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Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
employment. To help students get started, you may want to mention some communication
examples from Tyco, ENRON, WorldCom, Martha Stewart’s company, and other
5. Culture. Ask students to assume that they have traveled to another part of the country and
have stopped to talk with a resident of the region. Ask students to prepare a list of the points
they would mention if the local resident asked the students to describe the culture in which
6. Intercultural Sensitivity. Assign student teams to research a particular culture to identify
differences in social customs and preferences or rules for conducting business. Make sure
7. Intercultural Sensitivity. Invite a panel of businesspeople who grew up in different cultures to
address your class. Ask panel members to comment on cultural differences in such areas as
8. Teamwork Exercise. Divide students into groups of six to eight, and give each group a ball.
Tell the group that its “mission” is to make sure each member of the group touches the ball
at least once and that the team completing the task the fastest wins. (Students will often pass
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
1-1. The six traits of professionalism are striving to excel, being dependable and accountable,
1-2. BYOD stands for “bring your own device” and refers to the phenomenon of employees
wanting to use their personal smartphones and tablets to access company files and
1: Professional Communication in Today’s Digital, Social, Mobile World
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1-3. Ethics are the accepted principles of conduct that govern behavior within a society (they
1-4. Cultural context affects expectations in profound and fundamental ways. In high-context
cultures, communication relies less on the explicit content of the message and more on the
APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE
1-5. This exercise should help students organize their thoughts about how communication
keeps organizations running, what business tasks require communication, and how
communication benefits business organizations. Students should also realize that effective
communication helps employees feel as if they are a part of the business process because
1-6. Since an audience-centered approach means focusing on and caring about the members of
your audience, including making every effort to get your message across in a way this is
meaningful and respectful to the audience, featuring readers’ comments on a corporate
1-7. Only by understanding the process of communication can you determine whether each step
has been completed successfully. Communication cannot occur if any step in the process is
blocked. By understanding the process, you can determine where the problem lies and
1-8. If readers are typically walking or riding mass transit when viewing your emails, this
means they are using mobile devices. This means you should write and format your email
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1-9. It is unlikely that students will come to consensus about which strategy is best, but the
primary goal of the discussion should be to illustrate the difficulties associated with
1-10. This question will help students consider the growing problems faced by employees from
foreign cultures. The discussion should be lively with regard to just how much the
PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS
Activities
1-11. In these introductions, students should include information about their majors, hobbies,
likes, dislikes, and future career plans. This activity should give you an idea of the level of
1-12. This question provides a good opportunity to discuss the advantages and limitations of
utilizing social media for business communication. Students should be encouraged to
1-13. This question provides a good opportunity to discuss communication modes that are not
1-14. In completing this exercise, students should recognize the often-significant differences
1-15. Student answers might mention that every employee is a representative of the organization
and employee behavior should protect the company’s reputation; thus, all employees
should receive etiquette training. Answers might also focus on the changing workplace
with more emphasis placed on teams and flattened management hierarchies; with these
1: Professional Communication in Today’s Digital, Social, Mobile World
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1-16. This exercise challenges students to apply their understanding of the communication
Students might identify such barriers as a difference in perception due to differences in age,
background, culture, or language; a lack of credibility, precision, congeniality, or control; a
lack of information about the audience; a misunderstanding caused by unfocused,
1-17. Students should avoid the tendency to simply explain how widespread the use of social
media has become, and how easy it is to utilize the technology. Instead, they should be
1-18. Students should be sure to use a mobile device to view the websites, not a laptop or
desktop computer. They should evaluate how easy it is to read the content on the device,
1-19. The ethics of each situation may be decided as follows:
a. De-emphasizing negative test results is an ethical lapse that could affect lives in some
situations; for example, when women suffered from defective breast implants.
1-20. Students might mention that the employees should always consult a company’s code of
ethics (if one exists) before writing anything associated with the company. Students
opposed to the ban may argue that it is an individual’s ethical responsibility to alert the
public to serious concerns about an organization, and that a policy that bans criticism is
1: Professional Communication in Today’s Digital, Social, Mobile World
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1-21. After researching Cisco’s Code of Business Conduct, students might mention the following
examples that violate the Code of Business Conduct:
Cisco employees and members of their immediate families engaging in a direct or
indirect financial relationship with other businesses that could cause divided loyalty
Cisco employees not receiving written permission from the Cisco department vice
Requesting or negotiating a fee or receiving any form of compensation (except the
novelties, favors, or entertainment described below) from the organization that
Not receiving written permission from the Cisco department vice president before
Offering or accepting cash or cash equivalent (such as loans, stock, stock options, or
Offering, accepting, or participating in any favors, gifts or entertainment or other
situations that are unsavory, or otherwise violates Cisco’s commitment to diversity
Offering favors, gifts or entertainment over $100 USD per year to a single customer,
vendor, or supplier—unless prior written approval of department vice president AND
Students might list the following opportunities for Cisco employees to report ethics
violations or ask questions regarding ethical dilemmas:
Employees could contact Cisco’s general counsel
Employees could send e-mail to
1-22. This exercise asks students to consider a possible ethical dilemma: choosing among
alternatives that aren’t clear-cut.
a. Students might mention that if employees are violating company policy, then they
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b. The questions that need to be asked before the employee makes a decision include:
has the situation been defined fairly and accurately, what is the intention of
communicating this information, what impact will this information have on the
c. Students might also wish to discuss whether or not the company has a code of ethics,
whether or not employees are aware of company policies and the consequences for
1-23. The slang and acronyms contained in the message are too informal for members of the
audience and will probably confuse them. Words and phrases such as ASAP, our little
family, high time, shaking hands across the sea, pleased as punch, my level best, and sell
1-24. Students may find that it’s difficult, even with their own understanding of the expressions, to
translate the entire context of these phrases. For instance, “He couldn’t hang” loses a little
something when it’s translated to, “He couldn’t hold out and remain calm until the situation
1-25. Students should find this assignment interesting. A number of books are available on
international business communication, and many of them provide country-by-country
information. As an option, you may suggest that some students pick two countries and
1-26. The role-playing should reveal how easily we slip into ethnocentric and stereotypical
viewpoints—which interfere with business communication even when the difference is one
1-27. To improve the discussion that this exercise can generate, consider assigning different
services to different students. The wide variety of services students will access can provide
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EXPAND YOUR SKILLS
Critique the Professionals: Students should understand that their evaluation of the message they
select should focus on specific elements from relevant textbook chapters. It is also helpful for
Sharpen Your Career Skills Online: This exercise calls upon students to use Bovée and Thill’s
Business Communication Web Search to research information on an essential communication
skill. Students will summarize the content of this source in an email to the instructor, or as a post
IMPROVE YOUR GRAMMAR, MECHANICS, AND USAGE
Level 1: Self-Assessment—Nouns
In the following sentences, common nouns are underlined and proper nouns are within squares:
1-29. After three years of declining sales, the board fired the CEO and hired a replacement from
1-31. Which aluminum bolts are packaged? (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
1-32. Please send the Joneses a dozen of the following: stopwatches, canteens, headbands, and
In the following sentences, the subjects are underlined and the objects are within squares:
1-33. The technician has already repaired the machine for the client. (AACSB Tag: Written and
oral communication)
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1-37. Accuracy overrides speed in importance. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
1-38. copies Make sure that all copys include the new addresses. (AACSB Tag:
Written and oral communication)
Level 2: Workplace Applications
1-43. If a broken-down, unproductive guy like Carl can get a raise, why can’t a take-charge guy
1-44. Visit our website and sign up for “On Your Toes,” our free newsletter that keeps you
1-45. As of March 2015, the Board of Directors has nine members, including three women, one
1-46. We urge you, as one of the nearly three [or: 3] million New York Life policyholders
1-47. Gerald Higgins, Vice President for Marketing, told reporters that Capital One provides
1-48. Our customer relations associates work with people every day to answer questions, provide
1-49. If tenants breach the lease, the landlord is likely to file legal action against them to collect
on the remainder of the lease. [Preferable to: If anyone breaches the lease, it is likely that
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1-50. The IRA is one of the most common plans for the self-employed because it’s simple to set
1-52. According to Karen Smith’s report, many small-business owners don’t recognize the full
1-53. To facilitate the processing of your U.S. tax return, use the mailing label and bar-coded
1-54. The NASE have implemented an exciting array of programs that make it easy for you to
1-55. Keep in mind the old saying “When you laugh, the world laughs with you; when you cry,
1-56. Albert Edmunds and I are owners of the real estate firm of Edmunds & Cale, which has
1-57. The memo implied that the economic downturn will have a greater effect on the company’s
Level 3: Document Critique—Well-Written Solution
MEMO
DATE: December 28, 2015
TO: All Employees
FROM: Roberta Smith, Personnel Director
SUBJECT: Implementation of Time Card System
After reviewing our current method of keeping track of employee hours, we have concluded that
time cards leave a lot to be desired. Beginning Monday, we will have a new system: a time
