Q&A Hero

Q: Information management in companies today requires technology to capture and store information.

Q: How people in a culture makes decisions is an important factor in cross-cultural encounters.

Q: Eight conflict communication styles have been proposed that correspond to the five conflict management modes identified in question 9, and add another three. Discuss the five modes and the communication styles for each one, plus the additional three communication approaches. Give examples from specific cultures. (The communication styles are dominating, neglecting (passive-aggressive behavior), integrating, emotion-expressing, third-party helping, bargaining, avoiding, obliging.)

Q: Information is useful for making decisions in any culture.

Q: Which of the following is an appropriate statement? a. In high-context cultures social settings are excellent for business dealings because this places the business into context. b. People from high-context cultures prefer to establish a personal relationship before moving on to business. c. In Arab countries, business people like to invite business partners to their private homes for entertainment and meeting their families. d. In the United States, it is not acceptable to discuss business at social functions.

Q: Discuss why information is gathered by organizations and how information is defined differently in different cultures, and then explain what implications this has for foreign businesses.

Q: The possession of information leads to an advantage in all cultures. Explain how information might be an advantage in an individualist culture and then compare how it might be an advantage in a collectivist culture. Be sure to mention similarities and differences.

Q: Discuss the statement "Information is power." Choose two different cultures and use specific examples.

Q: You have been asked by your employer to gather data about the costs of producing a continuous-curl potato chip. Your company has the opportunity to buy the rights to a patented machine, but your boss wants to know how much the raw materials (potato, salt, oil,), warehousing, maintenance (blades, motors), and processing will cost. l List at least six formal sources you would trust to generate the required data. l Now explain how you could gather the same information in Patatinia, a country where a) you are not allowed Internet access, b) you may not go to a library, c) the periodicals and books available have biased perspectives that you feel are untrustworthy, and d) the supply of potatoes is seasonal. (Assume you have nobody at home who could send you the information.) In other words, in Patatinia you will have to rely on informal sources.

Q: Explain the meanings of verifiability, trustworthiness, accuracy and credibility as applied to business information.

Q: Discuss Information Management within the context of business communication. Explain what IM is, why it matters to organizations, and its spread in developing world.

Q: Compare how individuals and organizations make decisions based on ends or based on means. Explain the cultural priorities (the impact of culture on the organizations) involved in decision making. Use examples from specific cultures.

Q: Define conflict and discuss the five factors that lead to conflict in Western cultures, relating them to the individualist-collectivist dimension.

Q: Possible modes for managing conflict include competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, and accommodating. Define and explain each one, showing how each is related to cultural dimensions and characteristics from a specific individualist culture such as Australia and a specific collectivist culture such as Mexico.

Q: In Japanese business a. The supplier and the buyer are equals b. The supplier has more power than the buyer c. Suppliers and buyers sign one-year contracts d. The relationship of buyer and supplier is based on amae.

Q: Which of the following is not a true statement? a. The Japanese language emphasizes hierarchy. b. The Japanese language emphasizes equality of people c. The vocabulary used depends on the status of the speaker and the listener d. The identity of the speaker changes with the group the speaker is communicating with

Q: Hierarchical societies typically a. Try to avoid conflict over status b. Encourage open disagreement c. Discourage consensus d. Base relationships on merit.

Q: Assertiveness is a positive value in a. Egalitarian societies b. Authoritarian societies c. Hierarchical societies d. Family-oriented societies

Q: You want to recognize the ten most successful salespeople from last year at a big banquet. You think a family vacation for each if them would be an appropriate reward. Salespeople from which country would be least receptive to this idea? a. United States b. France c. Australia d. Japan

Q: The most appropriate way to reward performance is to a. Have one policy for the entire company worldwide to avoid any accusation of favoritism b. Not have any special rewards or recognition because it will be impossible to please everyone c. Leave it up to local managers whether they want to do anything; you don't want to know about it d. Establish different policies for the subsidiaries in various countries

Q: Since the Japanese have a strong group orientation, a cocktail party is an effective way to bring people together.

Q: The Japanese have two gift-giving seasons: New Year and July.

Q: The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has curtailed gift giving for all businesspeople working in Brazil.

Q: Power distance is a concept that was developed by Hofstede to describe a. The acceptance by the less powerful members of a society of unequal power distribution between members of that society b. The power difference between members of a society c. The power differential between developed and less developed countries d. The power difference between men and women.

Q: Which does not describe American business communication? a. Clarity is more important than harmony. b. The goal is to get the message across. c. The argument should show the logical connection between ideas. d. Americans want to get a feel for the other person before they start with detailed business discussions.

Q: In cultures where hospitality is sacred, it is the host's duty to indicate to the guest that it is time to leave.

Q: In the United States, business people tend to encode ideas explicitly.

Q: In countries where relationships are important, employers often ask for a job applicant's family and social connections.

Q: Japanese employer-employee relations are based on amae.

Q: The emphasis on harmonious relations in Japanese firms ensures that people are willing to defer personal ambitions to group goals.

Q: The Japanese language illustrates the hierarchical orientation of the society.

Q: Latin business organizations are hierarchical.

Q: People in Latin America are loyal to an individual; in Japan people are loyal to a group.

Q: The Chinese view assertiveness as a positive attribute.

Q: In an individualistic society like the United States, salary is an appropriate way to recognize performance.

Q: Multinational companies can best ensure fair treatment of all employees in all subsidiaries by having the same evaluation standards and reward structures in all subsidiaries.

Q: Power distance in India is high.

Q: Cultures with a large power distance are hierarchical cultures.

Q: What are symbols of authority in various cultures?

Q: The Japanese want to keep harmony whereas Americans are more eager to assert their rights. What are the cultural reasons for these two approaches, and how do they affect intercultural business communication?

Q: Discuss the impact of philosophical orientations on ethics and business practices

Q: In Asian societies medical doctors rank highest in prestige whereas teachers rank lowest.

Q: In Thailand employers look for assertiveness in job applicants.

Q: People from New Zealand prefer a less pushy approach in the job search than people from the United States.

Q: Since appropriate dress varies from culture to culture, dress has no impact on perceptions of respect and authority.

Q: If you follow the adage, "When in Rome, do as the Romans," you need to adopt local dress.

Q: Power distance in the United States is comparatively small.

Q: Who of the following would feel most comfortable with silence during a conversation? A manager from a. The United States b. Germany c. Great Britain d. Japan

Q: Nonverbal communication signals a. Are culture specific b. Change over time c. Vary within cultures d. All are correct

Q: Discuss the role of hospitality in establishing business relationships. Give specific examples of conventional hospitality in several cultures. What cultural priorities are reflected in these conventions?

Q: List some of the ways people in your culture are rewarded for good performance. Compare and contrast this to other cultures. What are the implications for international business?

Q: Discuss several aspects of how people demonstrate power distance.

Q: In Japanese culture, intense eye contact is a. A sign of honesty b. A sign of shiftiness and untrustworthiness c. An invasion of privacy d. A sign of embarrassment.

Q: In which of the following cultures are men most likely to show their anger through big gestures? a. Saudi Arabia b. Japan c. China d. New Zealand

Q: Which of the following does not help in examining the timing of spoken exchanges? a. Who initiates the communication? b. What language do the speakers use? c. What is acceptable behavior for interrupting the speaker? d. What are the patterns for frequency of exchange?

Q: Which of the following statements is not true? a. When German businesspeople meet, they shake hands. b. Businesspeople from Latin America touch each other frequently while speaking. c. The Japanese avoid personal contact when speaking to one another. d. The Maori from New Zealand kiss each other when meeting

Q: The size and location of the office are symbols of status and power. This statement is most appropriate for a. Japan b. China c. The United States d. Egypt

Q: The open office arrangement in Japan emphasizes a. The importance of the group b. A lack of trust for individual workers c. The hierarchy in the organization d. The role of the individual

Q: The use of space is an indication of the attitudes towards privacy.

Q: Office size is an indicator of importance in all cultures.

Q: The Japanese office arrangement illustrates the group orientation of the Japanese.

Q: A businessperson in Venezuela who has discussions with two different people and answers the phone, all at the same time, indicates that he has power and connections.

Q: In Japanese offices the manager sits at the head at the table because Japanese employees need close supervision to complete their tasks.

Q: Japanese people create mental space around them to cope with crowded conditions.

Q: Suit, dress shirt, and tie are acceptable business dress for men around the globe.

Q: People from low-context cultures tend to feel uncomfortable with silence during a conversation.

Q: Paralanguage refers to a. Eye contact b. Touching c. Fillers and intonation d. Silence

Q: The volume, pitch, and intonation are referred to as a. Vocalization b. Fillers c. Nonverbal qualities d. Vocal qualifiers

Q: Paralanguage refers to the sounds we make but not the words we use.

Q: Volume, pitch, and intonation are vocal qualifiers.

Q: Vocalization is the transforming of ideas into words.

Q: In Japanese culture, eye contact is related to honesty.

Q: In Asian cultures smiling can be a sign of embarrassment.

Q: By Western standards, Asian cultures use restraint in facial expressions and gestures.

Q: Women in most cultures tend to use fewer and smaller gestures than men.

Q: The timing of verbal exchanges usually indicates who is in charge.

Q: The German bow is a bow of the head that men use when greeting other people.

Q: The handshake is the accepted form of greeting business people everywhere.

Q: Personal space in the United States is about the length of an arm.

Q: In what ways can nonverbal communication signals indicate power and status?