Solution and Answer Guide
Guffey/Loewy, Business Communication: Process & Product, 10e, 2022, 9780357129234;
Chapter 4: Planning Business Messages
Table of Contents
Zooming In—Critical Thinking Answers …………………………………………………………………………… 1
Words Matter! VisibleThread Strives to Improve Readability in Corporate Writing …………………………... 1
Zooming In—Your Turn Solution ……………………………………………………………………………………. 2
Applying Your Skills at VisibleThread …………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
Ethics Check Answers …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Bypassing or False Advertising? ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Busted for Buying Essays …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4
KFC Names a Baby ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4
Critical Thinking Answers ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
Writing Improvement Exercises Solutions ………………………………………………………………………. 6
Activities Solutions …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 8
Zooming In—Critical Thinking Answers
Words Matter! VisibleThread Strives to Improve Readability in Corporate Writing
• Why do you think Fergal McGovern is motivated to focus so intensely on readability in
documents and websites in the financial industry?
Solution
Fergal McGovern founded VisibleThread to sell his services to money managers and financial
institutions. He identifies wordiness, complex sentences, and unclear expression in
• Technology has changed the way people read, McGovern contends. Today’s readers
have short attention spans and gather information by skim reading. Why is readability
particularly important for online readers who are reading quickly to find information?
Solution
Readers will leave a site if they don’t find answers to their questions immediately. They
• McGovern suggests that low readability scores in financial documents may result from
a desire to impress clients with a lofty tone. Does inflated language encourage or
damage trust? Why is it critical that financial institutions offer readable documents
that build trust?
Solution
Students will probably agree that high-sounding words and inflated language are more likely
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Zooming In—Your Turn Solution
Applying Your Skills at VisibleThread
• You are one of the lucky applicants hired as an intern at VisibleThread. This company,
introduced in the chapter-opening vignette, helps business organizations create
readable documents and website content. To gauge your writing skills, training
manager Fiona McBride prepared a wordy paragraph that needs serious revision. Your
task is to rewrite this wordy test paragraph retaining its meaning but making it more
readable. In an e-mail message addressed to Fiona.McBride@vthread.com, send your
revision and also explain what you did to improve readability. See Chapter 8 for
information on preparing e-mail messages.
Wordy Security Message:
Dear Customer:
As you requested in your recent message to our marketing staff, the undersigned is
Solution
Note: Instructors may use this for in-class discussion or as a homework assignment.
To: Fiona.McBride@vthread.com
From: Your name
Subject: Revision of Wordy Security Message
Dear Ms. McBride:
As you requested, here is my improved version of the wordy security message:
Dear Customer:
Attached is information about increasing security at your business. For after-hours security,
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Ethics Check Answers
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 person wearing the shirt, not
to the manufacturer. Was this a simple case of miscommunication?
Solution
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
Busted for Buying Essays
• Macquarie University in Australia revoked the degrees of two students and prevented
others from graduating after learning that they had used an online ghost-writing
service to complete assignments. A continuing national investigation revealed that up
to 1,000 students from 16 universities had hired an online service to write their
assignments. Beyond lost degrees, what do students miss by buying essays?
Solution
Realistic students will recognize that purchased essays prevent them from developing the
KFC Names a Baby
• Kentucky Fried Chicken dangled a $11,000 contest prize to the first U.S. child born on
September 9 named Harland after founder Harland Sanders. The stunning advertising
gimmick guaranteed that many new babies would carry the KFC namesake Harland,
but only one would take home the prize. Protestors complained that parents were
turning their babies into advertisements. Was the contest unethical? By the way, the
winner, a cute little girl, was named Harland Rose, and KFC loved her.
Solution
Student responses will vary but some parents may feel they were tricked into naming their
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Critical Thinking Answers
1. A wise observer once said that bad writing makes smart people look stupid. Do you
agree or disagree? Why?
Solution
Bad writing conveys the impression that the writer is uneducated, uncaring, unintelligent, or
2. Have you ever read something complex and blamed yourself for not understanding it?
Fergal McGovern, CEO of VisibleThread, argues that it’s not your fault, particularly if
the subject is investing. He blames turgid and dense writing. He thinks that even
complex ideas can be expressed in natural, plain language. Do you agree? If so, how
can writers do this?
Solution
Writers can avoid dense and ponderous language by using familiar words, short sentences,
3. The use of digital communication has overtaken face–to-face and voice-to-voice
communication in the workplace. Has this shift changed the fundamental process of
communication?
Solution
The authors of this text argue that the basic elements of communication have not changed
4. Why should business writers strive to use short, familiar, simple words? Does this
dumb down business messages?
Solution
Using short, familiar, simple words increases the likelihood that business messages will be
5. Ethical Issue: After a workplace project was completed, you were rightfully upset. You
and two other team members did all of the work, but two freeloaders are sharing in
the credit. This probably wouldn’t have happened in college team assignments. Should
you report the freeloaders to the manager?
Solution
In college team assignments, members of the project are often graded on their
Writing Improvement Exercises Solutions
4.1 Audience Benefits and the “You” View
Solution
a. To be reimbursed quickly for your travel expenses, please use the SmartTrip travel
reimbursement mobile app.
b. So that you can be better protected against fraudulent use of your credit card, you will
soon be receiving a chip-enabled card to replace your old card.
4.2 Conversational but Professional
Solution
a. By the way, Madison became irate when the manager accused her of stealing office
4.3 Positive and Courteous Expression
Solution
a. Act quickly to be one of the first 25 buyers to receive the 50 percent discount!
b. Construction on your building can resume as soon as the soil dries out and we can pour
footings.
4.4 Bias-Free Language
Solution
a. Sports Research International hired Demarcus Jones for the position of social media
coordinator.
4.5 Plain Language and Familiar Words
Solution
a. The attorney tried to confuse the issue with unrelated and unnecessary data.
b. Civil Service exams were once required for federal government jobs, but they were
4.6 Precise, Vigorous Words
Solution
a. If you receive two job offers at once, you can probably negotiate a better deal.
b. In the courtroom the attorney alleged that the car was stolen.
Activities Solutions
4.7 Document for Analysis: Improving a Negative, Discourteous, and Unprofessional
Message
Solution
To: All Supervisors and Departmental Managers
From: Avianca Keller, Vice President, Employee Relations
Subject: Improving Employee Performance Evaluations
All,
Recently one of our employees filed a lawsuit against the company because of comments a
supervisor made during a performance evaluation. So that this doesn’t happen again to the
company or to one of you, let me suggest how you can improve the process and avoid legal
entanglements:
• Work with each employee to develop a system to measure performance. Set goals
and share these standards and goals in writing with the employee.
Avianca Keller
4.8 Analyzing Audiences
Solution
a. The primary readers of LinkedIn profiles are recruiters looking for the best candidates to
fill job openings. You would expect them to read quickly and react positively to a well–
written, concise summary of your experience, skills, and education. Secondary readers
might be recruiters who are keenly interested in all candidates in their field, even if they
don’t fit immediate openings. As you will learn in Chapter 15, the LinkedIn profile should
carry a tone that is upbeat, professional, and confident.
d. Because the primary reader is your sales manager, you should know what kind of
communication format and content he expects. However, he may not know much about
the customer and specifically what the customer is demanding. Because the manager is
familiar with the business, you can use jargon or references that outsiders might not
understand. You can expect the receiver to be receptive to prospective new business;
perhaps he’s willing to make concessions to please this new customer. However, you
should also remember that the sales manager may forward your message to a higher
executive, so you should be sure to fill in details and use fairly formal language.
4.9 Most Annoying Business Buzzwords
Solution
1. Drawing top fire from the survey respondents is the term synergy. According to the
survey takers, it is a made-up word that simply means cooperation or teamwork. Why
not use the word more easily recognized?
2. To think outside the box is a business cliché meaning to be more creative and to look at
a problem from a new angle.
3. The phrase take it offline is a computer metaphor to unplug the current conversation.
7. Take a deep dive means examining something in greater detail. Rather than using a
confusing scuba diving metaphor, respondents thought it better to provide a more
detailed explanation of what is being referenced.
8. The expression you don’t know what you don’t know is a direct, candid admission of
being in the dark or unfamiliar with the situation being discussed. It could be an excuse
for not making progress or refusing to involve people who might know what you don’t.
9. Used as verb, leverage means to use something to gain power, traction, or advantage. It
refers to the mechanics of a lever. Some respondents objected to using this three–
syllable word when the one-syllable word use would work. Your students, however, may
think that leverage conveys a more strategic implication than the generic use suggests.
4.10 Is Plain Writing a Civil Right?
Solution
This assignment can be completed individually or in a group. Students will discover a great
deal of information online about the Plain Writing/Plain Language movement and its
governmental act, The Plain Writing Act. Some interesting quotations from the symposium
might make their way into the student report:
• “Don’t make readers wander through the crap in your mind,” advised Karl Gude,
professor and author.
Some of the benefits of plain language are that it makes documents more understandable
and reduces the risk of miscommunication and misunderstanding. It reduces the time
necessary to read and understand documents, and it reduces costs because clear messages
require less follow-up. It improves access to justice and enables consumers to make more
informed decisions. Some of the plain language rules are as follows:
(a) write in the active voice,
(b) keep it short,
(c) use personal pronouns,
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