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web.groovymark@gmail.com
- December 14, 2024
Question 01
Which of the following staffing approaches focuses on hiring host country nationals (HCNs) for local subsidiaries and giving them significant decision-making power?
a) Ethnocentric
b) Polycentric
c) Geocentric
d) Receptive
Correct Answer: b) Polycentric
Explanation: In the polycentric approach, host country nationals are given decision-making authority in their local subsidiaries. Option a refers to an ethnocentric approach where home-country standards dominate, option c refers to geocentric, which focuses on global talent, and option d does not describe a staffing approach.
Question 02
What is the main purpose of a “repatriation” process in International Human Resource Management (IHRM)?
a) To recruit international assignees
b) To manage employees who are transferred from subsidiaries back to headquarters
c) To transfer an employee’s employment from one country to another
d) To hire host country nationals for foreign subsidiaries
Correct Answer: b) To manage employees who are transferred from subsidiaries back to headquarters
Explanation: Repatriation refers to the process of bringing international assignees back to their home country from foreign assignments. Options a and d refer to recruitment processes, while option c is a description of employment transfer.
Question 03
Which type of international staffing strategy focuses on using parent country nationals (PCNs) in key positions at subsidiaries abroad?
a) Polycentric
b) Geocentric
c) Ethnocentric
d) Regiocentric
Correct Answer: c) Ethnocentric
Explanation: The ethnocentric approach primarily uses parent country nationals (PCNs) in key positions, maintaining a high level of control from the headquarters. Options a, b, and d focus more on local or regional hiring strategies.
Question 04
What is the most common reason for failure of international assignments according to IHRM research?
a) Language barriers
b) Job dissatisfaction
c) Family adjustment issues
d) Poor job performance
Correct Answer: c) Family adjustment issues
Explanation: Family adjustment issues, especially difficulty in adapting to the local culture, are the most common reasons for early return or failure of international assignments. Language barriers and job dissatisfaction are challenges but are not the primary reasons for failure.
Question 05
Which cultural dimension identified by Hofstede focuses on the degree to which individuals in a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity?
a) Power distance
b) Individualism
c) Uncertainty avoidance
d) Masculinity
Correct Answer: c) Uncertainty avoidance
Explanation: Uncertainty avoidance measures how much members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous situations. Power distance focuses on hierarchy, individualism on personal vs. collective goals, and masculinity on gender roles.
Question 06
Which of the following is the correct definition of the term “convergence” in the context of IHRM?
a) A focus on adopting local practices in different regions
b) The adoption of similar best practices across organizations worldwide
c) The process of adapting practices to meet cultural differences
d) The blending of different cultural norms into new practices
Correct Answer: b) The adoption of similar best practices across organizations worldwide
Explanation: Convergence refers to the idea that businesses around the world are adopting similar best practices due to globalization. Option c describes divergence, while option d describes cross-vergence.
Question 07
What is one of the main benefits of using a geocentric staffing approach in multinational enterprises (MNEs)?
a) Reducing training costs
b) Ensuring better control by headquarters
c) Selecting the best talent globally, regardless of nationality
d) Improving the company’s local reputation
Correct Answer: c) Selecting the best talent globally, regardless of nationality
Explanation: The geocentric approach allows MNEs to select the best candidates for positions, regardless of their nationality. Options a, b, and d refer to different strategies.
Question 08
Which of the following options best describes a “global employment company” (GEC)?
a) A company that operates exclusively in its home country
b) A company that hires a foreign workforce through an already established foreign company
c) A multinational enterprise that establishes new subsidiaries abroad
d) A legal structure for temporary staffing within the parent company
Correct Answer: b) A company that hires a foreign workforce through an already established foreign company
Explanation: A GEC enables a company to quickly hire foreign workers without establishing a full legal subsidiary. Option c refers to expansion through new subsidiaries, while d refers to secondment or internal staffing structures.
Question 09
What is one of the challenges in managing expatriates in a host country with high power distance?
a) Difficulties in accessing healthcare
b) Limited authority in decision-making roles
c) Issues with language barriers
d) Problems with work-life balance
Correct Answer: b) Limited authority in decision-making roles
Explanation: In high power distance cultures, expatriates may face challenges if they expect more egalitarian working relationships, but the local culture may limit their authority. Language barriers and healthcare access are unrelated to power distance.
Question 10
Which of the following is a key feature of an “integrative strategy” in International Performance Management?
a) Focusing solely on regional practices
b) Combining local and global performance management practices
c) Adopting parent country standards for all locations
d) Adapting performance practices to each subsidiary
Correct Answer: b) Combining local and global performance management practices
Explanation: An integrative strategy combines both local and global practices to create a balanced approach. Options a and c represent non-integrative strategies.
Question 11
Why is “dual employment” often considered complex for multinational enterprises (MNEs)?
a) Employees must receive multiple appraisals
b) Employees maintain two payroll relationships
c) Employees must work under multiple contracts
d) Employees are relocated permanently to the host country
Correct Answer: b) Employees maintain two payroll relationships
Explanation: Dual employment involves employees maintaining payroll relationships in both the home and host countries, making it complex for MNEs to manage. Option d is more related to transfer of employment.
Question 12
In Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, what does “masculinity” refer to?
a) Preference for high wages and recognition
b) Emphasis on caring for others and quality of life
c) The dominance of gender roles in society
d) A focus on long-term planning and perseverance
Correct Answer: a) Preference for high wages and recognition
Explanation: In Hofstede’s framework, masculinity refers to a culture that values competitiveness, achievement, and success, often measured by high earnings and recognition. Option b describes "femininity."
Question 13
Which of the following is the most critical component for successful international assignments according to the expatriate success model?
a) Technical competence
b) Cultural adaptation
c) Language proficiency
d) Financial incentives
Correct Answer: b) Cultural adaptation
Explanation: Cultural adaptation is crucial for expatriate success, as it determines how well the employee can adjust to the new environment. Technical competence and language proficiency are also important but secondary to adaptation.
Question 14
What term refers to the process of recruiting and selecting employees for positions in different countries while ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations?
a) Localization
b) International staffing
c) Global workforce planning
d) Expatriation
Correct Answer: b) International staffing
Explanation: International staffing involves recruiting, selecting, and complying with local regulations when filling global positions. Localization refers to adapting to the local culture, while expatriation is focused on sending employees abroad.
Question 15
Which of the following represents a scenario where the balance sheet approach for compensation is most commonly used?
a) A local employee moving from one region to another
b) A multinational company sending an expatriate to a high-cost country
c) A regional subsidiary managing its own payroll
d) A global workforce unified under a single compensation plan
Correct Answer: b) A multinational company sending an expatriate to a high-cost country
Explanation: The balance sheet approach ensures that expatriates maintain their home-country standard of living while on foreign assignment, typically used in high-cost countries.
Question 16
Which of the following is an example of “going native” for an expatriate?
a) Returning home before completing the assignment
b) Staying in the foreign location for a long period but living like a local
c) Completing the assignment without making local adaptations
d) Frequently traveling back to the home country
Correct Answer: b) Staying in the foreign location for a long period but living like a local
Explanation: "Going native" refers to expatriates who remain in the foreign location long enough to adopt local customs and live like locals, often reducing costs but maintaining their higher salaries.
Question 17
Which international staffing strategy involves the greatest focus on selecting employees based solely on their competencies, regardless of nationality?
a) Ethnocentric
b) Polycentric
c) Geocentric
d) Regiocentric
Correct Answer: c) Geocentric
Explanation: The geocentric approach selects the best person for the job, regardless of their nationality, and promotes a more global view of talent management. Options a, b, and d prioritize specific regions or countries.
Question 18
What is the term used to describe individuals who have worked in one country but are returning to their home country to work for the same company?
a) Boomerangs
b) Returnees
c) Expatriates
d) Inpatriates
Correct Answer: a) Boomerangs
Explanation: Boomerangs are individuals who return to their home country to work for the same organization after an international assignment. Expatriates and inpatriates describe different employee groups.
Question 19
Which of the following best describes the concept of “cultural dimensions”?
a) Shared practices and norms among employees of the same nationality
b) Various aspects of culture that can be measured and compared across societies
c) The impact of national culture on employee performance
d) Differences between high-context and low-context communication styles
Correct Answer: b) Various aspects of culture that can be measured and compared across societies
Explanation: Cultural dimensions refer to measurable aspects of culture, such as assertiveness and uncertainty avoidance, that allow comparisons between societies.
Question 20
Which of the following refers to the phenomenon where educated individuals leave their home country for better job opportunities elsewhere?
a) Brain drain
b) Offshoring
c) Localization
d) Repatriation
Correct Answer: a) Brain drain
Explanation: Brain drain refers to the loss of educated and skilled workers who leave their home country to seek better employment opportunities in other countries.
