Management, 14e (Robbins/Coulter)
Chapter 14 Managing Communication
1) For communication to be successful, meaning must be imparted and ________.
A) received by the other person
B) acknowledged by the receiver
C) feedback must be sent back to the sender
D) understood by the receiver
2) Good communication occurs only when the recipient ________.
A) agrees with the sender’s message
B) acknowledges the message
C) understands the speaker’s meaning
D) makes eye contact with the speaker
3) In which one of the following cases has communication occurred?
A) Gary updates his blog regularly, even though no one reads it.
B) Brian attends all the Algebra lectures, but is unable to understand the subject.
C) Jen has sent an urgent e-mail to her Japanese colleague, but a translator is not yet available.
D) Ana tells her manager that she needs a new computer, but he says that the company can’t
afford it.
4) ________ consists of all the patterns, networks, and systems of communication within an
organization.
A) The grapevine
B) Interpersonal communication
C) Organizational communication
D) Formal communication
5) George prepares a memorandum explaining the objectives of a newly created work team that
he is expected to manage, and makes sure it reaches each team member. He is involved in
________.
A) deciphering the message
B) organizational communication
C) lateral communication
D) decoding the message
6) When a communication requires employees to follow their job description, or to comply with
company policies, communication is being used to ________.
A) control
B) motivate
C) provide a release for emotional expression
D) persuade
7) Amber has called her work group together to assign tasks for the day. In this instance, Amber
is using communication to ________.
A) control behavior
B) provide feedback
C) express emotions
D) challenge her employees
8) In which one of the following cases is communication used to control employee behavior?
A) Sandy tells Mitch that she’s happy with the progress he’s making.
B) Glenn lets Ann know that the deadline for her project has been postponed.
C) Jan informs Sara that she must follow the dress code at work.
D) Chris gives Jason tips on how to improve his performance.
9) Alan has just given his subordinates a very difficult project. Now he is telling them he has
every confidence they will be successful. Alan is using communication to ________.
A) inspire
B) motivate
C) control
D) manipulate
10) Pat is very happy with her team of 15 customer care representatives who’ve all been
consistently performing well. Customer feedback was impressive and Pat is planning to give
them good bonuses this time around. As a manager, Pat believes it is important to let her
subordinates know when she is happy with their work. She does so, and also calls a meeting to
discuss what they can do to improve further. Pat is using communication for ________.
A) decision making
B) negotiation
C) motivation
D) expressing emotion
11) Bonnie has had a bad day. She is venting to her supervisor about her problems. Bonnie is
using communication to ________.
A) control behavior
B) motivate her supervisor to take action
C) express her emotions
D) inform her supervisor of her personal problems
12) Brandon is telling his coworkers what he learned at the technical seminar he recently
attended. Brandon is using communication to ________.
A) negotiate
B) inform
C) regale
D) motivate
13) Everything a manager does involves communicating.
14) If a manager clearly and articulately verbalizes instructions to a subordinate, communication
has taken place.
15) Good communication requires agreement with the message.
16) Communication can both inform the receiver and control behavior.
17) Formal communication can control behavior, but informal communication cannot.
18) Explain why communication is important to managers and organizations. What four
functions does it serve?
19) During the communication process, the message is converted to a symbolic form. This
process is called ________.
A) decoding
B) encoding
C) deciphering
D) symbolizing
20) Which one of the following is true for the communication process?
A) The decoding process takes place within the channel.
B) Noise cannot affect the encoding of the message.
C) Encoding takes place before the message reaches the medium.
D) The sender decodes the message and then transmits it.
21) The process through which the symbols of a message are translated by the receiver into a
form that he or she can understand is called ________.
A) decoding
B) encoding
C) reinstating
D) enciphering
22) Disturbances that interfere with the transmission, receipt, or feedback of a message are called
________.
A) screens
B) filters
C) distractors
D) noise
23) Which one of the following is an example of a disturbance that interferes with the
transmission of a message?
A) sending unsolicited sales messages to prospects
B) adding your contact information at the end of an e-mail message
C) leaving a message on the answering machine when you cannot reach someone
D) thinking about the party you attended last night while sitting in a lecture
24) Adam has to tell the members of his department that the office hours have changed from
flexible hours to a strict nine-to-five day. He calls a meeting to explain the change. Participants
begin arguing and asking multiple questions about the new work time policy. The next day,
Adam realizes that most people still do not have a clear idea about the change, as a result of the
confusion at the meeting. Which one of the following explains why the message was not
understood?
A) The sender did not decode the message appropriately.
B) The recipients did not encode the message correctly.
C) The noise in the process interfered with the transmission of the message.
D) The channel was not appropriate for the delivery of this message.
25) The purchasing manager assigned to the team had already worked with Dan in the past.
However, a difference of opinion had soured their relationship. As a result, the purchasing
manager is unable to objectively evaluate and appreciate the various aspects of the current
project described in the memorandum Dan prepared. This is an example of ________.
A) noise
B) framing
C) filtering
D) distraction
26) Laura sent a text message to Betty telling her that she would come by to pick her up after
work so they could go shopping. Betty, however, made other plans for the evening thinking
Laura was talking about going shopping the next day. Which one of the following best explains
what went wrong with the communication?
A) Laura used a wrong channel of communication.
B) There was too much noise in the room when Betty read the message.
C) Betty decoded the message incorrectly.
D) The complexity capacity of text messaging is poor.
27) The final link in the communication process is ________.
A) encoding
B) decoding
C) channel selection
D) feedback
28) George has prepared a memorandum explaining the objectives of the work team. Some of the
production workers have come to George to ask for clarification about the memorandum. This
represents the ________ aspect of the communication process.
A) noise
B) channeling
C) filtering
D) feedback
29) Which one of the following methods of communication should be used when the sender
requires quick and accurate feedback?
A) voicemail
B) face-to-face
C) e-mail
D) instant messaging
30) Complexity capacity refers to the degree to which the communication method ________.
A) offers a reasonable assurance of confidentiality
B) makes a simple message seem more complex
C) effectively processes complicated messages
D) offers quick and accurate feedback
31) Which one of the following describes the number of different messages that can be
transmitted using a particular method of communication?
A) complexity capacity
B) breadth potential
C) scanability
D) encoding ease
32) Which one of the following attributes of a communication method will be the most important
for a scientist who has to send large amounts of data to a colleague?
A) complexity capacity
B) scanability
C) formality
D) interpersonal warmth
33) When a sender evaluates a communication method to judge scanability, he is checking if
________.
A) the method can easily transmit a large number of messages
B) the method allows recipients to process complex messages effectively
C) the method allows the receiver to scan the document electronically
D) the recipient can easily browse the message for relevant information
34) CISCO’s Unified Personal Communicator allows fast and easy access to voice, video, instant
messaging, web conferencing, voicemail, and presence capabilities through a single, multimedia
interface on a PC or Mac. Which one of the following aspects of communication problems does
this personal communicator address?
A) security concerns arising from the use of the Internet
B) time-space constraint
C) decoding errors
D) encoding errors
35) Which one of the following methods of communication offers high scanability?
A) publications
B) face-to-face communication
C) meetings
D) voice mail
36) Which one of the following is true of nonverbal communication?
A) It is synonymous with body language.
B) It usually carries greater impact than verbal communication.
C) It is absent in spoken communication.
D) It is involuntary; it cannot be used deliberately.
37) Her co-workers don’t share personal tidbits with Norma, and she wonders why. Which one of
the following could explain this phenomenon?
A) Norma often snacks while working at her desk.
B) Norma wears long skirts, long sleeves, and has her hair tied up in a bun.
C) Norma generally stands with her arms crossed when in a conversation with anyone.
D) Norma has an unusual laugh.
38) Deb has a high-pitched, childish-sounding voice. Her colleagues tend to avoid her and cringe
when she speaks in department meetings. To improve her career success, Deb should ________.
A) adjust her body language to be more welcoming
B) submit her comments in writing after the meeting
C) send a substitute to the meetings
D) work on her verbal intonation to lower her voice pitch
39) A(n) ________ occurs when the amount of data provided exceeds the recipient’s processing
capacity.
A) perceptual barrier
B) information overload
C) conceptual block
D) physical barrier
40) During the presentation Sarah explained that the reason for downsizing was the recession
which was hitting the company badly. However, the fact of the matter was that the company had
not yet experienced any loss of revenues but were anticipating bad days ahead, which could
eventually lead to mass layoffs. This is an example of the ________ aspect of the communication
process.
A) framing
B) filtering
C) selective perception
D) deception
41) By the time that Sandra had finished the presentation to the employees, she had spoken for
one and one-half hours, shown 14 visual aids, and no one asked a question. The employees were
probably dealing with which one of the following barriers to effective communication?
A) information overload
B) selective perception
C) defensiveness
D) cultural constraints
42) When employees confront information overload, they may resort to ________.
A) delegating
B) filtering
C) mentally shutting down
D) deleting old emails
43) ________ is the deliberate manipulation of information to make it appear more favorable to
the receiver.
A) Framing
B) Encoding
C) Screening
D) Filtering
44) When a person tells his or her manager what the manager wants to hear, which one of the
following barriers to effective interpersonal communication is the person using?
A) filtering
B) selective perception
C) framing
D) defensiveness
45) Which one of the following is true of filtering?
A) Filtering aids effective communication by making a message more favorable to a receiver.
B) The more vertical levels in an organization, the more opportunities there are for filtering.
C) Filtering occurs at the individual level; the organization cannot encourage or discourage it.
D) The use of e-mail increases filtering because communication is more direct.
46) During her performance evaluation, Cindy omitted a few of the details about her problems
with her subordinates because she was afraid her supervisor would think her unfit for
management. This is an example of ________.
A) lying by omission
B) framing
C) self-advancement
D) filtering
47) Sarah needs funding to research the efficacy of a certain drug for the treatment of cancer.
Though her initial trials have been inconclusive, Sarah is sure that the drug will prove to be
effective. However, the organizations she plans to approach for funding will not be very
impressed with the results of the previous trials and may withhold funding. Sarah decides to
structure her proposal in such a way that she emphasizes the positives about the drug and
minimizes the negative information. Which one of the following best describes Sarah’s technique
for writing her proposal?
A) framing
B) filtering
C) emotional appeal
D) information overload
48) As the employees began to leave the meeting room, some were overheard grumbling that
those at the top were just profiteers, that it didn’t make any difference to Leona if employees lost
their jobs. Which barrier to effective communications do these statements represent?
A) language
B) information overload
C) defensiveness
D) filtering
49) Jargon is ________.
A) the capacity of a communication method to process complex messages
B) a technique for deliberate manipulation of information to make it appear more favorable to
the receiver
C) specialized terminology that members of a group use to communicate among themselves
D) a technique that increases the breadth potential of a communication method
50) The accountant told Ellen that he had difficulty understanding some of the technical terms
used in her memorandum. These technical terms are commonly known as ________.
A) encoding
B) vernacular
C) techspeak
D) jargon
51) Which one of the following is a way for managers to overcome the barriers to
communication?
A) feedback
B) decoding
C) encoding
D) filtering
52) Teresa called her work group together, explained the instructions for the new machine, and
left. Later, after one of the workers had jammed the machine and injured a coworker, she
discovered the worker had not followed the instructions. This problem may have been avoided if
Teresa had ________.
A) gone over the instructions twice instead of once
B) had the workers reword the instructions and repeat them to her
C) given the workers a written set of instructions
D) had one of the workers deliver the instructions
53) When Terrence explained to the employees why layoffs were necessary, he spoke about
return on investment, debt, and cash flow–terms his shareholders clearly understood. But his
employees had no clue what he meant. Terrence’s explanation would have been more effective if
he had ________.
A) used flow charts and other visuals
B) skipped the reasons and explained the method of selection for layoffs
C) spoken louder
D) tailored the language to the audience
54) Listening is an active search for meaning, whereas ________ is passive.
A) speaking
B) encoding
C) decoding
D) hearing
55) Listening for full meaning without making premature judgments or interpretations is called
________.
A) passive listening
B) empathic listening
C) active listening
D) decoding
56) Which one of the following helps an individual to understand the actual content of a
message?
A) antipathy
B) empathy
C) apathy
D) sympathy
57) Which one of the following is true for active listeners?
A) They should avoid making eye contact and nodding as this will distract the speaker.
B) They should not interrupt the speaker, but should feel free to ask questions about the topic.
C) They should listen for full meaning and avoid paraphrasing what the speaker is saying.
D) Developing empathy for the speaker is not advised as it proves an emotional barrier to
listening.
58) Ulysses has difficulty staying focused during conversations, especially long “speech” type
comments from the speaker. This is likely because ________.
A) Ulysses, like most listeners, can understand more words per minute than most talkers speak
B) he already knows what the speaker is going to say next and is forming his response in his
mind
C) he strongly disagrees with the speaker
D) he is not interested in the conversation topic
59) While Victor was explaining a problem that was frustrating him, his manager smiled widely.
Victor wanted to wipe the smirk off the manager’s face in a none too friendly manner. What went
wrong here?
A) Victor was upset over nothing, which the manager found funny.
B) Victor was too emotional.
C) The manager was distracted.
D) The manager’s non-verbal communication did not match the seriousness of the situation.
60) The communication process is susceptible to noise.
61) Illegible handwriting is an example of noise.
62) A sender initiates a message by encoding a thought.
63) In communication, the process of decoding is performed by the receiver.
64) Intonation refers to gestures, facial expressions, and other body movements that convey
meaning.
65) Verbal intonation refers to the emphasis someone gives to words or phrases that conveys
meaning.
66) The nonverbal component of communication usually carries the greatest impact.
67) The net result of filtering is lost information and ineffective communication.
68) National culture influences the communication preferences of a population.
69) On average, an individual must hear new information three times before he or she truly
understands.
70) Most communication problems are directly attributed to noise in the communication process.
71) An email read receipt is sufficient feedback to indicate the message has been received and
understood.
72) Filtering takes place when information exceeds the receiver’s processing capacity.
73) E-mail increases filtering because electronic communication is faster.
74) Active listeners avoid asking questions and making eye contact so that they don’t distract the
speaker.