Deck 3: Communicating Across Cultures

Question 1

Consumer services performed by people in countries outside the U.S. are becoming more common.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Globalization is having little or no impact on the 21^st century workplace.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Workers today can expect to see their jobs offshored in the next five years.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Technology has made it possible to find employees in other countries.

Question 5

Being able to read and speak English well will insulate you against having your job offshored.

Question 6

Thanks to media, the world is becoming less diverse than ever before.

Question 7

Understanding how to communicate with different cultures is a matter of learning a few simple rules.

Question 8

Issues of diversity do not include whites in the U.S.

Question 9

Many young Americans are already multicultural.

Question 10

Diversity increases in the global marketplace, where your customers, suppliers, subordinates, or bosses may have different cultural values and business practices.

Question 11

Because the U.S. maintains strong economic dominance over much of the world, Americans should expect other cultures to adapt to American ways of doing things.

Question 12

Many cultures are more formal than the United States, and this must be taken into account when writing to international audiences.

Question 13

What constitutes cheating is universal to every culture.

Question 14

The amount of personal space we need depends largely upon the culture in which we were brought up.

Question 15

Most North Americans measure time in five-minute blocks.

Question 16

All North Americans measure time in fifteen-minute blocks.

Question 17

In some cultures, shorter men are perceived as less qualified than taller men with the same credentials.

Question 18

Since manufacturing jobs are most at risk to be offshored, employees need not be concerned with globalization.

Question 19

At least one researcher predicts that American employers will move about 8 million white-collar service jobs overseas in the next 15 years.

Question 20

Because minority groups are less diverse than the majority, it's easier to make accurate judgments of them.

Question 21

Race and culture are intertwined-there is no way to separate one from the other.

Question 22

Audiences in the U.S. generally are easier to understand than audiences in other countries.

Question 23

Paying attention to diversity is more a matter of "political correctness"than good business sense.

Question 24

Though there is much talk about globalization, the truth is, very little has changed in the past 50 years in how businesses work.

Question 25

Since U.S. business has traditionally chosen its managers from white, middle-class males, intercultural communication is actually more important for people in other countries who wish to do business with us, than it is for us.

Question 26

In many countries, asking, "Who is your family?"is a more appropriate question than "What do you do?"

Question 27

Arab cultures generally are low context.

Question 28

In some cases, discourse community can override other kinds of cultural issues in communication.

Question 29

Cultures that are successful in the world market all believe that competition produces better performance.

Question 30

Although religion clearly affects people's daily life, it does not affect business practices.

Question 31

In some countries, it is considered presumptuous to promise action by a certain date.

Question 32

Nonverbal communication serves as a universal language that people from all cultures can understand.

Question 33

Strong eye contact is valued by all cultures, especially as a means to determine honesty and competence.

Question 34

People in the U.S. generally prefer more personal space than most people in the world.

Question 35

All North Americans see eye contact as a sign of honesty.

Question 36

In South Korea, red means "go,"while green means "stop."

Question 37

The differences between cultures are usually more telling than the similarities; therefore, it's pointless to pay attention to similarities.

Question 38

Phrases such as "she is a competent woman lawyer"promote goodwill because they demonstrate admiration for the person.

Question 39

It's OK to use "businessman"to refer to everyone in your organization, even if both men and women work there.

Question 40

BusinessWeek reports that

A) One third of all industries either operate globally or are in the process of doing so.
B) Two thirds of all industries either operate globally or are in the process of doing so.
C) Three quarters of all industries focus on domestic business.
D) Businesses are about as global today as they've ever been.
E) None of the above.

Question 41

An example of a high-context culture is

A) Japan.
B) United Arab Emirates.
C) Germany.
D) All of the above.
E) Only A and B

Question 42

In the U.S., status can be connoted by which of the following spatial arrangements?

A) Size of office.
B) Placement of office.
C) Privacy of office.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 43

When doing business in Japan, which person in a group would look most authoritative to the Japanese?

A) The youngest person.
B) The heaviest person.
C) The tallest person.
D) The shortest person.
E) None of the above.

Question 44

According to U.S. census figures, what amount of Americans aged 17 to 27 are Native Americans or of African, Latino, or Asian descent?

A) One sixteenth.
B) One eighth.
C) One quarter.
D) One third.
E) One half.

Question 45

For lunch, you meet a foreign executive who will decide whether to sign a contract with your company. You open by explaining you're the company's senior technical expert, you've won several awards, and you're well acquainted with the executive's company. The executive nods throughout. When lunch concludes, you hand her a contract. Rather than sign, the executive smiles politely and agrees to consider the offer. Most likely, the executive comes from what kind of culture?

A) Low-context.
B) High-context.
C) Direct.
D) Indirect.
E) None of the above.

Question 46

Nonverbal signals can be misinterpreted

A) Less easily than verbal symbols.
B) Just as easily as verbal symbols.
C) More easily than verbal symbols.
D) Rarely, if ever.
E) None of the above.

Question 47

During your interview with a potential hire, you observe he sits with his arms crossed much of the time. This is an example of

A) An open body posture that demonstrates confidence.
B) An open body posture that demonstrates indifference.
C) A closed body posture that demonstrates irritation.
D) A closed body posture that demonstrates discomfort.
E) A neutral body posture that demonstrates only a personal habit.

Question 48

You were to meet an international client at 6:30 p.m. She has still not arrived, and it is 7:00. You should

A) Leave, since she probably forgot the appointment.
B) Wait if you can, because it may be acceptable in her culture to be late.
C) Leave a note that explains that it is an American habit to be on time.
D) Wait if you can, and show up late to your next appointment with her.
E) None of the above.

Question 49

According to research, what percentage of people in Generation Y says being rich is their most important life goal?

A) 25%.
B) 41%.
C) 59%.
D) 81%.
E) 95%.

Question 50

A Millennial employee does not answer her e-mail messages in a timely fashion. The BEST channel to get a faster response would be

A) "Snail" mail.
B) Voicemail.
C) A memo.
D) A text message.
E) None of the above.

Question 51

You were born in 1988. Your manager, born in 1960, seemed irritated when for the third time you asked for feedback on your performance while drafting a problem-solving report. Chances are, your manager expects

A) Less autonomy from you.
B) The same autonomy from you.
C) More autonomy from you.
D) Nothing. She's just being difficult.
E) None of the above.

Question 52

Millennials have a positive reputation for all of the following EXCEPT

A) Working in peer groups.
B) Paying attention to details.
C) Gathering information.
D) Being optimistic.
E) All of the above are positive aspects of Millennials' reputation.

Question 53

Many women in business are uncomfortable when others compliment them on their appearance because they

A) Know that it is impossible to both look good and be effective.
B) Don't want their looks to be perceived as more important than their work.
C) Are insecure and can't take a compliment.
D) Believe that the speaker doesn't know what is in style.
E) None of the above.

Question 54

When a woman sits at the head of a table,

A) People will assume that she is the group's leader.
B) People will assume that she is the group's secretary.
C) Some people will assume that one of the men at the table is the leader.
D) Some people will assume that one of the men at the table is the secretary.
E) None of the above.

Question 55

Define the term "culture."Explain the differences between high-context and low-context cultures and give an example of each.

Question 56

Some people believe that problems for women and minorities are minimal today. Using evidence, explain why this is un.

Question 57

List the questions to ask to determine conversational style.

Question 58

Define "bias-free photos and illustrations"and explain how to achieve these.

Question 59

Culture provides patterns of acceptable ________ and ________.

Question 60

In ________ cultures, most of the information is inferred from the context of a message; little is explicitly conveyed. In ________ cultures, context is less important; most information is explicitly spelled out.

Question 61

________ _________ can be misinterpreted just as easily as can words.

Question 62

___________ and body movements connote energy and openness.

Question 63

Effective oral communication requires _________ understanding.