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INTI INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

BACHELOR OF ACCOUNTANCY (HONS) PROGRAMME

COM3210: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
FINAL EXAMINATION: JANUARY 2013 SESSION

This paper consists of THREE (3) sections. Answer ALL questions in SECTION A in the OMR
sheet provided. Answer any TWO (2) questions from SECTION B and TWO (2) questions from
SECTION C in the answer booklet provided.

SECTION A: Answer ALL questions in the OMR sheet provided. (30 marks)

1. Upward communication can assist higher level managers by

(A) minimising inaccurate information and maximising honesty.

(B) increasing competition between units of equal status.
(C) coordinating function in the organisation.
(D) alerting them to potentially promotable employees.
(E) ensuring the practices of procedures and policies.

2. E-mails and memos differ from letters in that they are

(A) written to employees within a company.

(B) less formal in tone and formatting.
(C) subject to less grammatical scrutiny.
(D) more formal in tone.
(E) more difficult to write.

3. What are the three main categories of communication in business?

I. Personal communication
II. External-operational communication
III. Internal-operational communication
IV. External-internal communication
V. Diagonal communication

(A) I, II, and III

(B) I, II, and IV
(C) II, III, and IV
(D) I, IV, and V
(E) II, IV, and IV
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4. What are the reasons that justify simplicity in writing?

i. Many people tend to write at a difficult level.

ii. The writer usually knows the subject better than the reader.

iii. Readers need not rely on dictionaries.

iv. Writers commit more mistakes when writing at a difficult level.

v. Writing slightly below the reader’s level of understanding communicates best.

(A) I, II, and III

(B) I, III, and IV
(C) I, II, and V
(D) II, III, and IV
(E) II, IV, and V

5. How can business messages be more effective?

(A) By being business-centered and using impressive wording.

(B) By taking a specific point-of-view and using collaboration.
(C) By taking a stand that favours the company.
(D) By demonstrating that the writer worked hard on the message.
(E) By being purposeful, audience-centered, and concise.

6. What is jargon?

(A) Jargon is a collection of metaphoric/figurative terms and phrases that have become
too common and worn out to be effective anymore.
(B) Jargon indicates strong and pompous words.
(C) Jargon refers to terms that are used in a special field and would not be
understood by people outside that field.
(D) Jargon is another name for slang.
(E) Jargon is a term used for complex and difficult words.
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7. What is the main purpose of a proposal?

(A) To inform readers of something.

(B) To analyze a situation.
(C) To persuade readers to consider something.
(D) To provide recommendations for action.
(E) To summarize key ideas.

8. When should you NOT use email in business communication?

(A) When the information you send is sensitive.

(B) When the message requires negotiation.
(C) When you want to avoid direct contact with the person, especially if the
message is difficult to say face-to-face.
(D) When the purpose of the email is to resolve a conflict.
(E) All of the above

9. Which of the following is NOT an example of a proper use of the you-viewpoint in

business communication?

(A) Thank you for your report of May 1.

(B) Your order of 50 Hewlett-Packard M1090 laser printers was shipped by UPS
today, and should reach you by Friday.
(C) If you do not pay by the 15th, you must pay a penalty.
(D) If you are to continue to enjoy the benefits of credit buying, you must clear
your account now.
(E) If you will make an appointment by March 1, you will receive a 10% discount.

10. You should write the following documents in the indirect order except

I. Refused request
II. Adjustment refusal
III. Credit refusal
IV. Job application
V. Sales letter

(A) I and II
(B) II and III
(C) III, and IV
(D) II, III, and V
(E) IV
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11. The reply to a letter of complaint is called a ________________________.

(A) letter of feedback

(B) letter of acknowledgement
(C) letter of claim
(D) letter of refusal
(E) letter of adjustment

12. Negative impression can be overcome through

I. Positive writing.
II. Apology.
III. Convincing explanation.
IV. Avoiding direct contact with the related person.
V. Ignoring the issue.

(A) I, II, and III

(B) II, III, and IV
(C) I, IV, and IV
(D) I and III
(E) III, IV and IV

13. How should we deal with cultural differences when communicating across cultures?

(A) For effective cross-cultural communication, we should overlook cultural

differences.
(B) For effective cross-cultural communication, we should be aware of and sensitive
to cultural differences.
(C) For effective cross-cultural communication, we should celebrate cultural
differences.
(D) For effective cross-cultural communication, we should debate on cultural
differences.
(E) For effective cross-cultural communication, we should assume that all cultures are
the same.
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14. Select the best of these closing statements for a claim message.

(A) You must respond to my problem by May 22, or I will take this case to the
Consumer Court.
(B) I fail to understand how such a reputable company can produce such inferior
products.
(C) It would be almost impossible to recommend your business to others based on this
incident.
(D) Based on my experience with your inferior product, I demand a refund.
(E) I will appreciate your usual promptness in correcting this problem.

15. What strategies are crucial in preparation for writing a sales message?

(A) Learning how to use computer software so we can create well-designed

documents.
(B) Deciding whether to use hard-selling or soft-selling techniques.
(C) Making sure we know why we are selling that particular product at that particular
time, and that our audience can relate to those reasons as well.
(D) Knowing your product thoroughly, analyzing your audience, and planning your
sales campaign.
(E) None of the above.

16. The following are the contents of a proposal except

(A) Writer’s purpose of writing the proposal.

(B) Plan description.
(C) Recommendations.
(D) Particulars such as time, schedule, cost and so on.
(E) Concluding comments.

17. In which part of a report does an executive summary belong?

(A) In the supplementary part

(B) In the text part
(C) In the introductory part
(D) In the appendix part
(E) In the prefatory part
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18. Which of the following is not a follow-up message to send to the interviewer?

(A) Thank-you message

(B) Letter of Inquiry
(C) Job acceptance message
(D) Interview Notes
(E) Job refusal message

19. What can help readers preserve their pride when they read bad news
messages affecting them?

(A) The knowledge that the deliverer of the bad-news message is not personally
responsible for the bad news.
(B) An explanation of the bad news.
(C) The thought that the reader is not responsible for the bad news.
(D) A firm and fair decision.
(E) A respectful and audience-centered tone.

20. What kind of appeals do most persuasive messages include?

(A) Emotional and logical

(B) General and specific
(C) Direct and indirect
(D) Positive and negative
(E) Informative and objective

21. What is a good way to stimulate our audience's interest and desire to respond positively
to our persuasive claim request?

(A) Remind them that their reputation will be in jeopardy if they don't grant our claim.
(B) Reveal the consequences of other businesses that did not grant their customers'
claims.
(C) Make your complaint emotionally hard-hitting so that the audience is persuaded
to grant your claim.
(D) Threaten them that you may not consider future business dealings with them if the
claim is not granted.
(E) Appeal to their sense of goodwill and give them some positive reasons to grant
our claim.
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22. What do analytical reports typically present?

(A) Solutions of problems often with recommendations for actions.

(B) Straightforward information.
(C) Reports of operations.
(D) Budgets and annual reports.
(E) The financial status of a company.

23. When choosing the words for your message, the best of these suggestions is to:
(A) try to impress the reader.
(B) employ the "one size fits all" rule of thumb.
(C) consider the reader's level of understanding.
(D) assume the reader has knowledge equal to yours.
(E) try to practise straight talk.

24. Which of the following statements is most accurate with respect to sentence length?
(A) Short sentences generally communicate more effectively than long
sentences.
(B) Longer sentences are preferred because they are more impressive.
(C) Longer sentences are good because they emphasize more
information.
(D) Long sentences should never be used.
(E) Short sentences are usually not comprehensive.

25. A proposal can be

(A) delivered internally within the organization.
(B) delivered externally to another organization.
(C) written formally.
(D) presented in a very persuasive manner.
(E) all of the above.
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26. The________ layout for organizing a resume for strength presents your work experience
from the most recent to the oldest.
(A) functional or skills
(B) accomplishment/ achievements
(C) reverse chronological order
(D) highlights
(E) proper

27. In preparing a reference sheet, the job applicant should always consider:
(A) contacting the references before listing them.
(B) including references at the bottom of the resume for efficiency.
(C) list your present employer.
(D) list every past employer.
(E) list your expected salary.

28. In selecting a topic for a formal speech, you should be guided by which three factors?
(A) Your knowledge, compensation, the audience.
(B) Your audience, the time, the location.
(C) The occasion, your knowledge, the audience.
(D) Your knowledge, the time, the location.
(E) Your audience, the time.

29. Arrange these parts of a routine inquiry message in the most effective order.

(1) Necessary explanation

(2) Series of additional questions
(3) Goodwill close
(4) Direct request or question objective

(A) (1), (2), (3), (4)

(B) (4), (3), (2), (1)
(C) (4), (1), (2), (3)
(D) (2), (1), (4), (3)
(E) (3), (2), (1), (4)
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30. What techniques can make a message easier to skim?

(A) Printing on white paper and writing short messages.

(B) Using longer paragraphs and sentences of similar length in each paragraph.
(C) Using bullets and lists, headings and subheadings, shorter paragraphs, and
sentences of various lengths in each paragraph.
(D) Using tables and pictures.
(E) Using the indented format in letters.

SECTION B: Short answer questions. (20 marks)

Answer any TWO (2) questions in the answer booklet provided.

Each question carries 10 marks.

Question 1
List and explain briefly the FIVE (5) steps in the inductive outline used to convey bad news.

(10 marks)
Question 2
Provide the general plan of a sales letter.

(10 marks)

Question 3
Explain the importance of adapting to the audience and list the techniques for doing so.

(10 marks)

Question 4

A healthy business environment must develop and use channels of communication that flow in
all directions. List and define the THREE (3) directions in communication flow and state how
they each contribute within an organization.

(10 marks)
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SECTION C: LETTER WRITING (50 marks)

This section consists of THREE (3) questions. Answer 2 questions.

Question 1 is compulsory (30 marks). Choose either Question 2 or 3 (20 marks).
Answer all questions in the answer booklet provided.

QUESTION 1: REPORT WRITING (30 marks)

You have been recently appointed as Human Resource Director for Global Ltd., a large
construction company. The General Manager of the company has instructed you to report on the
recent issue regarding a case of boycotting by the staff due to their dissatisfactions towards staff
benefits. Based on your investigation, write a report to the General Manager of Global Ltd.

You conducted a survey on 200 staff and the following are your findings.

ITEM EXCELLENT VERY AVERAGE POOR

GOOD

LIFE INSURANCE - - 60 140

SCHEME

OVERTIME PAYMENT - - 80 120

ANNUAL LEAVE - 20 80 100

LOANS - 130 70 -

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 50 150 - -

BONUS - 10 100 90

You are now ready to put this table into the final report format and analyze the content. In your
report, you must include your findings from your investigation and include appropriate
recommendations for improvement. Your report should be about 250 words.
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QUESTION 2: LETTER WRITING (20 marks)

You work in the Public Relations Department of The Purple Pickle Co.. One of your jobs as
Senior Public Relations Officer is to deal with complaints. You have just received the following
letter of complaint (See page 12). You are certain that The Purple Pickle Co. is NOT at fault and
thus you cannot grant his claim. You need to make him understand why you must refuse the
claim, and at the same time you want to keep him happy. Write a suitable letter to deal with this
unpleasant customer. You are required to include your explanation and other necessary details.
Your letter should be about 200 words.

OR

QUESTION 3: MEMO/EMAIL (20 marks)

You're the Manager of DrexCom, a publishing company. Recently, some employees have
complained to you about e-mails sent by other workers. When workers open their e-mail in the
morning, they often forward jokes and articles of interest to co-workers. Unfortunately, some
workers have been offended by these forwards. You must also be concerned because these
forwards have your company's e-mail address on them, and thus you must guard your company’s
image.

Therefore you must formulate a new e-mail policy that will prevent your company from being
embarrassed. Be sure to explain the reasoning behind the new policy in a way that doesn't offend
anyone. Moreover, you may also want to make clear the penalty for violating the new policy, but
be tactful. Remember, you don't want to vilify those who were offended and came to you, and
you also don't want to make the people who sent the offending material feel bad since they meant
no harm. You are required to include other necessary details. Your memo/email should be about
200 words.
 COM3210 (F) / Page 12 of 12

Mr. David Jones

56 Sandilands Road
546080 Singapore

January 29, 2013

The Purple Pickle

46 Eastern Garden Road
50450 Kuala Lumpur

To whom it may concern:

Two weeks ago, on Monday 15th January 2013, I attended a dinner party organized by my
company that was catered for by your company, The Purple Pickle Co. as well as BonAppetite
Catering. The dinner was held at Putrajaya Lake House, one of the famous locations at Kuala
Lumpur. The dinner went smooth and enjoyable as all guests were served with varieties of
menus, including the exotic foods from BonAppetite Catering such Fried Frog Heart and Balut
(fertilized duck embryo that is boiled and eaten in the shell). However, the following morning
during my return flight to my home country, I became deathly ill.

An emergency ambulance met the flight and rushed me to the hospital where doctors have
concluded that I was suffering from food poisoning. I am convinced that The Purple Pickle Co.
did not prepare the Steamed Clams properly and this was the cause of my near death. Since The
Purple Pickle Co. is at fault, I expect The Purple Pickle Co. to cover all hospitalization charges
and doctors' fees for my illness. I also expect some compensation for the distress that you have
caused to me.

Yours faithfully,
David
David Jones

-THE END-
COM3210 (F) / January 2013 / Akma / 1.2.2013