Communication and Following

Purposes of communication
The communication process model
Channels of communication
Face-to-face communication
Encoding, interference, interception, poor decoding
Cultural differences
Stereotyping
Cultural space requirements
Cultural concepts of time

Teams
Team communication levels
Maslow’s hierarchy
Johari Window
Kinesic messages
Meetings
Roles of individuals in meetings
McGregor’s Theory Y
Downward communication
Disseminating bad news
Upward communication, vertical communication

Empathy in business writing
Receiver-focused business writing
Sensitivity to bias
Condescending, euphemisms, dysphemisms, connotative (words)
Communicating about disabilities
Communicating negative ideas
Passive voice
Active voice
Independent clause
Simple sentences

Outlining a letter
Indirect/inductive sequence
Enumerated lists in documents
Parallel construction, subject-verb agreement, gerund use, gender-biased language
Writing specific messages
Objective and effective messages
Avoiding clichés
Opening sentence for a response to a request for information
Improvements in sentences
Redundancy
Preciseness
Eliminating unnecessary words

Grammatical errors
Dangling modifier
Expletive
Wordiness

Revising
Proofreading
Writing-analysis software programs
Computer’s spell check feature
A business-person’s vocabulary

Content areas for study, Chapters 5-8:

1. Advantage of the deductive pattern in good-news or routine letters.

2. Which is the most appropriate beginning for a routine claim letter?

3. Which of the following is the best opening sentence for a favorable response to a claim letter?

4. In a letter responding to a claim letter, the first sentence is “Your racket was restrung and returned today.” The final sentence of that letter is “For swimming, golfing, and skiing equipment, see the attached folder.” The final sentence is an example of

5. In a letter that approves an adjustment, which would be the most appropriate ending?

6. Which of the following is the most effective statement of apology?

7. Your manager asked you to write a letter responding to a German company’s request for information. What guidelines should you keep in mind as you write?

8. Eric received a letter from Seiji, a Japanese business associate, who stated that he would be able to deliver products at a very competitive price by a stated deadline. However, the deadline has passed, and Eric is still waiting for the products. How should Eric react?

9. Which of the following statement is true concerning cultural communication styles?

10. The decision of whether to use inductive or deductive order in a business message is based on

Chapter 6

11. Your objective in writing a bad-news message is best stated by which of the following?

12. In the inductive pattern of bad-news messages, the letter or memo should start with

13. If bad news appears in the first sentence of a letter

14. Which of the following is the best reply to a request for a favor?

15. Amanda is a marketing manager who has been asked by a professor to speak to her class about careers in marketing. However, since she is in the middle of a major product launch, her schedule is extremely busy, and she must refuse his request. What would be a satisfactory end to her letter?

16. Melanie is responding to a request for a claim. Which of the following is NOT recommended for a letter refusing to grant a claim?

17. Samantha, a customer service representative for the manufacturer of Marathon brand faucets, receives a large order from a small contractor. Which of the following is the best way for Samantha to begin a letter saying the company does not sell directly to end users?

18. Letters denying credit are different from other types of bad-news letters in that they

19. Which of the following is NOT required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act for a credit bureau that supplies information to companies that grant credit?

20. Which of the following contains resale?

Chapter 7

21. E-mail as a communication channel would NOT be appropriate for which of the following situations?

22. The subject line should do all of the following, except

23. As vice president of sales, you would like to send company personnel a good-news message about the company’s first quarter sales results. Which of the following would be the best subject line for your memo?

24. You are writing a memo with a subject line that reads “Product Launch Timetable Meeting.” Which of the following would be the best first line to your memo? 25. You receive an e-mail message from the account executive in your advertising agency. At the end of her message is her full name, her company’s name and address, her e-mail address, and her telephone number. This is an example of a

26. Care should be taken in distribution without the author’s consent of text and graphics acquired via the Internet, because such materials may be protected under

27. Which of the following is NOT a principle set forth by Fair Information Practices?

28. According to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, firms may check the e-mail messages of their employees

29. Our right to privacy is protected by all but which one of the following?

30. You are faced with the task of writing a memo telling all company employees that the cost of health insurance premiums will increase 12 percent, beginning with the next paycheck. You should

Chapter 8

31. The central selling point

32. Which of the following is the suggested four-step sequence for an inductive outline?

33. Which of the following is correct concerning the use of the four-step outline for persuasive letters?

34. Which of the following is the best sentence for getting the reader to take action?

35. Which of the following best demonstrates empathy?

36. Which of the following would be the most effective action-request statement?

37. Which of the following is the best beginning to a letter asking for completion of a survey?

38. Which of the following sentences provides the best incentive for consumers to complete and return a survey about laundry detergents?

39. How are effective persuasive memos different from routine memos?

40. Which of the following is the best call-to-action sentence for a persuasive memo to employees for contributions to the United Way fund campaign?

41. The AIDA formula stands for

42. Ethical persuasion involves

43. Which of the following is a correct statement concerning action orientation in persuasive messages?

44. Which statement best describes the appropriateness of the following product claim? “Viruscan is the best virus defense product available. It offers the most sophisticated and comprehensive protection for your data.”

45. Which of the following is true concerning claims made to companies?

Appendix A

46. Justified margins should

47. Open punctuation

48. Which of the following applies to the correct use of a company name in the signature block?

49. What is the appropriate manner for signing a memorandum with a traditional format?

50. Your company has a policy of using the modified block format for letters with indented paragraphs and mixed punctuation. You have been given the authority to modify this policy to reflect the efficient keyboarding approach without eliminating any standard letter parts. What is your best recommendation to meet this objective?