THE COMMUNICATION CYCLE FORMS OF COMMUNICATION ASSIGNMENT 1 Question 1 The most common forms of communication in business are telephone e-mail letter memorandum fax face-toface communication. For each of the situations given below, say which one method of communication is likely to be the most effective in resolving the problem, and also say why in each case. (a) a colleague has failed to turn up at work (b) an order of goods has arrived from one of your regular suppliers, but is two units short of the number you ordered (c) one of your managers at an overseas conference has contacted you to say that she has left behind in her office all the papers she needs for the conference (d) you have to introduce your company to ten new clients, all of which are businesses (e) two of your subordinates have had an argument in the office in front of members of the public, who are also your customers (f) the office canteen will be closed for two days because of essential maintenance work. How will you inform your workforce (g) one of your suppliers in the same town asks you to clarify urgently the details of your most recent order (h) your company is relocating to new premises. How will you inform your clients (i) you wish to apply for a promotion that has been advertised in the same organisation (j) one of your subordinates has been off work on five separate occasions within the previous six weeks. (2 marks each) (Total 20 marks) Question 2 Your manager has asked you to send him a memorandum stating the advantages and disadvantages of written communication. (Total 20 marks) Question 3 (a) Summarise the main points of the following article in not more than 200 words. (13 marks) In recent years, there have been growing fears about the effects on the Earth of a phenomenon known as global warming. Now, these fears have been confirmed by an official study. A panel of some 3000 scientists, called the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), was set up by the United Nations to investigate whether or not global warming is a reality, and to assess what its likely impact might be. The study was by far the most complete investigation ever undertaken into the Earths climate. The research lasted over three years in total, and was based on millions of measurements taken from locations all over the planet. The researchers measured rainfall and average temperatures on every continent, including Antarctica, in every type of landscape and at every altitude. They entered their data into sophisticated computer programs, which analysed the figures and produced projections for the future. The conclusions do not look good for the planet. Within two generations, they say, if nothing is done to check what seems to be an unstoppable rise in the Earths temperatures, the consequences will be devastating for life as we know it. Across the continent of Africa, they predict, deserts will continue to spread and there will be less agricultural land for the rapidly expanding population. In Asia, climate change will dry up much land that is currently fertile, so crop production will decrease and famines will be certain. In Arabia it is predicted that fresh water will be in such short supply that wars will be fought over who controls it. Australia will also become a land of drought. As temperatures rise, the polar icecaps will continue to melt, and sea levels will rise. The Antarctic icesheet holds more than fifty percent of all the Earths fresh water, and if this melts the worlds sea levels will rise by as much as a metre. The consequences of this will be disastrous on a scale never seen by mankind before. Low-lying countries like Bangladesh, with a population of over one hundred million, will be completely drowned. Most of Holland and Florida will disappear. All coastal areas throughout the world will be flooded, and since it is estimated that half of humanity lives in coastal regions, we can see what enormous disruption that will cause. Coral reefs will be destroyed, and a huge number of species, on land and in the sea, will become extinct as their habitats disappear forever. This is frightening. Yet, despite these scientific conclusions, there are still people who say that throughout the history of the planet Earth, its temperature has fluctuated. Todays deserts were once fertile, and what is now land was sea millions of years ago. Therefore, they say, there is no cause for alarm. But what makes this climate change different from any other in history or pre-history is that it is not caused by changes in the Earth itself, or by the effects of the Sun. Todays rise in temperature is entirely due to the actions of one species Man. Our relentless burning of carbon-based fossil fuels such as coal and oil, especially by the industrialised nations of the northern hemisphere, has produced huge amounts of so-called greenhouse gases which are preventing the Earths natural cooling mechanism from functioning. Instead of excess heat rising through the atmosphere to escape into space, these gases act as an enormous blanket in the upper atmosphere, trapping heat underneath. The IPCC panels report contains warnings to governments all over the world about what will happen if they do not take swift action to halt and then to reverse the trend. The problem is that with the Earths population rising at a faster rate than ever before, and with demand for water, food and energy greater than it has ever been before, no-one knows if we can actually reverse the process. No-one knows if mankind actually has a future. (646 words) (b) Suggest a good title for the passage. (1 mark) (c) What are your views on global warming Do you think that it is a real problem, or should we not worry about it Give supporting reasons for your views, and do not simply copy out the points made in the passage. (6 marks) (Total 20 marks) Question 4 Identify and write explanatory notes on any five barriers to communication (Total 20 marks) INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS COMMUNICATION NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION INTERVIEWING ASSIGNMENT 2 Question 1 (a) Describe clearly, in words only, what happens in a communication cycle. (8 marks) (b) Support your explanation in (a) with a complete, properly labelled diagram of a communication cycle. (5 marks) (5) Using different examples from those mentioned in (c), identify three barriers to communication that can be caused by the sender of an oral message, and state in each case what the sender should do to overcome the barrier. (7 marks) (Total 20 marks) Question 2 Using appropriate examples, discuss the way in which body language might be interpreted in the process of business communication. (20 marks) Question 3 Businesses use both written and oral means of communication. Discuss the relative merits and drawbacks of EACH of these means of communication. (20 marks) Question 4 The paragraph below contains information about your friends offi ce chair. He wants to advertise that this chair is for sale in the local newspaper. He has asked you to help him by writing the advertisement for him. The newspaper will charge a fee according to the number of words he uses, so he has decided to use a maximum of 50 words to tell people about the main features of the chair, its price, and how to contact him. Ive decided that I want to buy a new offi ce chair for myself, so Im going to sell the one Im using just now. Ill be quite sorry to see it go because its a really comfortable chair. Its two years old, and I use it only when Im doing my exam studying - so thats not very often Its in very good condition, and it is upholstered in a hard-wearing dark blue fabric. Im going to buy a new one in green. There are no dirty marks on the fabric, by the way. It is a proper office chair, with arms and a high back, and it is designed to be comfortable even after sitting for eight hours (although I dont often sit for eight hours studying). It has fi ve castors small wheels so it glides easily over the fl oor. The chair has three adjustment levers. The seat of the chair can be adjusted to the most suitable working height, and you can also tilt the angle of the seat to make it as comfortable as possible. The back of the seat can also be adjusted forward or backward of the vertical position. There is a wheel at the side of the seat, and if you turn it you can change the shape of the chairback to give you more support in your lower back. I have found this to be a great benefi t because this lumbar support, as they call it, prevents me from getting a sore back when I have been sitting at my desk for a long time. The chair cost me 100 when it was new, and I want about 25 for it now. I can arrange for it to be delivered by courier to any local address for an extra 10. I can be contacted by phone or e-mail. (304 words) Required Using only the information given, write the advertisement in a maximum of 50 words. You do not need to write in complete sentences. The fi rst two words of the 50 will be For Sale. (20 marks) INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS COMMUNICATION BUSINESS LETTERS LISTENING ASSIGNMENT 3 In the passage which follows, twenty-five words have been removed. Read the passage carefully, and decide which word from the list at the end best fits each gap. Write your answers in your answer book in the form of a list numbered 1-25 (for example 1 - business). Do not write out the passage. Twenty of the words in the list are not used at all. Do not use any word more than once. Most people who take ABE examinations will, once they have (1), work in an office. No two offices are exactly the same, but there are some general rules which can be applied to office work, and an (2) of them can make life much easier. There are two main types of office design, known as open-plan and (3). The open-plan office is effectively one big room, with the workspace of individual staff defined by low (4). These offices can be noisy, but they also have the benefits of allowing staff to pass (5) quickly, and they give good opportunities for staff to build good, (6) working relationships. A manager in an open-plan office is able to (7) staff more easily, and is more aware of how the work is going. Such a manager will tend to adopt the management style known as (8), because (s)he will be (9) to the staff and will tend to have a friendly relationship with them. This has the obvious drawback that if staff become too (10) with their manager, they could lose respect for him or her. Respect is, in fact, one of the most important (11) for anyone who works with other people. One must be able to work with colleagues who can all be very different, with differing standards of behaviour, differing attitudes and opinions. Showing respect does not just consist of saying please and thank you. One shows respect by listening when someone is talking, or by not (12) colleagues when they are working, by making (13) noise. A major part of office life is meetings, and it is particularly here that respect must be shown if the meeting is to achieve its goals. The (14), who is in charge of the meeting, must be respected by the (15) who attend, and (s)he must also show respect for each of them. Thus, no-one should seek to (16) the meeting, but everyone should let the opinions of others be heard. It is the duty of the person in charge to ensure that everyone who wants to (17) is given the opportunity. A meeting must be controlled with regard to time, and must follow the (18) that is set, allowing an (19) amount of time to discuss each topic. Normally, at meetings, there will be a secretary who will act as a (20), writing down the important contributions which will later be written up as the (21), and will serve as the (22) record of the meeting. A short, relatively (23) meeting that is used to pass on information orally to staff is called a (24). This will (25) happen at the start of the working day. Question 2 Electronic mail can be both beneficial and problematic for an organisation. Discuss this statement. (25 marks) Question 3 The following advertisement for a job vacancy has appeared in your local newspaper. Read it carefully, then respond to it by writing a letter of application. Your letter should not include your CV, as you will enclose that separately. ABCD Bank is looking to recruit a trainee manager to work in the Customer Service Section at its Head Offi ce. Are you the right person If so, you will be _ Educated to at least ABE Certifi cate standard _ Able to demonstrate excellent written and oral communication skills _ Prepared to work hard and show commitment to the bank _ A good team player _ Aware of the needs of customers _ Computer literate. If this is you, then send a letter to Mr Jasper Casper, HR Manager, ABCD Bank Head Offi ce, PO Box 34567, Oldtown, and convince us why you are the person we should appoint. Required Write an application letter to the bank based on the information you have read. (25 marks) Question 4 (a) You have been invited for a job interview. Explain how you will prepare for it. (8 marks) (b) During the interview itself, the way in which you speak can have both positive and negative effects on the interviewers. Explain five ways in which you can positively infl uence an interviewing panel by the way you speak. (10 marks) (c) Assume that you are organising a series of job interviews. There will be a panel of three people conducting the interviews, and you will meet each of the candidates individually. Describe how you will arrange the room in which the interviews will be held. (7 marks) (Total 25 marks) INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS COMMUNICATION INTERVIEW, MEETING VISUAL COMMUNICATION ASSIGNMENT 4 Question 1 Discuss the personal qualities needed to be an effective speaker. 20 Question 2 a) State what is meant by an interview and give FOUR purposes of interviews in a business context. 8 b) You have been offered an interview for a job. Discuss the preparations you would make before the interview. 12 Question 3 a) Write a formally structured letter of complaint concerning a product you have purchased which is faulty. 12 b) Discuss how the seller of the product should respond to your complaint. 8 Question 4 a) Outline the main reasons for recording the minutes of a business meeting. 8 b) Write a set of formal minutes under the appropriate headings. 12 Question 5 The data projector has become very important in recent years as an aid to delivering a talk. Discuss using examples the principal uses of the data projector and consider the advantages and disadvantages of this type of audio-visual aid. 20 INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS COMMUNICATION ROLE OF COMPUTERS WRITTEN COMMUNICATION ASSIGNMENT 5 Question 1 (a) A new trainee has recently joined your firm, but his experience with computers is very limited. You have been asked to explain to him, in clear detail, how to send an e-mail with an attachment. Write out the advice that you will give him, presented in a step-by-step way. (e.g. 1 log on to your screen name by double-clicking it, etc.). (15 marks) (b) Describe briefly what a spreadsheet is, what it is used for, and what its benefits are. (4 marks) (c) Identify three actions that you can take to ensure that the information on your computer is kept safe. In each case, say also how it can be harmful if you have not taken that particular action. (6 marks) (Total 25 marks) Question 2 Imagine that you are applying for a job. (a) When preparing your curriculum vitae (resum), what are the essential pieces of information that you must include (Please give the headings only you are not expected to write out a complete curriculum vitae). (6 marks) (b) When applying for a job, is it preferable to use a letter or an e-mail Give good reasons to support your opinion. (5 marks) (c) Suggest five things you can do to make your written application stand out and be noticed. In each case, say what that point will show about you as a person. In your answer, you should consider the presentation of your application, its content, and the tone in which you write. (10 marks) (d) Some companies like to conduct a preliminary interview over the telephone. Suggest four ways in which, during this conversation, you can impress the person who is interviewing you. (4 marks) (Total 25 marks) Question 3 Carefully read the following information and then answer the questions based on it. You travel on business quite often. Last week you booked a four-star hotel for one night while you were attending a business meeting. Unfortunately, your experience was very unsatisfactory. There were problems with the position of the room, with the facilities, with the food, and with the service you received from the staff. When you left in the morning, you were in a hurry and the manager, Mrs Wang, was not available. You paid the bill, however, and promised that you would inform the manager of your dissatisfaction. (a) Inventing all details as you wish, write a letter to the manager of the hotel describing your experience and requesting action. Try not to be rude or threatening in your tone. Use a fully-blocked format. (15 marks) (b) Why, in these circumstances, is a letter likely to be much more effective than any other form of communication (6 marks) (c) Imagine now that you are the manager of the hotel and have just received this letter. Describe briefly what actions you will take before you reply to it. (4 marks) (Total 25 marks) Question 4 Explain clearly, to a person who has no knowledge of the subject, the differences between (a) LANs and WANs (b) critical listening and casual listening (c) telecommunicating and telecommuting (d) a briefing and a summary (e) a flow chart and a flip chart. (5 marks each) (Total 25 marks) INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS COMMUNICATION ALL TOPICS ASSIGNMENT 6 Question 1 (a) You have recently begun to work in the office of a small company, and your boss is happy with your work. One day last week you told him that you were finding the filing set-up very frustrating as there seemed to be no logic to it, and you often took a long time to find information. Your five colleagues all seem to have their own systems for keeping information. If thats so, your boss replied, then please write a report for me identifying the specific problems and making recommendations on how we can makeour filing system better. Using a proper report format, do as your boss has asked, describing separately your recommendations for both paper and electronic data storage and retrieval. You should not need to use more than two sides of your answer book. (15 marks) (b) Your boss was pleased with your report, and has now come to ask your opinions about appointing a receptionist to the company. The receptionist will greet visitors face to face, and will also be the person who answers the telephone first. Consider how important the role of the receptionist is, and the sort of qualities that a good receptionist will possess. (10 marks) (Total 25 marks) Question 2 Explain what each of the following terms means, and show its relevance to business communication. (a) Search engine (b) Logo (c) Stereotyping (d) Identity theft (e) SIM (5 marks each) (Total 25 marks) Question 3 Every company which sells products or services needs to advertise to its target market. (a) (i) Give an example of a product. (1 mark) (ii) Give an example of a service. (1 mark) (iii) What is meant by a companys target market (2 marks) (b) State briefly what each of the following terms means, and in each case give an example of a situation in which a company might use it. (i) A flyer (ii) A questionnaire (iii) A press release (4 marks each) (c) Explain, giving examples, how an advertiser in a newspaper or magazine can use language and layout in order to help sell a product or service. (9 marks) (Total 25 marks) Question 4 There are four main communication networks Chain, Circle, Star and Wheel. Look at each of the following statements, and state whether it best describes a Chain, Circle, Star or Wheel network. For example, if you think that statement (i) describes a Chain, simply write (i) Chain. (i) This one is the least structured of the four. (ii) This is most likely to be used in vertical communication. (iii) It is the network most often used in brainstorming sessions. (iv) This network cannot exist without feedback to the original sender. (v) It is most likely to be used by a person who likes to be in control of information. (vi) This network is most likely to develop into a grapevine. (vii) This one can never develop into a grapevine. (7 marks) (b) (i) Define the term diagonal communication, and briefly describe a scenario in which diagonal communication will take place. (6 marks) (ii) What is the most likely number of people involved when diagonal communication takes place Is it 2, 3 or more than 3 (1 mark) (c) Using examples, show how vertical communication operates, in both directions. (7 marks) (d) State four important characteristics of a communication grapevine. (4 marks) (Total 25 marks) s )5 a3ux6BQo9OhY xA.@y7w.wGIll Nl XORJKy Jf,tGY
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