41) You should choose written communication in preference to other channels when
A) you want to decrease your chance of making errors.
B) the situation requires a personal touch.
C) you want to save time.
D) there is a need for immediate feedback.
42) When management chooses a written format to communicate a decision to employees, an
important characteristic of the written message is that
A) there is no legal record of the communication.
B) there is a permanent record of the message.
C) it provides a forum for discussing management decisions.
D) it is easy to improvise when using written communication.
43) Which of the following communication channels provides the lowest level of message
richness?
A) voice mail
B) e-mail
C) videoconferencing
D) face-to-face
44) Instant messaging (IM) is a good choice for communicating messages when you
A) do not want to leave a record of your communication.
B) want to provide written directions for a complicated task.
C) are sending a short, non-confrontational message to someone who is available to communicate
with you at that moment.
D) need to finish a delicate, emotionally charged conversation that was interrupted the day before.
45) Which of the following is a characteristic of instant messaging as a communication channel?
A) personal tone
B) high message control
C) moderate richness
D) asynchronous communication speed
46) A pattern of communication created by the flow of messages among communicators is known
as
A) lateral communication.
B) a communication model.
C) an organizational chart.
D) a communication network.
47) Which of the following is true about the role of communication networks in organizations?
A) Small organizations do not have any formal communication networks.
B) All organizations use the same type of formal communication structure.
C) Formal communication networks are designed by management.
D) A communication network eliminates the presence of conflicting information in an
organization.
48) The definition for a formal communication network is
A) a system designed by management that determines who talks to whom to get a job done.
B) management by walking around.
C) downward communication.
D) interacting with people who share your career interests and can help you find jobs.
49) Formal communication networks in organizations can be described by all of the following
EXCEPT
A) information sent through formal networks tends to be believed less than information heard
through informal networks.
B) formal networks embody management’s idea of who ought to communicate to whom on the job.
C) formal networks are workplace communication flows as described in organizational charts.
D) formal networks are the most rapid form of communication in an organization.
50) Sonakshi was just asked to send an e-mail to all of the company’s department heads with
information on this year’s budget. To identify the department heads, Sonakshi should use
A) instrumental communication.
B) communication channels.
C) the organizational chart.
D) networking.
51) Which of the following is NOT an example of downward communication?
A) A supervisor explains to an employee why a new set of procedures is being implemented.
B) An employee talks to a coworker in a sneering tone of voice.
C) The CEO of a company presents a motivational speech to all the sales representatives.
D) The HR manager gives a presentation to her staff about a new procedure.
52) Gary is dean of students at Cascades University. He has just e-mailed to explain what
everyone’s responsibilities will be during orientation. Gary has engaged in ________
communication.
A) lateral
B) downward
C) synchronous
D) informal
53) Effective downward communication
A) can be used to give employees feedback about their performance.
B) is unnecessary when things are running well in an organization.
C) is delivered too frequently by most managers.
D) takes very little time or effort.
54) All of the following are effective ways to gain recognition from your boss except
A) tell the boss that you deserve most of the credit for what was a team project.
B) have quality writing that expresses your ideas printed in the company newsletter.
C) thank coworkers who help you with projects.
D) present creative proposals to your boss.
55) Research has shown that many supervisors provide their employees with
A) too little feedback.
B) too much feedback.
C) around the right amount of feedback.
D) little or no feedback.
56) Three nurses from the evening shift at the Holy Heart Hospital told their supervisor their ideas
for some new procedures that would improve the way patients’ needs are tracked. The supervisor
listened to the nurses’ suggestions and implemented them. The nurses’ suggestions illustrate
A) downward communication.
B) upward communication.
C) horizontal communication.
D) inappropriate communication.
57) Upward communication
A) may be risky for employees.
B) usually involves criticism.
C) is avoided by effective managers.
D) is usually open and honest.
58) An open-door policy and suggestion boxes are examples of ways to encourage
A) upward communication.
B) downward communication.
C) lateral communication.
D) horizontal communication.
59) A subordinate makes suggestions to her supervisor about ways to improve work conditions.
This is an example of
A) downward communication.
B) social communication.
C) horizontal communication.
D) upward communication.
60) Employees who feel free to express dissenting ideas to their bosses without fear of reprimand
are often more ________ than those who do not feel free to express dissent.
A) satisfied
B) dissatisfied
C) ornery
D) complacent
61) Inés is the manager of large retail store. She wants to improve upward communication at her
store. Which of the following actions would be most effective in accomplishing this?
A) instituting a formal procedure for employees to report grievances
B) chatting with employees about their concerns when she runs into them in the break room
C) listening to an employee’s concerns about shift scheduling and making changes to address them
D) announcing an open-door policy, where any employee can come to her office to speak with her
62) Franz is writing a magazine advertisement for a new brand of soap. Roksana will be handling
the illustrations to go with the advertisement. Franz e-mails Roksana and asks, “When is the latest
I can deliver the text to you and still give you enough time to complete the ad?” The primary
purpose of this e-mail is
A) conflict resolution.
B) task coordination.
C) building rapport.
D) problem solving.
63) After successfully meeting their big deadline, Wendell and his teammates spend the rest of the
afternoon chatting with each other and reminiscing about the project. This is primarily an example
of which purpose of horizontal communication?
A) rapport building
B) sharing information
C) conflict resolution
D) task coordination
64) All of the following elements discourage effective horizontal communication EXCEPT
A) information overload.
B) physical barriers.
C) rivalry between individuals or groups.
D) cross-training employees in several areas.
65) The owner of a small car dealership wanted to find a way to discourage the amount of
horizontal communication that was occurring among salesmen because he (mistakenly) thought
their conversations were reducing the company’s sales levels. He implemented a bonus plan that
required sales personnel to compete against one another to keep their jobs. In the above example,
which of the following forms of discouragement is the owner using to limit horizontal
communication at his company?
A) rivalry
B) specialization
C) information overload
D) physical barriers
66) International Consultants LLC has offices in 10 major cities around the world. A typical
employee communications with an employee at another locations only when there is a specific
reason for the two of them to talk. This demonstrates the impact of ________ on horizontal
communication.
A) information overload
B) specialization
C) rivalry
D) physical barriers
67) Even when employees want to collaborate and are given opportunities to do so, if their work
requires unusually detailed knowledge and skills, then ________ may limit their ability to
communicate.
A) specialization
B) rivalry
C) information overload
D) physical barriers
68) Jacinthe is on the design team at Panther Motorcycles. Her sister, Blanche, works in the mail
room. Thanks to the relationship between Blanche and Jacinthe, everyone in the mail room stays
up-to-date on the newest designs, even though they do not need to know about them to do their
jobs. This is an example of communication through
A) relational communication.
B) multiple channels.
C) an organizational chart.
D) an informal network.
69) Informal communication includes all of the following EXCEPT
A) the grapevine.
B) a comment about your boss that you overhear as you walk down the hall.
C) performance appraisals.
D) conversations around the water cooler.
70) Maria and Adnan work in different departments of the same company. They discovered that it
was much quicker to e-mail each other for information they needed from each other’s departments
than to wait for the official company newsletter to arrive. This is an example of the ________
function of informal communication.
A) confirming
B) expanding
C) expediting
D) contradicting
71) The CEO has promised all employees a 5% raise next year if they will forego a raise this year.
The CEO’s administrative assistant tells you during a coffee break that there will probably be no
raise next year either, despite the CEO’s promises. The assistant’s words illustrate the ________
function of informal communication.
A) contradicting
B) confirming
C) expediting
D) circumscribing
72) Communication through informal networks in an organization
A) is slower than communication through formal communication networks.
B) is always less dependable than communication through formal channels.
C) sometimes contradicts information received through formal networks.
D) hinders innovation.
73) Which of the following individuals is most likely to be excluded from the informal
communication network in a typical workplace?
A) Kylie, a White woman
B) Sun, a Korean American woman
C) Alonzo, an African American man
D) Diego, a Hispanic man
74) Organizational decision makers tend to base their decisions on
A) written recommendations from their direct reports.
B) office gossip and rumors.
C) verbal information from trusted associates.
D) published government statistics.
75) Moira is the CEO of a consumer products manufacturer. She wants to boost creativity among
her employees in the hopes that they will have new ideas that can benefit the company. Which of
the following is a way to use informal communication to achieve Moira’s goal?
A) having the company sponsor clubs that any employee can join
B) ordering each business division to submit its best idea to her
C) having supervisors tell their subordinates that creativity is a top company priority
D) establishing a suggestion box outside her office that anyone can use
76) Networking refers to
A) tennis tournaments run by the organization.
B) developing contacts to gain career information and to help others in their careers.
C) paying more attention to your boss than to your administrative assistant.
D) comparing several software programs and selecting the best one.
77) Which of the following websites is specifically designed for business networking?
A) Google
B) Facebook
C) LinkedIn
D) Bloomberg
78) The Young Entrepreneur’s Club holds a meeting once a month at local restaurant where
businesspeople come together and meet each other. There is no particular agenda, but many
attendees have found that the meetings yield valuable career information and business leads. The
purpose of these meetings is
A) informal communication.
B) networking.
C) lateral communication.
D) identity management.