Ib ch 4

Hofstede's Cultural Typology

1.Power Distance 2.Individualism/Collectivism 3.Masculinity 4.Uncertainty Avoidance 5.Long-term Orientation

How do Cultural Differences Affect International Business?

A relationship may exist between culture and the costs of doing business in a country or region.

______ focuses on how 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

A.

The group is the primary unit of social organization in a) Japan b) the United States c) Switzerland d) Mexico

A. Japan

Which of the following is not characteristic of individualism? a) individual achievement b) low managerial mobility c) low company loyalty d) entrepreneurial behavior

B.

The basic social organization of a society is its a) culture b) social strata c) social structure d) caste system

C. Social structure

Four religions

Christianity (2.2 billion adherents) •Islam (1.6 billion adherents) •Hinduism (1.1 billion adherents) •Buddhism (535 million adherents)

The individualism vs. 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.

D.

The most widely spoken language in the world is a) Chinese b) Spanish c) Hindi d) English

D.

The term ____ is used by Hofstede to describe the degree to which people in a country are uncomfortable with unstructured, ambiguous, unpredictable situations. a. power distance b. masculinity c. short-term/long-term orientation d. uncertainty avoidance e. risk aversion

D.

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. True False

False

Confucianism can be accurately characterized as a religion. True False

False

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. True False

False

Norms

Norms include -folkways - the routine conventions of everyday life like dress codes, social manners, timeliness (video), and neighborly behavior. -mores - have more serious standards of behavior than folkways. It is central to the functioning of a society and to its social life.

Folkways include rituals and symbolic behavior. True False

True

Mores have much greater significance than folkways. True False

True

Several sociologists have argued that of the three main branches of Christianity—Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant—the latter has the most important economic implications. True False

True

Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism does not support the caste system. True False

Trye

Cross-Cultural Literacy

Understanding and adapting to the local culture is important for international companies

Class consciousness

a condition where people tend to perceive themselves in terms of their class background, and this shapes their relationships with others.

Ethical Systems

a set of moral principles, or values, that are used to guide and shape behavior

Religion

a system of shared beliefs and rituals that are concerned with the realm of the sacred

Culture

a system of values and norms that are shared among a group of people and that when taken together constitute a design for living where -values are abstract ideas about what a group believes to be good, right, and desirable -norms are the social rules and guidelines that prescribe appropriate behavior in particular situations

Abstract ideas about what a group believes to be good, right, and desirable are called a) norms b) values c) folkways d) mores

b) values

caste system

closed system of stratification in which social position is determined by the family into which a person is born ➢change is usually not possible during an individual's lifetime

class system

form of open social stratification • ➢position a person has by birth can be changed through achievement or luck

Groups

group is an association of two or more people 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

Social Stratification

societies are stratified on a hierarchical basis into social categories

Social structure

society's basic social organization

social mobility

the extent to which individuals can move out of the strata into which they are born