BUAD 2200 Exam 3

The AIDA model of mass sales messages is aimed at getting potential customers to think

"I want this product or service."

Which scenario illustrates the principle of consistency?

A manager asks volunteers to sign up by return email because then they will be more likely to carry through

What is the best way to handle objections, according to Michael Maslansky?

Agree with the objections

Which statement about apologies is accurate?

All apologies are not necessarily good apologies

A manager is preparing a negative performance review for an employee whose productivity is far below that of his fellow team members. Which question will help the manager determine if the draft review passes the "impacts" aspect of the FAIR test?

Am I doing what I can to provide appropriate opportunities to the employee?

Read the email that Bryan sent to his team below. Then choose the answer that best explains what is wrong with the message. SUBJECT: Proposal draft due Friday Just a reminder that the proposal draft is due Friday for all team's. Please finalize you work ahead of the deadline on Thursday.

Bryan did not reread the message

This is a quotation from a negative performance review delivered by a senior manager to a team leader: "I know you and your team have the potential to turn things around by our next performance review; hence, we need to totally focus on getting everything right from now on." This is an ineffective thing to say in a performance review because it

does not provide measurable and realistic expectations

Veronique, a sales manager at Wild Wind Apparel, is reviewing the performance of her team. She observes that one of her subordinates, Mae, has performed poorly in the last quarter. When giving Mae a negative performance review, Veronique should ensure that she

emphasizes ways to solve the problem

Although it may soften the blow of a bad performance review, the sandwich approach to delivering bad-news may also

encourage poor performers

While writing a routine message, you should

ensure the tone of the message is reader-centered

In a bad-news message, a buffer is a statement that is likely to be used to

establish common ground

A human resource staff member is working on the primary message of a routine business email. How long should the primary message be?

fewer than 10 words

To show your sincerity in an appreciation message, you should

focus exclusively on the recipient

External persuasive messages often

focus more on promoting products and services

What Williams and Miller's decision-making style aligns with someone who is risk-averse and prefers to make decisions based on what has worked in the past?

follower

Which of Williams and Miller's decision-making styles comprises the highest percentage of executives?

follower

The first task of most persuasive messages is to

gain the attention of the readers

What is a component of the AIDA approach to mass sales messages?

gaining attention

What is the most expensive medium for sending mass sales messages?

hard-copy letters

It is especially important to review persuasive messages because nearly all of them are

high-stakes communications

When writing a routine message, the primary message should appear

in the first sentence or two and again in the closing if the message is lengthy

The writing style of most persuasive messages tends to be

indirect and implicit

In the model for mass sales messages called AIDA, "I" stands for.

interest

Talia has a performance review scheduled with her boss at the end of the week. She is aware that she left some important data off her last report and is anxious that now her boss doesn't like her. Talia, however, reminds herself that her job performance isn't related to whether or not her boss likes her and she looks forward to asking for suggestions on improving her performance. This means that Talia

is reframing her thoughts to foster a constructive conversation

Grace manages a sales team and most of her subordinates have performed well. However, one of the team members, Joe, has been performing poorly. Grace has created a file that records Joe's performance issues and contains a few emails from colleagues criticizing him in confidence. While delivering the negative feedback to Joe, Grace should

keep the negative emails from other colleagues private

Which example of a bad-news message is high severity and low controllability?

laying off an HR employee because sales are down

When Garrett found out that two of his co-workers with whom he often socialized were going to the charity event, he agreed to go too. His behavior illustrates the principle of influence known as

liking

Typically, internal persuasive messages focus mostly on

logical appeals

When you reduce the confidence and positivity in your message, you run the risk of

making your idea seem weak or unexciting

What is the most effective way of delivering a bad-news message to a long-term client?

meeting with the client, providing a rationale, and explaining the impacts

Which step is most important in planning routine messages?

message development

Matthew needs to inform his employees that they will not receive a bonus this year to help the company survive a recession. If Matthew communicates this bad message in an evasive and misleading manner, it will likely

negatively affect his credibility

Which aspect of bad news indicates how serious or detrimental a bad-news message is?

severity

In the context of developing persuasive messages, the process of understanding the needs and values of others

requires a strong listening orientation

Which component of the FAIR test relates to the question "Am I giving enough information to bad-news recipients for them to respond well?"

respect

When a business professional sends a message to answer another person's questions, the professional is

responding to inquiries

Which type of message probably requires the least amount of time for planning and reviewing?

routine message

A manager has to deliver a negative performance evaluation to Susan, a sales rep. During the meeting, the manager first thanks Susan for her organization of the reception area, then he discusses her habitual lateness with weekly reports. Finally, he ends the review with an expression of goodwill. In this situation, the manager is applying the _______ approach for delivering the bad-news message.

sandwich

PourMore, a cocktail lounge in New York City, holds a popular annual party featuring well-known DJs and specialty drinks every October. The lounge offers event passes to frequent customers for free. A limited number of passes are also available to other customers at a high price one day prior to the event. Which principle of influence is the restaurant using?

scarcity

When Millie heard there were only a limited number of tables available for the event, she made sure to sign up quickly. Her behavior illustrates the principle of influence known as

scarcity

Mallory provides each member of her team access to a Google doc that indicates when every aspect of the project is due. The assignments for each team member are shown in a different color. Which of the three components of setting expectations has Mallory completed?

setting deadlines

What is a characteristic of a strong routine message?

short paragraphs

When making requests, _______ goes a long way in maintaining goodwill.

showing respect for the recipient's time

Greta needs advice on how to understand the audience for her persuasive message to the village board about making the community more environmentally-aware. How would you advise Greta?

Consider the psychological principles that influence people's decisions

Which employee is using a reframing statement?

Getting honest feedback on my work will make me a better employee

Which guideline is recommended for messages that express sympathy?

Handwrite your expression of sympathy whenever possible

Which question should you ask yourself to determine if the bad-news message you plan to send passes the "facts" aspect of the FAIR test?

Have I gathered all the relevant information and examined various accounts of the same event?

Natalie has to write a letter denying a customer's request for a free replacement on her two-year-old business laptop, which is past its warranty. Which buffer statement is most appropriate for her to use?

I am sorry to hear that your laptop is no longer performing as expected

Sasha is the team leader for a product development group. Recently, one of his subordinates, Kate, suggested that the 15-member team celebrate a major milestone by taking the afternoon off to go to play golf together at the company's expense. Sasha cannot approve this request, since the team's budget for entertainment is not enough to pay for everyone. What should Sasha say to Kate when he meets with her to discuss her proposal?

I would be happy to listen to any other ideas you have about how to celebrate our team's achievement

Which statement accurately describes persuasion in the post-trust era?

In the post-trust era, persuasion is becoming increasingly difficult

What is the advantage of front-loading a routine message?

It makes it easier to get the reader's attention

What is the foremost requirement of an expression of sympathy?

It must be sincere

What is an effective way of delivering a negative performance review?

Link performance to consequences

Which statement about persuasive messages is accurate?

Persuasive messages require a message structure that helps reduce resistance

Which statement about choosing attention-getters for persuasive messages is accurate?

Posting a testimonial is a good attention-getter, particularly for external messages

What is an effective way to write procedures and directions?

Put the different steps in a numbered list

What is the main challenge that authors of routine messages have to overcome?

Readers receive so many routine messages that it is hard to catch their attention

Which person best exemplifies setting measurable and realistic expectations?

Renata tells James, a machine operator, to reduce the amount of defective parts he produces by 40 percent

Which statement about using manipulation in persuasive messages is true?

The FAIR test can help you avoid sending manipulative messages

Read the request Megan sent to her supervisor below. Then choose the answer that most accurately evaluates the email. SUBJECT: Request for vacation time in October Rob, as we discussed yesterday, I would like to take the first week in October as vacation time. My aunt is relocating and I am flying out to Seattle to help her move. My current project ends September 20, so the trip should not interfere with any department deadlines. Would you be able to let me know by the end of this week so I can book my airline ticket while I can still get a discount rate?

The email is specific, positive, and shows concern for the department

Read the email that Brigette sent to her supervisor below. Then choose the answer that best explains what is wrong with the message. SUBJECT: Praise for our supplier's work Kim, I just wanted to let you know that Grayson Inc. is doing exceptional work as our new parts supplier. I'm really happy with their efforts.

The email is too general to tell Kim anything about Grayson's performance

You are a senior manager who needs to evaluate five supervisors in your department. Which supervisor appears to be the most effective at delivering performance reviews?

The supervisor who helps the poor performers of her team understand the ways in which they are hurting organizational performance

Why is efficiency one of the primary goals when sending routine messages?

The volume of routine messages is high

What can you do to encourage employees to read announcements?

Use a specific, catchy subject line that creates interest

Which statement accurately describes the use of you-voice in persuasive messages?

Using the you-voice forces you to personalize the message for your readers

Which statement accurately describes appreciation messages?

You should begin your appreciation messages with an expression of thanks.

A message that makes a claim is most likely to end with

a call to action

What is an ineffective way to soften the blow of a bad-news message?

a direct message structure

In the post-trust era, customers and clients view persuasive messages that contain simple language as

a display of transparency and respect

What is a common component of all routine messages, including messages that express sympathy?

a statement of goodwill

Which component is most likely to be included in an appreciation message?

a statement of goodwill

In the context of developing persuasive messages, what is most likely to help you demonstrate a voice of competence?

developing strong ideas in the interest of your audience

While receiving a difficult performance review, a person with high emotional intelligence is most likely to

accept the negative feedback

Which component of the FAIR test refers to the transparency of the motives and reasoning of the person delivering the bad news?

access

The writing style of your persuasive messages should be

action-oriented and lively

What should be avoided when conveying bad news to customers?

an accusatory tone

Greg has to inform one of his subordinates, Nadine, that she is no longer being considered for a promotion. In his message, he should end with

an expression of goodwill

Tonya walked into her boss's office and made the following apology: "I should not have yelled at you today when I found out that my trip was canceled. I did a poor job of controlling my emotions. I'll do better next time." What component of an apology did Tonya fail to include?

an expression of regret

What is the first step in the planning process for writing persuasive messages?

analyzing the audience

To advise employees that the office would move to summer hours starting June 1, Jenna would send out a(n)

announcement

Compared to delivering bad news in person, delivering bad news in writing

appears more callous and impersonal

What will help guarantee that your information is accurate and reliable?

applying the FAIR test

Many employees ignore announcements because announcements

are broadcast to a large number of employees

It is important to ask colleagues to review persuasive messages because persuasive messages

are directed to people who resist your ideas, products, or services

Which element is least crucial to most routine message development

audience analysis

Celebrity endorsements in advertising are based on the ___________ principle of influence.

authority

The mum effect results when employees in an organization

avoid sharing bad news because they do not want to be blamed

When delivering negative performance reviews, focusing on attitudes and intentions will

be perceived as judgmental

Camille receives an email from Max, a subordinate who is about to stand analyzing a market research report. Max includes a long paragraph that contains five questions about the assignment. What is the best way for Camille to respond to Max?

by writing her answers to the questions as a numbered or bulleted list

Persuasive messages should conclude with a(n)

call to action

Most sales messages contain a(n) ________; one of the most common is price.

central sales theme

At the beginning of her staff memo to announce a reduction in work hours, Alicia wrote, "Thank you for your continued support of the company, especially as we work to eliminate excess expenditures." What type of buffer did she use?

compliment

What types of messages are reserved for major professional milestones?

congratulations

Which principle is in play when an employee works overtime to finish a project because she promised the team they would make the deadline?

consistency

The degree to which the bad-news message receiver can alter the outcome is referred to as

controllability

Carol owns a small business and she makes all the purchasing decisions. When she talks to a salesperson, she just wants the facts and loses patience when they try to push her for a decision. She tells them not to call her, but they can occasionally email if they have a new product. Using Williams and Miller's decision-making styles, one could conclude that Carol is a(n)

controller

An employee who displays altruistic-nurturing motivational values prefers to receive bad news that

demonstrates concern and shows goodwill

Harrison manages a group of project developers. He distributes a document with details on each of the tasks for an upcoming project, which are then assigned to a specific team member. Which of the three components of setting expectations does this accomplish?

describing responsibilities

A person with high emotional intelligence will usually

develop a reframing statement to manage emotions

Chris is the owner of a company. After losing two of his biggest customers, he has to cut back on hours for his employees. He sends them an email with the subject line "A change to our shift lengths" and says how they are not getting as many orders now that their two best customers have left. As a result, the length of each shift will be reduced by 90 minutes. Chris closes by expressing the hope that hours can be expanded again if they gain new customers in the next few months. What mistake did Chris make that could leave his message recipients feeling disrespected?

not delivering the message in person

Lance writes a note to his boss apologizing for not having the most recent analysis with him at the morning meeting. At the end of the message, he promises that he will not let that happen again. This promise is an example of

offering commitment

An employee is looking for a colleague to give feedback on a persuasive message he has written. Which colleague would be the best choice?

one who may resist in the same way as the employee's audience

Announcements are a form of

one-to-many communications

What is most likely to damage the credibility of the author of routine messages?

overly general messages

The human resource director needs to tell Bryce that his curt replies to inquiries from other departments have offended several staff members. She also must inform him that he is on probation for six weeks and will be fired if his behavior does not improve. It would be best for the director to deliver this message in a(n)

personal meeting

What is the most appropriate tone for persuasive messages?

positive

A person who has to deliver a bad-news messages should gather as much information as possible from a variety of sources to reduce the

probability of making subjective judgements

Failure to set expectations in a business message will most likely lead to

professional disappointments

What should you focus on during the reviewing step of writing a routine message?

proofreading

What is a component of a persuasive message?

provide a rationale

If your audience is emotionally resistant to your solution, a good practice is to

provide the rationale before making the request

A message is said to be indirect when it

provides the rationale for a request before making the request

What will help you reduce skepticism once you have described your solution?

providing a strong rationale

What is a component of setting expectations?

providing deadlines

Trevor was recently promoted, and he tells his new team they will meet soon to discuss coordination. What does this entail?

providing guidelines for how employees should communicate and cooperate with one another

When you describe your own role and responsibilities to your direct reports, they are more likely to

realize that you and they are mutually accountable

In order to encourage participation in a walkathon, the organization arranging the event offers a free T-shirt and water bottle to all participants. Which principle of influence is being used?

reciprocation

Which of Cialdini's principles of influence involves repaying people for what they have given us?

reciprocation

Which bad-news message is most likely to be communicated in writing?

rejection of a colleague's idea

Bryce is trying to persuade his co-workers to participate in the company's stair climb that raises money for the local children's hospital. The most effective persuasive argument he can use is an argument that

relates the stair climb to their need to feel good about themselves

The marketing manager sent an email to the team asking if they could meet on Tuesday to discuss the project. This message is an example of a(n)

request

What are claims?

requests for other companies to compensate for or correct mistakes they have made

Sam was sure that sales were down at his company because the warehouse refused to use the new tracking system, in spite of the data that showed the warehouse was actually keeping on top of orders. He yelled at the warehouse manager during a meeting, telling him to fix the problem now. Sam's decision-making style is that of a(n)

skeptic

What is a principle of influence whereby people determine what is right, correct, or desirable by seeing what others do?

social proof

Erin, the head of human resources at The Data Group, has to deliver a negative performance review to Micah. What is the best teaser statement for Erin to use in the subject line of her bad-news email?

some feedback on your recent performance

Which element is usually found in a set of directions but not in a set of expectations?

step-by-step instructions

Margarite is writing a brochure to explain the benefits of buying fruit from local farmers at the farmers' market rather than from chain grocery stores. What information will most likely make her brochure effective?

stories about local farm families who participate in the farmers' market

What is an example of a bad-news message that is characterized by low severity and high controllability?

telling an employee that her performance needs improvement or she will be fired

Cate is worried about telling her boss that her team failed to meet one of its four deadlines last month. Instead, she says that the team is doing well and hitting most of its targets. This is an example of

the mum effect

The junior data analyst reported to her boss that sales had declined 30 percent over the previous three-month period. The boss told his manager that sales seemed slower than usual recently. The manager reported to the executive team that the sales team needed to increase their productivity in order to meet the same goals as prior quarters. What is this chain of messages an example of?

the mum effect

To convince his manager to purchase a new software system, Dale kept track of the lost productivity that resulted from employees having to use the existing system that caused them to wait 20 minutes for it to start up, scramble to locate lost data, and triple check reports because they didn't trust the system. Dale presented the manager with a spreadsheet containing all the data, and after a week of asking for more information and considering it, the manager agreed to his proposal. Using Williams and Miller's decision-making styles, Dale's manager is most likely a(n)

thinker

Veronica responded to Meg's idea by saying, "That's a really good idea, but it won't work in this situation." Veronica's response demonstrates

token appreciation

Yes-but statements are one of the most common forms of

token appreciation

Research on Sail Craft Corp. revealed that the company shows signs of the mum effect. As a result, Sail Craft is likely to

underperform year after year

Camille and the rest of the team don't think Eduardo's product idea will sell and Camille needs to tell him the committee has rejected his idea. To deliver this bad news effectively in writing, she should

use a simple design for her message

Recognizing others' needs, wants, ideas, and preferences as legitimate and reasonable is known as

validation

Which action should communicators avoid when delivering bad-news messages?

viewing delivery of bad news opportunistically