Business Communication Essentials, 6e (Bovee/Thill)
Chapter 6 Crafting Messages for Electronic Media
1) Which of the following electronic media provides a variety of communication tools including
status updates, user comments, and personal profiles?
A) text messaging
B) social networking
C) email
D) instant messaging (IM)
E) VoIP
2) In which of the following situations should you use a printed message over electronic
alternatives?
A) when you are communicating with a person who is in a different location
B) when you need a permanent, unchangeable, or secure record
C) when you need to build a close interpersonal relationship
D) when you need to have an interactive discussion
E) when you need a relatively inexpensive medium of communication
3) Yolanda runs an online store that sells maternity wear. Her business has grown significantly
over the past couple of years and Yolanda needs additional funding to scale up her operations
further. She draws up a detailed business plan to present to potential investors and has it printed
and bound. Her best friend Sasha feels that using printed documents is outdated and that Yolanda
would make a better impression by mailing out soft copies of her plan to potential investors.
Which of the following arguments best rationalizes Yolanda’s choice of medium?
A) This business plan needs to reach several groups of investors spread across the country.
B) I need to make a formal impression with this business plan.
C) I need to be able to update content frequently and in real time to keep investors updated of
new developments.
D) An interactive discussion is required in order to convince investors of the potential of my
business model.
E) I need a relatively inexpensive medium of communication to communicate with multiple
investors.
4) In response to a request for proposal (RFP) from a company looking to outsource food and
beverage services at its office cafeterias, Zoe develops a tender, prints it out, and has it delivered
to the company’s corporate office. Vivian, on the other hand, sends an electronic copy of her
tender. Which of the following statements, if true, would support Zoe’s strategy over Vivian’s?
A) The final contract decision is made jointly by several people from across departments and
offices.
B) The company has indicated in its publicity material that all tenders should be submitted in
electronic form and has, thereby, been flooded with a record number of applications.
C) The tender contains confidential information and it must be ensured that the information is
not tampered with or changed.
D) The company is a software services firm and most of its employees are college graduates.
E) The contract work does not require an advanced level of technical expertise.
5) In response to a request for proposal (RFP) from a company looking to outsource food and
beverage services at its office cafeterias, Zoe develops a tender, prints it out, and has it delivered
to the company’s corporate office. Vivian, on the other hand, sends an electronic copy of her
tender. Which of the following statements, if true, would support Vivian’s strategy over Zoe’s?
A) The final contract decision is made jointly by several people from across departments and
offices.
B) Making a formal and professional impression is critical to being offered this contract.
C) The company has been inundated with electronic messages responding to the RFP.
D) The company is an investment banking firm and most of its employees are college graduates.
E) The contract work requires just a basic degree of familiarity with using office software.
6) As a compositional mode for electronic media, ________ help people find their way through
an unfamiliar system or subject; they don’t give away the key points in the collection of
information but rather tell readers where to find those points.
A) critiques
B) summaries
C) narratives
D) teasers
E) orientations
7) At the beginning of an article or webpage, a(n) ________ functions as a miniature version of
the document, giving readers all the key points while skipping over details. This compositional
mode can also function as a review, reminding readers of the key points they’ve just read.
A) summary
B) orientation
C) critique
D) teaser
E) narrative
8) As a compositional mode for electronic communication, ________ intentionally withhold key
pieces of information as a way to pull readers or listeners into a story or other document.
A) conversations
B) summaries
C) teasers
D) reference materials
E) critiques
9) Which of the following is true about using the various compositional modes for electronic
media?
A) When writing reference material, organize your material in a way that discourages skimming.
B) To be an effective commenter, focus on short chunks of information that a broad spectrum of
other site visitors will find helpful.
C) Teasers are effective ways of generating readers interest and must be used extensively to help
your material stand out from the clutter.
D) Conversational modes are best suited for communicating reports with large amounts of
factual information.
E) Avoid using phrases such as “for beginners” or “advanced level” in the titles of your tutorials
as doing so will alienate readers looking for different learning levels.
10) Which of the following is true about using the various compositional modes for electronic
media?
A) When posting status updates, you should actively engage with the audience by posting even
the most trivial information that you find interesting.
B) Avoid using phrases such as “for beginners” or “advanced level” in the titles of your tutorials
as doing so will alienate readers looking for different learning levels.
C) When writing reference material, organize your material in a way that discourages skimming.
D) Narratives work best when they have an intriguing beginning that piques readers curiosity, a
good middle, and an inspiring or instructive ending that gives readers useful information.
E) Teasers are effective ways of generating readers interest and must be used extensively to help
your material stand out from the clutter.
11) Richard is the marketing manager of a company that manufactures and retails bicycles. The
company, started by an ardent cyclist with $50 in his pocket, has an interesting history. Richard
has framed this as an inspiring story that highlights the victory of small-business over big
corporations and put it on the company’s website. Identify the compositional mode used by
Richard for this message.
A) orientation
B) conversation
C) summary
D) narrative
E) tutorial
12) Which of the following is true about creating content for social media?
A) Write informally and include sloppiness, so that readers can relate to your message.
B) Headlines and teasers should focus on clever wordplay.
C) It is best to withhold information and create a virtual barricade to avoid public attack in social
media.
D) Ensure control over the messages to discourage conversation.
E) Focus on a feeling of conversation in the social media landscape.
13) Which of the following is true about creating content for social media?
A) Write informally, but avoid misspelled words and half-baked sentences to send a clear
message.
B) Headlines and teasers should focus on clever wordplay.
C) It is best to withhold information and create a virtual barricade to avoid public attack in social
media.
D) Ensure control over the messages to discourage conversation.
E) Remember that it’s a sales pitch and not a conversation with the public.
14) Writing for social media requires concise, specific, and informative headlines. Which of the
following statements, if true, strengthens the argument?
A) Clever wordplay allow readers to spend time figuring out the message behind witty headlines.
B) For all its technological sophistication, in an important sense social media is really just a new
spin on the age-old practice of word-of mouth communication.
C) Withholding information or hiding behind a virtual barricade only invite attack in the “public
square” of social media.
D) Consumers and professionals are consuming large numbers of small pieces of information
and bypassing larger documents that require more than a few minutes to read.
E) Social media have reduced the amount of control businesses have over the content and
process of communication.
15) ________ is an/are online service(s) that enable(s) individual and organizational members to
form connections and share information.
A) Electronic data interchanges
B) Firmware
C) Social networks
D) Black swans
E) Integrated development environments
16) AttachED! is an online service that enables individual and organizational members to form
connections and share information. It addresses the needs of small scale businesses, industries,
and focuses on sales-related communication. AttachED! is an example of a(n) ________.
A) electronic data interchange
B) social network
C) firmware
D) podcast
E) integrated development environment
17) Green Specialist is a small-scale clothing and apparel manufacturer. The vice president
argues that social networking is not beneficial to the company because it brings down workforce
productivity. Which of the following, if true, weakens the argument?
A) Researchers noted that 65% of those surveyed said that they use social media at least once a
day.
B) According to a study by Nucleus Research, companies that allow employees to use Facebook
during the work day lose 1.5 percent productivity.
C) Social networks help employees overcome structural barriers in communication channels,
brings employees together, and fosters collaboration by identifying the best people.
D) Life4U sued five former employees and their employer, QST International, for disparaging
comments about Life4U’s new products and marketing campaign.
E) Public, specialized networks like LinkedIn emphasize on career-related networking.
18) In the context of social networking, brand communities are ________.
A) technological barriers created to secure a network from incoming and outgoing traffic
B) groups of individuals who do not realize that they are the target segment in the marketing
campaign
C) a group of people that form an interest group around a specific product
D) online journals that are easier to personalize and update than conventional websites
E) groups of individuals who seek and attract a pool of people from which qualified candidates
for job vacancies can be chosen.
19) ________ is a research technique in which companies track social networks and other media
with automated language-analysis software that tries to take the pulse of public opinion and
identify influential opinion makers.
A) Free-writing
B) Mind-mapping
C) Critical path analysis
D) Transactional analysis
E) Sentiment analysis
20) When communicating on social networks, you should ________.
A) use conventional promotional efforts extensively in social networking conversations
B) stimulate and facilitate new conversations instead of joining existing ones
C) change your company’s personality to the unique environments of different social networks
D) avoid using the group feature as this will lead to the creation of special-interest groups within
your networks
E) choose the best compositional mode for each message, purpose, and network
21) Which of the following is an effective strategy for business communication on social
networks?
A) Disable the group feature on social networks to prevent the formation of special-interest
groups.
B) Inject conventional promotional efforts into all social networking conversations.
C) Change the company’s personality to fit in with the respective social network.
D) Join existing conversations on social networks.
E) Maintain a consistent compositional mode across networks.
22) When communicating on social networks, you should ________.
A) project a subjective personality that changes in your communications to suit individual social
networking environments
B) maintain a consistent compositional mode across networks
C) anchor your presence at your own central hub—a web presence that you own and control
D) inject conventional promotional efforts into all social networking conversations
E) limit the use of the group feature on social networks to create and foster special-interest
groups within your networks
23) Which of the following is an effective strategy for business communication on social
networks?
A) Change the company’s personality randomly to suit unique social networking environments.
B) Disable the group feature on social networks to prevent the formation of biased special-
interest groups.
C) Inject conventional promotional efforts into all social networking conversations.
D) Maintain a consistent compositional mode across networks.
E) Facilitate community building.
24) When communicating on social networks, you should ________.
A) maintain a consistent compositional mode across all networks and types of messages
B) disable the group feature on social networks to prevent the formation of special-interest
groups
C) maintain a consistent personality across all the networks in which you are active
D) stimulate and facilitate new conversations and not join existing ones
E) inject conventional promotional efforts into all social networking conversations
25) Which of the following is an example of a user-generated site?
A) BrightLIGHT.com is a website that provides a similar named application that performs the
function of a flashlight and can be downloaded by users on to their phones.
B) In4m is a social news site that posts news from around the world and provides online galleries
where users can upload and share photos, videos, and useful information.
C) OneWorld is an online journal owned by Ricky who updates it on a regular basis with his
travel photos.
D) Bushido is a cloud service that provides users with data access from anywhere rather than
being restricted to a particular machine.
E) Socialnetworkingfordummies.net is a website that offers informal social networking
guidelines from its developers.
26) ________ is/are the primary electronic medium for written messages used by several
companies.
A) Instant messaging (IM)
B) Email
C) Text messaging
D) Microblogging
E) Social networking and community participation websites
27) Which of the following statements is true of the evolving role of email in business
communication?
A) When compared to IM, midsize messages are easier to compose and easy to read on email.
B) You need to be friended by a group member in order to communicate with someone through
email.
C) Email is usually the best choice for brief online conversations.
D) Email does not allow senders to compose substantial messages in private and on their own
schedule.
E) Email is usually the best choice for project management updates.
28) Which of the following is true about the use of email as a mode of business communication?
A) Email is usually the best choice for brief online conversations.
B) Email is unsuitable for private, short- to medium-length messages; IM or Twitter is more
effective for this purpose.
C) You need to join a special online group or be friended by a group member in order to
communicate with someone through email.
D) Email allows senders to compose substantial messages in private and on their own schedule,
and it allows recipients to read those messages at their leisure.
E) Email is usually the best choice for project management updates.
29) You need to send a message to your manager, presenting a new idea you have to boost
company sales in the next year. This message is a page long and incorporates confidential
company information. Which of the following communication modes would you use to send this
message, so that it can be reviewed by your manager at his leisure?
A) IM
B) microblog
C) text messaging
D) email
E) video chat
30) Which of the following is true about the use of email as a mode of business communication?
A) Emails are a good medium to express particular emotional nuances, positive and negative.
B) The expectations of writing quality for personal email are higher than for business email.
C) Email hygiene refers to all efforts that companies are making to keep email clean and safe.
D) When compared to IM, midsize messages are more difficult to compose and read on email.
E) Email is usually the best choice for brief online conversations.
31) Which of the following is a guideline for planning your email messages?
A) Don’t “cc” (courtesy copy) additional recipients unless those other people really need to
receive the message.
B) Use email as a mode of communication only in technology-related industries.
C) Don’t consider the traditional notions of organizational hierarchy when communicating
through emails, since this is an informal and interactive mode of communication.
D) Use the “Reply All” function when responding to group emails.
E) Use acronyms and abbreviations extensively to keep your emails brief and understandable.
32) When planning your business emails, you should ________.
A) use texting language and acronyms like LOL and IMHO
B) “cc” (courtesy copy) your immediate superior on every message
C) use the Reply All function to respond to all group mails
D) respect the chain of command in your company
E) use email as a mode of communication only in technology-related industries
33) Which of the following is true about writing business emails?
A) Use the Reply All function when responding to all group mails.
B) The expectations of writing quality for business email are higher than for personal email.
C) Don’t use quotations, directions, or questions in the subject of your email; simply describe or
classify your message.
D) Emails are a good medium to express particular emotional nuances, positive and negative.
E) Use texting language and acronyms like LOL and IMHO to limit the length of your emails.
34) Which of the following is true about writing business emails?
A) Use the Reply All function when responding to all group mails.
B) Emails are the best medium for conversational messages.
C) Cc (courtesy copy) your immediate superior every message.
D) Email messages have the same legal weight as printed documents.
E) Limit the length of emails by using texting language and acronyms like LOL and IMHO.
35) The subject line of your email should ________.
A) use texting language for brevity
B) include emoticons to express positive emotions
C) use acronyms and abbreviations to facilitate understanding
D) contain no more than two or three words
E) build interest with keywords, quotations, directions, or questions
36) Beth is sending an email to her manager to update him about the status of her project. Which
of the following would best capture her manager’s attention?
A) Project update
B) Thompson project update—information needed for Module 3
C) More information needed
D) Thompson project update—Module 3
E) Status update on the Thompson project—information for Module 3
37) Which of the following is a guideline for completing email messages?
A) Avoid using email signatures since they come across as being impersonal.
B) Use multiple fonts, colors, and all caps to highlight your main points.
C) Revise and proofread your email before you send it out.
D) Include long reports or other complex messages in the body of the email instead of attaching
it.
E) Use the “return receipt requested” feature for all messages.
38) Which of the following is a tip for composing effective email messages?
A) Type in long emails rather than sending long attached documents.
B) Use the “return receipt requested” feature for all messages.
C) Avoid sending long, complex messages via email.
D) Use multiple fonts, colors, and all caps to highlight your main points.
E) Avoid using email signatures since they come across as being impersonal.
39) Which of the following is a tip for effective email messages?
A) When responding to a request, avoid including portions from the original message in your
email.
B) Use acronyms such as IMHO and LOL extensively.
C) Avoid using email signatures since they come across as being impersonal.
D) Use multiple fonts, colors, and all caps to highlight your main points.
E) Use the “return receipt requested” feature only for the most critical messages.