*INTRO TO CULTURE and

SOCIETY

COURSE INSTRUCTOR:
TRAN THI NGUYET THANH, M.A
*REVIEW
)
 *The USA is a federal
union of _____
independent states.

*A. 40
*B. 50
*C. 60
B *D. 100
*The most recent state
to join the union was
_________ ?

*A. Hawaii
*B. Alaska
*C. California
*D. Arizona A
 * In the USA the laws are
________.
*A. The same in all states
*B. Different in every state
*C. Different in richer
states
*D. Different for different
B races
*Most of the population
of the mainland USA
lives ________.

*A. On the east coast

*B. On the west coast
*C. In the centre
*D. On the east and
west coasts D
 * ________ was the first
President of the USA.

*A. Abraham Lincoln

*B. George Washington
*C. John Kennedy
B *D. Walt Disney
*President John F Kennedy
was assassinated in
__________.
*A. New York, New York
*B. Washington DC
*C. Los Angeles,
California
*D. Dallas, Texas D
 *The President of the USA
lives in ________.

*A. White House Road

*B. Pennsylvania Avenue
*C. Texas Street
*D. Washington Square
B
*The largest river in the
USA is the
___________.

*A. Missouri
*B. Mississippi
*C. Rio Grande
*D. Yukon
B
 *You can visit
Monument Valley in
____________.

*A. Alabama
*B. Texas
*C. Arizona
*D. Oklahoma
C
*The highest mountain
is the
_______________.

*A. Mount Foraker

*B. Blanca Peak
*C. Mount Whitney
*D. Mount McKinley
D
 *____________ was US
President from 1977
to 1981.

*A. Ronald Reagan

*B. Richard Nixon
*C. Jimmy Carter
*D. Gerald Ford
C
*The Everglades are in
_______________.

*A. Florida
*B. California
*C. Alabama
*D. Georgia
A
 *The biggest state is
____________.

*A. California
*B. Texas
*C. Arizona
D *D. Alaska
*The three biggest cities
are ______________.

*A. New York, Los

Angeles and Houston
*B. New York, Los
Angeles and Chicago
*C. New York, Los
Angeles and
Philadelphia
*D. New York, Chicago
and Philadelphia B
 *Manhattan was
bought from Indians
by ____________.

*A. Netherlands
*B. France
*C. Britain
A *D. Spain
*The Mt. Rushmore
Monument is in
_____________.

*A. South Dakota

*B. Iowa
*C. Nevada
*D. Wyoming A
*Business in
the USA
 United States Economy Overview

The characteristics of American Business

Doing business in the USA

American business culture

*United States
Economy
Overview
 *GROUP WORK DISCUSSION
 Work in group of 5
 Watch a video clip
 Take notes
 Answer the question:

1. What is the US economy like in the

present and future?
 * Suggested answers
The U.S. economy
THE US
 is home to
 29.6 million small businesses.
 30% world’s millionaires
 40% world’s billionaires
 139 world’s 500 largest companies.
 * Suggested answers
The U.S. economy
 THE US

 world largest national economy in nominal terms

 second largest according to purchasing power
parity (PPP)
 world’s third largest producer of oil & natural gas
 * Suggested answers
The U.S. economy
 THE US
 one of largest trading nations in the world
 second largest manufacturer
 world’s number one producer of electrical &
nuclear energy as well as liquid natural gas, sulfur,
phosphates, agriculture accounts for just under 1%
of GDP
 * Suggested answers
The U.S. economy
 THE US

 world’s top producer of corn & soybeans

 GDP by sector:
 Agriculture : 1.1%; Industry: 19.4%; Services:
79,5%; Unemployment rate: 4.7%
Population below the poverty line: 13,66%
 * Suggested answers
The U.S. Economy in the future
 GDP growth rate : 2% - 3%
 Unemployment : natural rate
 Not too much inflation or deflation
 Economic growth : 4%
 GDP growth: : 2015: 2.1%
2016: 1.9 %
2017 & 2018: 2.1%
2019: 1.9%
 *Suggested answers
The U.S. Economy in the future
 Unemployment : 4.7 % in 2016
: 4.2 % in 2017
 Inflation : 2.0 % in 2018
: 1.9 % in 2017
: 1.5 % in 2016
 Production : increase 3 % in 2017
2.8 % in 2018
2.6 % in 2019
2% in 2020
• Is the United States a Market
Economy or a Mixed
Economy?
* Is the United States a Market Economy
or a Mixed Economy?
 Mixed economy
 Economic system capitalism & socialism
 Purpose

 to protect private property

 to allow a level of economic freedom in the use of capital
 to allow for governments to intervene in economic activities to
achieve social aims & for the public good
System Who decides Who decides For whom to
what to how to produce? produce?
produce?
Citizens, prices,
Mixed Citizens & profits all There is a free
economy decide what decide how enterprise so
goods the goods are going citizens have
country will to be produced to compete
produce Government also for
regulates some production.
industries
How does the US economy
work?
BY KIMBERLY AMADEO
Updated May 13, 2019

kimberly@worldmoneywatch.com
 *Ideologies:
Republican Party vs Democratic Party

Philosophy
Stance on Taxes & Wages
Social & human ideas
Stance on Government Regulations
* What’s the symbol of the
Democratic Party ?

* What’s the symbol of the

Republican Party ?
Democratic Party Republican Party

*Symbol
 Democratic Party Republican Party

*Lean more towards

*Attach greater individual freedooms,
importance to rights &
equality & responsibilities
social/community
responsibility
*Philosophy
 Democratic Party Republican Party

* support progressive taxes * support tax cuts for everyone (same

tax rate regardless of income)
* not oppose raising taxes to
fun government * oppose raising taxes
 A progressive tax system:
one where high income * oppose raising the minimum wages
individuals pay taxes at a
 it hurts business.
higher rate.

*favor increase in the minimum

*Stance on Taxes &
wages to help workers. Wages
Democratic Party Republican Party

*Based on community *Based on individual

and social rights and justice
responsibility

*Social & human ideas

Democratic Party Republican Party

*need to protect *hinder free

consumers. market capitalism & job
growth.

*Stance on Government
Regulations
*Consumerism
* What is consumerism?
Consumerism

social & economic order that encourages the

acquisition of goods & services in ever-
increasing amounts.
  Work in group of 5
 Watch a video clip
 Take notes
*  Answer the questions:

1. What are 5 things about

American consumerism?
*Suggested anwers *1. The USA

 has 3.1% world’s children,

but buy 40% world’s toys
AMERICAN
 44% Americans upgrade
CONSUMERISM cellphones every 2 years
 threw away 150 million cell
phones in 2010
*Suggested anwers *2. Average American
women
* In 1930
 owned 9 outfits in 1930
AMERICAN * Today:
 owned 30 outfits, one for
CONSUMERISM every day of month
Only 20% clothes in average
person’s closet : worn on
regular basis
*Suggested anwers *3. More than 30% edible
food: go to waste

 at a cost of about $161

AMERICAN billion

CONSUMERISM
 accounts for 21% in
garbage
*Suggested anwers *4. Average American house

 size: 983 square feet in

1950s to 2,598 in 2013
AMERICAN  contains 300,000
«things»
CONSUMERISM  spends $ 24 billion to
store their «things» in 2.3
billion square feet of
storage units
*Suggested *5. The second charitable country
in the world behind Myanmar
anwers
* 76 % Americans helped a
stranger
AMERICAN
* 63 % Americans donated money
CONSUMERISM * 44% American voluntareed time
* Americans gave away $ 358
billion in 2014
*The characteristics of
American Business
 1. Definition
2. Business
Institutions
3. American Business
Heroes
4. American Business in
the Global Marketplace
5. The Changing American
Workforce
* *private and profit
*directly or indirectly
Business to owned

Americans * operated by private

individuals (or groups of
individuals) in order to
make a profit
 *are at the heart of the
American way of life.
*2. Business
Institutions
*have traditionally
received respect in the
United States
*Competition *The Dream of Getting Rich
 is major source of  Careers in business still offer
progress & prosperity the best opportunity for the
ambitious individual to become
 is a value itself wealthy.
 protects American  Business :
values: individual
freedom, equality of
opportunity, hard work  the easiest way for individuals
to become rich
 benefiting the entire nation
*REASONS through competition
 3. American
Business
Heroes

The
Entrepreneur as
Business Hero
Many beliefs:

 Connect business to the wealth &

traditional values of the US
 Successful people in business
become heroes to the American people.
 *A number of reasons
* They succeed in building sth great out of nothing
* Entrepreneurs - without aid of inherited social
title or inherited money- became "self-made"
millionaires
* The hero rises "from rags to riches" & fulfills the
American Dream.
Steve Jobs Ross Perot
*4. American Business
in the Global
Marketplace
*In the past *The US
* Operation of American * is single largest market in the world:
business took place
almost entirely in US  consumer society looking for goods
*For example from all over the world.
*In 1950s,  country with products to sell
*SO bought a car *Exports : make up one-quarter of
General Motors
Corporation
global economic output.
 entire car built in US. * Business : efficient if it’s to compete
successfully in global marketplace.
 *5. The Changing
American Workforce
* White males: dominated
American business
* Women: prevented by the glass
wall
White minorities:
* Women, Gray earn less
Black In the
money than men for doing the past
same work
* Job’s attitude: job first, family
second
* Women, Minorities entering the workforce:
increased their presence
* Women: hold about half of the professional
specialty, executive, administrative & managerial
occupations
* Women: try their hand at starting their own small
business, following the dream of the entrepreneur.

*It’s time for changing

Doing business in the
USA
Hard work
Punctuality
Impersonal Dealings
Quantitative Reasoning
Writing it down
Self-improvement
Behavior in meeting
Turnover
 *Work in group of 4 or 5

* *Read 8 parts in 10
minutes (page 251- 257)

* Mark the sentences T

or F
*American business
culture
Descriptions of US business culture
Individualism
Competitiveness
Efficiency
Informality
Openness to innovation and change
 *Meet and Greet
For the first time
  Firm handshake
 Friendly smile
 Eye contact while talking
* It is obviously  Personal space of two or three feet
time for  Calling everyone by their first name
introductions  Exchanging business cards
 Introducing to the more senior or
higher-ranking one first
 Adding a few details about whomever
you’re introducing
*Small Talk
* You start making small talk
 come across as personable, social, and positive

* Good small talk topics

 include hobbies and leisure, tips concerning local arts
and entertainment, or dining and nightlife, and popular US
sports teams.

* Politics and religion should be kept out of the workplace,

especially controversial issues, like abortion, capital
punishment, or gun control.
*Communication Style
 The dominant style of communication in US business
culture:

Be friendly and to the point.

Express yourself politely, but clearly
Be prepared to be generous with your compliments,
and to word criticism carefully.
Get to the point soon and not talk around the issue
Avoid being considered as overly negative or rude in
your conversations.
*Dress for Success
 Don’t forget about the dress code to make a good
first impression.

Dress codes vary widely among regions and fields of

employment in the United States.
Examples
 Wall Street broker: smart suit & shirt
 Start-up employees (Silicon Valley) shorts &
t-shirt during office hours.
 A job interview in the creative industry:
a "smart casual" outfit

 male applicants: polo shirt & khaki

pants
 female candidates nice slacks & fashionable top

 American offices: formal business culture ("Casual

Friday») : wear a more relaxed outfit.
Thank you