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Chapter 3 Solutions to Activities
3.1 Minding One’s Intercultural Social Media Manners (Objs. 1–3)
a. Predictably, the response to such shameless promotion was negative and forced the company
b. The comedian and Aflac spokesperson tweeting so insensitively on his @RealGilbert
c. This response to the debacle drew another 7,000 comments to the Lowe’s Facebook page and
d. The airline lamely tweeted in the wake of the complaints: “At this rate our #QantasLuxury
e. Gloria Huang blamed her ill-conceived tweet on unfamiliar software that led her to tweet
from the official account, not her own personal one. The Red Cross averted a PR crisis by
acknowledging the potentially damaging tweet with humor: “We’ve deleted the rogue tweet
3.2 Analyzing Intercultural Gaffes (Objs. 1−3)
a. Japanese are reluctant to express negativity. Apparently, it was difficult for them to tell a
b. Although companies cannot be expected to test product names for all languages, they should
c. The chief of protocol on the Czech side should have done his or her homework. Eager to show
off the host country’s specialty—rabbit—the Czech delegation ignored the visitors’ customs
d. Americans should try to understand that in high-context cultures, business transactions are
more hierarchical. Consensus is often required; thus many people may be involved in
e. Face-saving is important in China. People frown on psychological counseling because it
3.3 Mastering International Time (Objs. 1–3)
a. Students will find a number of definitions. UTC stands for “Coordinated Universal Time.” It
b. The notation 13.00 indicates 1 p.m. The 24-hour clock is a universal convention of
time-keeping in which the day runs from midnight to midnight and is divided into 24 hours,
c. Probably the best times to talk are 5 or 6 p.m. in Indianapolis, which is 7 or 8 a.m. in Osaka.
3.4 Twitter Opening up Countries and Cultures (Obj. 1, 3)
To benefit fully from the follow function, students and instructors should open a Twitter account.
The account can be set up allowing varying degrees of privacy. The short training video is
helpful in jumpstarting competent use. Students should recognize that unless they follow a
The Pew study analyzing the Kony 2012 campaign once again raised the issue of reliability of
information found online and its unintended consequences. Harvard University researcher Ethan
Twitter has become a powerful and speedy global communication tool. Chapter 7 explores
3.5 Learning About the Global Economy (Obj. 1)
Students should find articles related to global markets and trading in print newspapers and
3.6 Intercultural Divide at Resort Hotel in Thailand (Objs. 1–3)
Managers and employees alike would benefit from a training course centered on intercultural
issues. Foreign managers should be taught about Thai culture so that they better understand their
values and behavior. Thai employees should be encouraged to take complaints, urgent requests,
and deadlines seriously. However, managers might have difficulty implementing this behavior.
3.7 Trek Bicycle Goes Global (Objs. 1, 3, and 5)
What broad lessons can other entrepreneurs learn from Trek’s international experiences?
c. Test the language for all advertising and packaging with representatives from the local
cultures to assess its effectiveness and impact.
3.8 Interpreting Intercultural Proverbs (Objs. 2, 3)
North American Proverbs
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. (Practicality, logic, linear thinking)
Japanese Proverbs
A wise man hears one and understands ten. (Context and experience expand the meaning of one
word to many levels.)
German Proverbs
What is bravely ventured is almost won. (Individualism, action orientation)
Other proverbs that students might mention or that you might mention to students:
Time is money.
Don’t cry over spilled milk.
Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Take care of today, and tomorrow will take care of itself.
Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.
3.9 Negotiating Traps (Objs. 2, 3)
a. Since Americans are so legalistic, they are usually more concerned about the letter of the law
b. Because individuals in other cultures, Asian in particular, want to get to know people on a
social basis before they begin their business relationships, the wheels of business grind more
c. If American businesspeople want to gain the respect of foreign business partners, one sure way is
speaking their language. Mastering only a few phrases well at first will demonstrate a great
d. Someone who is speaking English did not necessarily learn English as his or her first
e. The saying that “rank has its privilege” is very true, especially in Asian cultures. Knowing
the chain of command and giving the proper deference at each level is of utmost importance.
If their strict rules of conduct are not followed, someone could lose face in front of
3.10 Learning About Other Countries (Objs. 2, 4)
a. Australia: With a handshake standing an arm’s length apart.
India: With the namaste, which is formed by pressing the palms together below the chin and
Japan: If you are greeted with a bow, return the bow with one as low as the one received.
c. In France, people may be greeted with a handshake or a kiss. Depending on the region, the
3.11 Learn to Speak a Foreign Language or Just a Few Phrases With Livemocha or Busuu
(Objs. 2, 3)
Both social networks resemble Facebook in that users register and create profiles. Livemocha is
a Seattle-based commercial language learning network. Calling itself the largest language
Busuu’s headquarters is in Madrid, Spain. Currently, the social network offers 12 major
3.12 Checking in With Facebook (Objs. 1, 3)
Keeping up with Facebook’s staggering growth is a challenge. The latest numbers cited here
were collected in 2012 by several tracking websites mentioned in the activity, Inside Facebook,
Socialbakers, and Internet World Stats. The recent Facebook use statistics show a mixed picture
http://mashable.com/2012/07/02/china-social-networks]. In a similar vein, countries that have
The top countries outside the United States that match or exceed its 50 percent Facebook
penetration rate are Canada (52 percent), the United Kingdom (49 percent), Taiwan (53 percent),
Bilingual students can be especially helpful in comparing the social networking sites in
