UNIT 19: CORPORATE CULTURES

Câu1 (2 điểm): Choose the best word to fill in each gap

1. Culture can be defined as what is considered ‘normal’ to an organization, such as the
way that …………………. behave within the business.

A. workers

B. strategists

C. managers

D. leaders

2. Corporate culture includes a range of things such as the approach towards

……………………., dress code or whether smoking is acceptable in the work place.

A. accuracy

B. punctuality

C. behavior

D. etiquette

3. Culture can help people to ‘fit in’ based on the organization’s traditions and
…………………….

A. decisions

B. regulations

C. structures

D. routines

4. Understanding the culture of a department or an organization is important to any

manager who wishes to effectively implement ………………… in the business.

A. strategy

B. plans
C. change

D. objectives

5. In reality, ……………... one culture might dominate in a particular organization, there

may be other groups that conform to subcultures.

A. because

B. so

C. although

D. when

6. This …………………. among subgroups can also cause a culture gap- the difference
between the desired culture of a business and the culture that actually exists.

A. discrepancy

B. consistency

C. consensus

D. illusion

7. Culture Intelligence or Cultural Quotient (CQ) is the ability of an individual to blend

…………………. occupational, corporate and national cultures.

A. into

B. to

C. with

D. on

8. CQ (Cultural Quotient) is important ………………. it measures the ability of people

to understand and adjust to unfamiliar situations such as a hostile takeover or a crisis.

A. so

B. as
C. but

D. while

9. Culture harmony within an organization can only come ……………. if all staff
understand and share the same values.

A. across

B. in

C. about

D. into

10. Culture is shaped by the purpose and direction of the organization, …………………
its mission, aims and objectives.

A. derived from

B. differed from

C. emerged from

D. suffered from

11. Hence, a motivated workforce results in a culture of workers who ……………. to

achieve organizational objectives.

A. strives

B. strive

C. strike

D. strikes

12. An organization with ……………. sanctions can encourage staff to be slack.

A. many

B. a lot of
C. any

D. few

13. However, …………… an organization is too rigid in its policies and is extremely
harsh in reprimanding workers, staff may feel resentful of the management.

A. if

B. unless

C. since

D. if only

14. Individual students might work better in some classes than others because of the
group ……………… and different expectations set by teachers.

A. encouragements

B. dynamics

C. patterns

D. members

15. The strength of an organization’s culture depends on the degree of ……… among the
staff.

A. motivation

B. ability

C. satisfaction

D. unity

16. Beliefs, norms, ………………. and values are more likely to be shared within the
organization if they are given time to do so.

A. attitudes

B. behaviors
C. routines

D. cultures

17. Corporate culture can have a direct impact on both organizational structures and staff
…………………….

A. commission

B. motivation

C. organization

D. interaction

Câu 2 (2 điểm): Circle the correct form of the word

1. Corporate culture is largely based on the beliefs, values and attitudes of the
…………………… and employees.

A. managers

B. management

C. managing

D. managerial

2. In essence, corporate culture represents the character or ………………. of an

organization.

A. personal

B. personalist

C. personality

D. personally

3. One of the most fundamental ways to establish a corporate culture is by using a

………………… statement.

A. mission
B. missioner

C. missionary

D. missioned

4. A weak, negative and undesirable culture can lead to increased absenteeism and
lateness, thereby …………………. costs for the business.

A. to escalate

B. escalated

C. escalation

D. escalating

5. By contrast, a strong culture of acceptance to change and cooperation with

management will aid a business in responding to the ……………. needs of the market.

A. changed

B. changeable

C. changing

D. change

6. Firms with tall structures tend to have lots of small teams that work well
………………...

A. independently

B. independent

C. dependently

D. dependent

7. Organizations made up of highly skilled and ………………… staff have a different

culture from those with demotivated staff who have no input in decision making.

A. demotivated
B. motivated

C. demotivation

D. motivation

8. If employees are appropriately remunerated for their efforts, the organization is more
likely to develop a strong ………………. culture.

A. unity

B. unitedly

C. united

D. unite

9. If staff are unified in their beliefs and values, the culture tends to be ………………...,
i.e. a strong culture exists when the staff support the vision and mission of the
organization.

A. strengthened

B. strong

C. stronger

D. strongly

10. Cultures can also change when there is external growth in the organization, such as
through a joint venture, ………………. organization takeover.

A. merged

B. merging

C. mergence

D. merger

11. In theory, mergers should help the organization to gain from ………………. of scale
and other synergies.
A. economies

B. economy

C. economics

D. economists

12. A power culture requires ………………… decision making whereby managers keep
hold of authority and control.

A. central

B. centralized

C. centralizing

D. centrally

13. In power cultures where employee input is not really ………………, it can prove
difficult for individuals to fulfill their motivational needs.

A. valuable

B. value

C. valued

D. valueless

14. The organization’s culture also affects its approach to ………………. behavior.

A. ethical

B. ethically

C. ethics

D. ethicize

Câu 3 (1 điểm): Choose the best term to match the given definition
1. It refers to the difference between existing culture on an organization and its desired
culture.
A. Culture Shock

B. Culture Conflict

C. Culture Gap

D. Culture Code

2. It exists in an organization that empowers workers to make important decisions and to

act on their own initiative.

A. Power Culture

B. Role Culture

C. Task Culture

D. Person Culture

3. It exits in an organization when staff in similar positions, with similar expertise and
training form groups to share their knowledge.

A. Power Culture

B. Role Culture

C. Task Culture

D. Person Culture

4. It exists in highly structured firms with formal rules, policies and procedures.

A. Power Culture

B. Role Culture

C. Task Culture

D. Person Culture

5. It measures the ability of workers to cope with change, to understand and adjust to
unfamiliar situation such as a hostile takeover or a crisis.
A. Culture Intelligence

B. Culture Gap

C. Culture Shock

D. Culture Code

6. It describes the traditions and norms within an organization, such as dress code, work
ethos and attitude towards punctuality.

A. Role Culture

B. Task Culture

C. Corporate Culture

D. Person Culture

7. It exits in organizations where the focus is on getting results. Individuals and teams are
empowered and have some discretion over their responsibilities.

A. Innovative Culture

B. Normative Culture

C. Person Culture

D. Pragmatic Culture

8. It exists when there is one dominant individual or group that hold decision-making
power.

A. Power Culture

B. Role Culture

C. Task Culture

D. Person Culture

Câu 4 (3 điểm): Read the following passage and answer the questions
©Câu 4-13-B5 (3,0 điểm)
The Importance of Culture for Organization Management

In practical terms, the success of organization is closely related to its capacity of reading,
analyzing and giving answers to the region’s cultural particularities where it acts. The
globalized world intensified the presence of foreign organizations in all continents giving
more attention to the cultural differences. Culture presents an impact in many dimensions
of the management activity, such as marketing, production, people, and financial-
accountancy.

In the marketing area, culture has a strong impact in the moment that influences tastes,
preferences and customs of the consumers. This makes the company adjust its advertising
policies, promotions, product development, location and pricing to the cultural
specifications of the local community.

In the production area, however, culture influences the manner, the schedules and the
individual and group activities. The ones responsible for the management of the production
units abroad need to know the local culture in order to avoid their values clashing with local
values.

The area of personnel management is strongly influenced by the cultural differences.

Besides differences mentioned above, people are motivated by different reasons which
change from one culture to another. The rewards and incentives differ among the
cultures, obliging managers to adapt their personal management strategies to the local
values. For example, the personnel department policies of a company in Japan, which
have a paternalistic culture, need to be different from the personnel department policies
of a company in the United States, where the culture is competitive and individualistic.

Lastly, the financial-accountancy dimension deserves special attention from managers

when acting in other cultures. The local culture has an influence over the fiscal and
tributary legislation and comes under the form of how the same is observed and followed
by organizations and society. Culture also affects other financial aspects. In Muslim
countries, for example, charging interest is not allowed.

These elements reflect the complexity, importance and intensity that cultural factors are
spread throughout organizations in the globalized world, affecting their management. As
the international businesses are intensified on the planet, more emphasized is the
influence of organizational culture.

Read the article and answer questions 1 – 6

1. How does the organization succeed in the globalized world?

2. Why does a company have to adjust its advertising policies, promotions, product
development, location and pricing to the cultural specifications of the local community?

3. How does culture present an impact in the production area?

4. What does the word ‘their’ in the fourth paragraph refer to?

5. What is the difference between the cultures of Japan and the United States in their
companies’ personnel department policies?

6. Which activity does the financial-accountancy dimension belong to?

©Câu 4-14-B5 (3,0 điểm)

Cultural differences can also explain the differences on the enterprising level between
two populations. Stoner and Freeman (1995) argue that the entrepreneurism level in
Japan and in the United States is different due to the cultural differences that exist. While
the American culture emphasizes individualism, the Japanese culture emphasizes group
action and cooperation in addition to the cooperation between the government and
companies. In the opinion of Stoner and Freeman, this cultural difference suggests the
North Americans have a higher level of entrepreneurism than the Japanese.

The level of entrepreneurism is also affected by the existing social mobility in a society.
In societies where culture makes the society less stratified, the level of entrepreneurism
tends to be higher than in societies where there is much social stratification. Stoner and
Freeman (1995) offer the example of India, where people are born into castes—social
divisions which execute distinct economical functions. Even though caste structure is less
strict than before India’s independence, it still is very strong especially in rural areas.
Stoner and Freeman suggest it is much simpler for a carpenter’s son in the United States
to become an entrepreneur, than the son of an Indian carpenter.

Multiculturalism is another reality that affects companies, especially those in developed

countries. According to Robbins (2002), an important factor related to the cultural
diversity is the multiculturalism. Globalization has reduced barriers for immigration,
making countries like England, Germany, the United States and Canada go through
profound changes in their population profile. When relating to migratory movements,
Bhagwati (2004) points out that nowadays 175 million people, or 3 percent of the world
population, cross frontiers to live for over a year in other countries. Canada is a typical
case due to the big contingent of people who immigrated recently from Hong Kong,
Vietnam, Pakistan and countries from the Near East. These immigrants are making
Canada’s population more diversified and its manpower more heterogeneous. As a result,
it is increasing the number of people from different cultural origins, working in the same
organization.

Read the article and answer questions 1 – 6

1. What is the cultural difference between Japan and America?

2. According to Stoner and Freeman, which people have a lower level of

entrepreneurism, the Japanese or the North Americans?

3. What are the factors affecting the level of entrepreneurism?

4. Where in India is caste structure less strict?

5. What does the word ‘those’ in the third paragraph refer to?

6. What was the population of the world in 2004?

Câu 5 (1 điểm): Translate the following sentences into Vietnamese

1. Flexible structures are also likely to be found in task cultures where the focus is on using
the talents of team members, often from different department, to achieve organizational
objectives.

2. Managers and leaders can create a sense of harmony and unity by establishing SMART
(Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic, Time bound) objectives for the business
and the workforce.

3. There are many ways that managers can encourage a sense of responsibility, from
creating opportunities to work in enter-departmental teams to organizing social events for
people to get to know each other better.

4. It cannot be said that one culture is better than another, only that a culture is to a
greater or lesser extent appropriate in the sense of being relevant to the needs and
circumstances of the organization and helping rather than hindering its performance

5. Employees have to know clearly what they will be held accountable for and be given
every opportunity to use their abilities in achieving objectives that they have agreed and
are committed to.

Câu 6 (1 điểm): Translate the following sentences into English

1. Khi các thị trường trở nên ngày càng cạnh tranh và rộng mở hơn, các tổ chức buộc phải
nâng cao khả năng thích ứng của mình trước mọi sự thay đổi.

2. Những thay đổi về chính trị, kinh tế, xã hội, công nghệ và luật pháp đòi hỏi văn hóa tổ
chức cũng phải điều chỉnh và thích nghi theo.

3. Nhân viên cần có thái độ tận tụy và có trách nhiệm với công việc, điều đó chỉ có được
khi họ có tinh thần đoàn kết.