Deck 3: Sociocultural Forces

Question 1

When we use cultural frameworks to build our understanding of another culture,we use our own culture as an implicit reference point.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: By their very nature, these frameworks are comparative.

Question 2

International business managers need to be able to communicate across cultural borders,even if they don't speak foreign languages.

Answer 2

True
Explanation: Managers need to be able to communicate across cultural borders.

Question 3

Trompenaars's dimension of individualism versus communitarianism differs greatly from Hofstede's individualism-collectivism dimension.

Answer 3

False
Explanation: These dimensions are quite similar, as pointed out in the text.

Question 4

In Human Resources,the American employee protection laws (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [EEOC])allow an American company to be successful on the cultural front in all foreign labor markets.

Question 5

Business makes few costly mistakes in product introductions into foreign markets.

Question 6

When operating in other cultures,if we realize that,underneath it all,we are all the same,we will be fine.

Question 7

Although some business areas are affected by culture,accounting and finance are objective,and thus,universal.

Question 8

Anthropologist
E. T. Hall suggests that, to learn another culture, you need to spend two weeks in it with a training program.

Question 9

Hofstede's framework is based on social science theory.

Question 10

Cultural attitudes toward change can influence the acceptance of new production methods.

Question 11

In Hall's use,context is the irrelevant environment in a communication act.

Question 12

Hofstede describes his pragmatic versus normative dimension as dealing with Virtue regardless of Truth.

Question 13

Trompenaars's achievement versus ascription dimension describes social status based on what one does or who one is.The United States is a culture in which people build who they are through work,so its social status tends to be based on ascription.

Question 14

In high context cultures,people tend to form long-lasting relationships that endure over time.

Question 15

Your neighbor's business is cutting down an acre of first-growth,virgin forest and planting a lawn and garden beds at their headquarters.You are likely to be in an Anglo culture where domination of nature seems normal.

Question 16

We are each born with a unique culture.

Question 17

Leadership traits may vary some by culture,but underneath,they all build on the basic idea that all people want to be led and directed.

Question 18

Hofstede's individualism-collectivism dimension measures the degree to which people tend to be integrated into groups.

Question 19

Feminine cultures in Hofstede's dimensions care about relationships and are not focused on business success.For them,it is quality of life that matters.

Question 20

Trompenaars's dimension of universalism versus particularism measures whether rules or rewards regulate behaviors.

Question 21

Religion is not an important aspect of culture in countries that are secular where the church and state are split.

Question 22

Leadership is universal; all people want to be led.

Question 23

Hofstede's uncertainty avoidance measure captures

A) a society's level of comfort with uncertainty.
B) individual anxiety about uncertainty in a cultural context.
C) social anxiety and the use of alcohol in its reduction.
D) avoidance of aggressive behavior in a society.

Question 24

Conversational distance

A) is a constant globally.
B) varies across cultures.
C) determines the power distance in a culture.
D) is directly linked with body language.

Question 25

Because culture is not directly observable

A) it is best learned about by observation of how it manifests itself.
B) it is best ignored in foreign sales, to avoid mistakes.
C) it is best studied through language, since language is closest to culture.
D) it is likely to be impossible to comprehend.

Question 26

Religion is a part of a group's culture because

A) it is how a group worships.
B) religion is culture.
C) groups choose their religion, and culture is chosen.
D) it influences behavior through attitudes and beliefs.

Question 27

Human resources are influenced by cultural values because values are the foundation of motivation and evaluation.

Question 28

Hofstede's masculinity-femininity dimension is a measure of a culture's

A) distribution of roles between the sexes.
B) inclination to be kind and caring or task-focused and linear.
C) tolerance of gender-based workplace rules.
D) commitment to work (masculine) or family (feminine).

Question 29

There are few cultural misunderstandings in the discipline of marketing.

Question 30

There are three main classes of social institutions,based on the conditions of their formation: family,kinship,and free association.

Question 31

The most common cultural tradition from which various religions have grown is

A) Indian.
B) Mesopotamian.
C) Abrahamic/West Asian.
D) Greek.

Question 32

Culture frameworks are helpful,but their use may

A) oversimplify and limit our understanding and learning after a point.
B) give too much emphasis on culture.
C) result in too much empathy for a different culture.
D) lead to further frameworks and further complication.

Question 33

The unspoken language cannot tell the international manager something that the spoken language does not.

Question 34

Gift giving across cultures is a simple kindness and need not be complicated with attempts to understand.The act of generosity says everything in and of itself.

Question 35

"When in Rome,do as the Romans do" is a solid,moral guideline.

Question 36

The family is the basic unit of institutions based on free association.

Question 37

In business,the ritual of gift giving is a way to

A) unfairly influence or bribe prospective customers/clients.
B) give a huge advantage for international managers.
C) show fondness.
D) publicly acknowledge interrelationships and obligations.

Question 38

A culture's aesthetics is the sense of moral behavior taught to the young.

Question 39

A basic cultural truth is that

A) our way is the best way.
B) our way is not the only way.
C) Western culture leads others.
D) power goes to those who take it.

Question 40

Trompenaars's universalism-particularism dimension addresses

A) a culture's inclination to have a global foreign policy.
B) whether rules or relationships regulate behavior.
C) the degree to which the individual (particularist) is the focus of social attention.
D) which matters most to people in the society, universal goodness or particularist emotions.

Question 41

The explicit communicator in an LC culture (Hall)is

A) direct, unsubtle, and unambiguous: What you say is what you mean.
B) subtle, nuanced and indirect: Meaning accrues through not exactly what is said or done.
C) trying to close a deal and catch the next flight home, which was booked before arrival.
D) ready to act and tends to communicate in an indirect and polite way.

Question 42

Trompenaars's diffuse cultures are called diffuse because

A) their differentiation between public and private life is spread out freely (diffused).
B) specific responsibilities are spread over a wide area, that is, non hierarchical.
C) they extend the concept of culture to religion and other institutions.
D) diffusion exists to moderate cultural differences.

Question 43

Culture includes everything objective,and

A) because religion contains subjective values, it is not a part of culture.
B) religion contains values and is an important part of culture.
C) religion is separate from any national culture because it is objective truth.
D) religion cannot be considered a part of culture because it is not myth.

Question 44

"When in Rome,do as the Romans do" is an approach to dealing with culture that

A) will keep you on the straight and narrow because it works.
B) will never work because, unless you are Roman, you won't fit in.
C) violates what we know about culture because it relies on subjective perception.
D) is dangerous because such relativistic approaches lack a fundamentally ethical basis.

Question 45

Culture exerts an influence on all business disciplines

A) except accounting, which is objective.
B) because they all aspire to be culturally central.
C) because they exist in a social world in which culture operates.
D) except finance and accounting, which are quantitative.

Question 46

Kinship and free association are examples of

A) choices people make about their friendships.
B) the two basic types of social institutions, one chosen, the other not.
C) social clubs that operate as microcosmic cultures.
D) types of social institutions that, along with the family and the military, represent the basic institutions.

Question 47

Ethnocentricity gets in the way of communication across cultural borders because

A) it does not allow for clear listening.
B) people with inferior cultures will not want to communicate.
C) cultural borders promote an ethnocentric approach.
D) the belief in the superiority of your own culture tends to put others off.

Question 48

The specific-diffuse dimension has to do with

A) social patterns for child rearing.
B) patterns for public and private life.
C) eating rituals, especially with regard to soup.
D) photographic composition issues encountered in recording cultures.

Question 49

Material culture includes

A) only things that are used in production processes.
B) the makers of things but not those who use them.
C) all human-made objects.
D) all textiles and fabrics.

Question 50

The U.S.and Canada are small-power-distance countries as evidenced by

A) their expectation of a level playing field, socially, at least ideally.
B) their willingness to profile, based on gender.
C) their rule of law commitment.
D) their low tax levels.

Question 51

The ritual of gift giving in international business is important because it creates

A) an obligation to give a gift in return, thus involving you in an ongoing business expense.
B) a social bond that requires you to be a giver, a receiver, and a holder of an obligation to the other person.
C) a dangerous situation because it comes close to violating company policy, and the gift giver is watching closely.
D) a public display of aesthetic taste and commitment, along with a reading of the recipient's taste and commitment.

Question 52

Aesthetics is

A) an area of psychology that deals with truth.
B) a measurement used in the Middle East, similar to a hectare.
C) an area of philosophy that deals with beauty.
D) the area of medicine concerned with hygiene.

Question 53

The United States and Mexico share this Trompenaars dimension:

A) individualist
B) ascription
C) achievement
D) diffuse

Question 54

How do the dimensions of Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck's framework help us to better understand other cultures?

A) They are meant to help us decode kinship patterns.
B) They present choices that cultural members make when they act.
C) They help us decode evil.
D) They extend Hall's work, helping us to further understand beliefs and actions in other cultures.

Question 55

Magdi Batato's experience at Nestlé Malaysia

A) is an example of the global mind-set at work.
B) failed, which is why he was transferred to Russia.
C) intimidated his bosses at Nestlé and led to his dismissal.
D) led to his success heading a collective for subsistence farmers in S.E. Asia.

Question 56

Map-Bridge-Integrate is a useful tool to

A) build team-based groups.
B) help figure out what matters when working across cultures.
C) combat cultural diversity so a diverse group can be task focused.
D) plan escape routes when the strategic plan fails.

Question 57

Facebook is a social institution based on

A) our social needs.
B) its self-definition.
C) our acknowledgment of its function.
D) free association.

Question 58

Cultures are demarcated by

A) geographic borders.
B) local legislation.
C) spoken language and body language.
D) fashion and preference of citizens.

Question 59

A global mind-set is a set of skills that evidence

A) an openness to diversity and an ability to work across cultural borders.
B) an ability to think in the big picture.
C) an inclination to learn languages quickly and enjoy crossing cultural borders.
D) a willingness to be bored by tea ceremonies, Fourth of July parades, queen's birthday honors, and other national culture manifestations.

Question 60

Trompenaars's achievement versus ascription dimension describes social status based on what one does or who one is.In the U.S.,where people build who they are through work,social status tends to be

A) based on achievement.
B) ignored because the U.S. does not have classes.
C) based on ascription.
D) a subtle form of prejudice.

Question 61

In a small power distance culture

A) people will want direction, so top-down leadership styles are appropriate.
B) seniority, rank, and title are important.
C) first names are likely to be used in the office because the ideal is equality.
D) relatives will be welcomed into the workforce.

Question 62

Uncertainty avoidance describes man's search for truth,according to Hofstede,because

A) truth is primary to our human value system; everything else depends upon it.
B) it describes how comfortable the culture's members feel in an unstructured situation.
C) once you have truth, you can avoid change, which is always disruptive.
D) truth describes reality.

Question 63

Monochronic time is best illustrated by

A) university scheduling patterns.
B) a rock concert.
C) high context cultures such as Arab and Asian cultures.
D) all of these choices.

Question 64

Referring to Hall's high and low context framework,in a high context culture

A) communication is explicit.
B) the context carries much of the communication.
C) communication is direct and focused on the topic.
D) the context is irrelevant.

Question 65

That almost everyone in the U.S.self-identifies as middle class suggests that

A) the U.S. is a successful meritocracy.
B) the U.S. measures low on the uncertainty avoidance dimension.
C) the U.S. economy has failed to support an aristocracy.
D) the U.S. measures small on the power distance dimension.

Question 66

High context cultures tend to share this attribute:

A) need to delegate tasks.
B) willingness to let others talk.
C) polychronic approach along with nonlinear processes.
D) respect for nonachievement.

Question 67

Culture plays a significant role in the disciplines of

A) marketing, but not finance, because it is quantitative.
B) leadership, accounting, finance, marketing, human resources, and production.
C) marketing and human resources, but not production, finance, and accounting.
D) all foreign businesses but not businesses of the home country.

Question 68

Trompenaars's particularist dimension describes a culture in which

A) people think that rules apply equally to everyone.
B) choices are avoided.
C) relationships rather than rules regulate behaviors.
D) voting is democratic.

Question 69

In low context cultures

A) there is subtlety and innuendo.
B) what you say tends to be what you mean, in that communication tends to be explicit.
C) indirection is prized because it recognizes the ability of the other.
D) leadership is mostly from behind, allowing the workgroup to self-direct.

Question 70

Hofstede's masculinity-femininity dimension suggests that,as an international manager,you might well

A) avoid feminine cultures because their production levels will lag.
B) avoid very masculine cultures because they violate EEOC standards.
C) find men and women equally ready to assume leadership roles in a feminine culture.
D) find women too competitive in a feminine culture.

Question 71

When we use frameworks to help us understand culture,it's important to remember that frameworks

A) describe other cultures with precision.
B) can't be used to describe our own cultures.
C) are comparative, with our own culture the reference point.
D) accurately describe reality.

Question 72

Hofstede's dimension of restraint tends to be found in

A) Asian cultures.
B) Canada.
C) Western Europe.
D) Northern Africa.

Question 73

Low context cultures such as the U.S.tend to have these kinds of communication patterns:

A) subtle.
B) nondirective.
C) loudly voiced.
D) explicit.

Question 74

Culture includes everything but

A) religion.
B) religion and politics.
C) higher education and universal values.
D) none of the above.

Question 75

In high context cultures,face-to-face relationships tend to be important and

A) knowledge is situational.
B) decisions focus around personal relationships.
C) long term.
D) all of these choices.

Question 76

Individualism-collectivism measures

A) the degree to which people in the culture are integrated into groups.
B) the tendency to differentiate male roles.
C) the degree to which social inequality is tolerated.
D) the amount of social distance between relatives.

Question 77

Culture is a group of shared worldviews,social rules,and interpersonal dynamics that is

A) chosen consciously by each group to set themselves apart from other groups.
B) learned, interrelated, and shared.
C) used as a way to separate economic classes.
D) a collection of noble pursuits including opera, art, ballet, and classical music.

Question 78

Most developed nations have

A) small power distance.
B) high individualism.
C) strong uncertainty avoidance.
D) all of the above.

Question 79

In an affective culture (Trompenaars),emotions are seen as

A) responses to be freely displayed.
B) private, and therefore, not displayed.
C) a weakness, and therefore hidden.
D) appropriate to share with family members only.

Question 80

What is Hall's high and low context framework based upon?

A) Communication styles
B) Level of industrialization
C) Verbal behavior level of the culture
D) Scientific data