Deck 5: Differences in Culture

Question 1

Culture is not a constant;it evolves over time.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

A caste system is:

A)a closed system of stratification.
B)a condition where people tend to perceive themselves in terms of their background.
C)an open system of stratification.
D)a set of moral principles or values that are used to guide and shape a culture.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The most widely spoken language in the world is Spanish.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

In business arrangements,the key to 'getting things done' in Australia is through:

A)what you know and who you know.
B)word-of-mouth transactions and interactions.
C)customer client privilege.
D)contract law.

Question 5

Hofstede's pioneer work on cultures was obtained from _________.

A)telephone conversations
B)focus groups
C)questionnaires
D)Internet

Question 6

In the United States and Japan,the gesture of making a circle with the thumb and the forefinger is associated with __________ and _________.

A)joy;festive occasions
B)friendliness;money
C)virtue;truth
D)youth;humour

Question 7

Conventional banking,which is based on bank interest,is prohibited in Islam.

Question 8

Cross-cultural literacy means:

A)an understanding of how cultural differences across and within nations can affect the way in which business is practiced.
B)abstract ideas about what a group believes to be good,right and desirable.
C)the social rules and guidelines that prescribe appropriate behaviour in particular situations.
D)reference to a group of people who share a common set of values and norms.

Question 9

There are the two central components of culture - values and norms.

Question 10

With individualism and individual achievement one of the most common elements of social structure in Western societies,one unintended consequence of this philosophy is:

A)that it focuses on becoming a leader more than a manager.
B)that it promotes the opportunity to 'get rich quick'.
C)the lack of company loyalty and failure to gain company-specific knowledge.
D)that it fosters working alone more than in groups.

Question 11

In Islamic banking,all except one of the following are honoured principles:

A)the time value of money
B)Shari'a Law
C)no interest (Riba)on loans
D)a Mudaraba contract

Question 12

Norms include rituals and symbolic behaviour.

Question 13

Australian culture,by and large,has an emphasis on individualism.

Question 14

The determinants of culture are identified with all but one of the following:

A)religion
B)class
C)education
D)language

Question 15

In Western banking,the measurement of business ______ncides with seasonal ______rough profit and loss statements.

A)revenue;variations
B)loss;expectations
C)profit;reporting
D)units;fluctuations

Question 16

Translation researchers are moving to a system of concept translation where word translation alone is insufficient.

Question 17

Two main dimensions of social structure are (i)the degree to which the basic unit of social organisation is the individual and (ii)the degree to which a society is stratified into classes or castes.

Question 18

In an example of cultures such as Australia and China where there is a noticeable difference in work-related values,an international business with operations in both countries always vary their management processes and practices to account for these differences.

Question 19

The Koran explicitly forbids interest to be paid to lenders.Consequently,Islamic banks make their money using two different methods.These are through the __________ methods.

A)Mudarabah and Murabaha
B)Sukuk and Wadiah
C)Musharakah and Hibah
D)Ijarah and Qardhul Hassan

Question 20

The four dimensions that Hofstede claimed summarised different cultures were: power distance,individualism versus collectivism,uncertainty avoidance,and masculinity versus femininity.

Question 21

_______ are the two central components of culture.

A)Ethics and laws
B)Values and norms
C)Religious beliefs and family tradition
D)Class consciousness and social mobility

Question 22

In ______ciety,the high degree of social mobility and the extreme emphasis on individualism limit the impact of class background on business operations.

A)Russian
B)American
C)Indian
D)Norwegian

Question 23

Max Weber,a German sociologist,argued that ______thics emphasise the importance of hard work and wealth creation.

A)specialisation
B)Protestant
C)Communist
D)Socialist

Question 24

Most ________ Western countries tend to have ______ultures where explicit communication is preferred.

A)individualistic;low-context
B)individualistic;high-context
C)high-context;low-context
D)low-context;high-context

Question 25

The German sociologist,__________,made a connection between Protestant ethics and 'the spirit of capitalism'.

A)Abraham Maslow
B)Max Weber
C)George Williams
D)John Wesley

Question 26

What is the world's oldest major religion?

A)Buddhism
B)Islam
C)Confucianism
D)Hinduism

Question 27

Sociologists now hypothesise that a new class system is emerging in ______ed less on the rural-urban divide and more on urban occupation.

A)China
B)Russia
C)Japan
D)Norway

Question 28

A ______s a system of values and norms that are shared among a group of people and that when taken together constitute a design for living.

A)society
B)clique
C)fraternity
D)culture

Question 29

Which of the following religions prohibits the payment or receipt of interest?

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

Question 30

The Koran ___________ of free enterprise and of earning legitimate profit through trade and commerce.

A)speaks approvingly
B)does not address the issue
C)speaks critically
D)forbids the practice

Question 31

Which of the following principles is NOT consistent with the teachings of the Koran?

A)The protection of the rights of private property.
B)Earning a legitimate profit through trade economics.
C)Free enterprise.
D)Earning profit through the exploitation of others.

Question 32

Which of the following lists correctly identifies the world's major religions by size from highest to lowest?

A)Hinduism,Islam,Christianity,Buddhism
B)Christianity,Islam,Hinduism,Buddhism
C)Christianity,Hinduism,Islam,Buddhism
D)Buddhism,Islam,Christianity,Hinduism

Question 33

Which of the following best describes the most literal meaning of 'cross-cultural literacy'?

A)cross-border trading
B)tacit knowledge
C)guanxi
D)cultural differences

Question 34

In countries such as the United States,class membership is most influenced by which of the following?

A)family background
B)social strata
C)personal economic achievements
D)degree of schooling

Question 35

The modern interpretation of 'class' in Australia includes all but one of the following categories:

A)Privileged class and Propertied class.
B)Upper class,Middle class and Working class (Lower class).
C)Professional class and Class of the Legislative Assembly (Government officials).
D)Class based on a Caste System.

Question 36

Historically,British society has been divided into three main classes:

A)the upper class,the middle class and the working class.
B)the topmost class,the central class and the bottom class.
C)the preferred class,the medium class and the lower class.
D)the higher class,the central class and the lower class.

Question 37

The most able and qualified individuals in a business organisation may find their route to the higher levels of the organisation blocked simply because they come from lower castes,under the teachings of __________.

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

Question 38

Individuals born into a __________ at the bottom of the hierarchy can work their way up,while individuals at the top can work their way down.

A)class system
B)caste system
C)value system
D)norm system

Question 39

____________an understanding of how cultural differences across and within nations can affect the way in which business is practised.

A)Cross-cultural literacy
B)Cultural business sensitivity
C)Cross-national awareness
D)Cross-border sensitivity

Question 40

A form of _________ has been played out in British society in the traditional hostility between upper-middle-class managers and their working-class employees.

A)class consciousness
B)denominational awareness
C)social awareness
D)category mindfulness

Question 41

The best way to describe language that is not spoken is to refer to it as __________.

A)discrete communication
B)non-verbal communication
C)silent communication
D)passive communication

Question 42

Which one of the following dimensions focused on how a society deals with the fact that people are unequal in physical and intellectual capabilities?

A)collectivism
B)individualism
C)uncertainty avoidance
D)power distance

Question 43

Which one of the following best identifies Hofstede's five dimensions that he claimed summarised different cultures?

A)individualism versus collectivism,power distance,tolerant versus intolerant and aggressive verses passive
B)uncertainty avoidance,masculinity versus femininity,individual versus group-oriented and forward versus reserved
C)aggressive verses passive,tolerant versus intolerant,power distance,individual versus group-oriented and high-context verses low-context
D)power distance,individualism versus collectivism,uncertainty avoidance,masculinity versus femininity and long-term verses short-term orientation

Question 44

The recent trends in international business strongly indicate that when Japanese and German businesspeople conduct business together,the language in which they will communicate is almost certain to be __________.

A)French
B)German
C)Japanese
D)English

Question 45

________ is noted for having ethics that speak of the values of loyalty,reciprocal obligations and honesty as being central to its system.

A)Buddhism
B)Islam
C)Hinduism
D)Confucianism

Question 46

Historically,______upported India's caste system.

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

Question 47

Because language shapes the way people perceive the world,it also helps define _________.

A)religion
B)culture
C)guanxi
D)ethics

Question 48

Mahayana Buddhism is practised predominantly in which of the following locations?

A)North America and Western Europe
B)Eastern Europe and the republics of the former Soviet Union
C)Thailand,Cambodia and Myanmar
D)China,Korea and Japan

Question 49

Geert Hofstede expanded his original research to include a fifth dimension,Confucian dynamism,designed to capture additional cultural differences not brought out in his earlier work.All of the following countries score high on Confucian dynamism except for ________.

A)New Zealand
B)Thailand
C)China
D)Japan

Question 50

Which one of the following languages is the lingua franca of international business?

A)Spanish
B)English
C)French
D)Japanese