Business Communication Chapter 6 Homework Assume that a recently hired culinary product manager is charged with generating and implementing new menu suggestions

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

Chapter 6: Revising Business Messages

Table of Contents

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

Taco Bell Amazingly Ranks No. 1 ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 1

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

Applying Your Skills at Taco Bell …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2

Ethics Check Answers …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4

Costly Writing ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4

Overly Helpful ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5

Critical Thinking Answers ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5

Writing Improvement Exercises Solutions ………………………………………………………………………. 7

Activities Solutions ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10

Zooming In—Critical Thinking Answers

Taco Bell Amazingly Ranks No. 1

• Assume that a recently hired culinary product manager is charged with generating

and implementing new menu suggestions. What role does communication skill play in

this person’s effectiveness in completing this task?

Solution

Although someone may have excellent creative ideas for a new product or strategy, those

ideas will be unappreciated unless they can be expressed effectively. Employees and

• Do you think a culinary product manager would make an oral or a written

presentation of new menu ideas?

Solution

A Taco Bell culinary product manager would probably write a report that would be

• Why is a writing process helpful in developing a presentation of new ideas?

Solution

Both novice and veteran writers benefit from following a writing process. If the writer

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Zooming In—Your Turn Solution

Applying Your Skills at Taco Bell

• The head of corporate communication has many important tasks to oversee. He

hands Blake’s memo to you, his assistant, and tells you to finish cleaning it up. He

adds, “His ideas are right on target, but the main points are lost in wordy sentences

and solid paragraphs. Revise this and concentrate on conciseness, clarity, and

readability. Do you think some bulleted lists would help this memo?” Revise the

remaining four paragraphs of the memo using the techniques you learned in this

chapter. Prepare a copy of the complete memo, incorporating the edits shown, to

submit to your boss (your instructor).

Solution

Date: June 4, 2021

To: Taco Bell Executive Council

From: Blake Valle, Culinary Product Manager

Subject: New Ideas Eating Trends and Exciting New Menu Options

As per your you requested, the writer is I am submitting the following ideas based

on his personal my observations and research in regard to about eating trends in

First and foremost, I would like to will focus on new menu items that are more

fresher, and much more sophisticated, And with more and locally grown items.

What’s Trending in Fast Service Eateries?

As you probably know, Mexican cuisine is increasingly popular from coast to coast,

but today’s customers—especially millennials—want much more intense flavors.

With with locally sourced ingredients. There are Four trends that are most

appropriate for us to take action act on as we revamp the Taco Bell menu.

• High-protein items. Recent research reveals that 42 percent of all millennials

and more than half of all adults think that eating more protein is important.

• Spices. Consumers are appreciating more highly spiced foods and hot sauces.

Spicy Thai and other ethnic dishes are growing in popularity.

A Few Ideas for New Menu Options

Despite the fact that Although my full report contains a number of additional trends

and menu ideas, here are three significant menu concepts: that are significant and

important:

I would like to recommend a Fresh-Flavored Salsa Bar. To appeal to those desiring

fresh flavors, we could offer homemade exotic salsas. With locally sourced

ingredients for bold flavors and textures. Third, to cater to snackers, I suggest Small

Plates items. We could offer grilled sweet potato nachos with crumbled cojito and

gooey cheese sauce on top. Other small plates might offer jalapeno pepper quinoa

bites that are cheesy and spicy along with sharable snacks such as rolled chicken

tacos.

• PowerProtein Menu. Reflecting the trend toward more protein, we could offer

high-protein breakfast items such as steak burritos and Greek yogurt with

I would be more than delighted and happy to have a discussion of discuss these

ideas with you in greater detail and have a demonstration of demonstrate them in

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Ethics Check Answers

Costly Writing

• Bad writing can be expensive: A Philadelphia lawyer was charged with malpractice to

the tune of $6.6 million for drafting a poor commercial lease. The judge in Los Angeles

said the draft was “inartfully written and done so in a confusing fashion, which lends

itself to ambiguities and disagreements.” [FNREF] Can you think of other situations in

which writing can be deliberately or accidentally misleading and expensive?

Solution

Students may suggest examples involving the small print in contracts and agreements. They

Overly Helpful

• Students sometimes visit writing centers to receive useful advice and help. However,

some well-meaning tutors take over, revising documents until they don’t resemble the

original student work. Instructors worry that the resulting documents amount to

cheating. Yet in the workplace today, writers must collaborate, and drafts go through

multiple revisions. Individual authorship is often not relevant. How much revision is

acceptable in a college setting? How much is acceptable in the workplace?

Solution

The line must be drawn at rewriting the original copy. Well-trained tutors know the

difference between gentle, competent guidance and assuming control over the tutee’s

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Critical Thinking Answers

1. A blogger has asserted that e-mail has made good writing more difficult to achieve

because it invites hitting Send before you have thought through, organized, reviewed,

and even rewritten your message. Do you agree that good writing has become more

difficult because of e-mail?

Solution

Some might argue that e-mail has made the process easier because it’s so simple to dash off

a message without thinking too hard about it. However, that is precisely the problem. Good

2. In this digital era of rapid communication, how can you justify the time it takes to

stop and revise a message?

Solution

It doesn’t matter how quickly a person responds or what channel is used for communication.

Taking the time to revise to deliver a careful message is necessary for many reasons. It

3. Assume you have started a new job in which you respond to customers by using

boilerplate (previously constructed) paragraphs. Some of them contain clichés such as

pursuant to your request and in accordance with your wishes. Other paragraphs are

wordy and violate the principle of using concise and clear writing that you have

learned. What should you do?

Solution

The best plan probably is to use the paragraphs until your credibility with superiors has

4. Most users of e-mail recognize that digital communication is undergoing exclamation–

point inflation. When one female manager recently attempted to go without using

exclamation points for one month, she found it difficult and time consuming to create

ways to convey warmth and enthusiasm without them. She also found that messages

without them prompted responses such as, “Are you mad at me?” Linguist and

communication guru Deborah Tannen has found that “women (and men) expect

emphasis and enthusiasm from other women, frequently in the form of exclamations

or all-caps type.” What could managers do to convey warmth and enthusiasm without

resorting to exclamation points and all caps in messages? Why do you think it is

particularly important for female managers to convey warmth in their “boss

messages”?

Solution

In workplace messages, warmth and enthusiasm can be conveyed by the choice of words

and the ideas expressed. Doing so, however, takes more effort than popping in exclamation

points. In conveying audible messages, warmth and enthusiasm can be expressed by using

5. Ethical Issue: Consider the case of Taylor, who is serving as interim editor of the

company newsletter. She receives an article written by the company president

describing, in abstract and pompous language, the company’s goals for the coming

year. Taylor believes the article will need considerable revising to make it readable.

Attached to the president’s article are complimentary comments by two of the

company vice presidents. What action should Taylor take?

Solution

Taylor is in a difficult, sensitive position and needs to be cautious about handling this

situation. All of her options involve risk. She could edit the article without mentioning it. She

Writing Improvement Exercises Solutions

6.1 Flabby Expressions

Solution

a. We are sending a revised proposal now because building costs have jumped

considerably.

b. Normally, we would seek additional funding; however, because rates have increased, we

6.2 Long Lead-Ins

Solution

a. All computer passwords must be changed every six months for security purposes.

6.3 There is/are and it is/was Fillers

Solution

a. A password-checker is now available that can automatically evaluate the strength of your

password.

6.4 Redundancies

Solution

a. Because his laptop was small, he could carry it everywhere.

b. A fundamental of computer safety is to avoid storing your password in a file on your

6.5 Empty Words

Solution

a. Are you aware that social media can drive brand awareness and customer loyalty? OR:

Did you know that social media can drive brand awareness and customer loyalty?

6.6 Condensing for Microblogging

Solution

a. @HTWilson94 We strongly endorse Whole Trade certified flowers and carry them year

round. Please check with your local store for selection. [138 characters].

b. @AmyJean64 I work for Bank of America. Please DM the property address, your name,

and phone number so we can call you to see how we can help. [130 characters]

6.7 Trite Business Phrases

Solution

a. As you request, I will submit your repair request immediately.

b. Enclosed is the list of customers to be used in our promotion.

6.8 Clichés, Slang, Buzzwords, and Wordiness

Solution

a. Our manager insists that we must think creatively in promoting our new kitchen tool.

b. Although we were hurt in the last contract, you can be sure we will be firm this time.

6.9 Buried Verbs and Zombie Nouns

Solution

a. After investigating, the fire department concluded that the blaze was set intentionally.

b. Our committee promised to consider your proposal at its next meeting.

6.10 Lists, Bullets, and Headings

Solution

a. You can build your online following, reputation, and customers’ trust with three simple

Twitter practices:

• Share. Share photos and behind-the-scenes information about your business.

b. Computer passwords are a way of life today. To create a strong password, follow these

steps:

1. Think of an easy-to-remember eight-word phrase, such as my favorite uncle was a

firefighter in Cleveland.

c. Auto accidents account for a high number of accidental deaths. Common causes are the

following:

• Distracted drivers. Talking on smartphones, applying makeup, texting, eating, and

reading newspapers are all common ways that drivers are distracted.

d. Many people want to improve their credit scores. Here are four simple tips for doing so:

• Fix mistakes. Check your credit at least once a year and dispute any errors.

• Pay on time. At least 35 percent of your score is based on your payment history.

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Activities Solutions

6.11 Document for Analysis: Ineffective E-Mail Suggestion

Solution

Weaknesses:

• Carries a meaningless subject line.

• Begins with a trite business phrase (Pursuant to the fact that).

• Buries many verbs (e.g., improvement of customer relations instead of improving customer

relations; making a change instead of changing; made the discovery instead of discovered).

Revision:

To: Roger M. Karjala <r.m.karjala@firstbank.com>

From: Keiko Kurtz <k.kurtz@firstbank.com>

Subject: One Way to Improve Customer Relations

Mr. Karjala,

Because you asked for suggestions on how to improve customer relations, I am submitting

my idea. I think we can improve customer satisfaction easily by changing our counters.

I researched these barriers and discovered that we are the only bank in town with them.

Many other banks are trying casual kiosks and open counters to make customers feel more

at home.

I suggest that we seriously consider removing these barriers as a step toward improving

customer relations.

Keiko Kurtz

[Full contact information]

6.12 Document for Analysis: Improving Wordy Request

Solution

Weaknesses:

• Lacks a helpful subject line.

• Starts indirectly with an explanation instead of the main idea: scheduling interviews.

Revision:

To: Department Heads

From: Christina Miranda <cmiranda@cheyenne.com>

Subject: Please Join Us to Interview Intern Candidates

You are invited to help us interview six excellent student candidates for three paid

internships. These potential interns from our local state university could bring fresh ideas

and talent to your projects.

Christina Miranda

[Full contact information]

6.13 Document for Analysis: Manager’s Wordy Warning About Malicious Viruses

Solution

Weaknesses:

• Includes a meaningless subject line.

• Begins with long lead-in (I am sending this message because).

• Repeats obvious information (sender doesn’t seem to know your name and that you are

addressed anonymously).

Revision:

To: Employees and Staff

From: Zach Brogdon <zbrogdon@fisher.com>

Subject: 5 Tips for Avoiding Viruses Contracted From Malicious E-Mail

Because an outbreak of e-mail viruses is attacking many organizations, please consider the

following important tips to prevent infection on your machine:

Tip 1. Before opening an e-mail, check the sender’s address in the header. If it looks

suspicious, don’t open.

Tip 2. Look carefully at the subject line. Does it claim your account will be suspended or that

it has an unauthorized login attempt? Attempts at urgency often are clues to malicious e–

mail.

Zach B.

[Full contact information]

6.14 How Much Writing Is Required in Your Career Area?

Solution

This activity could be one of the best possible for convincing students that writing is very

important to their future success. Be sure to have students either present their findings