Quiz 12: Winning Through Effective, Global Talent Management

SHRM as a function is restricted to the managers and executives of the human resources department.

Organizational efforts to enable, develop, and motivate human capital improve accounting profits as well as shareholder value.

Developing an effective international workforce is much more difficult for a competitor to emulate than buying technology or securing capital.

Firms that effectively manage their international HR typically outperform competitors in terms of identifying new international business opportunities and adapting to changing conditions worldwide.

Cultural diversity eases the process of sharing information, technology, and innovations between the home office and foreign outposts.

The new principles of management require a focus on outcomes and results, not just numbers and compliance.

Diversity in a group in terms of expertise, gender, age, and background, leads to the problem of groupthink.

The "make" decision is useful when it is too difficult to predict exactly which skills will be needed in the future.

Rewards need to be linked to performance so that employees are naturally inclined to pursue outcomes that will earn rewards and further the organization's success at the same time.

A "right" worker is one who not only understands the job but whose goals and aspirations match those of the company.

Employees want projects that engage their heads as well as their hearts.

Tests that are given to candidates as a part of the evaluation process must be related to the job.

Most preemployment assessment tests measure sexual orientation, health-related issues, and age.

Studies show that most firms select expatriate managers on the basis of a global mind-set rather than on the basis of technical expertise.

Paying a wage is a standard practice, and therefore the competitive advantage can come only by paying a higher amount.

Nonmonetary pay refers to benefits that don't involve tangible value.

Strategic metrics are the easiest to measure and include counting the number of new people hired, fired, transferred, and promoted.

Typical ratios associated with strategic metrics include the training cost factor and training cost percentage.

Companies that measure intangibles such as employee performance, innovation, and change perform better than companies that don't use such metrics.

A company should invest equally in training for all jobs rather than disproportionately investing more in developing people in the key strategic jobs on which the company's success is most dependent.

By assigning metrics to the HRM activities, managers can ensure they are working toward the strategic objectives of the organization.

The employee-performance aspects of the Balanced Scorecard analyze employee capabilities, satisfaction, retention, and productivity.

The effectiveness of a gainsharing plan depends on employees seeing a relationship between what they do and how well the organization performs.

A realistic job description encourages candidates to follow through with the application process.

The Workforce Scorecard is vital because most organizations have much better control and accountability over their raw materials than they do over their workforce.

Strategic human resources management (SHRM)refers to an organizational approach to human resources management with a concern for: A)the increasing role of information technology in the effective functioning of the HR department. B)expanding the role of industrial law as a part of the HRM practices. C)the effects of HRM practices on firm performance. D)making employees less critical in the manufacturing process. E)reinforcing the support function of the HR department.

_____ refers to a set of management practices that attempts to create an environment within an organization in which the employee has greater involvement and responsibility. A)Employee engagement B)High-performance work system C)Organizational commitment D)Internal marketing E)Work engagement

Human capital refers to the: A)accumulated benefits enjoyed by an organization as a result of the knowledge and life experiences that form an integral part of a new employee. B)long-term cost that an organization bears in the recruitment, training, and retention of an employee. C)economic benefits enjoyed by an organization's human resources. D)collective sum of the attributes, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, energy, and enthusiasm that a company's employees choose to invest in their work. E)financial impact of the human resources function on the overall functioning and performance of an organization.

_____ refers to the process of combining tasks to form a whole job while taking into account issues of worker health and safety. A)Job factor B)Job selection C)Job description D)Job evaluation E)Job design

The most successful organizations manage and measure HR performance in terms of: A)the relevance of industrial law as a part of the HRM practices. B)the increasing role of information technology in the effective functioning of the HR department. C)the effects of HRM practices on the marketing functions of the organization. D)its strategic impact on the organization's functioning. E)the increasing relevance of the training and development function as a part of the HR department.

Incentives, gainsharing, and profit sharing are different methods employed to retain employees.Which of the following HR functions are they a part of? A)Training and development B)Compensation management C)Human resource information system D)Recruitment E)Employee induction program

The war for talent refers to the: A)competition between organizations to bench highly paid talented employees for a short duration to make short-term financial savings. B)competition between organizations to reduce the average wages across the industry. C)competition between organizations to attract and retain the most able employees. D)competition between organizations to ensure training and development facilities for low-performing employees. E)competition between organizations to empower employees by involving them in the administrative process.

_____ refer to anticipating the need for human capital and setting a plan to meet it. A)Talent management B)Training and development C)Compensation management D)Employee induction program E)Succession plan

_____ refers to a process whereby an organization ensures that employees are recruited and developed to fill each key role within the company. A)Talent management B)Training and development C)Compensation management D)Employee induction program E)Succession plan

In human resources management (HRM), "making" an employee means: A)hiring a person who doesn't yet have all the needed skills to fulfill the role but who can be trained to develop them. B)hiring a person who is willing to accept a lower cash compensation for the same job with the other job conditions remaining the same. C)hiring an employee who is willing to work from home and shall be paid half the salary than that paid to other employees. D)hiring an employee who has all the necessary skills and experience to fulfill the role from day one. E)hiring a worker who shall simultaneously hold two positions but shall be paid the salary for one, whichever is higher.

In human resources management (HRM), "buying" an employee means: A)hiring a person who doesn't yet have all the needed skills to fulfill the role but who can be trained to develop them. B)hiring a person who is willing to accept a lower cash compensation for the same job with the other job conditions remaining the same. C)hiring an employee who is willing to work from home and shall be paid half the salary than that paid to other employees. D)hiring an employee who has all the necessary skills and experience to fulfill the role from day one. E)hiring a worker who shall simultaneously hold two positions but shall be paid the salary for one, whichever is higher.

A principle from manufacturing that works well in talent management is: A)running smaller batch sizes. B)reducing in-process inventory. C)focusing upon continuous improvement. D)preventing, correcting, or drawing attention to errors as they occur. E)scheduling what to produce, when to produce, and how much to produce.

_____ refers to that aspect of an organization that shows job candidates what it's really like to work for that company. A)High-performance work system B)Organizational commitment C)Signature experience D)Internal marketing E)Work engagement

Consistent talent evaluation is a talent-management practice that is important for an organization because: A)it brings about a sense of purpose amongst the employees. B)it helps employees build successful peer networks across countries. C)it assures that employees across the world are evaluated on the same standards. D)it brings about open-mindedness across cultures. E)it gives the employees exposure to international experience through job rotation.

Achieving cultural diversity is a talent-management practice that is important for an organization because: A)it brings about a sense of cultural and organizational superiority in the employees. B)it assures that every employee has been evaluated on the same standards. C)it brings about open-mindedness across cultures. D)it helps the employees to become more ethnocentric. E)it gives the employees exposure to international experience through job rotation.

Developing global leaders is a talent-management practice that is important for an organization because: A)it brings about a sense of cultural and organizational superiority in the employees. B)it assures that every employee has been held to the same level of skills and standards. C)it brings about open-mindedness across cultures. D)it helps the employees in building successful peer networks. E)it gives the employees exposure to international experience through job rotation.

At-will employment refers to a doctrine that stipulates that a contract of employment: A)can be terminated by either the employer or the employee but on the condition that the employee has completed one year of service. B)can be terminated by either the employer or the employee at any time for any legal reason. C)can be terminated by the employer or the employee at any time for reasons as specified by the employer. D)can be terminated by either the employer or the employee but on the condition of the payment of a compensational amount. E)cannot be terminated by the employer or the employee for any reason.

_____ refers to a job interview where the candidate is asked to describe in specific and behavioral detail how he or she would respond to a hypothetical situation. A)Screening Interview B)Informational Interview C)Committee Interview D)Situational Interview E)Stress Interview

Most organizations use preemployment assessment tests to measure candidates' thinking styles because they can tell the potential employer: A)about the candidate's energy level and sociability. B)how well a candidate is suited to a particular job. C)about the cultural and religious background of the candidate. d.whether the candidates' professional inclinations match the job's requirements. E)about the race and ethnicity of the candidate.

Self-orientation forms one of the key characteristics that decides the ability of a manager to succeed as an expatriate.Self-orientation refers to the ability to: A)strengthen his or her self-esteem, self-confidence, and mental well-being. B)interact effectively with host-country nationals. C)understand why people of other countries behave the way they do. D)adjust to a particular posting given the culture of the assignment's country. E)communicate from a position of dominance for greater efficiency in work.

_____ refers to the analysis of a job's internal value that is intended to identify how critical a given job is to the organization's success. A)Job factor B)Job footprint C)Job depth D)Job evaluation E)Job design

Which of the following statements holds true for a third-country national? A)It refers to an individual who is a citizen of neither the parent company's home country nor the host country and who is hired to work in the host country.. B)It refers to an individual who works for a political organization which consists of a number of countries. C)It refers to an individual who is not a citizen of the contracting government but the citizen of the country of operations. D)It refers to an individual who is a citizen of the contracting government as well as the citizen of the country of operations. E)It refers to an individual who is a not citizen of the country of operations but the citizen of the contracting government.

Perceptual ability forms one of the key characteristics that decide the ability of a manager to succeed as an expatriate.Perceptual ability refers to the ability to: A)strengthen his or her self-esteem, self-confidence, and mental well-being. B)interact effectively with host-country nationals. C)understand why people of other countries behave the way they do. D)adjust to a particular posting given the culture of the assignment's country. E)communicate from a position of dominance for greater efficiency in work.

Most organizations use preemployment assessment tests to measure the behavioral traits of the candidates because they can tell the potential employer: A)about the energy level and sociability of the candidate. B)how fast someone can learn new things. C)whether the candidate's professional inclinations match the job requirements. d.about the cultural and religious background of the candidate. E)about the race and ethnicity of the candidate.

Which of the following is a form of variable pay where the employee earns additional compensation on the basis of achieved objectives? A)Base pay B)Share ownership C)Bonus D)Signing amount E)Indirect pay

_____ refer to individuals or firms that benefit from a shared resource or the actions of others without paying or contributing their fair share of the costs. A)Line riders B)Stowaways C)Free riders D)Linebackers E)Piggy backers

Which of the following statements holds true for pay for performance? A)It refers to the right to buy a piece of the business that may be given to an employee to reward excellent service. B)It refers to a form of pay in which an organization shares the financial gains with employees, who receive a portion of the profit achieved from their efforts. C)It refers to a form of variable pay where the employee earns additional compensation on the basis of achieved objectives. D)It refers to a form of pay that is tied directly to an individual's performance in meeting specific business goals or objectives. E)It refers to the cash wage paid at the end of every month in lieu of the service rendered to the company.

_____ refers to a team that exists alongside an individual's daily team. A)Display team B)Project team C)Work team D)Partnership team E)Parallel team

Others orientation forms one of the key characteristics that decides the ability of a manager to succeed as an expatriate.Others orientation refers to the ability to: A)strengthen his or her self-esteem, self-confidence, and mental well-being. B)interact effectively with host-country nationals. C)understand why people of other countries behave the way they do. D)adjust to a particular posting given the culture of the assignment's country. E)communicate from a position of dominance for greater efficiency in work.

Which of the following statements holds true for gainsharing? A)It is the right to buy a piece of the business given to an employee to reward excellent service. B)It is a form of pay in which an organization shares the profit with employees, such that employees receive a portion of the profit achieved from their efforts. C)It requires employees to build project teams across countries. D)These plans are most effective in companies with more than 1,000 people. E)It refers to the cash wage paid at the end of every month in lieu of the service rendered to the company.

A _____ is a team that is formed around a joint venture or strategic alliance. A)display team B)project team C)work team D)partnership team E)parallel team

Which of the following factors should be true for a multinational to choose an expatriate? A)The need to interact with local customers, suppliers, employees, or officials is paramount. B)The corporate strategy is focused on multidomestic or market-oriented operations. C)The customers prefer local employees over foreign personnel. D)There are large cultural distances between the host country and candidate expatriates. E)The corporate strategy is focused on global integration.

In a _____, all individuals work together daily to accomplish their jobs. A)display team B)project team C)work team D)partnership team E)parallel team

_____ refers to a performance-management tool that helps managers define the performance categories that relate to the company's strategy. A)Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale B)Critical Incident Technique C)Field Review Technique D)Graphic Rating Scale E)Balanced Scorecard

Cultural toughness forms one of the key characteristics that decides the ability of a manager to succeed as an expatriate.Cultural toughness refers to the ability to: A)strengthen his or her self-esteem, self-confidence, and mental well-being. B)interact effectively with host-country nationals. C)understand why people of other countries behave the way they do. D)adjust to a particular posting given the culture of the assignment's country. E)communicate from a position of dominance for greater efficiency in work.

Workforce Scorecard refers to the application of the _____ concept to an organization's human capital to identify and measure the behaviors, skills, mind-sets, and results required for the workforce to contribute to the company's success. A)Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale B)Critical Incident Technique C)Field Review Technique D)Graphic Rating Scale E)Balanced Scorecard

Workforce mind-set and culture is one of the key sequential elements of the Workforce Scorecard.It refers to the: A)ability of the organization to measure the intangible attributes of the workforce. B)capacity of the workforce to understand the strategy and embrace it. C)skills needed by the workforce to execute the strategy. D)consistent behavior of the workforce in ways that will lead to the attainment of the company's key strategic objectives. E)workforce achievement of the business's key strategic objectives.

Any tests given to job candidates must be job related and follow guidelines set forth by the _____ to be legal. A)labor union B)US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission C)HR Manager D)SHRM E)US Bureau of Labor

Workforce success is one of the key sequential elements of the Workforce Scorecard.It refers to the: A)ability of the organization to measure the intangible attributes of the workforce. B)capacity of the workforce to understand the strategy and embrace it. C)skills needed by the workforce to execute the strategy. D)consistent behavior of the workforce in ways that will lead to the attainment of the company's key strategic objectives. E)achievement of the key strategic objectives for the business by the workforce.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average job tenure has dropped from fifteen years in 1980 to _____ years in 2007 and even less today. A)two B)seven C)twelve D)four E)ten

Leadership and workforce behavior, which is a key aspect of the Workforce Scorecard, refers to the: A)ability of the organization to measure the intangible attributes of the workforce. B)capacity of the workforce to understand the strategy and embrace it. C)skills needed by the workforce to execute the strategy. D)professional attitude of the workforce that will lead to the attainment of the company's key strategic objectives. E)achievement of the key strategic objectives for the business by the workforce.

_____ schemes often combine a fixed base salary with a variable pay component that varies with the individual's performance. A)Team-based pay B)Pay-for-performance C)Gainsharing D)Free riders E)Indirect compensation

Work-relatedcompetencies, which are key to the Workforce Scorecard, refer to the: A)ability of the organization to measure the intangible attributes of the workforce. B)capacity of the workforce to understand the strategy and embrace it. C)skills needed by the workforce to execute the strategy. D)professional attitude of the workforce that will lead to the attainment of the company's key strategic objectives. E)workforce achievement of the business's key strategic objectives.

Which of the following is true about a project team? A)In a project team, profit sharing, recognition rewards, and stock options are appropriate pay schemes. B)A project team is a permanent team, which meets intermittently during the life of the project. C)A project team is formed around a joint venture or strategic alliance. D)In a project team, all individuals work together daily to accomplish their jobs. E)A project team usually meets on a part-time rather than a full-time basis and deals with specific issues.

When measuring human capital, _____ metrics are the easiest to measure and include counting the number of new people hired, fired, transferred, and promoted. A)training B)expense C)transactional D)performance E)strategic

What questions does the HR department need to answer in order to ensure the relevance and competitiveness of an organization in a fast-changing world? Competence- To what extent does the company have the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to implement its strategy?

Explain what job design is.

How does diversity lead to innovation and problem solving?

What steps can managers take in order to retain their star employees?

How can managers help employees to grow and further their professional goals?

What are the four predictors that decide the ability of a manager to succeed as an expatriate?

What factors contribute to expatriate failure in US-headquartered multinational firms?

What are the circumstances under which managers may want to choose an expatriate instead of a local hire?

Discuss the hybrid reward schemes devised in order to get the best of both the individual-based reward schemes and the team-based reward schemes.

What are the circumstances under which managers may want to choose a local hire rather than an expatriate?

Why is the role of SHRM critical in the functioning of the global firms?

How has workplace diversity changed over the years and how does it currently challenge the SHRM?

What are some areas which interviewers should not venture into?

What are the areas that global firms must manage when designing their compensation strategy?

Explain gainsharing.

Techniques that were developed to achieve productivity breakthroughs in manufacturing can also be applied to talent management.Explain.

The four elements of HRM are selection, placement, _____, and compensation.

In human resources management (HRM), the key to a successful "_____" decision is to distinguish between the high-potential employees who do not yet have the skills but who can learn them, from the mediocre employees who merely lack the skills.

In human resources management (HRM), the _____ decision is useful when it is too difficult to predict exactly which skills will be needed in the future.

A(n)_____ refers to a person who is living in a country other than his or her home country.

Situational interviews asking candidates to describe how they handled specific situations in the past are known as _____situational interviews.

A(n)_____ is a temporary team that meets full-time for the life of the project.

_____ is the collective sum of the attributes, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, energy, and enthusiasm that a company's employees choose to invest in their work.

The questions as to whether the right employees are being trained and whether they're remembering and using what they learned are part of the _____ metrics.

Activity-based metrics are also referred to as _____ metrics.

Pay can be thought of in terms of the_"____ "that includes an individual's base salary, variablepay, share ownership, and other benefits-the combination of which is often referred to as compensation.

One disadvantage of _____ reward schemes is that low performers may try to undermine top performers.

One disadvantage of _____ reward schemes is that they create a situation where low performers become free riders.

The _____ helps managers define the performance categories that relate to the company's strategy and then translate them into metrics.

There are two _____ in order to get the best of both the individual-based reward schemes and the team-based reward schemes.