Questions and Answers of Excellence In Business Communication

You work in marketing for a building company that makes modern homes for young professional couples in your country. It is a tough and competitive market, but you think you have come up with a way of
Research an organization that you would like to work for and either find or imagine a suitable vacancy in the organization.Prepare for an interview for the position you have identified following the
Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of this message, then revise it so that it follows the guidelines in Chapters 5 through 7:As an organization, the North American Personal Motorsports Marketing
Following on from 9-50, you realize that you need to explain in the simplest terms exactly how the new expenses app will work.There are some real-world examples of these types of apps, and you should
Select five business articles from online sources. Develop a resource list, using Appendix B as a guideline.
A/an __________ is a way to label the subject of a tweet so that others can find it more easily.
Many companies now have voice of the customer (VoC) programs to collect and analyze commentary and feedback from customers. The most comprehensive of these programs automatically gather data from
Long sentences are also difficult to write because, even if they are punctuated properly, they can be hard to read since readers often want a pause, and writers need to be aware of this and consider
Employees who take pride in their work are a practically priceless resource for any business. However, pride can sometimes manifest itself in negative ways when employees come under criticism, and
Social media can be a great way to, well, socialize during your college years, but employers are increasingly checking up on the online activities of potential hires to avoid bringing in employees
Colleges and universities are complex organizations that try to optimize results for students while wrestling with budgetary constraints, staffing issues, infrastructure concerns, space limitations,
Studying real-life examples is a great way to get a feel for how various companies communicate with customers and other stakeholders.Your task: With teammates assigned by your instructor, select five
The size limitations of smartphone screens call for a different approach to writing and formatting documents.Your task: On the website of any company that interests you, find a news release (some
Keeping track of deadlines, to-do lists, and other details is a challenge for every professional. You’ve been researching apps to help with this, and you’re intrigued by one called Moo.do.
Every April, your company stages a competition for the sales department called Spring Surge, which awards sales representatives who bring in the most new revenue during the month. The awards are
The following exercises help you improve your knowledge of and power over English grammar, mechanics, and usage. Turn to the Handbook of Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage at the end of this book and
Even the most extensive online stores cannot ensure that every product will always be available to customers.Some online stores will make suggestions of an alternative; others will simply tell the
The following exercises help you improve your knowledge of and power over English grammar, mechanics, and usage. Turn to the Handbook of Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage at the end of this book and
Soccer is by far the most dominant sport across the Middle East. However, there are other sports that reflect the culture and the history of the region that could face extinction.According to the
With more and more consumers and businesses using apps and online services to transfer money and conduct other financial transactions, people are naturally concerned about security.Your task: You
Credit card debt can be a crippling financial burden with myriad side effects, from higher insurance rates to more-expensive loans to difficulty getting a job or a promotion. Unfortunately, credit
Studying abroad for a semester or a year can be a rewarding experience in many ways—improving your language skills, experiencing another culture, making contacts in the international business
A carefully constructed series of tweets can serve as a summary of a blog post, video, or other message or document.Your task: Find any article, podcast, video, or webpage on a business topic that
To most consumer-goods companies, Black Friday is a massive shopping event the day after Thanksgiving, when consumers crowd into stores and retailers hope to see a big sales boost to kick-start the
Twitter updates are a great way to alert people to helpful articles, videos, and other online resources.Your task: Find an online resource (it can be a YouTube video, a PowerPoint presentation, a
Between this chapter and your own experience as a user of social media, you know enough about social media to offer some insights to other business communicators.Your task: Write a script for a two-
How can businesses make use of social networks such as Facebook for business communication?
Why does a personal style of writing on blogs and other social media channels help build stronger relationships with audiences?
A software package your team created last month has just created errors in a client’s files. This was because the client has incompatible file formats. How would you politely convey this to your
Every six months, your organization reviews the procedures it follows as part of a more general review of performance. The slight improvement in sales shown by the review is 3 percent behind target
Requests for recommendations and references are routine messages, so you can organize your message using the __________ approach.
Our company is currently facing a crisis over some negative reports appearing in the local press. Our current PR agency seems ill-equipped to handle this crisis and we are currently looking for a
We read your letter, requesting your deposit refund. We couldn’t figure out why you hadn’t received it, so we talked to our maintenance engineer, as you suggested. He said you had left one of the
Your letter to Kunitake Ando, president of Sony, was forwarded to me because I am the human resources director.In my job as head of HR, I have access to performance reviews for all of the Sony
Rewrite the following sentences so that they are direct and concise. If necessary, break your answer into two sentences.a. Enraptured by the performance of the lead opera singer in the musical, Sir
Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of this message, and then revise it so that it follows this chapter’s guidelines for sharing routine information, including using the direct approach:Those of
Identify someone in your life who has recently accomplished a significant achievement, such as graduating from high school or college, completing a major project, or winning an important professional
In an attempt to streamline the ordering and invoicing process within your organization, all documents are now routinely formatted as read-only and cannot be edited. This is meant to secure the
You work for an import–export business that has, until recently, only offered services to other businesses. Recently, you noticed the opportunity to make full use of shipping containers by offering
The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) is a British organization that supports the development of managers and leaders in organizations of every type. The organization endorses institutions wishing
You work for a business with small offices in eight countries around the world. Meetings are usually facilitated via Skype, but other online communication and collaboration is a problem. Three months
Your organization provides travel assistance for business customers. A regular customer requested that $1,000 in cash and a visa be ready for pick-up at the information desk at the local airport for
When individuals take up a position in an organization, sometimes the organization does not offer the best induction and training for the role offered. This means that the individual must learn how
As a way to give back to the communities in which it does business, your company supports the efforts of the United Way, a global organization that works to improve lives through education, income
As a project manager at Expedia, one of the largest online travel services in the world, you’ve seen plenty of college interns in action. However, few have impressed you as much as Maxine “Max”
You work in the accounts and finance department of a global company. You oversee all the business trip expenses for the company, and it always seems to you that your carefully crafted procedures and
Most people have heard of the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards for television, music, movies, and theater performances, but fewer know what the Webby Award is all about. Sponsored by the
The national sales manager of a large pharmaceutical sales company has been driving the local sales managers and their teams to hit a challenging annual target for sales of a new painkiller for
Shari Willison worked as a geologist in your civil engineering firm for 20 years before succumbing to leukemia last week. With only a few dozen employees, the company has always been a tight-knit
The office was somber this morning when you arrived at work, as employees learned that Michael, the partner of the chief operating officer, Leo West, had been killed in a car accident over the
Should you use the direct or indirect approach for most routine messages? Why?
Discuss some of the important arguments for and against making an apology for an organizational mistake.
What guidelines would you follow to ensure that a close in an indirect approach conveys respect for your audience?
What are the disadvantages in a situation where an organization chooses to share negative information at the very last moment possible?
An advantage of using the direct approach with negative messages is that ita. saves readers time by helping them reach the main idea more quickly.b. eases readers into the message.c. is diplomatic.d.
Which of the following is an advantage of using the indirect approach with negative messages?a. Most readers prefer the direct approach for such messages.b. It makes a shorter message possible.c. It
Continuing advances in social media make ita. easier to control rumors through internet filters and other means.b. more difficult to control rumors.c. easier to find the people who start rumors.d.
The anniversary date of the founding of the first store in the chain where you work as marketing manager is coming up. Across the globe, the chain has 186 stores with just over 322,000 customer
Imagine that you are the president of the campus business debating and presentation group. You routinely book business professionals who have something interesting or thought-provoking to say. The
You work for a custom travel business that operates across the world. Your clients tend to come from your own country, but you have regular customers from over 40 others. Although you do not offer
Your organization operates in an open and inclusive manner with regard to employee relations and interactions. For some years it has operated an employee suggestion scheme and has adopted some of the
Your company markets a line of rugged smartphone cases designed to protect the sensitive devices from drops, spills, and other common accidents.Your guarantee states that you will reimburse customers
As the chief executive of a leading magazine, what are the four levels of introspection that you would expect from your editorial team in planning their messages?
All companies love product enthusiasts, those customers who are such fans that their activities help the company market its products and support its customers.Enthusiasts of a particular company or
You work for a large, publicly owned organization that procures many services from organizations based both nationally and more locally to your offices. For many years your offices have been supplied
You are a business consultant and offer help and advice to fledgling businesses. Two years ago, you were contacted by Mr. Boutros, a retired shopkeeper. He had passed his business on to his son Adnan
Your company imports vegan alternatives to meat products from an overseas manufacturer. The range is very popular in your country for a variety of ethical, cultural, and religious reasons. The
You work for a business that operates 58 snack food stalls located at railway stations, bus terminals, and other transport hubs. The business has been growing over the past three years but lacks
Your company has been operating for five years and is involved in the design and creation of landscape garden areas for corporate clients. When the business started, you relied on a number of
Until a year ago, your business regularly used a local stationery and printing service. They were not that reliable, but you wanted to support a local business. One day, they suddenly informed you
Your classmates could end up being important business contacts as you all progress through your careers. Of course, this also means you might be asked for favors that you’re not comfortable giving,
What are three techniques for deemphasizing negative news?
Why is it essential to understand your readers’ likely motivations before writing a persuasive message?
Discuss the comparative advantages and disadvantages of using emotional appeal and logical appeal.
Why might social media fail if used as the only action countering negative product feedback?
Are promotional slogans such as “Best sushi in town” or “Atlanta’s most popular restaurant” ethical? Why or why not?
Dear members of the school staff, I am writing to you with utter disappointment after having received numerous complaints from both students and their guardians. It appears that many of you, despite
We know how awful dining hall food can be, and that’s why we’ve developed the “Mealaweek Club.” Once a week, we’ll deliver food to your dormitory or apartment.Our meals taste great. We have
Now that you’ve explored routine, positive, negative, and persuasive messages, review the following message scenarios and identify which of the four message strategies would be most appropriate for
With another student, analyze the persuasive email message in Figure 11.5 by answering the following questions:a. What techniques are used to capture the reader’s attention?b. Does the writer use
Compose effective subject lines for the following persuasive email messages:a. A recommendation was sent by email to your branch manager to install wireless networking throughout the facility. Your
Determine whether the following sentences focus on selling points or benefits; rewrite as necessary to focus all the sentences on benefits.a. This model has heated front seats in black Nappa
You’ve been trying for months to convince your boss, company CEO Will Florence, to start using Twitter.You’ve told him that top executives in numerous industries now use Twitter as a way to
Working as an associate lecturer for a well-known and successful online university, you use your own home as your office. Periodically, you teach residential courses and short, locally based
As someone who came of age in the “postemail”world of social networks and workgroup messaging, you were rather disappointed to find your new employer solidly stuck in the age of email. You use
You are the sales representative for an office supplies rental firm. An online university requested a visit from you to discuss the supply of printing equipment and accompanying consumables to
You appreciate how important phones are to your company’s operations, but the amount of conversational chatter in your work area has gotten so bad that it’s hard to concentrate on your work. You
Having suffered from a life-threatening illness for some time, you have undergone ground-breaking surgery and have been cured. You know that you are very lucky because this technique has not been
As a motivated, ambitious employee, you naturally care about your performance on the job—and about making sure your performance is being fairly judged and rewarded. Unfortunately, the company has
Chatsworth House is a large, famous British stately home that is the family home of the Duke of Devonshire.The details of the house, the land, and the places to visit at the house can be found on the
Water polo is an active sport that provides great opportunities for exercise and for learning the collaborative skills involved in teamwork. You can learn more at www.usawaterpolo.org.Your task:
Convincing people to give their music a try is one of the toughest challenges new bands and performers face.Your task: Imagine you’ve taken on the job of promoting an amazing new band or performer
You never intended to become an inventor, but you saw a way to make something work more easily, so you set to work. You developed a model, found a way to mass-produce it, and set up a small
Your new podcast channel, School2Biz, offers advice to business students making the transition from college to career. You provide information on everything from preparing résumés to interviewing
You and your tutoring team (see the previous case) know you should take advantage of every social media platform to inform potential clients about your new company.Your task With the same team as in
What role do demographics and psychographics play in audience analysis during the planning of a persuasive message?
Your CEO has asked you to provide information on a potential new market for your company’s service. What type of report would be most suitable? Why?
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires every public company to file a comprehensive financial report known as “Form 10-K” every year. Companies usually combine this highly
Use the internet to find the annual report of any large company and skim through its contents. Note what it contains and the style in which it is written. Annual reports are required to meet a legal
Produce a tabulated list of advantages and disadvantages of using the following list of secondary research sources to produce a valid and reliable report:a. The annual report of a large companyb. A

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