Deck 4: The Role of Culture

Question 1

Which virtue of a job candidate would most likely be perceived as valuable by a Japanese employer?

A) unity
B) a competitive nature
C) individualism
D) quantifiable material goals

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The third major source of motion pictures is ________.

A) Nollywood
B) Dollywood
C) Bollywood
D) Hollywood

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which form of family is most emphasized in Somalia?

A) nuclear
B) extended
C) blended
D) ancestral

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The first Harry Potter book had a different title in the United States than the one released in England.

Question 5

Culture is permanent; it does not change.

Question 6

Which country listed below is a group-focused society?

A) Japan
B) Germany
C) Ireland
D) Canada

Question 7

From what source do cultural changes usually occur?

A) internal forces
B) external forces
C) strengths
D) weaknesses

Question 8

Social stratification refers to how people in a society are ________.

A) sorted for housing
B) identified by families
C) paid for employment
D) categorized by attributes

Question 9

Culture is a learned behavior that is passed from one society member to another.

Question 10

In which country is nepotism valued?

A) the United States
B) Great Britain
C) France
D) China

Question 11

Individuals with a shared culture are members of a society.

Question 12

What is a culture? What are the basic elements of culture?

Question 13

Which term refers to the collection of values, beliefs, behaviors, customs, and attitudes that distinguish one society from another?

A) history
B) culture
C) politics
D) norms

Question 14

Businesses in ________ discourage nepotism while in ________ family ties are crucial to ensure the growth of a company.

A) the U.S.; China
B) China; Germany
C) Saudi Arabia; the United Kingdom
D) France; the United States

Question 15

Which form of family is most emphasized in the United States?

A) nuclear
B) extended
C) blended
D) ancestral

Question 16

Social structure is best defined as the ________.

A) means by which a society's members communicate with each other
B) attitudes of MNEs towards corporate social responsibility on a global scale
C) overall framework that determines the roles of individuals within a society
D) behavior of and opportunities available to MNCs operating in a given society

Question 17

Which of the following is not a component of social structure?

A) individual roles
B) stratification of society
C) individual mobility within society
D) societal dress codes within regions

Question 18

What are the four characteristics of culture? How can an international manager adapt to a culture and develop cross-cultural literacy?

Question 19

In which of the following countries is social mobility likely to be highest?

A) the United States
B) India
C) the United Kingdom
D) Hong Kong

Question 20

________ is the ability of individuals to move from one stratum of society to another.

A) Social stratification
B) Social mobility
C) Socialization
D) Hierarchical structure

Question 21

Describe the process of backtranslation. Why is it important in international business?

Question 22

What is the difference between social structure and social stratification? How do these elements affect international business?

Question 23

In highly stratified societies, MNCs must consider class differences among workers when making decisions about promotions.

Question 24

Country X has 14 official languages and nearly 2,000 dialects. Which of the following is most likely a true statement?

A) Nonverbal communication is unlikely to be very effective in Country X.
B) Income and value differences exist among the citizens of Country X.
C) MNEs should avoid Country X due to costly adaptation needs.
D) Nationhood is the defining factor of the society in Country X.

Question 25

Which country listed below is considered socially immobile?

A) United States
B) India
C) Canada
D) Singapore

Question 26

Backtranslation can help a firm avoid sending the wrong message to their customers.

Question 27

The ________ the society, the more possible it is for individuals to move from one stratum to another.

A) less stratified
B) more stratified
C) more populated
D) less populated

Question 28

Language can provide important clues about the cultural values of a society.

Question 29

Spanish is the lingua franca of international business.

Question 30

The Japanese concept of wa encourages individual achievement as a way to achieve social harmony.

Question 31

Because English is the common language of business, experts believe that managers from English-speaking nations do not need to learn foreign languages.

Question 32

Family is more important to business in China than in the United States.

Question 33

As a business student, do you think it is important that you learn a second language? Why or why not?

Question 34

Business transactions between firms in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom are facilitated by a shared language.

Question 35

Historically, the rigid class system and low social mobility in the United Kingdom has led to ________.

A) fewer young people seeking higher education
B) more elderly people dependent on families
C) less foreign investment in manufacturing
D) more tailored advertisements in the media

Question 36

Countries with multiple languages tend to be homogeneous.

Question 37

Why did the producers of The Apprentice have problems selling the Japanese version of the show to Japanese TV networks?

A) Public humiliation is avoided in the Japanese culture.
B) Japanese networks were offended by the show's language.
C) Backtranslation tools were unavailable to the Japanese producers.
D) The Japanese political system supports the concept of lifetime employment.

Question 38

U.S. firms' first exporting efforts often focus on ________.

A) Canada
B) Norway
C) Denmark
D) Mexico

Question 39

Social mobility tends to be lower in less stratified societies.

Question 40

Personal characteristics are more important than personal accomplishments in group-focused societies.

Question 41

While negotiating a contract between an American firm and a Japanese supplier, the Japanese manager responds by saying "yes." The Japanese manager probably meant ________.

A) yes, I agree
B) no, that's wrong
C) yes, I understand
D) I will think about it

Question 42

Before finalizing a new advertisement for the Chinese market, Barton Soda assigns one person to translate the advertisement from English to Chinese and another person to translate the translated version back into English. Barton is most likely using ________.

A) translation
B) backtranslation
C) proofreading
D) market pre-testing

Question 43

What percentage of information is transmitted among members of a culture by some means other than language?

A) 20-30 percent
B) 40-50 percent
C) 60-70 percent
D) 80-90 percent

Question 44

Communication senders and receivers from different cultures use ________ to encode or decode the message.

A) perceptions
B) cultural filters
C) written tools
D) media

Question 45

How are the HR practices of MNEs affected by status systems and religious practices in certain cultures? Illustrate your answer with specific examples.

Question 46

During a business meeting with Japanese executives, Jay, an American manager, uses his hand to make the "okay" signal. The Japanese executives will most likely interpret Jay's hand signal to mean ________.

A) okay
B) a vulgarity
C) money
D) homosexuality

Question 47

What are cultural clusters? How does an international business benefit from understanding cultural clusters?

Question 48

How can firms minimize the chances of miscommunication through translation errors?

Question 49

Bad news in Korea should be delivered ________.

A) right away
B) in private
C) at the end of the day
D) when another person opens a gift

Question 50

The rise of capitalism has been attributed by Max Weber to ________.

A) the Protestant ethic
B) consumption desires
C) democracy
D) economic hardships

Question 51

The primary purpose of conducting a backtranslation is to ________.

A) convey a positive image
B) meet FAA requirements
C) avoid communication mistakes
D) ensure global media functionality

Question 52

Religion ________.

A) is the exclusive means by which a society's members communicate with each other
B) shapes the attitudes its adherents have toward work, consumption, individual responsibility, and planning for the future
C) is the overall framework that determines the roles of individuals within a society, the stratification of the society, and the individuals' mobility within the society
D) stems from deep-seated beliefs about the individual's position in relation to his or her deity, the family, and social hierarchy

Question 53

________ is the lingua franca of international business.

A) French
B) Spanish
C) English
D) American

Question 54

Lingua franca means ________.

A) common language
B) French language
C) official language
D) Latin language

Question 55

Brandon, a U.S. manager, is on a business trip in Tokyo meeting with a group of executives. Brandon receives a gift from one of the Japanese executives. What should Brandon most likely do?

A) verify the gift's cost
B) open the gift in private
C) refuse to accept the gift
D) open the gift in front of the group

Question 56

Quadro Tires is an MNE with facilities in Australia, Ireland, Canada, and the United States. Which of the following is the least likely problem that Quadro experiences in global management?

A) political risks
B) cultural differences
C) language complications
D) supply chain variations

Question 57

Mario, a U.S. manager, is attending a business meeting with Saudi Arabian executives. During conversations, Mario should most likely expect that the Saudi Arabian executives will stand ________ from him.

A) 10 inches
B) 20 inches
C) 30 inches
D) 40 inches

Question 58

How can an MNE use language as a competitive weapon? What role does language play in cultural cluster approach of international business?

Question 59

Countries with multiple language groups tend to be ________.

A) homogeneous
B) heterogeneous
C) large
D) small

Question 60

The Protestant ethic stresses which of the following?

A) hard work
B) exuberance
C) material accomplishments
D) consumption

Question 61

________ is the cultural belief that the person comes first.

A) Social orientation
B) Individualism
C) Uncertainty orientation
D) Goal orientation

Question 62

Which of the following is considered to be highly individualistic?

A) United States
B) China
C) Singapore
D) Mexico

Question 63

A ________ comprises countries that share many cultural similarities.

A) value cluster
B) cultural cluster
C) trading bloc
D) region

Question 64

Which of the following is a negotiating style common among Japanese managers?

A) being argumentative
B) making subtle power plays
C) exhibiting emotional passion
D) making spontaneous decisions

Question 65

Cultural attitudes ________.

A) are the means by which a society's members communicate with each other
B) are the overall framework that determines the roles of individuals within a society
C) shape the behavior of and opportunities available to international businesses operating in a given culture
D) stem from deep-seated beliefs about the individual's position in relation to his or her deity

Question 66

In a high-context culture, the presence of a lawyer during business dealings would be considered a sign of ________.

A) wisdom
B) trust
C) distrust
D) pragmatism
E) commitment

Question 67

In which country does the attitude "time is money" prevail?

A) Japan
B) Saudi Arabia
C) Canada
D) Mexico
E) Argentina

Question 68

According to the text, ________ of the world's population claims a religious affiliation.

A) 94 percent
B) 84 percent
C) 77 percent
D) 64 percent

Question 69

Tristan is attending a business meeting in Saudi Arabia. How often during the day should Tristan expect his host to stop the meeting to pray to Allah each day?

A) 2 times
B) 3 times
C) 4 times
D) 5 times

Question 70

Hinduism stresses which of the following?

A) short-term thinking
B) frugality
C) materialism
D) consumption

Question 71

Which of the following is one of Hofstede's Five Dimensions?

A) scope orientation
B) cultural orientation
C) time orientation
D) knowledge orientation

Question 72

________ is a person's beliefs about the relative importance of the individual and the groups to which that person belongs.

A) Social orientation
B) Time orientation
C) Uncertainty orientation
D) Goal orientation

Question 73

Which of the following countries is considered a high-context culture?

A) Canada
B) Germany
C) China
D) England

Question 74

Which of the following is a characteristic of the Latin American negotiating style?

A) impatience with documentation
B) hiding of emotions
C) drawn-out decision making
D) a lack of loyalty to employer

Question 75

What is a greenfield investment?

A) a brand new investment
B) a corporate shift toward a "greener" strategy
C) a joint venture with a firm that is recognized as a "green" company
D) an overall shift in attitude towards less waste and more foreign investment

Question 76

According to the text, the second most popular religion in the world behind Christianity is ________.

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

Question 77

In India, a person's status depends on ________.

A) age
B) corporate affiliation
C) caste
D) personal achievement

Question 78

In a ________ culture, a speaker's words explicitly convey the speaker's message.

A) verbal
B) low-context
C) high-context
D) linguistic

Question 79

In ________, it is acceptable to interrupt meetings to greet family or friends who wander by.

A) the United States
B) Canada
C) England
D) Arab cultures

Question 80

According to Hofstede's Five Dimensions, ________ is the opposite of individualism.

A) wa
B) groupism
C) collectivism
D) goal orientation