Exam 5: Creating Effective Business Messages

In a business message, the function of a call to action is to

Jorge, the shipping manager at Durable Products, writes a memo proposing that that they stop using RoadHog Trucking Company and ship everything by L.B. Haines. The reason he gives is that two of the accounts that have been shipping by L.B. Haines during the last year increased their orders by more than 10%, so he is certain that switching trucking firms will cause other accounts to grow too. The executives of the company do not accept Jorge's suggestion. Why was his memo unconvincing?

George, the marketing manager at Regal, believes that an employee should always act ethically and should also report instances of unethical behavior that he or she encounters. This belief held by George is an example of a(n)

Which of the following is something an excellent business writer would do?

Use either/or logic to strengthen business positions.

Extensive use of the I-voice in a business message

Sending mixed signals is most likely to

Describe the deductive approach of setting up business messages. Give a specific example.

What is slanting? Is it advisable to use it while writing business messages?

A business message that primarily relies on the _____ shows that the message is self-centered.

What do the deductive approach and inductive approach to structuring business messages have in common?

Lorraine, the HR manager at BGH Garden Pot Manufacturing, analyzes the problem of increasing employee turnover and concludes that upgrading the employee benefit programs would help control the situation. While preparing her report, Lorraine states that upgrading the company's employee benefit program would reduce employee turnover because a nearby large investment firm used the same strategy to solve a similar problem. However Lorraine's message failed to convince the decision makers at BGH. Which of the following is most likely to be the reason behind this failure?

Meta message is best defined as

_____ involve ranking or assigning importance to things, such as projects, goals, and tasks.

Typically, tone influences readers over the entire course of a message.

Carlton finds that a geographic restructuring would have a positive effect on his insurance company and increase its efficiency. He draws up a report for the board of directors in which he mentions that separate departments should be set up for each of the company's 10 sales territories. Which of the following statements is most likely to increase the positivity of his proposition?

Values of readers are likely to shift more often than their priorities.

In all business messages, communicators should ideally aim at

While writing business messages, one should find ways to avoid terms that unnecessarily focus on differences.

Which of the following techniques is most likely to make business messages more positive?