Exam 4: The Cultural Environment of International Business

The greater the cultural distance between the service provider and its customers, the less likely there will be cognitive and communication gaps.

In a deal-oriented culture, managers ________.

Phone Center (Scenario) The Technix Computer Corporation recently finished construction of a customer service phone center in New Delhi, India. Phone center agents will be responsible for answering technical questions from customers around the globe. Technix has hired 55 local computer experts as phone agents, and a training session is underway. Technical specialists and call center specialists from the United States have flown to India to train the new Indian employees. Hank Patelli, a senior manager of a Technix phone center in Michigan, will oversee the New Delhi phone center for six months until a local manager is hired and trained to replace him. -Ashok, one of the Indian employees, asks Hank if the weekend training session could be rescheduled because it is a Hindu festival day. What will be the most likely outcome if Hank agrees to Ashok's request?

In societies with low uncertainty-avoidance, companies emphasize stable careers and produce many rules to regulate worker actions and minimize ambiguity.

Advertising themes often convey unfavorable and embarrassing interpretations. This is most likely because ________.

What has been the impact of technology and the Internet on global culture?

Japanese Supercenter (Scenario) The Tag-Mart chain of discount superstores is nearing completion of its new supercenter in Tokyo. The Tokyo store is the first foreign store for the large U.S.-based company. Tag-Mart offers a large variety of products at virtually unbeatable prices. A group of Tag-Mart representatives has traveled to Tokyo to inspect the new store and hire a store manager. The top two contenders for the position are Hisako Aoki and Takematsu Sato. Aoki has 25 years of experience managing a local department store renowned for its customer service. Sato, born and raised in Japan, earned a college degree in the U.S. before working six years as a manager at a Texas Tag-Mart. -Which of the following, if true, most supports the decision to operate the Tokyo store in a manner similar to Tag-Mart stores in the U.S.?

Company logos, trademarks, national flags, and historical monuments are considered symbolic productions.

Cultural values and attitudes can be transmitted through a variety of sources including parents, teachers, friends, government leaders, movies, television, and the Internet.

Businesses based in societies characterized by high uncertainty avoidance encourage managers to take risks and make quick decisions.

How do cultural perceptions of time relate to international business? In a short essay, provide examples of contrasting cultural time perceptions.

Ethnocentric assumptions lead to poor business strategies in both planning and execution.

The subjective dimension of culture includes ________.

In collectivist societies, competition for resources is the norm, and those who compete best are rewarded financially.

Which of the following is true about low-context cultures?

With regard to the iceberg concept of culture, ________ is the most deeply embedded.

English is the most common primary language in the world.

Language is a vital dimension that both reflects, and is reflected by, cultural differences.

________ refers to a distinctive tradition or institution strongly associated with a particular society.

Some people view globalization as a destructive force on culture and others see it as having a positive effect. Explain these two positions in a short essay.