Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad

End Term Exam (Term – II) Take Home Exam

(Time Duration: 2.30 hrs)
Batch 2020 - 22

Answer-sheet

Enroll. No.: 200101054 Name: Deep Parag Padh

Section: D

Date: 12th January, 2021 Term: II

Subject: Business Communication - II

Faculty Name: Rashmi Sharma

Answer No. 1
To: Hiring Manager: XYZ Company
Subject: Regarding Job Offer for Position A – Deep Parag Padh
Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you very much for offering me the Position A at your esteemed organization.
Unfortunately, after careful evaluation, I have decided to regretfully decline the offer
extended to me for this position. It was a difficult decision to make but I have accepted
an offer with another company.
I sincerely thank you for taking the time out to interview me and for considering me a
good fit for your team. It was a wonderful experience learning about your company and
the opportunity.
Again, I would like to express my regret that it could not work out and you have my best
wishes with finding the right candidate for the position. I wish the very best of luck to you
and XYZ Company going forward.
Regards,
Deep Parag Padh
9723500193
Answer No. 2
(a)
The message drafted is not appropriate for the context in which it is intended and a lot
of assumptions are made. Following are the flaws with the message:
 Firstly, there is no subject line provided for getting contextual understanding of
the message. Moreover, the opening statements imply that ‘since you are
already in Delhi, it will not be too much trouble to conduct the training program’
which is an inappropriate thing to say. The person could be there on personal
holiday or for some other business so it is improper to assume that they can do
what you are asking them to do. It is a sign of imputed authority and should not
be included.
 Secondly, there is a lot of ambiguity about the itinerary and the compensation.
There is mention of lunch and tea break but not of dinner, the compensation is
also not fixed and depends upon the approval of upper management. An email of
such nature should have clarity about the situation you are proposing. Mr Khanna
might be put off with vague statements that are subject to change. There is also
mention of finding out that Mr Khanna is going to be in Delhi which is also
inappropriate.
 Thirdly, there is no mention of addressing the questions that Mr Khanna might
have about the proposal. Moreover, the contact information for Mr Bijay Roy, the
HR Manager Mr Khanna is supposed to contact, is not provided.
 Lastly, the tone of the language does not sound very convincing. This is a letter
to be drafted for persuading Mr Khanna to take time out to deliver a training
program for the organization. The approach has to be more carefully structured
towards this intention with proper research done about Mr Khanna’s training
programs.

Approach to be followed:
The approach to be followed should be gentle, persuasive and follow the AIDA
approach of Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.
 Attention should be grabbed by mentioning the positive feedback received about
Mr Khanna’s training programs.
 Interest should be generated by proposing the opportunity of conducting a
training program in Delhi.
 Desire should be induced by elaborating on the perks and benefits of the
opportunity.
 Action should be mentioned about the further process for acceptance or
rejection.
 (B)

Subject – Opportunity for Delivering Training Program in Delhi

Dear Mr Khanna,
We have heard wonderful feedback from our employees regarding the interactive
training sessions that you have been conducting. One of our employees had the
pleasure of attending one of your training sessions last year and considers you to be
one of the nation’s best trainer. He found the session to be very informative and a
delightful experience.
Based on this feedback, we wanted to humbly request you to deliver a two-day training
program on ‘Stress Management’ for our employees in Delhi during the last week of
March 2021. Based on the feedback we have received about your sessions; we believe
our employees could greatly benefit with a training program from someone as learned
and experienced as you.
If you are interested, you can reach out to Mr Bijay Roy, our HR Manager, who will
provide you further details regarding your stay and honorarium. The contact details for
him are as follows:
Mr Bijay Roy
HR Manager
[Email ID]
[Phone Number]

We would be delighted to host your training program if you would grace us with your
presence. We look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Rahul Bakshi
[Designation]
[Company Name]
Answer No. 3
(A)
Mr Post’s idea of centralizing the purchasing procedures of various departments of
Dashman Company was a logical one but had little effect in its implementation. The
idea was to report purchasing contracts of more than $10000 to HQ a week in advance
to centralize the otherwise decentralized activities which was conveyed through a letter.
It failed in delivering the desired effect due to the following flaws:
Change Resistance
Departments were used to a certain way of doing things and it is always difficult to
introduce change in a routine that employees are comfortable following.
Loss of Power for Department Heads
The centralization of decisions would mean loss of power for department heads which
would invite unfavorable outlook on the situation.
Non-Effective Communication
The medium of letter was chosen by Mr Post for delivering the news as opposed to the
personal visit advised by Mr Larson who had been engaged with the company for a
while and knew most plant managers personally. This could have resulted in
diminishing the importance of the measure.
Improper Timing
Introducing change is hard but tougher when it is improperly timed. With the peak
buying season coming in 3 weeks, the decision to implement this new measure was
hasty and improperly timed.
Clarity on Procedure
No clarity was provided for the operating procedure regarding purchase contracts
except that they should be reported a week in advance. Some contracts can be last-
minute, what should one do in those situations? Moreover, the clarity on not following
these procedures or penalties or punishments was also not mentioned resulting in less
importance given to it by plant managers.
Perception as Increased Administrative Work
With a poorly communicated plan, the new measure is seen as additional administrative
work and not the logical measure for effectiveness it was intended as.
(B) To help effectively communicate the central idea of the newly proposed measures,
following are my recommendations for the same:

 To ensure that a personal touch is given to the intention of the new measure, Mr
Post should personally take the time out to meet plant managers in person. Since
he is newly appointed, it is even more critical for employees to put a face to the
name. This would help in fostering harmony and ensure effective implementation
of the measure at the grassroots level.

 Mr Post should also address the individual issues and problems faced by these
departments and involve plant executives in certain decision-making processes
so that individual departments can learn from the mistakes of other departments
and implement processes in their own departments which other departments are
doing well. It will also help in employees feeling more valued and find some
ownership with implementing the new plan.

 A central meeting should be scheduled with representatives from all departments

to effectively communicate the central idea of the plan and how it could help with
the better functioning of individual departments and the overall efficiency of the
company. The stipulations for transgressing the laws and penalties and
punishments should be communicated during this meeting to ensure everyone is
on the same page with the vision.

 A proper channel for collecting this data to be set up and for feedback and
recommendations. This will be useful in making follow ups regarding collection of
information, for understanding the reasons for non-adherence in case of genuine
cases and also for modifying the strategy according to the valuable
recommendations received from different units about operating procedures.