Chapter 1: Culture and Communication

Phần 1: Cultural and four categories in a culture

- culture: A community or population sufficiently large enough to be self-sustaining,

that is, large enough to produce new generations of members without relying on
outside people
- Four categories in a culture:
Categories Definition Example

Symbols verbal and nonverbal The Japanese language and the Japanese
language Sign Language

Rituals (nghi the socially essential Oshichiya: The father draws the baby's
thức/phong collective activities within a name and the date of the birth on a white
tục) culture sheet of paper using Japanese traditional
calligraphy and posts the paper on the wall
on the seventh night after the birth of a
baby.
Giỗ tổ Hùng Vương, lễ hội chùa Hương

Values feelings not open for

discussion within a culture
what is good or bad,
beautiful or ugly, normal or
abnormal, which are present
in a majority of the members
of a culture.
+ harmony (hòa hợp),
+ order (trật tự) and
+ self-development (tự
phát triển)

Heroes the real or imaginary people Tokugawa Ieyasu, Oda Nobunaga, etc.
who serve as behavior Thánh Gióng
models within a culture
which can be the subject of
novels and
other forms of literature
Cultural identity (bản sắc văn hóa):
- Members who consciously identify themselves with a group that has a shared system
of symbols and meanings as well as norms for conduct (Collier & Thomas, 1988).
- Knowing one person's cultural identity doesn't provide complete or reliable
information about that person. Knowing another's cultural identity does, however,
help you understand the opportunities and challenges that each individual in that
culture has had to deal with.

Subculture
- Complex societies are made up of a large number of groups with which people
identify and from which are derived distinctive values and rules for behavior (rút ra
giá trị và quy tắc ứng xử đặc biệt). These groups have been labeled subcultures. A
subculture resembles (the same) a culture in that it usually encompasses
(comprise) a relatively large number of people and represents the accumulation (sự
tích lũy) of generations of human striving (sự phấn đấu).
- Subcultures exist within dominant (chủ yếu) cultures and are often based on
geographic region, ethnicity, or economic or social class (Jandt, 2018)
- e.g. Vietnamese culture; Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam, and Southern Vietnam
(geographic region); Hoa, Kinh (ethnicity)

Co-cultural
- Many scholars reject the use of the prefix sub- as applied to the term culture because
it seems to imply being under or beneath and being inferior or secondary. As an
alternative, the word co-culture is suggested to convey the idea that no one culture is
inherently superior to other coexisting cultures (Orbe, 1998).
- One of the many elements of a co-culture is its system of laws. The system of laws
in our hypothetical (giả định) homogeneous (đồng nhất) culture, then, was derived
bắt nguồn) from and reflects the values of that culture.
- The Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840, was an attempt to define the relationship
between the British and the Ma-ori in New Zealand.
- the Ma-ori in New Zealand. (13% Māori and 78% Pakeha (European)
- Cộng đồng người Khme ở Việt Nam

Subgroups
- Like cultures, subgroups provide members with relatively complete sets of values
and patterns of behavior, and in many ways pose similar communication problems as
cultures.
- Subgroups exist within a dominant culture and are dependent on that culture.
- Subgroups usually do not involve the same large number of people as cultures
and are not necessarily thought of as accumulating values and patterns of behavior
over generations in the same way cultures do.
- Membership in some subgroups is temporary, while those in other subgroups may
be longer lasting.
- e.g. Facebook users and Twitter users, Nurse, doctor, police officer.
Microculture
- Some believe the term subculture implies “less important”. Others point out that the
term co-culture doesn't seem to be a realistic term as history suggests that one
culture will be dominant over the other. The term subgroup seems also to imply “not
important”.
- Others now advocate using the term microculture referring to any identifiable smaller
group bound together by shared symbol system, behaviors, and values.
- e.g. African American community in the US
- Some scholars now suggest just using the term culture regardless of size or other
factors. (Jant 2018)

What is the difference between subculture and Co-culture? Give examples.

In my perspective, subculture and co-culture are two of several terms describing groups in a
culture, and they have their separations. First, subcultures exist within dominant cultures
while co-culture advocates the idea that no culture is inherently superior to other coexisting
cultures. Second, when subcultures are based on geographic region, ethnicity, economic or
social status, co-cultures are not based on geographic region or location. For example,
based on geographic region, VietNam have some subcultures such as Northern, Central,
and Southern, or rely on ethnicity, VietNam has Hoa, Kinh, etc. On the other hand, the
Ma-ori in New Zealand or the Khmer in VietNam are some instances of co-culture. Despite
of their distinctive in defining, both subcultures and co-culture have been diversifying the
culture of each country and in the world.

Phần 2: Intercultural Communication

1. Communication
- Cultural Definitions of Communication: It has often been said that communication and
culture are inseparable (không thể tách rời).
- Culture is a code (mã số) we learn and share; and learning and sharing require
communication. Communication requires coding and symbols that must be learned
and shared (Smith, 1966).
- Every cultural pattern and every single act of social behavior involve communication.
(Chu, 1977).
- Confucian Perspectives on Communication:
+ Definitions of communication from many Asian countries stress harmony
(Chen & Starosta, 1996). This is most notable in cultures with a strong
Confucian tradition.
+ Societies heavily influenced today by Confucian history or tradition are China,
North and South Korea, Singapore, and many East Asian countries with large
Chinese communities
+ In Confucian perspective, there are 5 relationships
- Ruler and subjects (the relation of righteousness – lẽ phải) – người cai
trị và thần dân
- Husband and wife (chaste conduct) – hành vi trong sạch
- Father and son (love)
- Elder brother and younger brother (order) thứ tự
- Friend and friend (faithfulness) – sự chung thủy/chân thành
 - The regulating factors (yếu tố điều tiết) in family relationships are extended to the
whole community and state (nhà nước). The chief virtue (đức tính chính yếu) is filial
piety (lòng hiếu thảo), a combination of loyalty and reverence (sự tôn kính), which
demands that the son honor and respect his father and fulfill the demands of his
elders.

Confucianism
- emphasizes virtue (đức hạnh), selflessness (long vị tha), duty (nghĩa vụ), patriotism
(lòng yêu nước), hard work, and respect for hierarchy (tôn trọng thứ bậc xã hội), both
familiar and societal.
- As a consequence of the value placed on balance and social harmony (do giá trị
được đặt lên sự cân bằng và hòa hợp xã hội), the Asian cultures have developed
many verbal (bằng lời) strategies such as compliments, greeting rituals (nghi thức
chào hỏi), and so on to maintain good interpersonal relations.
- Group harmony(sự hòa hợp trong nhóm), avoidance of loss of face to others and
oneself, and a modest presentation of oneself (thể hiện bản thân một cách khiêm
tốn) are means of respecting the relationship. One does not say what one actually
thinks when it might hurt others in the group.
- Korea adopted Confucianism and the evidence is seen in their language. Korean has
grammatical form of direct address, called an honorific (kính ngữ), shows respect.
- In business, junior business associates may address (xưng hô) seniors with honorific
rather than common language.
- When two people are introduced, they first engage in small talk to determine each
other's social position so they know who should use common language and who
should use honorific language.

Western Perspectives on Communication

- The study of communication in Western culture has a recorded history of some 2,500
years and according to David Berlo (1960), it described the process of
communication as involving a speaker, the speech act, an audience, and a
purpose.
- Since the transmission models of communication clearly identified components in the
communication process, they are particularly useful in beginning a study of
communication.
- Source: the person with an idea they desire to communicate. e.g. CBS, the White
House, your instructor, and your mother
- Encoding: the process of putting an idea into a symbol. e.g. the thoughts are
encoded into words.
- Message: the encoded thought and message is the result of the encoding process.
- Channel: the means by which the encoded message is transmitted. e.g. printed
media, electronic media, sound waves of face-to-face communication.
- Noise: anything that distorts (bóp méo) the message the source encodes (external,
internal, and semantic noise)
- Receiver: the person who attends to the message e.g When two friends talk, each
person will take turn to be the source and the receiver
- Decoding (dịch và hiểu message): the opposite of encoding, an active process.
Assigning meaning to the symbols received. e.g A child saw note “Breakfast inside”
on the fridge and interpreted the note “There is breakfast inside the fridge”
- Receiver response: anything the receiver does after having attended to and
decoded the message. e.g The child decides what to do after seeing the “Breakfast
inside” note
- Feedback: refers to the receiver response. e.g Two friends are rehearsing their
presentation. Each will take turn to give feedback to the other
- Context: the environment in which the communication takes place and helps define
the communication.
- The relationship between the source and receiver may help define much of the
meaning of the communication. If you know the context, you can predict with a high
degree of accuracy much of the communication. e.g. Knowing that a person is being
stopped by a police officer for speeding is enough to predict much of the
communication. Certain things are likely to be said and done; other things are very
unlikely.
The Media of Intercultural Communication
- Human Couriers (người đưa thư) and Intermediaries: One early form of
intercultural communication still in widespread use today is human couriers. A person
can be used as a medium of communication. (phương tiện giao tiếp là người đưa
thư) e.g. in central China, a friend or respected elder intervenes (tham gia vào) in
interpersonal conflict (cuộc xung đột giữa các cá nhân) situations, serving as a
message carrier (người đưa thư) (Ma, 1992).
- Telephone: a popular media of intercultural communication. However, when people
use telephone, there are the barriers of the lack of contextual cues. e.g. language
misunderstandings, words, idioms, and humor, may develop negative views and
attitudes toward the interlocutors.
- Texting: a form of communication and is very common in the 21st century thanks to
the development of technology & used differently based on different culture’s norms.
e.g. in the US, people tend to text in public places while in India, it is the opposite
- Internet
+ Language use: English may continue to be the dominant language on the
Internet, but at the same time technology is supporting the use of local
languages worldwide. Additionally, translation technology will make it possible
for everyone to use any preferred language and be understood by anyone.
+ Design elements: Differences in culturally influenced perceptions of
information storage and display
- Social media: a variety of Internet-based platforms, applications, and technologies
that enable people to socially interact with one another online. e.g Twitter, Facebook,
Instagram, TikTok.

Common Barriers
- Stereotype (khuôn mẫu/nhận định đã được hình thành từ lâu): negative or positive
judgments made about individuals based on any observable or believed group
membership. e.g. In the U.S, a lot of people think Asian Americans are good at Math.
In Vietnam, the majority thinks that white Americans are rich.
- Prejudice: irrational suspicion (sự nghi ngờ) or hatred (thù hận) of a particular group,
race, religion, or sexual orientation e.g. Some heterosexual (dị tính) people might
have prejudice against homosexual (đồng tính luyến ái) people.
- Racism: (phân biệt chủng tộc) prejudice with the exercise of power on or over the
group through institutional (thể chế), historical (lịch sử), and structural (cấu trúc)
mean e.g. In the same job position, White Americans are paid higher than African
Americans

Chapter 2: Context and Intercultural communication competence

Phần 1: Context, high context and lơ context

- Was defined as the environment in which the communication process takes place
and that helps define the communication.
High context vs low context

High-context Culture High-context Culture

More of the meaning is determined by the Little of the meaning is determined by

context (physical environment) or is already the context.
shared by people involved.

People are more sensitive to nonverbal Verbal messages tend to be highly

messages. detailed and redundant (dư thừa) as
well.

Individuals are connected, fluid (linh hoạt) and Individuals are independent.
conditional

less verbal because the meaning is already more verbal or vocal as the meaning
embedded (nhúng) in the physical environment is not shared commonly but each
or already shared by the people. context will have each own code to
follow

prefer nonverbal messages and the meaning more open-mindset as individuals are
is already shared, individuals are connected, free and independent.
fluid (smooth) and conditional as they must
follow the culture.

e.g. Family communication: With your sister or e.g. Talking to stranger: With the
brother, a certain facial expression can have a stranger, you would have to explain in
shared meaning, such as “There Mom goes language that your mother's specific
again,” behavior was characteristic, somewhat
irritating, but so uniquely her.

e.g. Drinking tea: In the Japanese tea ceremony, Very direct and straightforward.
nothing is spoken; all the meanings are in the “Hurry up and drink the tea!”
context of shared experience, the teahouse, the
flower arrangement, the calligraphy scroll, and
the ceramics.

China, Japan, Korea, Most Latin American Switzerland, Germany, North America,
cultures, Southern and Eastern Mediterranean etc.
(địa trung hải) cultures, etc

- Expect the employees to know their - Explicitly explaining to the

duties with out explicit explaination. employees the expectation:
- Use the body language, tone, and the what dos and donts,
context to deliver the message. - Repeat the process from time
- Maintain harmony at the workplace. to time to ensure
- Promote hierarchy. comprehension.
- Promote clarification and
confrontation at the workplace.

Viet Nam is a High-context culture. People learn to read between the lines. The main
message in communication is more hidden. Although I just keep not replying or saying “No, I
ain't” with my boyfriend’s question “Are you angry with me”, he himself understands that he
did something wrong. And then, he always finds ways to make up for it such as giving me a
gift or buying me a cup of The Alley milk tea. Another example, last week, when I was
shopping in the supermarket in District 7, HCM city, I saw a 3-year-old girl wailing and crying
aloud in the middle of the supermarket because her mother didn’t agree to buy her the
candy. And the mother eventually agreed to buy the candy bar. In this situation, the mother
was making an unnecessary concession since she didn’t want to lose face and honor. From
my perspective, the two above examples all reflect the statement “Vietnam is a high-context
culture”. Another example, on Tet holiday, although the adults in my family always ask me
about my salary and boyfriend, I just smile and don’t reveal anything about my personal
inadequacy.

The Concept of Face

- High-context cultures place great emphasis on relationships.
- The concept of shame and honor is more important in high-context societies than
they are in low-context societies.
- Ways one can lose face:
+ A rebuffed overture – một lời đề nghị bác bỏ
+ Exposure to personal insult – Tiếp xúc với sự xúc phạm cá nhân
+ Exposure to a derogatory remark or disregard for one's status being forced to
– Nhận xét xúc phạm hoặc coi thường địa vị
+ Giving up a cherished value – Từ bỏ một giá trị trân quý
+ Making what may later be seen as an unnecessary concession – thực hiện
những gì sau này có thể được coi là mộ sự nhượng bộ không cần thiết
+ Failure to achieve goals- ko đạt được mục tiêu
+ Revelation of personal inadequacy – tiết lộ sự thiêu hụt cá nhân
+ Damage to a valued relationship – thiệt hại cho một mối quan hệ có giá trị

Communication in High-context
- High-context societies tend to be more hierarchical (có thứ bậc) and traditional
societies in which the concepts of shame and honor (xấu hổ và danh dự) are much
more important than they are in low-context societies.
- High-context cultures thus avoid direct confrontation (đối đầu) or use
communication strategies to maintain harmony and reduce the possibility of
conflict. e.g. Chinese use forms of smiles and other nonverbal behaviors to avoid or
to soften uncomfortable situations that would threaten a participant's face.

Communication in Low-context
- In low-context societies, individuals are guided more by personal responsibility rather
than by shaming one's group. e.g. Americans use direct-face negotiation and express
more self-face maintenance.

Phần 2: Intercultural Communication Competence (năng lực)

- According to Spitzberg (2000), Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC) is
the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with people of other cultures.
- There are four skill areas within ICC.
Personality Self-concept (tự nhìn nhận): how a person views the self. e.g. You
strength view yourself as an optimistic or a pessimistic person.

Self-disclosure (tự tiết lộ): the willingness of individuals to openly and

appropriately reveal information about themselves to their
counterparts. e.g. How much of yourself you are willing to reveal to
other people.
Self-monitoring (tự giám sát): an expressive behavior using social
comparison information to control and modify one’s self-presentation.
e.g. You compare yourself with someone else to decide to use more or
less facial expression in communication.

Social relaxation: the ability to reveal little anxiety in communication

e.g. You tend to communicate in a more relaxing ways with family
members than with strangers.

Communication Message skills: the ability to understand and use language and
skills feedback.

Behavioral flexibility: ability to select appropriate behavior in diverse

contexts. e.g. You adjust your communication strategies when talking
to a kid and a senior lecturer

Interaction management: handling the procedural aspects of

conversation. e.g. Depending on the nationality of the person you are
interacting with, you will select the appropriate approaches.

Social skills: empathy and identity maintenance. e.g. You understand

different social norms, identities in different cultures.

Psychological The ability to handle the feelings of culture shock, such as frustration,
adjustment stress, and alienation in ambiguous situations caused by new
environments. e.g. How students feel when transfering from high
school to university level.

Cultural Cultural awareness: the understanding of the social customs and

awareness social system of the host culture.

Intercultural sensitivity: acknowledge and respect cultural

differences

Intercultural awareness: awareness of your own cultural identity and

understand how cultures vary

Intercultural adroitness (sự khéo léo liên văn hóa): message skills,
self- disclosure, behavioral flexibility, interaction management, and
social skills
- Compare “self-concept” and “self-closure”. Give one example
Self-concept: how a person Self-closure: the willingness of individuals to openly and
views the self appropriately reveal information about themselves to their
e.g. I define myself as an counterparts.
optimistic person. e.g. I avoid talking about my salary in front of the others.
 - How important is cultural awareness in intercultural communication
competence? Give one example.
It is absolutely crucial to have cultural awareness in intercultural communication because it
will keep the conversation going smoothly. For example, the U.S is very open with hugs as
people tend to hug each other as a greeting. However, when an American comes to an
Asian country, they should not give hugs as a greeting, instead, they can shake hands or
simple say, “Hello” or wave hands. By doing this, the American can save both parties from
being uncomfortable and awkward with the hugging.
- Which aspect of the Intercultural Communication Competence suggests the
respect of cultural differences, and give examples to explain how you would
apply this aspect in communication?
From my perspective, the aspect of the Intercultural Communication Competence which
imply respect cultural differences is cultural awareness. Cultural awareness is the
understanding of the social customs and social system of the host culture. There are three
perspectives in this aspect including intercultural sensitivity - to acknowledge and respect
cultural differences, intercultural awareness - self-awareness of one's own personal cultural
identity and understanding how cultures vary, and intercultural adroitness - message skills,
knowledge of appropriate self- disclosure, behavioral flexibility, interaction management, and
social skills. Because each country has its own culture, whenever I intend to communicate
with the other cultural people I always try to have a deep understanding about that culture
by reading books or researching about them. For example, my last business partner is a
German agency which highly prefers direct and clear communication. Therefore, in most of
the meetings with them, I always try to present my idea and address the issues directly and
clearly as much as possible. Another example, I have an American friend. It is true that the
U.S is very open with hugs as people tend to hug each other as a greeting that is opposite
to the U.S, VietNamese people usually shake hands or simply say, “Hello” or wave hands.
Therefore, whenever she comes to VietNam, I always hug her as a great greeting.

Chapter 3: Hofstede - Explain the six dimensions of culture and give examples

Phần 1: Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions – Lý thuyết chiều văn hóa của Hofstede
- People generally identify their culture as their national identity. Given this, the
question becomes how to describe how national identity varies.
- Hofstede initially developed his model of cultural dimensions in the 1960s and 1970s.
His intercultural theory was one of the first that could be quantified (định lượng) and
could be used to explain observed differences between national cultures.
- Hofstede was attempting to locate value dimensions across which cultures vary. His
dimensions have been used frequently to describe cultures.
- The three first cultural dimensions of Hofstede

Individualism Vs. Collectivism – chủ nghĩa các nhân và tập thể

Individualism Collectivism

Self > Group Self < Group

Loose connection Tight

Look after themselves Look after others

Loosely integrated Tightly integrated

Individual accomplishments> Family name Individual accomplishments< Family name

People are defined by their car, their house, People are defined by their family’s fame
accomplishment

Use ‘I’ when communicate Use ‘We’ when communicate

Proud of self accomplishment Proud of other family member’s

accomplishment

Vietnam, with a score of 20%, is a collectivistic society. This

characteristic manifests (biểu hiện) in a close long-term
commitment to the “member” group (family, extended family or
extended relationships).

Loyalty in a collectivist culture is paramount (tối quan trọng) and

overrides (vượt qua) most other societal rules and regulations.
Vietnam is also a society fostering (bồi dưỡng) strong
relationships, where everyone takes responsibility for fellow
members of their group.

Masculinity Vs. Femininity – Nam tính và Nữ tính (motivation towards achivement and
success)

Masculinity Femininity

Assertiveness, competition, and Quality of life, interpersonal relationships, and

material success (sự quyết đoán, cạnh concern for the weak
tranh và thành công vật chất)

Decisive and assertive (đưa ra quyết use intuition and strive for consensus (sử dụng
định và quyết đoán) trực giác và cố gắng đạt được sự đồng thuận)

The distinction roles of male and There are overlapping social roles between
female are clear. male and female.

are expected to be decisive and use intuition (sử dụng trực giác) and strive for
assertive consensus (cố gắng đạt được sự đồng thuận)
 At 95%, Japan is one of the most masculine societies in the world. In
Japanese companies, employees are most motivated when they are
fighting in a winning team against their competitors.

What you also see as an expression of masculinity in Japan is the drive for
excellence and perfection in their production and in services (hotels and
restaurants) and presentation (gift wrapping and food presentation) in every
aspect of life.

It is still hard for women to climb up the corporate ladders in Japan with
their masculine norm of hard and long working hours.

Power Distance – khoảng cách quyền lực

The extent to which less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country
expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.
High power distance Low power distance

Obedient (nghe lời) Equal (bình đẳng)

Displays respect for those of higher status Display respect for those of neither higher
or lower status

Have power and influence on a percentage Have power and influence distributed
of the population equally

A wide gap of salary between the top and A reasonable gap of salary between the top
the bottom and the bottom

Superiors (cấp trên) and subordinates (cấp Superiors and subordinates equally
dưới) unequally
Hofstede believes that power distance is learned early in families. In cultures with high
power distance, children are expected to be obedient toward parents. In these cultures,
people are expected to display respect for those of higher status. For example, in countries
such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, people are expected to display respect
for monks by removing hats in the presence of a monk, dressing modestly, seating monks at
a higher level, and using a vocabulary that shows respect.
Sweden scores low on this dimension, with 31%, which means that the
following characterizes the Swedish style: Being independent, equal
rights, superiors accessible, and empowers.

Power is decentralized and managers count on the experience of their

team members. Employees expect to be consulted. Control is disliked
and attitudes towards managers are informal and on a first name basis.
Communication is direct and participative.
Uncertainty Avoidance tránh sự không chắc chắn
The extent to which people in a culture feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situations.
Strong in Uncertainty Avoidance Weak in Uncertainty Avoidance

Active, aggressive, emotional, Active, aggressive, emotional, compulsive,

compulsive, security seeking, and security seeking, and intolerant (không khoan
intolerant (không khoan dung) dung)

Students expect teachers to be experts Students accepts teachers who admit to not
who have all the answers knowing all the answers

Need to work hard Work hard only when needed

Need rules, precision, and punctuality No unnecessary rules
Precision and punctuality have to be learned

Vietnam scores 30 on this dimension and thus has a low preference for
avoiding uncertainty. In Vietnam, schedules are flexible. Hard work is
undertaken when necessary but not for its own sake. Precision and
punctuality do not come naturally.

Singapore scores 8% on this dimension and thus scores very low on this
dimension.

In Singapore people abide (tuân thủ) to many rules not because they
have need for structure but because of high Power Distance Index, 74%.

Singaporeans call their society a “Fine country. You’ll get a fine for
everything”.

Long-term Vs. Short-term Orientation định hướng ngắn và dài hạn

How every society has to maintain some links with its own past while dealing with the
challenges of the present and future, and societies prioritize these two existential goals
differently.

Strong in Uncertainty Avoidance Weak in Uncertainty Avoidance

Thrift – tiết kiệm consistent with spending to keep up with social

pressure

savings less savings

perseverance toward results preference for quick results

a willingness to subordinate oneself for a concern with face
a purpose.

Vietnam scores 57, making it a pragmatic (phân mảnh) culture. In societies

with a pragmatic orientation, people believe that truth depends very much
on situation, context and time.

They show an ability to adapt traditions easily to changed conditions, a

strong propensity to save and invest thriftiness and perseverance in
achieving results.

Indulgence Vs. Self-restraint sự nuông chiều và sự tự kiềm chế

Indulgence Self-restraint

More happy people Less happy people

Focus on leisure and having friends Helplessness, cynicism (tính hoài nghi)

More extroverted personalities More neurotic personalities

Loosely prescribed gender roles More strictly prescribed gender roles

Emphasis on having fun Enforce strict norms regulating gratification of

human desires.

A low score of 35% on this dimension indicates that the culture of Vietnam
is characterized as Restrained.

Societies with a low score in this dimension have a tendency to cynicism

(sự hoài nghi) and pessimism (bi quan). Also, in contrast to Indulgent
societies, Restrained societies do not put much emphasis on leisure time
and control the gratification of their desires.

People with this orientation have the perception that their actions are
Restrained by social norms and feel that indulging themselves is
somewhat wrong.

Look at the cultural dimension index of South Korea. Choose ONE dimension index
and interpret its meaning.
* 'Masculinity' has been rephrased as 'Motivation towards Achievement and Success'.

With a low score of 29% on the indulgence dimension, I believe that South Korea is a
restrained culture. South Koreans seem to be less happy than others in Indulgent countries
and they have a tendency to cynicism and pessimism. In addition, in contrast to indulgent
countries, in restrained countries such as South Korea, not only gender roles are more
strictly prescribed but also people do not put much emphasis on leisure time and control the
gratification of their desires. The residents in South Korea have a perception that their
actions need to be curbed and regulated by strict social norms. If they do something that
indulges themselves, it is wrong.

The index of Power Distance of Vietnam is 70%. Give explanation for this score and
provide relevant examples for your viewpoint.

The index of Power Distance is the extent to which less powerful members of institutions and
organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. With a
score of 70% on the Power Distance index, I believe that VietNam is a high power distance
culture which means that the following characterizes the VietNam style: being dependent,
unequal rights, superiors inaccessible, and monopoly. Power is centralized. Employees
expect to obey. Control is preferred and attitudes towards managers are formal. There is a
wide gap in salary between the top and the bottom. Also, superiors and subordinates are
unequal. Communication is indirect and non-participative. For example, Vietnamese
children are expected to be obedient toward their parents versus being treated more or less
as equals. Also, in VietNam, residents are expected to display respect for those of higher
status. In addition, Vietnamese people usually wait for everyone to be seated or let the
elderly have their first taste of food. Or if children want to go out or buy something, they must
seek an allowance from their parents. In the workspace, all decisions will be made by
leaders or managers, and staff have to follow all instructions without any questions.

2. Feminine culture.
In Vietnam, the focus is on “working in order to live”, managers strive for consensus, people
value equality, solidarity, and quality in their working lives. Conflicts are resolved by
compromise and negotiation. Incentives such as free time and flexibility are favored.
3. France, with a score of 71, is shown to be an individualist society. Parents make their
children emotionally independent with regard to groups in which they belong. This means
that one is only supposed to take care of oneself and one’s family.

TEST OF UNIT

Test of chapter 1
1. According to Hofstede (1994), a culture consists of _____ categories. → 4
2. Lunar New Year reunion belongs to the category of_____. → rituals
3. K-pop fans is an example of_____. → subgroup
4. Vietnamese American community in the US is an example of_____. → microculture
5. Societies with Confucian influences emphasize_____. → harmony
6. In Confucinism, the relationship between friends highlight_____.→ faithfulness
7. According to Berlo (1960), the process of communication involves _____ aspects.→
4
8. In Western perspectives on communication, the process of decoding is _____.→ an
active process
9. “No culture is superior to other cultures” is the feature of which cultural concepts? →
Co-culture
10. After receiving the message from person A, which process person B will use in the
communication process? → Encoding -> Decoding -> Feedback
11. Which country below follows Confucianism? → South Korea
12. Which parties involve in the relationship of “love” in Confucianism?→ Father and son
13. Boss and subordinate belong to “ _____” relationship.→ righteousness
14. In societies influenced by Confucianism, people tend to avoid ‘losing face’ of the
others in communication by _____.→ not directly expressing their opinions
15. A culture is formed when _____.→ it has a language
16. When Korean meet each other, they _____.→ exchange small talk to determine the
order
17. Which one is NOT a cultural category? → Customs
18. In Western perspectives, the process of communication involves _____
components.→ 10
19. When the children respect and/or pay back the parents for everything the parents
have done for them.
→ children take care of parents when they are old or sick, children sent back money to
parents every month; children remember and take their children to visit and take care of the
parents’ graves.
20. Context: the environment in which the communication takes place and helps define
the communication. If you know the context, you can predict with a high degree of
accuracy much of the communication.
→ Knowing that a person is being stopped by a police officer for speeding is enough to
predict much of the communication. Certain things are likely to be said and done; other
things are very unlikely.

Test of chapter 2
1. When meeting a stranger, you should apply _____ communication strategies to
maintain a comprehensive communication.→ low-context
2. During the meeting, people tend to use more of smiles and nonverbal behaviors to
express their attitude. This is an example of _____ communication. → high-context
3. In a family, mostly _____ communication strategies are used due to the mutual
understanding among members. →high-context
4. The concept of face is heavily emphasized in _____. → high-context
5. Intercultural Communication Competence includes _____skill sets.→ 4
6. Behavioral flexibility refers to the ability to_____.→ adjust one’s behaviors
7. Social skills refer to the ability to_____. → express empathy
8. Self-disclosure refer to_____. →the revelation of one’s personal information
9. Which is NOT a skill area in Intercultural Communication Competence?→ Cultural
alteration
10. Which one is a feature of communication in low-context cultures? → Directly address
the issue.
11. Intercultural Communication Competence is the ability to communicate effectively
and appropriately in_____.→ various cultural contexts
12. Social skills in Communication skills refer to the _____.→ empathy and identity
maintenance
13. Psychological adjustment refers to the ability to be able to handle _____.→ culture
shocks
14. Which societies values individual responsibility? → Low-context societies
15. Câu 7. When talking to someone, I tend to use a lot of facial expressions, hand
gestures, and body movements along with verbal communication, so I am more likely
of a _____. → low-context communicator
16. _____ is the ability to select an appropriate behavior in diverse context.→ Behavior
flexibility
17. Using social comparison information to control and modify one’s self-presentation an
expressive behavior is _____.→ self-monitoring
18. You are ready to tell your age to other people. This reflects which feature?
→Self-disclosure
19. High context:
- Expect the emlpoyees to know their duties with out explicit explaination.
- Use the body language, tone, and the context to deliver the message.
- Maintain harmony at the workplace.
- Promote hierarchy.
20. Low context:
- Explicitly explaining to the employees the expectation: what dos and donts,
- Repeat the process from time to time to ensure the comprehension.
- Promote clarification and confrontation at the workplace.
21. Self-concept: how a person views the self
→ I define myself as an optimistic person.
Self-closure: the willingness of individuals to openly and appropriately reveal
information about themselves to their counterparts.
→ I avoid talking about my salary in front of others.
22. It is absolutely crucial to have cultural awareness in intercultural communication
because it will keep the conversation going smoothly. For example, the U.S is very
open with hugs as people tend to hug each other as a greeting. However, when an
American comes to an Asian country, they should not give hugs as a greeting,
instead, they can shake hands or simply say, “Hello” or wave hands. By doing this,
 the American can save both parties from being uncomfortable and awkward with the
hugging.

Test of chapter 3

1. In Individualism cultures, personal success is more important than family

achievements. → True
2. Which statement is NOT correct? → People tend to be competitive in Femininity
cultures.
3. With the Power Distance index of 31, Swiss people prefer empowers, and equal
rights in their society.→ True
4. With the Power Distance index of 31, Swiss people prefer to address by their family
name. →False
5. In societies weak in uncertainty avoidance dimension, the teacher is expected to
successfully answer all students’ question.→ False
6. Vietnamese generally are not punctual. This is the example of _____.→ Uncertainty
Avoidance
7. Self-restraint dimension emphasizes_____.→ clear gender roles
8. In long-term orientation society, people _____.→ prefer savings
9. Which country is NOT an individualism culture? →Mongolia
10. Assertiveness, competition, and material success are traits of _____ cultures.
→masculinity
11. Which Hofstede’s dimension deals with society's acceptance of leadership? →Power
distance
12. Korea has the word “chaebol” to refers to a group of billionaires who can control a
high percentage of the country’s economy. Korea is an example of _____.→
high-power distance culture
13. Children who live in high-power distance culture are more likely to _____.→ be
obedient
14. The practice of waiting for everyone to be seated, letting the elderly have the first
taste of food is usually seen in _____ cultures.→ high power distance
15. Which Hofstede’s dimension belongs to the original group? → Uncertainty avoidance
16. In Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory, collectivism cultures value _____. → loyalty
17. Uncertainty avoidance is _____. →the extent to which people in a culture feel
threatened by uncertain or unknown situations
18. Living in a masculine society, Japanese tend to _____. → be competitive