The term corporate culture refers to Custom and In the first step of the communication process, the sender Essay

1. Which of the following is not one of the four main ways to improve business communication?
a. Acknowledge the importance of the situation.
b. Minimize distractions.
c. Adopt an audience-centered approach.
d. Provide constructive feedback.
2. The term corporate culture refers to
a. the number of organizational levels within a corporation.
b. the extent to which corporations dominate a particular culture.
c. the mixture of values, traditions, and habits that give a company its atmosphere and personality.
d. a company’s sponsorship of events such as concerts and plays.
3. In the first step of the communication process, the sender
a. decides what to say.
b. chooses a communication channel.
c. has an idea.
d. chooses a communication medium.
4. A communication channel is
a. chosen based partly on the formality of your message.
b. the specific method chosen for sending a message, such as e-mail, a
memo, or a phone call.
c. a means for transmitting your message.
d. all of the above.
5. In the communication process all of the following occur except
a. the receiver decodes the message.
b. the sender transmits the message.
c. the receiver has an idea.
d. the receiver gets the message.
6. A common mistake in holding meetings is
a. sticking too closely to the agenda.
b. not inviting enough participants.
c. circulating the agenda too far in advance.
d. not having an agenda.
7. The key to productive meetings is careful planning that addresses
a. purpose.
b. participants.
c. location and agenda.
d. all of the above.
8. A meeting agenda
a. is a formality that most groups skip these days.
b. should be circulated before the meeting, providing participants with
enough time to prepare.
c. should be general rather than specific.
d. is only a guideline, and deviations are common and expected.
9. Use of parliamentary procedure
a. tends to slow meetings down.
b. contributes to dissent among participants.
c. helps meetings run more smoothly.
d. is only useful for highly formalized, important meetings with more than a dozen participants.
10. The best-known guide to parliamentary procedure is the same as
a. SEC Standards of Ethics.
b. Roberts Rules of Order.
c. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
d. mediation.
Final Examination
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Business Communications
11. When conducting a meeting
a. if some people are too quiet, leave them alone; they probably have nothing to contribute.
b. if some people dominate the conversation, let them do so, since
they are probably the most knowledgeable attendees.
c. try to simply act as an observer, and let the meeting “run itself.”
d. do none of the above.
12. Cultural differences in nonverbal communication can influence
a. greetings.
b. attitudes toward personal space.
c. attitudes toward touching.
d. all of the above.
13. To learn as much as you can about a culture
a. read books and articles about the culture.
b. sample newspapers, magazines, music, and movies of that culture.
c. study the languages of the culture.
d. do all of the above.
14. If you will be living in another country where English is not the official language but you will be doing business in English, you
a. will not need to learn that country’s language.
b. should learn only those words that are absolutely necessary for
getting around.
c. will show respect by making every effort to learn the language.
d. should only deal with natives who can speak English.
15. Letters from Japanese businesspeople tend to be than those written in the United States.
a. more direct
b. less direct
c. less interesting
d. shorter
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Final Examination
Business Communications
16. When writing for multicultural audiences, it’s important to
a. be brief.
b. be clear.
c. address international correspondence properly.
d. do all of the above.
17. Telephone calls are
a. considered an outdated medium by many businesspeople.
b. now acceptable only for external communication.
c. still a vital communication link for many organizations.
d. no longer practical when compared to e-mail.
18. Which of the following electronic media would be best for sending a brief,
unambiguous message that does not require an immediate response?
a. videoconferencing
b. voice mail
c. videotape
d. CD-ROM
19. PDF is a
a. widely used format for sending documents electronically.
b. popular telephone connectivity service.
c. highly technical videoconferencing program.
d. type of voice-to-text translation software.
20. In part, media richness refers to
a. the cost of sending a message through a particular medium.
b. the popularity of a specific medium.
c. a medium’s ability to facilitate feedback.
d. the difficulties involved with using a particular medium.
21. The richest communication medium is
a. a phone call.
b. a memo.
c. an e-mail.
d. a face-to-face conversation.
Final Examination
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Business Communications
22. As a new supervisor, you need to introduce yourself to your team of ten employees.
The best medium for this type of nonroutine message would be
a. a face-to-face meeting.
b. an e-mail.
c. a memo.
d. a conference call.
23. Leaner media are best used for messages that
a. are routine.
b. are highly emotional.
c. are nonroutine.
d. require feedback.
24. Which of the following is a content word?
a. around
b. she
c. jump
d. the
25. The connotative meaning of a word is
a. its dictionary meaning.
b. its literal meaning.
c. all the associations and feelings the word evokes.
d. its objective meaning.
26. Which of the following words are the most abstract?
a. kiss, rose, house
b. red, sharp, piercing
c. kick, move, walk
d. love, beauty, innocence
27. “While you may not agree with Joan’s recommendations, you must admit that
her suggestions would save the company money” is a
a. simple sentence.
b. compound sentence.
c. complex sentence.
d. compound-complex sentence.
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Final Examination
Business Communications
28. “Stock prices have fallen, and foreign investments are far below normal
levels” is a
a. simple sentence.
b. compound sentence.
c. complex sentence.
d. compound-complex sentence.
29. Which of the following is a compound sentence?
a. David is a good worker, and he deserves a raise.
b. Because David is a good worker, he deserves a raise.
c. David, a good worker, deserves a raise.
d. Having been a good worker, David will no doubt receive a raise.
30. “Visible to the eye” is an example of
a. a cliché.
b. redundancy.
c. the passive voice.
d. obsolete language.
31. Starting a sentence with “It is” or “There are” is
a. usually a sign that the sentence could be shorter and more active.
b. perfectly acceptable, and you need not try to rewrite the sentence.
c. a sign of the active voice being used.
d. all of the above.
32. The “replace all” feature in word-processing programs
a. tracks down words or phrases and automatically changes them all.
b. can save you time when revising messages.
c. must be used with care, since it can make undesirable changes.
d. all of the above.
33. A spell checker
a. cannot automatically correct misspelled words as you type.
b. highlights words it doesn’t recognize.
c. suggests synonyms.
d. does all of the above.
34. A computer thesaurus
a. catches punctuation as well as grammar errors.
b. highlights phrases in passive voice.
c. suggests correct spelling.
d. can help you find just the right word for a given situation.
35. Clip art
a. is unprofessional and should not be used in business documents.
b. is not copyrighted.
c. is costly and difficult to use.
d. makes it impossible to attach your document to an e-mail message.
36. Inserting hypertext into documents
a. involves using HTML language to create hyperlinks.
b. is not possible yet, given current technology.
c. allows you to hear sounds over the Internet.
d. requires an expert to handle the programming.
37. E-mail etiquette requires that writers be all of the following except
a. sure every e-mail they send is absolutely necessary
b. respectful of the chain of command
c. careful to keep their emotions in check when composing messages
d. careful to mark all e-mails as “urgent” to make sure they are read.
38. The subject line of an e-mail message
a. is one of the most important parts.
b. helps recipients decide whether or not to read the message.
c. should do more than simply describe the general topic of the message.
d. does all of the above.
39. Which of the following is an example of an effective e-mail subject line?
a. Website redesign is on schedule
b. Status Report
c. Employee Parking
d. All of the above
40. E-mail
a. should follow the convention of other business writing in formal situations.
b. should never be longer than one screen.
c. does not need to be proofread.
d. involves all of the above.
41. When exchanging multiple e-mails with someone on the same topic,
a. use the same subject line to avoid confusion.
b. write a descriptive kind of subject line.
c. modify the subject line with each response.
d. change the topic whenever the date changes but not before.
42. To make e-mail more readable, you should do all of the following except:
a. limit subject lines to describing the general topic of your message.
b. make your message easy to follow.
c. personalize your message.
d. observe e-mail etiquette.
43. If you have mildly negative information to deliver as part of a positive message,
you should
a. put the negative information in a favorable context.
b. just leave it out.
c. put the negative information first.
d. put the negative information last.
44. If you have strongly negative information to deliver as part of a positive message,
you should
a. open with the negative information.
b. use an indirect approach.
c. put the negative information in a separate message.
d. apologize for having to spoil the moment.
45. Assuring the customer that he or she has made a wise purchase is
a. to be avoided in routine positive messages.
b. a good way to build customer relationships.
c. an important part of all negative responses to claim letters.
d. all of the above.
46. The closing of a routine reply or positive message should
a. clearly state who will do what next.
b. explain the reasons for any negative information you have included.
c. offer an explanation for why this decision was made.
d. do all of the above.
47. To clearly and kindly say no, do all of the following except
a. offer a sincere apology.
b. de-emphasize the bad news.
c. imply that the audience may someday receive a favorable answer.
d. tell the audience what you can or will do rather than what you cannot
or will not do.
48. Which of the following statements does the best job of delivering the bad
news clearly and kindly?
a. I am sorry to have to tell you that you were not selected for the
position.
b. Because you do not have the experience we clearly listed in the job
posting, we cannot offer you the position.
c. Although you currently do not have the master’s degree that we require
for this position, we would be happy to reconsider your application
once you have completed your degree.
d. Several other applicants were far more qualified for the position than
you were, so we cannot offer you the job.
49. When delivering bad news, wording such as “We must turn down,” “Much as I would like to,” and “We cannot afford to”
a. softens the blow by drawing attention away from the reader and onto the sender.
b. will impress the reader as being straightforward and forceful.
c. is likely to cause pain and anger in the reader.
d. is unavoidable.
50. In the closing of a negative message, you should
a. encourage the person to write or call to discuss the situation further.
b. build goodwill by ending on a positive note.
c. ask for feedback on whether the decision is acceptable to the reader.
d. express concern over possibly losing the reader’s business.