Human Resource Management, 14e, Global Edition (Dessler)
Chapter 17 Managing Global Human Resources
1) Geert Hofstede called the extent to which less powerful members of institutions accept and
expect an unequal power distribution ________.
A) masculinity
B) individualism
C) power distance
D) tolerance for ambiguity
2) According to research, which of the following is a primary concern of Chinese managers?
A) getting tasks accomplished efficiently
B) keeping a distance from subordinates
C) enforcing a firm’s policies and regulations
D) maintaining a peaceful work environment
3) In which country do individuals have a high acceptance of unequal power distribution
between managers and subordinates?
A) Mexico
B) Hong Kong
C) Sweden
D) United States
4) Of the countries listed below, in which one do production workers receive the lowest hourly
wage?
A) United States
B) Mexico
C) Germany
D) Taiwan
5) ________ are formal, employee-elected groups of worker representatives that meet monthly
with managers to discuss topics affecting the employees.
A) Bargaining units
B) Work councils
C) Mediation groups
D) Employee boards
6) In many European countries, ________ replace the union-based worker-management
mediations typical in the U.S.
A) HR managers
B) corporate attorneys
C) work councils
D) bargaining units
7) In Germany, employees have the legal right to a voice in setting company policies. This is
called ________.
A) codetermination
B) employment at will
C) internal coordination
D) gainsharing
8) Which of the following terms refers to governmental actions that may adversely affect the
long-term value of a firm?
A) cultural dynamics
B) political risks
C) power distance
D) codetermination
9) In regards to ethics, which of the following is recommended for international firms?
A) requiring employee-at-will contracts
B) establishing codes of conducts for each country
C) developing and distributing a global code of conduct
D) translating the U.S. employee handbook into different languages
10) The European Union is best described as a ________.
A) system of global standards, policies, and legislation
B) common market for goods, services, capital, and labor
C) political agreement that standardizes human resource laws
D) political system for equalizing wages, benefits, and taxation
11) Which of the following is a true statement regarding the European Union?
A) EU employers must provide employees with written terms of their employment.
B) EU employers must provide two weeks’ notice when dismissing employees.
C) Each EU country pays workers the same minimum hourly wage.
D) Workers in the EU must live and work in their home country.
12) Why is recruiting, hiring, and retaining good employees difficult in China?
A) economic difficulties
B) unmotivated workers
C) government restrictions
D) training requirements
13) In China, qualified job candidates are most likely to be interested in a firm that offers
________.
A) signing bonuses
B) performance-based pay
C) job expansion opportunities
D) training and development programs
14) Daniel is a manager for Siemens China, and it is time to conduct performance appraisals.
During the appraisals, it would be most effective for Daniel to ________.
A) link performance with employee bonuses
B) make personal comments to the employee
C) focus on quantifiable, objective results
D) post appraisal results for each team
15) ________ are citizens of the countries where they are working.
A) Home-country nationals
B) Multi-nationals
C) Expatriates
D) Locals
16) Of the types of international workers that multinational companies can employ, locals are
best described as ________.
A) citizens of the countries where they are working
B) noncitizens of the countries in which they are working
C) citizens of the country in which the multinational company has its headquarters
D) noncitizens of the country in which the multinational company has its headquarters
17) Marie is an Italian executive working in a manufacturing plant in Siena, Italy that is owned
by a parent company based in Singapore. Marie is a ________.
A) local
B) expatriate
C) third-country national
D) home-country national
18) Jason is a British freelance journalist working in Paris, so he is most likely classified as a(n)
________.
A) local
B) expatriate
C) third-country national
D) home-country national
19) ________ are noncitizens of the countries in which they are working.
A) Home-country nationals
B) Third-country nationals
C) Expatriates
D) Locals
20) In January 2009, Walmart acquired a controlling interest in Chile’s leading food retailer.
Since then, Walmart has opened the first environmentally friendly supermarket in Chile that uses
energy efficient technology throughout the store. Walmart is planning to open additional stores
in Chile over the next five years. Walmart’s top executives are considering the idea of
transferring U.S. managers to Chile to oversee the construction and establishment of the new
stores.
Which of the following questions is LEAST relevant to the decision to fill management positions
in Chile with expatriates?
A) What will be the relocation and compensation costs to Walmart of using expatriates?
B) What level of corporate control is needed for opening the new Walmart stores?
C) What is the planned Walmart marketing strategy for the new stores in Chile?
D) What is the typical attrition rate for expatriate employees at Walmart?
21) Which of the following terms refers to citizens of a country other than the parent or the host
country?
A) third-country national
B) home-country national
C) multi-national
D) local
22) Peter is a German citizen working as a manager for Siemens in Freiberg, Germany. Siemens
has facilities all over the world but its headquarters is in Germany. Peter is best categorized as
a(n) ________.
A) expatriate
B) third-country national
C) home-country national
D) host-country national
23) Which of the following terms refers to citizens of the country in which the multinational
company has its headquarters?
A) expatriates
B) third-country nationals
C) home-country nationals
D) locals
24) Roberta is an Italian citizen who spent a great deal of time during her childhood in England.
She now works in Brazil as an HR manager for a British company. Roberta is best described as
a(n) ________.
A) expatriate
B) third-country national
C) home-country national
D) host-country national
25) In January 2009, Walmart acquired a controlling interest in Chile’s leading food retailer.
Since then, Walmart has opened the first environmentally friendly supermarket in Chile that uses
energy efficient technology throughout the store. Walmart is planning to open additional stores
in Chile over the next five years. Walmart’s top executives are considering the idea of
transferring U.S. managers to Chile to oversee the construction and establishment of the new
stores.
Which of the following, if true, supports the argument that locals should be hired to fill
management positions in Chile?
A) Chile has a high percentage of younger workers with college degrees.
B) Managers in Chile are expected to keep their distance from subordinates.
C) Chile has had an increase in foreign direct investment over the last five years.
D) Chileans expect managers and subordinates to interact in a highly informal manner.
26) Which of the following is the primary disadvantage of using expatriates to fill foreign
subsidiary management positions?
A) high costs associated with relocation
B) time and effort required for training
C) inability to create short-term results
D) security concerns
27) All of the following are reasons that firms rely heavily on locals to fill foreign subsidiary
management positions EXCEPT ________.
A) pressure from local government
B) lower costs than using expatriates
C) improved public relations in community
D) high level of skills and technical qualifications
28) In January 2009, Walmart acquired a controlling interest in Chile’s leading food retailer.
Since then, Walmart has opened the first environmentally friendly supermarket in Chile that uses
energy efficient technology throughout the store. Walmart is planning to open additional stores
in Chile over the next five years. Walmart’s top executives are considering the idea of
transferring U.S. managers to Chile to oversee the construction and establishment of the new
stores.
Which of the following, if true, best supports the argument of using expatriates to establish the
new Walmart stores in Chile?
A) Local candidates with the necessary managerial experience are difficult to find in Chile.
B) Walmart uses an online recruiting system to facilitate human resources activities.
C) The State Department has issued travel alerts for Americans traveling in Chile.
D) Walmart wants to develop good relationships with the local community.
29) Sara, who is originally from India, works in Texas for Dell as an IT manager. Dell, which
has a localization policy, recently announced that management positions are available in its
Bangalore, India facility. If Sara, who wants to return to India, is offered the Bangalore position,
she would most likely be categorized as a ________.
A) commuter employee
B) independent contractor
C) third-country national
D) permanent transferee
30) Which of the following terms refers to having local employees abroad do jobs that the firm’s
domestic employees previously did in-house?
A) adapting
B) offshoring
C) enlarging
D) diversifying
31) Call centers that service customers for firms like software and computer hardware companies
are increasingly using employees in India to staff the telephones. This is an example of
________.
A) outsourcing
B) offshoring
C) downsizing
D) international staffing
32) Which of the following corporate divisions plays the greatest role in offshoring?
A) marketing
B) accounting
C) manufacturing
D) human resources
33) Which of the following terms refers to the belief that home country attitudes, management
style, knowledge, evaluation criteria, and managers are superior to anything the host country has
to offer?
A) polycentric
B) ethnocentric
C) geocentric
D) monocentric
34) A corporation that believes that only host country managers can ever really understand the
culture and behavior of the host country market would be referred to as ________.
A) polycentric
B) ethnocentric
C) geocentric
D) monocentric
35) Samsung tends to follow an ethnocentric staffing model. From which group will it most
likely hire for upper-level management positions at its Texas facility?
A) home-country nationals
B) host-country nationals
C) third-country nationals
D) local citizens
36) Which of the following is the LEAST likely reason that a firm would choose an ethnocentric
staffing policy?
A) lack of qualified host-country upper-management candidates
B) goal of reducing misunderstandings with locals
C) need to transfer core competencies effectively
D) desire to maintain a unified corporate culture
37) Mercedes sent a team of executives from Germany to oversee the start-up of its U.S.
operations. Which of the following terms best describes the values of Mercedes’ top executives?
A) polycentric
B) monocentric
C) ethnocentric
D) geocentric
38) What value classification refers to a belief that the best manager for a specific position could
be in any of the countries in which the firm operates?
A) polycentric
B) ethnocentric
C) geocentric
D) monocentric
39) With a geocentric staffing policy, a firm is most likely able to ________.
A) provide effective training
B) recruit recent college graduates
C) use its human resources efficiently
D) strengthen its image within a local community
40) In January 2009, Walmart acquired a controlling interest in Chile’s leading food retailer.
Since then, Walmart has opened the first environmentally friendly supermarket in Chile that uses
energy efficient technology throughout the store. Walmart is planning to open additional stores
in Chile over the next five years. Walmart’s top executives are considering the idea of
transferring U.S. managers to Chile to oversee the construction and establishment of the new
stores.
Which of the following, if true, supports the assertion that Walmart is an ethnocentrically
oriented corporation?
A) Walmart usually succeeds on an international level because the firm actively works to support
local charities.
B) Walmart rarely experiences cultural misunderstandings because of its tendency to hire locals
to fill management positions.
C) Walmart aims to maintain a unified organizational culture by filling foreign management
positions with Americans.
D) Adaptability screening eliminates problems associated with transferring Walmart managers
and their families abroad.