Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Chapter 12: Communicating Across Cultures
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. International trade agreements focus on ______.
A. supply chains
B. lowering tariffs
C. consistent regulations
D. technological improvements
2. Which of the following is a reason to become familiar with international business
communication practices discussed in the chapter?
A. You may find yourself working for a company owned by a company from another
country.
B. Many products are made overseas.
C. To learn different languages.
D. Networking is always valuable for businesses.
3. Which concept proposed that advancements in communication and transportation
technologies would compress the world to a point where it would be one big happy unit?
A. objectivity myth
B. global village concept
C. universality myth
D. androgynous myth
4. The idea that under the skin, all human beings are alike, brothers and sisters in the
common family of man is known as the ______.
A. universality myth
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
B. global village concept
C. commonality village
D. objectivity myth
5. Which one of the following is NOT a dimension of cultural differences, according to
Hofstede?
A. power distance
B. uncertainty acceptance
C. individualism/collectivism
D. masculinity/femininity
6. Of the following countries, which is thought to have a high power distance?
A. Denmark
B. United States
C. Mexico
D. England
7. Of the following countries, which is said to have weak uncertainty avoidance?
A. England
B. Germany
C. Japan
D. United States
8. Which of the following suggests a loosely knit social framework in which people are
expected to take care of themselves and immediate family only?
A. collectivism
B. individualism
C. power distance
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
D. loyalty to heirs
9. A culture that approves of placing family above wealth is considered to have a ______
dimension.
A. feminine
B. collectivistic
C. low-context
D. high power distance
10. In which of the following countries are business cards handed to the recipient with
both hands with the information facing the receiver?
A. Denmark
B. France
C. England
D. Japan
11. In which of the following regions are women’s bare legs, arms, shoulders, or heads
considered offensive in public?
A. Europe
B. Middle East
C. North America
D. South America
12. Which of the following are considered rude or insulting in some countries?
A. showing the sole of your shoe
B. “thumbs up”
C. holding hands in public
D. all of these are correct
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
13. Which is a potential gift-giving blunder?
A. flowers
B. gifts bearing the company logo
C. the number of gifts
D. all of these
14. Which of the following is a characteristic of a good intercultural communicator?
A. smart
B. disrespectful
C. nondefensive
D. judgmental
15. Preparation for a foreign assignment may include ______.
A. taking a vacation
B. learning another language
C. discussing the country at dinner
D. reading the local newspaper
16. The need for more intercultural awareness arises from ______.
A. the global village concept
B. different greeting and gift-giving rituals
C. different standards of business dress
D. both different greeting and gift-giving rituals and different standards of business dress
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
17. Which of the following is NOT recommended when trying to communicate in English
with people who have varying levels of fluency?
A. use slang
B. speak a bit more slowly
C. enunciate carefully
D. avoid humor
18. Why should managers become culturally sensitive?
A. The workforce is increasingly more culturally diverse
B. They are working in a global economy
C. U.S. business values are universal
D. Both the workforce is increasingly more culturally diverse and they are working in a
global economy are correct
19. Culture includes all of the following EXCEPT ______.
A. religious systems
B. educational systems
C. political systems
D. environmental systems
20. According to Hofstede’s dimensions of cultural differences, the United States has
______.
A. low power distance
B. high power distance
C. variable power distance
D. unknown power distance
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
21. The fact that relatively few U.S. workers take advantage of the Family and Medical
Leave Act is an indication of which dimension of cultural differences?
A. collectivism-individualism
B. femininity-masculinity
C. power distance
D. uncertainty avoidance
22. Hyper-punctuality is a characteristic of which cultures?
A. Western European
B. Asian
C. Latin American
D. all of these
23. Research shows that when employees of different cultures work for a multinational
firm, ______.
A. their cultural differences strengthen
B. their cultural differences weaken
C. they adopt the cultural values of the firm
D. their cultural differences are not affected
24. According to the U.S. Department of Education, which foreign languages are the
most important to learn?
A. Chinese, Korean, and Japanese
B. Hindi and Urdu
C. both Chinese, Korean, and Japanese and Hindi and Urdu are correct
D. French and Spanish
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
25. Machine translators, such as Google Translate, should not be relied upon because
______.
A. they do not account for cultural factors
B. they may not include slang or metaphors
C. they always factor in irony
D. both they do not account for cultural factors and they may not include slang or
metaphors are correct
26. Bribing someone during the conduct of business is a violation of which U.S. law?
A. SPCA
B. FCPA
C. SEC
D. USDA
27. A person who sees his or her country as the best in the world and looks down on
others as inferior because they are different is known as ______.
A. ethical
B. ethno-relativistic
C. ethnocentric
D. all of these
True/False
1. A country’s “degree of globalization” is based on social, political, and economic
activities.
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
2. The United States has steadily increased its globalization index since the 1970s,
according to the KOF Swiss Economic Institute.
3. French’s mustard and Dannon yogurt products are made by American companies.
4. It’s been estimated that 20% of American managers fail to perform adequately abroad
because they haven’t been sufficiently prepared for adjusting to the foreign culture.
5. Culture is what we grow up in, according to Gould.
6. Differences between cultures must be understood but not accepted for international
business.
7. Uncertainty avoidance indicates the extent to which a society accepts the fact that
power in institutions and organizations is distributed unequally.
8. The Philippines, Venezuela, and Mexico are countries with low power distance,
according to Hofstede.
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
9. A manager in a country with high power distance might prefer a controlling strategy
and behave like an autocrat.
10. Hofstede’s dimensions of cultural differences are similar for countries that are
geographically close together.
11. Collectivism is evidenced by people taking care of only their immediate families.
12. Denmark, Sweden, and Norway are considered masculine societies, according to
Hofstede.
13. Canada and the United States are considered low-context cultures, according to
Hofstede.
14. According to Hofstede, punctuality is less important in polychronic cultures than in
monochronic cultures, and being late is a sign of status.
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
15. An advantage of learning the language when you are an international traveler is the
avoidance of interpretational disasters.
16. A very firm handshake is the universal business greeting.
17. A business suit may not be the appropriate attire for an evening of entertainment in
some societies.
18. If a business guest is unfamiliar with a nation’s delicacies, it is appropriate to refuse
to try them.
19. Normal gift-giving practices in some countries are considered unethical in others.
20. In a high context culture, people look for meaning in what is not said.
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Short Answer
1. What should a manager do to prepare for an assignment in another country?
2. If English is the dominant international language of business, why should a manager
learn a foreign language in preparation for an overseas assignment?
3. Select a country you are familiar with—or, if you have not traveled to another country,
select a region within the United States—and analyze its culture, using Hofstede’s
dimensions of cultural differences.