Deck 3: Differences in Culture

Question 1

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

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Culture is static.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

As demonstrated by Japan,the primacy of the group is always beneficial.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The values and norms of a culture are evolutionary.

Question 5

The most rigid system of stratification is a class system.

Question 6

A society's social structure refers to its basic social organization.

Question 7

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 8

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

Question 9

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

Question 10

The emphasis on individualism in the United States may raise the costs of doing business due to its adverse impact on managerial stability and cooperation.

Question 11

People who violate folkways are considered to be evil or bad.

Question 12

Folkways include rituals and symbolic behavior.

Question 13

The group is the primary unit of organization in Western societies.

Question 14

Mores have much greater significance than folkways.

Question 15

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

Question 16

A society is another name for a country.

Question 17

The bow that is given by a Japanese business executive to another business executive is an example of symbolic behavior.

Question 18

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

Question 19

If a country is characterized as having a single homogenous culture,then its national culture also is homogenous and not a mosaic of subcultures.

Question 20

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 21

Muslim countries are likely to be receptive to international business as long as those businesses behave in a manner that is consistent with Islamic ethics.

Question 22

There is a one-to-one correspondence between culture and the nation-state.

Question 23

Historically,upward mobility could be achieved in a single generation in Britain.

Question 24

American culture has changed and it is easier now for women to gain senior management positions than men.

Question 25

China's Communist rule strengthened class divisions.

Question 26

Unspoken language refers to nonverbal communication.

Question 27

Cultural change is unidirectional,with national cultures converging toward some homogenous global entity.

Question 28

Unlike Hinduism,Buddhism does not support the caste system.

Question 29

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

Question 30

Culture is a constant; it does not evolve over time.

Question 31

During the past decade,countries with high individualism and low Confucian dynamics such as the United States have attained high growth rates.

Question 32

Members of high uncertainty avoidance cultures were characterized by a greater readiness to take risks and less emotional resistance to change.

Question 33

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

Question 34

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

Question 35

Several sociologists have argued that of the three main branches of Christianity-Catholic,Orthodox,and Protestant-the latter has the most important economic implications.

Question 36

People who take food or safety for granted tend to be xenophobic,are wary of political activity,have authoritarian tendencies,and believe that men make better political leaders than women.

Question 37

Since English is often thought of as the global language of business,it is not important for an American business executive to learn foreign languages.

Question 38

Hofstede's power distance dimension focused on how a society deals with the fact that people are unequal in physical and intellectual capabilities.

Question 39

A mudarabah contract banking method of Islamic banks is similar to a profit-sharing scheme.

Question 40

Confucianism can be accurately characterized as a religion.

Question 41

Which of the following statements about values and norms of a culture is not true?

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

Question 42

The emphasis on individualism in the United States results in all of the following disadvantages except:

A)managers tend to develop good general skills but lack the company-specific experience.
B)difficulty in building teams within an organization to perform collective tasks.
C)executives are not exposed to different ways of doing business.
D)difficulty to achieve cooperation both within a company and between companies.

Question 43

During the 1960s and 1970s,class divisions in _____ raised the cost of doing business there,relative to other European countries.

A)Great Britain
B)Switzerland
C)Norway
D)Germany

Question 44

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 45

The social organization of Western society tends to emphasize on:

A)a group orientation.
B)the family.
C)individual achievement.
D)work groups.

Question 46

Which of the following is not true regarding culture?

A)Culture is static
B)Culture is evolving
C)It is a system of values and norms that are shared among a group of people
D)It involves the knowledge and beliefs of people

Question 47

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 48

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

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

Question 49

_____ are the routine conventions of everyday life.

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

Question 50

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 51

A _____ 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)culture system

Question 52

It has been argued that the success of Japanese enterprises in the global economy has been based partly on all of the following except:

A)the diffusion of self-managing work teams.
B)the close cooperation among different functions within Japanese companies.
C)the high degree of managerial mobility between companies.
D)the cooperation between a company and its suppliers on issues such as design,quality control,and inventory reduction.

Question 53

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

A)Demographic strata
B)Economic strata
C)Social strata
D)Cultural strata

Question 54

_____ 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 55

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 56

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

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

Question 57

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

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

Question 58

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 59

A central value of Japanese culture is the importance attached to:

A)the individual.
B)group membership.
C)individual achievement.
D)personal accomplishments.

Question 60

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

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

Question 61

According to Islam,those who hold property are regarded as:

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

Question 62

Which Islamic banking method is the most widely used among the world's Islamic banks,primarily because it is the easiest to implement?

A)Mudarib
B)Murabaha
C)Maysir
D)Mudarabah

Question 63

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 64

Three values central to the Confucian system of ethics have very important economic implications.Which of the following is not one among them?

A)Loyalty
B)Rule-based law
C)Reciprocal obligations
D)Honesty in dealings with others

Question 65

Which of the following observations is correct?

A)None of the economic principles established in the Koran are pro-free enterprise.
B)The Koran speaks approvingly of free enterprise.
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 66

Religion may be defined as:

A)routine conventions of everyday life.
B)social rules that govern peoples' 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 67

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 peoples' actions toward each other.

Question 68

This is an Islamic banking method where banks lend money to a business,and rather than charging that business interest on the loan,they take a share in the profits that are derived from the investment.

A)Mudarabah
B)Murabaha
C)Maysir
D)Mudarib

Question 69

According to sociologists,which of the following branches of Christianity has the most important economic implications?

A)Catholic
B)Orthodox
C)Protestant
D)Mormon

Question 70

Hofstede's masculinity vs.femininity dimension examined:

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 71

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 vs.collectivism
C)uncertainty avoidance
D)masculinity vs.femininity

Question 72

According to Max Weber:

A)principles embedded in Hinduism encourage high levels of entrepreneurial activity.
B)Hindu values emphasize that individuals should be judged by their material achievements.
C)pursuit of material well-being makes the attainment of nirvana easier.
D)devout Hindus would be less likely to engage in entrepreneurial activity than devout Protestants.

Question 73

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 74

The emergence of class consciousness in Great Britain can be attributed to:

A)the relative lack of class mobility.
B)a high degree of social mobility.
C)an extreme emphasis on individualism.
D)most of the population perceiving itself to be middle class.

Question 75

In China,class divisions:

A)have historically been of no importance.
B)were strengthened during the high point of Communist rule.
C)increased even during reforms of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
D)were weakened because of a rigid system of household registration.

Question 76

The individualism vs.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 77

A class system:

A)is the same as a caste system.
B)is a rigid form of social stratification that does not permit social mobility.
C)allows an individual to change his/her position via personal achievements.
D)is more rigid than the caste system.

Question 78

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)economic classification.
B)social mobility.
C)class mobility.
D)class consciousness.

Question 79

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

A)The nature of a language structures the way we perceive the world.
B)The language of a society can direct the attention of its members to certain features of the world rather than others.
C)Countries with more than one language often have more than one culture.
D)Most people prefer to converse in English rather than their own language.

Question 80

The belief in the superiority of one's own culture is known as:

A)ethnocentrism.
B)egocentrism.
C)polycentrism.
D)theocentricism.