Chapter 5: Cultural Influences on International Marketing
TRUE/FALSE
1. In the former Soviet Union, advertisements using the Marlboro Man were effective because of the
popularity of Westerns.
2. Culture is the key determinant of the manner in which individuals do business, or respond to a
company’s marketing strategy.
3. Cultures are groups of individuals with shared value systems based on ethnicity or common
background.
4. Subcultures can be based on regional differences or on ethnicity or nationality:
5. As an ethnicity-based subculture, Southern Italian consumers have different lifestyles than Italians in
Northern Italy.
6. Turkish Germans maintain many of their home-country traditions and strong ties to the old country.
7. As an ethnic subculture, Muslims make up a large proportion of large cities in Britain.
8. Language plays a prominent role as an element of culture.
9. Languages like the Bantu language, which differentiate between multiple times of day, are very
precise.
10. In India, there are more than 300 minor languages and 3000 dialects.
11. Marketers selling their products in the United Arab Emirates should only use Arabic in their marketing
communications.
12. Proxemics refer to the timing of verbal exchanges.
13. Silence is one way to communicate with other individuals.
14. In general, Americans feel more comfortable standing or sitting closer to strangers than do members of
other nationalities.
15. Unlike Germans, the French seldom use hand gestures to express themselves.
16. The sign of “OK” commonly used in the U.S. signifies zero in France, is a symbol for money in Japan,
and is a vulgar gesture in parts of South America.
17. In a high-context culture, what is said is precisely what is meant.
18. Of the world’s dominant religions, Buddhism has had the most negative impact on marketing.
19. In Islamic countries, businesses are closed on Saturdays, the holy day of Islam.
20. In fundamentalist Islamic countries, men’s and women’s business activities are segregated.
21. Diwali is an important Hindu holiday, when the believers engage in a Puja (prayer), and typically wear
new clothing.
22. Fast food restaurants in India offer lamb burgers or vegetarian burgers instead of beef burgers to cater
to the Hindu population.
23. The process by which individuals learn the beliefs and behaviors endorsed by one’s own culture is
known as acculturation.
24. Recent Indian immigrants to the United States are less likely to be assimilated in this culture.
25. Addressing a German business person by his or her last name instead of using a first name is an
example of observing a cultural adiaphora.
26. Eating with chop-sticks in East Asia is an example of observing a cultural adiaphora.
27. M-time is attributed to individuals who tend to do multiple tasks at once; for these individuals, time is
not linear.
28. If you arrived early to a party in Greece, the host/hostess would be flattered.
29. The nine-to-five schedule prevalent in the United States is common in most countries.
30. In the Middle East it is expected that a guest will bring a bottle of wine to the host.
31. Presenting a dozen roses as a gift in Eastern Europe would be inappropriate.
32. When first meeting a businessman in the Middle East, one should begin right away with talk about the
business at hand.
33. In East Africa, the role of women in business is more important than the role of men.
34. There is a great deal of social mobility in countries like Great Britain and Spain.
35. In Latin America, top managers often illustrate their solidarity with the lower ranks by engaging in
work activities that they do, going to the plant floor or eating at the workers’ cafeteria.
36. In countries where uncertainty avoidance is high, there is a feeling that what is different is dangerous.
37. Masculine societies emphasize values such as wealth, material success, ambition, and achievement.
38. Asian societies are fundamentally collectivist.
39. Cultural training should be done through the international office of the company to understand the
culture in the context of the company.
40. Samsung spends $80,000 a year per person to go abroad and literally goof off.
41. Negative outcomes of using the self-reference criterion are inflamed nationalist feelings or
antiforeigner feelings targeting a particular company—even if the foreign company relies extensively
on local suppliers and locally manufactures most products.
42. Global consumer segments are good in theory but do not yet exist.
43. Benetton’s advertising campaign, “United Colors of Benetton” and Phillips’ “Let’s Make Things Better”
campaign take advantage of local consumer culture positioning.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following is not a pivotal constituent of culture?
a.
ecology
c.
acculturation
b.
ideology
d.
social structure
2. Which of the following is true regarding subcultures?
a.
They are components of the broader culture.
b.
They are based on regional differences.
c.
They are based on ethnicity.
d.
All of the above are true regarding subcultures.
3. Which of the following is not true regarding subcultures?
a.
They are groups of individuals with shared values.
b.
They are aspirational groups.
c.
They are components of the broader culture.
d.
They can be based on ethnicity.
4. Which of the following is true regarding the Turkish subculture in Germany?
a.
They maintain Turkish traditions.
b.
They maintain Muslim religious traditions.
c.
They have large, extended families as part of the household.
d.
All of the above are true regarding the Turkish subculture in Germany.
5. Which of the following is not an illustration of a regional subculture?
a.
Northern Germans
c.
Bavarians
b.
Gay and Lesbian consumers
d.
Northern Italians
6. Which of the following is true?
a.
Proctor & Gamble calls its tissues “nappies” in Britain.
b.
In Britain the boot of an automobile is a protective covering.
c.
“Hoovering” is a synonym for vacuuming in Britain.
d.
All of the above are true.
7. Regarding languages, a marketer should know that
a.
in India, there are approximately 200 minor languages and 1000 dialects.
b.
English should be used in marketing in the United Arab Emirates.
c.
a product with Dutch labeling is probably sold in France and Germany.
d.
the spoken/written language of a country poses little concern for marketers.
8. Regarding postures, orientations and oculesics,
a.
a firm handshake convey’s confidence in Asia.
b.
eye contact coveys an attitude of honesty and respect in Japan.
c.
an Eastern European woman may expect to have her hand kissed.
d.
German men typically kiss each other on the cheeks.
9. Haptics refer to
a.
the use of touch while conversing.
b.
the timing of verbal exchange.
c.
the movement of part of the body in order to communicate.
d.
the relationship between physical space and the process of communication.
10. A person visiting the Middle East should not:
a.
speak first
c.
look a person in the eye
b.
try to negotiate prices
d.
cross his or her legs
11. One of the most difficult gestures to interpret between cultures is:
a.
hand shakes
c.
smiling
b.
head shakes
d.
kissing on the cheek
12. In high-context cultures
a.
business is conducted on e-mail or paper.
b.
what is said is precisely what is meant.
c.
business is typically done at arm’s length.
d.
trust is crucial and a handshake is as important and as reliable as a paper contract.
13. A society’s dominant values and attitudes are determined by its:
a.
language
c.
history
b.
religion
d.
economic status
14. Religion can be linked to cultural behaviors that have an impact on economic development and
marketing. For example,
a.
The Protestant religion stresses hard work and frugality and is linked to the development
of capitalism and economic emancipation.
b.
Judaism stresses education and has led to industrial development.
c.
Islam dictates social etiquette, consumption, and bans the use of interest rates, affecting
the relationship between men and women in the work place.
d.
All of the above are true.
15. Regarding religion, the marketing manager should know that
a.
Buddhism has had a negative impact on marketing and economic development.
b.
Islamic law affect negatively all credit-granting activity.
c.
Marketing to women is impossible in Islamic societies.
d.
It is possible to find pork and alcohol in Islamic countries.
16. Ramadan is
a.
a religious period in the Islamic religion when observers are not allowed to eat until
sundown.
b.
a Jewish banking practice.
c.
a Hindu holiday in which participants bathe in the Ganges River.
d.
a religious observance for Buddhists in which alms are collected for the poor.
17. Which of the following is not true of Saudi Arabia?
a.
Women are not allowed to drive a car.