International Business Chapter 2 - Cross-Culture - terms

Culture -- set of values, beliefs, rules, and institutions held by a specific group of people
ethnocentricity -- belief that one's own ethnic group will culture is superior to that of others
cultural literacy -- detailed knowledge about a culture that he was a person to function effectively within it
subculture -- a group of people who share a unique way of life within a larger, dominant culture
aesthetics -- what a Coulter considers to be in "good taste" in the arts, the evoked by certain expressions, and the symbolism of certain colors
values -- ideas, beliefs, and customs to which people are emotionally attached
attitudes -- positive or negative evaluations, feelings, and tendencies that individuals harbor toward objects or concepts
cultural trait -- anything that represents a culture's way of life, including gestures, material objects, traditions, and concepts
cultural diffusion -- process whereby cultural traits spread from one culture to another
cultural imperialism -- replacement of one culture's traditions, folk hero's, and artifacts with substitutes from another
manners -- appropriate ways of behaving, speaking, and dressing in a culture
customs -- habits or ways of behaving in specific circumstances that are passed down through generations with in a culture
folk custom -- behavior, often dating back several generations, that is practiced by a homogeneous group of people
popular custom -- behavior shared by a heterogeneous group or by several people
social structure -- a culture's fundamental organization, including its groups and institutions, its systems of social positions and their relationships, and the process by which its resources are distributed
social group -- collection of two or more people who identify and interact with one another
social stratification -- process of ranking people into social layers or classes
social mobility -- ease with which individuals can move up or down a culture's social ladder
caste system -- system of social stratification in which people are born into a social ranking, or caste, with no opportunity for social mobility
class system -- system of social stratification in which personal ability and actions determine social status and mobility
communication -- system of conveying thoughts, feelings, knowledge, and information through speech, actions, and writing
lingua franca -- third or "link" language that is understood by two parties who speak different native languages
body language -- language communicated through unspoken queues, including hand gestures, facial expressions, physical greetings, eye contact, and the manipulation of personal space
brain drain -- departure of highly educated people from one profession, geographic region, or nation to another
topography -- all the physical features that characterized the surface of the geographic region
climate -- weather conditions of a geographic region
material culture -- all the technology used in a culture to manufacture goods and provide services
Kluckholn-Strodbeck framework -- framework for studying cultural differences among six dimensions, such as focus on past or future events and belief in individual or group responsibility for personal well-being
Hofstede framework -- framework for studying cultural differences among four dimensions, such as individualism versus collectivism and equality versus inequality