Business Communication Chapter 11 Writing Negative Messages Indirect This Message Will Have Adverse Effect The Receiver

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11: Writing Negative Messages 11–21

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,

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:

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

happy to repair it for you.

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

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

studying the wording of each element to deduce its intent. There’s an important difference

11: Writing Negative Messages 11–22

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 protecting the partner’s feelings, so this messages needs to be direct—and blunt. A good technique

in a situation like this is to reply all to the email message but change the subject line as needed. Also, an

all-caps subject line would not be a bad idea in this situation.

[Subject line]

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

Fellow employees:

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

covering this subject and other online communication matters. Also, at our next companywide meeting,

let’s brainstorm opportunities for employees to get involved in our marketing efforts in a positive and

productive way.

Thank you,

Rachel

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.

11: Writing Negative Messages 11–25

well as increased competition. The only alternative to canceling the program would be staff reductions,

which is unacceptable to me.

I remain hopeful that we can restore the program when the economy turns around and we regain a solid

financial footing.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Janet Leigh

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

11.40. Message Strategies: Making Routine Negative Announcements

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

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

11: Writing Negative Messages 11–26

for $114 million), and the message should assure them that Starbucks regrets being unable to honor the

coupons.

11.42. Message Strategies: Refusing Claims and Requests for Adjustment

Note: It might be tempting to resort to humor in this case of a giant hog more or less eating a customer’s

iPhone, but the customer isn’t likely to find the situation funny. The best strategy is a straightforward

answer that refers to the conditions covered in the guarantee, using the indirect approach to lay out those

reasons before denying the request.

Dear Mr. Simmons:

An accident such as the one you describe doesn’t fall within these parameters, so we will be unable to

reimburse you for the cost of the phone. I do get a sense of the demanding conditions in which you work,

so I checked with my colleagues to see if any of them know of any companies that manufacture cases that

could withstand that sort of pressure. Unfortunately, we’re not aware of any such cases.

We do appreciate having you as a customer, and I wish you safe travels with your phones in the future.

Sincerely,

11: Writing Negative Messages 11–28

We also do not want to stifle legitimate and constructive criticism within the company. If you do have a

question or concern, I encourage you to speak with your immediate supervisor. If that conversation

doesn’t yield satisfactory answers, please take advantage of our “open-door” tradition to speak with any

member of senior management.

11.45. Message Strategies: Rejecting Suggestions and Proposals

Note: This is a challenging situation because on its surface at least, the request is entirely reasonable.

Why shouldn’t Google compensate people for their time, energy, and expertise, when those contributions

ultimately help Google by reducing support costs and stimulating the growth of the Android market? In

the scenario presented in this case, however, the company has determined that the costs and complexity

Greetings, Android enthusiasts:

From time to time, we hear the suggestion that Google should offer financial compensation to the top

commenters here. The reasoning put forth is that commenters contribute their time and expertise to

helping other Android users, which in turn benefits Google by reducing our support costs and making the

Android ecosystem that much more vibrant.

After adding up the challenges, the costs, and the administrative complexities, we have determined that a

compensation program for this venue isn’t feasible. In fact, we worry that imposing the necessary rules

and regulations might stunt the growth of the community here and ultimately make it less useful for

everyone.

11.46. Message Strategies: Negative Announcements on Routine Matters

Note: Since this letter contains bad news, it’s best to be brief, using the indirect plan. Start with a

reminder of the situation (you’ve worked with the company for five years), the refusal, followed by

reasons and explanations. The letter should close courteously.

Mr. Jason Allred

Midwest Sparkleen

4000 S. Howell Ave.

Milwaukee, WI 53207

Dear Mr. Allred:

For the past five years, our company has used Midwest Sparkleen for our interior and exterior cleaning.

As the new owner of Midwest Sparkleen, you know that I have had some concerns about service and

security over the past few months. According to my records, I’ve contacted your company by telephone

about the following issues:

The 11 instances cited above have given me mounting cause for concern, and an episode last week

convinces me that a change is called for. Last Thursday, the cleaning crew forgot to lock the lobby door

and left our entire facility vulnerable to theft from midnight until 8 A.M. Friday morning.

As a fellow business owner, you realize the importance of making sure that you can count on the service

providers with whom you’ve contracted. As you know, our company’s annual cleaning contract is set to

be renewed next month. Given our recent experience and the inability to resolve past issues, PolicyPlan

will not be renewing our contract with Midwest Sparkleen.

11: Writing Negative Messages 11–37

V. Depending on how he responds, I may need to discuss legal issues. [This information will depend on

VI. After I’ve delivered the news, extended our sincere apology, and handled any legal issues that may

[LO-7] AACSB: Written and oral communication

11.55. Message Strategies: Refusing Requests for Recommendations

Note: The best approach in this awkward situation would be to deny the request without providing any

substantive reasons. Mentioning your reasons could encourage follow-up communication, which you

11.56. Message Strategies: Refusing Requests for Recommendations

Note: This is an unavoidably unpleasant scenario, but it’s best to face the situation directly, with as much

tact as possible. Refusing the request might lead to a termination of the social relationship, wherever that

stands, but if you’ve determined that you really can’t in good conscience give the recommendation that’s

a risk you’ll have to take. It might be tempting to say you can’t recall the person’s qualifications well

11: Writing Negative Messages 11–39

ASSISTED GRADING QUESTIONS (ACCESSED ON MYBCOMMLAB)

11.58. The five main goals in delivering bad news are to (1) convey the bad news, (2) gain acceptance

11.59. Companies should view employee whistleblowing as a positive information resource for two key

reasons: It alerts them to potentially catastrophic problems that need management attention, and it