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Master of Business Administration-MBA Semester 1 MB0039– Business Communication - 4 Credits
(Book ID: B1128) Assignment Set- 1 (60 Marks)
Q 1. Describe any situation that you experienced where the communication went wrong because the listening was faulty. Analyze the situation by explaining the type of listening barrier. . How could this barrier be overcome?ANS:
As pointed out earlier, listening is not easy and there are a number of obstacles that stand in the way of effective listening, both within and outside the work place. These barriers may be categorized as follows-
1. Physiological Barriers - This was discussed earlier under the barriers to communication. Some people may have genuine hearing problems or deficiencies that prevent them from listening properly. Once detected, they can generally be treated. Other people may have difficulty in processing information, or memory related problems which make them poor listeners. Another physiological barrier is rapid thought. Listeners have the ability to process information at the rate of approximately 500 words per minute, whereas speakers talk at around 125 words per minute. Since listeners are left with a lot of spare time, their attention may not be focused on what the speaker is saying, but may wonder elsewhere. 2. Physical Barriers - This refers to distraction in the environment such as the sound of an air conditioner, cigarette smoke, or an over heated room, which interfere with the listening process. They could also be in the form of information overload. For example, if you are in a meeting with your manager and the phone rings and your Mobil beeps at the same time to let you know that you have amessage, it is very hard to listen carefully to what is being said.
3. Attitudinal Barriers - Pre-occupation with personal or work related problems can make it difficult to focus ones attention completely on what a speaker is saying, even if what is being said is of prime importance. Another common attitudinal barrier is egocentrism, or the belief that you are more knowledgeablethen the speaker and that you have nothing new to learn from his ideas. People with his kind of closed minded attitude make very poor listeners.4. Wrong Assumption - The success of communication depends on both the sender and the receiver, as we have seen in an earlier unit. It is wrong to assume that communication is the sole responsibility of the sender or the speaker and that listener have no role to play. Such an assumption can be a big barrier to listening. For example, a brilliant speech or presentation, however well delivered, is wasted if the receiver is not listening at the other end. Listeners have as much responsibility as speakers to make the communication successful, by paying attention, seeking clarification and giving feedback. Another wrong assumption is to think that listening is a passive activity, in which a listener merely absorbs the toughs of the speaker. On the contrail, real listing is heard work – it requires speaking sometimes to ask questions, agree or disagree with the speaker, give feedback, etc. Yet another barrier of this type is to assume that speakers are more powerful then listeners. Speakers are seen as being in command of things, whereas listeners are seen to be weak and lacking authority. According to communication experts however, the reserve is true. Listeners are as important and as powerful as speakers. In fact David J. Schwartz, writer and management professor, emphasizes the importance of listening by saying “Big people monopolize the listening. Small people monopolize the talking.” 5. Cultural Barriers - Accents can be barriers to listening. Since they interface with the ability to understand the meaning of word that is pronounced differently. The problem of different accents arises not only between cultures, but also with in a culture. For example, in a country like India where there is enormous cultural
diversity, accent may different even between different regions and states. Another type of culture barrier is differing cultural values. The importance attached to listening and speaking differs in western and oriental cultures. Generally, Orientals regard listening and silence as almost a virtue, whereas westerners attach grater importance to speaking. Therefore this world interfaces with the listening process. When two people from these two different cultures communicate. 6. Gender Barriers - Communication research has shown that gender can be a barrier to listening. Studies revealed that men and women listen very differently and for different purposes. Women are more likely to listen for the emotions behind speaker’s words, while men listen more for the fact and the content. 7. Bad Listening Habits - Most people are very average listeners who have developed poor listening. For example, some have the habit of “faking” attention, or trying to look like a listener, in order to impress the speakers and to assure him that they are paying attention. Others may tend to listen to each an every fact and, as result, miss out on the main point. Yet another habit is to avoid difficult listening and to tune off deliberately, if the subject too technical or difficult to understand. Some times, the subject itself may be dismissed as uninteresting, because the listener does not want to listen.
HOW TO OVERCOME THIS TYPE OF BARRIERS:- Although a number of barriers stand in the way of effective listening, these can be overcome through conscious efforts, training and practice. Some of the suggested methods are discussed in detail below- 1) Create a conducive environment - To an extent, you con tray to control the environment in which commutation takes place, so that listening can take place without any distractions. Ensuring a proper sound system acoustics so that the speakers is audible, avoiding place with high levels of activity, loud noises from the out side environment and poor air conditioning system, shutting off mobile phone and
telephones, are some of the way in which you can overcome some of the physical barriers to listening. 2) Select Face-to-face Channels - Listening is less accurate in the in the absence of face-to-face communication. For example, listening to and understanding an idea currently over the telephone is much herder then through face-to-face meeting. Take the case of calling a restaurant and placing orders over the telephone for home delivery of a meal. The chances are that your order may not be understood currently. Therefore, as far as possible, arrange face-to-face contact ensure more accurate listening. 3) Be Open Minded and Avoid distractions - Listening is an exhausting activity which requires the right attitude and mindset. You have to focus your attention completely on what the speaker is saying, without letting your mind wander. This kind of concentration can be developed through various techniques and through constant practice. 4) Use Non-verbal Cues to Indicate Active Listening – It is important to communicate to the speaker that you are listening actively to what he is saying. This can be done even without verbal communication. All the different aspects of non-verbal communication discussed earlier should be used for maximum effect. 5) Use Verbal communication to Indicate Active Listening – While non-verbal behavior by itself can communicate that you are an active listener, it is also important to engage in verbal communication with the speaker. Silence is often interpreted as lack of understanding or attention. You need to seek clarification, give feedback and suggestion, or just paraphrase in your own words what the speaker has said, in order to convey that you have understood his message. 6) Listening First before Responding- Always let yourself finish listening before you being to speak. Avoid the tendency to formulate your own response, even before you have listened completely to the speaker’s words. If you are too busy thinking about what to say next, you may miss the main point that the speaker is trying to make. This also gives the speaker the impression that you are pre-occupied or rude. 7) Use the Speaker-listener Gap constructively- It was pointed out earlier that listeners have the ability to absorb information faster than speaker’s rate of speech. This spare time available to listeners is often
misused by letting the mind wander and is one of the physiological barriers of listening. One way of overcoming this barrier is to try to use this spare time to note down what the speaker has said, review what has been said so far and anticipate what he may say next. Thinking ahead of the speaker and trying to guess where his talk is leading, is a good strategy for effective listening. This is not easy, but can be learnt through proper training. 8) Ask Questions of Yourself and Make Notes- In order to engage in active listening, you also need to ask certain questions to yourself while listening. For example, “What is the key idea that speaker is trying to convey?”, “How does this fit in with I already know on the subject?”, or “How is this presentation organized?” are some possible question that you could jot down along with this answers.
Q 2. Select a business article from any business publication.Evaluate it in terms of: a) Appropriate level of readability b) Use of jargon, slang and metaphors c) Use of simple vs. complex words. Is it well or poorly written, in your opinion? Attach A copy of the article with your response?
ANS: Business Article:- Insurance Fraud Hall of Shame: Greatest Insurance Fraud Claims- Claiming false compensation from the insurer is one of the common financial crimes. Below are given some of the greatest fraud claims in the US Insurance history. World Trade Centre Fraud: Charles and Cynthia Gavett transformed the US’s worst tragedy in a scam by stealing USD 628000 from the life-insurers. Charles told the sevenLife Insurers that his wife Cynthia Gavett had died in the September 11, 2001 WorldTrade Centre Attack and collected about USD 273000 from the insurers. However, theycould not get away for long and both husband and wife were arrested
and got 10 yearsimprisonment in May, 2002.
Turquitt Drug Scam: Another innovative insurance scam had taken place in US which included giving drugs to addicts so that they die early and then taking huge insurance claims on their names. Jimme and Isom Turquitt lured alcoholics and drug addicts off thestreets of Birmingham, Los Angeles by promising those jobs and rooms at their brother’s rural property. The Turquitts took out more than 100 life insurance policies worth USD 8.6 million on the addicts. The brothers gave free drugs and drugs to the addicts so they would die faster and actually collected more than USD 1.6 million before the scam was broken up. Isom made suicide in prison whereas Jimmie received life without parole infederal prison in March, 2002.
Auto Insurance Scam in Police Station: Belinda Lovander was an employee with the New York Police Department. Using a computer, he wrote 22 fake police reports of car crashes that were staged by car ring or did not take place at all. The ring collectedUSD 9,00,000 in insurance claims for bogus injuries. At least 115 people were ruined for the massive fraud – the largest bust of its kind in New York State History. Lovander was arrested later and was sentenced to 6 years prison in March, 2002.Staging Faked Auto Accidents: Quentin “Flint” Hawkins stole USD 10 million from the insurers over a 20-year fraud rampage by staging fake auto accidents. Hawkins paid USD 500 or more to drivers and passengers in cars they maneuvered into low speedaccidents. “Insured” passengers submitted bogus injury claims to insurers for up to USD 50000 each. Hawkins even recruited police officers, sons, bowling alley buddies and others to participate. Interestingly, even one woman sent Hawkins a resume for work as a fake accident victim; and more interestingly she got the job. Hawkins received 5 years infederal prison in September, 2002.
a) Appropriate level of readability : - A third very important rule of business writing to your audience and to make it
simple enough for even a layperson toread and understand. As pointed out in an earlier section, readability is determined by the length ofwords and sentences. Robert Gunning developed what is known as the “Fog Index” or a readability formula to measure the readability of a piece of writing.According to this formula, the appropriate reading level in business writing should be between 8 and 11.
Calculation of the Fog Index involves the following steps – 1. Select a written passage of approximately 100 words. 2. Calculate the average length of a sentence dividing the total number of words in the passage by the number of sentence. 3. Find the number of difficult words. A word may be defined as difficult if it contains three or more syllables. Determine the number of difficult words per hundred, by dividing the total number of words in the passage into the number of difficult words, then by multiplying this figure by 100. 4. Add the number of difficult words per hundred and the average sentence length. 5. Multiplying the figure obtained in step 4 by 0.4, to calculate the reading grade level for which the passage was written, or the Fog Index.Ideally, the Fog Index should be between 8 and 11 for most business writing, indicating that a reader between the eight grades and the eleventh grade should be able to understand it without difficulty.
b) Jargon, Slang and Metaphors: - Jargon refers to technical terms that belong to a particular subject area or discipline. For example, medical jargon wouldinclude terms that only medical practitioners and not the lay person might understand. Such terms are to be avoided in general writing, since they would beout of context. The only instance where jargon can be used and might be essential is in reports of a highly technical nature, where the reader is in a position tounderstand these terms.
Slang refers to casual words that are not accepted and recognized in a Standard English dictionary. While they could be used in a limited way in general or informal writing, they are to be avoided in business writing, which needs to be formal in nature.A metaphor is a figure of speech and refers to colorful comparisons which evoke visual images.
c)Common Errors in English: - “Indian English” tends to be prone to some common mistakes which should be avoided, in order to make the communicationclear and easily understood by the receiver. Some of these mistakes include “Redundancies”. “Clichés” and “Frequently misused words”.Redundancies – These refers to phrases which contain repetitive or unnecessary words to express the same meaning. This is a common Indian tendency and must Be avoided. Clichés – These are phases that are overused and should be avoided, since them Make reading monotonous. They should be substituted with more original Expressions. Frequently Misused Words – Certain words which sound similar or are spelt slightly different, tend to be used in the wrong context.
Q 3 List out and briefly explain five “do”s and “don’ts” for each of participants and chairperson of a meeting?ANS:
Before the Meeting: As pointed out earlier, meetings need to be planned in advance, so that they are successful. Before any planning can be done however, a basic question to be asked is whether to hold a meeting at all. The answers to the following questions would help to decide whether a meeting is necessary in the first place –
-Can the matter be decided or discussed over the telephone?-Can the matter be expressed in writing, in the form of a memo, or an email message?-Are key people available to attend the meeting and are they prepared?-Is the time allotted for the meeting sufficient?
If the answers to the first two questions are yes and the answers to the other two questions are no, there is no purpose in calling a meeting.
Once the need for a meeting has been determined, the next step is to start planning the meeting. First of all, the type and number of participants should be decided. A problem solving meeting should include representatives from all departments, since the decision would otherwise be incomplete. Shareholders, who are the owners of the company, should also be included. In terms of numbers, the size of the group could be anywhere between seven and eleven members. An exception to this is an information sharing meeting, where the numbers could be larger, so that a maximum number of people benefit from the information.
The second and most important step in planning a meeting is to indicate the purpose or agenda of the meeting to the participants in advance. An agenda is essentially a list of topics that will be discussed during a meeting. In the words of Adler and Elmhorst, “A meeting without an agenda is like a ship at sea without a destination or compass: no one aboard knows where it is or where it is headed.” An agenda is prepared by the Chairperson of the meeting, or the person who calls the meeting.
During the Meeting: The task of conducting and moderating the meeting rests with the chairperson. He or she must be well versed with the procedures for opening the meeting, encouraging balanced participation, and
solving problems creatively, concluding the meeting and managing time efficiently. We shall discuss each of these procedures in detail.
1. Opening the Meeting – The manner in which the meeting is opened is important, since a good opening will ensure that the rest of the meeting will proceed smoothly. There are different ways of opening a meeting. Generally, it is best to sum up what has been stated in the agenda – including the goals, background information and expectations of the participants. It is also a good idea to provide an outline of how the meeting will proceed, as well as a time budget.
2. Encouraging Balanced Participation – It is also the responsibility of the chairperson to encourage silent members to contribute to the meeting and to moderate the dominant members, so that they do not “hijack” the meeting. There are several techniques to encourage participation –
• Encourage Participation in the Reverse Order of Seniority – This means getting the junior members to speak or air their opinions first. If the senior people speak first, they may feel suppressed or be afraid to disagree with their superiors.
• Nominal Group Technique – In this method, the meeting participants are encouraged to work and contribute their ideas independently
3. Managing Time – There is no prescribed length for a meeting. The duration of a meeting will depend on the type and purpose of the meeting. Generally, problem-solving meetings will take longer than other routine meetings. In any case, the chairperson should set a time budget for the meeting, depending on the agenda and ensure adherence to the time limit.
4. Keeping the Meeting Focused – Often, a lot of time is wasted
during meetings by going off track and by discussing topics that are irrelevant. In such situations, it is the responsibility of the chairperson, or the person moderating the discussion to make sure that the discussion remains focused on the topics mentioned in the agenda.
5. Ensuring “Convergence” – Convergence means hearing the points of view of all the members and then arriving at a decision. It is again the responsibility of the chairperson to bring the meeting to a point where an opinion emerges on each item of the agenda.
6. Summing up – This means summing up the different points of view, the decisions and the actions to be taken. This should be done by the chairperson, identifying the role of each person on each item of the agenda, along with a specified deadline.Example – Chris will take the responsibility of contacting the media and sending material for advertisements and press releases by March 13th.
7. Concluding the Meeting – The way a meeting is concluded is as important as the opening, since it will influence the follow-up action taken on decisions made during the meeting. The chairperson should know when and how to conclude the meeting.The meeting should normally be concluded at the scheduled closing time, unless important issues still remain to be discussed and members are willing to extend the meeting. Sometimes meetings may be concluded before the closing time, when key decision makers are not present, or when important information such as cost figures are not available.
8. Keeping “Minutes” of the Meeting – Since meetings are called to take important decisions concerning the organization, it is important to maintain a permanent written record of the proceedings, which can be referred to at a later stage, or serve as a guide for action. Such a record is known as “minutes” of the meeting and may be done in an informal or formal manner,
depending on the type of meeting.
After the Meeting: A meeting that proceeds smoothly will still not be successful, unless proper follow-up measures are taken to ensure that the goals are fully accomplished. Follow-up may involve the following steps –1. Plan for the Next meeting – Very few meetings is conclusive and cover all the items in the agenda completely. It is the chairperson’s responsibility to make a note of the items that have not been discussed and to schedule the next meeting, along with a fresh agenda. All participants must be informed that a follow-up meeting is being planned.
2. Check Progress on Follow-up Actions – Members of the meeting may have been assigned different responsibilities and deadlines for completion of tasks. Therefore, it is important to monitor their progress every now and then, after the meeting is over, to ensure that the deadlines are met.
3. Do your own Groundwork – Apart from monitoring the progress of meeting participants, it is also important that you as the chairperson finish any pending work before the next meeting.
Q 4. Evaluate email as a channel of internal communication, explaining its advantages and disadvantages. Suggest five ways in which to overcome some of the problems associated with email messages?ANS:
Communicating Through EmailAlthough email is a tool for external communication, it is also regularly used within an organization, in place of telephone and face-to-face contact. This is because emailIs instantaneous and allows you to send messages that others can pick up at their convenience. Besides, email also makes it possible to send messages to people anywhere in the world and to people who are otherwise impossible to reach. While the other forms of
written communication are highly formal in nature, email is more informal and spontaneous. It is therefore easier to write An email message than it is to write a business letter or a report, where greater attention has to bePaid to the language, style and tone. Since email is quick, easy to use and spontaneous, it can also help to improve personal relationships in the workplace.Advantages of Email1. Relatively low cost of fulfillment: The physical costs of email are substantially less than direct mail.2. Direct response medium encourages immediate action: Email marketing encourages click through to a website where the offer can be redeemed immediately this increases the likelihood of an immediate, impulsive response.3. Faster campaign deployment: Lead times for producing creative and the whole campaign lifecycle tends to be shorter than traditional media.4. Ease of personalization: It is easier and cheaper to personalize email than for physical media and also than for a website.5. Options for testing: It is relatively easy and cost effective to test different email creative and messaging.6. Integration: Through combining email marketing with other direct media which can be personalized such as direct mail, mobile messaging or web personalization, campaign response can be increased as the message is reinforced by different media.
Disadvantages of Email1. Deliverability: Difficulty of getting messages delivered through different internet service providers (ISPs), corporate firewalls and web mail systems.2. Render ability: Difficulty of displaying the creative as intended within the in-box of different email reading systems.3. Email response decay: Email recipients are most responsive when they first subscribe to an email. It is difficult to keep them engaged.
4. Communications preferences: Recipients will have different preferences for email offers, content and frequency which affect engagement and response. These have to be managed through communications preferences.5. Resource intensive: Although email offers great opportunities for targeting, personalization and more frequent communications, additional people and technology resources are required to deliver these.
Below are the five ways in which email message could be made more effective:-
1. Avoid “shouting” – Shouting in an email message refers to use of all capital letters in the text. All caps make it difficult to read a message and are therefore considered to be rude, like shouting.
2. Avoid symbols and acronyms – Symbolic messages using punctuation marks, known as “emoticons” (for example, : ) for a smiley face!) Should be avoided, especially in business relatedEmail messages. Similarly, abbreviations such as BTW (by the way) should be avoided since they sound over casual and may not be understood by everyone.
3. Use friendly salutations and signoffs – Although these are not strictly required in email communication as in business letters, a salutation such as “Dear John” and a signoff such as “Warm Regards”, helps to make the tone friendly and personal.
4. Respond promptly – In the case of business related emails, it is important to respond promptly, especially when communicating with superiors. Even if you are hard pressed for time, are out of town or out of the office, you can set an automatic email response to your received messages, which will mention that you will be responding in detail on a specific date.5. Avoid personal messages at work – Do not make use of the office facility to send personal email messages. Since confidentiality of the message is not guaranteed, it may lead to Embarrassment later.
Q 5. Write an unsolicited job application letter addressed to the HR Manager of a company of your choice, seeking a position in your area of specialization, along with a one page profile about yourself?ANS: Application for the post of marketing Executive
Date: FEB 15, 2011 The HR Manager, M/s Procter & Gamble Home Products LimitedP&G PlazaCardinal Gracias Road,Chakala,Andheri (E), Mumbai - 400099Maharashtra, India.Dear Sir, Sub: Application for Marketing Executive position.Ref: Your Advertisement in Times of India, Mumbai dated Feb 12, 2011.With reference to your advertisement cited, I have the pleasure in offering my candidature for the position of Marketing Executive in your esteemed organization. Let me introduce myself you as a post graduate in Management with specialization in Marketing and systems from Sikkim Manipal University. I am having 4 years experience in marketing department of two reputed FMCG companies. I am committed and always reached my targets with my sincere and positive attitude. I am a quick learner and have aptitude to learn new things and adjust to new environment in a shortest possible time I hope to meet you and explain my abilities in a personal interview for which I request you to give me an opportunity to prove myself. I am attaching my brief resume to this letter and expect a positive response from you. Thanking you, Yours sincerely. Rohit kr. Prasad
Rohit Kr Prasad, S/o. Shri. C.D SahuIndrapuri Road:06Ranchi-834005Mobile: 94402 07500Email: [email protected]
Objective: A middle or senior level position in the field of Marketing in a reputed consumer products company.
Education: Two year MBA with Marketing and Systems specialization from Sikkim and Manipal University with 74%, April 2004.
B.com from Pune University , with 85%, April 2002.
Experience: 1. Marketing Executive in GlaxoSmithKline consumer healthcare ltd from 2007 Apr – Present.
Independently handling all the operations of marketing of consumer healthcare products of the company in the Metro area of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. Responsible for dealing with all distributors, whole sellers and stockiest for marketing of company’s products and reach the target set by the Head Marketing. Received “Star Marketing Executive” for 2007 & 2008 consecutively for out reaching the target by 42 %.
2. Executive (Sales) in Hindustan Unilever from May 2005 to Mar 2007.
Worked under GM Marketing and Sales Mumbai circle and responsible for developing new distributors, conducting institutions sales, up country sales promotion campaigns etc. I was successful in all my tasks and received special increments for my achievements.
3. Trainee Executive (Sales) in Hindustan Unilever from May 2004 to Apr 2006.
Received comprehensive training in Sales operations of consumer items and attended various campaigns along with my senior Sales Reps. Learnt systematic approach of the sales of consumer products and due to my excellent performance, promoted to Executive Sales after completion of my training.
Professional Activities:1. Member of marketing committee of Federation of chambers of commerce & Industry of Maharastra, Mumbai. 2. Member of Mumbai Management Association.
Reference: Will be available on request. Date: Feb 14, 2011
Signature Place: Mumbai
Q 6. Case Study (10 marks) The Informal Communication Network
In Secunderabad, a maintenance employee of the A to Z Construction Company asked for three months’ leave of absence for personal reasons. The request was granted because it was in keeping with the Company and Union policy. A few weeks later, Mr.Subbaya, the Industrial Relations Manager of A to Z, heard through the “grapevine” that Mr. Reddy, the maintenance employee, had actually taken this leave to work on a construction project in another part of the state. The rumor was that Reddy needed some extra money and had taken up this job since the wages were nearly twice what he earned in his regular maintenance job. The act of taking leave for personal reasons with the hidden purpose of working for another employer was contrary to the labor contract and the penalty for this could be dismissal. After investigation to determine that the grapevine probably was correct, Mr. Subbaya prepared a “Notice of hearing concerning dismissal action” to be mailed to Reddy at his local address. The letter of notice was dictated by Subbaya to his secretary on Monday morning.
The same night, Mr. Subbaya received a call from Reddy at his home, saying that he had heard that the notice was being prepared and that he felt that there was a misunderstanding. Reddy said that he thought that his action was acceptable under the contract, but if it was not acceptable, he was willing to return immediately, since he did not want to give up his permanent job. When Subbaya asked him how he knew about his pending dismissal notice, Reddy said that his wife had called him that evening, telling him that at the local supermarket, the mother of their son’s friend had told her about the pending dismissal order.
Questions 1. Assume that grapevine facts are as follows –
Subbaya’s secretary told a fringe benefit clerk about the dismissal notice. The clerk, not realizing that the information might be confidential, told someone else. If you were Subbaya, would you try to suppress grapevine leaks of this type? How?
ANS:I would not try to suppress grapevine leaks of this type, but wouldInvestigate thoroughly to find out if Mr.Reddy indeed violated the company’s contract. I would summon Mr.Reddy and have face to face meeting with him. I will extract the real reason of taking three month’s leave and would ask him to provide necessary proof if the reason provided by him are satisfactory.
2. After Reddy’s telephone calls, what action should Subbaya take? Discuss.
ANS:Subbaya should hold face to face meeting with his personal secretary and have a strong word with him and advise him to maintain confidentiality when there are matters discussed with him pertaining the company’s affairs. Beside this, he should use others channels of communication to maintain confidentiality and this will avoid future recurrence of problems like this.
Master of Business Administration-MBA Semester 1 MB0039– Business Communication - 4 Credits
(Book ID: B1128) Assignment Set- 2 (60 Marks)
Q 1 Explain with the help of specific examples, four different ways in which positive non verbal communication can create a better work environment.
ANS:Non verbal communication, on the other hand may be defined as communication without words. It refers to any way of conveying meanings without the use of verbal language. The game of “dumb charades” is a perfect example. Nonverbal communication is generally unintentional, unlike verbal communication. All of us tend to communicate silently and unknowingly send signals and messages by what we do, apart from what we say. Gestures, facial expressions, posture and the way we dress, are all part of nonverbal communication.Nonverbal communication can have a greater impact than verbal communication, since “how you say something” is sometimes more important than “what you say.” Although nonverbal communication can affect both our personal and business relationships, it is particularly important in the workplace.
1. Nonverbal Communication Cannot Be Avoided – While one can avoid verbal communication by refusing to speak or write, it is not possible to do the same with nonverbal communication. That is because nonverbal communication is not always intentional, unlike verbal messages, as pointed out earlier. Sometimes, silence itself may convey a lot of meaning.
Example – A speaker making a presentation may find that the audience is not very interactive.Instead he notices people yawning during his presentation. At the end of the session, when he asks for some feedback, there is total
silence.The message conveyed in the above example is that the audience is bored with the session. The silence indicates that they have not listened to the session and that the feedback is negative.
2. Nonverbal Communication is Powerful – Nonverbal communication helps us to form first impressions and make judgments of others. First impressions generally tend to be lasting impressions.Let us say you go for a job interview fifteen minutes late dressed in informal attire. When asked some questions, you avoid eye contact. This immediately reflects your attitude and the impression formed of you is that of a person who takes things casually, is insecure and lacks knowledge.
3. Nonverbal Communication is Ambiguous – While precise words can be used in verbal communication to ensure that that the message is clearly understood, nonverbal communication is not always clear and easy to understand.
For example, sitting back in a relaxed posture may be a signal of boredom or fatigue. Similarly, avoiding eye contact with your audience could mean that you either are nervous or guilty of something.
4. Nonverbal Communication Varies across Cultures – While certain types of nonverbal behavior are universal, others may be different in different cultures.
Examples – There are different rules regarding the appropriateness of the handshake in oriental and western cultures. Generally, in oriental cultures like India, any form of physical contact is not common and is interpreted as being intimate, while it is an accepted thing in western countries.Similarly, a nod of the head means yes in some cultures and no in other cultures.
In this age of business communication across cultures, it is important for you to understand these differences, especially when doing business overseas. Failure to do this could lead to costly blunders.
Q 2. Explain the difference between corporate and product advertising. Give two examples of corporate advertising with two different objectives.
ANS:Advertisements in the mass media such as magazines, newspapers and television are used by organizations to communicate with prospective customers, both about the organization, as well as its products. Advertising may therefore be categorized into two broad types – corporate advertising and product advertising.
Corporate advertising may be defined as advertising that sells the organization to its various publics. In this case, the organization is the product. Corporate advertising is more a public relations activity than a form of advertising, since it has no commercial purpose. Its aim is merely to inform and to build a positive image of the organization.
Product advertising on the other hand, aims to persuade prospective customers to buy the organization’s products or services. Its ultimate purpose is to sell the organization’s products.
Difference between corporate and product advertising:-
Corporate Advertising Product Advertising
1. Corporate advertising is defined as advertising that sells the organization to its various publics. In this case, the organization is the product. Product advertising on the other hand, aims to persuade prospective customers to buy the organization’s products
or services. Its ultimate purpose is to sell the organization’s products.
2. Corporate advertising is more a public relations activity than a form of advertising, since it has no commercial purpose. Its aim is merely to inform and to build a positive image of the organization in product advertising, the message must be persuasive enough to convince people to buy the product, or at least try it out once.
3. Corporate advertising is expensive, since it has to be done in a sustained manner. For example, Birla, India’s leading industrial house has been doing corporate advertising since it first started as a trading company. Product Advertising is less expensive rather than Corporate advertising for example, an advertisement for “Heinekin”, a famous brand of beer, features a visual of the product with a single line caption that says “When you make a great beer, you don’t have to make a great fuss.”The message conveyed is that the product speaks for itself and that words are not required to describe its qualities.
Two Examples of corporate advertising with two different objectives:-
While the overall objective of corporate advertising is to project a positive image of the organization as a whole, some of the specific objectives include the following –
1) To create positive attitudes towards the organization – Sometimes, consumers may have negative perceptions towards an organization, based on the belief that the organization is not a responsible corporate citizen. For example, they may believe that that the organization is responsible for environmental pollution, or destruction of forests and other natural resources. In such a situation, corporate advertising aims to create a more positive attitude towards the organization, by correcting these beliefs.Example – There was a negative perception among consumers that
Nike was using child labor in some of its factories, to manufacture sports shoes. Corporate advertising helped to overcome these perceptions.
2) To project the personality, culture and values of an organization – The Tata’s and the Birla’s have been the oldest and the most frequent users of corporate advertising, to communicate about their entrepreneurial ability, culture and values, as India’s leading industrial groups. Even countries may use this form of advertising to achieve similar objectives.Example – Dubai advertises to project an image of itself as “a land of investment, sports and investment opportunities.”
Q 3. You have been asked to make a presentation on Edunxt, the technology enabled learning platform, to prospective students. Develop an outline of a presentation, explaining your choice of visual aids and your style of delivery.
ANS:Distance Education refers to the education which is imparted over long distances with the help of modern technology and communication facilities. The SMU offers Distance Education programs as part of its effort to provide quality education to students who, for various reasons, cannot join the formal education system. Postgraduate, Graduate degree/diploma level programs are offered in various disciplines such as Information Technology, Management Studies, Vocational Sciences, Life Sciences and Allied Health Sciences. SMU-DE programs are Learner-centric, using the four distinct delivery methods i.e. Self Learning Materials (SLMs), Counseling at Learning Centers, VSAT delivered special lectures and EduNxt - the next generation learning system that takes full advantage of the modern teaching techniques to create a virtual classroom. The accomplishment has been made by SMU by launching the Study center online through the module called EduNxt. The Students will receive the roll Number accordingly after joining the SMU Distance Education.
Hence the students should have to register with EduNxt module onl ine through the internet.
The Url to access the EduNxt online is as follows :
http://www.smude.edu.in/ExperienceZone/Pages/ExperienceEduNxt.aspx
Edunxt enpowers students with anywhere, anytime access. EduNxt is affordable and easy to Use. Edunxt enables a collaborative and interactive environment for
learning and includes *Small group mentoring *Virtual Classrooms *Simulation and Other Interactive content *Self study Content *Recorded Presentations *shared Browsing
Advantages of EduNxt:
*Recreates class room feel *Makes learning accessible *Access to rich educational resources across Manipal Education’s institutions *The only platform that enables soft-skills training *Convenience, collaboration, flexibility *Commitment to improve quality of professional education through distance mode, leading to higher acceptance amongst employers Students new to the edunxt programme module can click on the new to the edunxt tab in the official website of the SMU and follow the below steps as displayed in.
Student Login * Step 1: Get a windows live email ID, if you already know your ID goes directly to step 3. * Step 2: Obtaining windows live ID
a) Visit SMU DE Website http://www.smude.edu.in b) Login as Student in the SMU DE Student portal using University Roll No as Username and Password c) Click on My Mail icon (Ex: [email protected])
* Step 3: Go to http://edunxt.smude.edu.in * Step 4: Enter your username and password
Username: Windows Live email ID (Ex: firstname.lastname) Password: Roll Number (Ex: 520811111)
* Step 5: Please amend the password after the first login.
Q 4. Imagine that you have bought a pack of ready to eat food manufactured and marketed by a well-known Fast Moving Consumer Goods multi-national, during your regular weekly visit to a neighboring supermarket. On opening the pack, you find to your dismay that the contents are spoilt and are not in a condition to be eaten. Write a routine claim letter to the Vice President, Marketing of the company, asking for an adjustment or some kind of action.
ANS: 24th JAN 2011To, The Vice President (Marketing)Fast Moving Consumer GoodsBangalore, Karnataka.
Dear Sir,
Subject: Inferior qualities of Ready eat food.
This is to inform that we are regular customer of Fast moving consumer goods which is multinational brand. I am writing this in regard of my experience with super market of Fast moving consumer goods at M.G. Road Bangalore. We had purchase ready for eat food from super market yesterday. But after opening the
packet we found that the contents of the food were spoiled and not in a position to eat. It was expired and then also it was available for sale. This type of stale food is harmful for health and we are not happy with the service provided by your staff. I served the food for my guest which let me down as it was stale food. I would kindly request you to take appropriate action against that food and beverages department. I would request you to refund my money. I am really upset with it as I had lot of faith in Fast moving Consumer goods. This experience will force to think about it in a negative way about the supermarket. I kindly request you to give high priority to our complaint and take appropriate action which would be useful for consumer.
Wishing a kind cooperation from you.Sincerely,Mr/Ms.MachoB ± 207,Collosseo VenturesBehind Hindustan Petrol PumpJayanagar, Bangalore - 560037
Q 5. As a student of management, write a report to the Director of your institute, suggesting how the library facilities and procedures may be improved.
ANS:Business ReportTo,The Director Alliance Business School
Kankapura Road,Anakel Bangalore.
Date: 25th JAN 2011.
All students of MBA would require effective usage of library facilities from time to time till the completion of Management Programme. Since we all are working professional, I take this opportunity to give some service improvement plan for improvement in our library system which would be beneficial for students in learning the concept and preparation of audit and reports. Online access to library needs to be introduced which would enable student to have free access to latest edition of books available one the database library with details explanations.
Library Timings: The library needs to be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on all the working days, and from9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and other holidays.
Membership:Any person above 18 years of age should become the
member of the Library. Separate membership is necessary for Reading Room and Lending Section. For membership one has to apply on prescribed forms. The membership will be provided under certain conditions. Applications for any kind of membership must be accompanied with two passport size photographs (4.5cm x 3.5cm).Two books can be borrowed at a time for a period of 14 days, which can be extended for another 14 days either by phone, or by post or by personal visit. Membership of the Lending division is free, but the borrower has to deposit the amount equal to one and half time of the price of the book. A fine of 10 Rupees per day is charged per book per day for late return. When the borrower wishes to cancel the membership, he/she gets back the money, through a cheque, without any deduction.
We need more computers, and video equipment for the students to be able to create active reports.
The Library needs a budget to purchase current, updated reference books for the students to use for research.
Library catalogue with Author Title and subject for readers. Online access to e-books and publications. Permanent membership card for students for taking books at
home for reading. Regular updates of books on Technology, Management, and
Engineering and Finance section. Audio/Video recorded lectures on DVD. Seminar/webinar on latest technology. In-house availability of online, foreign journals and periodic
journals. Newsletter of library needs to be published every month. Improve Services. Improve study and research environment. Easier use for faculty, students. Improve teaching services. Lengthen hours of opening· Improve access to technology-based collections and services. Involve faculty and students in developing alternatives Consultation. Focus Groups. Surveys and Other.
Q 6. Case StudyThe Power of Nonverbal Communication
Soon after I graduated from engineering college, I accepted a position with the Sundaram Foundry, a medium-sized firm located in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It was a good position, since I was the assistant to Mr. Vishwanath, the General Manager and president of this family owned company, although there were many technical problems, the work was extremely interesting and I soon learnt all about the foundry business. The foundry workers were mostly older men and were a closely knit team. Many of them were related and had been in the foundry
for several years. Therefore, they felt that they knew the business in and out and that a technical education had no value. In fact, Mr. Vishwanath had mentioned to me even at the time of my joining, that I was the only engineer ever to be employed in the foundry. He also let me know that the foundry workers, although a good group, were very clannish, since they had been working together for several years. Therefore, it would probably take them some time to accept me. I introduced myself to the group of foundry workers, a few days after my joining. As I went around in turn, I felt them eyeing me coldly. As I went down the main aisle of the foundry, I heard them talking to each other in low voices and laughing. I found their behavior to be very childish and felt that it was best to ignore these signs of hostility. I thought that if I ignored them, they would automatically stop these antics. A few weeks after this incident, I happened to visit the enamel shop. As I entered, I noticed a worker cleaning the floor with a hose, from which water flowed at high pressure. I was aware that it was the practice to clean the shop at least once a week. I turned my back on the worker and was busy near a dipping tank, when I suddenly felt the force of a stream of water hitting me. I was almost knocked down by the pressure and slipped on the wet floor. When I turned around, the worker looked away in the other direction, as if he had not noticed this happening. However, I was pretty sure that he had intentionally turned the hose on me.
Questions
1. What message did the foundry workers and the new engineer convey to each other through their non-verbal behavior?
ANS: The foundry workers were not happy with new engineer working with them. The foundry workers were laughing at
new engineer as there was age difference between the foundry workers and engineers. The foundry workers are creating an atmosphere where new engineer should immediately leave the job. There were lot of technical issues since it was a family business the foundry workers were not willing to understand that new engineer can resolve the technical issues. The foundry workers were mostly older men and were a closely knit team. Many of them were related and had been in the foundry for several years. Therefore, they felt that they knew the business in and out and that a technical education had no value. In fact, Mr. Vishwanath had mentioned to him even at the time of my joining, that he was the only engineer ever to be employed in the foundry. He also let me know that the foundry workers, although a good group, were very clannish, since they had been working together for several years. Therefore, it would probably take them some time to accept him.
2. What do you suggest that the engineer should do, after the hosing incident? ANS:It relates to engineer visit to anamel shop where he found that worker cleaning the floor with a hose from which water flowed from a high pressure since he was busy in dipping tank suddenly he notice that force of stream of water hitting him and he felt down but then also when he looked at the worker he was looked somewhere else nothing happened. It was done intentionally by the workers. It is a sign of insecurity by workers as they feel new engineer might trouble them or take their jobs, this happens in many organizations when you are new to the organization none of the old employees would talk properly as it is a matter of concern for them. My suggestion would be new engineer should not react to such situation and he should speak toVishwanath about the incidents. As he had said it will take some time for them to accept
the new engineer. He should keep his cool and should behave in normal way with foundry workers as nothing has happened.
