88) If you’re responding to a claim and your company is at fault, it is best to
A) avoid sympathizing with the customer, since it can lead to lawsuits.
B) do all you can to discourage further correspondence.
C) take (or assign) personal responsibility for setting matters straight.
D) be vague about when the claim may be resolved.
E) apologize for personally creating the problem.
89) If you plan to grant a claim made by a customer who’s clearly at fault
A) pinpoint the customer’s shortcomings to discourage future mistakes.
B) discourage future mistakes without insulting the customer.
C) scold the customer to discourage future mistakes.
D) post the situation on social media to discourage future mistakes.
E) specifically identify exactly what the customer did wrong.
90) Direct-to-consumer news releases are
A) specialized documents used to share relevant information with the news media.
B) compliance documents written for governmental regulatory agencies.
C) financial statements intended for the use of top corporate managers.
D) general purpose tools for communicating directly with customers and other audiences.
91) When responding to a request for adjustment when a third party is at fault, the best approach
is to
A) refuse the claim and suggest that the customer sue the third party.
B) refuse the claim but forward the paperwork to the third party.
C) avoid placing blame and focus on the solution.
D) advise the customer never to do business with that third party again.
E) ignore the claim.
92) If you decide to write a letter of recommendation about a job candidate, your goal should be
to
A) remain neutral about the candidate’s suitability for the job.
B) boost the job candidate’s sense of self-worth and well-being.
C) explain why you’re qualified to assess the candidate.
D) convince readers the candidate has the characteristics necessary for the job, school or
internship.
E) identify strengths without mentioning weaknesses.
93) If you have serious concerns about the qualifications of a job candidate who has asked you
for a written recommendation, you should
A) avoid mentioning them in the letter of reference.
B) include allegations of misconduct in the reference letter.
C) elect not to write the recommendation.
D) express your concerns via social media.
E) show the reference letter to the candidate first.
94) Excluding important negative information about a candidate in a recommendation letter
A) is expected—otherwise no one would be able to get a good job.
B) has led some employers to sue after hiring the candidate and discovering problems.
C) is the only way to prevent the candidate from suing you.
D) is okay, as long as you explain to the candidate that you are doing it.
E) is rarely done because most employers are honest.
95) If you are sending an informative memo to employees about policy statements or procedural
changes, you should
A) assume that employees will have a neutral response.
B) use the indirect approach.
C) use the body of the message to provide all the necessary details.
D) refer employees to a website with detailed information.
E) provide details in the close of the message.
96) When offering compliments in a goodwill message, you should
A) feel free to exaggerate.
B) keep them broad and general.
C) back them up with specific points.
D) temper them with comments on areas for improvement.
E) offer rewards to encourage future positive actions.
97) Condolence messages should
A) focus on your own sense of loss.
B) avoid referring to the deceased.
C) be short, simple, and sincere.
D) always be sent via electronic media.
E) focus on the future.
98) The opening of a routine or positive message should be
A) brief and enigmatic.
B) terse and demanding.
C) wordy and indirect.
D) clear and concise.
E) specific and thought provoking
99) A ________ is a specialized document used to share relevant information with the news
media.
A) treatise
B) press release
C) developmental brief
D) direct-to-consumer release
E) recommendation
100) A social media release includes ________ that’s suitable for use in blog posts, tweets, and
other social media formats.
A) share-ready content
B) newsroom chatter
C) virtual verbiage
D) unfiltered data
E) infographic material
101) Many companies use social media to publish ________ in which they communicate directly
with customers and other audiences, rather than going through news media outlets.
A) cyber statements
B) virtual press publications
C) microcosmic news stories
D) direct-to-consumer news releases
E) complaint responses
102) Send a ________ to take note of a significant event in someone’s business or personal life.
A) message of appreciation
B) message of congratulations
C) message of acknowledgement
D) message of recognizance
103) Friendly notes with no direct business purpose, such as those conveying congratulations or
thanks, are called ________ messages.
A) salutary
B) recognition
C) goodwill
D) condolence
E) persuasive
104) Messages of ________ recognize the contributions of employees or business associates.
A) salutation
B) recognizance
C) coalition
D) appreciation
E) goodwill
105) ________ are brief personal messages written to comfort someone after the death of a loved
one.
A) Life-coaching letters
B) Remembrance letters
C) Condolence letters
D) Counseling letters
106) Almost any routine message can be used as a way to build goodwill.
107) Social media releases include social networking links, “tweetables,” and other sharable
content.
108) Recommendation letters have created so many legal problems that many companies no
longer allow employees to write them.
109) Policy statements or procedural changes are generally neutral, so readers will not react
emotionally to them.
110) Timing and media choice are important considerations with condolence letters.
111) Discuss how to handle a request for a claim or adjustment if your organization is at fault.
112) Why is it important to write messages of appreciation?
113) What should you keep in mind when you’re deciding what to include in a message of
condolence?
114) Discuss how organizations use and write news releases.
115) Explain what you should include in an effective recommendation letter.
116) In responding favorably to a claim even though the customer was at fault, what should you
try to accomplish in the body of your message?
117) Explain why goodwill messages are important, and then describe at least two characteristics
of effective goodwill messages.
118) Briefly explain how the Internet and social media have changed the nature of the news
release.
119) Why are appreciation messages important? What should they include?
120) What potential legal problem can result from writing a critical recommendation letter?