Quick Study 1
1. Q: Define culture. How does ethnocentricity distort one’s view of other cultures?
ANSWER: Culture is a set of values, beliefs, rules, and institutions held by a specific group of people. Ethnocentricity distorts one’s view of other cultures by believing that one’s own culture is superior to the culture of others, tending to make people to neglect important cultural differences. 2. Q: What is cultural literacy? Why should businesspeople understand other cultures?
ANSWER: Cultural literacy is the detailed knowledge about a culture that allows a person to work effectively within it. Businesspeople should understand other cultures because it would improve their ability to manage employees, market products, and conduct negotiations in other countries. It also helps managers to attend local needs and desires, improving the company’s competitiveness as globalization continues. 3. Q: How do nation-states and subcultures influence a people’s overall cultural image?
ANSWER: When it comes to culture, we tend to invoke the concept of the nation-states that support and promote the concept of national culture by building museums and monuments to preserve the legacies of important events and people, and that also intervene in business to preserve national culture. While the subculture that is a group of people that share a unique way of life within a larger culture (including language, race, lifestyle, attitudes, or other characteristics) tends to be neglected, even that subcultures are very important when considering to expand business abroad. Quick Study 2 1. Q: What is meant by a culture’s aesthetics? Give several examples.
ANSWER: A culture’s aesthetics are what it considers “good taste” in the arts, the imagery evoked by certain expressions, and the symbolism of certain colors. Examples of aesthetics: using