Deck 4: Differences in Culture

Question 1

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

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The term society is another name for a country; each country has a single society.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The most rigid system of stratification is a class system.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Ethical systems may be defined as a system of shared beliefs and rituals that are concerned with the realm of the sacred.

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

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

Question 7

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

Question 8

Culture is not static.

Question 9

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 10

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 11

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 12

The emphasis on the individual in the United States may raise the costs of doing business due to its adverse impact on managerial stability and cooperation.

Question 13

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

Question 14

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

Question 15

A country is defined as a system of values and norms that are shared among a group of people and that when taken together constitute a design for living.

Question 16

Folkways include rituals and symbolic behavior.

Question 17

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

Question 18

Class consciousness refers to a condition where people tend to perceive themselves in terms of their class background.

Question 19

The values and norms of a culture do not emerge fully formed.

Question 20

Folkways have much greater significance than mores.

Question 21

The protection of the right to private property is embedded within Islam.

Question 22

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

Question 23

According to Max Weber,Protestantism encouraged capitalism's development by emphasizing the importance of wealth creation and frugality.

Question 24

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

Question 25

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

Question 26

The Koran speaks disapprovingly of free enterprise.

Question 27

The connection between culture and competitive advantage has important implications for the choice of countries in which to locate production facilities and do business.

Question 28

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 29

People who take food or safety for granted tend to be xenophobic,are wary of political activity,have authoritarian tendencies,and believe that men make better political leaders than women.

Question 30

Unspoken language refers to nonverbal communication.

Question 31

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

Question 32

Confucianism is a religion.

Question 33

Since English is often thought of as the global language of business,it is not important for an American business executive to learn foreign languages.

Question 34

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

Question 35

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

Question 36

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

Question 37

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

Question 38

Like Christianity and Judaism,Islam is a polytheistic religion.

Question 39

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

Question 40

Unlike Hinduism,Buddhism supports the caste system.

Question 41

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 42

A group of people who share a common set of values and norms form a:

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

Question 43

Which of the following is a consequence of the emphasis on individual performance in many Western societies?

A) Decreased entrepreneurship
B) High degree of managerial mobility
C) Increased loyalty towards an individual company
D) Executives are not exposed to different ways of doing business

Question 44

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

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

Question 45

Which of the following statements about values and norms of a culture is NOT true?

A) The values and norms of a society do not emerge fully formed.
B) The values and norms of a society are the evolutionary product of a number of factors.
C) The values and norms of a society are influenced by religion.
D) The values and norms of a society do not influence social structure.

Question 46

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 47

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 48

Which of the following statements about mores is true?

A) Mores are the routine conventions of daily life.
B) Mores are actions of little moral significance.
C) In many societies,certain mores have been enacted into law.
D) People who violate mores may be thought of as ill-mannered,but they are not considered to be evil.

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

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 51

The social organization of Western society tends to emphasize on:

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

Question 52

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 53

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

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

Question 54

Norms refer to:

A) the social rules and guidelines that prescribe appropriate behavior in particular situations.
B) a system of values that are shared among a group of people.
C) the routine conventions of everyday life.
D) abstract ideas about what a group believes to be good,right,and desirable.

Question 55

The emphasis on individualism in the United States results in all of the following disadvantages EXCEPT:

A) managers tend to develop good general skills but lack the company-specific experience.
B) difficulty in building teams within an organization to perform collective tasks.
C) executives are not exposed to different ways of doing business.
D) difficulty to achieve cooperation both within a company and between companies.

Question 56

_____ are the routine conventions of everyday life.

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

Question 57

Which of the following is NOT true regarding culture?

A) Culture is static.
B) Culture varies across and within nations.
C) Culture is a system of values and norms that are shared among a group of people.
D) Culture involves the knowledge and beliefs of people.

Question 58

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 59

_____ 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 60

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

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

Question 61

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 62

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 63

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 64

Which of the following statements about the use of spoken language is NOT true?

A) The nature of a language structures the way we perceive the world.
B) The language of a society can direct the attention of its members to certain features of the world rather than others.
C) Countries with more than one language often have more than one culture.
D) Most people prefer to converse in English rather than their own language.

Question 65

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.

Question 66

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/her fellows.

Question 67

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 embedded within Islam.

Question 68

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 69

Three values central to the Confucian system of ethics have very important economic implications.Which of the following is NOT one among them?

A) Loyalty
B) Rule-based law
C) Reciprocal obligations
D) Honesty in dealings with others

Question 70

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 71

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 72

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 73

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 74

An upper-middle-class manager tends to have hostile relationship 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

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 76

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

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

Question 77

According to Islam,those who hold property are regarded as:

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

Question 78

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 material quest is more important than spiritual quest.

Question 79

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 80

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.