73) Harry provides computer-based solutions to offices and helps them reduce their carbon
footprint by reducing paper consumption. To expand his business, he is planning to send
unsolicited proposals to a dozen offices. While doing this, he ________.
A) should use the direct approach
B) should avoid mentioning costs this early
C) should keep the proposal short
D) needs to convince his readers that a problem or an opportunity exists
E) should make sure that the proposal is mailed, proposals on paper are generally preferred
74) Regardless of its format and structure, a good proposal ________.
A) will focus on the direct approach
B) will highlight the problems that the company might be facing
C) does not discuss costs right away
D) allows the reader to be in command, by letting him plan the course of action
E) explains how the recipient and his or her organization will benefit
75) Which of the following is true about proposals?
A) Unsolicited proposals are prepared at the request of external parties that require a product or
service.
B) Solicited proposals include instructions that specify exactly the type of work to be performed
or products to be delivered, along with budgets, deadlines, and other requirements.
C) Request for proposals offer more flexibility but are challenging because recipients aren’t
expecting to receive them.
D) Proposals can be grouped into two general categories: internal and external proposals.
E) A good proposal provides feedback on a wide variety of an organization’s functions, including
sales, inventories, expenses, shipments, and so on.
76) Statement of purpose helps explain who you are preparing the report for and where you plan
to deliver.
77) A work plan for reports helps make the best use of your time. For simpler reports, the work
plan can be an informal list of tasks and a simple schedule.
78) For a junior member of a status-conscious organization, the direct approach is the most
popular and convenient for business reports; it saves time, makes the rest of the report easier to
follow, and produces a more forceful document.
79) The direct approach is a better choice if the audience is unsure about your credibility because
it gives you a chance to prove your points and gradually overcome audience reservations.
80) The first step of effective business research is to locate the data and information you need.
81) Quoting a source means paraphrasing the content and indicating the exact content which was
paraphrased.
82) Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s ideas in your own words without giving proper
credit.
83) Whereas a recommendation interprets information, a conclusion suggests what to do about
the information.
84) Online databases and specialty search engines help you access parts of the hidden Internet.
85) To make the best use of any search tool, use more search terms to find more results and use
fewer search terms to find fewer results.
86) Enterprise search engines are powerful search tools that search all computers on a company’s
network.
87) You do not have to cite a source for knowledge that is generally known among your readers
or is a well-known fact.
88) To develop an effective survey questionnaire, add compound and leading questions so the
answers are easy to analyze.
89) In interviews, open-ended questions which can’t be answered with a simple yes or no, can
provide deeper insights, opinions, and information.
90) In informational reports, if the information is disappointing, it is better to use the direct
approach.
91) To organize your website effectively, help online readers scan and absorb information by
breaking it into self-contained, easily readable chunks that are linked together logically.
92) The purpose of analytical reports is to provide the feedback that employees, managers, and
others need to make decisions, take action, and respond to changes.
93) When addressing a potentially skeptical or hostile audience, it is best to use the direct
approach and focus on the conclusions or recommendations to convey the main idea.
94) The yardstick approach is a common logical approach used when building your conclusion.
In this approach, you use a number of criteria to decide which option to select from two or more
possibilities.
95) Proposals are grouped into two general categories: internal proposals that request decisions
from managers from within the organization; external proposals request decisions from parties
outside the organization.
96) Solicited proposals offer more flexibility, as the recipients aren’t expecting to receive them
and thus, require you to convince your readers that a problem or opportunity exists.
97) Describe the ways in which analytical reports and proposals differ.
98) Briefly explain the primary function of a statement of purpose indicating the most useful way
to phrase one. You have been asked to help a company find ways to reduce the amount it spends
on employee health and dental benefits. Write a statement of purpose for the report that you will
produce.
99) Describe a work plan and list the elements of a detailed work plan.
100) Differentiate between primary and secondary research. Explain why a scenario where only
a primary research would suffice will never occur. If you had to conduct an analysis in a large
organization regarding certain policy changes, which primary research method would you adopt
and why?
101) As a researcher, evaluating the sources of information carefully is vital because wrong
information makes you lose credibility and taints your reputation. What points should you keep
in mind while evaluating the validity of your information? If you quote information from a
secondary research source such as Wikipedia and credit the source, would your information be
considered credible? Explain your answer.
102) You are a customer in the luxury car market. Do you feel that your suggestions will be
better received by the producers of these cars if they ask you to fill an online survey form, which
declares that your feedback is valuable to the organization, or if somebody from the organization
interviewed you face-to-face? Explain your answer.
103) As part of your primary research, you are conducting a real-time videotaped interview with
a manager of a large retail store. After a few questions you notice that he is showing signs of
impatience. How should you respond? What might you do differently to prevent this from
happening in the future? Explain your answers.
104) After the substantial increases in productivity seen at their Phoenix plant, Delta
Automobiles implemented similar upgrades at their Tampa plant. But the productivity at Tampa
did not show any improvement. So the team that designed the upgrades was asked to prepare a
troubleshooting report. What is the purpose of this troubleshooting report? Would a failure
analysis report help in a similar situation? How? Which category of reports do the trouble
shooting and failure analysis reports belong to?
105) After a thorough analysis of the existing payroll management system, you have come up
with multiple action points with details about where these changes should be implemented and
by whom. In this analytical report, would you focus on conclusions or recommendations?
Explain your answer.
Note that your action points could radically change the efficiency of the system, if implemented.
However, since the changes are going to ruffle a time-tested system, it may be received with a lot
of skepticism. If you sense that your readers will not receive these changes well, how would you
modify your approach?
106) Why do unsolicited proposals offer more flexibility than solicited proposals? Can
unsolicited proposals be sent within an organization? If yes, draft the introduction for one such
unsolicited internal proposal. If not, explain your answer and draft an introduction for an
unsolicited external proposal. Do proposals require secondary research and why?