978-0134562186 Chapter 11 Solution Manual Part 1

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TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

11.1. You should adapt your medium and your tone to the audience’s needs and preferences in order to

11.2. You should avoid offering explanations in negative messages when that information is

11.3. When organizing a negative message using the indirect approach, open with a buffer and then

continue with a logical and neutral explanation of the reasons behind the bad news. Next, offer a

11.4. A buffer is a neutral, noncontroversial statement that is closely related to the point of the message.

Some critics believe that buffers are unethical and see them as being manipulative and dishonest;

AACSB: Written and oral communication

11.5. Whistle-blowing refers to the incidents when employees who observe unethical or illegal

behavior within their companies and are unable to resolve the problems through normal channels

oral communication

11.6. The steps to be used to minimize the chances of being accused of defamation include (1)

refraining from using any kind of abusive language or terms that could be considered defamatory,

(2) providing accurate information and sticking to the facts, (3) never letting anger or malice

future. [LO-6] AACSB: Written and oral communication

11.7. Companies that have active, mutually beneficial relationships with customers and other interested

parties are less likely to be attacked unfairly online and more likely to survive such attacks if they

do occur. In contrast, companies that ignore constituents or jump into “spin doctoring” mode

Information technology (See MyBCommLab for additional insights)

11.8. During a crisis, customers, employees, local communities, and others will demand information. A

crisis communication plan defines operational procedures to deal with the crisis. This plan

outlines communication tasks and responsibilities, which can include everything from media

contacts to news releases. The plan should clearly specify which people are authorized to speak

11.9. The five guidelines for giving negative performance reviews include:

APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE

11.10. You would use the indirect approach because the negative information would most likely receive

a negative reaction from the audience. The indirect approach helps readers prepare for the bad

11.11. Yes, it is both possible and fairly easy to express sympathy with someone’s negative situation

without apologizing for the circumstances. Simply phrase your response along the lines of “I’m

(See MyBCommLab for additional insights)

11.12. If the intent is to minimize the emotional blow to the audience, intentionally deemphasizing bad

news is not the same as distorting charts to deemphasize unfavorable data. The former is a

understanding and reasoning

11.13. Companies that have active, mutually beneficial relationships with customers and other interested

parties are less likely to be attacked unfairly online and more likely to survive such attacks if they

Written and oral communication

11.14. The best general strategy in this situation is to acknowledge receipt of the complaint publicly

(e.g., “We’re sorry to hear you had an unsatisfactory experience”) but then engage the person

privately by offering to communicate via email or direct message. You might also adjust your

response based on a quick analysis of the Twitter user’s history and the number of followers he or

communication (Visit MyBCommLab for additional insights)

11.15. When deciding how to respond to a recommendation request from someone whose work and

skills you don’t remember, keep in mind that any recommendations you make become part of

your profile and reflect on you. If you have made other recommendations on LinkedIn, you won’t

communication

PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS

11.16. Message 11.A Sending Negative Organizational News

This message is going to top executives who need clear, concise information, so use the direct approach.

Open with a statement of mutual agreement. Get right to the bad news, but let it lead smoothly into your

Here’s a revised version:

From: M. Juhasz, Travel & Meeting Services

To: [mailing list]

Subject: Creative Cost-Cutting

Dear traveling executives:

Before your trip:

During your trip:

Please share any other ideas you have for travel savings. We’ll pass them along. By working together,

we should be able to accomplish our travel and meeting objectives this year without undue hardship,

[LO-6] AACSB: Written and oral communication

11.17. Message 11.B: Refusing Requests for Claims and Adjustments

This letter is not audience-centered, and emphasizes the negative rather than the positive. It suffers from

these additional problems:

Here’s a revised version:

Thank you for contacting us about issues you have encountered with your WM39Z wireless hub. We

would be pleased to repair it under the terms of the warranty. Please deliver or send the damaged

Our turnaround time for repairs is about ten days, unless parts have to be ordered. If you would like

[LO-5] AACSB: Written and oral communication

11.18. Message 11.C: Rejecting Job Applications

This letter is tactless, “we” oriented, and negative. It suffers from these additional problems:

Here’s one version of the revised letter:

Thank you for applying for the position of summer intern. We were pleased by the overall high

Although we have already filled the 25 intern positions, we will keep your résumé on file for future

Sincerely,

[LO-6] AACSB: Written and oral communication

Planning: Choosing the Direct or Indirect Approach Students should be able to support their choices

on using the indirect or direct approach.

11.19. Direct. However, if you have anything to do with the reason the client is leaving, then you

may want to use a buffer.

11.20. Direct, unless a delivery date was previously provided and now the company is saying it can’t

meet that date.

11.21. Indirect. Since this is a special order, the customer is likely to be especially disappointed.

11.22. Direct. This message will have only a minor impact on employees and such situations are

routine.

11.23. Indirect. The passenger may not expect this news and as a way of retaining them, the indirect

approach would be effective.

11.24. Direct or indirect. The approach for this message will depend on company guidelines for this

type of situation.

11.25. Indirect. This message will have an adverse effect on the receiver and the response is

probably not expected.

11.26. Direct. The customer is probably expecting bad news due to improper handling of the

product.

11.27. Direct. This is a routine message for internal colleagues and deals with routine matters,

though unfortunate.

[LO-1] AACSB: Written and oral communication

11.28. Since the customer’s mistake was related to the complexity of operating a smartphone, an issue

that affects anyone who uses smartphones, the writer can find some common ground here:

[LO-4] AACSB: Written and oral communication

Etiquette: Communicating with Sensitivity and Tact; Collaboration: Team Projects De-emphasizing

the bad news—possible revisions: [LO-4] AACSB: Written and oral communication

11.29. Even though unused tickets are nonrefundable, your ticket is still valid and may be used to

11.30. After a thorough search, we were able to find a supplier that can provide you with a

11.31. Because the MP3 player was immersed in water, we are unable to offer a refund. We will be

11.32. Although the company will want to buffer the bad news, readers should learn of the higher rates

in the body of the message, not the close. Students may suggest using a single paragraph as a

buffer and embedding the rate announcement in the second paragraph (not in parentheses, but as

understanding and reasoning

11.33. Students’ responses will depend on the news releases they choose to analyze. They should be able

to analyze nearly any news release by breaking it down into paragraphs and sentences, then

CASE SOLUTIONS

Here are sample solutions for this chapter’s cases.

11.34. Message Strategies: Rejecting Suggestions and Proposals; Communication Ethics: Making

Ethical Choices

Note: Students should recognize that the business partner committed a huge ethnical lapse, and it needs

to be corrected immediately. Preventing any employees from posting fake reviews is a higher priority than

[Subject line]

DO NOT POSE AS ONLINE SHOPPERS Re: [original subject line]

Fellow employees:

Do not follow through on the promotional idea in Brody’s email from this morning, suggesting that we all

pose as shoppers and post glowing reviews of our own products on Amazon and other shopping sites.

I will confer with Brody at the earliest opportunity and together we will draw up a companywide policy

Thank you,

Rachel

[LO-5] AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning

11.35. Message Strategies: Making Routine Negative Announcements

Note: The tone of these tweets should reflect the style of the musician and his or her relationship with

fans.

I regret to inform John Hiatt fans that our man has caught a nasty virus and needs to cancel his August 12

show at The Gorge. (1/2)

[LO-5] AACSB: Written and oral communication

11.36. Message Strategies: Rejecting Suggestions and Proposals

Note: This message should be gracious and respectful of the recipient’s intentions, so the indirect

Dear Holly:

Thanks so much reaching out to us to see if Advocates for the Arts here at the University of Washington

would like to explore the possibility of forming a national organization. I’m always thrilled to meet other

With its booming economy and population growth, Seattle has seen a healthy increase in the number and

Given the demands on our schedules and resources, I think it’s best for us to maintain our local focus for

the time being. I applaud the concept you describe and appreciate the benefits we could gain, but we are

I would like to keep in touch as we grow and evolve. Perhaps we’ll reach the point where joining a larger

Mason Bell

[LO-5] AACSB: Written and oral communication

11.37. Message Strategies: Rejecting Suggestions and Proposals

Note: This message needs to be handled with some tact to maintain a positive working relationship with

the employee. However, the proposal was not solicited, so the manager doesn’t have to explain why he or

she rejected something that was asked for. A brief buffer is sufficient, followed by the reasons for rejecting

the proposal.

Subject: Your agency proposal

Hi Walter,

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on our agency partnership. Your insights have been

Without evidence to back up the assertion that Meyers & Partners has become unresponsive or that it is

too big to meet our needs, I won’t be able to take action on this matter. Moreover, the agency you

If you would like to submit a revised proposal, I would welcome your thoughts and reasoning.

Thanks again,

[LO-5] AACSB: Written and oral communication

11.38. Message Strategies: Making Routine Negative Announcements

Note: Nearly a quarter of the company’s workforce participated in this program, so its demise is going to

have some emotional impact. In addition, cutting the program is likely to worry all employees, because it

Subject: Regarding the “Helping Our Hometown Grow” program

Hello everyone,

Over the past 10 years, we have been able to help nearly 500 families in Norwood start their own

vegetable gardens through the “Helping Our Hometown Grow” program. We all cherish this program and

All these reasons make it particularly difficult to announce that financial circumstances are forcing us to

cancel the program. We are still recovering from the recent recession, and we are facing lower sales as

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Janet Leigh

[LO-5] AACSB: Written and oral communication

11.39. Message Strategies: Making Routine Negative Announcements

Note: Two key challenges in this situation are to avoid creating any impression that this is a product

recall and to discourage any follow-up communication that isn’t absolutely necessary. At the same time,

of course, the speaker should avoid any blunt statements such as “This is not a recall” or “Do not return

any product you’ve purchased.”

[75-word recorded message]

Working in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, we are ending production of Model

500, Model 1000, and Model 2000 enclosed beds. We have issued a revised manual and warning labels

[LO-5] AACSB: Written and oral communication

11.40. Message Strategies: Making Routine Negative Announcements

Note: State the bad news clearly using the direct approach.

[LO-5] AACSB: Written and oral communication

11.41. Message strategies: Making Routine Negative Announcements

Note: In this exercise, it will be important to convey the bad news quickly, without a great deal of

explanation. Students may benefit from discussing Starbucks’ actual attempt to justify rescinding the offer.

The company explained in a press release that the coupons had been “redistributed beyond the original