Business Communications midterms
Which of the following describes communication in today's digital age?
The distinction between online and offline is becoming blurry as our virtual and real-life connectedness intertwine.
Which of the following is a goal of business writing?
To keep your writing short and simple
For what purpose should the active voice be used?
To strengthen most business writing
________ expressions in paragraphs enable the reader to anticipate what's coming, reduce uncertainty, and speed comprehension.
Transitional
A company invites its Facebook fans to suggest ideas for promoting positive interaction both online and in the real world. This is an example of crowdsourcing.
True
Add end punctuation to a numbered or bulleted list only if the items in the list are complete sentences.
True
An adjustment message granting a claim should be arranged using the direct pattern.
True
As meeting leader, Benjamin should always begin on time, even if some participants have not yet arrived.
True
Blogs can be especially useful for crisis communication.
True
Blogs can capitalize on crowdsourcing, which is the practice of tapping into the combined knowledge of a large community to solve problems and solicit ideas for products and services.
True
Blogs should provide fresh content regularly.
True
Brody is writing a memo to refuse an employee's vacation request. He should use the indirect pattern.
True
Brooke, who works for a U.S. company, has just been assigned to manage the company's division in Vietnam. She should emphasize team-based projects and group decision making with her new employees.
True
Business communicators in low-context cultures, such as the United States and Germany, assume that messages must be explicit; communicators rely exclusively on the written or spoken word.
True
Business letters remain a powerful tool to promote services and products, boost online and retail traffic, and enhance customer relations.
True
Businesses use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to connect with customers and employees, share company news, and exchange ideas.
True
Diverse workforces are more likely to create the products that consumers demand.
True
Diversity is an important component of successful teams.
True
E-mail is considered a leaner medium than face-to-face communication.
True
Even with communication tools such as e-mail, instant messaging, texting, Twitter, and other interactive media, the nature of communication remains unchanged.
True
Generally, teams are able to make better decisions than individuals.
True
Glass ceiling refers to an invisible barrier of attitudes, prejudices, and old boy networks blocking them from reaching important corporate positions.
True
Globally, ethical codes of conduct are becoming more sophisticated and accessible.
True
Here is the information you wanted about . . . is a forceful and efficient way to open a message responding to an inquiry.
True
If proofreading on a computer screen, it is best to focus on one line at a time by using the down arrow.
True
Internal communication includes sharing ideas and messages with superiors, coworkers, and subordinates.
True
Managers can use the grapevine productively by sharing bad news as well as good news.
True
Messages in today's digital age are shorter and more frequent than in the past.
True
Michael is trying to decide how to organize an e-mail to staff about changes to the vacation policy. Anticipating whether the audience is likely to respond neutrally, positively, or negatively can help him in determining his organizational strategy.
True
One benefit of workplace diversity is less government regulatory action.
True
One challenge posed by flatter organizations is that every employee must be a skilled communicator.
True
Ragged right margins (without alignment or justification) provide more white space and improve readability.
True
Slang and buzzwords in business writing can make you sound unprofessional.
True
Some experts recommend spending about half of the total writing time on the editing, proofreading, and evaluating phase.
True
Straightforward, direct claims are those to which you expect the receiver to agree readily.
True
Team writing is especially important for documents that require the expertise or consensus of many people.
True
The anonymity of the Internet is one likely cause of cyberthreats such as incivility and trolling.
True
The enterprise messaging tool Slack is ideal for quick answers and efficient back-and-forth exchanges.
True
The first ATM opened near London in 1967 is an example of an independent clause.
True
The major attraction of instant messaging (IM) in the workplace is that it allows real-time communication with colleagues anywhere in the world.
True
The phrase create a reduction in costs contains an example of a buried verb.
True
The term digital nationalism refers to the global differences in Internet and social media use caused by government influence in certain countries.
True
To improve information flow, many of today's companies have decreased the number of operating units and managers, thereby shortening lines of communication.
True
To promote public and customer relations, blogs can be written by rank-and-file employees or by top managers.
True
Virtual meetings are an effective tool for training new employees.
True
When writing a positive review of a company or product, it's best to include suggestions for improvement.
True
Your name at the bottom of an e-mail message is an important part of the closing.
True
Which of the following statements about electronic media is most accurate?
Tweeting about how much you dislike your job could get you fired.
Which of the following about using Twitter for business writing is accurate?
Tweets should include only main ideas related to useful information
Jeff is starting a new business blog and wants to be able to compete with established blog sites. He has asked for your advice. What should you tell him?
Use a commercial hosting site such as Blogger, Tumblr, or WordPress.
Your firm's policy is to respond to selected comments your customers make on Facebook and Twitter. What should you do when responding to these comments?
Use a friendly, upbeat, professional tone.
Which of the following sentences best controls exuberance?
We are happy to learn that your banquet room is available on December 15.
Which of the following sentences avoids the use of trite business phrases?
We have received your loan application.
Which of the following is the best closing for an adjustment message?
We hope that this refund check proves our commitment to providing excellent customer service.
Which of the following sentences avoids slang or buzzwords?
We need to work hard to meet the deadline.
As you begin to compose a workplace message, you should ask yourself two important questions: Why am I sending this message? and _______.
What do I hope to achieve?
Because your department has not reached its sales quota, your boss has asked you to change figures to show that sales were higher than they actually were. Which of the following questions is not important as you decide what to do?
What is the best channel of communication to use in responding to your boss?
Which of the following is a clause?
When you were on vacation
Sensitive communicators know the difference between facts and opinions. Which of the following statements would be considered factual?
Women are starting businesses at two times the rate of men.
Which of the following has resulted from the prominence of virtual teams?
Work is increasingly viewed as what you do rather than a place you go.
Which of the following statements about today's work environments is most accurate?
Working from home or on the road makes communication skills even more important.
Which of the following statements is most accurate about sentence length?
Writers should strive for a balance between longer sentences and shorter ones to avoid monotony.
To apply for a job, a résumé must be submitted contains ________.
a dangling modifier
One way to evaluate a message effectively is to think of your writing as taking the place of ________.
a personal appearance
Leanne decides to tweet a product review rather than to send an e-mail to the company. She should be especially concerned with _______.
achieving conciseness
Because Maya knows that the most important part of an e-mail message is the subject line, she ________.
adjusts the subject line if the topic changes after repeated replies
Alexis must proofread a complex business document. She should _______.
anticipate that she will find errors
Sans serif typefaces ________.
are often preferred by Web designers for simple, pure pages
The best business writing is purposeful, economical, and ________.
audience oriented
Marcia tends to avoid traditional brainstorming with her six-person team because it usually results in one or two people monopolizing the conversation. An alternative technique she might try to generate creative ideas among the team is called ________.
brainwriting
The term used to describe the overall impression you continue to build throughout your career is your "professional ________."
brand
Study the following sentence: Social media have created an enormous paradigm shift in what types of stories are considered "breaking news." This sentence would be improved by eliminating a(n) ________.
buzzword
Robert says that he will answer his client's questions "as soon as possible." Robert plans to answer the questions by early next week; his client expects the answers by the end of the day. This misunderstanding results from ________.
bypassing
During the third phase of the 3-x-3 writing process, Stephen asks himself the following questions about his message: Are the ideas understandable? Have I used plain English and familiar words? If the message is passed on to others, will they need further explanation? In asking these questions, he is evaluating his message for ________.
clarity
One important part of the revising process is to focus on ________ to make sure that your message will be immediately understood by the reader.
clarity
When dependent clauses precede independent clauses, they always are followed by a ________.
comma
Typical ground rules for meetings include communicating openly, being supportive, listening carefully, participating fully, following the agenda, and ________.
confronting conflict frankly
You are talking with the president of your company about a possible merger. After she finishes speaking, you respond, "If I understand you correctly, your recommendation is that we go through with the merger." You are providing what type of feedback?
descriptive
Josh knows that his co-workers will be pleased by the creation of a new leave-reporting system that will save them time. Which organizational pattern should he use in writing the message about the new system?
direct pattern.
A free exchange of information helps organizations
do all of these (respond rapidly to changing markets, build employee morale, serve the public).
Sentences are _________ when an idea at the end of one connects with an idea at the beginning of the next.
dovetailed
As Nathan begins his business career, he will probably find himself writing more ________ than other types of messages.
e-mail messages
Bold, italics, and underlining are examples of ________.
fonts
One of the most important tasks in preparing well-organized messages is ________.
grouping similar ideas together
The suggestion to make business messages purposeful refers to ________.
having a definite strategy to fulfill in each message
Expected changes in globalization are most likely to result in _______.
increased global competition for high-end technology jobs
Your response to a congratulatory note or other goodwill message ________.
is equivalent to saying You're welcome when someone has said Thank you
Social media are amplifiers, which means that they tend to ________.
make extroverts more extroverted and introverts more introverted
Posting a short message on social media reviewing a product you have purchased is an example of _______.
microblogging
As her supervisor explains a new procedure, Rachel nods her head. Rachel's response is an example of ________.
nonverbal feedback
Effective teams avoid groupthink by striving for team diversity, encouraging open discussion, and ________.
not demanding a quick decision
A paragraph is coherent when _________.
one idea logically leads to the next
The most emphatic positions in a message are the ________.
opening and closing
Mental representations based on general characteristics and open to new definitions when describing cultures are called ________.
prototypes
In writing adjustment messages to customers, your goal should be to ________.
regain the confidence of the customer
When developing the tone for a claim letter, ________ .
remember that smart businesses know that retaining a customer is far less costly than recruiting a new one
Fully justified text (when lines of text align on both the left and right) ________.
results in awkward and uneven spaces between words
The majority of your writing on the job will involve ________.
routine, positive messages
Allison has used a bulleted list, ample amounts of white space, and headings in an e-mail message to her supervisor. In doing so, she is trying to ________.
save her supervisor's time
When it arrived, I cashed your check immediately is an example of ________.
saying the obvious
As part of the encoding process, the sender of a message must ________
select appropriate words or symbols given the receiver's experiences and culture
Texting requires a SMS, which stands for ________.
short message service
An ALL-CAPS e-mail message is often read as ________.
shouting
Etiquette expertise, effective nonverbal messages, and oral communication skills are all examples of _______.
soft skills
A task force charged with reducing overhead costs meets to define their roles and responsibilities and develop ways to reach the group's goals. Tension is fairly high among group members. The team is in the _______ phase of team development.
storming
Dean's supervisor is providing detailed information about how to proceed with a new project. To retain the most information and show his seriousness about understanding the task, Dean should _______.
take selective notes during the conversation
Kevin is writing a routine e-mail request that he believes will be received positively. The main idea or purpose of his message should be placed in ________.
the opening
Remaining silent while a nonnative-speaking coworker struggles to express an idea in English is an example of showing _______.
tolerance
As per your request, enclosed please find, and thank you in advance are all examples of ________.
trite business phrases
Those who fake their identity, provoke skirmishes, and disrupt discussions on social media are known as _______.
trolls
As her supervisor explains a new procedure, Lisa paraphrases the steps back to him over the phone. Lisa's response is an example of ________.
verbal feedback
Malcolm is part of a team developing a new smartphone app to track traffic patterns. Because team members are located throughout the country, they don't meet in person. Instead, they use communication technology to collaborate on the project. Because members use technology to stay connected, Malcolm is part of a _______.
virtual team
Yolanda booked a hotel through an online booking site. Her accommodations were not as the website described. Although she stayed in the hotel, she was dissatisfied and believes that the booking site is at fault. The best way for Yolanda to communicate her unhappiness with the accommodations would be to ________.
write a letter to someone in charge at the website where she booked her hotel.
The first question to ask yourself when composing a business message is "What channel should I use to send the message?"
False
The focus of a brainstorming session should be on the quality of ideas, not the quantity.
False
The topic sentence of a paragraph must always appear first.
False
When developing a meeting agenda, it is important to lengthen the list of topics so that participants will see that the meeting is important. True
False
When discussing cultures, we should avoid making any generalizations.
False
Lindsay is planning a meeting to develop a new procedure for handling employee grievances. How many participants should she invite?
Five or fewer
What type of sentence fault results when a writer punctuates a broken-off part of a complex sentence as if it were a complete sentence?
Fragment
Which of the following is most accurate about sending goodwill messages via e-mail?
Handwritten notes for goodwill messages are the most impressive and lasting.
Which of the following is the best opening sentence for a direct response message?
Here are the answers to the questions you asked about our banquet facilities.
Which of the following sentences avoids a cliché?
His presentation was well received by the board of trustees.
What is the most accurate statement about sending goodwill messages e via e-mail?
If you frequently communicate with the receiver by e-mail and if you are sure your note will not get lost, then sending an e-mail goodwill message is acceptable.
A colleague has decided to write a negative online review of a restaurant she recently visited and has asked for your advice. What is the best advice you can give her?
Include positives as well as negatives in the review.
Vanessa has written a marketing report for her boss. Before presenting it, she wants to make sure that the report does not contain too many words like extremely, totally, and very. She wants to sound emphatic but businesslike. What is Vanessa checking for?
Intensifiers
What is the most accurate statement about proofreading and message errors?
It can be difficult to catch our own errors because most of us read what we thought we wrote.
Which of the following statements is true about evaluative feedback?
It doesn't tell the sender whether the receiver actually understood the message.
An example of a country with a high-context culture is _______.
Japan
What is the most accurate statement about direct claim and complaint messages?
Letters establish a record of what happened more convincingly than other communication channels.
Which of the following statements about formal and informal research is most accurate?
Long reports and complex business problems generally require some use of formal research.
Which of the following is an informal research method?
Looking in the company files for information.
Suzanne finds it difficult to begin writing an important report that her supervisor is expecting tomorrow. Which of the following would be the best advice to give her?
Make a list of the main and minor points she wants to cover in the report.
Which of the following statements about numbered and bulleted lists is most accurate?
Make the items in a numbered or bulleted list parallel.
Which of the following is an example of an internal disruption in the decoding process?
Meaghan finds her mind drifting during a lecture as she thinks about her upcoming trip to Florence.
Select the most accurate statement about meetings.
Meetings should be viewed as opportunities to demonstrate leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Diana is in charge of telling employees about a new procedure for submitting expense claims. Many of her employees do not have access to company e-mail. What communication channel should she use?
Memo
Which of the following statements about diversity in today's workplaces is most accurate?
More diverse teams are more likely to create the products that consumers demand.
Gwen is leading a meeting and wants to make sure that they stick to the agenda and end on time. What should she do to move the meeting along?
Move divergent topics to a separate list to be discussed later.
Caroline is writing a business letter to a German client. What should she do as she prepares the letter?
Observe the receiver's title and rank.
Which of the following is done during Phase 2 of the writing process?
Organizing
Which of the following sentences demonstrates parallelism?
Our new CEO's objectives are to improve employee morale, to boost revenues, and to enhance community relations.
Which of the following is a downside to well-known podcasters being paid for public endorsements?
Paid promotion deals can lead to biased or unreliable recommendations.
Experts say that we ignore, forget, distort, or misunderstand _______ of everything we hear.
50 to 75 percent
Which of the following is an example of external organizational communication?
A brochure sent to a prospective customer
Which of the following will most likely prompt a reader to open your blog post?
A catchy title or headline
Which of the following scenarios would most likely require a scientific experiment?
A company wants to measure reactions to the price of a new flavored vitamin water product to learn how much consumers would be willing to pay.
Which of the following is an example of an internal organizational communication?
A meeting of all department managers
Which of the following is a sentence fragment?
Although we expect sales to increase next quarter.
Which of the following is an example of a formal research method?
Amy conducts a Web search to find information about a competitor's products.
Monica wants to make sure that her sentences are easily understood. How long should she make them?
An average of 20 words
Which of the following is an example of an informal organizational communication channel?
An employee starts a blog to share her personal work experiences, opinions, and observations.
Which of the following documents would most likely use an introduction/problem, facts/findings, conclusions, and recommendations organization?
Analytical report
Will has decided to write a letter to a local law firm to ask about summer internship opportunities. What should he do first?
Analyze the purpose of the letter and the reader.
Which of the following subject lines is most effective?
Attend Our Sales Meeting on January 30
Select the least accurate statement about culture.
Because cultural norms are so deep-seated, they almost never change.
Which statement provides the best advice about instant messaging and texting on the job?
Because instant messages and text messages can be saved, don't say anything that could damage your reputation or that of your organization.
Which of the following statements about blogs is most accurate?
Blogs can invite spontaneous consumer feedback faster and more cheaply than traditional consumer research tools.
Businesspeople from which country are most likely to speak using extravagant or poetic figures of speech?
Brazil
Which of the following is an invisible sign of culture?
Christopher believes that adults need to be responsible for their actions.
Vanessa is about to begin the second phase of the 3-x-3 writing process as she works on a letter to her clients. What will she do first in this phase?
Collect any necessary information.
Which podcast genre is currently the most popular in the U.S.?
Comedy
Brandon is preparing an extensive report for his boss and wants to begin by conducting formal research. What should he consider doing?
Conducting a Web search for credible industry data related to the topic of the report.
A disgruntled client has begun leaving negative comments about your firm on its Facebook page. What should you do first?
Determine whether the comments violate your established social media comment policy.
Though previously useful as a collaboration tool, which of the following has become less effective as projects have become more complex and team members use a wider variety of devices?
Which of the following is the best example of placing the most important information first in a routine information request message?
Please answer the following questions about your office printers.
Which of the following sentences best demonstrates clarity?
Please let your employees know about next Friday's meeting.
________ establish rules of conduct to be followed within an organization.
Policies and procedures
According to some intercultural experts, the most important attitude in achieving intercultural competence is ________.
Supportiveness
Emily has scheduled a face-to-face meeting with each of her employees to provide performance feedback. What factor is she most likely considering in choosing this channel?
The confidentiality and sensitivity of the message
Business communicators should generally spend the most time on the prewriting phase of the 3-x-3 writing process.
False
Business letters are still used to deliver information inside of an organization.
False
One advantage of the indirect organizational strategy is that it saves the time of readers.
False
One of your colleagues admires silence and considers it a key to success. Your colleague is most likely American.
False
Oral messages are usually more expressive and more meaningful to receivers than written goodwill messages.
False
Phone calls and e-mail messages are usually taken more seriously than a written claim letter.
False
Podcasting is praised by business experts primarily for its financial benefits.
False
Common expressions known as clichés are effective in business writing because they are universally understood and conversational.
False
Crowdsourcing describes the practice of requesting ideas for products or services from employees and contractors.
False
Routine documents and complex documents can be effectively proofread using the same method.
False
Searching blogs, Twitter, wikis, and Facebook pages for information is an example of an informal research method.
False
Serif typefaces are widely used for signs, headings, and material that does not require continuous reading.
False
Sharing economy refers to full-time positions being divided over two employees working part-time.
False
Headings are appropriate only in messages that will be submitted as hard copies, such as reports or letters. They should not be used in electronic messages.
False
Important is an example of an effective subject line because it is likely to catch the reader's attention.
False
Social presence is greater in asynchronous communication (e-mail, forum post) than in synchronous communication (live chat, IM).
False
In an information request message to which you expect no resistance, your first sentence should provide explanation or justification before the request.
False
In business writing, you should focus on impressing rather than expressing.
False
In low-power-distance countries, subordinates expect formal hierarchies and embrace relatively authoritarian, paternalistic power relationships.
False
In profiling your audience, you should consider only how the primary (not secondary) audience is likely to react to your message.
False
Instructions will be most readable if the steps are presented in a bulleted vertical list.
False
It gives me great pleasure to extend my congratulations is an effective way to begin a goodwill message.
False
It is best to proofread complex documents immediately after finishing them while the content is still fresh in your mind.
False
Daniel has decided to resign from his position as a management consultant. To maintain goodwill with his supervisor, he would like to discuss his decision personally before announcing it formally. Which of the following is the best communication channel for him to use?
Face-to-face meeting
Which of the following media involve microblogging?
Which of the following statements about social networking sites is most accurate?
Facebook is still among the most popular social media platforms.
Teams should strive for groupthink so that they can make decisions more quickly.
False
A comma splice results when a sentence with two independent clauses is fused together without a conjunction or semicolon.
False
Alexis is listening to her colleague and must judge and evaluate what he is saying. She is listening to decide whether her colleague's message is fact, fiction, or opinion. Sharon is engaging in discriminative listening.
False
Americans' trust in news delivered on social media sites continues to increase significantly as these sites grow in popularity.
False
Kelly has been told that her blog posts can benefit from using the journalistic pattern. What does this mean?
Emphasize the big news up front, supported with specifics and background information.
What is a disadvantage of text messaging?
Employees using free consumer-grade instant messaging systems might reveal privileged information and company records.
Which of the following represents the best business writing?
Enclosed are three samples of our fabric.
Which of the following phrases is free of redundancies?
Essential items
An Apple device is required to play podcasts.
False
Which of the following is not a standard guide word used in e-mail messages and memos?
RESPONSE:
Riley is a customer service representative and has just gone through training to improve his listening skills. Which of the following skills was he most likely taught that will make him a better listener?
Remain silent for a few seconds after a customer finishes to be sure the thought is completed.
What type of sentence fault results when a writer joins two independent clauses without using a conjunction or semicolon?
Run-on sentence
Which of the following situations is most appropriate for sending an e-mail message?
Sabrina wants to know whether her supervisor is available for a meeting next week.
As a new marketing employee, Alonzo has just been assigned to create a blog for market research and viral marketing. What advice would you give him?
Scrutinize the blogosphere for buzz and for positive or negative postings about his organization and its products.
Peter was just hired as an accounting assistant and wants to make a good impression in his new position. What should he do when listening to his supervisor?
Show his interest by leaning forward and striving for good eye contact.
Gayle will be traveling to Thailand on business and wants to demonstrate intercultural competence while there. What is the best advice you can give her?
Show supportiveness with head nods, eye contact, facial expressions, and physical proximity.
Which of the following instructions is in the imperative (command) mood?
Sign and date the agreement.
Which of the following is a dependent clause?
Since the company began selling stock to the public
