Questions and Answers of Excellence In Business Communication

Write a brief evaluation of the following secondary information sources:• A well-known popular daily financial newspaper• A well-recognized global market research organization with a reputation
Claris Inc. is an advertising agency that is pitching for a new account at the baby food company Baby Bright. The agency has never held any previous account in this business and has no idea what the
Find an interactive, online annual report from a public corporation. A search for “interactive annual report” should yield a number of possibilities. Explore the annual report you’ve chosen,
Look through recent issues (print or online) of Bloomberg Businessweek, Fortune, or other business publications for an article that describes how an executive’s conclusions about his or her
With a team assigned by your instructor, identify an aspect of campus operations that could be improved—perhaps involving registration, university housing, food services, parking, or library
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
Agile and lean companies need multiskilled staff capable of carrying out a wide range of different tasks in a seamless way without disrupting the overall workflow of the business. Finding staff
Using a mobile device visit the websites of three companies that make products or provide services you buy or might buy in the future. Which of the websites is the most user-friendly? How does it
An ethical __________ exists when a person is faced with conflicting but ethical choices or alternatives that are neither entirely right nor entirely wrong; an ethical __________ occurs when a person
How does the social communication model differ from traditional business communication practices?
How is mobile technology changing the practice of business communication?
Why is it important to be conscious of the listening style you are using during any phase of a conversation or presentation?
Considering what you’ve learned about nonverbal communication, what are some of the ways in which communication might break down during an online meeting in which the participants can see video
Which of these is not listed in the chapter as one of the potential disadvantages of virtual teams?a. Missing out on the random interactions that co-located teams experienceb. The sense of emotional
You have been asked to create a team of four people within an organization to develop an internal company blog. Your role is to create an environment that supports the proactive use of the blog by
What is a key difference between content management systems and wikis?a. They are different terms for the same tool.b. Content management systems are less formal and less structured than wikis.c.
As a team or department leader, what steps can you take to ensure that your meetings are successful and efficient?
___________ teams are teams whose members work in two or more locations and interact using communication technology.
In terms of business etiquette, how can you reconcile the fact that mobile devices are now essential communication tools for most professionals with the fact that their use in meetings, over meals,
The Indian representatives of a multinational company have a meeting scheduled in Japan with Japanese delegates for a major contract. The meeting is scheduled at 10:00 a.m.; however, despite efforts
How have market globalization and cultural diversity contributed to the increased importance of intercultural communication?
What are four important gender issues in the context of communication diversity?
As student representatives, your colleagues have suggested the following six presentation purposes for a staff–student conference. Summarize your choice, giving reasons:a. To show the audience that
The managing director (MD) of a medium-sized company experiencing difficulties at the beginning of an economic downturn wrote the following message on the blog used by employees. Using the principles
Compare the home pages of Bloomberg (www.bloomberg.com) and MarketWatch (www.marketwatch.com), two websites that cover financial markets. What are your first impressions of these two sites? How do
Rewrite the following sentences to eliminate the long strings of nouns:a. The focus of the meeting was a discussion of the bank interest rate deregulation issue.b. Following the government task force
Revise these sentences to present the ideas in parallel form:a. Mr. Hill is expected to lecture three days a week, to counsel two days a week, and must write for publication in his spare time.b. She
Rewrite the following sentences removing the indefinite starters:a. It seems that a fault in the starter mechanism caused intermittent problems in cold weather.b. There is evidence that a sudden
Rewrite the following sentences to remove unnecessary modifiers:a. The new offices were built using modern, contemporary design features specified by experienced architects.b. The character portrayed
Revise the following sentences, using shorter, simpler words:a. Our superannuated content management system has proven to be ineffectual once again.b. It is imperative that the pay increments be
Delete the unnecessary words from the following phrases:a. Diversity of differencesb. Always perpetualc. A large volume of spaced. Measured in meter-long lengthse. Uncertainly doubtful
Three days ago, you asked us to investigate the problem of discomfort among your office workers, to which end we conducted our study and found that low humidity is apparently the main cause of your
Paragraphs and sentences can be too short or too long, making reading difficult. Rewrite the following text to read with more flow:The presentation began slowly. It gathered pace halfway through when
Write a 300-word summary of the value of proofreading for your class. Swap your work with that of a classmate and revise each other’s work following advice from the chapter.Provide copies of the
Why are email, texting, and other forms of digital communication so prone to inadvertent etiquette breakdowns, in which even well-intentioned writers insult or confuse readers?
Which of these is an important reason to review your writing and speaking choices carefully to make sure you are not using biased language?a. Biased language often reflects biased thinking, and it
Your web design start-up has been commissioned to create a distinct profile page for a client. You have told your team to visit the profile pages of three of the client’s competitors. Analyze the
Read the following blog post and(a) analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each sentence and(b) revise it so that it follows the guidelines in this chapter.We’re DOOMED!!!!!I was at the Sikorsky
Which of these is not identified in the chapter as one of the communication strategies for business social networking?a. Curating and sharing existing contentb. Developing and sharing original
Which of these best describes the business use of social networks?a. Businesses use private social networks but not public networks.b. Businesses use private and public social networks.c. Recruiters
How do your typeface selections help determine the personality of your documents and messages?
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
Either to create opportunities in a slow job market or to avoid traditional employment altogether, some college graduates create their own jobs as independent freelancers or as entrepreneurs
Read Figure 13.14, a solicited proposal, and (1) analyze the strengths and weaknesses of this document and (2) revise the document so that it follows this chapter’s guidelines.Figure 13.14: Memco
Can knowing the source of information that you find online unfairly bias you against the information? Explain your answer.
Conduct a search on the internet and estimate what percentage of people in Germany belong to each blood group. Which type of visual would you choose to demonstrate the data? Explain your choice.
Visit any well-known international food or drink outlet and study the logos and imagery in and around the building. Write a two-page summary of how the six fundamental design principles have been
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
Your organization is in the unfortunate position of having to cut its costs because sales and profits have reduced significantly during a period of difficult economic trading conditions.The senior
Businesses that need to deal with large collections of textual information can use text mining (also known as text analytics) to reduce the work involved in reading and analyzing everything from
Tesla gets a lot of media attention for its electric vehicles, but many automakers now market electric models.Your task: Research six electric cars currently on the market and write a short
When Scandinavian crime noir TV series took the world by storm, hot on their heels were Scandinavian clothing brands that allowed fans of the TV series to look just like the characters on screen.
Adapting conventional web content to make it mobile friendly can require rethinking the site’s information architecture to simplify navigation and revising the content.Your task: Choose the website
As a college student and an active consumer, you may have considered one or more of the following questions at some point in the past few years:● What criteria distinguish the top-rated MBA
After 15 years in the corporate world, you’re ready to strike out on your own. Rather than building a business from the ground up, however, you think that buying a franchise is a better idea.
What is visual literacy?
For providing illustration in a report or proposal, when is a diagram a better choice than a photograph?
Assume you are a news anchor for a television channel presenting election results from different states or districts as well as tweets from your viewers. Would a linear or a nonlinear presentation be
How can design consistency be useful in the setting of presentations of company products and branding to customers?
What advice would you give to a colleague who always looks at her slides and very rarely makes eye contact when making a presentation?
Your task is to deliver a fiveminute presentation, without visuals, to your class, with the aim of persuading them to donate €1 (or its equivalent value in your currency) to the charity of your
You’ve been asked to give an informative 10-minute talk on vacation opportunities in your home state. Draft your introduction, which should last no more than 2 minutes. Then pair up with a
Students may well be asked to discuss their leisure pursuits during selection processes.Your task: Prepare a brief presentation about one of your leisure pursuits. Your purpose should be to
Consumers who want to eat fresh, local produce and small farmers looking for more predictable revenue have found a match in community-supported agriculture(CSA). CSA is essentially a subscription
According to the World Cancer Research Fund (www.wcrf.org), in 2018 the age-standardized rate for all cancers was 197.9 per 100,000 people. Australia has the dubious honor of having the highest
The process followed by many organizations when recruiting new staff is to advertise a position and then shortlist the applicants. These shortlisted candidates are invited to a more intense selection
Not long ago, snowboarding seemed to be on pace to pass skiing as the country’s favorite way to zoom down snowy mountains, but the sport’s growth has cooled off in recent years.32 Your task:
There are many means of creating your personal portfolio online as a source of information for use by prospective employers. These portfolios offer several methods to showcase suitability for
On SlideShare or any other source, find a business presentation on any topic that interests you.Your task: Re-create the first five slides in the presentation in a manner that will make them more
Changing a nation’s eating habits is a Herculean task, but the physical and financial health of the United States depends on it. You work for the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, and
How can visually oriented free-form slides help keep an audience engaged in a presentation?
Based on the preferences you identified in the self-assessment in the Prologue (see page 33) and the academic, professional, and personal qualities you have to offer, perform an online search for a
How does embracing the backchannel reflect the “you” attitude?
Discuss why it could be useful to look for stepping-stone opportunities alongside specific job positions. Explain your answer.
As a recruiter for a major multinational organization, you are impressed by a particularly interesting résumé and set up a screening interview with the applicant. During this interview, you
Suppose you have taken a year’s break mid-way through your career to pursue some social work. How would you mention this in your résumé?
If you are a corporate communications manager looking to leverage your skills for a position in internal communications, what would your career objective read like?
Should you bother creating a LinkedIn profile if you have no work experience? Why or why not?
Read the following résumé information and then (1) analyze the strengths or weaknesses of the information and (2) revise the résumé so that it follows the guidelines presented in this
Write a brief summary of reasons to avoid the following résumé content: 1. Content copied from websites providing advice 2. Claims about your experience that you cannot substantiate with some form
Imagine you are applying for work in a field that involves speaking in front of an audience, such as sales, consulting, management, or training.Using material you created for any of the exercises or
Search LinkedIn for three people in a profession that you might like to pursue and compare how they use the system’s features to present themselves. Which person used LinkedIn most effectively? How
The current economic environment and the increasing number of well-qualified individuals seeking jobs means that you have to stand out from the crowd when searching for your ideal job. Doing so
Perhaps you won’t be able to land your ultimate dream job right out of college, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start planning right now to make that dream come true.Your task: Using online
Creating presentations and other multimedia supplements can be a great way to expand on the brief overview that a résumé provides.Your task: Starting with any version of a résumé you’ve created
The use of self-produced videos is increasing as an alternative approach to providing personal details, particularly for online portfolios.Your task: Visit the following websites and read the content
Your LinkedIn summary is a great opportunity to present a clear picture of who you are and what you can bring to a job.Your task: Draft a summary for your LinkedIn profile, making sure to stay within
In the process of seeking a job, you receive an email inviting you to an interview. The letter includes the names of the people conducting the interview. How can you make use of this information?
If your interviewer asked you to name something you did not like about your previous job, how would you respond?
Why is paying attention to an interviewer’s verbal and nonverbal cues as important as responding to questions?
I am writing to inform you that it has been over a month since I posted my résumé on your job portal and a fortnight since our interview. I understand that you must be in the process of reviewing
I had a meeting with you a fortnight ago for the position of product manager with your company. Thank you so much for your time. I once again apologize for reaching 15 minutes later than scheduled
Thanks for your recent job offer; it is nice to know I was the best candidate. However, as you are not offering the salary I requested, I cannot accept the position. If you wish to offer a more
You have decided to accept a new position with a competitor of your company. Write a letter of resignation to your supervisor, announcing your decision.(Make up any information you need.) In an email
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
The concept of video résumés and their increasing popularity means that an understanding of ideal content and practice in production is important for prospective employees.Your task: Plan and
Interviews will often be an intense experience in which you will be expected to be thorough and well prepared. Most of the time in an interview will be spent in answering questions that are asked of
Often, applying for jobs with organizations that have a global presence can be more competitive than job roles in domestic organizations.The requirements of global employers may be broader and
Your interview in the previous case went well and you have been offered the job. However, there is a problem, and a new opportunity has presented itself.Your task: The opportunity to travel for a
Leaving a job is rarely stress free, but it’s particularly difficult when you are parting ways with a mentor who played an important role in advancing your career.A half-dozen years into your

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