78) Kaitlin, a human resource professional, is evaluating some of the company’s managers to
select one for an overseas assignment. She knows she may not discriminate based on age or sex,
but she also doesn’t want to send someone on an assignment that will cause personal difficulties,
disrupt family relations, and cause complications for the manager’s success. How can she best
avoid discrimination while selecting a candidate who can thrive in the assignment?
A) by maintaining a positive view of the assignment so all candidates will be interested
B) by inviting candidates to a frank, but private, conversation about family-related issues
C) by interviewing only candidates without spouses or children
D) by asking each candidate to describe his or her family situation
E) by giving candidates a complete, accurate preview of the assignment and the host country’s
culture
79) Which employee is likely to be the most motivated to take on an overseas assignment?
A) Sean, who may have medical conditions to deal with if he travels overseas.
B) Rachel, who has a very realistic understanding of what working and living abroad requires.
C) Pamela, whose spouse doesn’t want to shift to a new culture and learn a new language.
D) Kelly, who is ethnocentric and has stereotypical views about other cultures.
E) Greg, who requires extensive training to acquire the basic skills required for the assignment.
80) Identify a true statement about the balance sheet approach used for expatriate compensation.
A) It includes planning for how the returning employee will contribute to the organization.
B) It ensures managers receive extra pay for the inconvenience of locating overseas.
C) It refers to the expatriate receiving information and recognizing changes while abroad.
D) It withholds the amount of tax to be paid in the host country.
E) It constantly changes in response to a host of economic forces.
81) Francesca, a human resource professional in the United States, is reviewing the plans to send
a U.S.-born production manager to Argentina to oversee the opening of a new factory. What
should Francesca most likely do about the potential for language barriers with this assignment?
A) Because the manager must be fluent in Spanish, Francesca should assume there are no
language barriers.
B) Francesca should provide enough training to eliminate all language barriers during the
assignment.
C) Francesca should reassure the manager that English is the international language of business.
D) Francesca should provide a trainer to teach Spanish to the manager.
E) Francesca should select a manager who can learn Spanish and cope with language barriers.
82) Adam, a human resource professional, is preparing for Marianne, a U.S. production manager,
to take an assignment at a new facility in Vietnam. Adam wants to measure Marianne’s success
in establishing high productivity, so he uses the excellent productivity numbers Marianne
achieved in her current assignment as a basis for setting performance goals for the Vietnamese
position. How could this method of measuring performance be improved?
A) by using communication technology to send frequent updates of the performance measures
B) by raising the measure to motivate Marianne to improve on her past accomplishments
C) by lowering the measure to account for Marianne’s limited knowledge of Vietnamese
D) by adjusting the measure to account for the facility being in a different time zone
E) by adjusting the measure for local factors that could affect productivity
83) What is the main objective of a company using the balance sheet approach to determine
compensation for expatriate managers?
A) to ensure that the company does not get stuck with paying the higher costs of living in an
overseas location
B) to adjust the manager’s pay downward so total compensation reflects the benefits of getting to
travel
C) to give the manager the same amount of pay as in the home country but in the host country’s
currency
D) to give the manager an amount of compensation that enables the company to balance the
books
E) to give the manager the same standard of living plus extra for the inconvenience of moving
84) Roger, an American, is selected by his firm to undertake a temporary assignment in Russia.
Roger’s compensation is determined and adjusted in accordance with the standard of living in
Russia. He is also paid relocation expenses to ensure he is not inconvenienced by the transfer.
Which approach has been used to determine Roger’s compensation?
A) third-country based approach
B) flat-pay approach
C) transactional approach
D) balance sheet approach
E) going-rate approach
85) The ________ begins by determining how much a person can buy, after taxes, in terms of
housing, goods and services, and a reserve for savings when taking a foreign work assignment.
A) going-rate approach
B) destination-based approach
C) home-country-based approach
D) flat-pay approach
E) balance sheet approach
86) The four components of a total pay package are ________, tax equalization allowance,
benefits, and allowances to make a foreign assignment more attractive.
A) salary allowance
B) exchange rates
C) health plans
D) uprooting fees
E) base salary
87) During which phase does an employee returning from a foreign assignment experience
culture shock in reverse?
A) expatriation
B) cross-cultural preparation
C) repatriation
D) honeymoon
E) validation
88) Grant, an employee of Reiker Co., an American company, was sent to Turkey for an
assignment. HR specialists at Reiker Co. have been preparing Grant for his return to the United
States after three years. Which term describes the process being undertaken by the HR team at
Reiker Co.?
A) cross-cultural preparation
B) time orientation
C) repatriation
D) uncertainty avoidance
E) culture shock
89) Communication and ________ are the activities used by companies in the process of helping
employees repatriate.
A) validation
B) equalization
C) dissolution
D) resolution
E) exclusion
90) To help Paul, an expatriate, prepare for his eventual return home, his employer sends him
information that will help him recognize the changes that have been happening at home. What
type of repatriation support is this?
A) validation
B) equalization
C) communication
D) resolution
E) rationalization
91) Antonio is sent on a foreign assignment to London. On his return, he is rewarded with a
flattering story about his experiences in the company newsletter and a meeting with executives to
discuss opportunities for using what he learned in key assignments. The firm’s recognition of
Antonio’s service can be best described as a form of
A) expatriation.
B) validation.
C) accreditation.
D) cross-cultural preparation.
E) adjustment.
92) Which activity involves giving the expatriate recognition for the overseas service when the
person returns home?
A) resolution
B) dissolution
C) rationalization
D) communication
E) validation
93) Agger Inc. is opening an overseas office for the first time and is sending its best sales
manager to oversee the start-up for two years. Zac, Agger Inc.’s human resource manager, is
preparing cross-cultural training for the sales manager. A colleague suggests to Zac that he
include the manager’s spouse in the training. Should Zac follow the advice of his colleague?
A) No, train only the employee because the employee is the only one going on the assignment.
B) No, train only the employee because including the spouse adds to costs but not benefits.
C) Yes, the spouse should be included because not doing so could be seen as sex discrimination.
D) Yes, the spouse should be included because doing so shows that the company values
diversity.
E) Yes, the spouse should be included because the family’s adjustment affects the success of an
assignment.
94) Brandon, an American, works for a company that manufactures electronics. His managers
select him for an assignment to lead the launch of a new product line in Germany. Which topic
will be the most important during training to prepare him for the assignment?
A) the advantages of U.S. culture
B) marketing skills
C) details about the new product line
D) what to expect from German culture
E) how to determine the purchasing power of his salary in Germany
95) How do international, multinational, and global organizations differ from each other? Briefly
summarize the HR issues associated with each type of organization.
96) Describe the impact that economic systems have on HRM in international markets.
97) Discuss how the differences among countries influence HR planning in organizations that
operate internationally.
98) Briefly elaborate on the challenges that companies face when compensating employees from
other countries.
99) Once a foreign assignment is completed, how can companies help expatriates return to their
home countries?
100) Identify three reasons behind the trend toward expansion into global markets.
101) Describe the terms parent country, host country, and third country.
102) List the five dimensions of culture as identified by Hofstede.
103) Identify the criteria used for selecting employees for foreign assignments.
104) Describe the three phases of international assignments.