BCOMM Chapters 6,7,9

5. Edwin, a manager at TouchGen Inc., wants to inform his employees about the company's vacation policy according to which each employee is entitled to twelve paid vacation days every year. In this scenario, which of the following approaches should Edwin use to deliver the good news? a. A direct approach b. A passive approach c. An inductive approach d. An interrogative approach

a. A direct approach

16. _____ are the most frequently used methods of communicating standard operating procedures and other instructions to employees. a. Memos and email messages b. Face-to-face meetings and phone conversations c. Text messaging and instant messaging d. Reports and letters

a. Memos and email messages

33. Identify a characteristic of reports. a. Reports typically travel upward in an organization. b. Reports are very subjective in nature. c. Reports that follow an inductive organization answer the question first. d. Reports are generally prepared for a wide audience

a. Reports typically travel upward in an organization.

25. Which of the following should be avoided when writing the closing paragraph of a bad-news message? a. Statements that encourage future controversy b. Statements that offer a counterproposal c. Statements that include general terms and abstract nouns d. Statements that restate an idea stated previously

a. Statements that encourage future controversy

14. Which of the following is a feature of requests for information? a. They help arrive at an opinion about their senders. b. They are not accepted optimistically by businesses. c. They close doors for future business. d. They are always written inductively

a. They help arrive at an opinion about their senders.

9. To give a routine claim the emphasis it deserves, the message must: a. begin with a request for an adjustment. b. begin with details and explanation. c. be written inductively. d. present the details before the main idea

a. begin with a request for an adjustment

24. Steve, a recruiter at Argon Inc., interviews Eric, an engineering graduate. After the interview, Steve writes a message to Eric stating that he has not been selected. In the message, he also suggests that Eric apply for other suitable openings at Argon. The suggestion made by Steve is an example of a(n) _____. a. counterproposal b. review c. agenda d. criticism

a. counterproposal

38. A _____ is a statement to be proved or disproved through research. a. hypothesis b. footnote c. citation d. limitation

a. hypothesis

41. Alicia is conducting research on consumer behavior. The study requires her to note the number of people who shop at Fresnas Mart, a grocery store, in the afternoons during weekdays. She also needs to pay attention to the customers' preferred brands, the customer service, and the arrangement of items in the store. She needs to conduct the study without interacting with the customers so that she does not influence their behavior and choices. In this scenario, Alicia is conducting a(n) _____. a. observational study b. normative study c. experimental study d. replication study

a. observational study

43. Darren had to submit a research paper as part of his final exam. The assignment needed weeks of careful study and experimentation. Darren, however, did not work on the paper until the day before the submission. As a result, he had no choice but to use the exact material from another research article and present the paper as his own. In this scenario, Darren is guilty of _____. a. plagiarism b. libel c. heresy d. assault

a. plagiarism

31. In a(n) _____, the event is considered purposeful and includes accidents or harm caused by human error as well as organizational misdeeds such as fraud. a. preventable crisis b. accidental crisis c. victim crisis d. casualty crisis

a. preventable crisis

6. Who among the following individuals follows a good practice when sending a good-news message? a. Dave, a manager at Wizzware Inc., who organizes his message such that the main idea is presented at the end b. Ava, a manager at Auroville Inc., who conveys positive news to her employees using a direct approach c. Sameer, a manager at GreenMove Inc., who ensures that he does not stress on the main idea of his message d. Zaiba, a manager at BayWave Corp., who delivers positive news to her employees without providing additional details

b. Ava, a manager at Auroville Inc., who conveys positive news to her employees using a direct approach

49. Which of the following is a similarity between online surveys and telephone surveys? a. Both require a proper interviewer. b. Both are inexpensive. c. Both allow personal contact between the interviewer and the correspondent. d. Both are useful for obtaining detailed information.

b. Both are inexpensive.

45. Which of the following is a common error at the data-gathering stage? a. Using samples that are representative b. Gathering too much information c. Using information from unbiased sources d. Gathering data that have validity

b. Gathering too much information

22. Which of the following is an idea that you can incorporate into an effective beginning paragraph of a badnews message? a. When there is positive and negative information to be conveyed, state the negative news first. b. Introduce the refusal of a current request by referring to the initial transaction. c. Begin the refusal with a statement that leads the audience to expect good news. d. Always present the main idea in the first statement of the message.

b. Introduce the refusal of a current request by referring to the initial transaction.

35. Which of the following statements is true of vertical reports? a. The main function of these reports is to assist in coordination in an organization. b. The main function of these reports is to contribute to management control. c. They are distributed outside an organization. d. They travel between units on the same organizational level.

b. The main function of these reports is to contribute to management control.

39. Which of the following measures helps to establish boundaries in which a report will be researched and prepared? a. Limiting the use of technical words b. Using the what, why, when, where, and who questions c. Listing the procedures in the methodology section d. Selecting secondary research methods rather than primary research methods

b. Using the what, why, when, where, and who questions

8. An appreciation message should: a. not be sent to the supervisor of an individual. b. be sent within a few days of the circumstance. c. use strong language. d. avoid specific comments

b. be sent within a few days of the circumstance.

20. In a bad-news message, placing the refusal in the first sentence can be justified if the message: a. addresses a significant matter. b. is intended to demonstrate the sender's authority. c. is a response to legal and ethical requests. d. contains constructive criticism

b. is intended to demonstrate the sender's authority.

47. Identify a common error that hinders the accurate interpretation of data. a. Attempting to compare when commonality is present b. Not hoping for spectacular results c. Assuming a cause-effect relationship when one does not exist d. Not trying to make results conform to a prediction or desire

c. Assuming a cause-effect relationship when one does not exist

18. Which of the following is a similarity between conveying bad news electronically and personally? a. Both prevent the misinterpretation of messages. b. Both provide the benefit of immediate feedback. c. Both require empathy and tact. d. Both reduce the potential for escalation of emotion

c. Both require empathy and tact.

46. Which of the following statements is true of documenting sources of information? a. Documentation does not aid future researchers pursuing similar material. b. Documentation is easy and consumes less time. c. Documentation protects writers against plagiarism charges. d. Documentation does not include citing the sources consulted for a report.

c. Documentation protects writers against plagiarism charges.

27. Ashton, a customer care executive at Millington Technologies Inc., receives a message from a customer requesting free service for a laptop whose warranty has expired. Which of the following guidelines should Ashton follow when composing the message denying the customer's claim? a. He should avoid closing the message with resale or sales promotional material. b. He should avoid providing an explanation for the refusal. c. He should avoid stressing the actions that should have been taken to avoid the problem. d. He should avoid offering possible alternatives to resolve the problem.

c. He should avoid stressing the actions that should have been taken to avoid the problem.

26. Which of the following can make the closing paragraph of a bad-news pleasant? a. Restating the refusal b. Including a decision that merits an apology c. Including a forward-looking idea d. Inserting trite statements

c. Including a forward-looking idea

17. Which of the following is true of face-to-face delivery of bad news? a. It carries no discomfort. b. It decreases the potential for escalation of emotion. c. It enables immediate feedback. d. It does not signal the importance of the news

c. It enables immediate feedback.

23. Which of the following is true of a counterproposal? a. It increases the need to state the refusal directly. b. It always represents a tangible benefit. c. It helps preserve a relationship with the receiver. d. It always precedes the refusal.

c. It helps preserve a relationship with the receiver.

36. Which of the following statements is true of a functional report? a. It is requested by most governmental and nonprofit agencies. b. It is a form of an external report. c. It serves a specified purpose within a company. d. It takes its functional designation from its form.

c. It serves a specified purpose within a company.

13. Which of the following exemplifies a good practice when writing a letter extending credit? a. Davis writing a letter using an inductive sequence b. Amar emphasizing the acknowledgment of the order more than the credit aspect c. Megha including sales promotional material in her letter d. Tim not indicating the basis for the decision to extend credit

c. Megha including sales promotional material in her letter

37. Which of the following statements is true of a proposal? a. Proposal preparation is not a major activity for many firms. b. Potential buyers prepare proposal reports telling what they need. c. Most governmental and nonprofit agencies issue requests for proposals. d. A proposal does not meet the needs of other organizations.

c. Most governmental and nonprofit agencies issue requests for proposals.

12. Which of the following makes routine requests effective? a. Expressing criticism and alluding to drawbacks for quick action b. Using a one-word subject line c. Opening door for personal dialogue by providing telephone number d. Using a generic closing statement

c. Opening door for personal dialogue by providing telephone number

10. _____ are assumed to be granted willingly, so a forceful, accusatory tone is inappropriate. a. Persuasive claims b. Inductive claims c. Routine claims d. Relational claims

c. Routine claims

21. Gwen, a manager at Exude Apparel Inc., received a message from a customer requesting a replacement for a purchased pair of shoes. Exude Apparels has a clearly stated no-return policy. Gwen responded to the customer denying the request in a tactful and clear manner. Despite this, the customer submitted a second request. In this scenario, in which of the following ways should Gwen handle the second request? a. She should ignore the second request. b. She should write the second response using the inductive approach. c. She should place the refusal in the first sentence of the second response. d. She should resend the first response.

c. She should place the refusal in the first sentence of the second response.

4. Which of the following is a feature of the deductive organizational pattern? a. The body of a message reminds the audience of the main idea and includes a future-oriented closing thought. b. The closing thought of a message is always omitted as it often leads to misinterpretation of the intended message. c. The first sentence of a message mentions good news, making the audience more receptive to the details that follow. d. A message begins with supporting details and concludes with the main idea to help the audience understand the message.

c. The first sentence of a message mentions good news, making the audience more receptive to the details that follow.

34. Which of the following is a characteristic of formal reports? a. They are written in personal language. b. They include personal pronouns. c. They are carefully structured. d. They are subjective.

c. They are carefully structured.

11. Which of the following is true of requests for information? a. They are independent of the quality of a message. b. They are not accepted by businesses. c. They are door openers for future business. d. They always follow the inductive outline.

c. They are door openers for future business.

42. In the context of note-taking, the _____ involves citing the exact words from a source. a. paraphrase method b. explanatory method c. direct quotation method d. summary method

c. direct quotation method

40. Brian works for Magnira Labs and is conducting research on a certain topic. For the research, he needs a budget of $50,000, but the authorities of the lab are willing to fund only $30,000. In this scenario, the restraint on the budget is an example of a _____. a. proposal b. hypothesis c. limitation d. citation

c. limitation

19. When delivering a bad-news message, if the refusal appears in the first sentence of the message, _____. a. the message is easily accepted b. the supporting details need not be presented c. the reader's reaction is likely to be negative d. the reader tends to concentrate on understanding the supporting details

c. the reader's reaction is likely to be negative

3. Mary, a team leader, wants to share information about a new bonus scheme with her team members. In this scenario, which of the following sequences should Mary follow to structure the good-news message? a. A passive sequence b. An interrogative sequence c. An inductive sequence d. A deductive sequence

d. A deductive sequence

30. Which of the following is a difference between a printed memo and an email message? a. An email message is more effective than a printed memo for communicating official information. b. A printed memo is used for internal communication, whereas an email message is used for external communication. c. An email message is a more formal communication channel than a printed memo. d. A printed memo is more effective than an email message for communicating sensitive information.

d. A printed memo is more effective than an email message for communicating sensitive information.

28. The _____ requires that a credit applicant be notified of the credit decision within 30 calendar days following application. a. Consumer Credit Protection Act b. Fair Credit Reporting Act c. Accurate Credit Transactions Act d. Equal Credit Opportunity Act

d. Equal Credit Opportunity Act

7. Which of the following is true of a thank-you message? a. It should be organized using an indirect approach. b. It should be written to reward a person. c. It should reflect sincere apology. d. It should be written deductively.

d. It should be written deductively.

29. Which of the following is true of negative organizational news? a. Employees do not want to know about situations adversely affecting their organization. b. Effective managers recognize that employee morale and public goodwill are easy to repair even after they are damaged. c. Employees who are aware of their organization's potential problems feel disconnected from the organization. d. Managers who can communicate negative information in a sensitive, honest, and timely way can calm fears.

d. Managers who can communicate negative information in a sensitive, honest, and timely way can calm fears.

15. Which of the following is true of form messages? a. They produce receiver reaction that is highly unfavorable. b. They tend to be too personal. c. They cannot be personalized. d. They are a fast way of transmitting recurring messages.

d. They are a fast way of transmitting recurring messages.

44. Which of the following statements is true of personal interviews? a. They do not require much time and resources. b. They are limited to respondents with computer access. c. They do not require a proper interviewer. d. They are useful to obtain in-depth answers.

d. They are useful to obtain in-depth answers.

50. Which of the following makes a routine request poor? a. Asking specific questions and using lists b. Providing a telephone number c. Expressing appreciation d. Using a generic closing statement

d. Using a generic closing statement

48. The term _____, which literally means description of books, is sometimes used to refer to an alphabetized list of the sources used in preparing a report. a. hypothesis b. biography c. footnote d. bibliography

d. bibliography

1. Good-news or neutral-news messages follow a(n) _____. a. indirect sequence b. passive sequence c. inductive sequence d. deductive sequence

d. deductive sequence

32. To make a bad-news message effective, _____ can be incorporated into the beginning paragraph. a. evidence b. feedback c. jargon d. resale

d. resale

2. While writing a good-news message, _____. a. an inductive sequence should be followed b. supporting details should be omitted c. the closing thought should always be emphasized d. the main idea should be placed at the beginning

d. the main idea should be placed at the beginning