International Business Chapter 2 Homework The goal of this exercise is to promote an enhanced understanding and grasp of your own attitudes about individualism and collectivism

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International Organizational Behavior 2e Chapter 2 Activities Page 1

CHAPTER 2

CULTURAL FRAMEWORKS: UNDERSTANDING

ATTITUDES, VALUES, AND BEHAVIOR

CHAPTER ACTIVITIES

DEVELOPING YOUR INTERNATIONAL CAREER – What are Your Attitudes towards

Individualism and Collectivism?

Purpose and Instructions

The goal of this exercise is to promote an enhanced understanding and grasp of your own

attitudes about individualism and collectivism. First, assume that you are somewhere in

1. _____I would offer my seat in a bus to my supervisor.

2. _____I prefer to be direct and forthright when dealing with people.

3. _____I enjoy developing long-term relationships with my work colleagues.

6. _____If I want my subordinate to perform a task, I tell the person that my superiors want me to

get that task done.

7. _____I prefer to give opinions that will help people save face rather than give a statement of the

Strongly agree

Agree

Not sure

Disagree

Strongly disagree

International Organizational Behavior 2e Chapter 2 Activities Page 2

11. _____It is important to develop a network of people in my community who can help me when I

have tasks to accomplish.

12. _____I enjoy feeling that I am looked upon as equal in worth to my superiors.

Next, imagine that you are working in one of the countries listed below. Pick the country

about which you have the most overall knowledge (e.g., thanks to overseas experience,

reading, having friends or relatives from that country, classes you have taken, etc.).

Argentina

Brazil

China

Peru

Philippines

Spain

Now go back and answer the same 14 questions listed above, while imagining that you are

working in the country you picked from the list above. Imagine that you will be living in

1. _____

8. _____

2. _____

9. _____

3. _____

10. _____

4. _____

11. _____

5. _____

12. _____

6. _____

13. _____

International Organizational Behavior 2e Chapter 2 Activities Page 3

Scoring

Scoring this exercise involves comparing two sets of numbers—your set of numbers for a

career in North America and your set for a career in one of the other listed countries. Let’s

Question 1: your number in the second pass is higher than in the first pass.

Question 2: your number in the first pass is higher than in the second pass.

Question 3: your number is higher in the second pass.

Question 7: your number is higher in the second pass.

Question 8: your number is higher in the first pass.

Question 9: your number is higher in the first pass.

Question 10: your number is higher in the second pass.

If your total score was six points or more, you are sensitive to the cultural differences

captured by the concepts of individualism and collectivism. You grasp that cultures that

embrace individualism may require different behaviors to accomplish goals and to achieve

career success than cultures that embrace collectivism.

International Organizational Behavior 2e Chapter 2 Activities Page 4

MAKING THE CASE FOR INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING – Is a Culture of

Entrepreneurial Problem-Solving Key for India?

India is a complex and chaotic place with hundreds of millions of poor citizens and a

ramshackle infrastructure—particularly when compared to the gleaming new ports,

highways, and airports that China has been building in recent years. Moreover, India has

long been plagued by a notoriously inefficient, albeit democratic, government. But these

challenges and barriers have arguably produced something remarkable in India—a

problem-solving mentality that helps many Indians to quickly, cheaply, and cleverly invent

new products and new ways of doing things.

Interestingly, while China’s approach to growth has been, for the most part, government

driven, India’s successes are more connected to the collective efforts of its nearly 50 million

entrepreneurs. The unleashing of India’s underlying entrepreneurial culture has been

driven by several factors, including reforms that started 20 years ago (e.g., lower tariffs,

friendlier rules for investment, and less business red tape). Another factor is the domestic

market. While many Indian companies do a brisk export business in services, the local

market is large and demanding, with customers wanting cheap products that work well

from the start. And India’s “frugal innovators” provide them what they want. In fact, some

of what they have come up with is nothing short of mind-boggling. For instance, Tata

Chemicals has developed a water filter that costs less than $1, needs no power, and

provides 30 days of pure drinking water for a five-person family. And Indian scientists have

developed a new laptop they hope to bring to market—one that costs just $35!

International Organizational Behavior 2e Chapter 2 Activities Page 5

But, as stated earlier, India is a complex place, one with plenty of built-in contradictions.

Because of bureaucratic barriers and increasing domestic competition, some of India’s best

companies, such as Godrej Consumer Products, are looking abroad to places like Africa to

grow their revenues—where their efficient and inexpensive business models are well

suited to create products tailored to local demands. Indeed, many companies feel that India

remains a very challenging place to do business. Many Indian roads are abysmal, and some

are slowed by checkpoints where officials demand bribes from truck drivers. Likewise,

companies often must maintain their own backup power and sanitation systems given the

lack of stable utilities. Moreover, while India has plenty of innovative entrepreneurs, it is

woefully short on engineers and other trained professionals and has too few outstanding

Assignment Questions

1. Do an in-depth assessment of Indian culture. What specific elements of that culture

support entrepreneurship? Are there elements that hinder it? Can you provide

examples of how these cultural elements are manifested in successful Indian firms as

well as in firms that have struggled recently?

3. Overall, do you side with the optimists who believe that India’s culture will help it

leapfrog China in the next few decades or the pessimists who see India as facing

daunting problems that will hold its growth back for years to come? Either way, fully

explain your position.