Chapter 4: The Meanings and Dimensions of Culture

A(n) _____ culture accords status based on age, gender, or social connections. A. diffuse B. ascription C. specific D. achievement

B. ascription

. Confucianism, associated with China, does not emphasize: A. respect for authority B. balance C. harmony D. profit

D. profit

Identify a true statement about the different approaches identified by Dutch researcher, Fons Trompenaars to describe the ways in which people deal with the concept of time. A. People in Mexico often build slack into their schedules to allow for interruptions. B. People in Mexico give utmost importance to the particular path or sequence used to reach an end. C. People in the United States adjust their approach because of factors that are beyond their control. D. People in the United States operate under more of a synchronous-time orientation.

A. People in Mexico often build slack into their schedules to allow for interruptions.

According to most scholars of culture, culture is: A. based on the human capacity to symbolize. B. based on the genetically driven adaptive process of animals. C. specific to single individuals. D. inherited or biologically based.

A. based on the human capacity to symbolize.

A(n) _____ culture is one in which both public and private space are similar in size and individuals guard their public space carefully because entry into public space affords entry into private space as well. A. diffuse B. neutral C. emotional D. specific

A. diffuse

. Hofstede's _____ dimension focused on the tendency of people to look after themselves and their immediate family rather than the tendency to belong to groups to look after each other in exchange for loyalty A. individualism versus collectivism B. masculinity versus femininity C. uncertainty avoidance D. power distance

A. individualism versus collectivism

. Nations that are collectivist in their approach tend to be characterized by: A. large power distance and low individualism. B. low power distance and high individualism. C. small power distance and weak uncertainty avoidance. D. large power distance and weak uncertainty avoidance.

A. large power distance and low individualism.

According to Dutch researcher Geert Hofstede, there are four original dimensions of culture. These are: A. power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, and masculinity. B. tolerance, group orientation, aggressiveness, and forwardness. C. group orientation, uncertainty avoidance, aggressiveness, and masculinity. D. tolerance, power distance, individualism, and aggressiveness.

A. power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, and masculinity.

According to Hofstede's time orientation dimension, which of the following statements is true about long-term-oriented societies? A. Traditions are sacrosanct. B. Family life is guided by shared tasks. C. Service to others is an important goal. D. Students attribute success and failure to luck.

B. Family life is guided by shared tasks

Which of the following statements is true about cultures with high communitarianism? A. Negotiations are typically made on the spot by a representative. B. People jointly assume responsibility. C. Entrepreneurial spirit is most likely high. D. People give more importance to personal and individual matters.

B. People jointly assume responsibility

According to Hofstede, countries with a high _____ encourage individuals to be independent decision makers and to define achievement in terms of recognition and wealth. A. power distance B. masculinity index C. uncertainty avoidance D. individualism score

B. masculinity index

Austria, the United Kingdom, the United States and Switzerland all are _____ cultures. A. diffuse B. specific C. emotional D. neutral

B. specific

. When examining the effects of the U.S. environment on the cultural values of Japanese managers working for Japanese firms in the United States, researchers found that these managers: A. did not believe that job security was important. B. supported the concept of formal authority. C. did not support the organizational values of group orientation and cooperation. D. perceived obedience and conformity to be very important.

B. supported the concept of formal authority.

The three completed GLOBE phases explore the various elements of the dynamic relationship between _____ and _____. A. time; the environment B. the culture; organizational behavior C. physical; psychological well-being D. political; economic systems

B. the culture; organizational behavior

_____ is the term used by Hofstede to describe "a situation in which the dominant values in society are caring for others and the quality of life." A. Collectivism B. Individualism C. Femininity D. Masculinity

C. Femininity

According to the priorities of cultural values of the United States, Japan, and Arab countries, the most important cultural value in the United States is _____. A. family security B. belonging C. freedom D. cooperation

C. freedom

Societal collectivism refers to the degree to which: A. individuals express pride, loyalty, and cohesiveness in their organizations or families. B. individuals in organizations or societies encourage and reward individuals for being fair. C. organizational and societal institutional practices encourage and reward collective distribution of resources and collective action. D. individuals in organizations or societies are confrontational.

C. organizational and societal institutional practices encourage and reward collective

Dutch researcher, Fons Trompenaars, recommends that when individuals from achievement cultures do business in ascription cultures, they should: A. make sure that their group has sufficient data to convince the other group that they are proficient. B. make sure that their group has knowledgeable people who can impress the other side. C. respect the status and influence of their counterparts in the other group. D. respect the knowledge and information of their counterparts on the other team.

C. respect the status and influence of their counterparts in the other group.

The word culture comes from the Latin cultura, which is related to cult or worship.

TRUE

Universalism is the belief that ideas and practices can be applied everywhere without modification.

TRUE

According to the GLOBE Cultural Variable Results, which of the following countries were the most assertive? A. Spain and the United States B. Egypt and the United States C. Spain and Ireland D. Ireland and Sweden

A. Spain and the United States

According to Dutch researcher, Fons Trompenaars, it is important to play hardball, test the resilience of the opponent, win some objectives, and always lose from time to time when dealing with those from cultures that believe: A. in dominating the environment. B. in letting things take their natural course. C. in caring for others. D. in compromising.

A. in dominating the environment.

. A(n) _____ culture is one in which people are accorded status based on how well they perform their functions. A. achievement B. ascription C. diffuse D. specific

A. achievement

_____ can be defined as acquired knowledge that people use to interpret experience and generate social behavior. A. Edification B. Culture C. Symbol D. Cognition

B. Culture

_____ is the extent to which people feel threatened by ambiguous situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these. A. Power distance B. Uncertainty avoidance C. Individualism versus collectivism D. Masculinity versus femininity

B. Uncertainty avoidance

Low-uncertainty-avoidance societies have organization settings with: A. lower labor turnover. B. less risk taking by managers. C. more ambitious employees. D. more written rules.

C. more ambitious employees.

A(n) _____ culture is one in which emotions are held in check. A. emotional B. buoyant C. neutral D. specific

C. neutral

An achievement culture is one in which people are accorded status based on their _____. A. age B. gender C. performance D. social connections

C. performance

Countries in which people blindly obey the orders of their superiors have a high _____. A. uncertainty avoidance B. masculinity index C. power distance D. individualism index

C. power distance

. In the context of integrating the dimensions of culture, which of the following are very useful in depicting what countries appear similar in values and to what extent they differ from other country groupings? A. Use of pie charts B. Use of concentric circles C. Normal distribution D. Cluster distribution

D. Cluster distribution

Which of the following fundamental questions is not included in the specific objectives of the GLOBE project? A. Are there leader behaviors, attributes, and organizational practices that are accepted and effective in only some cultures? B. What is the effect of violating cultural norms that are relevant to leadership and organizational practices? C. What is the relative standing of each of the cultures studied on each of the nine core dimensions of culture? D. How do attributes of societal and organizational cultures affect the behaviors of lower-level workers in an organization?

D. How do attributes of societal and organizational cultures affect the behaviors of lower-level workers in an organization?

According to a cross-cultural study of differences in work values, _____ managers placed a high value on deference to superiors, company commitment, and the cautious use of aggressiveness and control. A. U.S. B. German C. French D. Japanese

D. Japanese

_____ is the belief that circumstances dictate how ideas and practices should be applied. A. Universalism B. Individualism C. Communitarianism D. Particularism

D. Particularism

. In the context of Hofstede's original four dimensions, power distance is "the extent to which less powerful members of institutions and organizations accept that power is distributed unequally."

TRUE

4. In the context of Hofstede's original four dimensions, cultures with a high masculinity index tend to favor earnings, advancement, and challenge.

TRUE

A neutral culture is one in which emotions are held in check.

TRUE

In the context of Dutch researcher, Fons Trompenaars's relationship orientations, cultures with high universalism focus more on relationships and trust than on formal rules.

FALSE

In the context of Dutch researcher, Fons Trompenaars's relationship orientations, people in high-communitarianism societies stress personal and individual matters.

FALSE

In the context of Hofstede's original four dimensions, countries with low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures have a great deal of structuring of organizational activities, more written rules, less risk taking by managers, lower labor turnover, and less ambitious employees.

FALSE

In the context of the characteristics of culture, transgenerational means that culture has structure and is integrated; a change in one part will bring changes in another.

FALSE

In the context of the values in transition, the stateside Japanese managers, Japanese managers working for Japanese firms in the United States, believed that unconditional tenure in one organization was of major importance.

FALSE

In the context of values in transition, collectivism is on the rise in Japan.

FALSE

. Which of the following statements is true about stateside Japanese managers? A. They believed that unconditional tenure in one organization is of major importance. B. They believed that job security was important. C. They accepted the idea that one should not question a superior. D. They perceived obedience and conformity to be very important.

B. They believed that job security was important.

Dutch researcher, Fons Trompenaars's discussion of the dimension of _____ explores whether people believe in controlling outcomes (inner-directed) or letting things take their own course (outer-directed). A. time B. the environment C. masculinity D. ascription

B. the environment

. Which of the following is a characteristic of the Japanese culture? A. Nonconformance to hierarchic position B. Balance between a group and a personal orientation C. Group orientation D. Merit-based reward

C. Group orientation

Which of the following dimensions measures the freedom to satisfy one's natural needs and desires within a society? A. Achievement versus ascription B. Specific versus diffuse C. Indulgence versus restraint D. Universalism versus particularism

C. Indulgence versus restraint

Culturally, a German can be expected to have a _____ handshake. A. gentle B. light and quick C. brusque and firm D. long and involved

C. brusque and firm

In China, Confucianism, which was overshadowed, is slowly gaining popularity once again, emphasizing respect for authority, concern for others, balance, harmony, and overall order.

TRUE

In the context of Hofstede's original four dimensions, organizations in high-power-distance countries will tend to be centralized and have tall organization structures.

TRUE

In the context of cultural diversity, a supplemental way of understanding cultural differences is to compare culture as a normal distribution and then to examine it in terms of stereotyping.

TRUE

In the context of the important values in the Japanese culture, paternalism is often measured by a manager's involvement in both personal and off-the-job problems of subordinates.

TRUE

In the context of the values in transition, China is moving away from a collectivist culture.

TRUE

Hofstede found that wealthy countries have higher collectivism scores and poorer countries higher individualism scores.

FALSE

A diffuse culture is one in which individuals: A. guard their public space carefully. B. greet each other with a great deal of enthusiasm. C. are direct and extroverted. D. have a large public space and a small private space.

A. guard their public space carefully.

According to Dutch researcher, Fons Trompenaars, _____ refers to people regarding themselves as individuals, while _____ refers to people regarding themselves as part of a group. A. individualism; communitarianism B. individualism; universalism C. universalism; particularism D. communitarianism; universalism

A. individualism; communitarianism

Countries that have high individualism and relatively low power distance: A. prefer others to do things for themselves. B. are upset when others have more power than they do. C. are not upset when others have more power than they do. D. are collectivist in their approach.

A. prefer others to do things for themselves.

. An achievement culture is a culture in which status is attributed based on who or what a person is.

FALSE

. When depicting cultural diversity through visually separating its components by using concentric circles, the inner circle: A. contains the norms, beliefs, dimensions, and values of society. B. contains the implicit, basic assumptions that govern behavior. C. consists of language and art. D. consists of food and buildings.

B. contains the implicit, basic assumptions that govern behavior.

Paternalism, measured by a manager's involvement in both personal and off-the-job problems of subordinates is very important in _____. A. the United States B. Australia C. Japan D. France

C. Japan

Which of the following statements is true about restrained societies? A. People give importance to freedom of speech. B. People are more likely to remember positive emotions. C. People experience a perception of helplessness. D. People are less likely to give importance to law and order.

C. People experience a perception of helplessness.

Hofstede's _____ dimension looked at the relationship between gender and work roles. A. power distance B. uncertainty avoidance C. masculinity versus femininity D. individualism versus collectivism

C. masculinity versus femininity

Cultures with low _____ have people who are more willing to accept that risks are associated with the unknown and that life must go on in spite of this. A. individualism B. power distance C. uncertainty avoidance D. masculinity index

C. uncertainty avoidance

In his early research, Dutch researcher, Fons Trompenaars, found that in countries such as the United States, Australia, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom, there was high _____. A. particularism B. communitarianism C. universalism D. individualism

C. universalism

According to the priorities of cultural values of the United States, Japan, and Arab countries, independence is the top cultural priority in Japan.

FALSE

. In the context of how people deal with the concept of time, which of the following statements is true about the sequential approach identified by Dutch researcher, Fons Trompenaars? A. People show a strong preference for following plans but are likely to deviate. B. Appointments are approximate and may be changed at a moment's notice. C. Schedules are subordinate to relationships. D. People tend to do only one activity at a time.

D. People tend to do only one activity at a time.

According to a cross-cultural study of differences in work values, _____ managers placed a high value on the tactful acquisition of influence and on regard for others. A. Chinese B. German C. French D. U.S.

D. U.S.

. _____ are basic convictions that people have regarding what is right and wrong, good and bad, and important or unimportant. A. Tenets B. Edicts C. Norms D. Values

D. Values

Dutch researcher, Fons Trompenaars, recommends that when people from specific cultures do business in diffuse cultures, they should _____. A. try to get to the point and be efficient B. learn to structure meetings with the judicious use of agendas C. not acknowledge achievements or skills that are irrelevant to the issues being discussed D. not get impatient when people are being indirect or circuitous

D. not get impatient when people are being indirect or circuitous

Cultures with a low masculinity place great importance on conservation of the environment and tend to favor _____. A. third world countries B. less developed countries C. underdeveloped countries D. small-scale enterprises

D. small-scale enterprises

When depicting cultural diversity through visually separating its components by using concentric circles, the middle ring contains the norms and values of society.

TRUE