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MARKS:80 COURSE:MBA SUB:BUSINESSCOMMUNICATION N.B.:AllcasesareCompulsory. CASENO.1 HowtoProofreadlikeaPro: TipsforcreatingthePerfectDocument Youvecarefullyrevisedandpolishedyourdocument,anditsbeensentofftothe wordprocessingdepartmentoradesignertobeputintofinalform. Youcan breatheasighofrelief,butonlyforthemoment:Youllstillbeproofreading what comes out of the printer. To ensure that any document is errorfree, alwaysproofreadthefinalversion.Followingaresomehintstohelpmakeyour proofreadingmoreeffective. MultiplepassesGothroughthedocumentseveraltimes,focusingona differentaspecteachtime. Thefirstpassmightbetolookforomissions anderrorsincontent;thesecondpasscouldbeforlayout,spacing,and otheraestheticfeatures;afinalpassmightbetocheckfortypographical, grammatical,andspellingerrors. Perceptual tricks Your brain has been trained to ignore transposed letters, improper capitalization, and misplaced punctuation. Try (1) readingeachpagefromthebottomtothetop(startingatthelastwordin

eachline,)(2)Placingyourfingerundereachwordandreadingitsilently, (3)makingaslitinasheetofpaperthatrevealsonlyonelineoftypeata time, and (4) reading the document aloud and pronouncing each word carefully. ImpartialreviewsHaveafriendorcolleagueproofreadthedocumentfor you.Othersarelikelytocatchmistakesthatyoucontinuallyfailtonotice. (Allofushaveblindspotswhenitcomestoreviewingourownwork) Typos Look for the most common typographical errors (typos): transposition(suchasteb),substitution(suchaseconomic),andomission (suchasproductivity) MechanicsWhenlookingforerrorsinspelling,grammar,punctuation, and capitalization, if youre unsure about something, look it up in a dictionary,ausagebook,oranotherreferencework. AccuracyDoublecheckthespellingofnamesandtheaccuracyofdates, addresses, and all numbers (quantities ordered, prices, and so on). It wouldnotdotoorder500stapleswhenyouwantonly50. DistanceIfyouhavetime,setthedocumentasideandproofreaditthe nextday. VigilanceAvoidreadinglargeamountsofmaterialinonesitting,andtry nottoproofreadwhenyouretired. FocusConcentrateonwhatyouredoing. Trytoblockoutdistractions, andfocusascompletelyaspossibleonyourproofreadingtask. CautionTakeyourtime.Quickproofreadingisnotcarefulproofreading. Proofreadingmayrequirepatience,butitaddscreditabilitytoyourdocument. CareerApplications: 1. Whatqualitiesdoesapersonneedtobeagoodproofreader?Are suchqualitiesinborn,orcantheybelearned?

2.

Proofreadthefollowingsentence: applicationofthesemethodsinstoresinSanDeigondCinncinati haveresultedina30dropinrobberiesana50percentdeclingin violencethere,accordingatthedevelopersifthesecuritysystem, Hanoverbrothrs,Inc.

CASENO.2 ACTIONSSPEAKLOUDERTHANWORDSALLAROUND THEWORLD Hewouldntlookmeintheeye.Ifounditdisconertingthathekeptlookingall overtheroombutrarelyatme,saidBarbaraWaltersafterherinterviewwith LibyasColonelMuammaralQadhafi.LikemanypeopleintheUnitedStates, Walters was associating eye contact with trustworthiness, so when Qadhafi withheld eye contact, she felt uncomfortable. In fact Qadhafi was paying Walters a compliment. In Libya, not looking conveys respect, and looking straightatawomanisconsiderednearlyasseriousasphysicalassault. Nonverbalcommunicationvarieswidelybetweencultures,evenbetween subcultures,andthedifferencesstronglyaffectcommunicationintheworkplace. WhetheryouretryingtocommunicatewithyournewAsianAmericanassistant, the Swedish managers who recently bought out your company, the African American college student who won a summer internship with your firm, or representatives from the French company you hope will buy your firms new designs,youreffortswilldependasmuchonphysicalcuesasonverbalones. MostAmericansarentusuallyawareoftheirownnonverbalbehavior,sothey

have trouble understanding the bodylanguageof peoplefromothercultures. Thelistofdifferencesisendless. InThailanditsrudetoplaceyourarmoverthebackofachairinwhich anotherpersonissitting. FinnishfemalestudentsarehorrifiedbyArabgirlswhowanttowalkhand inhandwiththem. Canadianlistenersnodtosignalagreement. Japaneselistenersnodtoindicateonlythattheyhaveunderstood. British listeners stare at the speaker, blinking their eyes to indicate understanding. PeopleintheUnitedStatesaretaughtthatitsimpolitetostare. SaudisacceptforeignersinWesternbusinessattirebutareoffendedby tightfittingclothingandbyshortsleeves. Spaniardsindicateareceptivefriendlyhandshakebyclaspingtheother personsforearmtoformadoublehandshake. Canadiansconsidertouchinganypartofthearmabovethehandintrusive, exceptinintimaterelationships. Itmaytakeyearstoadjustyournonverbalcommunicationtoother cultures,butyoucanchoosefrommanyoptionstohelpyouprepare.Booksand seminarsonculturaldifferencesarereadilyavailable,asaremotionpictures showingawiderangeofcultures.YoucanalwaysrentvideosoffilmsandTV showsfromothercountries. Examiningtheillustrationsinnewsandbusiness magazinescangiveyouanideaofexpectedbusinessdressandpersonalspace. Finally,remainingflexibleandinteractingwithpeoplefromothercultureswho arevisitingorlivinginyourcountrywillgoalongwaytowardloweringthe barrierspresentedbynonverbalcommunication. CareerApplications:

1.

Explainhowwatchingamoviefromanothercountrymighthelp you prepare to interpret nonverbal behavior from that culture correctly.

2.

OneofyourcoworkersisoriginallyfromSaudiArabia.Youlike him,andthetwoofyouworkwelltogether.However,hestandsso close when you speak with him that it makes you very uncomfortable.Doyoutellhimofyourdiscomfort,ordoyoutryto coveritup?

CASENO.3 MASTERINGTHEARTOFCONSTRUCTIVECRITICISM Tobecomebetterwriters,peopleneedtobeevaluated,buttakingcriticism fromothersisoftendifficult.ThewayyoutellsomeoneYoudiditwrongcan destroygoodwillandcooperation,oritcanbuildtherelationshipandhelpthe personlearnfromthemistake,improveperformance,andretainselfesteem.To criticizemoreconstructively,followthesesuggestions: Getallthefactsfirst:Dontaccepthearsayorrumors. Findoutspecificallywhodidorsaidwhat,when,where,why,andhow Dontactinhaste:Neveractwhileyoureangry.Thinkthingsoutbefore youwriteorspeak,andthenexplainyourcriticismcalmly,rationally,and objectively. Phraseyourremarksimpersonally:Criticizethemistake,nottheperson. Focusyourremarksontheactiononly,andanalyzeitthoughtfully. Nevercriticizeinanoffhandmanner:Treatthesituationseriously.Take thetimetostatetheproblemindetail,explainingwhatwaswrongand why.

 Avoidanabusivetone:Ridiculingsomeone,talkingdowntoaperson,or usingsarcasmpreventspeoplefromacceptingwhatyouhavetosay. Make the offense clear : Dont talk in generalities. Be specific about exactlywhatwasdonewrong. Prefacethecriticismwithakindwordoracompliment:Startwithafew words of praise or admiration, saying how much you value the person. Firstthegoodnews,thenthebad. Supplytheanswer:Explainhowtodothingsright. Dontdwellonthe mistake,emphasizehowtocorrectitandhowtoavoidrepeatingit. Askforcooperation:Dontdemandcooperation.Askingmakestheperson feellikeateammemberandprovidesanincentivetoimprove. Limityourselftoonecriticismforeachoffense:Dontdredgeuporrehash pastmistakes.Focusonthecurrentproblem. Endonafriendlynote:Dontconcludebyleavingthingsupintheair,to bediscussedagainlatter. Settlethemnow,andmaketheclosefriendly. Givetheotherpersonapatontheback.Letthelastmemoryofthematter beagoodone. Forgiveandforget:Oncethecriticismhasbeenmade,letthepersonstart withacleanslate.Avoidlookingformoremistakes,andgivethepersona chancetoimprove. Takestepstopreventarecurrence:Followuptomakesurethepersonis actingonyoursuggestionsanddoingthingsright. If you follow these guidelines, constructive criticism can benefit you, your company,andmostimportantthepersonyourecriticizing. CareerApplications:

1.

Thinkbackoverthelessonsyouvelearnedinlife. Howdidyou benefitfromsomeonetellingyouthetruthaboutsomethingyou weredoingwrong?

2.

With a partner, roleplay a situation in which one of you is the bossandtheotheranemployee. Thebossisangrybecausethe employeerepeatedlyarriveslateforwork,takeslonglunches,and leaves 5 to 10 minutes early. However, the employees work is alwaysexcellent. After theroleplay,analyzewhatthebossdid rightandwhatcouldbeimproved.

CASENO.4 WHATYOUMAYLEGALLYSAYINASALESLETTER Asyoupreparetowriteyoursalesletter,thinkcarefullyaboutyourchoice ofwords.Falseormisleadingstatementscouldlandyouincourt,somakesure yourlanguagecomplieswithlegalandethicalstandards. Tokeepyoursales letters within the limits of the law, review the legal considerations of these typicalsalesphrases: Ourproductisthebestonthemarket.Thisstatementisacceptablefor asalesletterbecausethelawpermitsyoutoexpressanopinionaboutyour product.Intheprocessofmerchandisingaproduct,statementsofopinion areknownaspuffery,whichisperfectlylegalaslongasyoumakeno deceptiveorfraudulentclaims. Ourproductwillserveyouwellformanyyearstocome.Thisstatement fromasalesbrochuretriggeredalawsuitbyadisgruntledcustomerwho claimedthemanufacturersproductlastedonlyafewyears. Thecourts ruledthatthestatementwasanacceptableformofpufferybecausethe

manufacturerdidnotpromisethattheproductwouldlastforaspecific numberofyears. Weresoconfidentyoullenjoyourproductsthatweveenclosedasample ofourmostpopularline.Thissamplecanbeyoursforonly$5.00!Please sendyourpaymentintheenclosed,prepaidenvelope. Ifyouincludea product sample with your sales letter, your readers may keep the merchandise without paying for it. Under the law, consumers may considerunorderedgoodsasgifts. Theyarenotobligatedtoreturnthe itemstoyouorsubmitpaymentsforunsolicitedmerchandise Thousandsofhighschoolstudentsjustlikeyouarealreadyenjoying thisfantasticCDcollection!OrderbeforeMarch1andsave!Ifyoursales letter appeals to minors, you are legally obligated to honour their contracts. Atthesametime,however,thelawpermitsminorstocancel their contracts and return the merchandise to you. Sellers are legally obligatedtoacceptcontractsvoidedbyminorsandanygoodsreturnedby them.Legaladultstatusisdefineddifferentlyfromstatetostate,ranging fromage18toage21. Youllfindhundredsofbargainsatourannualscratchanddentsale!All salesarefinalonmerchandisemarkedasis.Whenyouusethetermasis inyoursalesletter,youarenotmisleadingcustomersaboutthequalityof yourproducts.Bywarningconsumersthattheconditionofsalesitemsis less than perfect, you are not legally obligated to issue refunds to customerswhocomplainaboutdefectslateron. CareerApplications: 1. Reviewtwosaleslettersforcontent.ListthePufferystatements ineach letter.

2.

Note any statements in these sales letters that appear questionable to you. Rewrite one of the statements, carefully choosingwordsthatwontbemisleadingtoconsumers.

CASENO.5 MINDINGYOURBUSINESSWITHONLINEREPORTING Mrs.Fieldsusesthem.Mrs.Paulsusesthem.However,youdonthavetobein the cookie or fish business to work with electronic reports. More and more companies are adopting electronic reports over hardcopy reports to keep employees,managers,investors,andotherstakeholdersinformed. ComputerizedcashregistersinMrs.Fieldscookieoutletsaretheheartofa sophisticated reporting system for monitoring and controlling operations. Ratherthantakingthetimetowritereportsbyhand,storemanagersenterdata intothecomputersystembyfollowingreportformatsontheirscreen.Thenthey electronically transmit these reports to corporate headquarters in Park City, Utah. Thecomputersystemalsoservesasatwowaycommunicationdevice, allowing store and corporate personnel to send messages back and forth in seconds.SoMrs.Fieldscorporatemanagerscanquicklyreceivetheinformation theyneedinordertotracksalesandproductivitytrendsandtospotpotential problemsinmorethan700outletsaroundtheworld. At Mrs. Pauls a computerized reporting system allows production managerstocontinuouslymonitorandcontroltheyieldfromthecompanysfish processingoperation. Thesystemcalculatestheproductionyieldusingthe weightofthefishbeforeitsprocessed,theweightifabtscraosmandtheweight ofthefinishedfishmeals.Ifthereportsshowthattheactualyielddropsbelow the expected yield, the managers can immediately adjust the equipment to improvetheyield. Theproductionmanagershaveinstantaccesstoelectronic

reportsateachstageoftheoperation,sotheycanfindandfixproblemsmore quicklythaniftheyhadtowaitforprintedreports. FedEx,thewellknownpackageshippingfirm,usesextensivesatelliteand computertechnologiestotrackthelocationofeverypackageinthecompanys system. Customerscanthenaccesselectronicreportstomonitorthestatusof theirshipmentsatanytime.Thistrackingsystemnotonlyhelpsthecompany serve its customers better, but it puts valuable information in the hands of customers with a click of the mouse. Like many companies, FedEx posts an electroniccopyofitsannualreportandothercorporateinformationalreportsat itswebsite. AsMrs.Fields, Mrs.Pauls,FedEx, andothercompaniesknow,keeping customers, employees, investors, and other stakeholders informed with electronicreportsistheonlywaytodobusinessintheglobalworkplace.

CareerApplications 1. What advantages and disadvantages do you see in asking store managersatMrs.Fieldstofileelectronictroubleshootingreports immediatelyonthecompanysintranet? 2. Whatkindsofelectronicreportsmightacompanywanttoposton itswebsite?