Deck 8: Culture and Communication in the Global Workplace

Question 1

Box 8.3: Pekerti and Thomas (2003) examined intercultural and intracultural communication styles between two groups in New Zealand. Anglo-Europeans, presenting a low-context individualist culture and ____________, representing high-context collectivist culture.

A) East Asians
B) Americans
C) Eastern Europeans
D) African-Americans

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Based on Hofstede's work, countries who have large power distance include:

A) Austria
B) Israel
C) Guatamala
D) All of the above

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which dimension refers to the fostering of virtues oriented toward future rewards, and in particular, perseverance and thrift?

A) Short-term orientation
B) Individualist society
C) Long-term orientation
D) Power distance

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Box 8.2: In the Chinese culture, what is the meaning of sitting at a round table?

A) Participants are presumed equal
B) Participants are ranked in order, with the highest ranked person facing the main entrance to the room
C) Persons that sit opposite each other have equal power
D) There is no specific meaning

Question 5

Hofstede (1980) presented a statistical analysis of about 117,000 questionnaires collected in 1967 and 1973 from employees working in IBM subsidiaries in 40 different countries. The most important result of this analysis was a theoretical formulation of value dimensions for representing differences among national cultures, which consists of:

A) Power distance
B) Masculinity/feminity
C) Uncertainty avoidance
D) Individual-collectivism
E) All of the above

Question 6

Power distance, one of the four axis to examine culture in different countries, can be defined as:

A) The control of aggression and expressions of emotions
B) The tendency toward assertiveness in contrast to modesty
C) The relationship between the individual and the group
D) The relationship with authority and social inequality

Question 7

Which statement is true about an individualist society?

A) People are expected to act in their own interests
B) The relationship between employees and employers is based on complementing self-interests
C) Employers' decisions related to hiring and promotions are expected to be based on skills, achievements, and merit
D) All of the above

Question 8

Which statement is not true about collectivist societies?

A) People are born into extended families or in-groups, which contribute to protect the in exchange for loyalty.
B) People are expected to act in their own interests.
C) There are mutual obligations with strong loyalty on the part of the employee connected to an employer's commitment for protection and security in return.
D) Relationships between the employer and employees in the workplace is seen as a family relationship.

Question 9

The fifth dimension, or axis, that was introduced later to examine culture in different countries was __________________.

A) Long- verses short- term orientation
B) Avoidance of uncertainty
C) Power distance
D) Masculinity vs. feminity

Question 10

____________ is a dimension that refers to the extent to which people in a society feel anxious about ambiguous situations and the steps that they are willing to take to create, stability through formalization of rules and regulations.

A) Uncertain future
B) Avoidance of uncertainty
C) Collectivism in societal action
D) Power distance

Question 11

According to the GLOBE study, the extent to which individuals engage in future-oriented behaviors, such as delaying gratification, planning and investing in the future, explains which dimension?

A) Future orientation
B) Gender egalitarianism
C) Uncertainty avoidance
D) Assertiveness

Question 12

The degree to which a collective minimizes gender inequality, explains what dimension according to the GLOBE study?

A) Human orientation
B) Gender egalitarianism
C) In-group collectivism
D) Performance orientation

Question 13

What country is valued for its modesty, solidarity and care for others and considered a feminist society?

A) Japan
B) Italy
C) United States
D) Sweden

Question 14

When the original intent of the person transmitting the message is different from the meaning that is received by the other person, it is called __________.

A) Communication
B) Verbal theory
C) Miscommunication
D) Cross-sectional communication

Question 15

Broadly defined, communication is multidimensional and relates to three types of goals - instrumental goals, relational goals, and ______________ goals.

A) Active
B) Identity
C) Social
D) Personal

Question 16

"Culture consists of patterns, explicit or implicit, of and for behaviorally acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional (historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values; culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action, on the other as conditioning elements of further action." This definition of culture was proposed by______________ after analyzing 160 definitions of the concept of culture.

A) Kroeber and Kluckhohn (1952)
B) Geer Hofstede (1980)
C) Inkels and Levinson (1969)
D) Pekerti and Thomas (2003)

Question 17

Individualism vs. Collectivism, one of the four axis to examine culture in different countries, is defined as:

A) The control of aggression and expressions of emotions
B) The tendency toward assertiveness in contrast to modesty
C) The relationship between the individual and the group
D) The relationship with authority and social inequality

Question 18

The ability to identify, understand, and apply the communicative behaviors of members of the other groups is referred to as _________________________.

A) Cultural communication
B) Language fluency
C) Verbal communication
D) Cultural fluency

Question 19

Based on Hofstede's work, countries that have high individualism include:

A) Panama
B) Ecuador
C) United States
D) Columbia

Question 20

Geert Hofstede's multinational study examining national cultures was criticized for:

A) Outdated definitions of culture
B) Small sample sizes
C) Its lack of scientific rigor and cultural bias
D) Exclusion of certain ethnic and racial groups

Question 21

Why was Hofstede's work criticized? What are some of the strengths from Hofstede's work?

Question 22

Hofstede (1980) found that national culture as measured along the four axes, explained more of the differences in work-related values and attitudes than did positions within the organization, professions, ages or gender.

Question 23

Box 8.3: Based on the study from Pekerti and Thomas (2003), are members of cultural group interacting with a member of another group more likely to change their original communication style or reinforce it?

Question 24

Intergroup contact theory and research, originally proposed as a "contact hypothesis" by Allport (1954), suggests that intergroup contact typically increases prejudice.

Question 25

In small power distance societies, subordinates and supervisors consider themselves as existentially equal.

Question 26

What is the GLOBE study and what are its distinguishing features?

Question 27

The hierarchical strata in the organizations are considered permeable, providing the possibility for subordinates and supervisors to move up or down the ladder.

Question 28

In masculine societies, assertiveness, ambition, and competitiveness are expected and rewarded in the work context.

Question 29

In large power distance societies, the hierarchical system in society is considered theoretical.

Question 30

An assumption underlying collectivism is that hiring relatives of employees increases the company's business risk.