Test Bank
Chapter 11: Intercultural Communication in Business, Health Care, and
Educational Settings
Multiple Choice
1. In 2015, this country surpassed the United States as the world’s largest economy.
a. Germany
b. China
c. Japan
d. France
2. In Japanese companies, the primary purpose of taiso is ______.
a. to foster physical fitness
b. to get employees to engage in coordinated activity
c. to punish less productive workers
d. to reward productive workers
3. In comparison with U.S. managers, Japanese managers use influence tactics that are ______.
a. direct and concise
b. guilt oriented
c. subtle and indirect
d. punishment oriented
4. In Japan, indirect eye contact is a sign of ______.
a. conflict
b. disrespect
c. concentration
d. deference
5. The most prominent feature of German culture that permeates into their organizations is
______.
a. compartmentalization
b. polychronic time orientation
c. low power distance
d. collectivism
6. Within organizations, many Chinese workers see the manager as ______.
a. a sort of father-like figure who makes decisions and expects obedience from the workers
b. a member of the Communist Party
c. an equal partner in the business
d. distrustful
7. Many German corporations concentrate on ______.
a. diversification
b. specialization
c. utilization
d. simplification
8. In comparison with workers in the United States, Mexican workers ______.
a. generally are not rewarded for initiative
b. generally are more individualistic
c. are paid more
d. are more preoccupied with their careers
9. Most Mexican businesses have ______.
a. a decentralized structure incorporating participative management practices
b. a monochronic orientation
c. low power distance orientation
d. a rigid hierarchy where power is centralized in the person at the top
10. People from different cultures generally attribute illness to which of the following causes?
a. factors within the individual, such as bad eating and exercise habits
b. factors within the natural environment, such as air and water pollution
c. societal factors, such as intergroup conflict, poor health care facilities
d. all of these
11. An accommodating learning style is based on the combination of ______.
a. reflective observation and abstract conceptualization
b. reflective observation and concrete experience
c. concrete experience and active experimentation
d. concrete experience and abstract conceptualization
True/False
1. German managers are known to be specialists for whom a technical background is more
typical than a formal education.
2. Many Japanese organizations practice a seniority-based wage and promotion arrangement
where employees are promoted and compensated based on the number of years they have served
the organization.
3. China’s Confucian heritage affects how Chinese will approach their business relationships. All
relationships are seen as unequal, and one’s ethics are directed toward observing these
inequalities.
4. Compartmentalization is the most prominent structural feature of Mexican
Culture—that is, that Mexicans have a tendency to isolate and divide many aspects of their lives
into discrete, independent units.
5. Doors are an important cultural symbol to the Germans.
6. Unlike many U.S. or Japanese corporate conglomerates whose global market success is
attributable to diversification, many German firms concentrate on specialization.
7. Generally, Mexican workers do not wish to call attention to themselves for outperforming a
coworker.
8. Relationships between Mexican managers and their subordinates are generally distant.
9. In Chinese management, the manager is expected to make decisions on behalf of the entire
group. The idea of open communication between managers and workers is not only unheard of
but thought of as peculiar.
10. On average, over half of persons in most African countries surveyed believe in witchcraft.
11. Research shows that students from Australia, China, and the United States overwhelmingly
prefer joint decision making with their doctors.
12. In Malaysia, a collectivistic large power distance culture, shared decision making among
physicians and patients is routinely practiced.
13. While perceptions of teacher immediacy vary across cultures, teacher immediacy is almost
always associated with positive learning outcomes.
Essay/Short Answer
1. Briefly discuss how the environmental context might affect a culture’s management practices.
2. Briefly discuss how the cultural context might affect a culture’s management practices.
3. People from different cultures generally attribute illness to one of four causes. Identify them
and discuss their fundamental assumptions.
4. Apply the concept of teacher immediacy to your education. Identify examples of verbal and
nonverbal immediacy used by your teachers. Compare your learning experiences in classrooms
with different forms of immediacy.