Deck 4: Differences in Culture

Question 1

A caste system is a closed system of stratification in which social position is determined by the family into which the person is born.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: A caste system is a closed system of stratification in which social position is determined by the family into which a person is born, and change in that position is usually not possible during an individual's lifetime.

Question 2

The term social strata refers to the extent to which individuals can move out of the strata into which they were born.

Answer 2

False
Explanation: All societies are stratified on a hierarchical basis into social categories-that is, into social strata. These strata are typically defined on the basis of characteristics such as family background, occupation, and income.

Question 3

Norms are abstract ideas about what a group believes to be good, right, and desirable.

Answer 3

False
Explanation: Norms refer to the social rules and guidelines that prescribe appropriate behavior in particular situations.

Question 4

Guanxi is an important mechanism for building long-term business relationships and getting business done in China.

Question 5

Hofstede's study found that in masculine cultures, sex roles were less sharply distinguished, and little differentiation was made between men and women in the same job.

Question 6

Hofstede's research has been criticized because it was culturally bound.

Question 7

Upon meeting a foreign business executive, a Japanese executive will hold his business card in both hands and bow while presenting the card to the foreigner. This is an example of ritual behavior.

Question 8

Hofstede's concept of power distance focused on the extent to which different cultures socialized their members into tolerating uncertainty.

Question 9

Like Christianity and Judaism, Islam is a polytheistic religion.

Question 10

According to Max Weber, Protestantism encouraged capitalism's development by emphasizing the importance of wealth creation and frugality.

Question 11

A class system is a rigid form of social stratification in which the position a person has by birth cannot be changed through his/her own achievements or luck.

Question 12

In countries where the value of group identification is considered to be primary, managers and workers are discouraged from moving from company to company.

Question 13

Individualism has led to a high degree of managerial mobility between companies resulting in managers who have good general skills but lack company-specific experience.

Question 14

An antagonistic relationship between management and labor classes may result in lower costs of production.

Question 15

Both Hindus and Buddhists stress the afterlife and spiritual achievement rather than involvement in this world.

Question 16

Folkways include rituals and symbolic behavior.

Question 17

The mudarabah contract is the most widely used Islamic banking method, because it is the easiest to implement.

Question 18

Max Weber thought that devout Hindus would be less likely to engage in entrepreneurial activity than devout Protestants.

Question 19

Education plays an important role, from an international business perspective, as a determinant of national competitive advantage.

Question 20

In today's world of global communications, rapid transportation, and global markets, cultural differences have ceased to exist.

Question 21

The value systems and norms of a country are unrelated to the costs of doing business in that country.

Question 22

Which of the following is true regarding culture?

A) Culture is not static.
B) Culture does not vary across and within nations.
C) Culture is a system of values and norms that are kept between each individual.
D) Culture involves the knowledge and beliefs of one individual.

Question 23

Even if a _____ can be characterized as having a single homogeneous culture, often that national culture is a mosaic of subcultures.

A) culture
B) society
C) country
D) norm

Question 24

Culture is ________.

A) static
B) not static
C) unchanging
D) abstract

Question 25

The convergence hypothesis states that there is a slow but steady merging occurring across different cultures towards some universally accepted values and norms.

Question 26

Norms refer to:

A) the social rules and guidelines that prescribe appropriate behavior in particular situations.
B) a system of values that are shared among a group of people.
C) the routine conventions of everyday life.
D) abstract ideas about what a group believes to be good, right, and desirable.

Question 27

The connection between _____ and _____ has important implications for the choice of countries in which to locate production facilities and do business.

A) culture; competitive advantage
B) moral principles; values
C) class system; society
D) values; norms

Question 28

Social rules and guidelines that prescribe appropriate behavior in particular situations are best described as _____.

A) norms
B) values
C) culture
D) society

Question 29

_____ is/are best defined as shared assumptions about how things ought to be.

A) Norms
B) Values
C) Society
D) Culture

Question 30

These are typically defined on the basis of characteristics such as family background, occupation, and income.

A) Social strata
B) Norms
C) Social structure
D) Groups

Question 31

Hofstede's concept of power distance focused on:

A) the extent to which different cultures socialized their members into tolerating uncertainty.
B) how a society deals with the fact that people are unequal in physical and intellectual capabilities.
C) attitudes toward time, persistence, protection of face, and respect for tradition.
D) the relationship between gender and work roles.

Question 32

International businesses that are ill-informed about the practices of another culture are likely to fail.

Question 33

_____ are the routine conventions of everyday life.

A) Folkways
B) Mores
C) Rites
D) Beliefs

Question 34

The system of values and norms that are shared among a group of people and that when taken together constitute a design for living best defines _____.

A) society
B) value systems
C) principles
D) culture

Question 35

In countries where the value of _____ identification is considered to be primary, managers and workers are discouraged from moving from company to company.

A) individual
B) group
C) cultural
D) primary

Question 36

The protection of the right to private property is embedded within _____.

A) Islam
B) Christianity
C) Hinduism
D) Protestantism

Question 37

A group of people who share a common set of values and norms form a _____.

A) culture
B) society
C) country
D) caste

Question 38

Because of its individualistic mindset, Japanese culture is more supportive of entrepreneurial activities than American culture.

Question 39

According to Hofstede, the concept of Confucian dynamism captures attitudes toward time, persistence, protection of face, and respect for tradition.

Question 40

Cross-cultural literacy refers to:

A) an individual's self-concept derived from perceived membership in a relevant social group.
B) the phenomenon of merging and converging cultures.
C) abstract ideas about what a group believes to be good, right, and desirable.
D) an understanding of how cultural differences can affect business.

Question 41

A condition where people tend to perceive themselves in terms of their class background and this shapes their relationships with members of other classes is known as _____.

A) class stratification
B) social mobility
C) class mobility
D) class consciousness

Question 42

Max Weber coined the term _____ to denote the tendency on the part of Protestants to work hard and accumulate wealth.

A) Protestant work ethic
B) Protestant belief system
C) Protestant devotion
D) Protestant morale

Question 43

The term _____ also means culture.

A) folkway
B) society
C) country
D) norm

Question 44

Ethical systems are:

A) a set of moral principles, or values, that are used to guide and shape behavior.
B) shared beliefs and rituals that are concerned with the realm of the sacred.
C) routine conventions of everyday life.
D) social rules that govern people's actions toward each other.

Question 45

An upper-middle-class manager tends to have hostile relationship with the working-class employees in the firm because of his tendency to perceive himself as superior to them based on his class background. In this example, the manager exhibits _____.

A) class consciousness
B) cultural awareness
C) social mobility
D) group orientation

Question 46

A society's social structure refers to its:

A) system of values and norms.
B) basic social organization.
C) religious practices.
D) educational infrastructure.

Question 47

Religion may be defined as:

A) routine conventions of everyday life.
B) social rules that govern people's actions toward each other.
C) shared beliefs and rituals that are concerned with the realm of the sacred.
D) a set of moral principles, or values, that are used to guide and shape behavior.

Question 48

Which of the following is a closed system of stratification in which social position is determined by the family into which a person is born, and change in that position is usually not possible during an individual's lifetime?

A) Caste system
B) Class system
C) Social system
D) Cultural system

Question 49

The social organization of Western society tends to emphasize on:

A) a group orientation.
B) collectivist values.
C) individual achievement.
D) work groups.

Question 50

Mores are:

A) the norms that are seen as central to the functioning of a society and its social life.
B) the routine conventions of everyday life.
C) abstract ideas about what a group believes to be right, good, and desirable.
D) the social rules and guidelines that prescribe appropriate behavior in particular situations.

Question 51

A Japanese executive's ritual of presenting a business card to a foreign business executive is an example of _____.

A) mores
B) values
C) attitudes
D) folkways

Question 52

The emphasis on individualism in the United States results in which of the following advantages?

A) Managers tend to develop good general skills as well as company-specific experience.
B) Teams are built within an organization to perform collective tasks.
C) Executives are exposed to different ways of doing business.
D) It is easy to achieve cooperation-both within a company and between companies.

Question 53

_____ are social conventions concerning things such as the appropriate dress code in a particular situation, good social manners, eating with the correct utensils, neighborly behavior, and the like.

A) Values
B) Beliefs
C) Mores
D) Folkways

Question 54

An act, as simple as shaking hands when meeting new people is an example of _____.

A) values
B) symbolic behavior
C) mores
D) social stratification

Question 55

Which of the following statements about values and norms of a culture is true?

A) The values and norms of a society emerge fully formed.
B) The values and norms of a society are not the evolutionary product of a number of factors.
C) The values and norms of a society are not influenced by religion.
D) The values and norms of a society influence social structure.

Question 56

Which of the following statements is true about a class system?

A) A class system is a more rigid form of social stratification, compared to a caste system.
B) A class system is a closed form of stratification.
C) Social mobility within a class system varies from society to society.
D) In a class system, social position is determined at birth and cannot be changed during an individual's lifetime.

Question 57

A _____ is a less rigid form of social stratification in which social mobility is possible.

A) caste system
B) normative system
C) religious system
D) class system

Question 58

Which of the following is a consequence of the emphasis on individual performance in many Western societies?

A) Decreased entrepreneurship
B) High degree of managerial mobility
C) Increased loyalty towards an individual company
D) Executives are not exposed to different ways of doing business

Question 59

Which of the following refers to the extent to which individuals can move out of the strata into which they are born?

A) Caste stratification
B) Class system
C) Social mobility
D) Individual potential

Question 60

A caste system differs from a class system because:

A) a caste system is an open system of stratification, while a class system is a closed system of stratification.
B) it is not possible for an individual to change his or her caste, while a class system allows people to change their class through individual achievement.
C) the social mobility in caste systems varies from society to society, while in a class system there is no social mobility.
D) a caste system is a less rigid form of social stratification, while a class system is a comparatively more rigid form of social stratification.

Question 61

According to Geert Hofstede's study, which of the following cultural dimensions would be characterized by a greater readiness to take risks and less emotional resistance to change?

A) High power distance cultures
B) Low uncertainty avoidance
C) High collectivism
D) Low power distance cultures

Question 62

The _____ refers to the extent to which a culture programs its citizens to accept delayed gratification of their material, social, and emotional needs.

A) long-term versus short-term orientation dimension
B) indulgence versus restraint dimension
C) uncertainty avoidance
D) power distance dimension

Question 63

The individualism versus collectivism dimension of Hofstede's study explored:

A) the extent to which different cultures socialized their members into accepting ambiguous situations and tolerating uncertainty.
B) the relationship between gender and work roles.
C) how a society deals with the fact that people are unequal in physical and intellectual capabilities.
D) the relationship between the individual and his/her fellows.

Question 64

A major difference between Buddhism and Hinduism is that unlike Hinduism, Buddhism:

A) does not support the caste system.
B) emphasizes wealth creation.
C) promotes blind loyalty to employers.
D) supports extreme ascetic behavior.

Question 65

Which of the following statements about the use of spoken language is true?

A) The nature of a language has no effect on the way we perceive the world.
B) The language of a society does not direct the attention of its members to certain features of the world rather than others.
C) Countries with more than one language often only have one culture.
D) Most people prefer to converse in their own language rather than English.

Question 66

According to Islam, those who hold property are regarded as _____.

A) trustees
B) owners
C) tenants
D) speculators

Question 67

Hindus believe:

A) that there is but the one true omnipotent God.
B) in reincarnation, or rebirth into a different body, after death.
C) in the importance of individual religious freedom.
D) that material quest is more important than spiritual quest.

Question 68

Max Weber theorized that there was a relationship between Protestantism and the emergence of modern capitalism because:

A) Protestant ethics emphasize the importance of hard work and wealth creation and frugality.
B) Protestantism promotes the hierarchical domination of religious and social life.
C) Protestantism states that spiritual growth is more important than material wealth.
D) Protestantism promotes blind loyalty to employers.

Question 69

The _____ instrument is designed to address the notion that a leader's effectiveness is contextual. It is embedded in the societal and organizational norms, values, and beliefs of the people being led.

A) GLOBE
B) WVS
C) IND
D) CVS

Question 70

There are three values central to the Confucian system of ethics that have very important economic implications. Which of the following is one of these?

A) Filial piety
B) Rule-based law
C) Humaneness
D) Honesty in dealings with others

Question 71

Which of the following is an example of ethnocentrism?

A) A manager in India looks down upon his subordinates because they are from a lower caste, compared to him.
B) An upper-middle-class woman talks rudely to a sales person, because she looks down upon individuals belonging to the working-class.
C) An American manager criticizes the cultural practices of Saudi Arabia, when he is sent there on business, because it differs from his own cultural norms.
D) A French business owner, who plans to expand his market to China, conducts a detailed cultural study of China to customize his marketing campaign.

Question 72

Which of the following sociologists made a connection between Protestant ethics and "the spirit of capitalism"?

A) Karl Marx
B) Max Weber
C) Amartya Sen
D) Adam Smith

Question 73

Which of the following observations is correct?

A) The economic principles established in the Koran are against free enterprise.
B) The economic principles of Islam prohibit the payment or receipt of interest.
C) The Koran speaks disapprovingly of earning legitimate profit through trade and commerce.
D) Protection of the right to private property is not embedded within Islam.

Question 74

Which of the following statements is true about the murabaha contract?

A) Under the murabaha contract, when an Islamic bank lends money to a business it takes a share in the profits that are derived from the investment.
B) Under the murabaha contract, money deposited in a savings account is treated as an equity investment in whatever activity the bank uses the capital for.
C) The murabaha contract is widely used among the world's Islamic banks because it is the easiest to implement.
D) The murabaha contract is a more efficient system than the Western banking system since it encourages both long-term savings and long-term investment.

Question 75

The _____ dimension of Hofstede's study explores how a society deals with the fact that people are unequal in physical and intellectual capabilities.

A) power distance
B) individualism versus collectivism
C) uncertainty avoidance
D) masculinity versus femininity

Question 76

Under the mudarabah banking system, when an Islamic bank lends money to a business:

A) it charges that business interest on the loan.
B) the business needs to pay back the loan with an additional markup.
C) it has to donate the interest received on the loan to a charitable trust.
D) it takes a share in the profits that are derived from the investment.

Question 77

Hofstede's dimension of Confucian dynamism:

A) captures attitudes toward time, persistence, ordering by status, protection of face, respect for tradition, and reciprocation of gifts and favors.
B) focuses on how a society deals with the fact that people are unequal in physical and intellectual capabilities.
C) explores the relationship between the individual and his/her fellows.
D) looks at the relationship between gender and the ability to accept ambiguous situations.

Question 78

The _____ is a research project spanning more than 100 countries that explores people's values and norms, how they change over time, and what impact they have in society and business.

A) World Values Survey
B) Global Leadership and Organization Behavior Effectiveness Instrument
C) Indulgence Versus Restraints Survey
D) Chinese Value Survey

Question 79

Hofstede's uncertainty avoidance dimension considered:

A) the extent to which different cultures socialized their members into accepting ambiguous situations and tolerating uncertainty.
B) the relationship between gender and work roles.
C) how a society deals with the fact that people are unequal in physical and intellectual capabilities.
D) the relationship between the individual and his or her fellows.

Question 80

Hinduism and Buddhism both stress the importance of _____.

A) the caste system
B) the afterlife
C) Confucian ethics
D) life on earth