Deck 8: International Workforce Planning and Staffing

Question 1

International workforce planning and staffing refers to the process of estimating employment needs, recruiting, selecting, and repatriating talent in organizations with operations in different countries.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The term "labor force" applies to the pool of potential employees, the labor market, from which a firm attracts and hires its workforce.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Outsourcing, offshoring, and insourcing are strategies some MNEs use to access talent outside their organizations.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The term "labor force" applies to an enterprise's employees.

Question 5

MNEs can safely assume that local labor forces will be adequate to provide the talent they need.

Question 6

An alternative to brain drain is to export the work and jobs from the developed economies to developing countries through subsidiaries,

Question 7

In staffing the MNE, firms can use two approaches

Question 8

Host country nationals (HCNs) are typically defined as citizens of the country of the headquarters of the MNE and employed by the firm in the country of its headquarters.

Question 9

When PCNs are transferred (posted/assigned/relocated) to another country, to work in a foreign subsidiary or other type of operation (such as a joint venture or alliance) of the MNE for more than one year, they are generally referred to as repatriates or international assignees (IAs).

Question 10

When HCNs are relocated to the headquarters of the parent firm, they are generally referred to as inpatriates.

Question 11

When PCNs are transferred (posted/assigned/relocated) to another country, to work in a foreign
subsidiary or other type of operation (such as a JV or alliance) of the MNE for more than one year, they are generally referred to as repatriates

Question 12

The most important labor force issue for developed economies is their _________ populations.

A) global
B) diverse
C) aging
D) all of these

Question 13

Male and female labor force participation rates vary ________ from country to country that this factor alone has a major impact on the size of any country's labor pool.

A) so little
B) so much
C) somewhat
D) none of these

Question 14

Which of these research challenges fall to IHRM when a firm wants to develop a foothold in a developing country?

A) Labor costs
B) Cultural differences
C) Benefits and compensation
D) All of these

Question 15

Within the global labor market, people with the education and skills needed in today's global economy are increasingly available everywhere, making potential employees available from

A) all racial and ethnic origins and nationalities.
B) a limited number of ethnic origins and nationalities.
C) within the global MNE.
D) all of these

Question 16

A developing country is experiencing a(n) ___________ when its educated and skilled citizens leave for jobs with better pay in the developed countries.

A) skills shortage
B) external migration
C) brain drain
D) all of these

Question 17

When using a(n) __________ staffing approach, MNEs tend to hire from the headquarters country and send employees on international assignment to the subsidiaries.

A) ethnocentric
B) polycentric
C) geocentric
D) regiocentric

Question 18

When using a(n) __________ staffing approach, MNEs prefer to use locals from the subsidiary country.

A) ethnocentric
B) polycentric
C) geocentric
D) regiocentric

Question 19

When using a(n) __________ approach, MNEs source talent from anywhere in the world.

A) ethnocentric
B) polycentric
C) geocentric
D) regiocentric

Question 20

When using a(n) __________ approach, MNEs favor using talent from the region.

A) ethnocentric
B) polycentric
C) geocentric
D) regiocentric

Question 21

A reason for sending people on learning-driven international assignments is

A) transfer of knowledge.
B) organizational control.
C) to perform functional tasks.
D) all of the above

Question 22

Define 'brain drain' and explain how it differs from 'job exporting'?

Question 23

How does a "demand-driven" purpose for sending people on international assignments differ from a "learning-driven" purpose?

Question 24

List three HR-related questions that IHR and the global firm need to address to manage their global workforces better?

Question 25

As the book indicates, international assignees can and do come from just about everywhere,
not just the HQ of the traditional large MNE. List and describe five different types of International Assignees.

Question 26

Explain the options available to MNEs for staffing their operations in terms of the different types of international employees that MNEs can draw on.

Question 27

As the textbook indicates, the increased variety of employees presents all sorts of new challenges for the selection, preparation, deployment, and management of a global workforce. Discuss these challenges.