Deck 4: Differences in Culture

Question 1

Hofstede's research has been criticized because it was culturally bound.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Hofstede's concept of power distance focused on the extent to which different cultures socialized their members into tolerating uncertainty.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The mudarabah contract is the most widely used Islamic banking method, because it is the easiest to implement.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Hofstede's study found that in masculine cultures, sex roles were less sharply distinguished, and little differentiation was made between men and women in the same job.

Question 5

In countries where the value of group identification is considered to be primary, managers and workers are discouraged from moving from company to company.

Question 6

A caste system is a closed system of stratification in which social position is determined by the family into which the person is born.

Question 7

Max Weber believed that Protestantism encouraged capitalism's development by emphasizing the importance of wealth creation and frugality.

Question 8

Education plays an important role, from an international business perspective, as a determinant of national competitive advantage.

Question 9

Both Hindus and Buddhists stress the afterlife and spiritual achievement rather than involvement in this world.

Question 10

Individualism has led to a high degree of managerial mobility between companies resulting in managers who have good general skills but lack company-specific experience.

Question 11

In today's world of global communications, rapid transportation, and global markets, cultural differences have ceased to exist.

Question 12

An antagonistic relationship between management and labor classes may result in lower costs of production.

Question 13

Folkways include rituals and symbolic behavior.

Question 14

The term social strata refers to the extent to which individuals can move out of the strata into which they were born.

Question 15

A class system is a rigid form of social stratification in which the position a person has by birth cannot be changed through his or her own achievements or luck.

Question 16

Max Weber believed that devout Hindus would be less likely to engage in entrepreneurial activity than devout Protestants.

Question 17

Guanxi is an important mechanism for building long-term business relationships and getting business done in China.

Question 18

Islam is a polytheistic religion, like Christianity and Judaism.

Question 19

Upon meeting a foreign business executive, a Japanese executive will hold his business card in both hands and bow while presenting the card to the foreigner. This is an example of ritual behavior.

Question 20

Norms are abstract ideas about what a group believes to be good, right, and desirable.

Question 21

Because of its individualistic mind-set, Japanese culture is more supportive of entrepreneurial activities than American culture.

Question 22

Even if a ________ can be characterized as having a single homogeneous culture, often that national culture is a mosaic of subcultures.

A) culture.
B) country.
C) society.
D) norm.

Question 23

The term ________ refers to a group of people sharing a common set of values and norms.

A) mores
B) society
C) culture
D) folkway

Question 24

An act as simple as shaking hands when meeting new people is an example of

A) values.
B) symbolic behavior.
C) mores.
D) social stratification.

Question 25

The convergence hypothesis states that there is a slow but steady merging occurring across different cultures toward some universally accepted values and norms.

Question 26

The system of values and norms that are shared among a group of people and that when taken together constitute a design for living best defines

A) society.
B) value systems.
C) principles.
D) culture.

Question 27

According to Hofstede, the concept of Confucian dynamism captures attitudes toward time, persistence, protection of face, and respect for tradition.

Question 28

The value systems and norms of a country are unrelated to the costs of doing business in that country.

Question 29

Culture is

A) static.
B) not static.
C) unchanging.
D) abstract.

Question 30

Cross-cultural literacy refers to

A) an individual's self-concept derived from perceived membership in a relevant social group.
B) the phenomenon of merging and converging cultures.
C) abstract ideas about what a group believes to be good, right, and desirable.
D) an understanding of how cultural differences can affect business.

Question 31

________ is/are best defined as shared assumptions about how things ought to be.

A) Norms
B) Values
C) Society
D) Culture

Question 32

________ are the routine conventions of everyday life.

A) Folkways
B) Mores
C) Rites
D) Beliefs

Question 33

________ include such factors as indictments against theft, adultery, incest, and cannibalism.

A) Norms
B) Folkways
C) Mores
D) Values

Question 34

A Japanese executive's ritual of presenting a business card to a foreign business executive is an example of

A) mores.
B) a values.
C) an attitudes.
D) a folkways.

Question 35

International businesses that are ill-informed about the practices of another culture are likely to fail.

Question 36

When Jana visits her mother, she takes great pains to watch her language and use good manners because that is what her mother expects of her. This demonstrates the concept of

A) folkways.
B) mores.
C) rites.
D) beliefs.

Question 37

________ are social conventions concerning things such as the appropriate dress code in a particular situation, good social manners, eating with the correct utensils, neighborly behavior, and the like.

A) Values
B) Beliefs
C) Mores
D) Folkways

Question 38

People who share a common set of values and norms form a

A) culture.
B) society.
C) country.
D) caste.

Question 39

Social rules and guidelines that prescribe appropriate behavior in particular situations are best described as

A) norms.
B) values.
C) culture.
D) society.

Question 40

The term ________ also means culture.

A) folkway
B) society
C) country
D) norm

Question 41

According to ________, suffering originates in people's desires for pleasure.

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

Question 42

Which of the following refers to the extent to which individuals can move out of the strata into which they are born?

A) caste stratification
B) class system
C) social mobility
D) individual potential

Question 43

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

A) caste system
B) normative system
C) religious system
D) class system

Question 44

Max Weber theorized that there was a relationship between Protestantism and the emergence of modern capitalism because

A) Protestant ethics emphasize the importance of hard work and wealth creation and frugality.
B) Protestantism promotes the hierarchical domination of religious and social life.
C) Protestantism states that spiritual growth is more important than material wealth.
D) Protestantism promotes blind loyalty to employers.

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) society
B) collective
C) social strata
D) group

Question 46

Mores are

A) the norms that are seen as central to the functioning of a society and its social life.
B) the routine conventions of everyday life.
C) abstract ideas about what a group believes to be right, good, and desirable.
D) the social rules and guidelines that prescribe appropriate behavior in particular situations.

Question 47

Max Weber was a German sociologist who, in 1904, made the connection between ________ and "the spirit of capitalism."

A) Protestant ethics
B) ethnocentrism
C) cross-cultural literacy
D) collectivism

Question 48

The concept of mobility between castes within an individual's lifetime

A) is an opportunity to adopt positions of responsibility and influence in society.
B) makes no sense to traditional Hindus.
C) shows a figurative "reincarnation" of a person.
D) is a sign of spiritual progression to traditional Hindus.

Question 49

A society's social structure refers to its

A) system of values and norms.
B) basic social organization.
C) religious practices.
D) educational infrastructure.

Question 50

Hindus believe

A) that there is but the one true omnipotent God.
B) in reincarnation, or rebirth into a different body, after death.
C) in the importance of individual religious freedom.
D) that a material quest is more important than a spiritual quest.

Question 51

Ethical systems are

A) a set of moral principles, or values, that are used to guide and shape behavior.
B) shared beliefs and rituals that are concerned with the realm of the sacred.
C) routine conventions of everyday life.
D) social rules that govern people's actions toward each other.

Question 52

The social organization of Western society tends to emphasize on

A) a group orientation.
B) collectivist values.
C) individual achievement.
D) work groups.

Question 53

Religion may be defined as

A) routine conventions of everyday life.
B) social rules that govern people's actions toward each other.
C) shared beliefs and rituals that are concerned with the realm of the sacred.
D) a set of moral principles, or values, that are used to guide and shape behavior.

Question 54

Which of the following statements is true about a class system?

A) A class system is a more rigid form of social stratification, compared to a caste system.
B) A class system is a closed form of stratification.
C) Social mobility within a class system varies from society to society.
D) In a class system, social position is determined at birth and cannot be changed during an individual's lifetime.

Question 55

A major difference between Buddhism and Hinduism is that unlike Hinduism, Buddhism

A) does not support the caste system.
B) emphasizes wealth creation.
C) promotes blind loyalty to employers.
D) supports extreme ascetic behavior.

Question 56

Hinduism and Buddhism both stress the importance of

A) the caste system.
B) the afterlife.
C) Confucian ethics.
D) life on earth.

Question 57

Brad has been in trouble his whole life. He stole from the local hardware store when he was 12, and as an adult he didn't feel the need to be faithful to his wife. Brad is guilty of violating

A) mores.
B) folkways.
C) ethics.
D) values.

Question 58

Which of the following 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 system
B) class system
C) social system
D) cultural system

Question 59

________ are typically defined on the basis of characteristics such as family background, occupation, and income.

A) Social strata
B) Norms
C) Social structure
D) Groups

Question 60

A caste system differs from a class system because

A) a caste system is an open system of stratification, while a class system is a closed system of stratification.
B) it is not possible for an individual to change his or her caste, while a class system allows people to change their class through individual achievement.
C) the social mobility in caste systems varies from society to society, while in a class system there is no social mobility.
D) a caste system is a less rigid form of social stratification, while a class system is a comparatively more rigid form of social stratification.

Question 61

The ________ dimension of Hofstede's study explores how a society deals with the fact that people are unequal in physical and intellectual capabilities.

A) power distance
B) individualism versus collectivism
C) uncertainty avoidance
D) masculinity versus femininity

Question 62

Which of the following sociologists made a connection between Protestant ethics and "the spirit of capitalism"?

A) Karl Marx
B) Max Weber
C) Amartya Sen
D) Adam Smith

Question 63

Which of the following observations is correct?

A) The economic principles established in the Koran are against free enterprise.
B) The economic principles of Islam prohibit the payment or receipt of interest.
C) The Koran speaks disapprovingly of earning legitimate profit through trade and commerce.
D) Protection of the right to private property is not acceptable within Islam.

Question 64

The ________ instrument is designed to address the notion that a leader's effectiveness is contextual. It is embedded in the societal and organizational norms, values, and beliefs of the people being led.

A) GLOBE
B) WVS
C) IND
D) CVS

Question 65

The individualism versus collectivism dimension of Hofstede's study explored

A) the extent to which different cultures socialized their members into accepting ambiguous situations and tolerating uncertainty.
B) the relationship between gender and work roles.
C) how a society deals with the fact that people are unequal in physical and intellectual capabilities.
D) the relationship between the individual and his or her fellows.

Question 66

In countries where the value of ________ identification is considered to be primary, managers and workers are discouraged from moving from company to company.

A) individual
B) group
C) cultural
D) primary

Question 67

According to Geert Hofstede's study, which of the following cultural dimensions would be characterized by a greater readiness to take risks and less emotional resistance to change?

A) high power distance cultures
B) low uncertainty avoidance
C) high collectivism
D) low power distance cultures

Question 68

Which of the following statements is true about the murabaha contract?

A) Under the murabaha contract, when an Islamic bank lends money to a business it takes a share in the profits that are derived from the investment.
B) Under the murabaha contract, money deposited in a savings account is treated as an equity investment in whatever activity the bank uses the capital for.
C) The murabaha contract is widely used among the world's Islamic banks because it is the easiest to implement.
D) The murabaha contract is a more efficient system than the Western banking system since it encourages both long-term savings and long-term investment.

Question 69

Which of the following statements about the use of spoken language is true?

A) The nature of a language has no effect on the way we perceive the world.
B) The language of a society does not direct the attention of its members to certain features of the world rather than others.
C) Countries with more than one language often only have one culture.
D) Most people prefer to converse in their own language rather than English.

Question 70

A condition where people tend to perceive themselves in terms of their class background and this shapes their relationships with members of other classes is known as

A) class stratification.
B) social mobility.
C) class mobility.
D) class consciousness.

Question 71

According to Islam, those who hold property are regarded as

A) trustees.
B) owners.
C) tenants.
D) speculators.

Question 72

There are three values central to the Confucian system of ethics that have very important economic implications. Which of the following is one of these values?

A) filial piety
B) rule-based law
C) humaneness
D) honesty in dealings with others

Question 73

The emphasis on individualism in the United States results in which of the following advantages?

A) Managers tend to develop good general skills as well as company-specific experience.
B) Teams are built within an organization to perform collective tasks.
C) Executives are exposed to different ways of doing business.
D) It is easy to achieve cooperation-both within a company and between companies.

Question 74

An upper-middle-class manager tends to have hostile relationships with the working-class employees in the firm because of his tendency to perceive himself as superior to them based on his class background. In this example, the manager exhibits

A) class consciousness.
B) cultural awareness.
C) social mobility.
D) group orientation.

Question 75

________ refers to a society that allows relatively free gratification of basic and natural human drives related to enjoying life and having fun.

A) Persistence
B) Indulgence
C) Reciprocation
D) Restraint

Question 76

Hofstede's uncertainty avoidance dimension considered

A) the extent to which different cultures socialized their members into accepting ambiguous situations and tolerating uncertainty.
B) the relationship between gender and work roles.
C) how a society deals with the fact that people are unequal in physical and intellectual capabilities.
D) the relationship between the individual and his or her fellows.

Question 77

Martin worried a lot about his job, which he chose specifically because it was very structured with clear rules and regulations. He carefully planned his career to maximize job security and retirement benefits. Martin would rate high on which of Hofstede's four dimensions?

A) power distance
B) individualism versus collectivism
C) uncertainty avoidance
D) masculinity versus femininity

Question 78

The ________ is a research project spanning more than 100 countries that explores people's values and norms, how they change over time, and what impact they have in society and business.

A) World Values Survey
B) Global Leadership and Organization Behavior Effectiveness Instrument
C) Indulgence Versus Restraints Survey
D) Chinese Value Survey

Question 79

The ________ refers to the extent to which a culture programs its citizens to accept delayed gratification of their material, social, and emotional needs.

A) long-term versus short-term orientation dimension
B) indulgence versus restraint dimension
C) uncertainty avoidance
D) power distance dimension

Question 80

Under the mudarabah banking system, when an Islamic bank lends money to a business

A) it charges that business interest on the loan.
B) the business needs to pay back the loan with an additional markup.
C) it has to donate the interest received on the loan to a charitable trust.
D) it takes a share in the profits that are derived from the investment.