Ch 4

Which of the following, if true, strengthens the conclusion of the above passage?

American companies best thrive in cultures that are deal-oriented

The culture of which of the following countries has a close conversational distance?

Brazil

Which of the following, if true, best supports WFC's decision of entering the Swedish market?

By boosting worldwide demand, globalization has incentivized business expansion.

Which of the following situations is an example of geocentric orientation?

Derek, the VP of Banner Technologies, wants managers from the firm's India office to visit the U.S. branch to provide training to American officials visiting India.

In much of the world, ________ tends to dominate cross-national commerce

English

Which of the following situations is an example of the effect of globalization on culture?

English tends to dominate cross-cultural commerce.

A cultural metaphor is a generalization about a group of people that may or may not be factual.

False

An ethnocentric orientation positively impacts the ability of managers to manage business projects and new business practices abroad.

False

Businesses based in societies characterized by high uncertainty avoidance encourage managers to take risks and make quick decisions.

False

Communications, information, and transportation technologies have decreased people's ability to learn about and connect with unfamiliar cultures.

False

Cross-cultural proficiency cannot be obtained from reading books or befriending natives in one's own country.

False

Cross-cultural risk is often intensified by managers with geocentric tendencies.

False

Culture refers to the inherited attitudinal traits of an individual.

False

English is the most common primary language in the world.

False

Ethnocentric orientation refers to a host-country mind-set in which the manager develops a strong affinity with the country in which she or he conducts business.

False

In collectivist societies, competition for resources is the norm, and those who compete best are rewarded financially.

False

In companies with decentralized organizational structure, power is concentrated at the regional or corporate headquarters.

False

In societies with low uncertainty-avoidance, companies emphasize stable careers and produce many rules to regulate worker actions and minimize ambiguity.

False

In the advanced economies, firms that engage in services such as lodging and retailing account for a much lesser share of FDI than firms that manufacture products.

False

Japan and China are examples of low-context cultures.

False

The greater the cultural distance between the service provider and its customers, the less likely there will be cognitive and communication gaps.

False

Ashok, one of the Indian employees, asks Hank if the weekend training session could be rescheduled because it is a Hindu festival day. What will be the most likely outcome if Hank agrees to Ashok's request?

Hank will develop a relationship of trust and understanding with the Indian employees.

Which of the following would be the most important to evaluate before WFC internationalizes its operations?

Has global homogenization increased the likelihood that Swedes will try food from a different culture?

Which of the following managers portrays high uncertainty avoidance?

Henry is the managing editor at Paes publications. He emphasizes slow decision making, and is prone to investigate the nature and potential outcomes of several options.

Which of the following is characteristic of collectivist societies?

In collectivist societies, compromise and conformity help maintain group harmony

Which of the following is true with regard to culture?

It captures how the members of the society live.

Which of the following is true about globalization's effect on culture?

It liberates people culturally by undermining the ideological conformity of nationalism

Which of the following countries exhibit a high-context culture?

Japan

Which of the following is true about language?

Language has both verbal and nonverbal characteristics

Which of the following, if true, most supports the decision to operate the Tokyo store in a manner similar to Tag-Mart stores in the U.S.?

Local shoppers desire both efficiency and low prices

Which of the following is true about low-context cultures?

Low-context cultures rely on elaborate verbal explanations, putting much emphasis on spoken words.

After the first training session, a number of the Michigan employees expressed frustration that the Indian employees lacked technical knowledge because none of them asked questions or offered answers. Which of the following would be the best way for Hank to handle the situation?

Remind the American employees that the Indians may be showing respect by remaining silent.

Which of the following best supports the selection of Sato over Aoki?

Sato is familiar with both Tag-Mart operations as well as the local customs in Japan

Which of the following can be inferred from the above passage?

The Chinese culture is more likely than not to be relationship-oriented.

Business jargon unique to a culture can impede communication.

True

Company logos, trademarks, national flags, and historical monuments are considered symbolic productions.

True

Cross-cultural proficiency is characterized by four key personality traits: tolerance for ambiguity, perceptiveness, valuing personal relationships, and flexibility and adaptability.

True

Cultural differences necessitate adapting marketing activities to suit the specific needs of target markets.

True

Cultural intelligence focuses on specific capabilities important for high-quality personal relationships and effectiveness in culturally diverse settings and work groups.

True

Cultural values and attitudes can be transmitted through a variety of sources including parents, teachers, friends, government leaders, movies, television, and the Internet.

True

Ethnocentric assumptions lead to poor business strategies in both planning and execution.

True

Globalization brings a wider menu of choices to consumers and increases diversity within society.

True

In cultures with a monochronic view of time, people view time as linear, managers make commitments, set deadlines, and adhere to a strict schedule of meetings and activities.

True

In deal-oriented cultures, managers focus on the task at hand and prefer getting down to business.

True

Language has both verbal and nonverbal characteristics.

True

Language is a vital dimension that both reflects, and is reflected by, cultural differences.

True

Most companies have a distinctive set of norms, values, and modes of behavior that distinguish them from other organizations.

True

Nonverbal communication belongs to the deep cultural makeup that we are unaware of.

True

Technological advances are a key determinant of culture and cultural change.

True

Which of the following is necessary for WFC's management to evaluate in deciding whether it should open a restaurant in Sweden?

What style of food do Swedes typically enjoy eating?

Which of the following is most important for Tag-Mart's top management to determine while making a choice between Sato and Aoki as the new store manager?

Would customers at the Tokyo Tag-Mart prefer strong customer service or a U.S.-style shopping experience?

Polycentric orientation refers to ________.

a host-country mind-set in which the manager develops a strong affinity with the country in which she or he conducts business

Cultural intelligence is defined as ________.

a person's ability to function effectively in situations characterized by cultural diversity

High power-distance countries are characterized by ________.

a relative indifference toward social inequalities

Firms with high power distance are most likely to be characterized by ________.

concentrated power among executives and little autonomy for subordinates

Low-context cultures tend to ________.

conduct negotiations as efficiently as possible

With regard to the iceberg concept of culture, ________ is the most deeply embedded.

conversational patterns

Jordan is employed in an American investment firm and is currently working with some Japanese clients on a new project. He uses a lot of hand gestures during meetings which his clients find very distracting and rude. This has also led to many misunderstandings between Jordan and his Japanese clients in the recent past. Which of the following best describes such a situation?

cross-cultural risk

________ refers to a distinctive tradition or institution strongly associated with a particular society.

cultural metaphor

refers to the learned, shared, and enduring orientation patterns in a society.

culture

An "emic" analysis of culture ________.

describes behavior in terms meaningful to a person functioning within the culture

Business dealings in low-context cultures are characterized by ________.

efficient negotiations

The purpose of material productions in a society is to ________.

enable people to cope with their environments

Which of the following types of assumptions is the cause of most problems between business managers and foreign employees?

ethnocentric assumptions

As part of opening manufacturing units abroad, a U.S. apparel firm decided to send its apparel production coordinator Chris to Bangladesh. Chris is distressed that people don't come to meetings on time and finds it disrespectful when his team members stand too close to him. Chris may trigger a cross-cultural risk by a(n) ________.

ethnocentric orientation

Using one's own culture as a standard for judging other cultures is known as ________.

ethnocentric orientation

________ is a major factor in the emergence of a common worldwide culture

globalization

Culture is not ________.

inherited

Feminine cultures tend to emphasize ________.

interdependence among people

An idiom ________.

is an expression whose symbolic meaning is different from its literal meaning

Managers can achieve effective cross-cultural interaction by ________.

keeping an open mind and being inquisitive

The subjective dimension of culture includes ________.

manners and customs

Titania is a country characterized by a high-context culture. This implies that ________.

personal relations and goodwill are valued in Titania

Cross-cultural proficiency is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT ________.

preference for ambiguity

Values in a culture ________.

represent a person's judgments about what is good or bad, acceptable or unacceptable, important or unimportant, and normal or abnormal

________ are letters, figures, colors, or other characters that communicate a meaning.

symbols

Socialization is defined as ________.

the process of learning the rules and behavioral patterns appropriate to one's given society

Self-reference criterion is ________.

the propensity to view other cultures through the lens of one's own culture

Which of the following refers to the extent to which people can tolerate risk in their lives?

uncertainty avoidance

In a deal-oriented culture, managers ________.

) focus on the task at hand and prefer getting down to business

In polychronic cultures, ________.

) members are easily distracted and are inclined to do many tasks at once

Which of the following is a cultural barrier inherent to service firms that internationalize via FDI?

A firm's corporate culture is overly influenced by its national culture

Which of the following countries is an example of a strongly collectivist society?

China

What has been the impact of technology and the Internet on global culture?

Cultures have become increasingly similar due to shared experiences

Acculturation is defined as the process of ________.

adjusting and adapting to a culture other than one's own

Advertising themes often convey unfavorable and embarrassing interpretations. This is most likely because ________.

advertising themes often lose their original meaning in translation

The objective dimension of culture includes ________.

architecture of a society

In international business, successful managers ________.

are empathetic to cultural differences

Managers with a geocentric view of the world ________.

are generally better at understanding and accommodating similarities and differences among cultures

Prejudices in a culture ________.

are rigidly held attitudes, usually unfavorable, and usually aimed at particular groups of people