Deck 2: Culture and International Management

Question 1

Confucian Dynamism is also known as short-term orientation.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Culture can affect all aspects of the management of a firm including, but not limited to, strategy, hiring, pay/promotion, organization, and evaluation of performance.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Cultures that score lower on masculinity tend to favor small-scale enterprises, and they place greater importance on environmental conservation.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Culture is the acquired knowledge people use to interpret experience and actions.

Question 5

In the U.S., a direct confrontation is seen as rude.

Question 6

The ethnocentric view of culture holds that multinational enterprises should treat each international subsidiary largely as a separate national entity.

Question 7

In an individual-oriented culture such as China, individuals would more likely focus on finding a new restaurant that others do not know about, that offers something unique and is not so crowded.

Question 8

The most masculine country is Argentina.

Question 9

Hofstede found that, in general, poorer countries tend to have higher collectivism scores.

Question 10

In cultures emphasizing a universalistic orientation, each situation must be judged separately.

Question 11

Parochialism is the belief that the only way to do something is the way it is done in one's own culture.

Question 12

In high power-distance countries, people are more likely to obey the orders of their superiors and often do not value being empowered.

Question 13

Protocol is how individuals in a business setting should interact with one another.

Question 14

The U.S. is more oriented toward history and tradition, compared with countries in Asia or the Middle East.

Question 15

In sequential cultures, such as the U.S. and Germany, schedules rule the business.

Question 16

Informal transmission can occur through efforts to socialize an individual, such as in schools and government.

Question 17

People in cultures with high uncertainty avoidance are more willing to accept the risks that are associated with the unknown, and accept that life must go on in spite of this uncertainty.

Question 18

The space orientation dimension is concerned with whether space is viewed as a public good.

Question 19

In low-context cultures, the context in which what is spoken plays a major role in communication and the behavior of individuals.

Question 20

People in high-individualistic societies, such as those of Japan, are motivated by their own preferences, needs, rights, and contracts and they tend to primarily look after themselves and do things by themselves.

Question 21

In a low-context culture:

A) interpretation is looser, which sometimes can be problematic for the listener.
B) lack of clarity or ambiguity is generally regarded as negative.
C) communication is less direct.
D) greater emphasis is placed on the context or nonverbal.

Question 22

Understanding proper etiquette when a prospective client or business partner arrives from overseas is an example of:

A) ethnocentrism.
B) protocol.
C) polycentrism.
D) parochialism.

Question 23

Performance orientation is concerned about the extent to which achievement is a motivator.

Question 24

The belief that the only way to do something is the way it is done in one's own culture is:

A) geocentrism.
B) polycentrism.
C) parochialism.
D) progressivism.

Question 25

In the U.S. and other Anglo countries, managers:

A) typically want to know about issues outside the sphere of work.
B) tend to be focused on work-related issues when they are in the workplace.
C) are expected to want to know about personal problems.
D) must be willing to help on many personal issues.

Question 26

Which of the following statements about monochronic societies is false?

A) Monochronic societies tend to do things in a linear way, valuing punctuality and strict schedules.
B) Most Northern European cultures, including the Anglo-American culture, are considered monochronic.
C) Schedules are more fluid in a monochronic culture, and people tend to do more than one thing at a time.
D) Business people from a monochronic culture can get frustrated when colleagues do not show up on time for a social dinner.

Question 27

In-group collectivism is the degree to which organizational and societal practices encourage the collective distribution of resources and collective action.

Question 28

Affective cultures do not discourage the expression of emotion.

Question 29

In high power-distance countries:

A) people are less likely to obey the orders of their superiors.
B) people often do not value being empowered.
C) organizations will have a small proportion of supervisory personnel.
D) organizations will be decentralized.

Question 30

The _____ view of culture holds that an individual or a firm will believe that their own way of doing things is the best, and will not seek to adapt to local cultural practices.

A) geocentric
B) polycentric
C) regiocentric
D) ethnocentric

Question 31

In high-context cultures:

A) the context in which what is spoken plays a major role in communication and the behavior of individuals.
B) the status of the person who is speaking and why the person is speaking do not impact the nature of how something is to be communicated.
C) the context has less impact on how such information is likely to be spoken and interpreted.
D) the information is very straightforward.

Question 32

Assertiveness is the degree to which individuals are confrontational.

Question 33

Which of the following statements about culture is false?

A) Culture is genetically-based and encoded and is also learned by people and encouraged by societies and governments.
B) Culture includes the knowledge, beliefs, customs, and other capabilities and habits acquired by members of a society.
C) The knowledge acquired from culture translates into values that guide behaviors.
D) Culture can be defined as the acquired, collective knowledge of a group that they use to interpret experiences

Question 34

Which of the following statements about high-individualistic societies is true?

A) The tendency of people is to associate with groups where group members look after each other in exchange for group loyalty
B) People work together more readily and do not mind subordinating themselves to the goals of the group.
C) They consist of loosely linked individuals, who view themselves as largely independent of groups that make their own choices.
D) People are less likely to adopt new ideas or try new things.

Question 35

The GLOBE study sought to examine the interrelationships between societal culture, organizational culture, and organizational leadership.

Question 36

_____ refers to how proactive individuals are in society.

A) Activity orientation
B) Space orientation
C) Time orientation
D) Relationships among people

Question 37

In terms of time orientation, Americans:

A) value tradition as paramount.
B) ensure that changes are consistent with their culture.
C) place high emphasis on historical events.
D) typically are willing to throw out old ideas.

Question 38

Heightened awareness for the values and frames-of-reference of the host culture is:

A) cultural diversity.
B) cultural difference.
C) cultural sensitivity.
D) cultural competence.

Question 39

The _____ view of culture holds that multinational enterprises should treat each international subsidiary largely as a separate national entity.

A) polycentric
B) ethnocentric
C) geocentric
D) regiocentric

Question 40

Which of the following is a region with a low-context culture?

A) East Asia
B) South Asia
C) Africa
D) Europe

Question 41

In cultures with a very high masculinity index such as Japan:

A) great importance is placed on cooperation, a friendly atmosphere, and employment security.
B) the school system is designed to teach social adaptation.
C) economic growth is seen as more important than conservation of the environment.
D) many women hold higher-level jobs and society expects them to devote themselves to their work.

Question 42

Compare and contrast parochialism, ethnocentrism, and polycentrism.

Question 43

What is power distance? What are the characteristics of high power-distance countries?

Question 44

Low uncertainty avoidance societies tend to have:

A) lower labor turnover.
B) less risk taking by managers.
C) more written rules.
D) less structure in organizational activities.

Question 45

Explain Trompenaar's view of time orientation.

Question 46

Which dimension emphasizes thrift, perseverance, a sense of shame, and following a hierarchy?

A) Femininity
B) Confucian Dynamism
C) Individualism
D) Uncertainty avoidance

Question 47

Countries organized around high uncertainty avoidance:

A) are willing to accept the risks that are associated with the unknown.
B) have populations that tend to have a higher need for security.
C) do not require previously established relationships to conduct business.
D) are willing to accept that life must go on in spite of uncertainty.

Question 48

_____ is concerned about the extent to which achievement is a motivator.

A) Humane orientation
B) Performance orientation
C) Individual orientation
D) Future orientation

Question 49

List some of the characteristics of a high-context culture.

Question 50

What is uncertainty avoidance? Compare and contrast countries with low and high uncertainty avoidance.

Question 51

_____ is the degree to which individuals express pride, loyalty, and cohesiveness in their organization or family.

A) Societal collectivism
B) Universalism
C) In-group collectivism
D) Particularism

Question 52

Which of the following is the most masculine country?

A) Japan
B) Ireland
C) Australia
D) Australia

Question 53

In cultures emphasizing a universalistic orientation:

A) judgments are more likely to be made with regard to the particular situation.
B) each situation must be judged separately.
C) judgments emphasize one's position in a hierarchy and one's loyalty.
D) people believe that absolute values such as truth are applicable to all situations.

Question 54

Which one of the following countries have low individualism and lower GDPs?

A) The U.S.
B) Canada
C) Sweden
D) Indonesia

Question 55

Write a detailed note on the GLOBE study.

Question 56

Write a detailed note on the time orientation dimension of the sociology framework developed by Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck.

Question 57

The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by unknown situations or by ambiguity in a situation is:

A) uncertainty avoidance.
B) culture shock.
C) power distance.
D) cultural sensitivity.