Anthropology 303 – Business In Cultural Context

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Go to: Midterm II | Final Exam

Anthropology 303 (ANTH 303-UCAL) Midterm I

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Question 1

What causes the decline of applied anthropological research in 1971? (ID-BC1-16)

A	The economic depression resulted in dramatic decrease in funding for anthropological research by private companies.
B	The lack of interest in the value of anthropological studies in a business environments resulted in loss of research opportunities.
C	The use of anthropological methods by the United States government caused an anti-anthropological movement.
D	The American Anthropological Association (AAA) prohibited the Anthropologists from participating in research where the research information will not be available to the public.
E	The development of other methods such as statistical analysis, hindered the progress of cultural and business anthropology.

Question 2

Chinese rolls is a popular Sri Lankan and Indian food. However, the ingredients (spices and meat) and preparation techniques used by South Asians are not known to the Chinese. In fact, the egg rolls are Chinese and contain very little spices or meat. The invention of "Chinese rolls" from the original egg rolls is a type of ________ where the characteristics of the original idea (in this particular case food) has been changed by the new culture(s). (ID-BC1-23)

A	cultural relativism
B	recontextualisation
C	ethnocentrism
D	diffusion
E	adaptation

Question 3

In the the original theory, what is the primary goal of Scientific Management? (ID-BC1-06)

A	To develop standard methods for performing each job.
B	To reduce the wages of employees.
C	To increase the market competition through open economic development.
D	To reduce waste and decrease mismanagement of human resources.
E	To develop a method for environmentally sustainable economic growth.

Question 4

All of the fowling will result in failure of a business, except, (ID-BC1-03)

A	...lack of investment in Research and Development after the initial success.
B	...marketing snow shoes exclusively in the island nation of Malta.
C	...cost of production is higher than the market value.
D	...making a large profit from sale of a product.
E	...misunderstanding of cultures during a global marketing campaign.

Question 5

What is Hawthorne Effect? (ID-BC1-07)

A	Change in performance of subjects during behavioral studies in response to being observed.
B	Caused by lack of specialized labour force.
C	A condition where a candidates for a job fail to present their qualifications properly to business owners.
D	Increased in productivity as the labour force become more specialized.
E	Increasing productivity as a direct response to change in lighting conditions of the workplace.

Question 6

What is a subculture? (ID-BC1-10)

A	A social norms that arise out of suffering and oppression such as anti-governmental groups.
B	A formal cultural groups created by rules and regulations such as Students' Unions.
C	Behavioral and sociological interactions within a given society. For example, Germans in Germany.
D	A small group of individuals that has different behavioral and sociological interactions than that of the larger community.
E	A group of individuals with inferior qualities of behavioral and sociological attitudes compared to major cultures, hence the term "subculture".

Question 7

Scientific Management is also known as... (ID-BC1-05)

A	Taylorism.
B	Capitalism.
C	Ford Method.
D	Business Management.
E	Lean Management.

Question 8

What term is used by Taylor used to describe people operating at a lower capacity in his 1911 book? (ID-BC1-26)

A	Mayo's Principle
B	Hawthorne Effect
C	Union
D	Collectivism
E	Soldiering

Question 9

The popularity of modern smartphones that includes, text messaging, Internet, instant chat, etc lies primarily among the younger generation. According to the product characteristics that influence adoption/diffusion, what causes the slow growth of smartphone usage among the older generation of Canadians? (ID-BC1-25)

A	Complexity
B	Relative Advantage
C	Trialability
D	Observability
E	Compatibility

Question 9 Explanation:

Note: This question must be answered by process of elimination. There are lots of hints in the question. For example, it mention "Canada" hence a first world country so no problem with trialability (in fact you can return a smartphone within 14 days at Telus, Bell and Rogers), etc, etc. It explicitly described several tasks a smartphone can do implying complexity. You should have the general knowledge as a university student that young generation of any country is more capable at learning complex processes than the older generation.

Question 10

Subway (company) and McDonald's are both fast food restaurants. In North America, often McDonald's is associated with unhealthy food while Subway is associated with healthy food. If you analyze from scientific (biological, chemical) perspectives, both companies are contributing to fast food culture which result in rise in obesity and other health problems. Then, why do you think Subway has a positive connotation while McDonald's has a negative connotation? (ID-BC1-29)

A	Ethnocentric nature of people.
B	Improper recontextualization of food by the McDonald's.
C	Symbolism where people associate McDonald's food as greasy.
D	Cultural relativism.
E	Bad marketing or wrong demographics by McDonald's.

Question 11

American Flag is a symbol of American patriotism. However, the same flag is viewed as a sign of modern day imperialism by some people in other parts of the world. Other than the symbolic meaning of the national flag of USA, what other characteristic of culture is described here? (ID-BC1-19)

A	Learning process of culture.
B	Integration of culture with everything in the society.
C	Sharing of culture.
D	Relativity of culture.
E	Dynamic nature of culture.

Question 11 Explanation:

It is the relativity of culture because Americans and others who value USA looked at the national flag of USA as a symbol of pride. This often does not apply to people who disagree with American ideologies. This is an example relativity. Just like some foods may not be desirable to others, same could be said about national flags of any country.

Question 12

Which of the following is not an assumption businesses make? (ID-BC1-30)

A	People are always unhappy and always wiling to buy products to make them happy.
B	Playing on human emotions can increase sales and profit margins.
C	The goal of a business is to provide goods and services where it is needed (not trying to sell AIr Conditioners in the Arctic; no need) .
D	People are willing to pay a higher price for an inferior product.
E	People are often rational with money, but this does not apply to everyone.

Question 12 Explanation:

Note: This question is based on class discussion on assumptions on 25-May-2015. The information is not found in the notes or textbook.

Question 13

What is the best description of a business? (ID-BC1-02)

A	A cooperation between governments and private citizens in order to promote economic growth.
B	A government entity that is used to bridge the gap between the ruling politicians and the general public.
C	A formally structured sub-culture in the developing world.
D	An organization involves in trading of goods and/or services where buyers and sellers involved.
E	An organization in which services are offered at a competitive rate.

Question 14

During an anthropological study in 1930s researchers found that a group output would not be raised if the group believe that it will result in laying off of workers. This was first observed under what of the following conditions? (ID-BC1-24)

A	Non-assembly line office workers.
B	Management level environment.
C	All male workforce.
D	All female workforce.
E	A workforce composed of both male and female employees.

Question 15

Jessica only use Tommy Hilfiger cloths because all of her friends prefer this particular brand of clothing. According to the product characteristics that influence adoption/diffusion, which of the following is the most likely cause of such behavior? (ID-BC1-28)

A	Relative Advantage
B	Observability
C	Complexity
D	Compatibility
E	Trialability

Question 16

What is described as diffusion in anthropological studies? (ID-BC1-22)

A	Adaptation or integration of ideas, cultural norms, values, traits and other factors by one culture from another (or between cultures).
B	Weakening of cultural values within a socity over a period of time.
C	Comparison between two cultures in order to understand the values of others.
D	The tendency to view one's own culture as superior and to use one's own standards and values in judging outsiders.
E	Replacement of one culture and social values by another dominant culture.

Question 17

What was the ultimate reason why traditional Anthropologists had little to no interest in studying workforce in local businesses? (ID-BC1-21)

A	Traditionally, the anthropology sector had interest only in physical or material objects of societies and not the behavioral aspects (eg. religious objects, clothing, etc).
B	Traditionally businesses did use anthropologists, but the funding for such research was limited (eg. limited resources).
C	Traditionally, it was thought to be unethical to study workers in local businesses because the studies may be used to harm the subjects (eg. used to lower wages).
D	The American legal system prevented Anthropologists from participating in business-based studies.
E	Traditionally anthropologists studied "primitive" societies or groups of individuals that are not related to their own culture and society (eg. tribes, natives, etc).

Question 18

Which of the following can be considered as business anthropology in a cultural context? Choose the best possible answer. (ID-BC1-04)

A	Introduction of a new religion to a group of people in a remote region.
B	Study of tea consumption by the Britons during work hours in downtown London, UK.
C	Statistical analysis of laptop usage by the Canadians. Hint: No, this is what companies did before anthropology was introduced into business models. Statistics are not descriptive enough.
D	Introduction of a new culture to a group of people in a remote region.
E	Study of behaviors and social interactions of Amazonian tribes.

Question 19

What is the ultimate goal of businesses? (ID-BC1-01)

A	To increase the bonuses of the the upper management.
B	To diversify products and services.
C	To make a profit.
D	To survive in the competitive market.
E	To exploit workers to increase productivity.

Question 20

A study completed in 1930s found that individuals in a group of assembly line workers often refused promotions. This is most likely caused by what factor? (ID-BC1-08)

A	The individuals become a team and they felt sense of belonging (group dynamics).
B	Most individuals are incapable of adapting to change.
C	The individuals do not want to take up more responsibilities.
D	The individuals change their opinions based on the fact that they were being observed by the scientists.
E	The individuals become more specialized in the task that they no longer willing to learn a new task (skill specialization).

Question 21

The conclusion an "individual workers cannot be treated in isolation but must be seen as members of a group" was made by... (ID-BC1-27)

A	Frederick Winslow Taylor
B	John Hawthorne
C	Elton Mayo
D	US Army Project Camelot
E	James Spradley and Brenda Mann

Question 22

Which of the following is the best example of an outcome of Human Relations School? (ID-BC1-18)

A	Better understanding of global cultures in both social and business environments.
B	Disability benefits provided by the company for their workforce.
C	Decrease spending on anthropological research.
D	Creation of labor and professional unions.
E	Increased in wages based on worker performance.

Question 23

In Canada, often the University of Calgary professors prefer if their students address them by their first name. In Asia, it is disrespectful to address a professor by their first name. A new international student from South Asia followed the lead of peers in the class and started to use the first name to address the professor in ANTH 303. This is an example of what type of cultural learning? (ID-BC1-20)

A	Learning by observation.
B	Learning through cross-cultural diffusion.
C	Learning by dynamic behaviors.
D	Learning by integration.
E	Learning by statistical analysis.

Question 24

What was the result of the famous illumination(lighting) study conducted by GE from 1924 to 1927? (ID-BC1-17)

A	The study was unsuccessful, but this resulted in further research in to the factors effecting behaviors of workers.
B	They found that in behavioral studies, subjects change their performance in response to being observed (eg. by a Supervisor).
C	They found that depending on the type of product being produced, the illumination levels may or may not effect the productivity.
D	Women are more susptible to change their behaviors under different illumination (lighting) conditions than men.
E	The productivity increased as the light intensity (illumination) increased in a linear relationship.

Question 25

According to Anthropologists, individuals have same characteristics as businesses except, (ID-BC1-15)

A	the goal of profit making/saving money.
B	desire to succeed in a competitive market/society.
C	belonging to subcultures.
D	impact from the changes in local and global economies.
E	the organization.

Question 26

What term is used to describe the scientific study of customs and cultures of a specific group of individuals? (ID-BC1-09)

A	Ethnology
B	Cultural Analysis
C	Anthropology
D	Geography
E	Ethnography

Question 27

Which of the following can be considered as an informal social norm? (ID-BC1-14)

A	Annual growth rate targets
B	Time sheets used to record the duration of work
C	Relationships between workers
D	Mission and Vision of the company
E	Organizational hierarchy

Question 28

Who introduced the modern version of the assembly line in the USA? (ID-BC1-13)

A	Theresa Zajac
B	Lloyd Warner
C	Elton Mayo
D	Henry Ford
E	Fredrick Taylor

Question 29

Which of the following is not a characteristic of culture? (ID-BC1-11)

A	It is a relative concept.
B	It is governed by fixed set of rules that do not change.
C	It is shared by individuals in a given society.
D	It is learned by people.
E	It is integrated with everything from physical objects to ideas and norms.

Question 29 Explanation:

Culture is dynamic and often change with time.

Question 30

How do we learn culture (Think about the primary learning types)? (ID-BC1-12)

A	Being thought by someone, learned from observations and by participating in activities.
B	We do not learn culture. We are all born with some form of culture through DNA.
C	By exclusively following a set of strict rules.
D	Using statistics and anthropological studies.
E	By reading books and analyzing academic materials.

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Credits: Based on the excellent class notes provided by, Dr. Christopher John Holdsworth during Spring 2015.
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Go to: Midterm II | Final Exam

Anthropology 303 (ANTH 303-UCAL) Midterm I

Videos from Class

Beer daths in Quebec

Why Do Companies Need Anthropologists?

Ford and Taylor Scientific Management

Hawthorne Studies – AT&T Archives: The Year They Discovered People

What is Canadian Culture? – I am Canadian

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Standing on the shoulders of giants