MIB Global Human Resource Management 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An 'expatriate' in international HRM refers to:
- A foreign national hired locally in the host country
- An employee sent to work in a foreign country by their employer (Correct answer)
- A returning emigrant who joins a foreign company
- A third-country national working in their home country
Correct answer: An employee sent to work in a foreign country by their employer
An expatriate is an employee assigned by their organization to work in a foreign country, typically for a defined period, as part of global operations or talent development.
Question 2: Which staffing approach in international HRM recruits managers exclusively from the parent company's home country?
- Polycentric approach
- Geocentric approach
- Ethnocentric approach (Correct answer)
- Regiocentric approach
Correct answer: Ethnocentric approach
An ethnocentric staffing approach fills key positions in foreign subsidiaries with parent-country nationals, reflecting a belief that home-country management practices are superior.
Question 3: What is 'repatriation' in the context of global HR management?
- Hiring foreign nationals for domestic positions
- The process of returning an expatriate employee to their home country after an international assignment (Correct answer)
- Transferring employee records to a new country
- Renewing work visas for foreign employees
Correct answer: The process of returning an expatriate employee to their home country after an international assignment
Repatriation involves managing the return of expatriate employees to their home country, including role reintegration, reverse culture shock, and retaining gained international knowledge.
Question 4: The 'balance sheet approach' to expatriate compensation aims to:
- Match the host country salary levels exactly
- Ensure expatriates maintain the same standard of living as in their home country (Correct answer)
- Minimize total expatriate compensation costs
- Align pay with local market rates gradually
Correct answer: Ensure expatriates maintain the same standard of living as in their home country
The balance sheet approach equalizes purchasing power by adjusting expatriate pay to maintain the same standard of living they would have had in their home country.
Question 5: Which HR challenge is MOST significant when managing a multicultural global team?
- Time zone coordination
- Different communication styles and conflict resolution norms (Correct answer)
- Currency conversion for payroll
- Varying public holiday schedules
Correct answer: Different communication styles and conflict resolution norms
Cultural differences in communication styles, directness, conflict resolution, and authority norms are the most complex challenges in managing multicultural international teams.
Question 6: A 'third-country national' (TCN) in international HR management is:
- An employee working in their home country
- An employee working in a country that is neither their home nor the parent company's country (Correct answer)
- A dual citizen working abroad
- A local hire in the host country
Correct answer: An employee working in a country that is neither their home nor the parent company's country
A TCN is an employee who is a citizen of neither the parent company's home country nor the host country where they are assigned to work.
MIB Global Human Resource Management 1
An 'expatriate' in international HRM refers to: