Questions and Answers of Business Communication Process

Evaluate the following humorous analogy between the murder of a famous Roman emperor and the deadening effect of meetings: “This month is the 2,053rd anniversary of the death of Julius Caesar, who
What are some of the main benefits teamwork brings to an organization?How can a team improve an organization's efficiency?What are some individual team member traits that reduce a team's
Which important trends fuel globalization?
List the five main characteristics of culture.
Name four or more strategies for bridging the gap between cultures and achieving intercultural proficiency.
Describe three processes or attitudes that will help you achieve intercultural competence, according to M. R. Hammer.
Does social networking help bridge cultural divides?
Why is gift giving to customers and business partners problematic, and what is the recommended limit in most U.S. companies?
Describe five guidelines for improving communication among diverse workplace audiences.
A stereotype is an oversimplified perception of a behavioral pattern or characteristic applied to entire groups. For example, the Swiss are hardworking, efficient, and neat; Germans are formal,
The demanding, ethnocentric traveler who finds fault with all that is different abroad is no longer French. Only a few years ago, tourists from France topped the list of least liked visitors in one
Web sites with playful names such as Cramster, Course Hero, Koofers, and Spark Notes provide ready-made solutions and essays for students. Do such sites encourage cheating and undermine the mental
What Internet behavior could get employees fired? Do employees deserve broad Internet access on the job—if they are responsible? Should employers block access to Web sites? If so, what kind?
If one of your teammates cowriting a formal report with you has been found to have plagiarized a portion of your writing project, typically the instructor will punish the entire group, assuming
1. What can you learn from the speaking style of Steve Jobs?2. Why is simplicity important in an oral presentation?3. Communication coach Carmine Gallo says that charismatic speakers such as Steve
In one of your courses, you are witnessing a PowerPoint presentation, during which it becomes obvious that the speaker has completely memorized her talk. However, she stumbles badly a few times,
1. What kind of oral presentations might you have to make in your chosen career field?2. Why are most people fearful of making presentations?3. How do you think people become effective speakers?
Assume that you have been offered a job. However, you have gone to several other interviews that seemed to have gone very well, and now you are emboldened by your success and want to wait for a
Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch and his business journalist wife Suzy believe that human resources must execute layoffs fairly: First, the Welches recommend that pink slips be delivered
Like all relationships, the job-search process is about two parties looking to find a good match. Filling a position is costly for employers, and candidates likewise invest time and money in their
1. Why are online questionnaires and screening interviews useful tools for Google’s recruiters?2. How does thorough preparation help a candidate reduce the stress and butterflies that
1. Before you apply for a job, why must you investigate carefully the background of any company that interests you?2. What types of skills and background do you think Google recruiters look for in a
List the steps you should take immediately following your job interview.
How should you respond to questions you feel are inappropriate or illegal?
Should you be candid with an interviewer when asked about your weaknesses?
Name at least six interviewing behaviors you can exhibit that send positive nonverbal messages during the job interview.
What is your greatest fear of what you might do or what might happen to you during an employment interview? How can you overcome your fears?
How can you address problem areas on your résumé such as lack of experience, getting fired, or earning low grades?
You have scheduled an interview with a large local company. What kind of information should you seek about this company, and where can you expect to find it?
Briefly describe the types of hiring/placement interviews you may encounter.
How are the main purposes of a job interview different for the job candidate and for the employer?
Advice columns and Internet blogs are teeming with cover letter bloopers. Downright lies aside, some candidates simply need a lesson in selling: P.S. I haven’t taken a sick day in years; I don’t
Insecure entry-level workers are not the only job seekers who sometimes feel tempted to fudge the facts. RadioShack’s CEO David Edmondson had to resign after it was found that he had incorrectly
1. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of searching for jobs at big board sites, such as Monster.com, with searching at company Web sites.2. Why would companies ask job applicants to comment on
1. Why is searching for a job both exhilarating and intimidating? How can one overcome the feelings of intimidation?2. Is it easier to search for a job by registering at a big job board or by
What personal information should be included, and what should be omitted, on a résumé?
What is a chronological résumé, and what are its advantages and disadvantages? How does it differ from a functional résumé?
What sources can you use to help you determine a career path?
What employment trends are occurring in today’s workplace?
You are about to begin your job search. What should you do first?
Obviously, you wouldn’t want to tell callers that your colleague went to the restroom or that your boss is responding to e-mail from a golf course in Hilo, Hawaii. But what about people who, for
What is the picture superiority effect?
What is Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 rule, and what is it good for?
A business plan’s purpose is to help manage a company and raise capital; hence, it is a persuasive document that must be accurate and honest. Whether the goal is to persuade a lender or investors
Doing last-minute research for a class or work project, you are in a hurry; therefore, you decide to copy some sources from the list of references that you found in an article on your topic to boost
As any salesperson will tell you, some customers seem to believe that if they vent their anger and make a scene at the store, they are more likely to get their way by bullying and intimidating a
1. Do you agree that corporations derive benefits from sponsoring volunteer programs and encouraging employees to participate?2. The CEO of Hands on Miami write a letter persuading Miami
When downsizing, Radio Shack used e-mail to fire about 400 employees at its Fort Worth headquarters. The messages said, “The work force reduction notification is currently in progress.
How can a subordinate tactfully, professionally, and safely deliver upsetting news personally to a superior?
Lucky U.S. consumers enjoy among the world’s most generous merchandise return policies. No wonder, perhaps, that some customers presumably buy a video camera or a dress for a special event and
1. Have you ever written a letter or sent an e-mail to a company? What might motivate you to do so? Would you expect a response?2. If a company such as Ben & Jerry’s receives a fan letter
Describe the process of creating a simple podcast.
Why should a direct claim be made by letter rather than by e-mail or a telephone call?
What is an adjustment message?
Are the writing skills that are required for sending business e-mails and text messages different from those required for writing interoffice memos and business letters? Explain.
1. When customers write to Ben & Jerry’s for information and the response contains both positive and negative news, what strategy should the respondent follow?2. If a customer writes to
Kyra M. uses e-mail for nearly all messages. She is ecstatic over a new job offer and quickly sends an e-mail to her manager announcing that she is leaving. He did not know she was looking for a new
A magazine publisher sends you a letter saying that you should renew your subscription immediately to ensure continued delivery. Your subscription is paid for at least a year in advance, but nowhere
When delivering bad news, how can a communicator reduce the bad feelings of the receiver?
What is the most important part of Phase 1 of the writing process for negative messages?
When should you use the direct strategy in delivering bad news?
When should you use the indirect strategy in delivering bad news?
What are the major differences between the direct and indirect strategies in delivering bad news?
What is an effective technique in announcing rate increases and price hikes?
1. Suppose you applied for a job that you really wanted, but the company hired someone else. To notify you of the bad news, the company sends a letter. Should the letter blurt out the bad news
1. What are the advantages to Southwest of its proactive approach to passenger problems? 2. How might Fred Taylor use the four-part plan suggested in this chapter to compose his apology letters
District Attorney Mike Nifong apologized to three Duke University lacrosse players that he had indicted on charges of attacking an exotic dancer. How ethical and effective is his apology? “To the
When accelerator defects threatened Toyota’s quality reputation and defied easy diagnosis in Lexus and other models, management took to the Internet to communicate directly with customers.
As the global recession deepens and budget shortfalls spread to all sectors of the economy, city managers are struggling to deliver negative news to workers. Faced with a $522 million annual deficit,
List six ways to gain attention in a persuasive message.
Name five or more examples of typical situations requiring persuasive claim messages
How can you reduce resistance in requesting favors, making claims, and delivering complaints?
Before composing a letter to sell a product, what should the writer do?
Name four areas of the world where the culture is generally considered to be high context. Name four areas of the world where the culture is generally considered to be low context.
1. Persuasion is vital to the CEO at Hands on Miami. Who must the CEO effectively persuade to ensure the success of the organization?2. In your own career, when might you find it necessary to be
Calculate the mean, median, and mode for these figures: 5, 15, 15, 15, 30.
1. What aspects of Raytheon’s proposal writing process can you apply to your own work?2. How do you think the various reviewers and their reviews help ensure the success of a proposal effort?3. Why
Why is the ability to do research and draw conclusions likely to increase your value to your employer?
How can you make your report conclusions as objective and bias-free as possible?
Name at least four guidelines for creating effective headings, and be prepared to explain them.
When tabulating and analyzing data, you may discover relationships among two or more variables that help explain the findings. Can you trust these correlations and assume that their relationship is
How can you increase your chances that your report recommendations will be implemented?
You have learned that drawing conclusions involves subjectivity, although your goal is to remain objective. Even the most even-handed researchers bring their goals, background, and frame of reference
1. What kind of information should Starbucks gather to help it decide how closely to locate its stores?2. How could Howard Schultz test his impression that the intimate communal coffee-drinking
1. How important to Starbucks are the collection, organization, and distribution of up-to-date information regarding food and beverage trends, competition, and product development?2. In what ways
Like many innovative companies, Starbucks wants to be seen as a responsible corporate citizen. On its Web site Starbucks posts its annual corporate social responsibility report. The company also has
Purchasing managers at Frito-Lay, Safeway, and B&G Foods have pleaded guilty to taking bribes that led to tainted foods purchased at inflated prices. Company officials relied on false reports and
What purpose do proposals serve?
Who uses requests for proposals (RFPs), and why?
Why must writers list their sources and identify them in the text?
Name the steps necessary to write an executive summary in a formal business report.
What is the purpose of a business plan, and what should it communicate to investors?
1. Why are proposals vitally important to a company like Raytheon?2. How are proposals at Raytheon similar to and different from proposals or long reports written by students?3. How can team members
What are correlations?
What is cross-tabulation, and when is it useful?
Few would deny that customers should have an outlet for reasonable complaints against companies that slighted them. However, today, increasingly anonymous cyber threats against companies often erupt
1. When writing their funding proposal or business plan, do you think Dan and Alysa chose an informational or analytical approach? Why?2. Do you think Dan’s and Alysa’s proposal was developed
1. Why might a U.S. airline dedicated strictly to traveling pets be an easy sell to the public? Why might it not be?2. Today’s entrepreneurs have many technological resources at their disposal to
You are conducting one-hour-long interviews with high-level banking executives using a questionnaire featuring open-ended questions (qualitative survey) for a market research firm. You receive $75
Why must report writers anticipate their audiences and issues?

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