Deck 5: Cultural Influences on International Marketing

Question 1

Subcultures can be based on regional differences or on ethnicity or nationality:

Answer 1

True
Subcultures can be based on regional differences: Southern Italian consumers have different lifestyles than Italians in the North, for example. Northern Germans have a different world view from Germans in the Southern state of Bavaria. Subcultures are also based on ethnicity or nationality: Turkish Germans, for example, maintain many of their home-country traditions and strong ties to the old country.

Question 2

Culture is the key determinant of the manner in which individuals do business, or respond to a company's marketing strategy.

Answer 2

True
Culture is the key determinant of the manner in which individuals do business, or respond to a company's marketing strategy. Culture influences consumption. It exerts a profound influence on the firm's stakeholders such as government representatives, national and international consumer groups and interest groups, service providers, suppliers, channel members, and shareholders, among others.

Question 3

Of the world's dominant religions, Buddhism has had the most negative impact on marketing.

Answer 3

True
Buddhism stresses sufferance and avoidance of worldly desires, thus, in principle, rejecting most aspects of marketing.

Question 4

Proxemics refer to the timing of verbal exchanges.

Question 5

The sign of "OK" commonly used in the U.S. signifies zero in France, is a symbol for money in Japan, and is a vulgar gesture in parts of South America.

Question 6

Silence is one way to communicate with other individuals.

Question 7

Marketers selling their products in the United Arab Emirates should only use Arabic in their marketing communications.

Question 8

In Islamic countries, businesses are closed on Saturdays, the holy day of Islam.

Question 9

Languages like the Bantu language, which differentiate between multiple times of day, are very precise.

Question 10

As an ethnic subculture, Muslims make up a large proportion of large cities in Britain.

Question 11

In a high-context culture, what is said is precisely what is meant.

Question 12

As an ethnicity-based subculture, Southern Italian consumers have different lifestyles than Italians in Northern Italy.

Question 13

Unlike Germans, the French seldom use hand gestures to express themselves.

Question 14

In India, there are more than 300 minor languages and 3000 dialects.

Question 15

Language plays a prominent role as an element of culture.

Question 16

In the former Soviet Union, advertisements using the Marlboro Man were effective because of the popularity of Westerns.

Question 17

In general, Americans feel more comfortable standing or sitting closer to strangers than do members of other nationalities.

Question 18

Turkish Germans maintain many of their home-country traditions and strong ties to the old country.

Question 19

Cultures are groups of individuals with shared value systems based on ethnicity or common background.

Question 20

In fundamentalist Islamic countries, men's and women's business activities are segregated.

Question 21

Eating with chop-sticks in East Asia is an example of observing a cultural adiaphora.

Question 22

In the Middle East it is expected that a guest will bring a bottle of wine to the host.

Question 23

The process by which individuals learn the beliefs and behaviors endorsed by one's own culture is known as acculturation.

Question 24

Asian societies are fundamentally collectivist.

Question 25

M-time is attributed to individuals who tend to do multiple tasks at once; for these individuals, time is not linear.

Question 26

The nine-to-five schedule prevalent in the United States is common in most countries.

Question 27

Diwali is an important Hindu holiday, when the believers engage in a Puja (prayer), and typically wear new clothing.

Question 28

In East Africa, the role of women in business is more important than the role of men.

Question 29

Masculine societies emphasize values such as wealth, material success, ambition, and achievement.

Question 30

Addressing a German business person by his or her last name instead of using a first name is an example of observing a cultural adiaphora.

Question 31

Fast food restaurants in India offer lamb burgers or vegetarian burgers instead of beef burgers to cater to the Hindu population.

Question 32

Cultural training should be done through the international office of the company to understand the culture in the context of the company.

Question 33

If you arrived early to a party in Greece, the host/hostess would be flattered.

Question 34

There is a great deal of social mobility in countries like Great Britain and Spain.

Question 35

When first meeting a businessman in the Middle East, one should begin right away with talk about the business at hand.

Question 36

Samsung spends $80,000 a year per person to go abroad and literally goof off.

Question 37

In Latin America, top managers often illustrate their solidarity with the lower ranks by engaging in work activities that they do, going to the plant floor or eating at the workers' cafeteria.

Question 38

In countries where uncertainty avoidance is high, there is a feeling that what is different is dangerous.

Question 39

Presenting a dozen roses as a gift in Eastern Europe would be inappropriate.

Question 40

Recent Indian immigrants to the United States are less likely to be assimilated in this culture.

Question 41

Which of the following is not true of Saudi Arabia?

A)Women are not allowed to drive a car.
B)A salesman could not engage in door-to-door selling in an effort to appeal to the woman of the house.
C)Women can only bank at women's banks.
D)Personal services may be performed by individuals of a different gender.

Question 42

Regarding religion, the marketing manager should know that

A)Buddhism has had a negative impact on marketing and economic development.
B)Islamic law affect negatively all credit-granting activity.
C)Marketing to women is impossible in Islamic societies.
D)It is possible to find pork and alcohol in Islamic countries.

Question 43

Ramadan is

A)a religious period in the Islamic religion when observers are not allowed to eat until sundown.
B)a Jewish banking practice.
C)a Hindu holiday in which participants bathe in the Ganges River.
D)a religious observance for Buddhists in which alms are collected for the poor.

Question 44

A society's dominant values and attitudes are determined by its:

A)language
B)religion
C)history
D)economic status

Question 45

Which of the following is not a pivotal constituent of culture?

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

Question 46

Which of the following is not an illustration of a regional subculture?

A)Northern Germans
B)Gay and Lesbian consumers
C)Bavarians
D)Northern Italians

Question 47

Benetton's advertising campaign, "United Colors of Benetton" and Phillips' "Let's Make Things Better" campaign take advantage of local consumer culture positioning.

Question 48

Which of the following is true regarding the Turkish subculture in Germany?

A)They maintain Turkish traditions.
B)They maintain Muslim religious traditions.
C)They have large, extended families as part of the household.
D)All of the above are true regarding the Turkish subculture in Germany.

Question 49

Regarding languages, a marketer should know that

A)in India, there are approximately 200 minor languages and 1000 dialects.
B)English should be used in marketing in the United Arab Emirates.
C)a product with Dutch labeling is probably sold in France and Germany.
D)the spoken/written language of a country poses little concern for marketers.

Question 50

Which of the following is true?

A)Proctor & Gamble calls its tissues "nappies" in Britain.
B)In Britain the boot of an automobile is a protective covering.
C)"Hoovering" is a synonym for vacuuming in Britain.
D)All of the above are true.

Question 51

A person visiting the Middle East should not:

A)speak first
B)try to negotiate prices
C)look a person in the eye
D)cross his or her legs

Question 52

Regarding postures, orientations and oculesics,

A)a firm handshake convey's confidence in Asia.
B)eye contact coveys an attitude of honesty and respect in Japan.
C)an Eastern European woman may expect to have her hand kissed.
D)German men typically kiss each other on the cheeks.

Question 53

Negative outcomes of using the self-reference criterion are inflamed nationalist feelings or antiforeigner feelings targeting a particular company-even if the foreign company relies extensively on local suppliers and locally manufactures most products.

Question 54

Religion can be linked to cultural behaviors that have an impact on economic development and marketing. For example,

A)The Protestant religion stresses hard work and frugality and is linked to the development of capitalism and economic emancipation.
B)Judaism stresses education and has led to industrial development.
C)Islam dictates social etiquette, consumption, and bans the use of interest rates, affecting the relationship between men and women in the work place.
D)All of the above are true.

Question 55

One of the most difficult gestures to interpret between cultures is:

A)hand shakes
B)head shakes
C)smiling
D)kissing on the cheek

Question 56

Haptics refer to

A)the use of touch while conversing.
B)the timing of verbal exchange.
C)the movement of part of the body in order to communicate.
D)the relationship between physical space and the process of communication.

Question 57

In high-context cultures

A)business is conducted on e-mail or paper.
B)what is said is precisely what is meant.
C)business is typically done at arm's length.
D)trust is crucial and a handshake is as important and as reliable as a paper contract.

Question 58

Which of the following is true regarding subcultures?

A)They are components of the broader culture.
B)They are based on regional differences.
C)They are based on ethnicity.
D)All of the above are true regarding subcultures.

Question 59

Which of the following is not true regarding subcultures?

A)They are groups of individuals with shared values.
B)They are aspirational groups.
C)They are components of the broader culture.
D)They can be based on ethnicity.

Question 60

Global consumer segments are good in theory but do not yet exist.

Question 61

The process by which individuals learn the beliefs and behaviors endorsed by one's own culture is known as

A)enculturation.
B)acculturation.
C)assimilation.
D)the self-reference criterion.

Question 62

According to Hofstede's classification, which country has a feminine society?

A)Australia
B)Canada
C)Great Britain
D)Japan

Question 63

What is the first step of Lee's four step self-reference correction process?

A)Define the marketing problem in terms of the home country cultural traits, norms and values.
B)Define the marketing problem in terms of the host country cultural traits, norms and values.
C)Isolate the self-reference criterion influence and evaluate it to understand how it affects the marketing problem.
D)Redefine the marketing problem and, in the process, eliminate the self-reference criterion influence.

Question 64

In China, business relationships are seen as:

A)a long-term engagement.
B)a short-term engagement.
C)transaction-related only.
D)unnecessary for doing business.

Question 65

Which country operates on M-time?

A)Switzerland
B)Spain
C)Italy
D)France

Question 66

New products will most likely sell better in a market that:

A)has a low uncertainty avoidance
B)has a high uncertainty avoidance
C)is collectivist
D)is individualist

Question 67

Regarding time orientation, which of the following is true?

A)In Mexico, government workers are allowed a two hour siesta.
B)In Europe it is common to find someone at the office on Friday afternoons.
C)Vacation time in Europe lasts from May 1 to May 31, and little work gets done at that time.
D)In Islamic countries, businesses are closed on Fridays.

Question 68

Which country is not an example of a collectivist culture?

A)Australia
B)Colombia
C)Japan
D)Saudi Arabia

Question 69

Greeting a woman in Hungary by kissing her hand is an example of a cultural

A)imperative.
B)exclusive.
C)adiaphora.
D)faux pas.

Question 70

An American woman having to wear clothing that would cover her wrists, ankles, hair and face in Saudi Arabia is an example of a

A)cultural imperative.
B)cultural exclusive.
C)cultural adiaphora.
D)cultural enculturation.

Question 71

What locals may do but an outsider cannot do is a

A)cultural imperative
B)cultural exclusive
C)cultural adiaphora
D)cultural assimilation

Question 72

Which of the following is untrue regarding social class?

A)In the U.S. prominent politicians and business people commonly refer back to their humble beginnings.
B)Expatriates from Great Britain and Spain typically hide their lower-class origins.
C)Due to the influence of 800 years of Moorish control, Spain had a flexible social class referred to as egalitarian and democratic.
D)Mexico has an emerging middle class.

Question 73

Which region of the world has undergone great changes and individuals have lost "status security?"

A)Eastern Europe
B)Japan
C)Western Europe
D)North Africa

Question 74

Which of the following is an example of an instrumental value?

A)Equality
B)Ambitious
C)Happiness
D)A comfortable life

Question 75

Considering Hofstede's power distance, which of the following cultures does not have a vertical relationship structure?

A)Latin America
B)Eastern Europe
C)Middle East
D)the U.S.

Question 76

Masculine societies emphasize values such as

A)benevolence.
B)ambition.
C)preserving the environment.
D)equality.

Question 77

In Latin America when invited to a dinner party, arriving at the specified time indicates

A)respect for the host.
B)poor manners.
C)that the guest is socially prominent.
D)that the guest has a p-time orientation.

Question 78

To be successful in a market, a firm must be able to discern between:

A)cultural imperatives and cultural exclusives
B)cultural exclusives and cultural adiaphoras
C)cultural adiaphoras and cultural imperatives
D)all of the above

Question 79

The manner in which a gift is given is important. Which of the following is true of gift giving?

A)In Asia, gifts of significance should be given privately.
B)In the Middle East, gifts should be presented publicly.
C)In Asia, gifts such as pens with the company logo are accepted regardless of timing.
D)All of the above are true.

Question 80

Knowing what gifts are appropriate to give to your hosts is very important. Which gift would be inappropriate?

A)Bringing a bottle of wine to your host in the U.S.
B)Giving a box of cigarettes to a Romanian host
C)Bringing a box of handkerchiefs to an Eastern European host.
D)Giving an odd number of roses to a Russian host.