Chapter 4 Social and Cultural Environments

True/False
1. Some sociologists assert that production is a defining hallmark of postmodern society
in the 21st century.
a. True
b. False

2. By definition, beliefs are organized patterns of knowledge that an individual holds to

be true about the world.
a. True
b. False

3. White is considered a lucky color in China.

a. True
b. False

4. In terms of dollar value, aircraft equipment and parts are the number 1 category of
American imports from France.
a. True
b. False
Pg125
5. In linguistics, semiotics is the study of signs and their meanings.
a. True
b. False

6. Point Number One, Point Number Two is a typical right-brain negotiation tactic
favored by persons from a low-context culture such as the United States.
a. True
b. False

7. Low-context subcultures can be present in a high-context culture.

a. True
b. False

8. According to Hofstedes research on cultural values, the United States ranks number 1
among Triad countries in terms of individuality.
a. True
b. False
Pg133

9. In highly collectivist cultures such as Japan, an appropriate marketing tactic for new
consumer products is promoting world of mouth communication.
a. True
b. False
Pg133
10. The extent to which a new product can be tried on a limited basis without great expense
is known as relative advantage.
a. True
b. False
Pg140

43
11. Anthropological research offers support for the view that cultural behavior is innate,
i.e., present at birth.
a. True
b. False

12. Geert Hofstedes name is associated with research on the diffusion of innovation in
different countries of the world.
a. True
b. False

13. One of the keys to success in global marketing is the unconscious reference to ones own
culture and values.
a. True
b. False

Ch02
14. Dietary preferences in different countries tend to exhibit a high degree of
environmental sensitivity.
a. True
b. False

Multiple Choice
15. __________ can be defined as the ways of living, built up by a group of human
beings, that are transmitted from one generation to another.
a. Religion
b. culture
c. Economics
d. Self-actualization

16. The aspect of culture that is concerned with beauty, good taste, and artistic expression
is:
a. aesthetics
b. linguistics
c. values
d. high versus low-context

17. Which country coined the word fooding to describe its citizens' approach to dining:
a. the United States
b. France
c. the United Kingdom
d. Germany
e. Italy

18. When Jeff Bezos was brainstorming ideas for a name for his new online bookstore, he
chose amazon.com. Bezos rightly believed that people would find the name to be
exotic both because of the association with the legendary river in South America and
because, for many people, the word connotes something that goes on and on without
end. A linguist would say that Bezos was dealing with issues of __________.
a. syntax

44
 b. semantics
c. morphology
d. phonology

19. Which country holds a Slow Food Festival that is dedicated to preserving and
supporting traditional ways of producing and preparing food:
a. France
b. Italy
c. the United States
d. Japan
e. Greece

20. Which of the following is not true about Japan's culture, traditions, and behavior:
a. oriented towards individual
b. consensus is important
c. government and business cooperate
d. attitude of self-denial

21. According to Geert Hofstede, which of the following is a key cultural dimension that
helps account for rapid economic growth in Asia:
a. power distance
b. individualist/collectivist
c. feminine/masculine
d. uncertainty avoidance
e. long-term orientation

22. Which of the following cultural dimensions would describe the extent to which
members of a society are oriented toward hard work, education, persistence, and thrift:
a. individualism-collectivism
b. uncertainty avoidance
c. power distance
d. masculinity-femininity
e. long-term orientation

23. Ordering relationships by status and observing that order, thrift, and a sense of shame
are reflections of which of the following social values:
a. individualism-collectivism
b. uncertainty avoidance
c. power distance
d. masculinity-femininity
e. long-term orientation

24. According to recent research on the relevance of Hofstede's social values framework to
global marketing, consumers in countries ranking high on the individualism dimension
respond well to:
a. functional brand images
b. sensory brand images
c. social brand images
d. none of the above
e. all of the above

45
25. Which of the following best sums up the experience of Walt Disney Company
executives when creating Disney's theme park in Paris:
a. They were guided by the "Think global, act local" principle.
b. They fell victim to the self-reference criterion.
c. They exhibited a geocentric management orientation.
d. They miscalculated the rate of diffusion of innovations in Europe.

26. According to diffusion theory, which of the following is the first step in the adoption
process:
a. adoption
b. trial
c. awareness
d. interest
e. evaluation

27. To speed adoption of a new product, the marketing team should:

a. ensure that features and benefits can be communicated or demonstrated
b. design the maximum amount of complexity into the product
c. discourage limited use on a trial basis
d. attempt to make a clean break with existing customer values

28. In the 1990s, Philips Electronics developed a new consumer electronics product called
the Digital Compact Cassette player. DCC allowed users to record and playback in a
new digital format; DCC was also designed to play the older, analog cassette tapes
that many people own. This latter feature reflects which of the following
characteristics of innovations:
a. relative advantage
b. communicability
c. compatibility
d. complexity
e. divisibility

29. Which of the following is not a characteristic affecting the rate of adoption of
innovations:
a. relative advantage
b. compatibility
c. complexity
d. high context
e. all are characteristics

30. Comparing and contrasting the diffusion of innovations in Western countries and in
Asia, one can say that:
a. the process occurs in an identical manner in both regions
b. in Asia, the adoption process begins more slowly but ramps up more rapidly
than it does in Western countries
c. in Western countries, the adoption process begins more slowly but ramps up
more rapidly than it does in Asia
d. the diffusion of innovation framework is applicable in the West but not in Asia
e. the diffusion of innovation framework is applicable in Asia but not in the West

31. Which of the following is arranged starting with the highest level of environmental
sensitivity and ending with the lowest level:

46
 a. food>computers>integrated circuits
b. integrated circuits>food>computers>
c. integrated circuits>computers>food>
d. computers>food>integrated circuits>

32. The _________ the level of environmental sensitivity for a given product, the
_________ the likelihood that some adaptation will be required for market success.
a. greater; greater
b. lower; greater
c. greater; lower
d. none of the above

33. Which of the following is true about "coffee culture" in England:

a. Starbucks has been unsuccessful in its attempt to change the Brits' preference
for tea
b. American entrepreneurs found success in England with the Seattle Coffee
Company which Starbucks later acquired
c. Starbucks succeeded in England only after changing the company's name to
Seattle Coffee Company
d. Starbucks-style coffee shops have been a flop because tea culture is too deeply
engrained

34. Which of the following countries boosted coffee production during the 1990s and thus
contributed significantly to the worlds coffee surplus:
a. South Korea
b. Argentina
c. Vietnam
d. Mexico
e. Indonesia

47