Chapter 02: Culture and International Management
TRUE/FALSE
1. Culture is the acquired knowledge people use to interpret experience and actions.
2. Informal transmission can occur through efforts to socialize an individual, such as in schools and
government.
3. Culture can affect all aspects of the management of a firm including, but not limited to, strategy,
hiring, pay/promotion, organization, and evaluation of performance.
4. In the U.S., a direct confrontation is seen as rude.
5. In low-context cultures, the context in which what is spoken plays a major role in communication and
the behavior of individuals.
6. Parochialism is the belief that the only way to do something is the way it is done in one’s own culture.
7. The ethnocentric view of culture holds that multinational enterprises should treat each international
subsidiary largely as a separate national entity.
8. Protocol is how individuals in a business setting should interact with one another.
9. The U.S. is more oriented toward history and tradition, compared with countries in Asia or the Middle
East.
10. The space orientation dimension is concerned with whether space is viewed as a public good.
11. In an individual-oriented culture such as China, individuals would more likely focus on finding a new
restaurant that others do not know about, that offers something unique and is not so crowded.
12. In high power-distance countries, people are more likely to obey the orders of their superiors and often
do not value being empowered.
13. People in high-individualistic societies, such as those of Japan, are motivated by their own preferences,
needs, rights, and contracts and they tend to primarily look after themselves and do things by
themselves.
14. Hofstede found that, in general, poorer countries tend to have higher collectivism scores.
15. People in cultures with high uncertainty avoidance are more willing to accept the risks that are
associated with the unknown, and accept that life must go on in spite of this uncertainty.
16. Cultures that score lower on masculinity tend to favor small-scale enterprises, and they place greater
importance on environmental conservation.
17. Confucian Dynamism is also known as short-term orientation.
18. The most masculine country is Argentina.
19. In sequential cultures, such as the U.S. and Germany, schedules rule the business.
20. In cultures emphasizing a universalistic orientation, each situation must be judged separately.
21. Affective cultures do not discourage the expression of emotion.
22. The GLOBE study sought to examine the interrelationships between societal culture, organizational
culture, and organizational leadership.
23. In-group collectivism is the degree to which organizational and societal practices encourage the
collective distribution of resources and collective action.
24. Assertiveness is the degree to which individuals are confrontational.
25. Performance orientation is concerned about the extent to which achievement is a motivator.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following statements about culture is false?
a.
Culture is genetically-based and encoded and is also learned by people and encouraged by
societies and governments.
b.
Culture includes the knowledge, beliefs, customs, and other capabilities and habits
acquired by members of a society.
c.
The knowledge acquired from culture translates into values that guide behaviors.
d.
Culture can be defined as the acquired, collective knowledge of a group that they use to
interpret experiences
2. In the U.S. and other Anglo countries, managers:
a.
typically want to know about issues outside the sphere of work.
b.
tend to be focused on work-related issues when they are in the workplace.
c.
are expected to want to know about personal problems.
d.
must be willing to help on many personal issues.
3. Which of the following statements about monochronic societies is false?
a.
Monochronic societies tend to do things in a linear way, valuing punctuality and strict
schedules.
b.
Most Northern European cultures, including the Anglo-American culture, are considered
monochronic.
c.
Schedules are more fluid in a monochronic culture, and people tend to do more than one
thing at a time.
d.
Business people from a monochronic culture can get frustrated when colleagues do not
show up on time for a social dinner.
4. Which of the following is a region with a low-context culture?
a.
East Asia
b.
South Asia
c.
Africa
d.
Europe
5. In high-context cultures:
a.
the context in which what is spoken plays a major role in communication and the behavior
of individuals.
b.
the status of the person who is speaking and why the person is speaking do not impact the
nature of how something is to be communicated.
c.
the context has less impact on how such information is likely to be spoken and interpreted.
d.
the information is very straightforward.
6. In a low-context culture:
a.
interpretation is looser, which sometimes can be problematic for the listener.
b.
lack of clarity or ambiguity is generally regarded as negative.
c.
communication is less direct.
d.
greater emphasis is placed on the context or nonverbal.
7. The belief that the only way to do something is the way it is done in one’s own culture is:
a.
geocentrism.
b.
polycentrism.
c.
parochialism.
d.
progressivism.
8. The _____ view of culture holds that an individual or a firm will believe that their own way of doing
things is the best, and will not seek to adapt to local cultural practices.
a.
geocentric
b.
polycentric
c.
regiocentric
d.
ethnocentric
9. The _____ view of culture holds that multinational enterprises should treat each international
subsidiary largely as a separate national entity.
a.
polycentric
b.
ethnocentric
c.
geocentric
d.
regiocentric
10. Understanding proper etiquette when a prospective client or business partner arrives from overseas is
an example of:
a.
ethnocentrism.
b.
protocol.
c.
polycentrism.
d.
parochialism.
11. Heightened awareness for the values and frames-of-reference of the host culture is:
a.
cultural diversity.
b.
cultural difference.
c.
cultural sensitivity.
d.
cultural competence.
12. In terms of time orientation, Americans:
a.
value tradition as paramount.
b.
ensure that changes are consistent with their culture.
c.
place high emphasis on historical events.
d.
typically are willing to throw out old ideas.
13. _____ refers to how proactive individuals are in society.
a.
Activity orientation
b.
Space orientation
c.
Time orientation
d.
Relationships among people
14. In high power-distance countries:
a.
people are less likely to obey the orders of their superiors.
b.
people often do not value being empowered.
c.
organizations will have a small proportion of supervisory personnel.
d.
organizations will be decentralized.
15. Which of the following statements about high-individualistic societies is true?
a.
The tendency of people is to associate with groups where group members look after each
other in exchange for group loyalty
b.
People work together more readily and do not mind subordinating themselves to the goals
of the group.
c.
They consist of loosely linked individuals, who view themselves as largely independent of
groups that make their own choices.
d.
People are less likely to adopt new ideas or try new things.
16. Which one of the following countries have low individualism and lower GDPs?
a.
The U.S.
b.
Canada
c.
Sweden
d.
Indonesia
17. The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by unknown situations or by ambiguity in
a situation is:
a.
uncertainty avoidance.
b.
culture shock.
c.
power distance.
d.
cultural sensitivity.
18. Countries organized around high uncertainty avoidance:
a.
are willing to accept the risks that are associated with the unknown.
b.
have populations that tend to have a higher need for security.
c.
do not require previously established relationships to conduct business.
d.
are willing to accept that life must go on in spite of uncertainty.
19. Low uncertainty avoidance societies tend to have:
a.
lower labor turnover.
b.
less risk taking by managers.
c.
more written rules.
d.
less structure in organizational activities.
20. In cultures with a very high masculinity index such as Japan:
a.
great importance is placed on cooperation, a friendly atmosphere, and employment
security.
b.
the school system is designed to teach social adaptation.
c.
economic growth is seen as more important than conservation of the environment.
d.
many women hold higher-level jobs and society expects them to devote themselves to
their work.
21. Which dimension emphasizes thrift, perseverance, a sense of shame, and following a hierarchy?
a.
Femininity
b.
Confucian Dynamism
c.
Individualism
d.
Uncertainty avoidance
22. Which of the following is the most masculine country?
a.
Japan
b.
Ireland
c.
Australia
d.
Australia
23. In cultures emphasizing a universalistic orientation:
a.
judgments are more likely to be made with regard to the particular situation.
b.
each situation must be judged separately.
c.
judgments emphasize one’s position in a hierarchy and one’s loyalty.
d.
people believe that absolute values such as truth are applicable to all situations.
24. _____ is the degree to which individuals express pride, loyalty, and cohesiveness in their organization
or family.
a.
Societal collectivism
b.
Universalism
c.
In-group collectivism
d.
Particularism
25. _____ is concerned about the extent to which achievement is a motivator.
a.
Humane orientation
b.
Performance orientation
c.
Individual orientation
d.
Future orientation
ESSAY
1. List some of the characteristics of a high-context culture.
ANS:
2. Compare and contrast parochialism, ethnocentrism, and polycentrism.
3. Write a detailed note on the time orientation dimension of the sociology framework developed by
Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck.
ANS:
4. What is power distance? What are the characteristics of high power-distance countries?
5. What is uncertainty avoidance? Compare and contrast countries with low and high uncertainty
avoidance.
6. Explain Trompenaar’s view of time orientation.
7. Write a detailed note on the GLOBE study.
