Business Communication

Section A - Short essay questions

Read the following article and choose 3 of the 6 questions to answer. Do not answer all of the questions.

Questions

1. Is improving the opportunities for managers to participate in meetings the responsibility of the CEO? The author states that CEOs should be aware of the way in which they speak. In what way would an understanding of the communication process help this?

2. Two of the most frequently reported problems were -Getting off the subject- and -No goals or agenda.- Discuss the ways in which meetings can be more productive.

3. The author writes that, ‘It was as if there was an informal code of conduct in their management group, implying that -You don't comment upon miscommunication during the management meeting-. This norm was not explicitly stated in the group, but was deduced by the lack of comments about miscommunication'.

Referring to the week 9 reading, how does this relate to assumptions and behaviours in organisational culture? How is culture created and communicated to organisation members?

4. Many factors influence the success of groups. One of these is structure and related power. In what ways would you use group theory to improve the outcomes for the group in this article?

5. Bambacas and Patrickson (2009) argue that communication skills are not a specific focus of interviews to employ managers. Perhaps that was an issue for this group. How would you use interviews to select strong communicators?

6. Describe the ways in which this article could inform your communication style as a manager.

Reference: Bambacas, Mary; Patrickson, Margaret. (2009) Assessment of communication skills in manager selection: some evidence from Australia The Journal of Management Development 28.2 109-120.

Section B - Written communication

Write two documents based on the scenarios below.

Scenario 1

You are in charge of bookings for the community room that your employer (XYZ Company, 123 Smith St, Adelaide) makes available to service/charity groups in the community. Because the room is provided free of charge, you ask those who use it to leave it in the same condition as they find it in. Six weeks ago, the Youth Opportunity Foundation (YOF), which sponsors many programs and activities for young disadvantaged people, failed to leave the room in a tidy state. Rubbish was strewn around the floor, chairs were broken and dirty dishes were left on the tables.

The CEO of XYZ has emphatically stated that the YOF is never to be allowed to use the facilities again. You have just received a letter from the YOF president (John Petrovska, PO Box 111, Fullarton) wanting to make another booking in two weeks' time.

Write a letter to Mr Petrovska denying his request. Use your own words and a bad news structure. Invent details as necessary. Do not simply copy from this description of the situation.

Scenario 2

You have had a longstanding carpet cleaning business in the eastern suburbs of Adelaide. Last year a new cleaning company opened in the area. The owners of this company aggressively marketed their services and have taken many of your regular customers. You need to persuade these customers to resume using your services so you decide to write them a letter. You believe they were happy with your services but they may need some incentive to start using your company again. You may offer them a small discount but you do not want to focus too much on price as you always do a quality job cleaning carpets, and this takes time.

Write a persuasive letter to all the customers you have not heard from in a year, encouraging them to book an appointment to have their carpets cleaned.