BUSS

Blogs can produce unbiased consumer feedback more quickly and cheaply than familiar techniques like focus groups and surveys.

true

If you are uncertain how the receiver will respond, use the indirect strategy to refuse requests and claims.

true

Like requests and responses, instruction messages follow a straightforward, direct approach.

true

Professional writers develop a system of writing and revising that works for them; they may revise at any point in the process.

true

Research is key to helping a writer shape a business message.

true

Smart managers deliver bad news to employees promptly and honestly because receiving bad news via the grapevine can seriously damage workplace morale.

true

When formatting business letters, you should use ragged-right margins.

true

When right margins are not aligned or justified, they provide more white space and improve readability.

true

When workplace bad news involves one person or a small group nearby, you should generally deliver that news in person.

true

When speaking with someone for whom English is a second language, you should talk slowly, enunciate clearly, check frequently for comprehension, observe eye messages, listen without interrupting, and

a. follow up important messages in writing

The primary benefit of using the indirect strategy to communicate bad news is that it _______.

b. ensures that your reasoning will be read while the receiver is still receptive

An electronic grammar- or spell-checker provides sufficient proofreading for business messages.

False

Thank you for your cooperation is an effective sentence for the closing paragraph of an information-request message.

False

The new software system will be installed on Monday; therefore, our intranet will be unavailable to employees is an example of a complex sentence.

False

Translating a message from its symbol form into meaning involves encoding.

False

When verbal and nonverbal messages conflict, listeners tend to believe the verbal message.

False

Establishing a receptive mindset refers to the listener's openness to learn something new.

True

Guilherme wants to make sure that his posture during his upcoming job interview affirms his interest in the position. To accomplish this, he should lean slightly forward, sit erectly, and maintain eye contact.

True

If you want to become a better listener, your first step is to stop talking.

True

One advantage of podcasts is that they can replace costlier forms of communication technologies such as teleconferences.

True

The first step in learning intercultural skills is being aware of your own culture and how it contrasts with others.

True

The following sentence effectively uses a stylistic device to de-emphasize the bad news: Although we don't have any available positions at this time, we were pleased to receive your application and will keep it on file for six months.

True

Use a direct organizational pattern in an adjustment message granting a claim.

True

Technology has changed the working environments of employees, that is why employees are telecommuting more than ever is an example of a _______.

a. comma splice

Bennett is sending an e-mail message about a change in procedure for submitting work hours. Which of the following states the purpose in a way that could be used to start the email message?

a. A new procedure for submitting work hours will go into effect on April 1.

What type of audience is LinkedIn geared to?

a. A professional audience

Which statement demonstrates the use of positive wording?

a. Although your warranty will not be extended, we are happy to replace your item with a similar product at no charge.

In writing messages that deliver instructions, what advice should you follow?

a. Assume that employees want to contribute to the success of the organization.

Which of the following sentences to employees explains the reasons for a reduction in a company workforce in a way that displays empathy?

a. Because of a decrease in sales, the number of employees will need to be reduced, which we know will be difficult for all of you.

Which audiences do businesses target when they produce podcasts?

a. Both internal and external audiences

Which of the following approaches to using the indirect strategy in delivering bad news is unethical?

a. Communicating your reasoning while the reader is still receptive

Which of the following statements regarding concise writing is accurate?

a. Concise writing is easier to read and comprehend.

What type of error results when the word or phrase a modifier describes is missing from its sentence?

a. Dangling modifier

Which of the following statements accurately describes the use of letters, e-mails, and memos in businesses today?

a. Despite the popularity of e-mail, in certain situations letters remain the preferred channel of communication for delivering messages outside an organization.

Which of the following sentences contains a cliché?

a. Employees who engage in a regular fitness program are likely to pass the physical exam with flying colors.

Travis has asked you for some advice regarding the use of social networking in the workplace. What advice will you share?

a. Establish boundaries, and don't share information online that you wouldn't share openly in the office.

Which of the following tips would you give to someone who wants to post a complaint online?

a. Individuals should give companies an opportunity to resolve the issue before writing an online complaint.

Which of the following statements describes the benefit of instant messaging for businesses?

a. Instant messaging allows people to share information immediately and make decisions quickly.

Which demographic within the American population contains the most avid social media users?

a. Millennials

Which of the following message openings is the most direct opening for an e-mail message announcing a new telecommuting plan?

a. Our new telecommuting program will begin on August 1.

What is the advantage of podcasts over live teleconferences?

a. Podcasts are less expensive to produce than live teleconferences.

What is the best way to judge the success of your writing?

a. Receiving feedback from your receiver

Which of the following kinds of business messages typically use the indirect strategy?

a. Sensitive messages

In announcing negative news to employees, where should you place an alternative, when one exists?

a. The closing

An important factor affecting channel choice is the importance of the message.

a. True

It is good business practice to write messages of thanks to customers who have complained.

a. True

The following sentence contains a dangling or misplaced modifier: Working all night, the brief was filed with the court on time.

a. True

What is the benefit of remembering and applying the acronym WIIFM?

a. WIIFM is a reminder to consider the benefits to the audience that you are writing to.

As Human Resources Manager, Claire must inform Anthony that company job changes will require him to seek retraining or lose his position. The best channel for Claire to deliver this message is _______.

a. a face-to-face conversation

When speaking with someone for whom English is a second language, you should talk slowly, enunciate clearly, check frequently for comprehension, observe eye messages, listen without interrupting, and _______.

a. follow up important messages in writing

Document design techniques to improve readability include _______.

a. headings for visual impact b. use of white space c. all of these choices d. typefaces and fonts

Using the indirect strategy to prepare the reader in a bad-news message _______.

a. helps you keep the reader's attention until you can explain the reasons for the bad news

The benefits of a diverse work environment include improved ability to respond to a diverse customer base, better decision making and problem solving, and

a. improve employee relationships

Communication is defined as "the transmission of information and meaning from a sender to a receiver." The crucial element of this definition is _______.

a. meaning

When granting a customer's claim, a business communicator should include an opening in an adjustment message that _______.

a. presents the good news immediately

Business communicators have many goals in conveying negative news. These goals include explaining clearly and completely, conveying empathy and sensitivity, and _______.

a. projecting a professional image

One of the best ways to increase tolerance when communicating with those from other cultures is to practice empathy, which refers to _______.

a. trying to see the world through others' eyes

Which of the following presents the bad news in a message refusing a customer's claim by de-emphasizing the bad news?

b. Although a full refund cannot be issued, we would be happy to repair your DVD player for a nominal fee.

In effective business writing, where in a paragraph does a topic sentence usually appear?

b. At the beginning, to let readers know what to expect

Which one of the following statements accurately describes the effect of social media and communication technology on culture?

b. Because of social media, communicators can now reach out to larger and more varied audiences than in the past.

What does the term "down-editing" mean when responding to an e-mail?

b. Down-editing involves inserting your responses to parts of the incoming message.

Which of the following is associated with active listening?

b. Establishing a receptive mindset

The primary purposes of most business documents are to inform and to persuade. A common secondary purpose is sales growth.

b. False

Monica's supervisor has expressed concern about the readability of her messages, claiming that paragraphs are often too long. What aspect of her writing should Monica focus on to address this issue?

b. Formatting

Which statement regarding headings is correct?

b. Headings highlight information and improve readability.

During which phase of the writing process does the writer analyze the audience and the purpose for writing?

b. Prewriting

According to Edward T. Hall, which spatial zone is the largest?

b. Public

What kind of sentence contains only one independent clause?

b. Simple sentence

Dean has decided to include an apology as part of an adjustment message he is writing. Where in the message should he include it?

b. The opening

Which of the following helps improve the communication process?

b. The receiver providing clear and complete feedback

Which of the following will help improve the readability of an e-mail message's body section?

b. Using numbered or bulleted lists

In deciding to share negative information about another employee to your supervisor, what question should you consider first?

b. Was the act criminal or hostile behavior or just a one-time mistake?

If you feel that an apology is appropriate, which of the following apologies sounds customized, sincere, and uses positive language?

b. We understand your reliance on a high-performance router and apologize for the incomplete installation of your DataServe router.

Podcasts and wikis are part of the new user-centered virtual environment called _______.

b. Web 2.0

Because Maya knows that the most important part of an e-mail message is the subject line, she should _______.

b. adjust the subject line if the topic changes after repeated replies

According to a model developed by cultural anthropologist Edward T. Hall, context refers to the stimuli, environment, or ambience surrounding an event. When cultures are placed on a continuum from low to high in relation to context, the model becomes especially useful for helping to understand differences in _______.

b. communication styles

Understanding our emotional impact on others and making change as a result is _______.

b. empathy

While conducting business with a customer from Italy, Zoe was careful to speak slowly and clearly, using short sentences and familiar words. However, she noticed that the customer had a glazed expression and did not understand her. Zoe should _______.

b. graciously accept the blame for not making her meaning clear

Short messages exchanged on social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr are called _______.

b. microblogs

During the second phase of the writing process, you conduct research, _______.

b. organize ideas, and compose the message

Adjustment messages should rectify a wrong if one exists, regain the confidence of the customer, and _______.

b. promote future business and goodwill

Most companies receiving a claim message tend to _______.

b. respond promptly because they want to maintain customer goodwill and loyalty

The final phase of the 3-x-3 writing process is _______.

b. revising

Goodwill messages that follow the five Ss will be _______.

b. selfless, specific, sincere, spontaneous, and short

Text messaging requires a SMS, which stands for _______.

b. short message service

When writing messages that request information or action that you believe will be received positively, you should frontload your message. Frontloading means _______.

b. starting your message with the main idea

What are the key components of what constitutes culture, as shared by a society, region, or country?

c. A complex system of values, traits, morals, and customs

What kind of sentence contains an independent clause and a dependent clause?

c. Complex sentence

What kind of sentence contains two independent clauses?

c. Compound sentence

Which of the following sentences demonstrates conversational business writing?

c. I am upset about your return policy.

One way to improve the clarity of your writing is to apply the KISS formula. KISS stands for _______.

c. Keep It Short and Simple

Kenesha must respond to a negative comment written by a customer on Twitter. What advice should she follow?

c. Kenesha should follow all these tips.

Which of the following is an effective opening for a routine request message?

c. Please answer the following questions about your Web services.

Among the five most desirable attributes in job seekers--management, leadership, problem-solving skills, written and oral communication, and teamwork--which one ranked first?

c. Written and oral communication

Major trends in today's dynamic world of work include increased emphasis on self-directed work groups and virtual teams, heightened global competition, innovative communication technologies, new work environments, and focus on

c. business ethics

Slashing wordy expressions, getting rid of long lead-ins, dropping fillers, and rejecting redundancies are all ways of making your writing more _______.

c. concise

The buffer in a bad-news message should _______.

c. contain information that encourages the receiver to continue reading

The process known as curbing exuberance involves _______.

c. guarding against excessive use of intensifiers such as very, definitely, and really

The conclusion of a response message should _______.

c. provide specifics if further action is required

Although most business writing should be in the active voice, passive voice is useful to _______.

c. stress the performer of the action

Which of the following options would complete the sentence with correct parallelism: We are very concerned with the quality of raw materials, their location, and _______.

c. the cost of transportation

Transitional expressions such as next, first, and finally are useful to show _______.

c. time association

The sentence that expresses a paragraph's main idea is called the _______.

c. topic sentence

Which of the following is an example of effectively using positive language?

d. As soon as your new credit line is approved, we will issue you a credit card.

Which of the following is a psychological barrier for listening?

d. Personal values

Which of the following would be an effective way to begin a bad-news message to a customer using the indirect strategy?

d. Revealing the best news

The indirect strategy is most appropriate for what kind of messages?

d. The indirect strategy is appropriate for all the answer choices. a. Sensitive messages b. Persuasive messages c. Bad-news messages

Jordan is a marketing manager for a vacation resort. In writing a description of his resort, which of these descriptions illustrates clear writing that creates meaningful images and uses vivid adjectives?

d. The resort offers luxurious suites with Jacuzzi tubs and heated outdoor saunas.

When describing richness of communication, the term richness refers to which aspect of the communication process?

d. The sender selecting the channel to transmit the message

Why do writers often procrastinate writing goodwill messages?

d. They find the task of expressing thanks, recognition, and sympathy intimidating.

Which statement below is an accurate description of today's workplace?

d. Today's employees can expect to interact with people from many cultures.

Which of the following is an effective strategy to make your blog post engaging?

d. Use numbers to structure the post.

Katelyn is writing a letter to thank a potential employer for her job interview. Which of these sentences contains modern expressions Katelyn should use?

d. You will note that my coursework has thoroughly prepared me for your medical technician position.

Which of the following sentences contains an example of a buried verb?

d. Your supervisor will give consideration to all capital budget requests.

The first phase of the writing process involves analyzing the audience and your purpose for writing, anticipating your audience's reaction to your message, and _______.

d. adapting your message to the audience

Joining two independent clauses with a comma results in a _______.

d. comma splice

All of the following are informal research methods except _______.

d. conducting a scientific experiment

Businesses have embraced podcasts for audio and video messages because podcasts _______.

d. do not require a live presence, yet offer a friendly human face

The organizational writing technique that involves placing the main idea first and following it with details, an explanation, or evidence is called _______.

d. frontloading

The primary purpose for sending business messages is typically to inform or persuade. A secondary purpose should be to _______.

d. promote goodwill

You should use the direct strategy to organize your negative news when the bad news is insignificant, does not personally affect the receiver, or when the _______.

d. receiver may overlook the bad news

Providing an explanation or reason for denying the request is important because doing so _______.

d. reduces feelings of ill will

Business writing should be purposeful. In this context purposeful can best be defined as _______.

d. solving problems and conveying information

In responding positively to a claim, begin the message with _______.

d. the good news that you are complying with the customer's request

All companies in today's workplace allow employees to text or instant message on the job.

false

Although blogs have proven to be an effective tool for some individuals, businesses are reluctant to use them because they are limited in the audiences that they reach.

false

Employers want employees who can write messages appropriately they also want employees who can speak effectively with others is an example of a well-written sentence.

false

Most e-mails should be organized using the indirect organizational strategy.

false

The closing in a bad-news communication to employees must never look forward or discuss what will happen next because doing so can create a legal obligation.

false

The desire to avoid mentioning the negative news is an appropriate reason for using the indirect strategy.

false

There are many account representatives who can help you with your order is an example of a cliché.

false

When using either a bulleted or numbered list, you should always follow each idea with end punctuation.

false

You should always approach the writing of a business message with the thought, What's in it for me?, which encourages you to focus on how you will benefit by sending the message.

false

You should plan to spend equal amounts of time on each phase of the writing process.

false

Similar to the internet, an internal corporate communication platform is called a(n) _______.

intranet

Examples of nonverbal communication include facial expressions, eye contact, and _______.

posture

Experts say that writers should spend the most time in the ____ stage of the writing process.

revising

Snarky is an example of a(n) ____________ expression.

slang