93.
What is Buddhism? Compare Buddhism with Hinduism.
Buddhism was founded in India in the sixth century BC by Siddhartha
Gautama, an Indian prince who renounced his wealth to pursue an ascetic
lifestyle and spiritual perfection.
According to Buddhism, suffering originates in people’s desires for pleasure.
Cessation of suffering can be achieved by following a path for
transformation. Siddhartha offered the Noble Eightfold Path as a route for
transformation. This emphasizes right seeing, thinking, speech, action,
living, effort, mindfulness, and meditation. Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism does
not support the caste system. Nor does Buddhism advocate the kind of
extreme ascetic behavior that is encouraged by Hinduism. Nevertheless,
like Hindus, Buddhists stress the afterlife and spiritual achievement rather
than involvement in this world.
AACSB: Diversity
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 04-02 Identify the forces that lead to differences in social culture.
Topic: Religious and Ethical Systems
94.
Consider the influence of Confucian ethics on the economies of China,
Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
It has been suggested that the economic success of China, Japan, South
Korea, and Taiwan, may be due, in part, to the influence of Confucian ethics
on the culture in those countries. Three values that are central to the
Confucian system of ethics are of particular note: loyalty, reciprocal
obligations, and honesty in dealing with others. The concept of reciprocal
obligations is important. Confucian ethics stress that superiors are obliged
to reward the loyalty of their subordinates by bestowing blessings on them.
The notion of guanxi, or business relationships, which permeates business
dealings in the region, revolves around the three values. For example, it has
been suggested that the close ties between the automobile companies and
their suppliers in Japan are facilitated by a combination of trust and
reciprocal obligations.
AACSB: Diversity
AACSB: Ethics
95.
Discuss the spoken language. Which is the most spoken language in the
world? What language is used in business? Is it important to learn a foreign
language?
Language does far more than just enable people to communicate with each
other. The nature of a language also structures the way we perceive the
world. Because language shapes the way people perceive the world, it also
helps define culture. Chinese is the mother tongue of the largest number of
people in the world, followed by English and Hindi. However, the most
widely spoken language in the world is English, followed by French, Spanish
and Chinese. English is increasingly known as the language of international
business. Therefore, even when a business meeting does not involve native
English speakers, English is likely to be spoken. Learning a foreign language
is still very important for native English speakers because doing so can
build rapport, and help a company avoid costly translation blunders.
AACSB: Communication
AACSB: Diversity
Blooms: Remember
96.
Consider the importance of unspoken language. Why is it important to be
familiar with the unspoken language of another culture?
Unspoken language refers to nonverbal communication. We all
communicate with each other by a host of nonverbal cues. The raising of
eyebrows, for example, is a sign of recognition in most cultures, while a
smile is a sign of joy. Many nonverbal cues, however, are culturally bound. A
failure to understand the nonverbal cues of another culture can lead to a
failure to communicate. For example, making a circle with the thumb and
forefinger is a friendly gesture in the United States, but it is a vulgar gesture
in Greece and Turkey.
Personal space is another part of unspoken language.
AACSB: Communication
AACSB: Diversity
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 04-02 Identify the forces that lead to differences in social culture.
Topic: Language
97.
Why is the role of education in a culture important to international
companies?
A key aspect of education in a culture is its role as a determinant of national
competitive advantage. The availability of a pool of skilled and educated
workers seems to be a major determinant of the likely economic success of
a country. Porter for example, has argued that Japan’s excellent education
system is an important factor explaining the country’s postwar economic
success. In addition, a good education system is an important factor guiding
the location choices of international businesses. The general education
level of a country is also a good index of the kind of products that might sell
in a country and of the type of promotional material that should be used.
AACSB: Diversity
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 04-02 Identify the forces that lead to differences in social culture.
Topic: Education
98.
Describe the four dimensions of culture as identified by Geert Hofstede.
Geert Hofstede identified four dimensions that he claimed summarized the
differences between different cultures. According to Hofstede, the power
distance dimension focused on how a society deals with the fact that
people are unequal in physical and intellectual capabilities. The second
dimension identified by Hofstede, individualism versus collectivism, focused
on the relationship between the individual and his/her fellows. Hofstede’s
third dimension, uncertainty avoidance, measured the extent to which
different cultures socialize their members into accepting ambiguous
situations and tolerating uncertainty. Finally, Hofstede’s fourth dimension,
masculinity versus femininity, examined the relationship between gender
and work roles.
AACSB: Diversity
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 04-04 Recognize how differences in social culture influence values in the workplace.
Topic: Culture and the Workplace
99.
Discuss the limitations of Hofstede’s research.
Hofstede’s research has been criticized on a number of points. First,
Hofstede assumes there is a one-to-one correspondence between culture
and the nation-state. Second, the research may have been culturally bound.
Third, Hofstede’s informants worked not only within a single industry, but
within one company. Finally, because cultures evolve, Hofstede’s research,
which was conducted in the 1960s and 1970s, may not be as relevant today.
AACSB: Diversity
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 04-04 Recognize how differences in social culture influence values in the workplace.
Topic: Culture and the Workplace
100.
Discuss Confucian dynamism. Explore the debate over whether Confucian
dynamism is good for an economy.
The notion of Confucian dynamism, or long-term orientation, was added to
Hofstede’s model of culture to capture attitudes toward time, persistence,
ordering by status, protection of face, respect for tradition, and
reciprocation of gifts and favors. East Asian countries such as Japan, Hong
Kong, and Thailand scored high on Confucian dynamism, while countries
such as the United States and Canada scored low. Hofstede hypothesized
that being Confucian was good for economic growth. However, other
experts have questioned this hypothesis, noting that countries that score
low on Confucian dynamism have also achieved high growth rates.
AACSB: Diversity
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 04-04 Recognize how differences in social culture influence values in the workplace.
Topic: Culture and the Workplace
101.
Economic advancement and globalization are prompting societal change.
Discuss this statement.
Several studies have shown that economic advancement and globalization
are important factors in societal change. The culture of societies may also
change as they become richer because economic progress affects a number
of other factors, which in turn influence culture. A study of values known as
the World Values Survey has documented how values change.
According to this research, as countries get richer, there seems to be a shift
from “traditional” to “secular rational” values, and from “survival values” to
“well-being” values.
There may be a slow but steady convergence occurring across different
cultures towards some universally accepted values and norms: This is
known as the convergence hypothesis.
AACSB: Diversity
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 04-05 Demonstrate an appreciation for the economic and business implications of cultural change.
Topic: Cultural Change
102.
What are the implications of cultural differences for international
businesses?
International business is different from national business because countries
and
societies are different. Societies differ because their cultures vary. Three
important implications for international business flow from these
differences. The first is the need to develop cross-cultural literacy. There is
a need not only to appreciate that cultural differences exist but also to
appreciate what such differences mean for international business. A second
implication centers on the connection between culture and national
competitive advantage. A third implication looks at the connection between
culture and ethics in decision making.
AACSB: Diversity
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 04-05 Demonstrate an appreciation for the economic and business implications of cultural change.
Topic: Implications for Managers
103.
Discuss the relationship between culture and national competitive
advantage?
The value systems and norms of a country influence the costs of doing
business in that country. The costs of doing business in a country influence
the ability of firms to establish a competitive advantage in the global
marketplace. It can be argued that the class-based conflict between
workers and management in class-conscious societies, when it leads to
industrial disruption, raises the costs of doing business in that society.
Some sociologists have argued that the ascetic “otherworldly” ethics of
Hinduism may not be as supportive of capitalism as the ethics embedded in
Protestantism and Confucianism. Japan’s emphasis on group affiliation,
loyalty, reciprocal obligations, honesty, and education, all boost the
competitiveness of Japanese companies. But as important as culture is, it is
probably less important than economic, political, and legal systems in
explaining differential economic growth between nations.
AACSB: Diversity
AACSB: Ethics
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 04-05 Demonstrate an appreciation for the economic and business implications of cultural change.