Quiz 2: Cross-Cultural Business

The first step in analyzing a nation's potential for international business activity is to examine its business climate.

Ethnocentricity facilitates the establishment of new businesses abroad.

Subcultures mimic the values,preferences,and beliefs of dominant cultures.

Subcultures do not exist in democratic countries with large populations.

Hispanics comprise a subculture in the United States.

Subcultures contribute very little to national culture and can be safely ignored when making marketing and production decisions.

A nation's cultural boundaries do not always correspond with its political boundaries.

Subcultures exist only within a nation's borders.

Low levels of class consciousness encourage social mobility and lessen conflict.

The cultural component that deals with elements of imagery and symbolism is known as material culture.

A culture's values tend to become more flexible over time.

Folk customs that spread by cultural diffusion to other regions develop into popular customs.

A nuclear family comprises of one's immediate family,along with grandparents,uncles,aunts,and cousins.

Social status is determined by family heritage,income,and occupation.

Religion is confined to national political boundaries.

When going global with an Internet presence,it is highly beneficial for a business to localize its Web site.

Literacy tests offer a reliable basis on which one nation's educational level can be compared with another.

Nations that invest in worker training programs are usually rewarded with an increase in productivity and a rise in income.

Brain drain is the departure of highly educated people from one profession,geographic region,or nation to another.

Cultures isolated by topographical barriers are characterized by slower cultural change.

Material culture often displays uneven development across a nation's industries.

Businesspeople measure material culture to determine whether a market can support production activities.

People in collectivistic cultures are given freedom to focus on personal goals.

A culture with small power distance tends to be characterized by considerable inequality between superiors and subordinates.

Cultures that score low on uncertainty avoidance tend to be less open to change and new ideas.

Which of the following terms is defined as the set of values,beliefs,rules,and institutions held by a specific group of people? A)law B)philosophy C)culture D)science

Ethnocentricity can be defined as the ________. A)scientific description of individual human societies B)systematic study of an ethnic group's religious core C)merging of all ethnic practices into one homogeneous culture D)belief that one's own ethnic group or culture is superior to that of others

Detailed knowledge about a culture that enables people to work happily and effectively within it is called ________. A)cultural literacy B)cultural imperialism C)cultural diffusion D)cultural divergence

Bob is a journalist who intends to spend the next five months exploring Konesia.In order to be able to fit in with the locals,he studies their culture in detail.He familiarizes himself with their tastes and preferences,takes note of their taboos,and memorizes many of their sayings and phrases.Which of the following terms best describes his actions? A)material culture B)popular culture C)cultural imperialism D)cultural literacy

Which of the following is defined as a group of people who share a unique way of life within a larger,dominant culture? A)macroculture B)subculture C)cultural universal D)monoculture

The Toro-Hessians are a minority group in the Margoza Archipelago,with a set of preferences,attitudes,and taboos,distinct from that of the national culture.Therefore,they are often overlooked when foreign businesses choose to customize their products for the inhabitants of the islands.The Toro-Hessian community is an example of ________. A)cultural universal B)monoculture C)subculture D)stratification

Which of the following is a cultural component that implies gauging the beauty and appeal of artwork? A)customs B)mores C)folkways D)aesthetics

Which of the following terms is used to refer to the ideas,beliefs,and customs to which people are emotionally attached? A)attitudes B)memetics C)aesthetics D)values

Which of the following terms is used to refer to the positive or negative evaluations,feelings,and tendencies that individuals harbor toward objects or concepts? A)customs B)attitudes C)traditions D)values

Which of the following statements is true of attitudes? A)Over the years,they become more rigid than values. B)They are learned from role models. C)Because they're formed within a cultural context,they mirror the attitudes of surrounding countries. D)They are developed only for the most important aspects of life.

A(n)________ is anything that represents a culture's way of life,including gestures,material objects,traditions,and concepts. A)social structure B)social status C)cultural baggage D)cultural trait

________ is increasing the pace of both cultural diffusion and cultural change. A)Collectivism B)Enculturation C)Fundamentalism D)Globalization

Which of the following refers to the process by which cultural traits spread from one culture to another? A)cultural heterogeneity B)cultural imperialism C)cultural diffusion D)cultural literacy

Cultural change occurs when people integrate into their culture the gestures,material objects,traditions,or concepts of another culture through ________. A)ethnocentricism B)cultural diffusion C)social stratification D)xenocentrism

The practice of exchanging rings at weddings,which was initially a pagan ritual,is now followed by most people across the world.Which of the following does this illustrate? A)cultural literacy B)cultural encoding C)cultural diffusion D)cultural lag

________ facilitate(s)the process of cultural imperialism. A)Strict product liability laws B)Relaxed trade and investment barriers C)Technological stagnation D)Social media censorship

________ refers to the replacement of one culture's traditions,folk heroes,and artifacts with equivalents from another. A)Cultural imperialism B)Social stratification C)Cultural encoding D)Social conditioning

The sale of Hollywood movies in Konesia has doubled in the last five years while those of locally-produced movies has fallen.In addition to this,sociologists have noted that currently,the teenagers of Konesia are less inclined to don their traditional costumes,preferring to adopt Western clothes instead.These changing trends illustrate ________. A)cultural imperialism B)cultural universal C)cultural retention D)cultural elitism

________ is a system in which a supervisor walks an employee through every step of an assignment or task,monitoring the results at each stage. A)Situational attribution B)Situational management C)Social mobility D)Social stratification

Which of the following terms is used to refer to habits or ways of behaving in specific circumstances that are passed down through generations? A)customs B)attitudes C)prejudices D)aesthetics

A folk custom can be defined as ________. A)behavior shared by a heterogeneous group or by several groups of people B)behavior,often dating back several generations,that is practiced by a homogeneous group of people C)positive or negative evaluations,feelings,and tendencies that individuals harbor toward objects or concepts D)positive or negative evaluations,feelings,and tendencies that individuals harbor toward themselves

Folk customs that spread by cultural diffusion to other regions develop into ________. A)trash culture B)traditions C)popular customs D)superstitions

The practice by which managers and other employees find jobs within their own companies for relatives is known as ________. A)ethnocentricism B)enculturation C)nepotism D)stratification

Nepotism often prevails in ________ cultures. A)extended-family B)individualistic C)monotheistic D)nuclear family

________ refers to socially learned traits associated with,and expected of,men or women. A)Conformity B)Social mobility C)Individualism D)Gender

Which of the following terms is used to refer to the process of ranking people into social layers or classes? A)social transformation B)social stratification C)social loafing D)social mobility

________ tend to occupy the highest social layer in industrialized countries. A)Teachers B)Scientists C)Medical doctors D)Business leaders

________ refers to the ease with which individuals can move up or down a culture's social ladder. A)Social standing B)Social mobility C)Social inertia D)Social loafing

A caste system is a system of social stratification in which ________. A)a person's social status is decided by his acquired wealth B)a person's position in society depends upon his educational qualifications and achievements C)people are born into a social ranking,with no opportunity for social mobility D)people join highly exclusive associations that encourage external interaction

Mika finds that he has very little control over several aspects of his life.Whether his education or occupation,the few options available to him are determined by his birth.Which of the following is a characteristic of Mika's society? A)There is no distinction between the people of high and low birth in Mika's culture. B)Mika belongs to a society in which there is little scope for mobility. C)Mika belongs to a society in which economic wealth determines social status. D)Mika belongs to a society in which caste system and social status is a myth.

A class system is a system of social stratification in which ________. A)people are divided into various political groups and subgroups B)a person's social rank depends upon his/her parentage C)people join highly exclusive associations that forbid external interaction D)personal ability and actions determine an individual's social status and mobility

Which of the following is the most common form of social stratification in the world today? A)racial segregation B)class system C)gender-based division D)language-based stratification

The ________ played a major role in the development of capitalism and free enterprise in nineteenth-century Europe. A)pillars of Islam B)Shinto doctrine C)Protestant work ethic D)tenets of Judaism

________ is crucial in production facilities where nonnative managers supervise local employees. A)Ethnocentricism B)Language proficiency C)Cultural isolation D)Individualism

Lingua franca is ________. A)a language spoken by all countries in a continent B)a form of non-verbal language adopted by all nations as the official language for business transactions C)a unique language developed by Asian countries D)a "link" language understood by two parties who speak different native languages

Which of the following terms is used to refer to the departure of highly educated people from one profession,geographic region,or nation to another? A)social mobility B)repatriation C)stratification D)brain drain

Over the last ten years,nearly 90% of medical graduates from Konesia have left the country for higher-paying jobs in the United States.What phenomenon has Konesia been witnessing? A)vested outsourcing B)brain drain C)redeployment D)repatriation

Reverse brain drain is the process by which ________. A)manual laborers migrate from low-income countries to high-income countries B)former communist nations lure professionals back to their homeland C)students from Europe choose to enroll themselves in American universities D)companies in high-income countries hire people from low-income countries to fill white-collar positions

Konesia is a country with a number of offshore islands.Its landscape is characterized by deep valleys,rocky plains,and impassable mountains.Which of the following statements about the country is true,keeping its topography in mind? A)Konesia is the ideal place to set up production facilities for multinational companies. B)Konesia experiences a slow rate of cultural change. C)Konesia is a receptive market for foreign automobile companies. D)Konesia is greatly susceptible to cultural imperialism.

Which of the following terms refers to the technology used in a culture to manufacture goods and provide services? A)vernacular culture B)popular culture C)trash culture D)material culture

________ is often used to measure the technological advancement of a nation's markets or industries. A)Material culture B)Popular culture C)Trash culture D)Vernacular culture

________ cultures value hard work and promote entrepreneurial risk taking. A)Short-term oriented B)High uncertainty avoidance C)Individualist D)Collectivist

Andy comes from a culture that emphasizes hard work and promotes the entrepreneurial spirit within individuals.While he and his coworkers are encouraged to achieve their personal goals,they are also held responsible for their actions.According to Hofstede's framework,which of the following dimensions does this culture illustrate? A)feminity B)individualism C)high power distance D)high uncertainty avoidance

According to Hofstede's framework,which of the following dimensions describes the degree to which a culture accepts social inequality among its people? A)power distance B)uncertainty avoidance C)individualism D)collectivism

According to Hofstede's framework,organizations which have cultures that score high on ________ tend to be more hierarchical,with power deriving from prestige,force,and inheritance. A)uncertainty avoidance B)power distance C)short-term orientation D)femininity

According to Hofstede's framework,a culture with large power distance tends to be characterized by ________. A)inequality between superiors and subordinates B)the absence of any form of hierarchy C)power derived from hard work and entrepreneurial drive D)a preference for individualism over collectivism

Sally,a social worker from the United States,has been stationed in Konesia for a year.She notices several things about the Konesian society; the people who report to her,for example,do so with an excessive amount of submissiveness,and her superior seems to expect the same of her.Which of the following statements about Konesia would be consistent with Hofstede's framework? A)Konesians work best in an informal environment. B)Konesia has a large power distance culture. C)Konesian society is primarily individualistic. D)Konesians derive power from their entrepreneurial drive.

According to Hofstede's framework,a culture with ________ values security and places its faith in strong systems of rules and procedures in society. A)large uncertainty avoidance B)low power distance C)short-term orientation D)high individualism

According to Hofstede's framework,cultures scoring high on the dimension of ________ tend to be characterized by personal assertiveness and the accumulation of wealth,typically translating into an entrepreneurial drive. A)power distance B)collectivism C)uncertainty avoidance D)masculinity

According to Hofstede's framework,cultures scoring high on the dimension of ________ generally have more relaxed lifestyles in which people are more concerned about caring for others as opposed to material gain. A)feminity B)ethnocentricity C)imperialism D)individualism

According to Hofstede's framework,cultures that score high on ________ value respect for tradition,thrift,and perseverance,and have strong work ethics. A)power distance B)masculinity C)uncertainty avoidance D)long-term orientation

According to Hofstede's framework,a culture that scores low on ________ is characterized by individual stability and reputation,fulfilling social obligations,and reciprocation of greetings and gifts. A)collectivism B)uncertainty avoidance C)long-term orientation D)feminity

According to Hofstede's framework,a culture that scores low on ________ can change more rapidly because tradition and commitment are not impediments to change. A)masculinity B)individualism C)long-term orientation D)risk-taking

Scenario: The French Government The French Government has placed many restrictions upon the use of the English language within their borders.They argue that the inflow of English movies,music,and literature is responsible for the dilution of their rich culture. -Which of the following statements,if true,strengthens their argument? A)The Education Board of France has made it mandatory for schools to teach students English as a second language. B)The sales of English novels have risen sharply,while those of French novels have declined to a corresponding extent. C)Stores now advertise their presence with two placards; one in English and one in French. D)French fashions are no longer popular in English speaking countries.

Scenario: The French Government The French Government has placed many restrictions upon the use of the English language within their borders.They argue that the inflow of English movies,music,and literature is responsible for the dilution of their rich culture. -Which of the following statements,if true,weakens their argument? A)Hollywood movies star French actors very often. B)English novels are more expensive than French novels. C)Contemporary French artists have failed to come up with original songs. D)A larger number of children are being given English names than traditional French names.

Scenario: The French Government The French Government has placed many restrictions upon the use of the English language within their borders.They argue that the inflow of English movies,music,and literature is responsible for the dilution of their rich culture. -Upon what assumption does their argument rest? They argument assumes that ________. A)the people of France prefer English music and movies to French music and movies B)the people of France no longer speak French C)the people of other countries aren't open to French cultural elements D)Hollywood movies don't have French subtitles

Scenario: The French Government The French Government has placed many restrictions upon the use of the English language within their borders.They argue that the inflow of English movies,music,and literature is responsible for the dilution of their rich culture. -Their argument is vulnerable to criticism because ________. A)most restaurants still display their menu cards in French B)they fail to take other social and cultural factors into account C)they do not distinguish between movies made by studios in England and movies made in Hollywood D)no other country screens French movies or star French actors

Scenario: The French Government The French Government has placed many restrictions upon the use of the English language within their borders.They argue that the inflow of English movies,music,and literature is responsible for the dilution of their rich culture. -Surveys conducted by a group of sociologists show that French children display more familiarity with the superheroes of Hollywood movies than with the heroes of their traditional folklore.The French Government can use this fact to prove the effect of ________ within their country. A)cultural imperialism B)social stratification C)ethnocentricism D)racism

Scenario: The French Government The French Government has placed many restrictions upon the use of the English language within their borders.They argue that the inflow of English movies,music,and literature is responsible for the dilution of their rich culture. -The French Government promotes the concept of ________ by building museums and monuments to preserve the legacies of important events and people. A)subculture B)national culture C)popular culture D)monoculture

Scenario: Frankfurter Friday Betty Cleveland is the vice president of Frankfurter Friday,a highly successful hot dog joint in Oceania.Her company decides to expand to Asia and identifies China as the ideal market.Before she leaves for China,she studies their culture extensively and discovers that the number four is considered extremely unlucky,that not everybody is fluent in China's official language-Mandarin-and that punctuality is a highly valued trait in the country. -Which of the following terms describes Betty's effort to learn more about the Chinese culture? A)cultural literacy B)cultural imperialism C)cultural divergence D)cultural heterogeneity

Scenario: Frankfurter Friday Betty Cleveland is the vice president of Frankfurter Friday,a highly successful hot dog joint in Oceania.Her company decides to expand to Asia and identifies China as the ideal market.Before she leaves for China,she studies their culture extensively and discovers that the number four is considered extremely unlucky,that not everybody is fluent in China's official language-Mandarin-and that punctuality is a highly valued trait in the country. -When selecting employees to help her establish their chain in China,she decides not to transfer Craig,as he believes that the people of China are less competent and skilled than the people of his country.What trait does Craig display? A)individualism B)imperialism C)ethnocentricism D)collectivism

Scenario: Frankfurter Friday Betty Cleveland is the vice president of Frankfurter Friday,a highly successful hot dog joint in Oceania.Her company decides to expand to Asia and identifies China as the ideal market.Before she leaves for China,she studies their culture extensively and discovers that the number four is considered extremely unlucky,that not everybody is fluent in China's official language-Mandarin-and that punctuality is a highly valued trait in the country. -Betty notices that organizations in China tend to be hierarchical with power derived from prestige and force.Which of the following statements is consistent with her observation? A)Chinese society considers caste system and class system a myth. B)Chinese men are subordinate to Chinese women. C)China scores high on the power distance dimension. D)China owes its success to its individualistic society.

Scenario: Frankfurter Friday Betty Cleveland is the vice president of Frankfurter Friday,a highly successful hot dog joint in Oceania.Her company decides to expand to Asia and identifies China as the ideal market.Before she leaves for China,she studies their culture extensively and discovers that the number four is considered extremely unlucky,that not everybody is fluent in China's official language-Mandarin-and that punctuality is a highly valued trait in the country. -Once in China,Betty witnesses the ease with which Chinese employees incorporate change and new ideas into their work-unlike the people of Oceania who prefer strong systems of rules and guidelines.Which of the following statements within Hofstede's framework is consistent with her observation? A)China scores low on the uncertainty avoidance dimension. B)China scores high on the feminity dimension. C)Chinese organizations are the least entrepreneurial. D)Chinese organizations have high levels of employee turnover.

Scenario: Frankfurter Friday Betty Cleveland is the vice president of Frankfurter Friday,a highly successful hot dog joint in Oceania.Her company decides to expand to Asia and identifies China as the ideal market.Before she leaves for China,she studies their culture extensively and discovers that the number four is considered extremely unlucky,that not everybody is fluent in China's official language-Mandarin-and that punctuality is a highly valued trait in the country. -One of Betty's employees,Dan,oversees the hot dog joint's decor.He designs all menu cards in shades of red and gold because those are considered lucky colors in China.He also uses his knowledge of Feng Shui when designing the building's interior.The cultural component Dan is involved in is ________. A)ethics B)stratification C)imperialism D)aesthetics

Scenario: Frankfurter Friday Betty Cleveland is the vice president of Frankfurter Friday,a highly successful hot dog joint in Oceania.Her company decides to expand to Asia and identifies China as the ideal market.Before she leaves for China,she studies their culture extensively and discovers that the number four is considered extremely unlucky,that not everybody is fluent in China's official language-Mandarin-and that punctuality is a highly valued trait in the country. -Against Betty's judgment,her boss decides to market Frankfurter's beef sausages in the town of Xunagshi,believing that it would rake in a huge profit.Which of the following,if true,would prove that her boss's decision is a bad one? A)There are very few vegetarians in Xunagshi. B)Due to their exposure to the Western culture,the youth of Xunagshi is more open to fast food than the town elders. C)The traditional dishes of Xunagshi are more expensive than the beef sausages. D)Xunagshi has a large Hindu population,all of whom are forbidden from eating beef.

Explain the Hofstede framework briefly.

Are the Kluckhohn-Strodtbeck and Hofstede frameworks useful for understanding subcultures? Why or why not?

How can a nation's topography affect the existence of subcultures?

Distinguish between attitudes and values.How do cultures differ in their attitudes toward cultural change?

Describe the relationship between culture and the physical environment.

Explain the concept of culture.Why is it important to avoid ethnocentricity and gain cultural literacy?

Describe brain drain and its impact on an economy.What is reverse brain drain?

Discuss the concept of lingua franca and how it affects communication in international business.

What are the two types of family groups? Why does the family play an important role in affecting business activities across the world?

Differentiate between folk and popular customs.Why are popular customs seen as a threat by some cultures? Support your answer with an example.