978-1285094069 Chapter 4 Solution Manual

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Answers to Chapter Review Questions

1. Define communication. When is it successful? (Obj. 1)

Communication is the transmission of information and meaning from a sender to a receiver.

2. Describe the five steps in the process of communication. (Obj. 1)

1. The sender has an idea.

3. Name four barriers to communication and be prepared to explain each. What other

barriers have you experienced? (Obj. 1)

1. Bypassing

4. Define digital message. (Obj. 2)

5. In what ways is business writing different from school essays and private messages?

(Obj. 2)

Business writing has a purpose and a strategy; it is written to solve problems and convey

6. Describe the components in each stage of the 3-x-3 writing process. Approximately how

much time is spent on each stage? (Obj. 2)

Phase 1 (prewriting) involves analyzing the message purpose, anticipating the audience, and

thinking of ways to adapt the message to be most effective. Phase 2 (drafting) involves

7. What does WIIFM mean? Why is it important to business writers? (Obj. 3)

8. How does profiling the audience help a business communicator prepare a message?

(Obj. 3)

Profiling the audience helps a business communicator determine the level of language, the

9. What seven factors should writers consider in selecting an appropriate channel to

deliver a message? (Obj. 3)

1. Importance of the message

2. Amount and speed of feedback and interactivity required

3. Necessity of a permanent record

10. Why is positive wording more effective in business messages than negative wording?

(Obj. 4)

11. What is the “you” view? When can the use of you backfire? (Obj. 4)

The “you” view is effective when it focuses on audience benefits. It is ineffective when it is

12. What are three ways to avoid biased language? Give an original example of each. (Obj.

Writers can generally avoid biased language by choosing alternate forms for words using

13. When are team-written documents necessary? (Obj. 5)

14. How do teams collaborate during the three phases of the writing process? (Obj. 5)

Team members usually work together during the prewriting stage as they brainstorm and

decide on the purpose, audience, content, organization, and design of their document or

15. What is a wiki, and why is it superior to e-mail in collaborating on writing projects?

(Obj. 5)

A wiki is a website that allows multiple users to collaboratively create and edit documents.

Answers to Critical Thinking Questions

1. Has digital transmission changed the innate nature of communication? (Obj. 1)

The authors of this text argue that the basic elements of communication have not been

changed as a result of digital transmission. Successful communication still requires the

transmission of meaning from source to receiver. However, others might contend that

2. Why do you think employers prefer messages that are not written like high school and

college essays? (Obj. 2)

Businesspeople prefer messages that are purposeful, persuasive, economical, and audience

3. Why should business writers strive to use short, familiar, simple words? Does this

“dumb down” business messages? (Obj. 4)

Using short, familiar, simple words increases the likelihood that business messages will be

4. A wise observer once said that bad writing makes smart people look dumb. Do you

agree or disagree, and why? (Objs. 1−4)

Bad writing conveys the impression that the writer is uneducated, uncaring, unintelligent, or

5. Ethical Issue: A student in a business communication class refused to join a team

report-writing project because he said he hated situations in which he would end up

doing all the work with credit going to the team. What counseling should the instructor

give?

The instructor might assign the student a separate task, but doing so would undermine the

group effort. Also, other students might then opt out, reducing the effectiveness of the

assignment. A better plan would be for the instructor to explain the benefits of learning to

ZOOMING IN

TOMS Founder Blake Mycoskie Inspires Doing Good With a Powerful

Message

Critical Thinking

In planning your business messages, how can you alter your writing to effectively engage

audiences of various ages or education levels?

Explain to students that, as business writers, they should try to be aware of their readers’

expectations, preferences, and limitations. For example, if they were writing to a very young

audience, they would want to use short sentences and basic vocabulary so the readers could

Why do even experienced writers use a writing process?

When people are unclear about what they want their writing to accomplish, it is unlikely that

Why is it so important to know your purpose before beginning to write?

Knowing one’s purpose saves time and effort. Many writers begin writing and only as they

approach the end of a message do they realize what they want to achieve. In writing the

message, they work out details and think through the message. As they think and write, their

ZOOMING IN

Your Turn: Applying Your Skills at TOMS Shoes

Working together, students will draft an e-mail encouraging their classmates to join them on a

Ethics Check Solutions

Ethics Check, Page 123

Bypassing or False Advertising?

J. C. Penny produced a T-shirt emblazoned with a ferocious red and blue eagle beneath the

words “American Made.” However, a small label inside revealed that the shirt was made in

Mexico. In response to complaints that the slogan was deceptive, a Penny spokeswoman

said that “American Made” referred to the actual person wearing the shirt, not to the

manufacturer. Do you think this was a simple case of miscommunication?

Although J. C. Penney officials had one meaning for the slogan in mind, the T-shirt carried

another meaning. Perhaps the slogan was just a little too clever. Certainly, company officials

Ethics Check, Page 128

Essays for Sale

Websites with playful names such as Cramster (now called Chegg Homework Help),

Course Hero, Koofers, and Spark Notes provide ready-made solutions and essays for

students. Do such sites encourage cheating and undermine the mental sweat equity of

day-to-day learning?

Students can probably name many more websites that provide essays and solutions to old exams.

Some might argue that professors should not assign essays that can easily be purchased online,

Supporters of such sites say that using these sites is not cheating. For instance, in a New York

Times article, “Psst! Need the Answer to No. 7? Click Here,” one student said that when a

Photo Essay Solutions

Photo Essay Page 125

Despite the growing number of multitaskers in society, studies have found that people who

combine texting, video, phone, and other activities perform tasks significantly worse than

nonmultitaskers. According to researchers, our brains can do two things at once, but they

can’t do them very well. In particular, recall, focus, and attention become impaired by

information overload. The findings have broad implications for such multitasking

behaviors as texting and driving, homework and Facebooking, and e-mailing while

working. How can communicators win the attention of audiences in the digital age?

Because of the proliferation of digital media, knowledge workers are increasingly distracted by

multitasking. Effective communicators can overcome such obstacles by recognizing the potential

for distraction and taking action to control both the message and situation. In particular, effective

Photo Essay Page 129

One would imagine that executives at Amazon use only the latest digital communication

technologies to share information during meetings. However, instead of reading from

interactive whiteboards and Kindles, CEO Jeff Bezos and his leadership team spend the

first 30 minutes of strategy meetings reading paper memos and jotting comments in the

margins. According to Bezos, memos are ideal because they have a narrative structure that

allows for a logical development of ideas. What do business writers need to think about

when preparing written materials for meetings?

In the first phase of the writing process, business writers must be able to do the following:

determine the purpose of the message, profile the audience members who will receive the

message, and select the right channel to deliver information. Since writers at Amazon are writing