MGMT 309 - Chapter 9

A global staffing policy ________.

provides a greater pool of qualified and willing applicants from which to choose

According to Mansour Javidan, the ability to function successfully in the host country through internal acceptance of different cultures and a strong desire to learn from new experiences is termed ________.

psychological capital

Recruiting managers from Latin America for a position in Brazil is an example of ________.

regiocentric staffing approach

Which of the following will most likely produce a specific mix of parent-country nationals, home-country nationals, and third-country nationals, according to the needs of the company?

regiocentric staffing approaches

In addition to the global war for talent, there are considerable strategic competitive challenges for firms. Which of the following is one such challenge?

relocating operations around the world

Which of the following is a factor that facilitates integration of expatriate staff with local staff?

speaking the local language

The concept of "keeping the expatriate whole" in terms of compensation most likely means ensuring that the expatriate's ________.

standard of living is at par with that of colleagues at home

According to Tye and Chen, which of the following characteristics has the greatest predictive value of determining expatriate success?

stress tolerance

Joan Kerry, an American national, worked as a senior manager in her firm's headquarters in New Jersey. When her firm opened a new office in San Francisco, she was transferred to California. Soon, she started feeling like an immigrant in her own country owing to the differences in attitudes and lifestyle between New Jersey and California. Joan is most likely experiencing ________.

subculture shock

Which of the following most likely occurs when a manager is transferred to another part of the country where there are significant cultural differences?

subculture shock

Which of the following is the LEAST critical area of expatriate preparation?

technical training

Which of the following should ideally dictate the organizational structure and staffing needs of the firm?

the firm's strategy

Most MNCs tend to start their operations in a particular region by selecting primarily from their own pool of managers. Over time, and with increasing internationalization, they tend to move to a predominantly polycentric or regiocentric policy because of ________.

the greater costs of expatriate staffing

In the global stage of a firm's globalization, ________.

the need for training is high

Who, among the following, when used to manage subsidiaries, usually brings more cultural flexibility and adaptability to a situation?

third-country nationals

Which of the following terms is increasingly replacing the term "expatriate" due to the global staffing approach?

transpatriate

Which of the following factors will hinder the integration of expatriate staff with local staff?

headquarters mentality

Which of the following can be termed as a benefit in the context of expatriate compensation?

health insurance

Local managers are hired to fill key positions in their own country under the ________.

polycentric staffing approach

As described by Oberg, which of the following is most likely a characteristic of the irritation and hostility stage of culture shock?

homesickness

According to Oberg, which of the following is the first stage of culture shock?

honeymoon

Training for host-country nationals during the export stage of globalization will most likely focus on ________.

parent-country products

A(n) ________ staffing approach is more likely to be effective when implementing a multinational strategy.

polycentric

________ staffing approach serves to perpetuate particular personnel selections and other decision-making processes because the same types of people are making the same types of decisions.

Ethnocentric

________ staffing approach usually results in a higher level of authority and decision making at headquarters compared to the polycentric approach.

Ethnocentric

________ are employees assigned to a country other than their own.

Expatriates

An ethnocentric recruiting approach enables a company to take advantage of its worldwide pool of management skill.

FALSE

Companies using an ethnocentric staffing approach, avoid using parent-country nationals to fill in key managerial positions.

FALSE

Enculturation refers to a state of disorientation and anxiety about not knowing how to behave in an unfamiliar culture.

FALSE

Host-country nationals are employees assigned to key positions in countries other than their own.

FALSE

In a polycentric staffing approach, recruiting is done on a regional basis and can produce a specific mix of PCNs, HCNs, and TCNs, according to the needs of the company or the product strategy.

FALSE

Local managers are, by and large, ineffective in dealing with problems in sensitive political situations.

FALSE

Local managers can provide communication of strategic goals and change processes, and provide continuity among revolving expatriates and host nationals.

FALSE

To ensure that expatriates do not lose out through their overseas assignment, the going-rate approach is often used to equalize the standard of living between the host country and the home country.

FALSE

When a company is at the internationalization stage of strategic expansion, and has a centralized structure, it will likely use a polycentric staffing approach to fill key managerial positions.

FALSE

Felix Department Store has over 900 stores in the U.S. and over 300 stores in Mexico and Canada. Felix has been particularly successful in Mexico, and the firm's executives believe Felix should expand into other Latin American countries. As a result, plans are underway for the construction of a new Felix store in Managua, Nicaragua. The construction, once started, is expected to be completed within a year, so staff selection needs to begin soon. Felix's executives are considering the idea of using parent-country nationals to manage the new store in Nicaragua. Which of the following, if true, undermines the argument that parent-country nationals should manage the Felix store in Nicaragua?

Felix is implementing a strategy of global expansion by acting local.

Felix Department Store has over 900 stores in the U.S. and over 300 stores in Mexico and Canada. Felix has been particularly successful in Mexico, and the firm's executives believe Felix should expand into other Latin American countries. As a result, plans are underway for the construction of a new Felix store in Managua, Nicaragua. The construction, once started, is expected to be completed within a year, so staff selection needs to begin soon. Felix's executives are considering the idea of using parent-country nationals to manage the new store in Nicaragua. Which of the following, if true, best supports the argument that parent-country nationals should manage the Felix store in Managua, Nicaragua?

Felix wants to maintain close control of the Nicaragua store for at least three years.

________ are managers with global experience who are transferred to the organization's headquarters country, so their overseas business and cultural experience and contacts can facilitate interactions among the country's far-flung operations.

Inpatriates

________ is increasingly being recognized as a major determinant of success or failure in international business.

International human resource management

Which of the following is an advantage of the polycentric staffing approach?

Local managers tend to be instrumental in staving off or more effectively dealing with problems in sensitive political situations.

Which of the following is true with regard to training and compensating host-country nationals?

Many multinationals wish to train their employees to bridge the divide between the firm's successful corporate culture and practices, and the local culture and work practices.

________ are familiar with company goals, products, technology, policies, and procedures; they know how to get things accomplished through headquarters.

Parent-country nationals

________ are the most preferred staffing choice for a foreign subsidiary where proprietary technology is used extensively.

Parent-country nationals

________ are usually preferable when a high level of technical capability is required and maintenance of close control is desired.

Parent-country nationals

________ is the first stage in a comprehensive plan for developing expatriates.

Problem recognition

Which of the following is true with regard to the global staffing approach?

Recruiting third-country nationals is a common aspect of the global staffing strategy.

Which of the following refers to a training priority for e-business development?

addressing security and privacy concerns

Relocation expense is an example of a(n) ________.

allowance

Alienation or lack of support from headquarters is one of the major causes of expatriate failure.

TRUE

Building global corporate cultures and staffing organizations with global leaders are some of the major challenges faced by the HR function in the global arena.

TRUE

Host-country nationals are more likely to be accepted by people both inside and outside the subsidiary, and they provide role models for other upwardly mobile personnel.

TRUE

In the global staffing approach, the best managers are recruited from within or outside of the company, regardless of nationality.

TRUE

Inpatriate managers can facilitate multicultural management teams in global organizations.

TRUE

Inpatriates are managers with global experience who are transferred to the organization's headquarters country, so their overseas business and cultural experience and contacts can facilitate interactions among the country's far-flung operations.

TRUE

International human resource management is a vital component of implementing global strategy.

TRUE

Many multinationals, in particular "chains," wish to train their local managers and workers to bridge the divide between the firm's successful corporate culture and practices, and the local culture and work practices.

TRUE

One disadvantage of a polycentric staffing policy is the difficulty of coordinating activities and goals between the subsidiary and the parent company, including the potentially conflicting loyalties of the local manager.

TRUE

The need to outsource employees is a complex issue for international human resource (IHR) managers as they seek to support strategic mandates.

TRUE

With a polycentric staffing approach, host-country nationals are hired to fill key positions in their own country

TRUE

Which staffing approach will most likely be effective when implementing a global strategy of "acting local"?

polycentric

________ has been found to be the most frequently cited reason for expatriate failure in U.S. and European companies.

The inability of the spouse to adjust

________, when placed in key positions, are perceived by employees as acceptable compromises between headquarters and local managers.

Third-country nationals

According to Tung, which of the following refers to a training technique where the trainees are acquainted with documentary programs about the country's geography, economics, sociopolitical history, and so forth?

area studies

According to Mansour Javidan, which of the following is NOT a global mind-set attribute that a successful expatriates possesses?

autocratic leadership qualities

The ________ is often used to equalize the standard of living between the host country and the home country, and to add some compensation for inconvenience or qualitative loss.

balance sheet approach

According to Oberg, which of the following is the final stage of culture shock?

biculturalism

As described by Oberg, ________ refers to the stage in culture shock in which the manager and family members grow to accept and appreciate local people and practices, and are able to function effectively in two cultures.

biculturalism

Which of the following is NOT a barrier for maintaining globalization momentum?

having an international team

According to Tung, the ________ training technique exposes trainees to the kinds of situations they are likely to encounter, which are critical to successful interactions.

culture assimilators

A state of disorientation and anxiety that results from not knowing how to behave in an unfamiliar culture is called ________.

culture shock

The goal of cross-cultural training is to ease the expatriate's adjustment to the new environment by reducing ________.

culture shock

Which of the following is the final stage of the IHRM process that is used to maximize the effectiveness of expatriate assignments?

debriefing expatriate and family to improve IHRM process

With the increasing number of companies that operate around the world and assign and move personnel from one country to another, ________ has become exceedingly complex.

designing equitable pay scales

Historically, personnel directors selected potential expatriates on the basis of a candidate's ________.

domestic track records

A(n) ________ policy is likely to be used where a company notes the inadequacy of local managerial skills and determines a high need to maintain close communication and coordination with headquarters.

ethnocentric

When the company is at the internationalization stage of strategic expansion and has a centralized structure, it will likely use a(n) ________ staffing approach to fill key managerial positions with PCNs.

ethnocentric

Fred Sanders, an American, works as a manager at his firm's headquarters in New York. He recently learned that he has been assigned to manage the firm's subsidiary office in Tokyo, and he will be relocating to Japan within the next six weeks. Which of the following staffing approaches is being employed in this scenario?

ethnocentric staffing approach

Which of the following methods is used by many firms to reduce the overall costs of expatriate assignments?

extending the expatriate's tour

Given the generally accepted consensus that staffing, along with structure and systems, must "fit" the desired strategy, firms desiring a truly worldwide posture should adopt a(n) ________.

global staffing approach

In which of the following staffing approaches, are the best managers recruited from within or outside of the company, regardless of nationality?

global staffing approach

As described by Oberg, in the ________ stage of culture shock the expatriate and his or her family members come to understand and predict patterns of behavior, use the language, deal with daily activities, and accept their new life.

gradual adjustment

Simon Parker, an American, works with a Houston-based MNC, Orpheus Inc. When he was sent to Africa to manage his company's newly-opened facility in Lagos, Nigeria, Simon was placed with Mr. Adeyami and his family as part of a familiarization program. Orpheus paid for this field experience known as ________.

host-family surrogate

Managerial training in ________ is particularly critical for firms in new economy and emerging markets.

information and communication technologies

More recently, a staffing option known as ________ has been utilized to provide a linking pin between the company's headquarters and local host subsidiaries.

inpatriates

Which of the following is a disadvantage of the ethnocentric staffing approach?

lack of managerial effectiveness of PCNs in foreign countries

The ________ pays the expatriate the going rate for similar positions in the host country, plus whatever allowances and benefits for the assignment that the manager negotiates.

localization approach

Which of the following is an advantage of the staffing approach that employs parent-country nationals as top managers?

maintenance of close control over subsidiaries

An appropriate compensation and benefits package is most likely to ________.

motivate employees

Which of the following refers to a core concept of the Toyota Way?

ownership of problems and visibility

Kelly Roberts, an American, is a senior manager at her firm's headquarters in New York. Kelly is a(n) ________.

parent-country national