31
63) List at least three types of nonverbal differences might you encounter when working with
businesspeople from other cultures. Provide at least one example of how these differences might
cause misunderstandings in communication.
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Synthesis
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
64) Explain the difference between a high-context culture and a low-context culture, and provide
at least one example of each difference.
cultural differences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Synthesis
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
65) When adapting to other cultures, the “Golden Rule” is
A) a helpful principle to follow.
B) less effective than treating others the way they want to be treated.
C) helpful, but only in Asian countries.
D) helpful only when dealing with others in their “golden” years.
E) an exercise in tolerance.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Critical Thinking
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
32
66) Successful intercultural communication requires an ability to understand the other party’s
culture in addition to
A) learning key words and phrases from that culture.
B) working to promote group harmony.
C) following strict rules of verbal communication.
D) using the same approach to communication consistently.
E) understanding how your own culture shapes the way you communicate.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Critical Thinking
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
67) To help improve cultural competency, organizations should
A) be respectful of core principles of any country, organization or culture.
B) follow the tenets of the Golden Rule.
C) adjust policies and procedure for each country where business is conducted.
D) promote individualism within the organization.
E) conduct all important communication in writing.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Difficult
Classification: Critical Thinking
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
33
68) In the United States, companies most often reward and promote an employee based on
A) group success.
B) equality.
C) individualism.
D) consensus.
E) seniority.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Difficult
Classification: Critical Thinking
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
69) In the United States, businesses value time and schedules that promote
A) flextime.
B) meetings starting and ending at designated times.
C) that ability to walk in and out of meetings at will.
D) the need to multitask during meetings.
E) the need to improve teamwork functions during meetings.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Difficult
Classification: Critical Thinking
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
34
70) In the United States, the communication style tends to be
A) abbreviated because of instant messaging.
B) indirect.
C) focused on social relationships instead of business.
D) focused on group harmony.
E) focused on content and transaction.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Difficult
Classification: Critical Thinking
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
71) Business communicators can improve their cultural competency by
A) becoming aware of their own biases.
B) becoming more rigid and less flexible.
C) avoiding humor.
D) apply the Golden Rule wherever possible.
E) avoid working with those from tradition bound cultures.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Critical Thinking
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
35
72) When adapting to business cultures, a sense of humor
A) is inappropriate and unprofessional–business is no laughing matter.
B) can help people move past awkward and embarrassing moments.
C) is helpful unless you are in a management or executive position.
D) is accepted and helpful in many cultures, but not in the U.S.
E) will not help, since humor does not transfer from one culture to another.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Critical Thinking
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
73) When communicating with people from other cultures, it is best to apologize when you make
a mistake.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Critical Thinking
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
74) How can one adapt to a new business culture?
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Critical Thinking
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
36
75) Learning about an unfamiliar culture
A) can be accomplished only by living among its people.
B) is generally a waste of time since no one in business expects you to do so.
C) is a worthy undertaking, even if you learn only a small amount.
D) requires at least one year of study before it is meaningful.
E) is a bad idea, since it usually leads to overconfidence and embarrassing mistakes.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
76) If you will be living in another country where English is not the official language and you
will be doing business in English, you
A) will not need to learn that country‘s language.
B) should learn only those words that are necessary for getting around.
C) can show respect by making an effort to learn the language.
D) should only deal with natives who can speak English.
E) should have a translator be present for all conversations.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Easy
Classification: Application
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
37
77) Written messages from Japanese businesspeople tend to be ________ than those written in
the United States.
A) more direct
B) less direct
C) less interesting
D) shorter
E) better illustrated
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Application
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
78) In general, business correspondence in other countries is often ________ than that written
used by U.S. businesspeople.
A) less formal
B) more formal
C) more humorous
D) less direct
E) better illustrated
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
38
79) When writing for multicultural audiences, it’s important to
A) be brief.
B) be direct and assertive.
C) address international correspondence exactly as you would in the United States.
D) explain that you aren’t sure about what they expect.
E) apologize in advance for any mistakes.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Easy
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
80) When writing to businesspeople in other countries, you should
A) use an informal, friendly tone.
B) keep your sentences and paragraphs long.
C) be vague and general in your wording.
D) make generous use of transitional words and phrases.
E) include humor and pop-culture references throughout the document.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
39
81) When preparing a message to someone from another culture, you should
A) never write more than a single paragraph.
B) assume the audience is familiar with common U.S. phrases and references.
C) be sure to remove all graphics, in case they might offend someone.
D) be careful to express numbers and dates in the format used in that person’s culture.
E) use only simple sentences.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world
82) When writing to audiences whose first language is not English, using humor is generally
A) a bad idea, since jokes usually depend on culture-specific information.
B) an excellent way to establish a positive relationship.
C) acceptable, but only in high-context cultures.
D) acceptable, but only in low-context cultures.
E) a good way to establish rapport, but only if you use ethnocentric jokes.
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Describe the opportunities and challenges of communicating in a diverse
world