BCOM 3113 Unit 3

Scenario Painting

A description that pictures the reader in a sample situation enjoying the promised benefits

Which of the following is an example of a problem-solving report?

A manager writes a report to analyze a sudden loss in sales revenue. Problem-solving reports help decision makers figure out what to do any time a problem arises within an organization. For example, a client company may want to know why it is losing money.

Persuasive Messages

Are intended to get readers or listeners to part with some of their resources- whether time, money, attention, an emotional investment, or something else they would have done- in exchange for something we're offering them

Pathos (emotional appeal)

Arouses certain feelings and values

Information symmetry

Both parties are well informed

logos, pathos, ethos

Categorizing of persuasive appeals into 3 kinds, made by the Greek philosopher Aristotle

Which of the following is true about emotional appeals?

Emotional appeals are those based on our feelings and senses. Emotional appeals are those based on our senses and emotions. They can be found in almost any sales message, but they predominate in messages for goods and services that provide intangible benefits.

Which of the following is true of footnotes?

Footnotes are used when some parts of a visual require special explanation or elaboration. Parts of a visual sometimes require special explanation or elaboration. When this happens, you should use footnotes. Such footnotes are concise explanations placed below the illustration and keyed to the part explained by means of a superscript (raised) number or symbol (asterisk, dagger, double dagger, and so on).

Hassan is creating a sales training course for the new sales employees his company hires. Which of the following guidelines should Hassan bear in mind when selecting visuals for his document?

Hassan should choose visuals that are appropriate to both the content and context of the information in his document. Hassan should choose visuals appropriate to both the content and context where they are presented.

Which of the following sentences best meets the requirements for good sales writing?

Here, you can browse the widest range of shoes in the city and find the pair that fits your style. A characteristic of good sales writing is the use of you-viewpoint which focuses on the reader. The sentence "Here, you can browse the widest range of shoes in the city and find the pair that fits your style" focuses on the reader as opposed to the other statements, which focus on the writer.

Which of the following guidelines should be followed when constructing tables?

If rows are long, the row heads may be repeated at the right. The construction of text tables is largely influenced by their purpose. Nevertheless, a few rules generally apply. One such rule is that if rows are long, the row heads may be repeated at the right.

In the context of constructing a questionnaire, which of the following is a leading question?

Is EcoSupplies your favorite brand of office supplies? A leading question is one that in some way influences the answer. For example, the question "Is EcoSupplies your favorite brand of office supplies?" may lead the respondent to favor EcoSupplies. Some people who would say "yes" might name another brand if they were asked, "What is your favorite brand of office supplies?"

Which of the following statements about the executive summary is true?

It is often the only part of a report busy executives will read. The executive summary is the report in miniature. It is often the only part of a report that a busy executive will read. Inclusion of the executive summary as one of the prefatory parts, transmittal message, or the report proper will depend on how long and how formal the report is.

_____ is the presentation of tabular material in the text without titles or rules.

Leaderwork Leaderwork is the presentation of tabular material in the text without titles or rules.

Which of the following is true of an email report?

Like other forms of reports, an email report may use headings to display content and visuals to support the text. Like the longer forms of reports, emails may use headings to display content and graphics to support the text. For the longer email reports, writers will often choose to make the report itself an attached document and use the email message as a transmittal message.

Logos (logical appeal)

Makes a rational argument.

Which of the following is true of problem-solving reports?

Not all feasibility studies are full-blown problem-solving reports. A type of problem-solving report that deserves special attention is a feasibility study. For these reports, writers study several courses of action and then propose the most feasible, desirable one. Sometimes feasibility studies are not full-blown problem-solving reports. They may offer detailed analysis but stop short of making a recommendation. The analysis they provide nevertheless helps decision makers decide what to do.

Ethos (Character based)

Projects appealing traits of the writer or speaker.

Which of the following statements about reports and proposals is true?

Proposals are intentionally persuasive while reports can be neutral in their approach. Reports and proposals share common characteristics except that proposals are written to be intentionally persuasive.

Which of the following is true of the characteristics of shorter reports?

Short reports are mainly written in the direct order. Because shorter reports usually solve routine problems, they are likely to be written in the direct order. That is, the report will begin with its most important information—usually the conclusion and perhaps a recommendation. Business writers use this order because they know that busy readers typically want the key point quickly.

Which of the following is true about short reports?

Short reports generally do not require elaborate coherence helpers. Short reports, because they are short, generally do not need elaborate coherence helpers. Readers will not need many reminders of what they just read or previews of what they're about to read.

Which of the following is the best rule to follow for ordering the pieces of the pie in a pie chart?

Slice the largest piece at the 12 o'clock position and then order the pieces from largest to smallest. A good rule to follow for ordering the pieces of the pie is to begin by slicing the largest piece at the 12 o'clock position and then ordering the pieces largest to smallest; however, you should order the pieces in the way that will make the most visual sense to your audience.

Psychographic Information

Such as social, political, and personal preferences

Which of the following statements about the numbers used in reports is true?

The "average" is the median response. The "average" is the median response. It can be calculated by adding up all the responses and then dividing that number by the total number of responses.

Information asymmetry

The seller has more knowledge than the buyer

What immediately follows when a user selects the Keyword option while searching an online catalog?

The system asks the user to enter search terms and phrases. When a researcher selects the Keyword option, the system asks him or her to enter search terms and phrases. It then searches for only those exact words in several of each record's fields.

Which of the following is true of scatter diagrams?

They allow users to validate hunches about cause and effect, but they can only be interpreted for correlation. The cluster of points in a scatter diagram allows users to validate hunches about cause and effect, but they can only be interpreted for correlation—the direction and strength relationships. The points can reveal positive, negative, or no relationships. Additionally, by examining the tightness of the points, the user can see the strength of the relationship. The closer the points are to a straight line, the stronger the relationship.

Which of the following is the best example of a feasibility study?

a comparison of two or more alternatives with the goal of finding the best one A type of problem-solving report that deserves special attention is a feasibility study. For these reports, writers study several courses of action and then propose the most feasible, desirable one. Sometimes feasibility studies are not full-blown problem-solving reports. They may offer detailed analysis but stop short of making a recommendation. The analysis they provide nevertheless helps decision makers decide what to do.

Manfred creates a bar graph and starts it at 50 because all of the bars represent numbers higher than 50. What error has Manfred committed?

an error of scale Errors of scale occur whenever the dimensions from left to right (X-axis) or bottom to top (Y-axis) are unequal. Three sources of scale errors include no uniform scale size, scale distortion, and the missing zero beginning. For accuracy, Manfred should have begun the scale at zero, and included a scale break if necessary.

Which product would most likely to be sold to consumers using a rational appeal?

automobile tires The aspects and features of automobile tires are based on logic. Hence, they are likely to be sold through a rational appeal to customers.

Which of the following is an error of format?

choosing the wrong chart type Errors of format come in a wide variety. Some of the more common ones are choice of wrong chart type, distracting use of grids and shading, misuse of typeface, and problems with labels.

The writer of a proposal should urge or suggest action in the

concluding comments of the proposal. In most proposals, the writer should urge or suggest the desired action. This statement often occurs in a letter to the readers, but if there is no cover letter or the proposal itself is not a letter, it can form the conclusion of the proposal.

Information such as a person's age, gender, income, and geographic location is called _____ information.

demographic Information such as a person's age, gender, income, and geographic location is called demographic information.

If your report problem is a basic lack of information, your primary concern is to

determine the sub-areas where information is needed. If your report problem is a basic lack of information, your primary concern is to determine the sub-areas where information is needed.

Which of the following is the first step of researching and writing a collaborative report?

determining the problem and purpose When researching and writing a collaborative report, the first step is to determine the problem and purpose. Group members need to develop a coherent, shared sense of the report's intended readers and their needs.

A business report is an orderly and objective communication of _____ information that serves a business purpose.

factual A business report is an orderly and objective communication of factual information that serves a business purpose. The basic ingredient of reports is factual information. Factual information is based on events, statistics, and other data.

Which of the following is one concern associated with using photographs and clip art that is not an issue when creating charts or graphs using your own data?

following copyright laws Photographs and clip art can add visual interest to a report and can help illustrate concepts, but it is important that you follow copyright laws and only use images that are in the public domain or that you have permission to use.

A decision tree

is a chart that allows the reader to follow a particular path and arrive at an outcome. A variation of the organization and flowchart is the decision tree. This chart helps one follow a path to an appropriate decision.

Which product would most likely be sold to consumers primarily using an emotional appeal?

jewelry Emotional appeals are based on our senses and emotions. A sales message promoting jewelry would primarily use an emotional appeal.

Which of the following is a form of convenience sampling?

judgment sampling A form of convenience sampling is judgment or expert sampling, which relies on the judgment of the researcher to identify appropriate members of the sample.

Unwanted mail that is usually discarded even before it is read is called _____ mail.

junk Unwanted sales letters, also called "junk" mail, often go into the wastebasket or recycle bin without being read.

Email reports tend to be problem-solving reports because they are

largely internal reports. Because they are largely internal, email reports tend to be problem-solving reports. They are intended to help improve operations, lay the groundwork for an innovation, solve a problem, or otherwise assist decision makers in the organization.

In _____, you do not manipulate details; you take note of situations exactly as you find them.

observation In observation, you do not manipulate the details of what you observe; you take note of situations exactly as you find them.

The CAN-SPAM Act requires businesses that send emails sales messages to

offer recipients the opportunity to opt out of further emails. The CAN-SPAM Act requires companies that send commercial emails to offer recipients the opportunity to opt out of further emails.

Submitting another person's published work as your own without properly crediting it is called

plagiarism Plagiarism is submitting another person's published work as your own without properly crediting it. Be particularly careful to give credit where credit is due. Plagiarism is especially damaging to your credibility.

Reports that are long and formal typically have ______, which come before the report itself.

prefatory pages Reports that are long and formal typically have prefatory pages, which come before the report itself.

Alicia and Kwame are conducting customer surveys to gather information for a report. This is an example of ______ research.

primary Primary research is when you gather new information through the use of experiments, surveys, interviews, and other direct observation methods.

Which type of proposal is written in response to an explicit invitation?

solicited proposals Solicited proposals are written in response to an explicit invitations made by a company, foundation, or government agency.

Demographic Information

such as age, gender, income, and geographic location

Prefatory pages are typically included in a report when

the situation is formal and the report is long. Formal reports have a number of pages that come before the report itself. These pages serve useful purposes, but they also dress up the report. Typically, these prefatory pages, as they are called, are included when the situation is formal and the report is long.