Business Communication Today, 12e (Bovee/Thill)
Chapter 1 Achieving Success Through Effective Business Communication
1) Communication is the process of
A) transferring information and meaning.
B) listening actively.
C) writing messages.
D) none of the above.
2) Improving your communication skills will enhance your career because
A) having great ideas won’t help you much, unless you can communicate them effectively.
B) the higher you rise in an organization, the more important your communication skills will be.
C) you’ll need to connect with decision makers outside of your area of expertise.
D) all of the above.
3) All of the following except ________ will make your business messages more effective.
A) providing practical information
B) clarifying expectations and responsibilities
C) presenting information concisely and efficiently
D) discussing personal issues and complaining about problems
4) Which one of the following is not one of the traits possessed by professionals?
A) Meeting minimum qualifications
B) Demonstrating a sense of etiquette
C) Maintaining a positive outlook
D) Being dependable and accountable
5) The quality of performing at a high level and conducting oneself with pride and purpose is
known as
A) expediency.
B) professionalism.
C) entrepreneurialism.
D) impression management.
6) According to the concept of emotional intelligence, if you’ll be speaking to people you don’t
know and you can’t find out more about them
A) don’t worry because you can adjust to their needs on the fly.
B) always put your own needs before their needs.
C) rely on chance and circumstance to help you relate to their needs.
D) use common sense and imagination to relate to their needs.
7) Stakeholders affected by the quality of business communication include
A) customers.
B) employees.
C) suppliers.
D) all of the above.
8) Which of the following is not a characteristic of effective business messages?
A) They provide practical information.
B) They present the writer’s opinions as facts.
C) They state precise audience responsibilities.
D) They highlight and summarize essential information.
9) Business communication is often more demanding than social communication because
communication on the job is affected by
A) the pervasiveness of technology.
B) the growing reliance on teamwork in business.
C) the globalization of business.
D) all of the above.
10) A flatter organizational structure
A) tends to increase the chance of communication breakdowns.
B) helps make communication flow more efficiently.
C) is obsolete now that social networking is so widespread.
D) is helpful for small companies only.
11) In which of the following organizational structures do employees report to two managers at
the same time?
A) Virtual organization
B) Matrix structure
C) Network structure
D) None of the above
12) The term corporate culture refers to
A) the number of organizational levels within a corporation.
B) the extent to which corporations dominate a particular culture.
C) the mixture of values, traditions, and habits that give a company its atmosphere and
personality.
D) a company’s sponsorship of events such as concerts and plays.
13) An example of downward communication is
A) a junior staff person giving information to a staff supervisor.
B) a sales manager giving instructions to a salesperson.
C) an email message about sick leave from one staff secretary to another.
D) a company briefing held on the organization’s top floor.
14) An example of horizontal communication is
A) a junior staff person giving information to a staff supervisor.
B) a company briefing held on the organization’s ground floor.
C) an email message about sick leave sent from one department secretary to a secretary in a
different department.
D) all of the above.
15) Every organization has ________, which encompasses all communication that occurs outside
the lines of command in the company’s organization structure.
A) a lateral communication network
B) a peer-to-peer communication network
C) an informal communication network
D) an adjacent communication network
16) In most organizations, the rumor mill tends to be particularly active when
A) employees are satisfied with their jobs.
B) formal communication channels are working efficiently.
C) employees are wasting company time.
D) the formal communication network is not providing the information employees want.
17) ________ communication flows between departments to help employees share information,
coordinate tasks, and solve complex problems.
A) Upward
B) Downward
C) Horizontal
D) Diagonal
18) An audience-centered approach to communication involves
A) saying whatever it takes to win over the members of your audience.
B) embedding a layer of technology between you and your audience members.
C) respecting, understanding, and meeting the needs of your audience members.
D) focusing on how the members of the audience can help you obtain your goals.
19) Generally speaking, limitations of the formal communication network
A) discourage employees from taking advantage of social media.
B) have not affected the popularity of social media in the business environment.
C) have helped to spur the growth of social media in the business environment.
D) do none of the above.
20) In ________, communication breakdowns and delays can occur as messages are passed up
and down through multiple layers of management.
A) inverted organizational structures
B) tall organizational structures
C) reflexive organizational structures
D) open organizational structures
21) To make your communication more effective,
A) clearly address your audience’s wants and needs—not yours.
B) include as much information as possible, even if you’re not sure it’s necessary.
C) prepare the message as if the audience is not interested.
D) do all of the above.
22) In the first step of the communication process, the sender
A) decides what to say.
B) chooses a communication channel.
C) has an idea.
D) chooses a communication medium.
23) Within the context of social media, ________ refers to a sense of openness, of giving all
participants access to the information they need to understand the messages they are receiving.
A) transformation
B) transcendence
C) transparency
D) translucency
24) To actually receive a message, a person needs to do all of the following except
A) comprehend the message.
B) sense the presence of the message.
C) select it from other competing messages.
D) perceive it as an actual message.
25) The ________ is the form a message takes and the ________ is the system used to deliver
the message.
A) channel, medium
B) medium, channel
C) schema, pipeline
D) package, tunnel
26) The final step in the communication process is
A) receiving the message.
B) sending the message.
C) giving feedback to the sender.
D) interpreting the message.
27) Which of the following is not one of the five ways to get the audience to notice your
messages?
A) Acknowledge the importance of the situation.
B) Practice empathy.
C) Use words, images, and designs that are familiar.
D) Consider audience expectations.
28) A manager hears the part of a message that supports his agenda, but doesn’t seem to notice
evidence that contradicts his point of view. The manager is engaging in
A) discrimination.
B) misreading.
C) selective perception.
D) stereotyping.
29) In order for audience members to respond appropriately to a business message, they must
A) remember the message.
B) be able to respond to the message.
C) be motivated to respond to the message.
D) do all of the above.
30) “Business Communication 2.0” refers to
A) high-level correspondence as opposed to routine documents.
B) a new approach to business communication, emphasizing interaction and conversation rather
than one-way publication.
C) specialized software that enables professionals to create impressive documents easily and
efficiently.
D) none of the above.
31) Whereas traditional Business Communication tends to emphasize ________, Business
Communication 2.0 focuses more on ________.
A) discussion, lecture
B) collaboration, isolation
C) control, influence
D) permission, intrusion
32) Most companies that embrace Business Communication 2.0
A) completely abandon the traditional approach to communication.
B) will eventually return to a 1.0 approach, since the technology turns out to be too complicated
for most employees.
C) adopt a hybrid approach to communication, in which some messages follow the traditional
model and others follow the 2.0 approach.
D) do none of the above.
33) One major difference between traditional communication and the 2.0 approach to business
communication is that in the 2.0 approach audiences are encouraged to be
A) active participants in the communication.
B) compliant listeners.
C) passive recipients of the information the sender shares.
D) all of the above.
34) Which of the following is an example of Business Communication 2.0 in action?
A) A manager sends out weekly newsletters to employees.
B) An electronics store invites customers to submit YouTube videos showing how to install
home theater systems.
C) An advertising firm creates a television commercial for a local automobile dealer.
D) All of the above are examples of Business Communication 2.0.
35) As a contemporary approach to business communication, the ________ is interactive,
conversational, and usually open to all who wish to participate.
A) reflexive communication model
B) computer-assisted communication model
C) social communication model
D) give-and-take communication model
36) All of the following except ________ can facilitate the communication process through the
effective use of communication technology.
A) using technological tools productively
B) staying connected around the clock
C) guarding against information overload
D) disengaging from computing devices to communicate in person
37) A barrier to communication can be caused by
A) the structure and culture of an organization.
B) the common habit of multitasking.
C) human or technological intervention between senders and receivers.
D) all of the above.
38) The “information technology paradox” refers to
A) widespread confusion over how to utilize email and IM.
B) the idea that technology has cut down interpersonal communication in business.
C) the idea that information tools (such as email) can waste as much time as they save.
D) none of the above.
39) Which of the following is the best solution to technology-related problems such as
inappropriate use of the web and social media in the workplace?
A) Forbidding employees to use the web while they are in the office
B) Requiring employees to turn off their smartphones when they arrive for work
C) Developing clear policies that are evenly enforced
D) Rewarding employees who call your attention to those who are using these technologies
inappropriately
40) The accepted principles of conduct that govern behavior within a society are known as
A) laws.
B) social guidelines.
C) ethics.
D) none of the above.
41) Which of the following is not a characteristic of ethical communication?
A) It includes all relevant information.
B) It is designed to hide some negative information.
C) It is true in every sense.
D) It is not deceptive in any way.
42) All of the following are examples of unethical communication except
A) using jargon.
B) selective misquoting.
C) distorting visuals.
D) plagiarism.
43) Which of the following is the best example of an ethical dilemma?
A) Deciding whether or not to promote the employee who has the better performance record or
the employee who seems to be the better leader
B) Deciding whether or not to tell an employee that he needs to improve his performance
C) Deciding whether or not to use the copy machine for personal papers
D) Deciding whether or not to declare the costs of your vacation travel as a deductible business
expense
44) Which of the following is an example of an ethical lapse?
A) Putting unsigned suggestions in the company suggestion box
B) Sharing confidential information with a new employer about your previous (competing)
employer’s major clients
C) Telling your supervisor that another employee is stealing office supplies
D) Providing incorrect data in a report, even though you did not know it was incorrect at the time