Question

Read the section titled "Selecting Employees in a Global Labor Market." In this activity, you will analyze the responses of candidates during their interview for an international assignment and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate.

For firms operating in multiple countries, being able to effectively select and manage employees in global markets is a critical human resource management skill. Done correctly, it can even become a source of competitive advantage. Training and development programs are essential for all participating employees, regardless of their country of origin. Culture shock can make an expatriate working away from the home country feel disillusioned and isolated, unless the employee has been well prepared in advance. Once a need for a parent-country national to work in an internationally located operation has been made, selecting the best person for the job is a task that can make or break the assignment.

Read the case below and answer the questions that follow.

Roger's United States-based company is planning on opening a new subsidiary in Brazil. Corporate headquarters has identified three candidates—David, Megan, and Mary Ann—who all have the technical skills necessary to run the new subsidiary successfully. Roger has been asked to interview each candidate to see who would be the most likely to succeed in this role. Read the brief excerpts from Roger's interview with each candidate and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each.

David
"I really think this job could put me on strong financial footing, and I'm excited to be considered for this position just three years after starting here. I don't anticipate any relocation problems, since I've traveled extensively in Europe and I can't imagine Brazil is much different since they speak a European language, even if they are in South America. I'm good with languages and took four years of French in high school. My wife works at the university in town and said that finding a comparable job in Brazil might be a challenge, but I'm sure we can work something out. I've never had any health problems either, just a broken bone or two in my younger days. This will be my first position in a managerial role, but I was on good terms with my last boss so I'll just ask her if any problems come up. I work well with my coworkers, as long as they see eye-to-eye with me. One of my strengths is getting people to come around to my point of view. I don't know exactly what my role will be once I get back home, but I'm sure HQ will figure something out, and if things don't work out here, at least the Brazilian assignment will look good on my resume."

Megan
"International business was one of my undergraduate majors, so I've been hoping to get a chance at an international assignment since I joined the company five years ago. I don't speak Portuguese but I'm fluent in Spanish and studied abroad for a year in Argentina, and so even though there are differences between the languages and cultures, I don't anticipate any problems in that respect. My husband was in the Peace Corps in Africa for four years before we met, so he's used to living abroad and we love to travel. He teaches English as a second language, so finding a job for him in Brazil shouldn't be too difficult either. I consider myself an independent thinker, but my time in Argentina also taught me to be flexible and creative. My only health issue is hypothyroidism, but I've had it under control for a decade, and my doctor has checked to make sure getting medicine in Brazil would not be a problem in the big cities. Our kids are in college, so moving won't be a problem. I've talked extensively with my supervisor, and she thinks this assignment fits in nicely with my progression within the company."

Mary Ann
"My grandfather is Brazilian, but we weren't very close so I never picked up much of the language or culture. Honestly, I've never been much for languages, but English is so universal these days it's never been much of a problem. I'm going through a divorce at the moment, so it'll be nice to have a temporary stop overseas to get a bit of a fresh start for whatever lies ahead. We have two kids in middle school, but we're trying to work out an arrangement. My husband travels all the time for work, so we'll probably have to work out some kind of joint custody arrangement. I have pretty bad asthma, but it isn't a problem as long as stress and air pollution isn't too bad. Apparently, my usual medicine isn't available in Brazil, so hopefully I'll be able to find something else that works. I've been with the company for a little over a decade now, so I know the company philosophy well and am comfortable that my decisions will reflect the company mission. I've always gotten along well with coworkers and consider patience to be one of my strengths."

1.Of the three candidates based on the interview details, David appears to have the:

Multiple Choice

a.Least flexibility, tolerance for ambiguity, and sensitivity to cultural differences.

b.Lowest willingness to learn about the foreign country’s culture, language, and customs.

c.Highest level of experience and competency in the employee’s area of expertise.

d.Most flexibility, tolerance for ambiguity, and sensitivity to cultural differences.

e.Best motivation to succeed and would enjoy this international challenge.

2.Of the three candidates based on the interview details, Mary Ann appears to have the:

Multiple Choice

a.Least willingness to learn about the foreign country’s culture, language, and customs.

b.Highest willingness to learn about the foreign country’s culture, language, and customs.

c.Lowest level of experience and competency in the employee’s area of expertise.

d.Most flexibility, tolerance for ambiguity, and sensitivity to cultural differences.

e.Least motivation to succeed in an international challenge.

3.Based on the interview details and of the three candidates, Megan appears to have:

Multiple Choice

a.Highest willingness to learn about the foreign country’s culture, language, and customs.

b.Least willingness to learn about the foreign country’s culture, language, and customs.

c.Lowest level of experience and competency in the employee’s area of expertise.

d.Lowest flexibility, tolerance for ambiguity, and sensitivity to cultural differences.

e.Highest indifference to pursuing an international challenge.

4.Each of the candidates have family and some health issues that impact choosing them for an international assignment. Which statement best reflects the importance of this factor?

Multiple Choice

a.The comfort of the family strongly influences whether an employee completes an international assignment.

b.Family and health issues are of no concern for an international assignment.

c.As long as supporting spouses can find a job, only health issues should impact an international assignment.

d.As long as medical care is available, only family issues should impact an international assignment.

e.Lack of international experience is the only reason not to choose a candidate for this type of assignment.

5.Which statement for each of the three candidates is most likely accurate?

Multiple Choice

a.Megan would experience the least culture shock due to her past experience in Argentina.

b.David would experience the least culture shock due to his experience traveling in Europe.

c.Mary Ann would experience the least culture shock due to having a Brazilian grandfather.

d.Megan would have the longest adjustment period to accept and enjoy the host country’s culture.

e.Mary Ann would have the shortest culture shock period since she is getting divorced.

6.Once the company chooses the best candidate for this assignment, which statement best reflects the training preparations needed for the employee to transition abroad?

Multiple Choice

a.Employee and their families should have cross-cultural training for all phases of an international assignment.

b.Megan would require no training for this international assignment.

c.David would require cross-cultural training for the assignment and when returning home.

d.Mary Ann would require cross-cultural training for the departure and the assignment.

e.Only the chosen employee requires cross-cultural training for departure, the assignment, and returning home.

Answer 1

As per rules I will answer the first 4 sub parts of the question

1. b.Lowest willingness to learn about the foreign country’s culture, language, and customs.

(David has assumed most of the things about Brazil without bothering to find the details)

2.. Most flexibility, tolerance for ambiguity, and sensitivity to cultural differences.

(Mary Ann is flexible as regards her health issues and kids education and is willing to tackle her health issues if the same medicine is not available)

3. Best motivation to succeed and would enjoy this international challenge

(Meghan has been waiting for an international assignment and is looking forward to this challenge)

4. d.As long as medical care is available, only family issues should impact an international assignment.

(In all cases we have seen that if the candidate has medical care available in the country of relocation, family issues are left which will impact international assignment. This includes spouses’s job as well as childrens education. It also includes their willingness to relocate.)