Deck 11: Managing Cultural Differences

Question 1

Few situations are as culturally-loaded as face-to-face negotiations among executives of different nationalities

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Monotheistic (single god) religions were the first major influences on mankind's religious attitudes and behaviors

Answer 2

False

Question 3

In North America and Western Europe, by world standards, religion exerts a major influence over daily behaviors

Answer 3

False

Question 4

In the US, mainstream behaviors are low context, but minority medium and high context behaviors are apparent

Question 5

High context behaviors emphasize trust, cooperation, harmony and stability

Question 6

Developing countries are more likely to exhibit high context behaviors

Question 7

In high context cultures, legal systems define acceptable behaviors, mistakes are tolerated and behaviors tend to be individually-oriented

Question 8

Additional interpretations are necessary about a message sender's social status, background and message circumstances in low context cultures

Question 9

Fully industrialized nations tend to exhibit competitive high context behaviors

Question 10

High context behaviors are modern-based and are to be found in Asia, Latin America, and Middle eastern societies

Question 11

In high context cultures, what is said is the sum total of the message's content

Question 12

In high context cultures, the communicator's social status, background and the circumstances under which messages are sent are all part of the communication

Question 13

In the US, behaviors are all low context

Question 14

For over four billion people, religions such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism are controlling influences over daily behaviors, values, and attitudes

Question 15

In high context societies, legal rules dominate behaviors, outsiders are welcomed, and competitiveness is a valued personal attribute

Question 16

High context behaviors are tradition-based and are to be found in Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East

Question 17

Medium context behaviors are to be found in the industrialized nations of Western Europe

Question 18

In medium context cultures, business relations tend to be informal throughout, lawyers are used to conduct negotiations, and mistakes are tolerated

Question 19

Low context behaviors are associated with societies with competitive political, economic and social class systems

Question 20

Fully industrialized nations tend to exhibit competitive low context behaviors

Question 21

Non-theistic religions have gods as their focal points and include Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism

Question 22

Christianity embraces Protestantism, Roman Catholicism and Judaism

Question 23

The Buddhist caste system divides peoples into four major social class divisions

Question 24

Islam is the Muslim religion and is practiced only in the Middle East

Question 25

Shinto is Japan's state religion and means 'the ways of the gods'

Question 26

Buddhism has two major groupings: the Theravada Buddhists that emphasize compassion and compatibility with outside influences; and Mahajana Buddhism that is stricter and stresses orderly societies and traditional class structures

Question 27

Shinto emphasizes the family, physical cleanliness, the love of nature and respecting others

Question 28

Islam is a lifestyle religion that controls or influences political, legal and social behaviors of its adherents

Question 29

Many believe that Christianity is descended from Zoroastrianism

Question 30

Primal (non-literate) religions emphasizing man's relationship with nature, cosmic harmony and ancestor worship are extinct today

Question 31

The major monotheistic (single god) religions are Judaism, Islam, and Christianity

Question 32

Polytheistic (multi god) religions include primal (non-literate), Hindu and Shinto faiths

Question 33

All Islamic countries have dissociated themselves from western-style behaviors

Question 34

Buddhism was founded in the sixth century BC and is based on an understanding of life encompassing the four noble truths and the noble eightfold path

Question 35

Many believe that there are linkages between the growth of Protestantism and the development of capitalism

Question 36

Shinto is India's state religion

Question 37

Christianity includes Roman Catholicism, Protestantism and Eastern Orthodox faiths and worldwide numbers about 2 billion adherents

Question 38

Buddhist philosophies generally encourage calmness, wisdom and compassion; and emphasize material rather than spiritual aspects of life

Question 39

The ultimate aim of Hindus is to attain moksha, or liberation from the eternal cycle of birth and rebirth

Question 40

Hinduism is based in India and emphasizes birth, rebirth, purity, and caste-based behaviors

Question 41

Effective intercultural negotiators have the ability to empathize and to establish relationships with foreign nationals

Question 42

US negotiators use group decision-making processes and rarely employ lawyers in negotiations

Question 43

Western Europe's medium context behaviors are partly attributable to their mixture of capitalist and socialist philosophies

Question 44

Confucianism only influenced behaviors within China

Question 45

Countries with technology-based education systems tend to do well economically

Question 46

Japanese managers are low context negotiators who want to use legal contracts to define their commercial relationships

Question 47

In hereditary-based societies, family name counts, and respect is accorded to those of pedigreed families

Question 48

Taoism is a god-based religion that emphasized the forces of nature and how they can be controlled and dominated

Question 49

Eastern religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism emphasize human virtues that are subject to warping as they come into contact with the pressures of competitive societies

Question 50

Confucianism was a Chinese thinker who emphasized relationships among peoples and the creation of harmonious and moral societies

Question 51

Some countries such as Japan shield their economies from the full forces of international competition and are able to develop competitive, low context behaviors on their own

Question 52

Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic societies emphasize commercial over spiritual pursuits

Question 53

High context behaviors are customary in rural economies, particularly in developing countries, where traders are part of communities, disputes are anti-social and exploitation is frowned upon

Question 54

High context societies tend to have competitive political, economic, social and educational systems

Question 55

Taoism is the philosophy of Lao Tzu that encourages non-interference with the forces of nature and the rejection of self-assertiveness, competition, and energies wasted on emotional outbursts

Question 56

US negotiators tend to be informal, competitive, and may use persuasive tactics and power openly

Question 57

In developing countries, religion often acts as 'a sacred canopy' shielding traditional societies from a rapidly changing world

Question 58

Confucianism emphasized humaneness, courtesy, unselfishness, 'superior' behaviors, titles, respect and obedience

Question 59

The high context behaviors of international corporations often clash with the low context behaviors of developing nations

Question 60

Countries with hereditary and seniority-based societies have much movement up and down social class hierarchies

Question 61

Western Europeans tend to isolate and focus on individual negotiating points, using tight legal contracts to summarize proceedings

Question 62

Silence is a favorite negotiating tool of the Japanese

Question 63

Asian negotiators prefer written contracts over the building of relationships, but have great respect for tradition and for family concerns

Question 64

Latin Americans prefer to do most of their negotiating over working breakfasts and lunches

Question 65

In Japan, business negotiations are fast-paced with little time-wasting

Question 66

Western negotiators tend to be very good at reading body language and non-verbal cues and this is advantageous when dealing with Asians

Question 67

Italians often negotiate with the same dramatic flair as Latin Americans, and prefer stylish, organized negotiations often with some emotion arguments

Question 68

When negotiating in Japan, business orientations tend to be medium and long-term-oriented, and focus on market share and sales goals

Question 69

The British prefer subtle and under-stated negotiating styles, and dislike aggressive or boastful behaviors

Question 70

When faced with a negotiating disagreement, the Japanese usually talk them out at the negotiating table

Question 71

When negotiating abroad, it is important to include local managers where necessary, and

Question 72

Asian negotiators tend to be poker-faced and display few or no emotions at the negotiating table

Question 73

Russian negotiators tend to be tough at first, but as time goes on, are willing to make concessions as they move towards detailed final agreements

Question 74

It is customary for Latin American patrons (bosses) to consult many subordinates before making decisions

Question 75

Negotiations in the Middle East involve much tea and coffee drinking prior to discussions to establish relationships

Question 76

Middle Eastern negotiators dislike conflict situations and often employ mediators to resolve disputes

Question 77

When conducting negotiations, the other team's power brokers should be recognized and respect shown to all parties

Question 78

Negotiating in foreign countries is advantageous to the visitors as the home team must adapt to their cultures and ways of doing things

Question 79

Medium context Western Europeans like to use procedures to guide negotiations and, once titles and pecking orders are established, establish some sociability

Question 80

Japanese negotiators are formal at first but often use after hours socializing to build relationships