Fundamentals of Management 7th Edition by Ricky Griffin

Exercise 8

Exercise Overview
Interpersonal skills reflect the manager's ability to communicate with, understand, and motivate individuals and groups. Managers in international organizations must understand how cultural manners and norms affect communication with people in different areas of the world. This exercise will help you evaluate your current level of cultural awareness and develop insights into areas where you can improve.
Exercise Background
As firms become increasingly globalized, they look for managers with international experience or skills. Yet many American college graduates do not have strong skills in foreign languages, global history, or international cultures.
Exercise Task
Take the "International Culture Quiz" that follows. Then, on the basis of your score, answer the questions at the end. In order to make the quiz more relevant, choose your answers from one or more of the ten largest countries (by population) in the world. In order, these are China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Russia and Japan.
The International Culture Quiz
1. Name the major religion practiced in each of the ten largest countries.
2. When greeting a business associate, in which country or countries is it proper to shake hands? To bow? To hug or kiss?
3. In which country or countries should you avoid wearing the color purple?
4. In which country or countries would smiling be considered suspicious?
5. In which country or countries are laughter and smiling often used as a way of covering up feelings of embarrassment or displeasure?
6. Which part of someone else's body should you never touch in Indonesia? In India? Which part of your own body should you never touch in China?
7. In which country or countries would a server or small-business person require that a tip be paid before the service is rendered?
8. In which country or countries would it be an insult to address someone in Spanish?
9. In which country or countries is whistling considered bad luck?
10. In which country or countries is it important to give printed business cards to all business associates?
11. In which country or countries might you be asked your family size or income upon first meeting with a new business associate?
12. In which country or countries should gum not be chewed at work?
Your instructor will provide the answers. Was your score high or low? What does your score tell you about your cultural awareness?
What do you think you could do to improve your score? Share your ideas with the class.