A Visiting Professor in International Business Recently Spoke to Students

question 47

Essay

A visiting professor in international business recently spoke to students in an organizational behavior class about cultural differences between American and Japanese employees.The visitor noted that Americans and Japanese have similar values - Americans have high individualism and low collectivism and Japanese have medium-high individualism and low collectivism.The visitor concluded by saying that by identifying someone's nationality, such as American, you can easily determine the person's level of collectivism and individualism.Identify and discuss two problems with the visiting professor's statements.

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Definitions:

Psychological Tests

Standardized measures used to evaluate and understand individual differences and psychological characteristics, such as intelligence, personality, or mental health.

Clients' Personalities

The composite of characteristics, traits, and behaviors that define how clients interact with and perceive the world.

Free Association

A psychoanalytic technique where a patient speaks freely to reveal subconscious thoughts and feelings.

Dream Analysis

A therapeutic technique in psychoanalysis where dreams are interpreted as manifestations of unconscious desires, conflicts, or wishes.