Business Communication Chapter 1 Homework They are skeptical of companies that prioritize long-term investment at the expense of profits. Nordstrom’s executives, on the other hand, favor the long view

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Solution and Answer Guide

Guffey/Loewy, Business Communication: Process & Product, 10e, 2022, 9780357129234;

Chapter 1: Business Communication in the Digital Age

Table of Contents

Zooming In—Critical Thinking Answers …………………………………………………………………………… 1

Nordstrom: A Century-Old Retailer Keeps Reinventing Itself ………………………………………………………….. 1

Zooming In—Your Turn Solution ……………………………………………………………………………………. 2

Applying Your Skills at Nordstrom ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2

Ethics Check Answers …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3

Too Informal? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3

Office Grapevine………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3

How Bad is “Prosocial Deception” a.k.a. White Lies? …………………………………………………………………….. 4

Critical Thinking Answers ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4

Activities Solutions …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6

Zooming In—Critical Thinking Answers

Nordstrom: A Century-Old Retailer Keeps Reinventing Itself

• Wall Street analysts have criticized Nordstrom for its lagging profits in recent months;

the company’s bold new ventures have been called a “gamble.” What explains this

clash between the Nordstrom family’s vision and the reaction of the stock market??

Solution

Wall Street investors expect quarterly profits to increase and focus on short-term gains. They

are skeptical of companies that prioritize long-term investment at the expense of profits.

Nordstrom’s executives, on the other hand, favor the long view. Their heavy investment in

• Why does Nordstrom allow only approved and trained employees to use company-

owned social media accounts, logos, and videos on behalf of Nordstrom?

Solution

Nordstrom understands that employees who post on its behalf on Facebook, Instagram,

Pinterest, or Twitter are acting as company representatives, not private individuals. Whether

• Why do Nordstrom’s social media guidelines emphasize ethical behavior and ethical

communication?

Solution

Organizations such as Nordstrom have core values, or principles, that guide their day–to-day

business activities. For example, Nordstrom is committed to an unparalleled customer

Zooming In—Your Turn Solution

Applying Your Skills at Nordstrom

• You are an intern in the User Experience and Optimization division overseen by Jamie

Nordstrom, president of stores. You are learning about the “Nordie” ethos of truly

believing in helping others and genuinely loving customer service. As the former

chairman Bruce A. Nordstrom put it: “We can hire nice people and teach them to sell,

but we can’t hire salespeople and teach them to be nice.” Naturally, this means being

kind online.

Solution

Answers will vary, but generally Nordstrom’s interactions with customers are warm,

compassionate, and casual. They seem to be driven by a genuine desire to help, answer

queries, resolve problems, or commiserate. Nordstrom representatives come across as real

Ethics Check Answers

Too Informal?

• Executives typically spend 80 percent of their workday communicating. Thanks to

Slack and other internal communication platforms, some top managers come close to

90 percent. One CEO complained that an entry-level hire pinged him on Slack to find

out where his kids go to school. Why was the CEO unhappy?

Solution

The CEO complained because he may have felt that the question was too personal or trivial;

it was not work related. The boss may have felt communication overload. A flattened

Office Grapevine

• Like a game of telephone, the grapevine can distort the original message because the

news travels through many mouths and ears at the office. Knowing this, can you

safely share with even a trusted colleague something you would not comfortably

discuss with everyone?

Solution

Aside from the advantages and the general accuracy of the office grapevine, participating in

this informal communication channel can spell trouble. Meaning can be distorted, and even

colleagues we trust may mangle our words or reveal a secret with which we entrusted them.

How Bad is “Prosocial Deception” a.k.a. White Lies?

• We all tell lies intended to benefit others daily, for example: “Your presentation was

terrific” or “I can’t believe you were passed over for promotion.” Meant to spare

others’ feelings, such fibs are thought to be harmless, perhaps socially necessary.

However, even compassionate lies can harm people, claim researchers studying

prosocial deception, for instance, if the white lie gives the incompetent presenter

false confidence. Compassionate people, say researchers, lie more than others. How

can you determine when a small lie may be appropriate?

Solution

Answers will vary. Experts suggest the following guidelines: Be kind. Brutal honesty can be

selfish. A well-intended lie can be merciful when there are no long-term consequences.

Critical Thinking Answers

1. All this talk about interpersonal skills and future-proofing your career may make you

nervous, especially if your communication skills are shaky. Do you think workers

today can be successful if they lack communication skills and write poorly?

Solution

Each of us probably knows at least one example of a highly successful dyslexic person or a

poor writer who is admired and thrives in the world of work. However, such cases are the

2. Sharing various digital media impulsively can lead to embarrassment and worse. Have

you or has someone you know ever regretted posting a comment, photo, or other

media online?

Solution

Answers will vary. Some students may be too embarrassed to admit to serious blunders on

the Internet, whereas others may be willing to share. Ask students how such slip-ups could

3. Despite laws dictating a 40-hour workweek, many young Chinese tech workers work

the dreaded 9-9-6 schedule: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. How do you feel about

work-life balance? What effects on your health and personal life do you anticipate?

Solution

Answers will vary, but most students are probably aware that being constantly tethered to

their jobs with smart mobile technology comes at a price. A potential overreach by the office

4. Critics complain that texting and instant messaging lead to textspeak, poor writing

characterized by acronyms, abbreviations, and emoticons. Others have claimed that

emoji help supply important missing cues in lean media channels that are “toneless”

otherwise. What do you think?

Solution

The author of The Atlantic article cites a sociolinguist who says that emoticons and emoji are

revolutionizing language and add intention to a statement in e-mail, a lean medium.

5. Ethical Issue: Author and entrepreneur Dave Kerpen believes that doing unto others

as we would want done to us is insufficient. He prefers the Platinum Rule: Do unto

others as they would want done to them. “The Golden Rule, as great as it is, has

limitations, since all people and all situations are different. When you follow the

Platinum Rule, however, you can be sure you’re actually doing what the other person

wants done and assure yourself of a better outcome.” Do you agree? Why does Kerpen

think the Platinum Rule beats the Golden Rule?

Solution

The Golden Rule is an ancient moral principle; therefore, it may feel odd that someone

would question it. However, Kerpen—and Tony Alessandra before him—proposes shifting

Activities Solutions

1.1 Fact Checking: Digging Deep to Spot Fake News

Solution

Students may need guidance in correctly inputting search terms or their browsing may end

in frustration. Ask them to pick a current topic, for example, flu vaccine and run it through

one or several fact checkers at once. The students will come across various reputable

1.2 Exploring Remote and Flexible Work: Meet Distributed Companies

Solution

Personal views of remote work will vary; not all business disciplines lend themselves equally

to employment with distributed companies. Most of the talent sought-after and suited for

remote work is recruited from among IT professionals, software developers, designers,

finance experts, and project managers. However, FlexJobs lists pre-screened positions from

many additional job categories, for example, accounting, advertising, customer service,

engineering, human services, manufacturing, retail, and sales, as well as jobs for writers,

artists, and translators.

1.3 Analyzing the “Holy Grail” of Interpersonal Skills: Iowa Core

Solution

Answers will vary. This assignment offers many options. Aside from the questions listed,

students could be asked early on whether they are surprised by any of Iowa’s “universal

constructs.” Are some more self-evident than others? For example, under Flexibility and

Adaptability, what does “17) meet the challenges of new roles, paradigms and environments,”

1.4 Facing Screen Time

Solution

Findings will vary. The generalization that young people today are digital natives and as such

must all be extremely tech savvy may not apply equally to all students, not even the

millennials among them. Taking stock of students’ social media and technology use can be

important for getting to know the class and its members’ preparedness. Assign the inventory

activity to small groups or collect written responses from individuals if you fear that students

1.5 Practicing Critical Thinking: Analyzing the Opening Case Scenario

Solution

This activity takes place over the entire semester. Student teams have a choice of 1 of the 16

two-part case studies in the textbook. Each team must fully research the company in the

1.6 Polishing Those Interpersonal Skills: Introductions

Solution

This e-mail or memo is an excellent way to assess students’ writing skills and, at the same

time, get to know them. Don’t grade this assignment, but be sure to write a friendly

comment on all papers or in all e-mail replies to demonstrate that you have an interest in

them as students and as individuals.

1.7 Exercising Those Interpersonal Skills: Introduce Your Team

Solution

Decide whether you wish your class to (a) interview a group member and introduce that

person to the group or (b) have each class member introduce himself or herself to the entire

class. Class size may help you decide. Encourage students to consider this a casual

introduction. However, it is a good opportunity for students to not only learn about each

other but also start to develop the skills needed to speak in front of a group.

1.8 Honing Your Communication Skills: What Employers Want

Solution

Students may work in groups or individually on this project. Consider grouping them by their

1.9 Focusing on Writing Skills: So You Think You Won’t Have to Write?

Solution

a. Everyone writes in today’s workplace—and probably more than people ever did in the

past. In professional workplaces, e-mail has become the most important communication

channel. Texting is less important, but it has its professional applications. Regardless, all

areas such as information technology, accounting, engineering, marketing, and hotel

management—involves some writing. Tech giant Google found that its best teams were

interdisciplinary and benefited from collaborators with strong interpersonal skills.

e. Today’s style-, grammar-, and spell-checkers are wonderful aids to business writers. They

can highlight selected trouble areas and occasionally suggest revisions. What they can’t

do, though, is organize and write the document and ensure its total accuracy. These

tools are also not capable of catching all errors, especially commonly confused words

and punctuation.

1.10 Exploring Work-Life Balance and Tweeting About It

Solution

Answers will vary. Examples could look something like this:

“column” by right-clicking the status bar on the bottom of the MS Word window and checking

the appropriate box. In Word for Mac, highlight the intended tweet including the shortened

URL. On the bottom bar, click where the word count appears to reveal characters with

spaces

o Social Media Posts:

Compelling advice from an executive coach: The idea of work/life balance is flawed because a

perfect balance can’t be achieved. Do you agree? [Mike Harden, Huffington Post, 23 words]

o Summaries:

Executive coach and blogger Mike Harden decries the comingling of work and leisure. He blames

mobile devices and social media for sapping workers of time, thus shortchanging their families

because they are always plugged in. He advises that workers remain flexible and prioritize what is

important to them each day and to try to be fully present. [Mike Harden, 568 words, summary is

57 words]

1.11 Speaking or Writing: Explore Media Richness

Solution

a. Text or e-mail, possibly call your division sales manager, if it’s not going to disrupt the

meeting, depending on the importance of the meeting and your role in it. As a junior

member of the team, you would want to call to provide immediate feedback, adjust to

the audience, and deliver your message quickly. A telephone call is not as rich a medium

social media use. Some businesses prohibit or limit the use of instant messaging to

prevent abuse such as harassment and security risks. If you have your colleague’s cell

phone number, texting at 8:30 or 9 a.m. to ask for a callback is also an option.

e. Messages as traumatic as termination should always be delivered in person—one-on–

one or with a limited number of participants. Oral communication provides immediate

feedback, can be adjusted to the audience, supplies nonverbal cues, and shows greater

compassion than a written message.

f. Responding to an upset customer should always be done orally, if possible. The best

procedure is to first call the customer and explain what happened. Oral communication

allows you to show sympathy, apologize, and suggest possible alternate solutions. After

the telephone call, it’s wise to follow up with a written message confirming what was

said. In most cases e-mail would be the channel of choice, although in particularly

The National Business Ethics Survey will probably spark a lively discussion about workplace

behavior. To protect the guilty and to avoid putting individuals on the spot, a classroom

discussion should probably be general, focusing on the unethical behaviors, not on the

students’ individual responses, unless they decide to share their attitudes publicly.

1.12 Probing Active Social Media Users’ Attitudes Toward Ethics

Solution

The National Business Ethics Survey will probably spark a lively discussion about workplace

behavior. To protect the guilty and to avoid putting individuals on the spot, a classroom

discussion should probably be general, focusing on the unethical behaviors, not on the

students’ individual responses, unless they decide to share their attitudes publicly.

1.13 Doing the Right Thing: Resolving Ethical Dilemmas

Solution

Students responses will vary, of course. They should apply each question from the “tools for

doing the right thing” list and explain their answers in relation to the dilemma.

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