Deck 1: Business Communication, Management, and Success

Question 1

Work requires communication but not nearly as much as in our personal lives.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Life in the early 21^st century is characterized primarily by stability.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

It's now possible for a single person to run a global business from home.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Millions of American workers are becoming eligible to retire, but that shouldn't present a challenge since the workers replacing them share the same values and attitudes.

Question 5

Poor writing skills may be a nuisance, but they have little effect on the bottom line in business.

Question 6

Good writers earn more money than poor writers.

Question 7

Communication affects most but not all levels of work.

Question 8

Literary rates in the U.S. are at an all-time high, so most employers are satisfied with the writing ability of their employees.

Question 9

Good writers can expect to earn about the same money on the job as poor writers.

Question 10

About 20 million people in the U.S. have limited literacy skills.

Question 11

Strong writing ability helps employees to overcome challenges, such as poor attendance or workplace incompetence.

Question 12

The best writers may not be people who have a natural gift for writing.

Question 13

As with any skill, people can learn to improve their writing.

Question 14

Though for a while organizations were downsizing secretaries, today there is more clerical support than a decade ago.

Question 15

Learning to write well is necessary because chances are no one else in the organization will write for you.

Question 16

Since many classrooms use peer review, the audiences for your school writing are at least as large as your audiences for business writing.

Question 17

Because we understand so little about what it takes to be a good writer, learning to write well is virtually impossible.

Question 18

Good business writing is generally more formal than the style usually used for term papers.

Question 19

Effective managers use a fairly narrow range of media and strategies to communicate in the workplace.

Question 20

External audiences can include people who work for your company because you may occasionally contact them by letter at home.

Question 21

Internal audiences are people inside of your organization.

Question 22

Because it's such a powerful tool for getting information to employees, most companies use the grapevine to communicate important messages.

Question 23

There is no dollar amount tied to the cost of writing on the job.

Question 24

Writing costs about $29 a page in business.

Question 25

Building goodwill with a message includes creating a good image of yourself as well as of your organization.

Question 26

Costs for business writing can include everything from the time it takes to compose the message to the postage required to sending the message out.

Question 27

The only way to measure the cost of communication is when it fails, causing the company to lose money.

Question 28

Your message succeeds when you get the results you want.

Question 29

Most employers consider good communication skills to be important.

Question 30

Employers say they value good writing skills, and the truth of the matter is that many go to great expense to make sure their employees write well.

Question 31

U.S. states spend about $20 million annually to provide remedial writing training to employees.

Question 32

Corporations may spend $3.1 billion annually to fix problems from writing deficiencies.

Question 33

You would be wise to not assume your boss will proofread all correspondence that leaves your department.

Question 34

Secretaries are generally available to handle your writing; therefore, you won't likely need to edit and proofread your documents.

Question 35

Downsizing and voice mail have cut support staffs nationwide, and as a result most workers in government and business draft and revise all their own correspondence.

Question 36

All good business and administrative documents use the same style.

Question 37

Businesspeople are less likely than college instructors to read your documents thoroughly because skimming is more common in business.

Question 38

Before you write or speak, you should understand the situation.

Question 39

If the draft of a business document does not build goodwill, it should be revised until it does.

Question 40

To evaluate a writing situation, one needs to know only the audience and the situation.

Question 41

PAIBOC stands for purpose, audience, information, benefits, objections, and concepts.

Question 42

In every organization, communication is the way people get

A) Their points across.
B) Work done.
C) Recognized for their contributions.
D) All of the above.
E) Only A and B

Question 43

Your audiences in business communication

A) are more likely to read your message than academic audiences.
B) are less likely to read your message than academic audiences.
C) are likely to read you message about the same as academic audiences.
D) couldn't care less about your message.
E) None of the above.

Question 44

Which of the following is a quality of a good message?

A) It is clear.
B) The information is correct.
C) The message builds goodwill.
D) All of the necessary information is present.
E) All of the above.

Question 45

Which of the following is a form of verbal communication?

A) Face-to-face conversations.
B) E-mail.
C) Photos.
D) All of the above.
E) Only two of the above.

Question 46

The style for school writing usually is

A) more formal than business writing.
B) less formal but more interesting than business writing.
C) affected by the kind of document you're writing.
D) fun, light, and interesting.
E) None of the above.

Question 47

According to the recent studies, the cost of the average 1-page business letter is

A) $11.73.
B) $22.13.
C) $23.12.
D) $24.23.
E) None of the above.

Question 48

Bad writing wastes time by

A) Taking more time to read.
B) Requiring less time to revise but more rounds of revision.
C) Delaying action while the reader asks for more information.
D) All of the above.
E) Only A and C

Question 49

According to Watson Wyatt Worldwide, companies with the most effective programs for communication with their employees

A) Showed greater returns to shareholders.
B) Enjoyed lower employer turnover.
C) Saw a 38% increase in their stocks' market value.
D) All of the above.
E) Only A and B

Question 50

A client calls for more information after receiving your message about getting a refund. Which of the following criteria for good business writing is MOST problematic in your message?

A) Being clear.
B) Being complete.
C) Being correct.
D) Saving the reader's time.
E) Building goodwill.

Question 51

Better writing helps you to accomplish all of the following EXCEPT

A) Saving time.
B) Making your efforts more effective.
C) Communicating your points more clearly.
D) Building goodwill.
E) Creating positive emphasis about your product or service.

Question 52

Whether a message meets the five criteria for good business and administrative writing depends on the interactions among

A) The writer.
B) The audience.
C) The purposes of the message.
D) The situation.
E) All of the above.

Question 53

When you're faced with a business communication situation, you need to develop a solution that will both solve the organization problem and

A) Make everyone happy.
B) Save the organization money.
C) Meet the psychological needs of the people involved.
D) Create more loyal customers.
E) None of the above.

Question 54

When determining the purposes of your message, you should consider which of the following questions?

A) What must this message do to solve the organizational problem?
B) How much does your audience know about the topic?
C) What negative elements must your message overcome?
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 55

When analyzing the context for a message, you should draw on which of the following?

A) Your experiences.
B) Your educational courses.
C) Your common sense.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 56

Explain the disadvantages to relying on form letters for communication.

Question 57

Explain how school writing and business communication differ in the use of visuals.

Question 58

List and explain the four flawed claims people make about getting by in the workplace without writing.

Question 59

Writing in business costs ________ a page.

Question 60

A document may ________ from writer to superior to writer to another superior to writer again many times.

Question 61

Unlike business communication, school writing often rewards ________ paragraphs.

Question 62

The three basic purposes of business and administrative communication are to inform, to request or persuade, and to build _________.

Question 63

Better writing helps make your efforts more ________.

Question 64

Before you write or speak, you need to understand the ________.