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Q:
Our fuel-efficient tires can reduce your gasoline expenses is an example of an emotional appeal.
a. True
b. False
Q:
The trait approach to leadership presents the idea that individuals have biologically innate qualities that predispose them to leadership positions. According to research, the best predictor of leadership is
A. desire for leadership.
B. physical attractiveness.
C. intelligence.
D. No personal trait has been found that can accurately predict leadership.
Q:
The first step in applying the indirect (AIDA) strategy for persuasive messages involves overcoming any resistance the reader might have.
a. True
b. False
Q:
MaryEtta believes she is a born leader. Which perspective about leadership does MaryEtta's belief correspond to?
A. trait approach
B. contingency approach
C. life-cycle theory
D. leadership emergence model
Q:
Paul wants to convince the members of his staff to participate in the company wellness program. He should use an indirect organizational pattern to persuade the staff.
a. True
b. False
Q:
The "trait approach" to the study of leadership
A. emphasizes laissez-faire leadership.
B. is a contingency approach.
C. attempts to identify characteristics possessed by leaders.
D. can easily predict which group member would make the best leader.
Q:
E-mail marketing is less expensive than direct-mail marketing.
a. True
b. False
Q:
One tip that can help members of virtual teams is:
A. Members should not confer privately with one other team member; all conferring should be done with the entire group.
B. Members of virtual teams should not express their personal emotions.
C. Unlike face-to-face teams, virtual teams do not have to deal with cultural differences in communication style.
D. Test the technical system the group will be using in advance of the meeting.
Q:
An advantage of attempting to persuade through writing (vs. face to face) is that you can think through your purpose and prepare a more thoughtful and controlled message.
a. True
b. False
Q:
Virtual teams have become an integral part of today's workplace. Which of the following statements about virtual teams is FALSE?
A. Status differences are less prominent in virtual teams than in face-to-face teams.
B. It is more difficult to maintain team spirit in virtual teams than in face-to-face teams.
C. Virtual teams have not been able to overcome the difficulties of working with members from different time zones.
D. Virtual teams perform best when members have some means of creating a personal touch.
Q:
A P.S. (postscript) is an effective location for your strongest motivator in a sales message.
a. True
b. False
Q:
Which of the following is NOT one of the characteristics of true teams (compared to less-productive groups) that Larson and LaFasto have identified?
A. The group has no structure, to allow flexibility.
B. The group's members believe their purpose is worthwhile.
C. The group's leader creates a vision of the group's purpose.
D. The group receives recognition by outsiders.
Q:
An effective way of dealing with price is to delay mentioning it until after you've created a desire for the product or service.
a. True
b. False
Q:
An effective team exhibits all of the following except
A. shared goals.
B. directive leadership.
C. a results-driven structure.
D. competent team members.
Q:
When communicating bad news, business communicators have five important goals. List and explain four of these goals.
Q:
Heather is a member of a group in which each member brings well-researched, relevant information to each decision-making meeting. She concludes that without each person's input, the quality of the decisions would decrease dramatically. This situation, in which the group outcome is greater because all participants are working together, is called ___________________.
A. impact of group size
B. interdependence
C. durability
D. identification
Q:
Many techniques can be used to cushion bad news. List four of these techniques, and give an original example of each.
Q:
Which of the following would NOT be classified as a work group, according to the characteristics explained in your text?
A. Twelve individuals interact through e-mail to select a scholarship recipient.
B. Six neighbors organize a work party one Saturday morning.
C. Three classmates plan a joint presentation.
D. Seven students attend a program about male/female communication differences.
Q:
List three situations when the direct organizational pattern can effectively be used to deliver negative bad news; then give an original workplace example of each.
Q:
Two people working together
A. constitutes a small group.
B. can outvote the minority.
C. can resolve disputes by persuading one another.
D. can form alliances.
Q:
When bad news involves one person or a small group nearby, you should generally deliver that news in person. Identify and briefly discuss four strategies suggested in the chapter for doing so tactfully, professionally, and safely.
Q:
Which of the following statements is true about group size?
A. Choosing an even number of members will allow for smoother decision making.
B. A dozen members is an ideal size for most task groups.
C. To reduce the likelihood of a few members dominating, choose groups larger than twenty members.
D. An odd number of members will allow for smoother decision making.
Q:
Several techniques can be used to close a bad-news message positively. List four of these techniques and give an original example of each.
Q:
Well-managed work groups offer several advantages over individual workers. Which of the following is NOT one of the typical advantages of working in a group?
A. accuracy
B. efficiency
C. productivity
D. enthusiasm
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
Closing a bad-news message with a statement such as Visit our website soon for our summer concert schedule uses ________ information or sales promotion to encourage the customer's continued patronage.
Q:
Which of the following is NOT a typical advantage of a group?
A. breadth of perspectives available
B. greater accuracy
C. increased enthusiasm
D. increase in members' salaries
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
Learning of major events affecting their jobs through the grapevine rather than from management can destroy employee ________.
Q:
Groups tend to outperform individuals when
A. time pressures are intense.
B. members share similar opinions.
C. standards of performance are high.
D. employees are not highly committed to the job.
Q:
Prospective employers rarely bother to check out your Internet presence, so it doesn't matter what silly pictures you might have posted on your Facebook site.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
When abusive language is spoken, it's called ________.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
Abusive language that is written is called ________.
Q:
One factor that may influence your willingness to challenge an interviewer who asks an illegal question is the importance to you of landing that particular job.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
To avoid charges of discrimination or wrongful actions, legal advisors urge organizations to keep employment rejection letters general, simple, and ________.
Q:
According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), during an employment interview candidates with disabilities can be questioned about their ability to perform the job they are applying for.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
Without a sound explanation of the __________ for denying a request, refusing a claim, or revealing other bad news, a message will fail, no matter how cleverly it is organized or written.
Q:
The abbreviation "BFOQ" is another name for an illegal question that should not be asked during an employment interview.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
One way to soften negative news in a message is by suggesting a compromise or ________ to the receiver, such as suggesting that a loan applicant return with a cosigner to reapply.
Q:
It is not a good idea to ask questions of the interviewer during the interview because you will appear unsure of yourself.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
In asking yourself if your message is too blunt or too subtle, you are ________ the message.
Q:
The text suggests that most answers in an employment interview should last about two minutes or less.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
One useful technique for reducing the pain associated with a negative-news message is to place the refusal in a(n) ________ clause.
Q:
During a behavioral interview, the best way to make a lasting impression on your interviewer is to answer questions using high-level abstractions.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
Business communicators should use the ________ organizational pattern to deliver bad news when the news will be personally upsetting, will provoke a hostile reaction, will threaten the customer relationship, or is unexpected.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
When the bad news is not damaging, when the reader may overlook the bad news, or when firmness is necessary, the ________ organizational pattern should be used.
Q:
The PAR approach to answering interview questions stands for "problem, action, results."
Q:
One important pointer for job interviews is to refrain from criticizing others, such as a former boss or coworkers.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
________ is the ability to understand and enter into the feelings of another.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
The key to ethical communication lies in the ________ of the sender.
Q:
An interviewee is ethically obligated to point out all of her or his self-doubts and weaknesses in a job interview, even if the interviewer doesn't ask about them.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
________ is the legal term for any false statement, written or spoken, that harms an individual's reputation.
Q:
An employer is more likely to offer you a job if you can demonstrate how much you need the job.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
________-voice verbs are effective in many bad-news messages because they enable you to highlight the action rather than focusing attention on a person.
Q:
In an employment interview, it is not appropriate to volunteer any information that the interviewer has not specifically asked for.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
The closing of a negative-news message should include a pleasant statement that promotes _________.
Q:
The employment interview is an objective measurement of your skills and qualifications for a job.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
A ________ is a neutral or positive opening that reduces shock or pain and does not reveal the negative news.
Q:
If you are unsure what to wear to an interview, dress on the conservative side.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
Offering ________ when apologizing to a customer involves explaining concretely what you will do to make things right.
Q:
An interview based on the assumption that past experience is the best predictor of future performance is known as an audition interview.
Q:
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
Two important steps in announcing rate hikes or price increases are explaining the reasons and hooking the increase to_______.
Q:
If you are invited to a panel interview, you will be seated with a small group of candidates for the same job, and you will all take turns answering the same questions.
Q:
The term "scannable rsum" describes a template you can download from the Internet to help you create a rsum with a professional appearance.
Q:
Deciding whether to use the direct or indirect strategy and thinking through the reasons for the bad news are examples of ________.a. prewritingb. composingc. revisingd. softening
Q:
An effective cover letter will highlight one or two of your accomplishments that are relevant to the job you're applying for and will back up your claim with objective evidence.
Q:
Which is the most effective statement in a letter to a customer about an order for which the customer has not yet paid?
a. We cannot ship your order until we receive your payment.
b. Your order will be canceled unless we receive your payment right away.
c. As soon as we receive your payment, we'll ship your order.
d. When are you going to submit payment?
Q:
The most effective way to get hired is to scan through the newspaper and complete an application at a company's personnel department.
Q:
What statement about delivering bad news within an organization is most accurate?
a. A tactful tone is useful when communicating bad news within organizations.
b. Bad news within organizations should always be delivered using the direct organizational pattern.
c. Generally, bad news within organizations is better received when the reasons are given after the bad news.
d. Bad news within organizations should always be delivered in writing.
Q:
Frequently it is the candidate with the best communication skills, rather than the candidate with the most experience, who gets the job offer.
Q:
The ________ and Equal Credit Opportunity Act state that consumers who are denied loans must receive a notice of "adverse action" from the business explaining the decision.
a. PATRIOT
b. Class Action Fairness
c. Fair Credit Reporting
d. Sarbanes-Oxley
Q:
In most situations, the employment interview is the most important factor in getting a job offer.
Q:
Cassandra will be writing a bad-news letter to a customer and wants to follow the four-part indirect plan. In what order should she organize her letter?
a. Bad news, reasons, buffer, closing
b. Buffer, bad news, reasons, closing
c. Buffer, reasons, bad news, closing
d. Reasons, bad news, buffer, closing
Q:
Because a career research interview is not a formal job interview, there is no need for any written communication before or after the interview.
Q:
To avoid charges of discrimination or wrongful actions, legal advisors recommend that organizations write employment rejection letters that are ________.
a. as specific as possible
b. written using the direct strategy
c. general, simple, and short
d. form letters
Q:
It is common courtesy to send a letter or email of thanks to a career research interviewee after the interview.
Q:
When writing a letter to a customer denying credit, you should have four goals. Which of the following is not one of these goals?
a. Ensuring the customer that credit will be granted in the future
b. Retaining the customer on a cash basis
c. Avoiding language that causes hard feelings
d. Avoiding disclosures that could cause a lawsuit
Q:
You should wait until you need a new job to cultivate a personal network, so you will be fresh in the minds of your contact persons.
Q:
Which of the following sentences most effectively implies the refusal?
a. I'm sorry that I won't be able to speak at your annual conference, but I'd like to be considered in future years.
b. Although I'll be in Southeast Asia on business on the date of your annual conference, I could speak to members prior to that date.
c. Although I am unavailable to speak at your annual conference, I can recommend another speaker.
d. Thank you for your kind invitation to speak at this year's annual conference.
Q:
One purpose of a career research interview is to gain contacts that can help you in your job search.
Q:
Which of the following would be the most effective statement in a bad-news letter declining an invitation to speak to a professional organization?
a. Although I'm already booked the night of your dinner, I would be happy to speak to your organization sometime next year.
b. I regret to inform you that I am unable to speak to your professional organization.
c. I'm not interested in addressing your professional organization.
d. Although I'm not authorized to tell you why, I can't speak at your dinner.
Q:
Michelle must write a bad-news message to her staff telling them that their hours next month will be reduced. She has just completed Phase 1 of the prewriting process and is beginning Phase 2. What should she do first?
a. Write the rough draft of her message.
b. Select an appropriate color of stationery that will be calming to the reader.
c. Analyze the bad news to determine how it will affect the reader.
d. Gather information and brainstorm ways to present the reasons for the bad news.