Global Business Today, 11e (Hill)
Chapter 4 Differences in Culture
1) There is universal consensus on the definition of culture.
2) Rituals and symbols are the most visible manifestations of a culture and constitute the outward
expression of deeper values.
3) While folkways are routine conventions, they represent deep moral significance in society.
4) A group consists of two or more individuals who have a shared sense of identity and interact in
a structured way.
5) An emphasis on collectivism may make it difficult to build teams within an organization to
perform collective tasks.
6) The group is the typical unit of social organization found in non-Westernized societies.
7) Strong identification with the group tends to create pressures for mutual self-help and incentive
to work for the common good.
8) Children tend to become a member of the social category to which their parents belong.
9) The least rigid system of social stratification is a caste system.
10) In the United States, individuals who are born into a class system and are at the bottom of the
social hierarchy can work their way up.
11) Although upward social mobility was possible in the traditional British class system, it could
not normally be achieved in one generation.
12) Class membership in the United States is based on economic achievement rather than familial
background and schooling.
13) Companies that assume a high degree of class consciousness are better able to establish a
competitive advantage in the global economy.
14) Confucianism and Confucian ethics influence behavior and shape culture in parts of Asia;
therefore, it is correct to characterize Confucianism as a religion.
15) Most of the ethical systems in place around the world are the product of religion.
16) Max Weber argued that the Catholic promise of salvation in the next world, rather than this
world, fostered “a spirit of capitalism.”
17) While well-known to many, Islam has one of the smallest followings of all religions.
18) Under the Islamic banking method of mudarabah, when an Islamic bank lends money to a
business, rather than charging that business interest on the loan, it takes a share in the profits that
are derived from the investment.
19) When a murabaha contract is used in Islamic banking, a company essentially pays the bank to
purchase equipment, supplies, and other needs on behalf of the company.
20) The concept of mobility between castes within an individual’s lifetime makes no sense to
traditional Hindus.
21) Confucianism is not concerned with the supernatural and has little to say about the concept of
a supreme being or an afterlife.
22) Cultural norms, such as respect for others and neatness, are part of the “hidden curriculum” in
schools.
23) According to Geert Hofstede, high power distance cultures were found in societies that tried to
play down inequalities of power and wealth as much as possible.
24) According to Hofstede’s research, in feminine cultures, sex roles are sharply distinguished and
there is vast differentiation between men and women in the same job.
25) According to the World Values Survey, as countries get richer, a shift occurs away from
“traditional values” linked to religion, family, and country, and toward “secular rational” values.
26) Bryan has been asked by his manager to directly contact the CEO of the foreign company they
are trying to do business. However, Bryan knows that this is not a socially acceptable practice
there, and it is better to wait for the company to contact him. Which aspect of culture is guiding
Bryan’s decision?
A) values
B) norms
C) attitudes
D) dispositions
E) beliefs
27) A group of people who share a common set of values and norms is called a(n)
A) alliance.
B) team.
C) cohort.
D) society.
E) folkway.
28) Juanita believes that all Americans value individual freedom, democracy, and a collective
responsibility. This belief is an expression of Juanita’s
A) values.
B) ethics.
C) folkways.
D) norms.
E) cohorts.
29) Which statement is true about culture?
A) Culture is static as it does not evolve.
B) Multinational enterprises can themselves be engines of cultural change.
C) The cost of doing business in a country or region is always independent of its culture.
D) It is not possible for a country to support multiple cultures.
E) The values and norms of a culture emerge fully formed.
30) In a social context, the term values is used to describe the
A) economic benefits inherent to a culture.
B) collective wealth of the society.
C) ideas about what a group believes to be good, right, and desirable.
D) political preferences of a country.
E) social rules and guidelines about appropriate behavior in public.
31) In a society, actions of people directed toward one another are governed by a set of social rules
called
A) norms.
B) manifestoes.
C) laws.
D) scriptures.
E) dialects.
32) Robert knows it is important for him to dress appropriately and make sure his hair is neatly
trimmed when he goes for an interview because the employer will expect him to do so. This
example of a social convention is called a
A) folkway.
B) value.
C) mandate.
D) rule.
E) taboo.
33) Which situation exemplifies a violation of folkways?
A) committing a financial fraud
B) practicing cannibalism under the belief that it leads to superpowers
C) failing to greet a person you know
D) stealing an author’s or an inventor’s intellectual property
E) committing mail fraud
34) What is one difference between folkways and mores?
A) Folkways are norms that are seen as central to the functioning of a society, whereas mores are
the routine conventions of everyday life.
B) Violating mores tends to bring more serious retribution than violating folkways.
C) Folkways exclude rituals and symbolic behaviors included in mores.
D) Folkways have much greater significance than mores.
E) Mores cannot be enacted into laws, whereas folkways can.
35) Jacob decided that the only way he could pay back his student loans was to filter funds from
the company where he worked directly into his personal account. He also knows that if he gets
caught, he will probably spend time in jail. Jacob’s choice represents a violation of
A) folkways.
B) mores.
C) rituals.
D) etiquette.
E) precepts.
36) A difference in the attitudes of people toward time in different cultures is an example of
A) folkways.
B) religious doctrines.
C) mores.
D) laws.
E) social structures.
37) What is a characteristic of mores?
A) Mores are actions of little moral significance.
B) Violation of mores is generally not a serious matter.
C) Social conventions regarding how we eat are a good example of mores.
D) Mores do not differ among cultures.
E) Certain mores have been enacted into law.
38) Which statement is true about most Western societies?
A) In Western societies groups, rather than individuals, are the basic building blocks of social
organization.
B) The value systems of many Western societies emphasize individual achievement.
C) In Western societies, the social standing of individuals is merely a function of who they work
for.
D) The emphasis on individuals in Western societies has led to a low level of entrepreneurial
activity.
E) It is easier to build and manage teams within organizations in Western societies.
39) What has strongly influenced the development of modern extended social groups?
A) a common agreement among governments
B) falling levels of underdeveloped nations
C) the return to family values
D) the advent of social media
E) the creation of multiple subcultures
40) A high degree of managerial mobility in societies that emphasize individualism can lead to
A) reduced costs of doing business.
B) increased managerial loyalty and commitment to an individual company.
C) lack of company-specific experience, knowledge, and a network of contacts among managers.
D) lack of exposure among employees to different ways of doing business.
E) inability to apply good practices and techniques developed in one firm to other firms.
41) In the context of social structure, American society is characterized by a low degree of
A) social stratification.
B) mobility between strata.
C) entrepreneurial activity.
D) managerial mobility.
E) dynamism and innovation.
42) In the country of Rudanda, it is very hard for a person born within a particular strata of society
to move to a different strata. This means that Rudanda has a low degree of
A) social mobility.
B) ethnocentrism.
C) entrepreneurial activity.
D) managerial mobility.
E) dynamism and innovation.
43) The United Republic emphasizes individual performance and achievements in every sphere of
society. How might this affect the business environment in that country?
A) There would be a low degree of dynamism and innovation.
B) Managerial mobility would be the most effective resource.
C) There would be a low degree of entrepreneurial activity in the country.
D) The employees in this country may lack loyalty and commitment to a company.
E) Managers in such a country have highly developed company-specific skills, but they lack
general skills.
44) One of the downsides to an emphasis on individualism is that it
A) is difficult to build teams within an organization to perform collective tasks.
B) does not support entrepreneurship and innovation.
C) discourages managerial mobility.
D) fails to foster general managerial skills required to find solutions to current problems.
E) discourages competition among employees within a company.
45) Manuel, who works for a multinational company, is often put in teams consisting of people
from different cultures. Manuel finds it difficult to function in these teams because, unlike the
others, he comes from a culture where building his personal “brand” is emphasized. His culture
emphasizes
A) individualism.
B) ethnocentrism.
C) collectivism.
D) cooperation.
E) group identify.
46) In contemporary Japanese society, a group is associated with
A) the immediate family.
B) gender roles.
C) traditional friendships.
D) the company a person works for.
E) the educational environment.
47) When compared to American society, Japanese society lacks
A) commitment to lifetime employment.
B) emphasis on group memberships.
C) self-managing work teams.
D) close cooperation between individuals.
E) dynamism and entrepreneurship.