Deck 10: Developing a Global Management Cadre

Question 1

Lauryn,an American national,was sent to Japan on an assignment.According to her,it was during this time that she learned to understand situations from the viewpoint of local employees and business people.As an expatriate,which of the following skills did Lauryn attain?

A) multiple perspectives
B) ability to work with others
C) tolerance for ambiguity
D) technical skills

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Effective human resource management of a company's global cadre ends with ________.

A) allocation of an overseas assignment to the executive
B) successful repatriation of the executive into company headquarters
C) preparing the executive for cultural differences
D) providing foreign-language training to the executive

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Neil Grahams is a strategic HR advisor in an American MNC.He believes that in today's globalized economy,both the knowledge and management resources as well as the skilled and unskilled employee resources,central to the success of an organization,are dispersed around the world.According to him,an organization can significantly improve global competitiveness by maximizing its global human resources in the long run.With which of the following is Neil most likely to agree?

A) that maximizing long-term retention adversely affects the ability of an organization to maximize its global human resources in the long run
B) that IHR managers must develop effective global management teams to improve global competitiveness
C) that women have little or no role to play in international management
D) that the use of international cadre through career management is unlikely to improve global competitiveness

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Reverse culture shock occurs primarily because of the difficulty of ________.

A) learning foreign languages
B) reuniting with family members
C) reintegrating into the organization
D) adapting to foreign cultures

Question 5

Which of the following is a recommendation by Tung for a successful repatriation program?

A) offering support for dealing with family issues on early returns from assignment
B) assigning additional professional responsibilities to the expatriate
C) establishing a special organizational unit for the purposes of career planning and continuing guidance for the expatriate
D) allowing the expatriate to choose alternate career paths

Question 6

Which of the following best explains the attrition rate for expatriates?

A) The skills of expatriates are not marketable because of their time spent overseas.
B) Expatriates are usually relegated to junior positions upon returning to their home country.
C) Expatriates feel unappreciated and dissatisfied both during and after the assignment and leave the company.
D) Expatriates receive less compensation overseas than they receive domestically.

Question 7

For companies to maximize the long-term use of their global cadre,they need to make sure that ________.

A) cross-cultural entry and training are given far more importance than managing the reentry phase of the career cycle
B) the foreign assignment and the reintegration process are positive experiences
C) the potential effects of reverse culture shock are maximized
D) communication with the home office are minimized

Question 8

As women continue to move up the corporate ladder,the accompanying spouse is often male--estimated at more than ________ percent.

A) 85
B) 5
C) 25
D) 50

Question 9

________ is an acquired skill that refer(s)to making decisions with less information and more uncertainty about the process and the outcome.

A) Technical skills
B) Managerial skills
C) Multiple perspectives
D) Tolerance for ambiguity

Question 10

There are various categories of resources-both people and processes-which IHR managers and others must develop and maintain; in particular it is essential for them to ________.

A) minimize long-term retention and use of international cadre
B) develop culturally homogeneous teams
C) develop effective global management teams
D) consider host-country labor relations system as essentially anarchic

Question 11

________ is one of the informal means that firms often use to help the trailing spouse find a position at the same location.

A) Intercompany networking
B) Organizational shuffling
C) Predeparture training
D) Global management

Question 12

The management of the reentry phase of the career cycle,if not handled adequately,________.

A) can lead to culture shock
B) can lead to the negation of the long-term benefits of that executive's international experience
C) is most likely to nullify the monetary benefits associated with the executive's international experience
D) is most likely to decrease general apathy toward overseas assignments

Question 13

"The longer a person is away,the more difficult it is to get back into the swing of things." In the context of repatriation,this often leads to ________.

A) reverse culture shock
B) expatriate retention
C) assimilation
D) segregation

Question 14

Jade International is a highly diversified global firm with headquarters in New Jersey.It manufactures a variety of products ranging from home security systems to automotive components.Jade's 100,000 employees work at facilities located in more than 60 countries around the world.Jade frequently sends American managers overseas to manage the firm's foreign facilities.The HR department is considering the idea of redesigning Jade's expatriate support services program. Which of the following,if true,best supports Jade's decision to provide assistance to trailing spouses in finding jobs overseas?

A) Jade puts great emphasis on promoting the role of women in global management.
B) The majority of Jade's expatriate managers have long-term international experience.
C) Jade has lost a significant chunk of its global cadre in the recent past owing to its failure to offer feasible options to address the dual-career couples dilemma.
D) Female managers at Jade have reported discriminatory treatment while on overseas assignments.

Question 15

Felix Johnson is a senior HR manager in a global conglomerate.He believes that an important factor contributing to international competitiveness is the ability of an organization to maximize its global human resources in the long run.With which of the following is Felix most likely to agree?

A) Outsourcing is the most logical method of achieving economies of scale and maximizing benefits.
B) Extensive training programs are unlikely to help organizations improve the quality of their workers.
C) The promotion of women in international management is unlikely to positively impact an organization's competitiveness in the global business arena.
D) Maximizing long-term retention through career management increases the odds in favor of global competitiveness.

Question 16

Which of the following is the primary benefit for a firm that carefully manages its expatriates' careers?

A) creating global opportunities for junior managers
B) retaining managers with global experience and skills
C) maintaining close connections with national subsidiaries
D) recruiting fresh college graduates for global management positions

Question 17

In order to maximize a firm's global human resources,IHR managers need to ________.

A) promote the role of women in international management
B) develop line supervisors through extensive training programs
C) acquire low-cost resources
D) promote their organizations through word-of-mouth communication

Question 18

In the context of the study conducted by Lazarova and Caligiuri,which of the following refers to a top-five ranked practice for successful repatriation?

A) providing foreign-language training
B) assistance on tax payments
C) preparing the expatriate to adjust in the host country
D) career planning sessions

Question 19

________ are all about learning how to deal with a wide range of people,to adapt to their cultures through compromise,and not to be a dictator.

A) Multiple perspectives
B) Tolerance levels
C) Technical skills
D) Managerial skills

Question 20

In the context of the study conducted by Lazarova and Caligiuri,which of the following refers to the most important HRM practice for successful repatriation?

A) continuous communication with the home office
B) financial and tax assistance
C) agreement about position upon repatriation
D) visible signs that the company values international experience

Question 21

According to a survey of Alcoa's virtual team members,successful team leaders ________.

A) have the ability to convey goals and resolve conflicts
B) are more likely to use autocratic power
C) are more likely to discourage innovation
D) have limited international experience

Question 22

________ is the ability to build teams and resolve conflicts.

A) External alignment
B) External vision
C) Task facilitation
D) Interpersonal facilitation

Question 23

According to Lazarova and Tarique,organizations need to ________ in order to facilitate knowledge transfer.

A) provide mentoring to repatriates
B) resolve the dual-career dilemma
C) have the right tools to capture knowledge
D) encourage low tolerance for ambiguity among repatriates

Question 24

A repatriated manager says,"I learned to understand situations from the viewpoint of local employees and businesspeople when I worked overseas." Which of the following acquired skills is the manager referring to in this instance?

A) technical skills
B) multiple perspectives
C) managerial skills
D) tolerance for ambiguity

Question 25

Jeff Richards works for an American MNC.For more than 10 years,Jeff was posted in the company's subsidiary in Ghana.Upon returning to his home country a few months ago,Jeff reported that his international experience had substantially enhanced his skills of making decisions with less information and more uncertainty about the outcome.In this instance,Jeff alludes to which of the following acquired skills?

A) tolerance for ambiguity
B) technical skills
C) managerial skills
D) multiple perspectives

Question 26

Which of the following refers to a language- and communication-related issue that poses a challenge to many virtual global teams?

A) lack of face-to-face meetings to establish trust or for cross-interaction processes such as brainstorming
B) variable skill levels and willingness to interact through virtual media
C) lack of visibility of nonverbal cues
D) variations in attitudes and expectations toward time

Question 27

________ operate(s)outside the formal structure,focusing on innovation and improvement.

A) Strategic teams
B) Primary groups
C) Parallel global virtual teams
D) The top management

Question 28

Which of the following must an international team avoid if it wants to achieve the individual and collective goals of the team members?

A) developing a global perspective
B) providing means to communicate corporate culture
C) causing the global enterprise to disintegrate
D) disseminating the corporate culture

Question 29

According to Lazarova and Tarique,which of the following conditions must be met for the successful transfer of knowledge between repatriates and firms?

A) The repatriates must have valuable knowledge to transfer.
B) The repatriates must have low tolerance for ambiguity.
C) The organization must promote the role of women in global management.
D) The organization must successfully resolve the dual-career dilemma.

Question 30

The members of ________ interact through computer-mediated communication systems and are linked together across time,space,and organizational boundaries.

A) virtual teams
B) primary groups
C) local teams
D) cliques

Question 31

According to Berthoin,which of the following exemplifies knowledge about when?

A) knowledge about the effect of timing
B) knowledge about relationships created over the life of an assignment
C) knowledge about management skills
D) knowledge about differences in customer preferences

Question 32

________ enable cost effective,rapid knowledge sharing and collaboration,but are fraught with cross-cultural and logistical challenges.

A) Virtual global teams
B) Organizational cliques
C) Local work teams
D) Organizational lobbies

Question 33

For sharing resources and managing the transnational transfer of knowledge,it is essential for MNCs to maximize their human assets in the form of ________ teams.

A) virtual management
B) regional management
C) niche management
D) global management

Question 34

________ is optimized when career opportunities provided by the organization are congruent with repatriate career goals and aspirations.

A) Team management
B) Organizational efficiency
C) Productivity
D) Knowledge transfer

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT an operational challenge for global virtual teams?

A) organizational objectives
B) geographic dispersal
C) culture differences
D) technology

Question 36

________ pointed out that expatriate experience not only brings about knowledge about cultural differences but also creates insights about HQ--subsidiary relations from which ideas about improving business could be derived.

A) Adler
B) Tung
C) Berthoin
D) Gupta

Question 37

Which of the following is/are particularly important in joint ventures for the purposes of strategic planning,implementation,and production?

A) ethnocentric hiring strategy
B) dual-career couples
C) multicultural teams
D) rigid repatriation policies

Question 38

Which of the following is true with regard to virtual teams?

A) Advances in communication hinder virtual global teams.
B) Virtual teams do not offer cost advantages.
C) Cultural misunderstandings are fairly rare occurrences across virtual teams.
D) The members of virtual teams interact through computer-mediated communication systems.

Question 39

According to Berthoin,which of the following types of knowledge gained abroad helps in understanding the differences in customer preferences?

A) knowledge about why
B) knowledge about when
C) knowledge about what
D) knowledge about who

Question 40

The term ________ describes a collection of managers in or from several countries who must rely on group collaboration if each member is to experience optimum success and goal achievement.

A) global management team
B) niche management team
C) virtual management team
D) strategic management team

Question 41

________ is the ability to convey goals and train team members to use the collaborative technology effectively.

A) External alignment
B) Resource acquisition
C) Task facilitation
D) Interpersonal facilitation

Question 42

Overall,more managerial opportunities are available for ________ women than for women in most other countries.

A) Russian
B) Chinese
C) Arabian
D) American

Question 43

________ refers to a process of negotiations between workers and managers.

A) Picketing
B) Segregating
C) Social security
D) Collective bargaining

Question 44

According to a study of global teams by Govindarajan and Gupta,which of the following is the most important task in developing a successful global business team?

A) clarifying the objectives of the team
B) aligning the goals of each team member
C) cultivating trust among all team members
D) ensuring that team members have essential skills

Question 45

According to the Joshi study,the most critical conflicts related to transnational teams are between ________.

A) subsidiaries
B) expatriates
C) headquarters and subsidiaries
D) headquarters and expatriates

Question 46

The ability to mesh the team's activities with the organization's goals is called ________.

A) task facilitation
B) interpersonal facilitation
C) resource acquisition
D) external alignment

Question 47

Research on expatriate assignments continues to show that ________.

A) the number of dual-career couples is steadily declining
B) linking rewards to team performance decreases the overall productivity of teams in the long run
C) females are disproportionately underrepresented in expatriate assignments
D) encouraging trial-and-error processes adversely affects cross-cultural collaboration

Question 48

The reasons for the different opportunities for women among various countries can often be traced to ________.

A) the inadequate education systems of the host countries
B) the cultural expectations of the host countries
C) the predominantly agricultural economies of the host countries
D) the lack of adequate technology in the host countries

Question 49

Which of the following is a recommendation made by Govindarajan and Gupta for improving global teamwork?

A) rotating and diffusing team leadership
B) conducting all meetings in a single location
C) disassociating rewards from team performance
D) discouraging social networking among managers from different countries

Question 50

Opportunities for indigenous female employees to move up the managerial ladder in a given culture depend on the ________.

A) values and expectations regarding the role of women in that society
B) ability of women to perform in cross-cultural teams in that culture
C) success of male managers in integrating global teams in that culture
D) overall quality of life in that culture

Question 51

The process through which managers and workers determine their workplace relationships is known as ________.

A) assimilation
B) labor relations
C) collective bargaining
D) international human resources management

Question 52

A comparative study of European project groups in several countries by Sylvie Chevrie revealed three main strategies for dealing with the challenge of achieving cross-cultural collaboration in multinational horizontal projects.Which of the following is one of those strategies?

A) minimizing trial-and-error processes
B) drawing upon individual tolerance and self-control
C) linking compensation to individual achievement
D) keeping disparate members isolated from the core organizational processes

Question 53

Which of the following is NOT a recommendation made by Govindarajan and Gupta for improving global teamwork?

A) minimize global exposure for all team members
B) cultivating a culture of trust
C) linking rewards to team performance
D) building social networks among managers from different countries

Question 54

According to a study of global teams by Govindarajan and Gupta,which of the following is critical to the success of global business teams if they want to minimize conflict and encourage cooperation?

A) aligning goals of individual team members
B) obtaining clarity regarding team objectives
C) ensuring that the team possesses necessary knowledge and skills
D) cultivating trust among team members

Question 55

Which of the following is the most likely reason for falling union membership in industrialized countries?

A) a decrease in the proportion of white-collar and service workers as proportionate to manufacturing workers
B) rising proportion of temporary and part-time workers
C) the declining popularity of unions among the older generations
D) a reduced number of firms offshoring white-collar jobs

Question 56

Which of the following is considered essential in light of the increasing proliferation of foreign subsidiaries and joint ventures?

A) nurturing autocratic leadership
B) acquiring resources
C) increasing the power distance
D) developing effective transnational teams

Question 57

Which of the following is a constraint frequently placed on management by organized labor?

A) restrictions on the repatriation of capital
B) limits on the firm's ability to vary employment levels when necessary
C) rigid requirements for bargaining with global unions
D) restrictions on borrowing from private banks

Question 58

One of the main dimensions of the labor-management relationship that a manager must consider is ________.

A) specific human resource policies in terms of recruitment, training, and compensation
B) the role of mentoring bodies in the relationship
C) advertising and promotional strategies
D) repatriation policies and procedures

Question 59

Which of the following is an advantage of a synergy?

A) minimized cross-cultural exchanges
B) exposure to different viewpoints
C) greater complexity in the workplace
D) varying managerial styles

Question 60

A comparative study of European project groups in several countries by Sylvie Chevrie revealed three main strategies for dealing with the challenge of achieving cross-cultural collaboration in multinational horizontal projects.Which of the following is NOT one of those strategies?

A) drawing upon individual tolerance and self-control
B) setting up transnational cultures
C) linking rewards to individual achievement
D) trial-and-error processes coupled with personal relationships

Question 61

________ unions are based on certain occupational skills.

A) General
B) Craft
C) Industry
D) Conglomerate

Question 62

In the globalized economy,the knowledge and management resources required for the firm to succeed are no longer concentrated in a single region but are distributed around the world.

Question 63

Convergence occurs as ________ is sought,such as for the EC countries,and as competitive pressures in free-trade zones,such as the NAFTA countries,eventually bring about demands for some equalization of benefits for workers.

A) segregation
B) harmonization
C) homogenization of the workforce
D) cultural assimilation

Question 64

Which of the following terms refers to the participation of labor in the management of a firm?

A) codetermination
B) parochialism
C) assimilation
D) differentiation

Question 65

IHR managers are not responsible for developing effective global management teams.

Question 66

According to the study by Lazarova and Caligiuri,career planning sessions are associated with successful repatriation.

Question 67

The mission of the International Labor Organization is to ________.

A) develop and nurture global union leaders
B) file lawsuits on behalf of workers
C) promote low-skilled and semiskilled laborers as opposed to highly-skilled laborers worldwide.
D) ensure that humane conditions of labor are maintained

Question 68

________ occurs as the migration of management and workplace practices around the world reduce workplace disparities from one country to another.

A) Convergence
B) Segregation
C) Diversification
D) Codetermination

Question 69

Typically,firms use highly formal means to help the accompanying spouse find a position at the same location.

Question 70

For a firm,the ability to develop a globally experienced top management team depends largely on the success of expatriates' assignments.

Question 71

Feelings of alienation due to the loss of contact with family,friends,and daily life speed up the resocialization process.

Question 72

Reverse culture shock occurs primarily because of the difficulty of reintegrating into the organization.

Question 73

The traditional trade union structures in Western industrialized societies have been in ________,representing all grades of employees in a specific industry.

A) craft unions
B) general unions
C) industrial unions
D) conglomerate unions

Question 74

Which of the following refers to a force that favors global convergence?

A) technological standardization
B) political ideology
C) social systems
D) national labor relations systems and traditions

Question 75

Which of the following is a force that establishes or maintains divergent systems?

A) technological standardization
B) declining role of unions
C) collective bargaining methods
D) global competitiveness

Question 76

To maximize the long-term use of their global cadre,companies need to make sure that the foreign assignment and the reintegration process are positive experiences.

Question 77

Effective human resource management of a company's global cadre ends with the successful repatriation of the executive into company headquarters.

Question 78

________ represent members in several industries.

A) Industry unions
B) General unions
C) Craft unions
D) Conglomerate unions

Question 79

The attrition rate for expatriates is considerably lower than that of non-expatriates.

Question 80

Which of the following is one of the forces working toward convergence in labor systems?

A) successful repatriation
B) internal competitive forces
C) decreased open trade
D) political changes