BCOM Ch 11-
Labels and legends on a chart should indicate
1. What units of measurement are depicted 2. What is being measured
Angela is a computer science major. Which of the following would therefore be the best topic for her to select for a college research paper?
Cloud-based technologies
When giving a negative performance review of an employee, you should
Comment only on things that you have observed, not thoughts and feelings
Which of the following is a recommended guideline for delivering bad news?
Get to the bad news fairly quickly
Why might you write a bad-news message and then wait to read it again a few days later before sending the message?
To diminish the possibly strong emotions that were tied up in the bad news message when you first received the news
True or false: A university library is an excellent resource when researching a business topic that requires access to expensive company and industry reports
True
When planning a research-based business report, you should talk with decision makers to
1. Understand their main business goals 2. Determine what they expect from the report 3. Find out what they want the research to accomplish
When creating a chart, you should consider the five most important elements
1. title descriptiveness 2. Focal points 3. Information sufficiency 4. Easy of processing 5. Takeaway message
True or false: An important way of developing survey research skills is by conducting actual surveys
True
True or false: For most bad-news messages, the rationale for the bad news is given first
True
In preparing a business report based on research, the first step is to
Understand what the decision makers want the report to do
In a business situation, after delivering bad news and explains why things turned out this way, you should
Discuss what this development means for the recipients
One important aspect of delivering bad-news messages is to
Give the news without waiting too long
When a chart is being developed, the key component is
Planning
Bad-news messages
Require more of an effort to serve others than other message types
In a bad-news message, a buffer
Should appear at the beginning of a message
Which of the statements about selecting a research topic is true?
You should spend adequate time exploring options before selecting your research topic
Who generally makes the request for research in the workplace?
1. Managers 2. Clients
When planning a research-based business report, you should talk with decision makers to
1. Determine what they expect from the report 2. Find out what they want the research to accomplish 3. Understand their main business goals
Which two of the following are the most effectively stated research objectives?
1. Determine why 80% of our hotel guests post negative reviews online 2. Identify ways to provide advancement opportunities for our receptionists
"A survey question should have response choices that are exhaustive." This means that
All possible answers should be included among the respondent's choices
Delivering bad news with the feelings of the recipient in mind involves
1. Keeping any buffer statement short 2. Stating the bad news quickly 3. Explaining why the decision was made
Primary research is usually preferable in preparing a business report because it
Can be customized to specific porjects
What is a leading question?
A question that hints at an answer
Considering how bad news affects others is one application of the
FAIR test
A white paper is
a report on an issue by an organization, often with a specific agenda
To soften the blow of bad news in written communications, you could use
1. A buffer statement 2. A neutral subject line for the message
During the delivery of bad news
1. A positive tone can make people feel positive about receiving negative feedback 2. It is important to notice the recipient's nonverbal behavior 3. A negative tone can make people feel negative about receiving positive feedback
Which of the following are true when breaking bad news to external partners?
1. A written notice usually calls for a follow-up phone call or visit 2. A written message should include token appreciation 3. The richness of the channel should increase with the severity of the news
What are reasons that documenting sources of information for business reports is essential?
1. Accurate and complete documentation establishes that the report is credible 2. When you are writing the report, you might need to refer to the source document again 3. People will be using the report to make high-stake decisions
Survey questions should
1. Address only one idea 2. Not have a double meaning 3. Not take much effort to answer
Which of the following are appropriate for an effective delivery in person of bad news to a client?
1. An explanation of how the news will immediately affect the person's situation 2. A offer to let the person get ready emotionally to hear the news 3. A rationale followed by the bad news
Face-to-face performance reviews are (3)
1. Are a regular occurrence for most professionals 2. Are stressful for both managers and employees 3. Tend to be more stressful when they are negative
Personal biases sometimes cause a researcher to do which of the following?
1. Ask the wrong questions 2. Interpret data incorrectly 3. Collect only data that supports the researchers biases
Formatting guidelines for any kind of chart?
1. Avoid using many bright colors 2. Avoid unusual fonts
Which of the following statements about numerical information in business are correct?
1. Business operating expenses, budgets, and customer behavior are expressed with numbers 2. Some management experts consider communication with numbers to be a core competency
Rereading bad-news messages several times before sending them
1. Can allow you to remove emotionally charged words and soften the tone 2. Helps you try to see the message from the perspective of the recipients 3. Can prevent time being wasted due to misunderstandings
Which of the following were findings from research on the delivery of bad news in the financial industry?
1. Complete explanations drastically increased customer's trust in the bank 2. Customers suspect banks that use vague language 3. Clear, specific language promotes trust
For which of the two situations would a chart be an effective way to present information?
1. Displaying complex numerical data in a way that is easy to grasp 2. Catching the attention of viewers and readers and drawing them into your message
When making decisions concerning bad news, you should
1. Evaluate your own emotions. 2. Collect information from different sources. 3. Remove defensiveness and favoritism from your judgment.
Which three of the following should be done when giving a negative performance review?
1. Explain how poor individual performance affects the organization 2. Seek solutions that emphasize optimism for the employee's future with the company 3. Ask the employee why the performance is not better
Delivering bad news with he feelings of the recipient in mind involves
1. Explaining why the decision was made 2. Stating the bad news quickly 3. Keeping any buffer statement short
Scholarly business articles are seldom useful for researching problems in the workplace because they
1. Focus on theoretical and abstract issues 2. Are hard to understand
To prevent personal biases from influencing research, you should
1. Frequently evaluate whether you are bing fair 2. Consider the data from various viewpoints 3. Consider all available facts
Which of the following are common types of buffers for bad-news messages?
1. Giving a compliment 2. Appreciation 3. A neutral statement
Which of the following questions should you ask when applying the FAIR test?
1. How does my communication impact stakeholders? 2. How factual is my communication? 3. How accessible or transparent are my motives and reasoning?
Which of the following considerations in timing the delivery of bad news are true?
1. If you deliver bad news without knowing the details, you can create unnecessary worry. 2. You can lose credibility if others think you have wrongfully waited to deliver bad news.
Why should you give feedback only on observable behaviors during a performance review?
1. If you focus on attitudes, you will seem judgmental 2. The employee is less likely to become defensive 3. You can never be sure that you know someone's thoughts and feelings
Which of the following are good strategies to use when delivering negative performance reviews?
1. Investigate reasons for the person's inadequate work 2. Explain that the employee's underperformance affects the organization 3. Mention that poor performance limits the person's opportunities at the company
Two reasons why studying statistical analysis is useful in the field of business communication
1. It helps the researcher avoid skewing the results to accommodate preconceived ideas and biases 2. It helps prevent inaccurate results during the analysis of survey data
Which of the following statements about performance feedback are true?
1. It is important, even if it is negative 2. It can be counterproductive if you reach to it improperly 3. It helps you improve your skills
What are advantages of secondary research in preparing a business report?
1. It is usually less time-consuming 2. It usually costs less than primary research 3. It provides access to more sources of information
What online sources are likely to provide quality information for business research?
1. Online forums and discussions 2. Business and industry a websites
A survey would provide a relatively easy way to obtain information from which of the following groups?
1. People who have purchased your product 2. People who participate in an online forum created by a specific professional group 3. People who work for the same company as you do
Which of the following are recommended practices for written bad-news communications to customers?
1. Point out alternatives the customer can control 2. Include the same basic elements as other bad-news messages
Charts are useful for
1. Presenting complex data in a simple format 2. Communicating numerical data 3. Presenting a memorable visual image
Decision makers depend on business reports to
1. Provide the correct information 2. Recommend actions based on the data 3. Analyze the information properly
What conditions are met when a chart provides readers with sufficient information?
1. Readers can quickly grasp the meaning of what the chart is showing 2. The units of measurement are clearly labeled 3. Data values are provided at each point on the chart as needed
Which statements about workplace research projects are true?
1. Requests for research typically come from managers or clients 2. You usually have some ability to define the scope of your research project 3. many companies have guidelines for using secondary research
True statements about lengthy surveys
1. Respondents who are paid, are more careful in completing them 2. They commonly are left incomplete by impatient respondents
If a survey question addresses more than one idea
1. Results cannot be properly analyzed 2. Respondent is likely to become confused
Which of the following are resources for business research offered by most libraries?
1. Scholarly journals 2. Online databases 3. Business periodicals
Cindy has to write a research paper for a university class. Which of the following actions should she take during the planning process?
1. She should consider writing down three to five research topics she is interested in 2. She should choose a topic that will help her in her academic program
Which of the following are true about discussing the short-term effects of bad news?
1. Skipping a discussion of the negative impact on the recipient will make them see you as detached from their needs 2. It is important to discuss what the bad news means to recipients, instead of minimizing it
The failure to share bad news within an organization
1. Sometimes happens because employees don't want to be blamed when things go wrong 2. Gives top-level officials the impression that things are more positive than they actually are 3. Leads to lower morale within the organization
To define research problems, the project's stated goals should be
1. Specific 2. Achievable 3. Targeted
To develop primary research skill for business communications, you should study
1. Statistical and quantitative analysis 2. Spreadsheet software
In general, a consumer research survey should
1. Take no longer than 5 minutes to complete 2. Contain fewer than 5 or 6 questions
What are some differences between evaluation excellent performers and evaluation poor performers?
1. The message for excellent performers should be generally positive 2. Poor performers should be told that they must improve
What are some advantages of online surveys?
1. The surveys can reach a very large number of respondents 2. The data can be downloaded automatically into spreadsheets 3. They are generally readily available to survey responders
What are common problems with using business periodicals as sources?
1. They often include anecdotal evidence 2. They are not often applicable to specific problems and organizations
To be effective, what qualities should survey questions have?
1. They should be exhaustive 2. They should be non-leading
Because people use business reports to make high-stakes decisions, the research should be
1. Thorough and carful 2. Based on data gathered over weeks, months, or even years, if necessary
You should review bad-news messages
1. To make sure you are being respectful 2. because recipients may misinterpret the news 3. before the bad news is sent
Which of the following are ways in which you can make the situation better for recipients of bad news?
1. Understand for the news affects recipients 2. Use the right mix of communication channels 3. Deliver the news in a timely manner
When is it better to use a chart instead of a table?
1. When there is a relatively small amount of information being shown 2. When the goal is to illustrate one main point or relationship
It is usually acceptable to provide written notice of bad news to external partners
1. When your audience prefers corresponding in written form 2. When theban news is not severe 3. If you are replying to a written request
What are recommended practices for documenting your research sources?
1. make documentation records immediately rather than going back later to find sources again 2. Record documentation systematically to avoid providing an incorrect source
Which of the following statements about business presentations using numerical data are generally true?
1. most audiences will not remember a lot of statistics 2. The main message in such presentation will Riley not be numerical
Which of the following would be a good example of a buffer in a bad-news message?
A neutral statement in the subject line of an email
What is one of the best choices for conveying a large amount of precise data?
A table
Face-to-face performance reviews
Are often intensely stressful for managers
It makes sense to provide bad news in writing to external partners when you
Are replying to a written request
One important consideration when delivering bad news to customers is to
Avoid placing the blame for the situation on them
When delivering bad news, it is important to
Be honest and open
The statement designed specifically to soften the blow at the beginning of a bad-news message is known as a
Buffer
What is the most reliable source for most business research?
Business databases and other materials at the library
In creating a business chart, the most important consideration is the
Chart's takeaway message
Typically, numerical information is most effectively presented through which methods?
Charts and tables
When delivering most bad-news messages, you should
Ease into the bad news to give the recipient time to adjust to the shock.
When presenting to an audience with charts and tables and other numerical information, which of the following should be your primary concern?
Emphasizing the message that you want the audience to remember
True or False: reviewing bad-news messages is important only for written bad-news messages
False
One advantage of open-ended questions is that they
Help researchers understand an issue in more depth than closed questions
Seeking performance feedback at work
Help you develop skills to move ahead
The most effective way to deliver bad news with medium to high severity to a long-time business partner or client would be to communicate
In person
Research indicates that when banks told customers why they reached bad-news decisions
It increased the trust that customers felt toward the banks
Why should the following survey question for the customer of a bank be rewritten? "How satisfied were you with our customer service and the interest rate we offer? (very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat unsatisfied, very unsatisfied)"
It is asking about more than one idea
When reviewing a poor performer, you should
Make sure the person understands the need for improvement
Tiffany was given a research paper assignment in her class. She had two months to complete the assignment but was eager to get started. She picked her topic that afternoon, spent the next two days researching, then began writing. Which of the following should Tiffany have done?
She should have spent more time considering her options for a research topic
To express sympathy for people who are receiving bad news, you should
Show genuine concern and appreciation
In direct bad-news messages,
The bad news is delivered, then a rationale is provided.
When discussing bad news
The delivery of the message can be more important than the content
What is the central element that makes a chart effective and interesting?
The message that the chart conveys
The filtering of bad news at each level of an organization is known as
The mum effect
Which of the following guidelines for various types of charts is correct?
The slices in a pie chart should complete a whole
One major difference between direct and indirect bad-news messages is that
The order of delivering the news and providing a rationale are switched
Which of the following statements are true for most surveys?
The survey should be short
A survey question should have response choices that are unambiguous." This means that
There should be no overlap between the response choices
What is true about leading questions in a survey?
They manipulate participants into responding in a preferred way
What is the main concern when using white papers in research?
They tend to be biased
