Deck 8: Writing Nonroutine Reports

Question 1

Writing an executive summary requires the ability to condense a large amount of data.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Employees' use of social media is hindered when companies adopt a Web participation policy.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

An executive summary should not describe the writer's research activities.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Some companies follow Twitter to learn what customers think of them without participating in Twitter.
B. Multiple Choice - For the following items, select the most appropriate choice (a-d).

Question 5

A feasibility report generally does not include a recommendation.

Question 6

Today, social media are almost universally accepted as a way of doing business.

Question 7

A report analyzing the potential market for a proposed product is an example of a feasibility report.

Question 8

Small businesses make greater use of Twitter than medium and large organizations.

Question 9

Which statement is the BEST guide for feasibility reports?

A) Include conclusions; exclude recommendations.
B) Include both conclusions and recommendations.
C) Include a recommendation at/near the beginning.
D) Include a recommendation at the end if it's negative.

Question 10

Which statement BEST describes nonroutine reports?

A) Business employees prepare them frequently.
B) They are more important than routine reports.
C) The category includes exception reports and feasibility reports.
D) Only lower-level employees write these reports to superiors.

Question 11

An interview report should include a statement about when, where, and how the interview was conducted; but, no comments about the experience.

Question 12

When a manager must make a decision about a problem or difficult situation, he or she may ask for-

A) a staff report.
B) a proposal.
C) a justification report.
D) any of these reports (a-c)

Question 13

Nonroutine reports are more important that routine reports in the management of a business.

Question 14

The objective of a business proposal is to get someone to act.

Question 15

An exception report conveys information about deviations from the normal operations of a business.

Question 16

A justification report and an exception report have a similar purpose.

Question 17

The inverted pyramid structure for a press release ensures that key points appear at the beginning of the report.

Question 18

A business proposal should be presented only in response to an RFP.

Question 19

A sales representative failed to call on a prominent customer because the representative was ill on the day the call was scheduled. This situation calls for a-

A) justification report.
B) production report.
C) progress report.
D) proposal.

Question 20

A trip report is an example of a nonroutine report.

Question 21

Select one of the following social media quotations.* In a tweet (140 characters), memo, or e-mail to your instructor, interpret the quotation based on your knowledge of social media as well as any experience you may have with it.
"The goal of social media is to turn customers into a volunteer marketing army." - Anonymous
"Don't say anything online that you wouldn't want plastered on a billboard with your face on it." - Erin Bury
"A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is - it is what consumers tell each other it is." - Scott Cook
"Twitter is a great place to tell the world what you're thinking before you've had a chance to think about it." - Chris Pirillo

Question 22

Which statement LEAST adequately describes an executive summary?

A) a summary appearing in a formal report
B) a summary written by an employee for his or her supervisor
C) a summary of key points in one or more reports/journal articles
D) a summary prepared in easy-to-read format

Question 23

Which statement gives INCORRECT information about proposals?

A) convinces reader to approve the proposed action
B) may address a change in policy or procedure
C) should request general, not specific action
D) may be requested or unrequested

Question 24

Twitter is a real-time source of research data. Which phrase below is the best definition of real-time?

A) data collected quickly and easily
B) customers relate thoughts in short "tweets"
C) no delay between data collection and data analysis
D) customers respond to research questions while socializing online

Question 25

Jill Anchor, the Director for Customer Relations at a local department store (supply a name), asked you to propose a one-day workshop on anger management for the store's customer service associates. The major problem is that the associates find it difficult to deal with angry customers who sometimes become verbally abusive, on the telephone and in person. Prepare a proposal for Ms. Anchor.
• Topics to be covered: recognizing an angry customer, maintaining your cool, depersonalizing the situation
• Training methods: lectures by consultant and role-playing by trainees; all training materials supplied by consultant
• Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (15-minute break at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.; lunch from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.) on day agreed upon by you and the client
• Location: at client's training center
• Cost: $900 including materials supplied by consultant.

Question 26

The Chamber of Commerce of your city sponsors a leadership program. The intent of the program is to identify young professionals who have potential to be leaders in the business community. The Chamber offers to those people a nine-month training program in which they learn about the businesses in the community, the government agencies, and how business and government can work together. In addition, the young professionals are paired with an older community leader in a mentoring relationship to help them learn more about the community and how they can contribute to it.
The latest persons chosen to participate in the program are Nancy Ruiz from Hunter, Jordan, Taylor & Logan, Attorneys at Law; Yan Hong from Western Electronics; Brian Singh from Bank of the East; and Tim Stanley from Stanley Motor Imports.
As community relations officer of the Chamber of Commerce, write a press release containing this news.

Question 27

Which of the following is a potential use of Twitter in a business?

A) Get new product ideas.
B) Get feedback on products from users.
C) Address customers' complaints.
D) All of the above (a-c).

Question 28

Which of the following situations would MOST likely raise an ethical issue with respect to proposals?

A) A payroll-processing firm sends an unsolicited proposal to a doctor's office proposing use of the firm to manage the office payroll.
B) A doctor asks the sales representative for a payroll-processing firm to submit a proposal to manage payroll for the doctor's office.
C) A nonprofit agency's board member proposes to the executive director that she will conduct teambuilding workshops for the agency's staff for half of her normal fee.
D) The executive director of a nonprofit agency asks a human resources consultant to propose a series of teambuilding workshops for the agency's staff.

Question 29

Select one of the nonroutine reports discussed in Chapter 8. Explain its purpose and describe a situation in which it might be used.

Question 30

Which statement LEAST adequately describes a press release?

A) a report to the public
B) a report written in response to a crisis
C) a report organized in inverted pyramid form
D) a report released to one or more mass media organizations