21
43) The social media and technological skills of ________ are helping to change business
communication practices.
A) Generation X
B) Generation Q
C) Generation Y
D) Generation Z
E) Baby Boomers
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
44) All of the following except ________ can promote ethical choices across cultures.
A) sending honest messages
B) respecting cultural differences
C) capturing the moral high ground
D) sending and receiving messages without judgment
E) seeking mutual ground
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Application
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
22
45) Because of the low context culture, when it comes to decision-making customs, North
American executives
A) tend to focus on the results of the decisions they face.
B) prefer to make their deals slowly, after much discussion.
C) spend a lot of time on each little point to display their good faith.
D) arrive at decisions through consensus, after an elaborate and time-consuming process.
E) will usually give in if it allows them to avoid offending the other party.
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Application
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
46) Compared to low-context cultures, high-context cultures tend to take a ________ approach
regarding the meaning of business contracts.
A) less flexible
B) more literal
C) more flexible
D) more aggressive
E) less literal
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
23
47) Women executives who travel abroad
A) can count on being treated with respect, regardless of the countries they visit.
B) should always assume they will not be taken seriously as businesspeople.
C) may not be taken seriously as businesspeople, depending on the culture.
D) should insist on meeting only with other female executives.
E) are almost always treated with more respect outside the U.S. than inside the U.S.
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
48) Meeting a deadline is generally less important than building a relationship for businesspeople
in
A) technical career fields.
B) low-context cultures.
C) high-context cultures.
D) high-paying positions.
E) environments that emphasize teamwork and collaboration.
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Application
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
24
49) Associating youth with strength, and age with declining powers, is
A) a universal trait that characterizes all cultures.
B) common in European cultures, but not in the United States.
C) common in the United States, but not in many Asian societies.
D) an outdated practice.
E) a politically correct approach.
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
50) The ratio of men and women in entry-level professional positions is ________; however,
moving up the corporate ladder, the percentage of management roles held by men ________.
A) grossly unequal; remains flat
B) roughly equal; increases steadily
C) essentially the same; decreases steadily
D) skewed toward women; increases dramatically
E) grossly unequal; increases steadily
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Difficult
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
25
51) In a given culture, prevailing customs and attitudes that pertain to roles and status will
influence the
A) attitudes about instant gratification and long-term investing.
B) expectations for who communicates with whom, what they communicate, and in what way.
C) level of tolerance for people from other cultures or with divergent points of view.
D) flexibility with which employers and workers plan each business day.
E) change in the communication style of female executives.
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Difficult
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
52) A company that emphasizes ________ will encourage short-term sacrifices for the promise
of better outcomes in the long term.
A) a deterministic outlook
B) a live-for-the-moment mentality
C) an orientation toward the future
D) a laissez-faire approach to planning
E) openness and inclusiveness
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
26
53) Differences in ________, including hand gestures or eye contact, are a major source of
misunderstanding during intercultural communications.
A) contextual cues
B) nonverbal signals
C) situational enhancements
D) proverbial exchanges
E) generational norms
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
54) People in the United States generally
A) view hard-earned material comfort as a worthy goal.
B) believe that people who work hard are no better than those who don’t work hard.
C) condemn materialism and prize a carefree lifestyle.
D) spend far less time on the job than German workers do.
E) view luxury and comfort as harmful.
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
27
55) Compared to younger employees, older workers
A) are less respected in all cultures.
B) are more respected in all cultures.
C) can offer broader experience and high degrees of “practical intelligence.”
D) are generally not highly respected in Asian societies.
E) almost never find themselves in generational conflict with coworkers.
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
56) Ability differences among employees and customers
A) have led many companies to make websites more accommodating to persons with disabilities.
B) disappear when those individuals enter the workplace.
C) rarely affect their use of the internet and digital communication technology.
D) are impossible to accommodate when it comes to web accessibility.
E) none of the above.
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
28
57) Openness and inclusiveness
A) are not characteristics of many cultures, whose members display a general unwillingness to
accommodate outsiders.
B) characterize all cultures, wherever they are found.
C) are not truly characteristic of any culture, although some try to claim them.
D) are typical only of small, dying cultures.
E) will eventually weaken and destroy any culture.
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
58) As a rule, your colleagues and customers around the world will use the same communication
tools that you use.
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
29
59) Cultural context refers to the pattern of physical cues, environmental stimuli, and implicit
understanding that conveys meaning between members of the same culture.
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
60) Today’s workplace includes the members of four generations: the Radio Generation, Baby
Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. What challenges does the composition of the
contemporary workforce pose for on-the-job communication?
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
30
61) Since cultures do not always share the same perspectives on ethical issues, how can you keep
messages ethical during intercultural communication?
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Difficult
Classification: Synthesis
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
62) While working in a country with a high-context culture, you schedule a meeting with a
vendor who lives there. When he shows up 20 minutes after the meeting was supposed to begin,
should you take it as a sign of incompetence or disrespect? Explain.
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Critical Thinking
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world