Chapter 7 Solutions to Activities
7.1 Document for Analysis: Wordy, Woeful E-Mail (Obj. 1)
Documents for Analysis are available at the student premium website (www.cengagebrain.com).
Weaknesses:
Starts indirectly with an explanation instead of the main idea.
Could include a friendlier opening.
Suffers from long lead-ins (this is to inform you that, in view of the fact that) and other
wordiness.
Revision:
To: Department Managers
From: Mellanie Mankin <mmankin@rockstudios>
Subject: Interviewing Five Employment Candidates
Cc:
Bcc:
Good morning, department managers,
Because we are now authorized to hire new employees, we have scheduled five promising
candidates who can help you with your team projects. They are scheduled for interviews on the
following dates:
To prepare for the meetings, please study the candidates’ attached résumés. Send me your
7.2 Document for Analysis: Poor Memo Describing Social Media Brown Bag Lunch Talk
Documents for Analysis are available at the student premium website (www.cengagebrain.com).
Weaknesses
Fails to start with a direct statement of the purpose of the message.
Opens with a trite business expression (As per your request).
Places action information in the first paragraph instead of near the end.
Revision [formatted as memo]
Date: Current
To: Byron Hobbes
From: Amy Thompson
Subject: My Talk About Social Media Policy
As you requested, I have prepared a short program on using social media responsibly. A
Follow Existing Company Policy. Our policy at Acton allows limited use of the Internet for
Use a Disclaimer for Your Personal Blog. If you have a personal blog or profile and you have
mentioned where you work, set up a disclaimer. Even if your social media presence is purely
Be careful about negative references. Even though you think your social media sites are private
and secure, don’t ever criticize the company, a colleague, or a customer. Although no one from
[Note: Memo guide words (Date, To, From, Subject) may appear in all caps or as upper and
lowercase.]
7.3 Document for Analysis: Troubling Internship Program (Obj. 1)
Documents for Analysis are available at the student premium website (www.cengagebrain.com).
Weaknesses
Fails to begin with the main idea.
Suffers from repetition and wordiness throughout.
Uses incorrect pronoun (alarmed my staff and (I) me; meet with the vice president and (I)
me)
Revision
To: Joshua Turck <joshua.turck@bayside.com>
From: Sable Johnson <sable.johnson@bayside.com>
Subject: Meeting to Discuss Internship Program
Cc:
Bcc:
__________________________________________________________________________
Based on your inquiry, I would like to meet with you and the vice president to discuss our
Your inquiry about the status of our interns caused my staff and me to look into this matter more
Displace a regular employee
Complete a client’s work for which we bill
Are promised full-time jobs at the end of the training
We certainly do want a strong internship program that can provide us with superior, well-trained
Please meet with me and the vice president to discuss this matter further. Are you free the week
Sable Johnson, Director
Human Resources Department
[Full contact information]
7.4 Document for Analysis: Instant Messaging at Local Auto Dealer (Obj. 2)
Documents for Analysis are available at the student premium website (www.cengagebrain.com).
The flaws in this IM exchange are many. Just to name a few, Mark is unprofessional, too
informal, folksy, and chatty. He does not show the customer respect and asks inappropriate
questions or makes improper comments, for example, by inquiring about Mr. Kim’s name and
country of origin or by making a contemptuous remark when the customer asks about fuel
Revision
Dealer Rep: Hello, I’m Mark. Welcome to Fields BMW South Orlando! How can I help
you?
Customer: ??
Dealer Rep: A new car, then. All right.
Customer: What car you have?
Dealer Rep: We have some new models that may interest you. What did you have in
mind?
Customer: BMW i ActiveE?
Dealer Rep: Our electric vehicle? We may get those in, but right now they are not in
stock. Only about 10 percent of our customers ask for the electric model. We can offer
you a great deal on two regular 550i, one for $69,895 and one for $72,020 available
immediately.
Customer: i prefer not get a phone call yet… but 407-484-6356 is phone numer and
yjkim@t-tech.net email
7.5 Reaching Consensus About Business Attire (Obj. 1)
To: Elizabeth Sommer <Elizabeth.Sommer@diago.com>
From: Student’s name and e-mail address
Subject: Your Request for Reaction to President Rebol’s Inquiry Regarding Casual Dress
Cc: [Other team members’ names and e-mail addresses]
Bcc:
Acceptable Wear for Women on Casual-Dress Days. After reading a number of articles and
discussing the matter among ourselves, we concluded that acceptable wear for women included
Acceptable Wear for Men on Casual-Dress Days. For men, business casual means khakis,
chinos, or gabardine trousers and a collared shirt, either polo-style or button-down. Ties are
Restrictions on Body Art and Piercing. We believe that body art and piercing should not be
visible. Tattoos covered by clothing are not a problem. In regard to body piercing, we believe
Supervisors Reacting to Inappropriate Clothing. If someone comes to work in offensive,
Definition of Casual Attire. Although it is difficult to define “casual attire,” we think that a
Advantages and Disadvantages of Dress Code. Proponents of casual dress say that it improves
employee communication by removing symbols that dictate differences between people. Casual
Critics say, however, that casual attire forces employees to have two wardrobes, creates
Best regards,
Student’s name and full contact information
7.6 E-Mail Simulation: Writeaway Hotels (Obj. 1)
The Writeaway Simulation encourages students to practice managing and writing e-mail
messages. Designed as an in-class activity, the simulation works best for 12 to 25 students, each
playing a role within the fictitious company, Writeaway Hotels. Within 30 minutes in a computer
7.7 Chatting With Skyline Mobile Customer Service (Obj. 2)
Please note that this is an authentic transcript of an actual exchange between a company and a
The overall tone of the chat session is friendly although not genuine sounding or sincere.
The only sentence that sounds authentic is also one that contains a comma splice error: Yes, I
understand, it was just implemented last week on the 22nd. The other mistake suggesting a
spontaneous answer is an omitted verb: You may have the option of charging the $30 to your
Last, we could question the wisdom of forgoing a $175 purchase of a smartphone with
accessories instead of waiving a $30 fee that was instituted just days earlier and is added
One organizational goal in providing live chat is to add another channel for customer
contact online. Mainly, though, the live chat is to address customer inquiries and complaints and