MAN6635 EXAM 2 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS (GRADED A+)
What kind of human resources do we have, what kind are we likely to need, and how do
we bring those into alignment? - ANSWER-Supply forecasting
Demand forecasting
HR practices
Forecasting Global Supply & Demand - ANSWER--What historical events likely affected
the global supply of or demand for labor?
-Who are some people throughout history that likely affected the global supply of or
demand for labor?
-What global forces in the near future that might affect the supply of or demand for
labor?
Forecasting Demand - ANSWER-How much labor will we need?
-Benchmarking
*How much labor does a business like ours use?
Is there any reason why we may differ?
-Statistical Methods
*Look at "leading indicators." For example: Sales this year correlate with labor demand
next year
*Does not account for chance, change, rapid fluctuation, or the zombie apocalypse
-Subject Matter Experts- "Educated Guesses"
*Take into account other factors (e.g., new product launches, changes with competitors,
changes in technology, changes in the economy)
How do we forecast supply (how much labor we will have) - ANSWER-Transitional
Matrix
rows- where did employees in this category in 2013 go by 2016
columns- regarding the employees from 2016 in this category, where were they in 2013.
rows and columns add to 1. see notes
Forecasting Supply - ANSWER-How much available labor will we have?
-What's the unemployment rate?
-Is that likely to change?
-What is the overall size of our labor pool?
-Are people training for the jobs for which we anticipate vacancies?
Comparing the results of demand and supply forecasting tells us whether we're likely to
have a... - ANSWER-Surplus or shortage
,Methods for Correcting a Surplus - ANSWER-Downsize
Reduce pay
Demotions
Transfers
Early retirement
Wait for natural attrition
Hiring freeze
Downsizing - ANSWER--attempting to reduce costs
Closing or altering production facilities
Outsourcing and offshoring for economic reasons
Human suffering is high
Financial and psychological damage
Damage to future employment chances over time
Skill erosion
Polycentric Staffing Approach - ANSWER-Fill key managerial positions with locals
Appropriate when company wants to "act local"
Global Staffing Approach - ANSWER-Best managers are recruited from within or
outside the company, regardless of nationality
Very well might not be from home or host country
International Business Strategy - ANSWER-No overseas office or operations
Generally used for exporting, licensing, or subcontracting
Multi-domestic Business Strategy - ANSWER-Subsidiaries in multiple countries operate
independently within each country, independently of operations in other countries, and
often fairly independently of parent company headquarters
Global Business Strategy - ANSWER-Unified strategy implemented for all countries
regardless of their culture or national differences.
Methods for correcting a shortage - ANSWER-Existing people work harder
Use temporary employees
Outsource
Promote from within
Decrease voluntary turnover
Recruit and hire new people
Workforce - ANSWER-An enterprises employees
Labor Force - ANSWER-The pool of potential employees from which the firm attracts
and hires its workforce
MNEs will likely need to: - ANSWER-find staff in whatever location they operate
, learn to recruit and hire in multiple locations and cultures
logically deploy staff internationally
Challenge for international workforce planning - ANSWER--availability of data
-increasing diversity of labor forces
-brain drain
-lack of suitable candidates for management
-Population characteristics (age)
Staffing for an MNE involves - ANSWER-hiring at the local level
managing a mobile workforce
Approaches to MNE staffing - ANSWER-Ethnocentric
Polycentric
Global
Ethnocentric Staffing Approach - ANSWER-Fill key managerial positions with HQ staff
Appropriate when:
Local management skill insufficient
Close coordination with HQ is critical
High level of technical capability required
Proprietary technology is used extensively
Transnational Business Strategy - ANSWER-Firms work hard to be seen as a local firm
that draws upon global expertise, technology, and resources
expatriates or international assignees - ANSWER-parent country nationals are
transferred to another country to work in a subsidiary or other type of operation of the
MNE for more than one year.
*when the return home, they are repatriates
inpatriates - ANSWER-host country nationals are relocated to HQ of the parent firm,
generally for more than one year, for the purposes of learning the organizations
products and culture
Local hires or nationals - ANSWER-Employees who are hired locally
Domestic internationalists - ANSWER-Employees who never leave home country but
conduct international business with customers, suppliers, and colleagues in other
countries via telephone, teleconference, e-mail etc.
International commuters - ANSWER-Employees who live in one country (typically their
home country), but who work in another (host) country and regularly commute across
borders to perform aspects of their work. They may live at home in one country yet
commute on a daily or weekly basis to another country to work.
ANSWERS (GRADED A+)
What kind of human resources do we have, what kind are we likely to need, and how do
we bring those into alignment? - ANSWER-Supply forecasting
Demand forecasting
HR practices
Forecasting Global Supply & Demand - ANSWER--What historical events likely affected
the global supply of or demand for labor?
-Who are some people throughout history that likely affected the global supply of or
demand for labor?
-What global forces in the near future that might affect the supply of or demand for
labor?
Forecasting Demand - ANSWER-How much labor will we need?
-Benchmarking
*How much labor does a business like ours use?
Is there any reason why we may differ?
-Statistical Methods
*Look at "leading indicators." For example: Sales this year correlate with labor demand
next year
*Does not account for chance, change, rapid fluctuation, or the zombie apocalypse
-Subject Matter Experts- "Educated Guesses"
*Take into account other factors (e.g., new product launches, changes with competitors,
changes in technology, changes in the economy)
How do we forecast supply (how much labor we will have) - ANSWER-Transitional
Matrix
rows- where did employees in this category in 2013 go by 2016
columns- regarding the employees from 2016 in this category, where were they in 2013.
rows and columns add to 1. see notes
Forecasting Supply - ANSWER-How much available labor will we have?
-What's the unemployment rate?
-Is that likely to change?
-What is the overall size of our labor pool?
-Are people training for the jobs for which we anticipate vacancies?
Comparing the results of demand and supply forecasting tells us whether we're likely to
have a... - ANSWER-Surplus or shortage
,Methods for Correcting a Surplus - ANSWER-Downsize
Reduce pay
Demotions
Transfers
Early retirement
Wait for natural attrition
Hiring freeze
Downsizing - ANSWER--attempting to reduce costs
Closing or altering production facilities
Outsourcing and offshoring for economic reasons
Human suffering is high
Financial and psychological damage
Damage to future employment chances over time
Skill erosion
Polycentric Staffing Approach - ANSWER-Fill key managerial positions with locals
Appropriate when company wants to "act local"
Global Staffing Approach - ANSWER-Best managers are recruited from within or
outside the company, regardless of nationality
Very well might not be from home or host country
International Business Strategy - ANSWER-No overseas office or operations
Generally used for exporting, licensing, or subcontracting
Multi-domestic Business Strategy - ANSWER-Subsidiaries in multiple countries operate
independently within each country, independently of operations in other countries, and
often fairly independently of parent company headquarters
Global Business Strategy - ANSWER-Unified strategy implemented for all countries
regardless of their culture or national differences.
Methods for correcting a shortage - ANSWER-Existing people work harder
Use temporary employees
Outsource
Promote from within
Decrease voluntary turnover
Recruit and hire new people
Workforce - ANSWER-An enterprises employees
Labor Force - ANSWER-The pool of potential employees from which the firm attracts
and hires its workforce
MNEs will likely need to: - ANSWER-find staff in whatever location they operate
, learn to recruit and hire in multiple locations and cultures
logically deploy staff internationally
Challenge for international workforce planning - ANSWER--availability of data
-increasing diversity of labor forces
-brain drain
-lack of suitable candidates for management
-Population characteristics (age)
Staffing for an MNE involves - ANSWER-hiring at the local level
managing a mobile workforce
Approaches to MNE staffing - ANSWER-Ethnocentric
Polycentric
Global
Ethnocentric Staffing Approach - ANSWER-Fill key managerial positions with HQ staff
Appropriate when:
Local management skill insufficient
Close coordination with HQ is critical
High level of technical capability required
Proprietary technology is used extensively
Transnational Business Strategy - ANSWER-Firms work hard to be seen as a local firm
that draws upon global expertise, technology, and resources
expatriates or international assignees - ANSWER-parent country nationals are
transferred to another country to work in a subsidiary or other type of operation of the
MNE for more than one year.
*when the return home, they are repatriates
inpatriates - ANSWER-host country nationals are relocated to HQ of the parent firm,
generally for more than one year, for the purposes of learning the organizations
products and culture
Local hires or nationals - ANSWER-Employees who are hired locally
Domestic internationalists - ANSWER-Employees who never leave home country but
conduct international business with customers, suppliers, and colleagues in other
countries via telephone, teleconference, e-mail etc.
International commuters - ANSWER-Employees who live in one country (typically their
home country), but who work in another (host) country and regularly commute across
borders to perform aspects of their work. They may live at home in one country yet
commute on a daily or weekly basis to another country to work.
