BA215 Business Communications

Most job refusal letters... A) use the indirect strategy. B) mention the name of the person who was hired for the position C) give concrete reasons for not hiring the candidate. D) provide as much information as possible

A

Which of the following is a conclusion? A.) Let me know your hiring decisions by Friday. B.) Change your computer passwords once every six weeks. C.) Offering a wide range of benefits is the best way to recruit higher quality D.) Offer a wide range of benefit to recruit high quality applicants.

C

A face to face conversation is considered a richer medium than a written report or proposal.

True

Jack is writing a memo to refuse an employee's vacation request. He should use the indirect pattern.

True

Organizations with free-flowing, open communication tend to be more successful.

True

Profiling the audience means anticipating how both primary and secondary audiences will react to a message.

True

A customer has posted a negative comment on your company's Facebook about her dissatisfaction with the customer service she received. What should you do? A.) Reply to the customer's post within 24 hours. B.) Ignore the comment C.) Delete the comment immediately before too many people see it D.) File a lawsuit against the customers for libel.

A

Select the best definition of communication. A.) Communication is the transmission of information and meaning from one individual or group to another. B.) Communication is the transmission of ideas from one individual or group to another. C.) Communication is the transmission of information from one individual or group to another

A

Select the best subject line for a memo delivering bad news to employees. A.) Change in parking benefit B.) Parking C.) Discontinuation of free parking D.) Major reduction in parking privileges

A

Several factors may because poor listening habits. Which of the following is not one of these factors? A.) Physical hearing disability B.) Large number of competing sounds and stimuli in our lives C.) Lack of training

A

Which of the following is a sentence fragment? A.) Although we expect sales to increase next quarter B.) We expect sales to increase next quarter C.) Although we expect sales to increase next quarter, we can't afford to hire any additional employees right now. D.) We can't afford to hire any additional employees right now.

A

Which of the following is the best advice for sending professional e-mails on the job? A) Use complete sentences and proper punctuation. B) Check grammar and spelling only when sending external messages to save time and increase productivity. C) Use IM abbreviations to make your message more concise. D) Use a lot of exclamation points to show your enthusiasm.

A

Which of the following statements about listening to customers is least accurate? A.) Companies should hire employees who already posses good listening skills because training employees in this area is usually ineffective. B.) As the U.S. economy becomes increasingly service oriented, customer service becomes even more important. C.) Listening to customers can result in increased sales and profitability. D.) Listening can be a strong customer acquisition and retention tool.

A

You want your writing to sound positive and courteous. Which of the following sentences has the best choice of wording? A.) Please give us your feedback about your online ordering experiences. B.) You claim that your order arrived with two damaged items. C.) Turn in your sales figures by Monday. D.) We cannot process your order until we receive your credit card member.

A

Experts say that we ignore, forget, distort, or misunderstand: A.) 50 Percent of everything we hear. B.) 75 percent of everything we hear C.) less than 10 percent of everything we hear D.) 25 percent of everything we hear

B

Select the most accurate statement about meetings. A.) Employees at the management level generally attend fewer meetings than workers at lower levels in an organizations. B.) Meetings should be viewed as opportunities to demonstrate leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills. C.) Meeting are an excellent way to communicate information that does not require immediate feedback. D.) Most people look forward to meetings.

B

The tree basic functions of business communication are to: A.) inform, instruct, and entertain B.) inform, persuade, and promote goodwill. C.) inform, entertain, and impress D.) inform, persuade, and explain

B

Which of the following statements about writing skills is most accurate? A.) Writing skills in today's workplace are an advantage, but they are not a necessity. B.) Having good writing skills can improve your chance for promotions and results in higher earnings. C.) Only the very top level of salaried employees need good writing skills. D.) Today's communication technologies have made writing obsolete.

B

_____ is the process of creating a message that suits your audience. A.) Researching B.) Adaptation C.) Anticipation D.) Analyzing

B

Following up on bad news in writing is important to: A.) establish a record of the incident B.) formally confirm follow-up procedures C.) Following up on bad news in writing is important of all these purposes. D.) Promote good relations

C

Routine request and response messages should be written using: A.) the indirect strategy B.) persuasive techniques C.) the direct strategy D.) pretty, scented stationery.

C

Using columns and rows, ______help researchers summarize and simplify data and make quantitative information easier to comprehend. A.) pie charts B.) decision matrices C.) Tables D.) correlations

C

What is the most accurate statement about apologizing in an adjustment message? A.) If you apologize, use a standard phrase such as We apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused. B.) Never apologized in an adjustment message because doing so will set you up for a lawsuit. C.) People like to hear apologies. It raises their self-esteem, shows the humility of the writer and acts as of a form of physical conversation

C

A report that compare the services offered by three wireless companies should be: A.) time B.) convention C.) component D.) criteria

D

For which of the following situations would a business letter be more appropriate than an e-mail message? A.) Telling all employees how to purchase parking permits. B.) Requesting information about a product C.) Replying to a customer's e-mail asking about available shipping methods. D.) Thanking your boss for a birthday gift she gave you

D

How can one become a better business writer? A.) Follow a systematic process such as the 3-x-3 wiring process. B.) Study models of successful business messages C.) Practice writing a variety of business messages. D.) Do all of these choices

D

Of the following, the least rich communication media are: A.) telephone calls B.) face to face meeting and conversations C.) e-mail messages D.) Flyers and posters

D

Which of the following is a typical ground rule for meetings? A.) Communicate openly and listen carefully. B.) Confront conflict frankly C.) Follow the agenda. D.) All of these are typical meeting ground rules.

D

Which of the following should be organized in an indirect pattern? A.) A letter offering position to a job applicant B.) An e-mail message to customers about a free shipping offer C.) A letter to members of a professional organization telling then about an upcoming event. D.) An e-mail message to employee telling then that overtime will be eliminated.

D

Agendas, minutes of meeting, progress reports, and procedures are usually organized by importance.

False

Reece attended a professional conference and must submit a report to her boss. She should arrange her conference report chronologically and include details about every aspect of the conference.

False

Text messages, e-mail messages, business letters, memos, and reports are most effective when they use a formal tone

False

When discussing cultures, we should avoid any generalizations.

False

You are born with the abilities to read, listen, speak, and write effectively.

False

A good way to begin a negative news letter to a faithful customer is to show appreciation for the reader's business.

True

A well-organized message helps the reader understand relationships and accept the writer's view.

True

Business letters are preferred over e-mail when a permanent record is required, when a message is confidential, and when formality is necessary.

True

Communication in today's workplace is shifting from one sided, slow form of communication to interactive, instant, less paper based communication

True

Improving one's tolerance of other cultures means being empathetic, non-judgmental, and willing to seek common ground.

True

Sentences that average 20 words are most effective for business writing.

True