric approach

Question 18

The customary means by which a company fills up vacancies in its offices is called ________.

A)a staffing policy
B)an employment policy
C)onboarding
D)outsourcing

Question 19

In ________,operations outside the home country are managed by individuals from the host country.

A)vertical integration
B)horizontal integration
C)ethnocentric staffing
D)polycentric staffing

Question 20

A(n)________ policy can be pursued to hire employees at all levels in an organization.

A)ethnocentric staffing
B)polycentric staffing
C)vertical integration
D)horizontal integration

Question 21

Differentiate between the three types of staffing policies used by international companies.What are the advantages of each?

Question 22

Planning for decruitment normally occurs when a company ________.

A)discontinues manufacturing or selling in a market
B)finds that current HR levels are lesser than anticipated needs
C)plans to establish multiple foreign subsidiaries
D)hires new executive leadership to implement a growth strategy

Question 23

A major drawback of geocentric staffing is that it is expensive.

Question 24

Which of the following is the first phase of human resource planning?

A)developing a plan to recruit and select people to fill vacant and anticipated new positions
B)estimating the company's future human resource needs
C)taking an inventory of the company's current human resources
D)promoting employees to positions of greater responsibility

Question 25

The process of forecasting both a company's human resource needs and its supply is called ________.

A)human resource planning
B)human resource accounting
C)recruitment
D)selection

Question 26

An ethnocentric staffing strategy can facilitate the transfer of special know-how to branch operations.

Question 27

The major drawback of polycentric staffing is the potential for losing control of the host-country operation.

Question 28

To help speed up the process of getting approvals for local operations,a firm would most likely benefit from hiring ________.

A)home-country managers from the company's headquarters
B)managerial talent from the host country
C)recent college graduates trained in the home country
D)third-country expatriates with extensive experience in the field

Question 29

Alec is an American working for a software company in Texas.He has been assigned to work on a project in China for a year.He would be considered as a(n)________ in China.

A)domicile resident
B)expatriate
C)host-country national
D)third-country national

Question 30

________ would most likely be recruited for nonmanagerial positions at foreign subsidiaries that do not require specialized skills.

A)Recent graduates from colleges in the home country
B)Home-country specialists
C)Workers from the local host-country market
D)Current employees from the company headquarters

Question 31

Polycentric staffing places managerial responsibility in the hands of people intimately familiar with the local business environment.

Question 32

An ethnocentric policy toward staffing is typically reserved for top-level managers.

Question 33

Discuss the disadvantages of an ethnocentric staffing policy.How do bonuses,tax incentives,and employee expectations contribute to high personnel costs?

Question 34

Companies use polycentric staffing to re-create local operations in the image of home-country operations.

Question 35

In ethnocentric staffing,operations outside the home country are managed by individuals from the host country.

Question 36

Which of the following phases of human resource planning involves decruitment?

A)developing a plan to recruit and select people to fill vacant and anticipated new positions
B)estimating the company's future human resource needs
C)taking an inventory of the company's current human resources
D)promoting employees to positions of greater responsibility

Question 37

Which of the following terms is defined as the process of identifying and attracting a qualified pool of applicants for vacant positions?

A)orientation
B)outsourcing
C)recruitment
D)selection

Question 38

In geocentric staffing,operations outside the home country are managed by the best-qualified individuals,regardless of their nationality.

Question 39

Citizens of one country who are living and working in another are called ________.

A)local employees
B)domicile residents
C)repatriates
D)expatriates

Question 40

The first phase of human resource planning is estimating the company's future HR needs.

Question 41

Scenario: You're Hired!
Erica Els has just been promoted as vice president of human resources for Hudson Foods,a U.S.-based international frozen food corporation.Erica's first task is to staff the company's European subsidiary.
One challenge facing Hudson Foods as it expands into Europe is getting through all the bureaucratic and legal regulations surrounding the food industry.Erica plans to hire a manager to ensure that this challenge is overcome.Who among the following will Erica most likely recruit for this position?

A)a local manager with strong government contacts
B)an experienced manager from the Hudson Foods U.S.headquarters
C)a native of the target market who is a recent U.S.college graduate
D)a candidate from the U.S.with extensive management experience in the frozen food industry

Question 42

The process of identifying and attracting a qualified pool of applicants for vacant positions is called selection.

Question 43

The process of recruitment involves screening and hiring the best-qualified applicants with the greatest performance potential.

Question 44

Which of the following is a reason why there are only a few managers who are ready and willing to go to foreign branches on short notice?

A)expatriate failure
B)decruitment
C)culture shock
D)social loafing

Question 45

Which of the following is a psychological process affecting employees living abroad and is characterized by homesickness,irritability,confusion,aggravation,and depression?

A)social loafing
B)groupthink
C)culture shock
D)halo effect

Question 46

An expatriate manager who returns after a few years from an overseas assignment to find that there is no position for him in his home country office experiences a(n)________.

A)reverse culture shock
B)expatriate failure
C)cognitive dissonance
D)assimilation effect

Question 47

Reverse culture shock is the trouble expatriates face while adjusting to a new environment in which they find themselves.

Question 48

The process of screening and hiring the best-qualified applicants with the greatest performance potential is called ________.

A)performance appraisal
B)orientation
C)recruitment
D)selection

Question 49

Which of the following is most likely to occur in the honeymoon stage of culture shock?

A)new arrivals are fascinated by aspects of the new culture
B)individuals become annoyed by unpredictable quirks of the new culture
C)emotions hit rock bottom for visitors
D)visitors better understand and appreciate local customs and behavior

Question 50

The psychological process of readapting to one's home culture after working in a host-country culture is called ________.

A)social loafing
B)assimilation effect
C)reverse culture shock
D)expatriate failure

Question 51

Reverse culture shock is much milder than the initial culture shock an expatriate faces.

Question 52

Scenario: You're Hired!
Erica Els has just been promoted as vice president of human resources for Hudson Foods,a U.S.-based international frozen food corporation.Erica's first task is to staff the company's European subsidiary.
The new subsidiary's production facilities will employ approximately 100 full-time nonmanagerial workers.Who among the following will Erica most likely recruit to fill these positions?

A)highly productive workers relocated from developing nations
B)bilingual U.S.citizens who speak the language of the host country
C)qualified workers from the local market
D)workers from the American headquarters who are interested in gaining international experience

Question 53

The psychological process of readapting to one's home culture is seldom difficult for expatriates who have successfully adapted to new cultures.

Question 54

To speed up the process of getting government approval for local operations,companies must hire home country nationals.

Question 55

Expatriate failure refers to an employee's early return from an international assignment because of inadequate job performance.

Question 56

The process of reducing the size of an organization's workforce is called decruitment.

Question 57

The early return by an employee from an international assignment because of inadequate job performance is called ________.

A)culture shock
B)decruitment
C)reverse culture shock
D)expatriate failure

Question 58

Companies typically recruit ________ to train individuals placed in more demanding nonmanagerial positions at foreign branches.

A)workers from the local market
B)recent college graduates from the host country
C)qualified third-party nationals
D)specialists from the home country

Question 59

Describe the differences between human resource management in a domestic setting and an international setting,and explain the three phases of human resources planning.

Question 60

Companies typically recruit locally for nonmanagerial positions.

Question 61

Scenario: Gem Jewels
Gem Jewels recently established a number of subsidiaries in various foreign countries aiming to build high levels of international business involvement in the coming years.Cultural training has to be given by the company to home-country managers assigned to work in the new subsidiaries.
If Gem Jewels wants its employees to get "into the minds" of the local people,it should provide ________.

A)language training
B)sensitivity training
C)cultural orientations
D)environmental briefings

Question 62

Explain why a person's ability to bridge cultural differences must be considered during "selection" for international assignments.How can eTraining help in bridging cultural differences?

Question 63

Which of the following constitutes the most basic level of training to prepare managers for international assignments?

A)environmental briefings
B)language training
C)cultural assimilation
D)field experience

Question 64

Scenario: Gem Jewels
Gem Jewels recently established a number of subsidiaries in various foreign countries aiming to build high levels of international business involvement in the coming years.Cultural training has to be given by the company to home-country managers assigned to work in the new subsidiaries.
To teach its employees the values,attitudes,manners,and customs of the host-country culture,Gem Jewels should offer ________.

A)language training
B)environmental briefings
C)cultural assimilation
D)field experience

Question 65

Which of the following international assignment preparation methods involves a trainee feeling the stresses inherent in living in the culture?

A)language training
B)field experience
C)sensitivity training
D)cultural orientation

Question 66

Scenario: Mr.Yoshimura goes to Tennessee
Mr.Yoshimura,vice president of quality control at Oshimura Yarn,has recently been assigned to a three-year project at the company's Tennessee plant.Mr.Yoshimura has brought his wife and his three daughters with him from Yokohama to Tennessee.
If the family finds it difficult to adjust on returning to Japan after three years,they will experience ________.

A)social loafing
B)reverse culture shock
C)expatriate failure
D)halo effect

Question 67

Which of the following training approaches involve employees visiting another culture,walking the streets of its cities and villages,and becoming absorbed by the culture for a short time?

A)language training
B)field experience
C)sensitivity training
D)cultural orientation

Question 68

Which of the following approaches to cultural training gets a trainee "under the skin" of the local people?

A)language training
B)cultural narcissism
C)sensitivity training
D)cultural orientation

Question 69

Which of the following trains managers to be considerate and understanding of other people's feelings and emotions?

A)cultural orientation
B)sensitivity training
C)language training
D)cultural narcissism

Question 70

Scenario: Mr.Yoshimura goes to Tennessee
Mr.Yoshimura,vice president of quality control at Oshimura Yarn,has recently been assigned to a three-year project at the company's Tennessee plant.Mr.Yoshimura has brought his wife and his three daughters with him from Yokohama to Tennessee.
Mr.Yoshimura's daughters are extremely unhappy and have been complaining every night about their lifestyle in the United States.They insist on returning to Japan.If Mr.Yoshimura gives in to his family members' pleas and decides to return home,which of the following will most likely be true about his experience?

A)He and his family will experience reverse culture shock.
B)He will leave his company within one year of returning home.
C)His case will represent an instance of expatriate failure.
D)He will be terminated from employment for failing to complete his assignment.

Question 71

Scenario: Gem Jewels
Gem Jewels recently established a number of subsidiaries in various foreign countries aiming to build high levels of international business involvement in the coming years.Cultural training has to be given by the company to home-country managers assigned to work in the new subsidiaries.
The most basic level of training that can be given to the managers is ________.

A)language training
B)field experience
C)sensitivity training
D)environmental briefings

Question 72

A manager could most likely gain information on a local area's housing,health care,transportation,schools,and climate by participating in ________.

A)language training
B)environmental briefings
C)field experience
D)sensitivity training

Question 73

Which of the following is the correct order of the different methods of cultural training from the least advanced to the most advanced?

A)environmental briefings;language training;cultural orientations
B)cultural orientations;field experience;language training
C)cultural assimilation;language training;field experience
D)sensitivity training;cultural orientations;field experience

Question 74

Scenario: Mr.Yoshimura goes to Tennessee
Mr.Yoshimura,vice president of quality control at Oshimura Yarn,has recently been assigned to a three-year project at the company's Tennessee plant.Mr.Yoshimura has brought his wife and his three daughters with him from Yokohama to Tennessee.
Mr.Yoshimura and his family were initially very excited to see Tennessee but soon started missing their home,relatives and friends in Japan.They are facing ________.

A)culture shock
B)reverse culture shock
C)expatriate failure
D)cultural cringe

Question 75

Guerrilla linguistics is often used in the cultural assimilation stage.

Question 76

________ teaches an expatriate a culture's values,attitudes,manners,and customs.

A)Cultural assimilation
B)Cultural orientation
C)Language training
D)Cultural environmentalism

Question 77

Which of the following offers insight into a host country's political,legal,economic,and social institutions as a way of enhancing environmental briefings?

A)language training
B)field experience
C)sensitivity training
D)cultural orientation

Question 78

Scenario: You're Hired!
Erica Els has just been promoted as vice president of human resources for Hudson Foods,a U.S.-based international frozen food corporation.Erica's first task is to staff the company's European subsidiary.
One lower-level position Erica must fill requires the employee to be familiar with the new market and its customs,traditions,and language.Also,the new hire must be comfortable with Hudson Food's organizational culture and business traditions.Who among the following will Erica most likely recruit for this position?

A)a local fresher with strong government contacts
B)an existing Hudson Foods employee from the United States
C)a native of the target market who has completed a one-year internship at Hudson Foods
D)an individual from the U.S.who has experience in the frozen food industry

Question 79

Scenario: Gem Jewels
Gem Jewels recently established a number of subsidiaries in various foreign countries aiming to build high levels of international business involvement in the coming years.Cultural training has to be given by the company to home-country managers assigned to work in the new subsidiaries.
If Gem Jewels wants its employees to get "under the skin" of the local people,it should provide ________.

A)language training
B)sensitivity training
C)cultural orientations
D)field experience

Question 80

Which of the following methods of cultural training involves the use of guerilla linguistics?

A)cultural orientation
B)language training
C)cultural assimilation
D)cultural narcissism