Chapter 11 – Intercultural Communication and Business
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CHAPTER ELEVEN
Multiple Choice Questions
1. How is the current demographic diversity of business employees in the United States different
from the past?
a. They are younger.
2. Which of the following statements is true about the current demographic diversity of the
workforce, business ownership, and consumer trends in the United States?
a. Businesses still fail to realize the enormous buying power of people with disabilities.
3. Omar is confused by his new boss, Ted, who does not seem to act like a boss. “He is always
asking for suggestions and he told us to call him by his first name,” he told a colleague. “Do
you think he really knows what he is doing?” Omar probably comes from a culture which
values _____.
a. low power distance
4. Jessica really likes working for her boss Juanita. “She acts very informally and lets me call her
by her first name,” she told her mother. “In fact, the first day I met Juanita, I did not even
know she was the manager because she dresses just like the rest of us!” Jessica and her boss
both probably come from cultural groups which value _____.
d. individualist orientation
5. People from cultures which value _____ tend to feel that an organization functions best when
the differences in power are clearly marked.
a. collectivist orientation
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6. People from cultures which value _____ tend to feel that power distances should be minimized
and that an egalitarian view is best.
a. low power distance
7. Ke Guiwen is visiting the United States from China. As he visits several companies and talks
to both workers and managers, he is surprised to realize that although U.S. workers seem to
have more autonomy than the employees in his company, they also tend not to work together
to complete tasks. In this scenario, Ke Guiwen’s surprise is probably due to a(n) _____ in his
culture.
d. individualist orientation
8. In countries with _____ views, workers are expected to perform certain jobs with clearly
defined responsibilities and personal accountability.
a. collectivist
9. Mary Jo, a manager in a small company in Chile, encourages her subordinates to fill in for one
another and when possible tries to preserve the harmony of the work team. Mary Jo probably
has a(n) _____ work and communication style.
a. individualist
10. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of cultural groups which value high power
distance?
a. Bosses should be bosses and workers should be workers.
11. Which of the following statements is true about the U.S. economy?
a. The U.S. economy has completely recovered from the setbacks it received during
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12. In cultures where work gets done because of the relationship, _____.
a. the priority is on accomplishing a task
13. Which of the following is NOT a suggestion for dealing with increasing linguistic diversity?
a. Do not assume that someone speaking a language other than English is talking about you.
14. Erica is helping Taeko, an international student from Japan, fill out an application. “Look,”
she says, in a loud voice, “This is very easy. All you have to do is write in the little boxes.”
Which suggestion for dealing with linguistic diversity has Erica violated?
a. Do not assume that someone speaking a language other than English is talking about you.
15. A person with a(n) _____ style of communication would probably not feel comfortable
giving straightforward information in a problem situation.
a. direct
16. John explains a mishap in the factory to his supervisor Shi Xian. John tells him exactly where
the miscommunication occurred and who was at fault. Now, John is trying to understand why
his boss seems more cold and distant and why less desirable assignments are coming his way.
In this scenario, John may need to learn _____.
a. to use a less indirect style of communication
17. Identify a true statement about the current power issues in intercultural business encounters
in the United States.
a. Research indicates that diversity is actually increasing, suggesting that the “heyday” of
diversity in U.S. business leadership is here to stay.
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d. The large majority of new CEOs (chief executive officers) appointed in Fortune 500
companies in the last decade come from underprivileged economic backgrounds.
18. Which of the following statements is true about task versus relationship priority in the United
States?
a. It is believed that personal relationships are vital for business success.
19. Which of the following is NOT true of people in a culture that values formality?
a. They attach great importance to courtesy.
20. Identify the most important reason why companies are likely to address diversity issues.
a. a moral warrant to redress a history of sexism, racism, and inter-group tensions
21. Which of the following statements is true about the Americans with Disabilities Act?
d. It gives people with disabilities preferential treatment.
22. Which of the following statements is true about quality versus efficiency in the United
States?
a. It is believed that people will pay for the best quality and that as a worker it is important to
do the best job on principle.
23. Lewis spends a lot of time socializing while at work. In his interactions with Walid, he
constantly asks personal questions and shares information about his family and hobbies. This
frustrates Walid, who just wants to get his work done. This scenario illustrates _____, one of
the intercultural communication challenges in business contexts.
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Copyright ©2018 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
c. differences in work and material gain attitudes
d. the tension between efficiency and quality
24. Kim does not feel comfortable asking questions to her boss Anna because she thinks Anna
will interpret the questions as incompetency. In this scenario, Kim probably has a(n) _____
communication style because she is actually very good at her job.
a. individualist
True or False
25. Negotiating is a special communication task that occurs when business groups have both
common interests in working together and conflicting interests which may prevent them from
working together.
26. Members of a cultural group that values low power distance are more likely to want bosses to
act like bosses and workers to act like workers so that there is no confusion about the chain
of command.
27. High-context communicators prefer to make information very explicit—expressed in words.
28. Individualism in the Greek workplace may be even more developed than in the workplaces in
the United States.
29. When conducting business in most cultures, one should be very careful to avoid excessive
familiarity, especially in initial meetings.
30. In the United States, the highest priority is placed on smooth relationships and the process of
task accomplishment rather than completing the task itself.
31. Companies that value, encourage, and ultimately include the full contributions of all
members of society have a much better chance of succeeding—and profiting.
Chapter 11 – Intercultural Communication and Business
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Copyright ©2018 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
*a. True
b. False
32. Most cultural groups tend to be more formal in business contexts than U.S. Americans.
33. In Germany, as many as twenty minutes a day may be devoted to shaking hands, at the
beginning
of the day and again at the end.
Essay Questions
34. What impact might a social event like SARS or Bird Flu have on business?
35. Identify and discuss the intercultural communication issues relevant to domestic growth.
36. Compare and contrast the “live to work” and “work to live” attitudes toward work and
material gain. What impact might these attitudes have on intercultural communication?
37. How might the use of a direct style of communication in a workplace with a preference for
indirect communication affect the quality and effectiveness of interactions?
38. Discuss the role of power in relation to the language and communication style in the
workplace.
39. Identify and discuss the reasons why companies might want to address affirmative action and
diversity issues.
40. How might the task versus relationship orientation cause problems in the workplace?