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

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	ethnocentrism
B	diffusion
C	cultural relativism
D	adaptation
E	recontextualisation

Question 2

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

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

Question 3

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	Complexity
B	Trialability
C	Relative Advantage
D	Compatibility
E	Observability

Question 4

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

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

Question 5

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	Women are more susptible to change their behaviors under different illumination (lighting) conditions than men.
D	The productivity increased as the light intensity (illumination) increased in a linear relationship.
E	They found that depending on the type of product being produced, the illumination levels may or may not effect the productivity.

Question 6

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

A	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) .
B	Playing on human emotions can increase sales and profit margins.
C	People are always unhappy and always wiling to buy products to make them happy.
D	People are often rational with money, but this does not apply to everyone.
E	People are willing to pay a higher price for an inferior product.

Question 6 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 7

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

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

Question 8

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	By exclusively following a set of strict rules.
C	We do not learn culture. We are all born with some form of culture through DNA.
D	Using statistics and anthropological studies.
E	By reading books and analyzing academic materials.

Question 9

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

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

Question 10

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

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

Question 11

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

A	Cultural Analysis
B	Geography
C	Anthropology
D	Ethnology
E	Ethnography

Question 12

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

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

Question 13

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

Question 13 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 14

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

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

Question 15

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

Question 16

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

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

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 anthropologists studied "primitive" societies or groups of individuals that are not related to their own culture and society (eg. tribes, natives, etc).
B	The American legal system prevented Anthropologists from participating in business-based studies.
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	Traditionally, the anthropology sector had interest only in physical or material objects of societies and not the behavioral aspects (eg. religious objects, clothing, etc).
E	Traditionally businesses did use anthropologists, but the funding for such research was limited (eg. limited resources).

Question 18

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

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

Question 19

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	Relative Advantage
B	Observability
C	Trialability
D	Compatibility
E	Complexity

Question 19 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 20

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

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

Question 21

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

A	the organization.
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 goal of profit making/saving money.

Question 22

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

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

Question 23

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

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

Question 24

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

Question 25

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

Question 26

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	...cost of production is higher than the market value.
C	...marketing snow shoes exclusively in the island nation of Malta.
D	...making a large profit from sale of a product.
E	...misunderstanding of cultures during a global marketing campaign.

Question 27

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

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

Question 27 Explanation:

Culture is dynamic and often change with time.

Question 28

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

Question 29

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

Question 30

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

A	Study of tea consumption by the Britons during work hours in downtown London, UK.
B	Introduction of a new culture to a group of people in a remote region.
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	Study of behaviors and social interactions of Amazonian tribes.
E	Introduction of a new religion to a group of people in a remote region.

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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