国际管理CHAPTER 3答案.doc

CHAPTER 3 UnDERsTANDING THE ROLE OF CULTURE CHAPTER DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1 What is meant by the culture of a society and why is it important for international managers to understand it Do you notice cultural differences among your classmates How do those differences affect the class environment Your group projects The culture of a society comprises the shared values understandings assumptions and goals that are learned from earlier generations imposed by present members of a society and passed on to succeeding generations It is important for managers to understand the cultural variables because these determine basic attitudes toward work time materialism individualism and change Such attitudes affect an individual s motivation and expectations regarding work and group relations and ultimately affect the outcomes that can be expected as a result of those work and group relations Students will have differing perceptions of their international classmates It is important to foster an appreciation of those differences early in the semester The answers to this question may uncover stereotypes that need correction 2 Describe the four dimensions of culture proposed by Hofstede What are the managerial implications of these Hofstede s research identified the four value dimensions of power distance uncertainty avoidance individualism and masculinity Power distance is the level of acceptance by a society of unequal distribution of power in institutions and it determines the extent to which subordinates accept unequal power Uncertainty avoidance refers to the extent to which people in a society feel threatened by ambiguous situations In a business context this value results in formal rules and procedures designed to provide more security and greater career stability Individualism refers to the tendency of people to look after themselves and their immediate family only and neglect the needs of society Countries scoring high on individualism have both a higher gross national product and a freer political system Masculinity refers to the degree of typically masculine values such as assertiveness materialism and lack of concern for others that prevail in a society By comparison femininity emphasizes concerns for others relationships with others and quality of life These four value dimensions have a profound impact on organizational behavior and the kinds of management activities needed to productively manage workers within a given cultural setting 3 Discuss the types of operational conflicts that could occur in an international context because of differences in attitudes towards time change material factors and individualism Give examples relative to specific countries Differences in cultural attitudes toward time may create a number of workplace dilemmas such as the amount of stress placed on timeliness in appointments and numbers of hours worked Cultures that have a lax attitude toward time the manana attitude are less likely to be concerned about timely appointments and getting every bit of productivity possible out of the workday Western cultures tend to view change as a positive business opportunity particularly regarding the introduction of new products and services into the marketplace Muslim cultures do not embrace change willingly because of the alterations it often brings with it in such areas as gender roles and religious practices Materialistic cultures such as the United States often place a low priority on conserving natural resources while many Asian cultures actually worship nature and its natural resources Highly individualistic cultures such as those in the West expect business professionals to be aggressive and self promoting Group oriented cultures such as those in Asia place a higher premium on group cooperation and teamwork 4 Give some examples of countries in which the family and its extensions play an important role in the workplace How are managerial functions affected and what can the manager do about this influence Throughout Latin America the family is of central importance and loyalty and commitment to the family frequently determines employment promotion and contract choices Ideals emotions and intuition often take precedence over objective information in making decisions As a result managers must show that they are firmly in control the macho mystique Managers must be very careful not to expect family oriented employees to work overtime or to spend long periods of time away from family members hence the emphasis on a mid afternoon siesta in many Latin American cities 5 Discuss collectivism as it applies to the Japanese workplace What managerial functions are affected The principle of wa in Japan places a supreme emphasis on peace and harmony in the workplace and among social relationships The Japanese have disdain for rugged individualism stating that The nail that stands out gets hammered down The system of wa causes a great emphasis to be placed on harmonious working relationships on teams This leads to an emphasis on participative management consensus problem solving and decision making within a patient long term perspective Conflict is avoided along with loss of face 6 Discuss the role of Islam in cross cultural relations and business operations Muslims believe in the Five Pillars of Islam These are 1 declaration of faith 2 almsgiving 3 prayer 5 times daily 4 fasting and 5 pilgrimage to Mecca Managers may need to accommodate these beliefs by providing