Question 1

Which of the following time systems typify western cultures like most North Americans, Swiss, Germans, and Scandinavians and causes them to concentrate on one thing at a time?

Accepted Answer

M-time, or monochronic time, typifies most North Americans, Swiss, Germans, and Scandinavians. These Western cultures tend to concentrate on one thing at a time. They divide time into small units and are concerned with promptness. M-time is used in a linear way, and it is experienced as almost tangible, in that one saves time, wastes time, bides time, spends time, and loses time.

Question 2

Which of the following is true of the effect of differences in culture in business negotiations?

Accepted Answer

It is important to remember that the negotiating process is complicated, and the risk of misunderstanding increases when negotiating with someone from another culture.

Question 3

Which of the following is true of the business community's view about payoffs?

Accepted Answer

The decision to pay a bribe creates a major conflict between what is ethical and proper and what appears to be profitable and sometimes necessary for business. Many global competitors perceive payoffs as a necessary means to accomplish business goals.

Question 4

People in Brazil describe themselves as late arrivers, allow greater flexibility in defining early and late, are less concerned about being late, and are more likely to blame external factors for their delay. Which system of time do the Brazilian people most likely operate on?

Accepted Answer

The P-time system gives rise to looser time schedules, deeper involvement with individuals, and a wait-and-see-what-develops attitude.

Question 5

Academic studies of the causes and consequences of bribery, conducted by Transparency International (TI), indicate corruption is greater in:

Accepted Answer

According to studies conducted by Transparency International, higher levels of bribery have been found in low-income nations and nations with a communist past, both aspects of the political economy. Additionally, higher levels of bribery have been found in collectivistic (IDV) and high power distance (PDI) countries.

Question 6

Which of the following is true of P-time and M-time?

Accepted Answer

The important thing for the U.S. manager to learn is adjustment to P-time in order to avoid the anxiety and frustration that comes from being out of synchronization with local time. As global markets expand, however, more businesspeople from P-time cultures are adapting to M-time.

Question 7

_____ occurs when payments are extracted under duress by someone in authority from a person seeking only what he or she is lawfully entitled to.

Accepted Answer

Extortion occurs when payments are extracted under duress by someone in authority from a person seeking only what he or she is lawfully entitled to.

Question 8

In the context of business ethics, many people in sub-Saharan Africa view Western _____ as a kind of exploitation that prevents treatment of AIDS for millions.

Accepted Answer

Many in sub-Saharan Africa view Western intellectual property laws as a kind of exploitation that prevents treatment of AIDS for millions.

Question 9

France is higher on Hofstede's Power Distance Index (PDI) than the United States and formality still reigns in France. Which of the following American business practices would be most unacceptable to the French?

Accepted Answer

While using first names in business encounters is regarded as an American vice in many countries, nowhere is it found more offensive than in France. France is higher on Hofstede's Power Distance Index (PDI) than the United States, and such differences can lead to cultural misunderstandings.

Question 10

Which of the following organizations conducts an international survey of businesspeople, political analysts, and the general public on corruption and compiles the Corruption Perception Index (CPI)?

Accepted Answer

Among its various activities, TI conducts an international survey of businesspeople, political analysts, and the general public to determine their perceptions of corruption in 182 countries in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI).

Question 11

_____ is more dominant in high-context cultures, where the completion of a human transaction is emphasized more than holding to schedules.

Accepted Answer

Most low-context cultures operate on M-time. P-time, or polychronic time, is more dominant in high-context cultures, where the completion of a human transaction is emphasized more than holding to schedules. P-time is characterized by the simultaneous occurrence of many things and by "a great involvement with people."

Question 12

Which of the following is the best and most feasible means of solving the problem of language on the Internet?

Accepted Answer

Estimates are that 78 percent of today's website content is written in English, but an English e-mail message cannot be understood by 35 percent of all Internet users. The solution to the problem is to have country-specific websites, like those of IBM and Marriott.

Question 13

Rick, a customer relations manager with a leading multinational firm, manages various operations and deals with numerous domestic and international clients every day. Despite his hectic schedule, Rick never cuts a meeting short with anyone and frequently postpones subsequent meetings in order to devote ample time to each of his clients. Which of the following countries is Rick most likely to be from?

Accepted Answer

Rick is most likely to be from Japan because he, unlike his American counterparts, is not time-bound and driven by schedules that thwart the development of friendships. P-time, or polychronic time, is more dominant in high-context cultures, where the completion of a human transaction is emphasized more than holding to schedules. In Japan, where appointments are adhered to with the greatest M-time precision but P-time is followed once a meeting begins.

Question 14

_____ is probably the most common mistake of North Americans attempting to trade in the Middle East.

Accepted Answer

Haste and impatience are probably the most common mistakes of North Americans attempting to trade in the Middle East. Most Arabs do not like to embark on serious business discussions until after two or three opportunities to meet the individual they are dealing with.

Question 15

When compared to people operating on P-time, people operating on M-time:

Accepted Answer

M-time, or monochronic time, typifies most North Americans, Swiss, Germans, and Scandinavians. These Western cultures tend to concentrate on one thing at a time.

Question 16

Which of the following best explains the low percentage of women chosen for international assignments in the United States?

Accepted Answer

The gender bias against female managers that exists in some countries, coupled with myths harbored by male managers, creates hesitancy among U.S. multinational companies to offer women international assignments. The most frequently cited reason is the inability for women to succeed abroad. Unfortunately, such attitudes are shared by many and probably stem from the belief that the traditional roles of women in male-dominated societies preclude women from establishing successful relationships with host-country associates.

Question 17

Which aspect of Japanese culture, predicted by many to favor bribery, makes Japan's success in reducing corruption more remarkable?

Accepted Answer

Japan's successes in reducing corruption in its business system are all the more remarkable because of its relationship-oriented culture, which would be predicted by many to favor bribery.

Question 18

A firm whose marketing orientation is based on the belief that consumers and businesses alike will not buy enough without prodding is _____ oriented.

Accepted Answer

A firm whose marketing orientation is based on the belief that consumers and businesses alike will not buy enough without prodding is selling oriented.

Question 19

In the context of business ethics, which of the following factors majorly kept the American economy afloat at the turn of the century?

Accepted Answer

The individualism so important to Americans can also be seen as a kind of corruption. In India many attribute the decline in the society there to the rampant consumerism, such as that promoted on MTV. Such rampant consumerism is what kept the American economy afloat right after the turn of the century.

Question 20

Which of the following is true of the findings of Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index (CPI)?

Accepted Answer

Transparency International's CPI is also proving useful in academic studies of the causes and consequences of bribery. Higher levels of bribery have been found in low-income nations and nations with a communist past, both aspects of the political economy.

Quiz 5: Culture, Management Style, and Business Systems