Deck 3: Differences in Culture

Question 1

The primacy of the value of group identification encourages managers and workers to move from company to company.

Answer 1

False
Explanation: The primacy of the value of group identification discourages managers and workers from moving from company to company.

Question 2

Primacy of the group is criticized for being incompatible with ideas of dynamism and entrepreneurship.

Answer 2

True
Explanation: The primacy of the value of group identification,which encourages conformity and does not reward individual achievements,offers little incentive for personal growth and cultivating the qualities of dynamism and entrepreneurship.

Question 3

A class system is closed system of stratification in which social position is determined by the family into which a person is born,and change in that position is usually not possible during an individual's lifetime.

Answer 3

False
Explanation: A class system is a form of open stratification in which the position a person has by birth can be changed through his or her own achievements or luck.

Question 4

Most nation-states are characterized by a single,homogenous culture.

Question 5

Social mobility refers to the extent to which individuals can move from one country to another.

Question 6

Ethical systems are exclusively grounded in the principles of religion.

Question 7

In a class society,individuals born into a class at the top of the hierarchy can slip down.

Question 8

Indian society is characterized by a low degree of social stratification and high mobility between strata.

Question 9

In countries with rigid class systems,the relative lack of class mobility and the differences between classes result in a gradual extinction of class consciousness.

Question 10

A caste system offers the biggest impediment to social mobility in a society.

Question 11

Generally,folkways are actions of little moral significance.

Question 12

Scholars are divided in their assessment of the relationship between religious and ethical systems and business practice in a society.

Question 13

In most Western societies,the social standing of individuals is not so much a function of whom they work for as of their individual performance in whatever work setting they choose.

Question 14

Strong identification with the group creates pressures for mutual self-help.

Question 15

Individuals born into a stratum toward the top of the social hierarchy tend to have worse life chances than those born into a stratum toward the bottom of the hierarchy.

Question 16

Class-based divisions between upper-class management and labor classes are instrumental in driving down production costs in countries characterized by significant class divisions.

Question 17

Individualism finds expression in a high degree of managerial mobility between companies,and this is not always a good thing.

Question 18

In all societies,individual attributes and achievements are viewed as being more important than group membership.

Question 19

There are cultures that embrace several nations.

Question 20

The emphasis on individualism facilitates team building within an organization.

Question 21

Islam is the most widely practiced religion in the world.

Question 22

Norms are classified into _____ and _____.

A)rules;restrictions
B)folkways;mores
C)responsibilities;rights
D)values;scriptures

Question 23

Many Islamic banks are prohibited from paying or charging interest by law.

Question 24

As theorized by sociologist,Max Weber,Protestant ethics find close resonance with "the spirit of capitalism."

Question 25

India boasts of a rapidly growing economy,in spite of the values of asceticism preached by Hinduism.

Question 26

The emphasis on individual religious freedom in Catholicism may have paved the way for the subsequent development of individualism as an economic and political philosophy.

Question 27

The general education level of a country is a good index of the type of promotional material that should be used there.

Question 28

In a society,actions of people directed toward one another are governed by a set of social rules called:

A)norms.
B)manifestoes.
C)structures.
D)scriptures.

Question 29

According to Buddhism,suffering arises from people's desires for material pleasures.

Question 30

_____ means an understanding of how cultural differences across and within nations can affect the way business is practiced.

A)Ethnocentricity
B)Cross-cultural literacy
C)Pan-culture integration
D)Acculturation

Question 31

Hofstede's findings about cultural dimensions have consistently defied standard Western stereotypes about cultural differences.

Question 32

According to Hofstede,high power distance cultures were found in countries that let inequalities grow over time into inequalities of power and wealth.

Question 33

Culture is:

A)a system of values and norms.
B)the same as religion.
C)a code of conduct to achieve spiritual enlightenment.
D)a system of codifying one's spiritual and religious beliefs.

Question 34

In a social context,the term "values" is used to mean:

A)the economic benefits that are inherent to a culture.
B)the collective wealth of the society.
C)the abstract ideas about what a group believes to be good,right,and desirable.
D)the political ascendancy of a country.

Question 35

Koran,the holy book of Islam,disapproves of free enterprise and engaging in profitable trade and commerce.

Question 36

Max Weber argued that the ascetic principles embedded in Hinduism encourage the kind of entrepreneurial activity in pursuit of wealth creation that we find in Protestantism.

Question 37

Confucianism is considered by the Chinese as the most credible authority on the concept of the supernatural and afterlife.

Question 38

Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world.

Question 39

According to the World Values Survey,as countries get richer,a shift occurs toward "traditional values" and away from "secular rational" values.

Question 40

Islam has roots in both Judaism and Christianity.

Question 41

What is the difference between folkways and mores?

A)Folkways are norms that are seen as central to the functioning of a society.
B)Violating mores can bring serious retribution.
C)Mores include rituals and symbolic behavior.
D)Folkways have much greater significance than mores.

Question 42

A _____ system is a closed system of stratification in which social position is determined by the family into which a person is born,and change in that position is usually not possible during an individual's lifetime.

A)caste
B)merit
C)class
D)classless

Question 43

When primacy of the group over the individual is stressed,cooperation is driven by the need to:

A)increase productivity and efficiency of the individual.
B)be exposed to different ways of doing business.
C)improve the performance of the organization.
D)ensure a high degree of managerial mobility between companies.

Question 44

Two dimensions of social structure are particularly important when explaining differences between cultures.The first is the degree to which the basic unit of social organization is the individual,as opposed to the group and the second is:

A)the standard of living and the per capita income.
B)the dominant religion and language spoken.
C)importance of family versus work.
D)the degree to which the society is stratified into classes or castes.

Question 45

A _____ is an association of two or more individuals who have a shared sense of identity and who interact with each other in structured ways on the basis of a common set of expectations about each other's behavior.

A)crowd
B)conference
C)group
D)colony

Question 46

Hierarchical social categories,often based on family background,occupation,and income,are referred to as:

A)social modes.
B)social statutes.
C)social strata.
D)social groups.

Question 47

Mores are defined as:

A)routine conventions of everyday life.
B)a set of greeting customs to be followed in different social contexts.
C)abstract ideas regarding one's personal conduct in a business setting.
D)norms that are seen as central to the functioning of a society and to its social life.

Question 48

In many Western societies,the _____ is the basic building block of social organization.

A)family
B)community
C)peer group
D)individual

Question 49

Identify a possible downside to the primacy of the group in a society?

A)It encourages managerial mobility between companies.
B)It could lead to a lack of dynamism and entrepreneurship.
C)It hampers team building and cooperation.
D)It causes an erosion of employee loyalty.

Question 50

In the American society,the emphasis on individual performance leads to an admiration of _____ and _____.

A)team spirit;conformity
B)individualism;entrepreneurship
C)self-effacement;networking skills
D)humility;flexibility

Question 51

Indictments against theft,incest,and cannibalism are examples of how violating _____ can bring about serious retribution.

A)structures
B)mores
C)folkways
D)etiquette

Question 52

Although all societies are stratified to some degree,they differ in two related ways.First,they differ from each other with regard to the degree of mobility between social strata;second,they differ with regard to:

A)the significance attached to social strata in business contexts.
B)the distinctions of caste and class in the society.
C)the terminology used to identify the different strata.
D)the number of strata in a particular society.

Question 53

_____ include rituals and symbolic behavior.

A)Folkways
B)Modes
C)Mores
D)Fellowship

Question 54

The relationship between culture and country is often:

A)congruent.
B)homogeneous.
C)ambiguous.
D)similar.

Question 55

Identification with the group an individual belongs to helps:

A)encourage the pursuit of better career opportunities and better offers.
B)acclimatize managers to different ways of doing business.
C)foster dynamism and entrepreneurship.
D)discourage employees from moving from company to company.

Question 56

The appropriate dress code in a particular situation,good social manners,eating with the correct utensils,neighborly behavior,and the like,are all guided by the _____ in a society.

A)folkways
B)modes
C)mores
D)fellowship

Question 57

A society's _____ refers to its basic social organization.

A)social structure
B)social bureaucracy
C)social scripture
D)social stricture

Question 58

A caste system differs from a class system in:

A)the degree to which an individual is the basic unit of social organization.
B)the degree of mobility between social strata.
C)the rituals and symbolic behavior practiced in both.
D)the degree of separation between the highest and the lowest income strata.

Question 59

One of the downsides to the emphasis on individualism is that:

A)it is difficult to build teams within an organization to perform collective tasks.
B)it fosters negative traits such as complacence and laxity among individuals.
C)it discourages managerial mobility.
D)it discourages dynamism and entrepreneurship.

Question 60

The different ways in which time is valued in different cultures is an example of the _____ in individual cultures.

A)folkways
B)modes
C)mores
D)laws

Question 61

A _____ system is a less rigid form of social stratification in which social mobility is possible.

A)class
B)caste
C)rank
D)grade

Question 62

Most of the world's ethical systems are the product of:

A)religions.
B)legal systems.
C)economic heritage.
D)sciences.

Question 63

The class system in the United States is less pronounced than in Britain because:

A)class membership is determined to a much greater degree by background and schooling in the United States.
B)only money begets money in the United States.
C)individuals can move smoothly from the working class to the upper class in a lifetime in the United States.
D)upward mobility could not normally be achieved in one generation in the United States.

Question 64

In the Islamic view of the world,humans are part of a collective in which:

A)the wealthy must lend money to the disadvantaged for a set interest rate.
B)the wealthy and successful have obligations to help the disadvantaged.
C)free-enterprise and trade and commerce for profit are forbidden.
D)only the wealthy and successful can own property.

Question 65

The four most dominant religions in terms of number of adherents in the world today are:

A)Christianity,Islam,Hinduism,and Buddhism.
B)Islam,Christianity,Judaism,and Hinduism.
C)Christianity,Confucianism,Islam,and Hinduism.
D)Islam,Christianity,Buddhism,and Judaism.

Question 66

How does the operation of a conventional bank differ from that of an Islamic bank?

A)Islamic banks are allowed to charge higher interest rates on loans.
B)Islamic banks cannot accept private deposits.
C)Islamic banks cannot pay or charge interest.
D)Islamic banks are not subject to any form of law.

Question 67

Ethical systems refer to a set of moral principles,or values,that are used to guide and shape _____.

A)religion
B)behavior
C)scriptures
D)theologies

Question 68

In a country called Dystopia,the citizens are barred from moving out of the strata they are born into.Individuals are also allowed to engage only in the occupation associated with their particular strata.The system of social stratification being practiced in Dystopia can be identified as a:

A)classless system.
B)caste system.
C)merit-based system.
D)class system.

Question 69

_____ is the world's oldest major religion.

A)Judaism
B)Hinduism
C)Christianity
D)Islam

Question 70

What could be a negative impact of heightened class consciousness in a society?

A)Increased mobility between occupations
B)A reduction in industrial disputes and low levels of industrial disruption
C)Most of the population perceives itself to be middle class
D)An antagonistic relationship between management and labor classes

Question 71

_____ refers to a condition where people tend to perceive themselves in terms of their class background,and this shapes their relationships with members of other classes.

A)Social mindedness
B)Class consciousness
C)Class literacy
D)Social consciousness

Question 72

"Mudarabah" and the "murabaha" are:

A)Islamic banking methods.
B)Arabic words for interest and usury,respectively.
C)banking practices that are prohibited by Islam.
D)laws governing Islamic banks.

Question 73

Islam has roots in both Judaism and _____.

A)Buddhism
B)Hinduism
C)Christianity
D)Confucianism

Question 74

Although the number of societies with caste systems diminished rapidly during the twentieth century,one partial example still remains in:

A)Japan.
B)China.
C)India.
D)Britain.

Question 75

Which German sociologist made a connection between Protestant ethics and "the spirit of capitalism" in 1904?

A)Hugo Münsterberg
B)Alfred Schmidt
C)Max Weber
D)Abraham Maslow

Question 76

The right to _____ was central to the nonconformist nature of early Protestantism.

A)freedom of form of worship
B)education
C)choice of occupation
D)free enterprise

Question 77

Muslim countries are likely to be receptive to international businesses as long as those businesses:

A)conform to Islamic ethics.
B)do not hold affiliations with supranational organizations like the WTO or IMF.
C)conform to guidelines laid down in international trade agreements like the GATT.
D)share a part of their profits with the economically disadvantaged in those countries.

Question 78

The rise of Islamic fundamentalism is,in part,a response to:

A)the denial of equal rights for women.
B)the move of traditional Islamic societies toward modernization.
C)the narrowing gap between the rich and the poor.
D)the increasing standard of living in Islamic societies.

Question 79

_____ is defined as a system of shared beliefs and rituals that are concerned with the realm of the sacred.

A)Culture
B)Caste
C)Philosophy
D)Religion

Question 80

According to Max Weber,the Protestant ethics that emphasize _____ facilitated the development of capitalism.

A)salvation in the next world,rather than this world
B)worldly gain and temporal power are as illusions
C)the spiritual progression of each person's soul
D)hard work,wealth creation,and frugality