Essentials Of Business Communications 8, 9, 10
Your company currently processes its payroll internally but is considering the use of an external accounting firm. You are in charge of determining whether your company should proceed with this plan. What kind of report would you most likely write?
Feasibility report
In her letter to policyholders, Min Yi needs a graphic depicting the procedure a policyholder follows when filing a claim. Which of these would be most appropriate?
Flowchart
When you organize an analytical report indirectly, in what order should the ideas be presented?
Introduction/problem, facts/findings, discussion/analysis, and conclusions/recommendations
You are an inventory specialist for a retail store. Your boss has asked you to compile a year-end report listing the merchandise sold each month through the company's website. In what format should you present this data?
Preprinted form
**Factual information for reports falls into which two broad categories?
Primary and secondary
Reports that present data without analysis or recommendations are
informational reports.
As chairperson of a customer service task force, you must update management on your team's progress. What kind of report will you write?
Progress report
Which of the following is a talking heading?
Projected Cost Savings for IT Outsourcing
Which of the following statements is most accurate?
Proposals are persuasive documents used to solve problems, provide services, or sell products.
Which of the following is not a purpose for a direct quotation?
To add length to a researched document
What is the purpose of a letter or memo of transmittal?
To announce the topic of the report
Tyler is writing a report that analyzes the GlobalCom, Inc., market share of cell phone subscriptions worldwide by region. He will probably organize his report
geographically with sections representing each region's market share.
**Reviewing a report's mechanics before submission refers to checking it for
grammar and usage.
**Documenting data in business reports
achieves all of these. Rationale: Documenting data can strengthen your argument, protect you from charges of plagiarism, and help the reader pursue the topic further. Even if you paraphrase (put the information in your own words), you must document your information.
An informal writing style includes
contractions (for example, wouldn't, don't, they're). Rationale: An informal writing style includes first-person pronouns, contractions, active-voice verbs, short sentences, and familiar words.
Surveys, which are used to collect firsthand data, have many advantages. One advantage is that
data can be gathered economically and efficiently.
The major advantage of line charts is that they
demonstrate trends.
Although formal reports are similar to formal proposals, a primary difference is that
formal reports represent the end product of thorough research and data analysis.
Headings that show the sections of a report are called
functional headings.
The purpose of an executive summary is to
present an overview of a longer report for people who may not have time to read the entire document
**Which of the following will increase the effectiveness of an online sales message?
Sending it only to receivers who have given you permission to send them e-mail marketing messages.
**Byron has ended a sales message with the sentence Book your vacation by May 15 to receive our reduced rate. What technique is he using to motivate action?
Setting a deadline
**Lisa works for a nonprofit agency seeking funding for a community project. What type of proposal is she likely to write to the local foundation that supports the same cause within the community?
A grant request
Which of the following is the most effective emotional appeal?
Surround yourself in the uncompromising safety and luxury of a Lincoln because you've earned it. Rationale: Emotional appeals focus on status, ego, and sensual feelings. Saying that a car will surround the customer in well-earned safety and luxury creates a sales message that appeals to the buyer's ego.
Which of the following illustrates a testimonial?
After completing your training, I received job offers from three employers in one week!
*Persuasive claims are often written when
All answer choices are correct. Rationale: Persuasive claim or complaint messages are often written for damaged products, mistaken billing, inaccurate shipments, warranty problems, limited return policies, insurance problems, or faulty merchandise.
When developing a claim message, you should
All answer choices are correct. Rationale: You can develop your claim message effectively by avoiding a blow-by-blow chronology of the details, including relevant materials, and clearly specifying your resolution to the problem.
**Learning the techniques of sales writing can help you
All of these are benefits of learning sales writing techniques. Rationale: Even if you never have to write a sales letter on the job, learning the techniques can help you be a more effective communicator, recognize sales strategies directed at you, and make you a more perceptive consumer.
**Which of the following is considered an appropriate information source for an informal report?
All of these are considered effective sources of information. Rationale: Company records, observation, surveys and questionnaires, and interviews are all considered effective sources of factual information for informal reports.
**Which of the following is true of sales messages sent through direct mail?
All of these are true of sales messages sent via direct mail. Rationale: Direct mail is a great channel for personalized, tangible messages because they are less invasive than phone calls and unsolicited e-mail messages. It is also shown to have greater emotional impact.
**The format of a report depends primarily on its
All of these should be considered when deciding on a report format. Rationale: The format of a report is governed by its length, topic, audience, and purpose, so all of these choices are correct.
Mikhail's claim has been denied once. Now, he is writing a second persuasive claim message to his digital media services company asking for a promised rebate package. Because he expects resistance, what should he do?
Appeal to the receiver's sense of responsibility and pride in the company's good name.
Which of the following situations would most likely require persuasion within an organization?
Asking employees to accept a pay cut to avoid layoffs or plant closings
In which part of a solicited proposal would you most likely convince your reader that you understand the problem completely?
Background
As a manager, Corbin must inform his staff that all employees must now contribute more to their health insurance premiums. What advice should Corbin follow when delivering his message?
Be honest and provide the important reasons for the increase in individual contributions.
Question 9 1 / 1 pts Sammie is planning a persuasive request. What advice should she follow for the opening of her request?
Capture the reader's attention and interest.
Choose the best closing for a message requesting the receiver's support for a proposed change in a benefits plan.
Contacting me by December 1 about your support of this new benefits plan will allow me to present this proposal at the next strategic planning session.
When you use the AIDA persuasive approach, your first task is to gain the reader's attention (A). Which of the following represents your second step, or "I" tasks, of AIDA?
Describe the benefits a product or service offers and make rational or emotional appeals.
Which statement about direct-mail messages is most accurate?
Direct mail is an effective channel for personalized, tangible, three-dimensional messages that are less invasive than telephone solicitations.
Which statement about today's organizations and their employees is most accurate?
Executives today rely on persuasion to achieve buy-in from subordinates.
You want to propose a workplace change to your employer. Which of these is the best advice for you?
Focus on how much money the proposed change will save the company.
Graciella is making a persuasive complaint at work. Which of these sentences will be most effective in achieving her goal?
For the past two weeks, fax machine No. 223- 51 has been unavailable to complete essential business for 25 of our employees due to incomplete service. Please ensure our equipment is repaired by Friday.
Which of the following is most accurate about the use of persuasion in business?
Honesty is not just the best policy; it's the only policy.
In what order should you organize your ideas when you believe your audience will be agreeable to the suggestions in your justification/recommendation report?
Identify the problem or need, announce the recommendation, explain the recommendation, and provide necessary action.
Which of the following most effectively reduces resistance and builds desire?
If you are worried about booking a tour with us, please know that our European walking tours were rated the safest and best planned in the industry.
Which of the following is the most effective closing for a sales message?
If your sales don't increase at least 10 percent after your salespeople complete our "Closing the Deal" training, you get a full refund. Use our toll-free number to call me by August 1 and begin training on September 1.
Katherine must use headings in a report. What should she do to make sure that her headings are effective?
Include at least one heading per report page.
What type of research source provides the best firsthand information?
Interviews
You must write a sales message to prospective customers. What should you do in the opening of your sales message?
Offer something valuable, promise a benefit to the reader, or use some other technique to gain your reader's attention.
**Which of the following would you not want to do when taking meeting minutes?
Paraphrase motions made. Rationale: When taking meeting minutes, you should include the precise wording (not a paraphrase) of any motions made.
**Which statement about persuasion in business communication today is most accurate?
Persuasive tactics are more impersonal today than they were many years ago.
Thomas is in charge of taking formal minutes during an Institute of Internal Auditors chapter meeting. Which of the following is the best advice for him to follow as he prepares these minutes?
Record voting results and actions taken.
**Some proposals are solicited through an RFP, which stands for
Request for Proposal
Which of the following messages would most likely require the indirect strategy to persuade an audience?
Requesting favors and action from coworkers
Which of the following situations might require a progress report?
The work of a committee preparing for an open house when a new wing of a hospital is completed
What advice should you follow when preparing a table of contents?
Title the page Contents or Table of Contents.
**Which of the following is true about short persuasive messages submitted online?
Tweets and other online posts can be used to project a professional, positive image.
What is the best advice when writing a statement of purpose for a formal report?
Use action verbs that tell what you intend to do.
What is the first step in writing a formal report?
Writing a purpose statement
Which of the following is the most important element to consider when selecting an appropriate graphic for a report?
Your objective
Select the most effective opening for a persuasive request that invites a state representative to speak at your organization's Flag Day celebration.
Your patriotism and leadership in the House of Representatives have improved the quality of life across our state.
A report that gives status updates on a current project is called
a progress report.
Reports that provide data or findings, analyses, and conclusions are
analytical reports.
An effective proposal should do all of the following except
analyze findings, draw conclusions, and make recommendations intended to solve a problem.
In the body of a persuasive request, you can reduce resistance by
anticipating objections and offering counterarguments.
All of the following are front matter components of a formal report except the
appendix.
Techniques to elicit audience desire and overcome reader resistance in a marketing message include all of the following except
application forms.
The direct strategy of organization is appropriate for a business report when readers
are informed.
To avoid charges of copyright infringement, you should
assume that all intellectual property is copyrighted.
When using the indirect strategy in a persuasive message, you should place the reasons and explanations
before the main idea.
Persuasive claim messages are also called
complaint messages.
Purposes of e-mail marketing include attracting new customers, keeping existing customers, encouraging future sales, cross-selling, and
cutting costs.
**AIDA, the indirect strategy for persuasive messages, seeks to gain the attention, interest, ________, and action of the audience.
desire
The primary channel that consumers use to interact with brands today is
e-mail.
You can effectively build interest in a sales message by
emphasizing central selling points identified in the prewriting analysis.
Emotional appeals
focus on status, ego, and sensual feelings.
Your primary goal in writing a sales or marketing message is to
get your audience to devote a few moments of attention to your message.
On behalf of your civic organization, you are inviting a motivational speaker to your semiannual meeting. In your request you guarantee the speaker an enthusiastic audience and a positive impact on the community, both of which emphasize
indirect benefits to the reader.
Most persuasive requests should be organized
indirectly. Rationale: Unlike direct claim messages, persuasive requests are generally more effective when they are organized using the indirect strategy.
**Effective persuasion has the aim of __________________ others.
influencing
*Persuasion in today's businesses focuses on
influencing others.
All of the following messages to subordinates would use the indirect strategy except
instructions to operate the new phone system installed in all offices.
Rational appeals focus on making or saving money, increasing efficiency, and
making good use of resources.
The closing of a persuasive request should
motivate action.
The indirect strategy of organization is appropriate for a business report when readers
must be persuaded.
All of the following are tests to determine fair use except
notoriety of author. Rationale: Although individuals have limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission, courts use four tests to determine fair use disputes: intended purpose of the information, nature of the copyrighted work, amount and substantiality of the portion used, and effect of the use on the potential market.
As a persuasive writer, you should practice all of the following except
offering a bribe or kickback to ensure that you win over your audience.
Effective persuasive claim messages
present a logical case with clear facts. Rationale: Anger, emotion, and blame placing are not effective persuaders. Effective claim messages make a reasonable claim, present a logical case with clear facts, and adopt a moderate tone.
**An effective direct-mail sales letter
presents information completely, using a personalized tone.
**To help you clarify your reason for writing a report, you should write a
problem statement.
Use an emotional appeal when the
product is inexpensive, short-lived, or nonessential.
You can make the introduction of a proposal more persuasive if you
provide a "hook" such as mentioning a remarkable resource available exclusively to the writer.
**Writing a __________________ statement can help you define the focus of your report and keep you on target.
purpose
When writing persuasive claim or complaint messages, you should
use a moderate tone.
*Persuasion is necessary when
your audience may have resistance about your idea.
**In crafting e-mail sales messages, the term above the fold refers to
your primary points appearing early in the message.
Progress reports should include
A progress report should include all these elements. Rationale: A progress report should specify the purpose and nature of the project in the opening. The body should provide background information if relevant, describe the work completed, explain work currently in progress, and describe current or anticipated problems. The report closing should discuss future plans and completion dates.
Which of the following reports is an example of an analytical report?
A report recommending an antiterrorism security system for mass transit
Which of the following is most likely to be written as an informational report?
A summary of information presented at a recent conference for technical writers
What type of print resource provides excellent in-depth, historical data?
Books
**Justification/recommendation reports are sometimes called ______________________________
internal proposals.
Primary data
come from firsthand experience and observation.
Which of the following statements about reports in today's business environment is most accurate?
All answer choices reflect accurate statements about reports in today's business environment. Rationale: Although business reports range widely in length, purpose, and delivery mode, they help organizations sift through data and make major decisions. They are also delivered in many different formats: orally, electronically, and digitally.
A summary should condense a report or article by what percentage?
85 to 90 percent
Kendra just attended a sales conference in Baltimore. She must now write a report summarizing her conference. What advice should she follow?
Begin her report by identifying the event.
Which of the following is the best advice about the use of direct quotations in a report?
Beware of overusing quotations because you may appear as if you have no ideas of your own.
Brittany is writing a business report about protecting workplace data and will be conducting an interview with a data security expert. What is the best advice you can give her?
Brittany should complete all these steps. Rationale: Brittany should follow all these tips. She should also bring what she needs to take notes, dress professionally, use her body language to convey respect, adopt a courteous and respectful attitude, watch the time, end graciously, and send a thank-you note a day or two after the interview.
Tanika must prepare a formal report detailing the findings of a year-long study of her company's new wellness program. In this report she must discuss employee absenteeism before and after the program's implementation. What type of organizational pattern will she likely use?
Compare/Contrast
Jeremy has decided to include a deadline for acceptance in his proposal to install energy-efficient workstations for a local manufacturer. In which section should Jeremy place the deadline?
Conclusion and authorization
What should be included in the staffing section of an informal proposal?
Credentials and expertise of project leaders
Which of the following is the best statement of purpose for a report?
Establish a wellness incentive program for all employees. Rationale: The best purpose statement is "Establish a wellness incentive program for all employees" because it begins with an action verb (Establish).
What information should be included in the introduction of a formal report?
Explanation of the problem
**In which of the following types of reports should you announce your decision immediately in the opening?
Feasibility Rationale: Feasibility reports should announce the decision being advised immediately in the opening. They should then provide a description of the background and problem if necessary, discuss the benefits of the proposal, describe the problems that may result, include the costs associated with the proposal, and show the time frame necessary for implementing the proposal.
**__________________ are visual representations of data or information that can easily be embedded into blogs and posts on social media.
Infographics
How do informational reports and analytical reports differ?
Informational reports emphasize facts; analytical reports emphasize reasoning and conclusions.
When you organize an informational report directly, in what order should the ideas be presented?
Introduction/background, facts/findings, and summary
Your department needs a new copier, and your job is to research the options. Based on your research, you have selected an all-in-one machine that you believe will be cost effective and will perform well. What kind of report would you write to present your findings?
Justification/recommendation report
You are writing a short informal report that you will send to one of your customers. Which format would be most appropriate?
Letter format
What type of graphic illustrates changes in data over time?
Line chart
What is the best advice to follow when developing a bibliographic list of sources for a formal report?
List the sources in alphabetical order. Rationale: When developing a bibliographic list of sources, arrange all published and unpublished sources in alphabetical order. In addition, title the page "Works Cited" when using the MLA format or "References" when using the APA format. Regardless of the documentation format, include the author, title, publication, date of publication, page number, and other significant data for all ideas or quotations used in the report.
**Which of the following are considered secondary research sources?
Magazines
*Sondra works for a development firm and must explain to a customer the results of a year-long study of potential sites for new stores. In what format should she develop this report?
Manuscript format
You are writing a short informal report that will stay inside your organization. Which format would be most appropriate?
Memo or e-mail format
What is the best advice for assessing the credibility of a Web page?
Perform all these tasks when assessing the credibility of a Web page. Rationale: Because information found on the Web can be published by anyone, you must assess the credibility of a Web page by examining its currency, authority, content, and accuracy.
Which statement about pie charts is most accurate?
Pie charts are most appropriate for showing percentages.
Yolanda must include a long table in a report she is preparing on employee Internet use. What advice should she follow when creating the table?
Place the table as close as possible to its text discussion.
**Which of the following is not an effective strategy when paraphrasing?
Repeat the grammatical structure of the original, replacing words with synonyms.
Which of the following sentences demonstrates active-voice verbs?
Research indicates a correlation between strong writing skills and promotions.
Which of the following is the best advice to follow when writing a summary?
State the main idea or purpose as well as the source of the document being summarized.
Your current assignment is to condense a 200-page government policy report on oil drilling in Alaska into a shorter report for Sierra Club members to read. What kind of informational report would you most likely write?
Summary
Which of the following statements would need to be documented in a report?
The Fujita-Pearson tornado scale rates tornadoes with wind speeds of 261 to 318 miles per hour as F5 storms.
Which of the following is the best advice when using graphics in reports?
Use colored graphics to add visual interest Rationale: The best advice is to use colored graphics to add visual interest. However, use some restraint with color. Too much color or decorations can be confusing to readers.
Which of the following constructions uses the best writing style for an informal report?
We're pleased to announce the selection of Peck Builders as general contractor for our new office complex.
**Which of the following is an example of an open-ended survey question?
What should the bookstore do about plastic bags?
**Your first step to writing an effective business report is
determining its purpose.
The body of a formal report should
discuss, analyze, interpret, and evaluate the research findings or solution to the problem.
Yardstick reports
examine problems with two or more solutions against set criteria.
**A(n) ______________________ summary provides the key points of a long report, proposal, or business plan.
executive Rationale: An executive summary summarizes a long report, proposal, or business plan. It covers only what management needs to know.
Most informational reports are written
for a neutral or receptive audience.
Primary research data can be defined as
information gained from firsthand experience and observation.
Reports that describe periodic, recurring activities or situational, nonrecurring events are
informational reports.
Plagiarism
is the act of using others' ideas without proper documentation or by paraphrasing poorly.
**Graphics are important in business reports because
readers grasp meaning from visuals more quickly than from text.
The budget in a proposal should
reflect careful research because a proposal is a legal contract.
A business would most likely write a request for proposal to
renovate offices.
**A newspaper article citing student input about the growing popularity of caffeinated energy drinks on college campuses would be considered a ________________ information source.
secondary
Although researchers are increasingly using electronic data, you should learn to also use print resources because
some data is available only in print.
Headings that provide specific information about the content of a report section are called
talking headings.
Chronological organization arranges ideas by
time
**The most efficient means of investigating past performance and methods used to solve previous problems in your workplace is to
visit company records and files.
