MAN3025 Assessment 3
Active ________ is the process of actively decoding and interpreting verbal messages, which requires full attention and processing. A. listening B. comprehension C. empathizing D. hearing
A. listening
Communication Media Richness A large portion of a manager's day involves communication. With many mediums to choose from for the many situations they face, managers must be skilled at choosing the appropriate one to match the conditions they are facing. This activity is important because managers should be able to understand the richness of various communication media and choose the medium appropriate for a given situation. The goal of this activity is to challenge your knowledge of the contingency model of media selection. Place each of the names in the appropriate order to correspond with the correct level of media richness, starting with high media richness (best for nonroutine, ambiguous situations) to low media richness (best for routine, clear situations).
1. Fran is a confident and assertive person. When she has something to say, she prefers to say it in person. 2. Blu is tech savvy and likes to work efficiently. Instead of trying to get everyone in the office together for meetings, he prefers to set up video conferences. 3. Zach is constantly taking calls on his smartphone. 4. Larissa likes to send a hand-written thank you note when she receives a corporate gift. 5. Raja sends an annual newsletter to his family and friends each holiday season to tell them what he and his spouse and kids have been up to all year.
Which of the following is an example of physical noise in a workplace? A. The restaurant has a loud ventilation fan that turns on whenever the kitchen reaches 85 degrees. B. The administrative assistant did not include several key topics in the minutes because he had a migraine during the meeting. C. The COO and CMO meet weekly to review COGS, ACV, GP, and ROI for YTD. D. The sales manager was not paying full attention to a presentation because she was excited that her sister was having a baby.
A. The restaurant has a loud ventilation fan that turns on whenever the kitchen reaches 85 degrees.
Héctor manages a plastics factory that manufactures pet chew toys. Senior management has decided to change the company's bonus structure, and Héctor understands this will motivate some employees while aggravating others. How should Héctor go about announcing the changing bonus structure? A. Héctor should send each employee a personal note. B. Héctor should send a companywide e-mail. C. Héctor should post an announcement in the break room, near the coffee machine. D. Héctor should call a face-to-face meeting with the employees.
D. Héctor should call a face-to-face meeting with the employees.
Miora is concerned that lots of misinformation and gossip are swirling rapidly along her company's grapevine. To reduce the negative effects of the grapevine, Miora could A. seed her own bits of information into the grapevine. B. require employees to write all complaints and concerns on suggestion cards. C. accept that employees will always gossip and just ignore it. D. directly and honestly address the gossip via a rich medium.
D. directly and honestly address the gossip via a rich medium.
What should managers know about communication in the workplace? A. Complex and dynamic situations are best handled via lean medium. B. Strong emotional reactions improve our ability to encode and decode messages. C. Recent college graduates frequently overestimate their oral and written communication skills. D. Messages being understood accurately are a sign of efficient communication.
C. Recent college graduates frequently overestimate their oral and written communication skills.
Which of the following is an example of a barrier in cross-cultural communication? A. Due to a hurricane affecting the East Coast, all Internet connections are down for thousands of miles. B. Men are less likely than women to indicate that they are unsure about an issue. C. The "OK" hand symbol means "all right" or fine in the United States, but is considered an insult in parts of Europe. D. You are trying to get through to a colleague on the telephone, but you keep getting a buy signal.
C. The "OK" hand symbol means "all right" or fine in the United States, but is considered an insult in parts of Europe.
Interpersonal and Organizational Communication This part of the Uber continuing case focuses on Chapter 15 and covers principles related to interpersonal and organizational communication. This continuing case's real-world application of management knowledge and skills is designed to help you develop your critical thinking ability and realize the practical power of sound managerial skills for solving problems in your job and career. Read the continuing case and respond to the questions that follow. In the spring of 2017, in the wake of departures by other Uber top leaders (Jeff Jones, Ed Baker), Rachel Whetstone, the company's director of policy and communications since 2015, also took her leave. The New York Times reported that Whetstone and her boss, then-CEO Kalanick, were "intense personalities and occasionally clashed over how to handle external communications, especially in times of crisis." "The speculation," a communications advisor told The Guardian, is that Uber is "so male heavy and toxic at management levels that even someone like [Whetstone] . . . is exhausted by the machismo." External communications are an important responsibility for anyone in a leadership position, and Whetstone had steered the company through several firestorms, including scandals over Uber's workplace culture and its executives' behavior. In an email to her staff, Whetstone talked about "always-on jobs" that are exciting yet exhausting. Did all the bad press represent a failure of Uber PR? Recode writer Kara Swisher doesn't think so. The company, she wrote, had "troubles because it neglected to put key human resources and management systems in place that would counter its rich-frat-boy-meets-Vegas tendencies." It's important to note that Uber has improved its communication strategy over time. Here are some examples: Communicating with local governments: Technology writer Brad Stone points out that early tech leaders, such as Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and the Google founders, didn't have to be good storytellers because their businesses spread virally and their products stood for themselves. Uber (and Airbnb), by contrast, had to deal with regulatory battles with cities, which required "a different kind of CEO—extroverted, a good storyteller, a politician, someone who could charismatically rally customers to their cause," Stone says. Communicating with customers: Uber has been quite successful using social media to connect with customers, tailoring posts to particular regions and allowing people to post what they like and don't like about the company. They also engaged customers through deals and promotions, as in showing how to get free rides. Communicating with employees: Uber employees once relied on Atlassian's HipChat, a web service for team-based internal private online chat, instant messaging, group chat, video chat, and screen sharing. Describing the intense work hours at Uber, Melanie Curtin says it was not uncommon "to sign on to HipChat (the way the entire company stays in touch) at 11 p.m. on a Saturday night, and see lots of colleagues online, working, as well." By mid-2017 Uber developed its own internal chat interface, called uChat, when it realized that HipChat wasn't serving its complex needs. The company designed uChat to handle up to 70,000 users at once and migrated 20,000 existing chat rooms into the new app so that users didn't lose any existing work conversations. Communicating with drivers: As mentioned, Uber used algorithmic management through the Uber app and notifications to communicate with and motivate its contractor drivers. Communicating with the public: In May 2018 Uber issued a video apology ad with Khosrowshahi speaking directly to stakeholders. Khosrowshahi didn't recount Uber's specific scandals or problems in the ad; instead, he used it to make a personal commitment that the company was moving forward, changing its culture, and improving its service for both riders and drivers. The ad struck a strong positive chord even though similar ads run by Facebook and Wells Fargo had fallen flat. According to psychiatrist and business consultant Prudy Gourguechon, Uber's ad checked the key boxes of a good corporate apology. Specifically, (1) the narrative focused on Uber's customers and the public, not on Uber, (2) the message was specific about how the company planned to improve itself and why this was important to its stakeholders, and (3) Uber took full responsibility for its actions. In the summer of 2018, Uber aired a docuseries called Where to, Britain? in the United Kingdom. The series followed Uber drivers around in six different cities in an attempt to solidify an image of riding in an Uber as another everyday part of British life. Uber CEO Khosrowshahi went on a public apology tour after taking the helm. He penned an open letter to Londoners after Uber's license was withdrawn in the city, and he participated in an interview on NBC's Today Show where he addressed issues such as sexual harassment and the company's use of customer data. Communication between drivers and riders: In September 2017 Uber launched a tool that offered riders who had been matched with hearing impaired drivers the option to learn a few key ASL (American Sign Language) signs from within the app while they waited for their drivers to arrive. The signs included those for saying hello and thank you, introducing yourself to the driver, and giving basic navigation prompts such as "turn right" and "turn left." In July 2018 Uber issued three updates to its app to help drivers and riders better communicate. The first update added "pickup message" capability that allowed riders to share information such as specific descriptions of their clothing color or location. The app communicated messages from riders to drivers through a voice-enabled service to encourage safe driving. The second update, called a "spotlight" feature, allowed riders to light up their phones with a specific color to help drivers spot them on the street. The third update gave frequent riders the option to schedule, at no additional cost, a "guaranteed on-time pickup" from an Uber driver as early as 30 days in advance of their travel. Communication between riders and emergency services: Uber incorporated a "safety center" that riders could access easily from the app's home screen. The safety center included information about Uber's driving screening process and the company's insurance protections. Riders could also designate up to five friends with whom to share their location during a ride. Finally, the safety center featured an emergency button that riders could press to instantly call 911 in an emergency. The toxicity that was reported to exist at the management level within Uber made Rachel Whetstone's job of communicating to others more difficult because it acted as A. feedback. B. noise. C. a message. D. the medium. E. the receiver.
B. noise.
When a pharmacist can't read a prescription because of a doctor's poor handwriting, the message is disrupted by ________, which is defined as any disturbance that interferes with the transmission of a message. A. feedback B. decoding C. encoding D. noise
D. noise
Adrian is the manager of Olive-or-Twist, a swanky martini lounge. Belinay is an accomplished mixologist and she serves as the bar manager. Cassius recently began working as a barback, and this is his first job. Which of the following is an example of downward communication? A. Adrian listens to a customer's feedback about the menu. b. Belinay shows Cassius how to properly clean the glasses. C. Cassius asks Belinay where she trained in mixology. D. Belinay delivers an inventory report to Adrian.
b. Belinay shows Cassius how to properly clean the glasses.
Management in Action: Fyre and Fury Apply the knowledge of management presented in this chapter to the following case. The goal of this activity is to enable you to understand the communications challenges associated with the Fyre Festival disaster. Read the case and answer the questions that follow. Imagine "a world of surreal experiences and inspired curiosity that touches the sweet spot between imagination and possibility . . . a place where the tropical sun shines all day, and our celebrations ignite the night."1 This is a snippet from the marketing campaign for Fyre Fest, a luxury concert event that 20-something socialite/entrepreneur Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule conceptualized when they discovered the beautiful Bahamas' Exuma Islands in October 2016. McFarland had no experience producing live music festivals, but he had plenty of connections, knew how to raise money, and understood the power of messaging.2 Fyre Festival took off on social media less than two months later when Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski, and other influencers simultaneously Instagrammed the event's first advertisement. The video featured crystal-blue waters, yachts, and supermodels "frolicking and dancing on a beach."3Ticket packages ranged from $1,500 to $400,000 and included promises of luxury beach villas, treasure hunts, white-glove concierge services, and the finest gourmet food and drinks from famed restaurateur Stephen Starr—all on the private Exuma island of Fyre Cay that once belonged to the late drug lord Pablo Escobar. The social media campaign was a massive success, and thousands of adventurous concertgoers quickly cashed in on the chance to be part of the extravaganza. What they got was anything but.4 FYRE FESTIVAL GOES DOWN IN FLAMES On Thursday, April 27, 2017, throngs of excited festivalgoers began arriving in the Exumas. Organizers had arranged first-class transportation between the airport and the festival and a white-glove service to deliver attendees' luggage straight to their reserved luxury villas. Instead, attendees rode on packed school buses to an unfinished, gravel-covered development plot speckled with emergency-relief tents. There was nary a villa, concierge, shower, or gourmet meal in sight.5 There were no celebrity sightings and no musicians because McFarland and his team, seeing disaster ahead, had already secretly alerted them to stay away. McFarland had sent no such messages to the rest of the attendees, who arrived to dashed dreams.6 Event staff told attendees, "It's every man for himself," as they rushed to grab tents in a free-for-all.7 "They had no way to communicate with anybody," said one attendee, who remembers McFarland standing atop a table frantically yelling instructions at the crowd.8 Another recalls "everyone you spoke to had a different answer and no one knew who was in charge . . . there were no [phone] chargers or electricity outlets . . . and there was barely service."9 Attendees who weren't lucky enough to find hotel rooms on the island or transportation back to the airport slept on soaking wet mattresses and dined on sliced bread and cheese. They found their luggage piled inside a giant shipping container and searched for their bags in the darkness with cell phone lights. The event was a complete and utter disaster. Thousands of ticketholders eventually made their way off the island in a mass exodus marked by hunger, exhaustion, bewilderment, and anger. The only direct communication they received from the organizers was a single e-mail saying, "The festival is being postponed until we can further assess if and when we are able to create the high-quality experience we envisioned."10 Fyre organizers took to social media in the days that followed, blaming the weather and the Exumas' poor infrastructure for the fiasco.11 In reality, McFarland had tried to plan an unprecedented event on an undeveloped construction lot. He failed his team, vendors, attendees, and the people of the Bahamas. WHERE DID THINGS GO WRONG? A big event starts with a big idea—a concept for a theme, audience, and experience. A fairly standard process is then used to plan the event. Organizers first calculate a realistic idea of their financial resources, aligning all subsequent decisions with this budget. Second comes logistics, which include searching for a venue; ensuring that the venue provides a safe and suitable infrastructure; securing any necessary additions, upgrades, and permits; contracting with vendors (caterers, service staff, security, sanitation companies); and booking talent (musicians, performers). Third, and only after logistics are in place, organizers develop and distribute marketing materials and use those to sell admission. The process requires experience, expertise, and a constant flow of communication among various stakeholders.12 McFarland did things his own way. He began by paying models and influencers hundreds of thousands of dollars to advertise a fantasy; sold tickets to said fantasy; and repeatedly ignored information indicating that he didn't have the time, money, or expertise to pull it off. The island of Fyre Cay didn't exist, nor did the lavish villas people had booked through the festival's website, and McFarland had repeatedly failed to find production firms that would execute the event on his terms. One executive recalls a familiar scene: "They [production companies] would say 'It's going to cost, like, $5 million to stage this thing,' and the Fyre guys would say, 'No, it'll cost $300,000.' There was a complete detachment from reality."13 Six weeks before the event, "Nothing had been done. . . . Festival vendors weren't in place, no stage had been rented, transportation had not been arranged," according to former Fyre talent producer Chloe Gordon. Planners warned McFarland and his team that they didn't have the money to put on the event they had advertised and should instead roll tickets over to a 2018 event and begin planning it immediately. Gordon recalls a Fyre executive responding, "Let's just do it and be legends, man." She quit a week later.14 Rumors began to circulate among entertainment industry professionals in the weeks before the festival, and on April 2, The Wall Street Journal reported growing concerns about the event. Vendors, contractors, and artists were severing ties when they didn't receive payment, and ticketholders were still in the dark about logistics.15 Maude Etkin, an interior designer and ticketholder from Manhattan, says Fyre hadn't responded to e-mails for weeks.16 Through it all, McFarland continued to promote Fyre Festival as a top-notch experience through his website and social media platforms, hanging onto his fantasy until the bitter end. TRIAL BY FYRE Class-action lawsuits against McFarland and the Fyre organization quickly surfaced, with vendors, employees, and attendees citing fraud, breach of contract, and negligent misrepresentation. McFarland took a plea deal in March 2018, admitting to two counts of wire fraud and forfeiting $27 million. He was sentenced to six years in federal prison and has since been ordered to pay millions to compensate unpaid lenders and slighted festivalgoers.17 Fyre media is, in turn, seeking to recoup damages through at least 14 lawsuits of its own against performers who failed to show up for the event and influencers who the organization alleges provided misleading information to ticketholders through social media.18 In May of 2020, Kendall Jenner—one of the aforementioned influencers—agreed to pay $90,000 for, among other things, leading followers to believe that Kanye West was performing at the festival. One attendee remembered McFarland standing atop a table frantically yelling instructions at the crowd. If the crowd was not able to understand McFarland's instructions because they could not hear him, it is most likely because of ______ in the communications process. A. echoing noise B. psychological noise C. physiological noise D. semantic noise E. physical noise
E. physical noise
Thinking about the communication process, which of the following would be an accurate description of one of the steps? A. Noise is eliminated from the message. B. The receiver selects the medium. C. The message is transmitted through a medium. D. The sender decodes the message.
C. The message is transmitted through a medium.
Tricia, a supervisor, told her employees, "The store will close Monday for inventory and all employees are expected to participate." Without knowing how Tricia communicated her message, we know it was done A. downward. B. externally. C. upward. D. horizontally.
A. downward.
Barriers to Communication The communication process itself is by no means a perfect process. A variety of hindrances can potentially prevent a message from being successfully shared. This activity is important because managers should understand how to prevent or mitigate the effects of communication barriers. The goal of this activity is to challenge your knowledge of how barriers happen during various steps in the communication process. Match each example to the step in the communication process where the communication barrier is occurring. 1. Sender Barrier 2. Receiver Barrier 3. Encoding Barrier 4. Feedback Barrier 5. Decoding Barrier 6. Medium Barrier
1. Sender Barrier: Asia is not a very confident person. Although she knows her idea would really improve the team's project, she doesn't say anything. 2. Receiver Barrier: Rafa tends to drift off in her own thoughts during long work meetings and often doesn't hear when key deadlines are announced. 3. Encoding Barrier: Warrane is from the French part of Quebec and speaks English as a second language. He sometimes struggles with how to properly phrase things. 4. Feedback Barrier: Aaron's boss gave him instructions on how to use the new digital sales platform. Aaron didn't ask any questions, so his boss assumed that Aaron understood. He was disappointed when he had to spend an hour correcting Aaron's mistakes the following day because he hadn't followed many of the instructions. 5. Decoding Barrier: Sara isn't tech savvy. She doesn't understand what her co-workers are referring to when they refer to tweeting or sending snapchats, and she doesn't ask them for clarification. 6. Medium Barrier: Ramon lives in a rural area where cell service is spotty at best. While he enjoys his life away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the lack of cell service makes it difficult for him to conduct sales calls during his commute.
Kayla is a busy entrepreneur who is running a rapidly growing startup. Kayla intends to use social media for recruiting several new employees. What key managerial takeaway would you give to Kayla? A. Recruiting through social media reduces discrimination because anyone can see the job posting. B. When hiring a web designer, Kayla should check Dribbble. C. It is illegal to screen applicants by reviewing their social media accounts. D. Most companies recruit employees from Instagram and Snapchat.
B. When hiring a web designer, Kayla should check Dribbble.
Interpersonal and organizational Communication The internal uChat app allows for ________ communication among Uber employees, whereas the social media posts by Uber represent ________ communication to customers. A. downward; horizontal B. external; downward C. horizontal; external D. upward; downward E. external; upward
C. horizontal; external
The more management levels through which a message passes, the A. more disorganized the organization. B. more informal the organization. C. more distorted the message may become. D. higher the chance the message will become external.
C. more distorted the message may become.
Keitaro, a university administrator, needs to send an official memo to the directors of the registration, advising, and financial aid divisions, as well as their supervisors. To determine who should receive his memo, Keitaro consults the A. social media policy. B. grapevine. C. organization chart. D. lateral network.
C. organization chart.
Interpersonal and organizational Communication Rank the forms of communication that Uber has tried to use to connect with stakeholders from least rich to most rich: - App notifications used to communicate with and motivate each contractor driver individually - In-person apology speech from Khosrowshahi - Apology letter from Khosrowshahi - Video apology from Khosrowshahi A. video apology; apology letter; in-person apology; app notifications B. app notifications; in-person apology; apology letter; video apology C. in-person video apology, app notifications, apology letter D. apology letter; app notifications; video apology; in-person apology E. apology letter; video apology; app notifications; in-person apology
D. apology letter; app notifications; video apology; in-person apology
Management in Action: Fyre and Fury McFarland continued to promote Fyre Festival as a top-notch experience through his website and social media platforms, even when it was obvious it would be an absolute failure. Assuming McFarland intended to mislead others, which downside of social media does this portray? A. misinformation B. microaggression C. cyberloafing D. disinformation E. FOMO
D. disinformation
Chenglei worked on a global team for an American company, and all her work had to be completed in her second language, English. Sometimes her teammates misinterpreted her meaning. Chenglei has unintentionally created a(n) ________ barrier to communication. A. feedback B. decoding C. gender D. encoding
D. encoding
When the band came out on stage and the lead singer shouted, "Hello, Philadelphia!" the crowd roared with applause. The crowd's response is an example of A. noise. B. decoding. C. encoding. D. feedback.
D. feedback.
Gossip and rumor in an organization are part of the ________, which itself is a type of ________ communication channel. A. organizational chart; external B. grapevine; external C. organizational chart; informal D. grapevine; informal
D. grapevine; informal
Management in Action: Fyre and Fury The only direct communication ticketholders who arrived on a barren island received from the organizers was a single e-mail saying, "The festival is being postponed until we can further assess if and when we are able to create the high-quality experience we envisioned." Based on the contingency model of media selection, what level of media richness did this portray, and was it the right amount? A. It portrayed low media richness and was adequate. B. It portrayed high media richness and was adequate. C. It portrayed low media richness and was not adequate. D. It portrayed high media richness and was not adequate. E. It portrayed no media richness and was not adequate.
C. It portrayed low media richness and was not adequate.
Management in Action: Fyre and Fury The process of setting up the festival requires experience, expertise, and a constant flow of communication among various stakeholders in order to properly coordinate. This is ______ communication, which McFarland failed at. A. informal B. grapevine C. horizontal D. downward E. upward
C. horizontal
Ghani manages a large fitness center that has an indoor track, a pool, many types of exercise classes, and a large weight lifting area. What would you recommend to Ghani in terms of social media for the fitness center? A. Post videos on YouTube and then share them on the center's social media accounts on multiple networks. B. Use Twitter to advertise the aqua-robics classes that are designed for senior citizens. C. Instagram is the best network for attracting new clients in their 50s and 60s. D. To draw in young adults, advertise the fitness center's sports leagues on LinkedIn and Reddit.
A. Post videos on YouTube and then share them on the center's social media accounts on multiple networks.
When Rosalyn comes into the office, she speaks to no one, shuts her door, and is rarely seen again until lunch. She supervises a team of 12 people though. Carmelita has a new idea she would like to share with management, but is unsure if she should take it to Rosalyn. How would you describe this upward communication? A. lacking trust B. confusing semantics C. missing a chain of command D. proper use of a rich medium
A. lacking trust
When it is being used to make a telephone call, your smartphone is an example of which part of the communication process? A. medium B. encoding C. decoding D. feedback
A. medium
Interpersonal and organizational Communication The style of the video apology issued by Khosrowshahi was straightforward as well as open and honest. This type of messaging can be found in __________ communication. A. nondefensive B. defensive C. passive D. empathic E. detached
A. nondefensive
Kennedy, who exhibits feminine communication norms, is likely to A. phrase requests in question form. B. interrupt her coworker to add her own opinions. C. avoid letting anyone know if she is unsure about an answer. D. make declarative statements about her accomplishments.
A. phrase requests in question form.
Your friend, Hideaki, will be attending his first work meeting tomorrow. He's fairly nervous because he wants to become a valued member of his work team. How would you advise Hideaki? A. Sit on the back row. B. Save his opinion for last. C. Ask "how" questions. D. Ask "why" questions.
C. Ask "how" questions.
Paulina manages a fast food restaurant. Which of the following represents Paulina dealing with a personal barrier to communication? A. When Paulina notices a customer who is clenching her fists and glaring angrily into the kitchen, Paulina warmly greets the customer and asks what she can do to help. B. Paulina orders new cash registers because the old ones could not integrate credit cards sales in with cash purchases. C. Feeling overwhelmed by the high volume of e-mails, reports, and customer calls, Paulina decides to walk around the exterior of the restaurant for 15 minutes. D. After hiring two new employees who speak Portuguese, Paulina has the employee handbook and all the restaurant's signs translated.
C. Feeling overwhelmed by the high volume of e-mails, reports, and customer calls, Paulina decides to walk around the exterior of the restaurant for 15 minutes.
