Deck 14: Cultural Influences on Consumer Behaviour

Question 1

Which of the following would best describe a norm?

A) Norms are the laws of a culture. They are behaviours that are so important that they are written into law.
B) Norms are so "normal" to a group that even small children can describe them in detail to outsiders.
C) Norms are the universal behaviours that set us apart as humans irrespective of the culture a person happens to live in. Norms allow persons to understand at least parts of other cultures.
D) A norm is what is considered normal within a group. Norms are so taken for granted that most people don't know what their norms are until they see one violated.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Marketers need to ensure they adapt to culture values and are sensitive to stay away from:

A) enacted norms.
B) crescive norms.
C) mores.
D) taboos.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

In many ways, culture can be thought of as a society's:

A) conscience.
B) personality.
C) libido.
D) aesthetic side.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Japanese culture differs from American culture in terms of which core values?

A) Japanese culture prioritizes cleanliness over personal wealth.
B) Many Japanese would rather endure deprivation than risk personal safety.
C) Child safety is rated more important than economic power in Japanese culture.
D) Many Japanese are happy to trade off some independence for safety.

Question 5

A set of moral and aesthetic principles is termed:

A) ecology.
B) social structure.
C) ideology.
D) ethos.

Question 6

Taiwan's culture values subordination of personal goals for those of a stable in-group. These are associated with a(n) ________ culture.

A) assimilative
B) collectivist
C) co-operative
D) individualist

Question 7

Enacted norms are rules that are:

A) those norms that involve violating a custom.
B) begun at a monumental time, such as a graduation.
C) forced upon people through laws.
D) explicitly decided upon by members of a culture.

Question 8

Cross-culturally speaking, the extent to which the welfare of the individual versus that of the group is valued is referred to as:

A) individualism/collectivism.
B) uncertainty avoidance.
C) masculinity/femininity.
D) power distance.

Question 9

The concept of the nuclear family would fit into which aspect of culture?

A) ecology
B) social structure
C) hierarchy
D) ideology

Question 10

When James says Morocco has short-term orientation, he means that Morocco:

A) is orientated toward future rewards such as thrift.
B) has set a number of 5-10 year political objectives.
C) respects past traditions and fulfilling its social obligations.
D) lives only for the present.

Question 11

Eleanor was working with an architect to design her home. She visited many show homes and noted that they all had a dining room, eat-in kitchen, and chairs at the kitchen island. Although Eleanor eats out a lot, she wanted to make sure she followed:

A) with convention.
B) the custom.
C) the mores of the times.
D) the culture.

Question 12

Cross-culturally speaking, a society's tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity is referred to as:

A) individualism/collectivism.
B) uncertainty avoidance.
C) masculinity/femininity.
D) power distance.

Question 13

The way in which a system is adapted to its habitat is termed:

A) ecology.
B) social structure.
C) ideology.
D) ethos.

Question 14

J. P. Stevens always looks perfect in his business suit. The colours are always right for the season and prevailing style. His tie has the proper knot, he does not wear a tie-tac, his handkerchief is the proper "two-fingers" above the pocket, and his socks and shoes do not distract from his "overall look." With respect to crescive norms, which of the following forms of norms does J. P. seem to be adhering to with his "correctness"?

A) enacted behaviour
B) customs
C) mores
D) conventions

Question 15

A cultural system consists of three functional areas:

A) ecology, archeology, and ideology.
B) social structure, race, and partisanship.
C) ideology, environment, and social structure.
D) ecology, social structure, and ideology.

Question 16

Canada's culture emphasizes personal enjoyment, excitement, equality, and freedom. These are associated with a(n) ________ cultural dimension.

A) assimilative
B) collectivist
C) co-operative
D) individualist

Question 17

Cross-culturally speaking, the degree to which gender roles are clearly delineated is referred to as:

A) individualism/collectivism.
B) uncertainty avoidance.
C) masculinity/femininity.
D) power distance.

Question 18

Where you stand in a crowded elevator is an example of a ________, while your reluctance to marry your first cousin is a ________.

A) convention; custom
B) custom; convention
C) convention; more
D) more; convention

Question 19

Marika claims her culture is high in power distance. What best describes what she means?

A) Her culture has a greater degree of societal inequalities.
B) Her culture distances its powerful individuals from political power.
C) Her culture puts a lot of effort into maintaining social norms.
D) Her culture believes that power should be controlled so as to maintain stability.

Question 20

Cross-culturally speaking, the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions accept and expect that power is distributed unequally is referred to as:

A) individualism/collectivism.
B) uncertainty avoidance.
C) masculinity/femininity.
D) power distance.

Question 21

Individualism/collectivism refers to the extent to which the welfare of the individual versus that of the group is valued.

Question 22

You are opening a Western fast-food franchise in India. Based on the recent experiences of McDonald's, what products might you choose to avoid, or major in, and why?

Question 23

What is the difference between a custom and a more?

Question 24

A culture must possess an ideology in order to exist.

Question 25

A cultural system consists of three functional areas. What are they? Give a brief explanation of each.

Question 26

The custom of eating haggis on Robbie Burns Day in Scotland is an enacted norm.

Question 27

In China, Cadbury Schweppes makes its Cadbury milk chocolate less milky and less sweet than in North American markets. This reflects paying attention to a(n):

A) ritual.
B) superstition.
C) food culture.
D) implicit belief.

Question 28

Once a culture is established it doesn't change. An apparent change in a culture is simply the emergence of a new culture.

Question 29

Ethos refers to the ideological area of culture that consists of a set of moral and aesthetic principles.

Question 30

Crescive norms are those that have been explicitly agreed upon by members of a culture.

Question 31

Every March 1st the Welsh celebrate St. David's Day. This is an example of a(n):

A) ecology.
B) social structure.
C) ideology.
D) custom.

Question 32

Culture, a concept crucial to the understanding of consumer behaviour, may be thought of as a society's personality.

Question 33

What is the difference between enacted and crescive norms? Give an example of the latter.

Question 34

A cultural system can be said to consist of three functioning areas. What does the social structure component refer to?

Question 35

If you were designing a new chocolate dessert for China, what might you alter, if anything, compared to a North American market?

Question 36

Define culture and give a brief description of how it is viewed in relation to products.

Question 37

Power distance refers to a society's tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity.

Question 38

A cultural system can be said to consist of three functioning areas. What does the ecology component refer to?

Question 39

Culture includes both abstract ideas, such as values or ethics, as well as material objects, such as automobiles or art.

Question 40

A cultural system can be said to consist of three functioning areas. What does the ideology component refer to?

Question 41

What are the four interrelated functions myths serve in culture?

Question 42

How do cultures that differ on the dimension of individualism/collectivism differ?

Question 43

Manuel attended his best friend's wedding. At the ceremony he was handed a program as he entered and at the dinner every place setting had a fridge magnet to take home with a picture of the bride and groom on it. Manuel received a ________ respectively.

A) memento and gift
B) presentation and gift
C) ritual script and ritual artifact
D) personal rituals

Question 44

________ postulated that myths involve binary opposition in which two opposing ends of some dimension are represented.

A) Levi-Strauss
B) Freud
C) McDonald
D) Bettelheim

Question 45

In terms of what influences of human behaviour, researchers and philosophers constantly argue between the influences of nature and nurture. A story that included these concepts would be said to involve binary opposition.

Question 46

Gina wakes up, brushes her teeth, takes a shower, dresses for work, puts on make-up, grabs a breakfast drink, briefcase, and her phone as she catches her bus to the office. This is called:

A) a group ritual.
B) binary opposition.
C) a cultural ritual.
D) preparing for battle.

Question 47

How can a myth be true and false at the same time?

Question 48

Which of the following statements best describes what a myth is?

A) A myth is a fiction that large numbers of people in a culture believe to be true.
B) A myth is a story that people like because it separates those in the know from those who are not culturally aware.
C) A myth is a story containing shared cultural symbolic meaning. The story may literally be true or false, but it conveys some cultural truth.
D) A myth is an old story that has been around so long that everyone in a culture can relate to it through shared memories.

Question 49

Define monomyth. Give an illustration.

Question 50

An ad that is based on the classic struggle between virtue and temptation draws on a(n):

A) metaphysical equation.
B) parable.
C) myth.
D) allegory.

Question 51

What is uncertainty avoidance?

Question 52

What is a myth? Give an example.

Question 53

What is power distance?

Question 54

A myth is a story containing symbolic elements that expresses the shared emotions and ideals of a culture.

Question 55

A type of myth in which a hero emerges from the everyday world with superhuman powers, wins a battle over evil, and then returns with the power to bestow good things on humanity is called a:

A) more.
B) monomyth.
C) paradise legend.
D) metaphysical myth.

Question 56

How do cultures that differ on the dimension of masculinity/femininity differ?

Question 57

In the non-Christian world, the story of Adam and Eve would be considered a Christian metaphysical myth.

Question 58

Every culture is different. According to Hofstede, much of this variability can be accounted for by five cross-cultural values. Name them and describe why this information is of importance to marketers.

Question 59

Describe the difference between an enacted norm and a crescive norm. Indicate forms that the crescive norm may take.

Question 60

The story goes that George Washington (as a small child) cut down his father's cherry tree with a hatchet. When asked who might have committed this act (even though young Washington was afraid of punishment for the act), George replied, "I cannot tell a lie; I cut down the cherry tree." This story has taken on mythical proportions in the United States and is designed to provide a model for personal conduct. Which of the following functions would the myth best match?

A) metaphysical
B) cosmological
C) sociological
D) psychological

Question 61

Carlos, while out shopping for a birthday gift for his wife, decides to buy himself a watch that he has been eyeing for a few months. This is an example of:

A) a transference reaction.
B) self-gifting.
C) relationship equality.
D) a gifting ritual.

Question 62

Ritual artifacts are:

A) the "props" of rituals; items used in performance of a ritual.
B) substitutes for ritual participation.
C) used in consumer rituals but not other kinds of rituals.
D) a set of instructions that tell how the ritual is to be conducted.

Question 63

Which of the following correctly identifies the three stages of gift-giving rituals?

A) gestation, emergent, and presentation
B) gestation, presentation, and termination
C) emergent, structural, and reformulation
D) gestation, presentation, and reformulation

Question 64

Nathalie has very long hair, and brushes it fifty strokes in the morning and another fifty at night to keep it looking beautiful. She is performing a:

A) cultural act.
B) personal ritual.
C) family ritual.
D) directed sacralization.

Question 65

People buying Christmas presents is based on what kind of event?

A) ideological
B) forced
C) structural
D) emergent

Question 66

Friday is pay day, so friends always meet for drinks after work. This is an example of a:

A) custom.
B) ritual.
C) rite.
D) norm.

Question 67

Patterns of behaviour that emphasize underlying symbolic meanings or social values are called:

A) habits.
B) addictions.
C) consumptive roles.
D) rituals.

Question 68

Mealtimes, bedtimes, and birthdays are all associated with the ________ ritual type.

A) civic
B) group
C) family
D) personal

Question 69

Among holidays, Halloween is unusual in that:

A) it lacks rituals altogether.
B) its rituals are somewhat opposite of more traditional holidays; an antifestival.
C) it is the only holiday that uses costumes.
D) it is the only holiday celebrated at night.

Question 70

The "before and after" phenomenon of grooming rituals underscores the:

A) fact that beliefs about appearance are just marketing hype.
B) almost mystical qualities of transformation we come to associate with the power of rituals.
C) illusory and artificial nature of beauty.
D) differences between rituals and rites of passage.

Question 71

Special times or events marked by a change in the social status of the participants are referred to as:

A) rites of passage.
B) antifestivals.
C) purification rituals.
D) mortification rituals.

Question 72

Jessica had been working hard all week at work and made her boss's deadline for completion of the quarterly report. That meant after work on Friday she was heading to the spa for a well-earned massage. This is an example of:

A) reformation.
B) a business ritual.
C) regifting.
D) self-gifting.

Question 73

Emily was looking online for something she could use to thank her assistant for all the extra overtime he had been putting into their last project. What stage of the gift-giving ritual is Emily in?

A) reformation
B) structural gestation
C) presentation
D) emergent gestation

Question 74

Dirk undergoes a rite of passage when he joins the military. Within weeks of signing the relevant papers, he leaves for boot camp. This stage is termed:

A) separation.
B) embarkation.
C) liminality.
D) aggregation.

Question 75

David went to the mall to buy some jeans for himself when he saw that all the decorations were up for the winter holiday season. While he was there he thought he could get a head start and see if he could find some things for his nephews. What stage of the gift-giving ritual is David in?

A) reformation
B) structural gestation
C) presentation
D) emergent gestation

Question 76

Sidney went to court to fight his speeding ticket. This is an example of what type of ritual?

A) rite of passage
B) cultural
C) civic
D) personal

Question 77

Researchers primarily see the gift-giving ritual as one of:

A) symbolic exchange.
B) psychological exchange.
C) economic exchange.
D) guilty exchange.

Question 78

Sharon is upset with her secretary. Though everyone in the office agreed not to give Christmas presents this year, Sharon's secretary gave her an expensive bottle of perfume. Which of the following terms most likely describes Sharon's feelings of concern?

A) cheapskate
B) self-serving
C) reciprocity norm
D) role transference

Question 79

Which of the following includes the three stages of a consumer's rites of passage?

A) separation, liminality, and aggregation
B) separation, luminosity, and consubstantiation
C) separation, de-individuation, and socialization
D) separation, liminality, and acculturation

Question 80

Arriving at boot camp for his basic training, Dirk must find his way around and adjust to his new life. This stage is termed:

A) embarkation.
B) liminality.
C) aggregation.
D) acculturation.