3.13 Iceland and Norway: The Most Connected Countries in the World?
For example, in China 38.4 percent of the people have Internet access up from 22.4 percent
two years earlier. Consider these or similar questions: Is this figure likely to increase in the
future? How can you explain the low Internet penetration for Asia as a whole?
The potential for the growth of Internet access in China and Asia as a whole is huge. Only about
a quarter of the world’s population have Internet access, reflecting a very uneven distribution
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) runs a website that is a treasure trove of
intercultural information. It gives you access to country comparisons and profiles as well as
important statistics. For example, you can learn about economies, governments, ethnic
groups, or telecommunications around the world. Likewise, BBC News in the United
Kingdom compiles reliable facts about various nations. Using your favorite browser, locate
CIA World Factbook Iceland (Norway) or BBC News Country Profiles. Try to find answers
explaining why North European nations are so Internet friendly.
The Scandinavians, with Iceland and Norway at the top, are the world’s most avid Internet users
relative to their populations. Not surprisingly, Internet access correlates strongly with wealth.
Which regions have experienced the strongest growth in two years? What conclusions can
you draw about Internet use worldwide?
In percentage terms, Africa as a whole has enjoyed the biggest growth (in two years its Internet
penetration rate more than doubled). However, in absolute numbers, Africa remains an
Internet-use laggard, mostly for socioeconomic and political reasons as many African countries
continue to be wracked with violence and unrest. China jumped a respectable 14 percentage
View Figure 3.9 or visit Internet World Stats and weigh population figures against Internet
usage; for example, compare Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia. Study user growth
between 2000 and today. By clicking the links for the continents, you can view individual
countries. How could businesses use this statistical information? Which types of business
could benefit the most?
The individual country statistics are revealing. The small but highly developed and
population-dense country of Japan closely matches the United States in Internet access as
3.14 Rotation Curation: Cultural Networking at Its Best?
This assignment should lead to a lively discussion and could be approached from multiple
Most students will probably understand that one should exercise caution whenever posting
online, but perhaps even more so when representing a cause, a city, a country, or any other entity.
Some commonsense rules could include tweeting about topics of general interest that will reflect
As for suitable causes to tweet about in a curated fashion, anything of interest to the public or
large groups of users that is likely to mobilize large crowds might work—for instance,
Students’ answers will vary when it comes to how they would approach their posts. It is to be
A cursory glance at this writing reveals that the most recent Swedish curator, Ell, is amusing
herself by commenting on her followers’ submissions from various languages that denote a
Things to avoid in curated tweets—well, in any online posting really—are disclosed in the
Harvard Business Review. The Management Tip of the Day wisely poses the question about how
3.15 Examining Cultural Stereotypes (Objs. 2, 3)
This activity drives home the limiting nature of stereotypes, even the positive ones. Very few of
us are comfortable representing our entire culture, although others may perceive and designate us
as “ambassadors” of our country of origin. Students may find some stereotypes flattering, but
3.16 Exploring Negative Stereotypes and Prejudice (Obj. 3)
This topic is potentially incendiary and should be handled with tact. Nevertheless, some of the
most engaging subjects are those that incite passions. They prove that discomfort with “the
Chances are that at least some of the students in your classes are Muslim. The subject may
The brief facts listed in the scenario show that many of the gut-level responses the average
person in the United States associates with a minority may be based on misinformation,
Responses to the discussion questions will vary, but they could include the following answers:
Empathy vs. fear of the other may explain the different reactions in the bagel shop. Most people
The hijab is not only a cultural and religious symbol, but it is also highly political. In Turkey
and Tunisia, two Muslim countries that have banned the headscarf in public places, wearing the
hijab is an act of defiance and protest. It signifies strict adherence to Islamic law. Women being
Workplace tensions—and conflict due to prejudice is no exception—almost always affect
3.17 Analyzing a Problem International E-Mail (Obj. 3)
The e-mail is poorly organized, poorly written, and overly casual; but let’s just focus on the
difficulty it might cause readers unfamiliar with our language.
a. Slang: “royally turned off,” “put down our customers”
b. Idioms: “on-again/off-again haggling,” “take the bull by the horns”
3.18 Make Yourself at Home: Ambiguous Expressions Invite New Friends (Obj. 3)
Idioms: by leaps and bounds, crossing bridges before coming to them, grin and bear it, with
Slang: getting the “hang” of it; get the “drift”; “cool”; “bad” (when it means the opposite); just
Acronyms: ASAP (as soon as possible), OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health
Abbreviations: FYI (for your information), BTW (by the way), ISP (Internet Service Provider),
Jargon: Microspeak expressions, a lexicon from former Microsoft employee: “disambiguate”
Two-word verbs: hold back (withhold), take back (return), come to an agreement (agree), shut
3.19 Greasing Palms Abroad: Baksheesh, Mordida, and Kumshah (Obj. 4)
a. Your company would be prohibited from making cash payments to government officials
involved in making decisions regarding a contract for your firm. This is a bribe and could be
prosecuted. The most prominent case of this kind occurred in 1995. Lockheed Martin pleaded
b. This is an actual case. The vice president of an aircraft parts company was convicted for,
d. In another real case, the Justice Department investigated a company giving gifts to officials
e. When goods are waiting to be unloaded at docks in foreign ports, the Federal Corrupt
f. Hiring the relative of a government official involved in transactions with your company is
3.20 Investigating Gifts, Gratuities, and Entertainment Limits (Obj. 4)
Students will find many interesting restrictions. For example, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
limits gifts, gratuities, or favors at a “nominal value of $50 or less.” Its code of conduct further
states, “The value of all gifts received in one year from all business sources must not exceed
3.21 Investigating Gender Talk (Obj. 5)
Students are asked to discuss whether men and women do indeed have different communication
styles. You might wish to ask your students to conduct their own studies on this question by
observing men and women for one week. In the workplace, in classrooms, in casual surroundings
Which style is more appropriate for today’s team-based management? Some theorists believe that as
we move away from authoritative, hierarchical management methods toward consensus-building
participative management strategies, some of the female communication techniques are more
appropriate. Others say that we should avoid “knee-jerk reactions” and train people to make a clear
3.22 Encouraging Gender Diversity in Corporations (Obj. 5)
Answers will vary. Most students will probably consider the European approach too harsh, an
example of the “nanny state.” This may prompt a discussion of cultural differences between
Europeans, who pay relatively high taxes and expect much from their governments, and
Americans, who have comparatively low tax burdens and desire to live free from government
intrusion as much as possible. However, some students may argue that quotas are not such a bad
idea because change in the United States has been slow. Others may be open to some other form
of government intervention or incentive that might help things along. This assignment could lead
American Express, Cisco, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, and Intel are grooming high-performing
The Alliance for Board Diversity cites the Fortune 500 companies with the broadest diversity
3.23 What Makes a “Best” Company for Minorities? (Obj. 7)
A quick online search will lead students to the Fortune article at http://money.cnn.com/