Exam 15: International Human Resources Management

Scenario 15.1 From 2008, ForEx Inc. has shifted some of its operations to China and Malaysia, where production costs are considerably lower compared to Canada. Since then, 35 managers have been sent to those countries either on short- or long-term assignments to head up operations, conduct training and development, or just to oversee specific projects. Of the 35 managers only five were women, even though women make up 40 percent of the management team. Expatriates on long-term assignments are given financial incentives to offset any qualitative differences between the costs of living in the two locations. -Refer to Scenario 15.1. While overseas assignments can be very rewarding, it is also important to ensure that the feeling continues after repatriation. Which of the following is NOT true?

At early stages of international expansion, organizations often send home-country nationals to work in other countries.

The first step in selecting expatriates should be self-selection, where employees who volunteer to go abroad are given the chance to do so.

Which type of expatriate pay system is localization associated with?

Transnational teams are composed of members from multiple nationalities working on projects that span multiple countries.

In many countries, bribes are considered a normal business practice.

In using the balance sheet approach to compensating expatriate managers, the term "incentive premiums" refers to which of the following concepts?

If Canadian company Bombardier transferred Karl Hammer, a native German, away from his assignment in Bonn, Germany, to a new assignment in Paris, France, Karl would then be considered which of the following?

Which of the following is a major reason for failure among expatriates?

Expatriates should not be expected to evaluate their own performance.

In appraising the performance of an employee on an international assignment, many appraisers resort to using criteria that are easy to measure rather than criteria that capture all responsibilities.

Production manager Jim McIntyre has been successful in his Canadian assignment using a participative management style. If he uses this same style in some other countries, he may be regarded as an incompetent manager.

Lack of training is one of the principal causes of failure among employees working internationally.

What type of document, made possible through NAFTA, do qualified Canadian professionals often use to work in the United States?

UVW is an international firm with headquarters in Germany. Its operations in other parts of the world are fully autonomous. What type of firm is UVW?

Third-country nationals are natives of a country other than the home country or the host country.

In designing compensation systems, what does the philosophy of "thinking globally and acting locally" mean?

Which of the following organizations is pursuing a transnational strategy?

Learning how people think and act in their relations with others is a part of cultural training that prepares employees for working internationally.

IAM Inc. has operations in many countries. Recently, it used staff from four of these countries to work on a project. What type of team would this be?