COM 537 Week 6 Individual: Final Examination

Click the link to the Final Examination available from the end of Week 5 through the end of Week 6.

Note: Final Examination questions are adapted from the book, Business Communication: Developing Leaders for a Networked World.

Complete the Final Examination. You are allowed one attempt to complete the exam, which is timed and must be completed in 3 hours. Results are auto-graded and sent to your instructor.

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Question 1

Which of the following is a guideline to follow while reviewing a presentation for effectiveness?

Put compelling pictures or simple charts on every slide.

Double-check every aspect of your supplementary materials.

Put all your information on the slides so you can just read them aloud.

Make sure that you start by telling the story of your company.

Make sure that your preview takes up the majority of your presentation time

Question 2

Which of the following facilitates a one-stop work space containing project and meeting information, shared files, and communication platforms?

texting

written messages

email

webinar

social networking

Question 3

Which of the following best summarizes the differences between internal and external persuasive messages?

Internal persuasive messages use the you-voice, whereas external persuasive messages that use the I-voice.

Internal persuasive messages focus on promoting ideas, whereas external persuasive messages focus on promoting products.

Internal persuasive messages tend to be slightly more indirect and implicit than external persuasive messages.

Internal persuasive messages emphasize self-centeredness, whereas external persuasive messages emphasize reader needs.

While internal persuasive messages raise a need, external persuasive messages provide a rationale.

Question 4

Which of the following raises the credibility of a report?

designing the report for ease of use

using direct quotations rather than paraphrases

eliminating choppy bulleted lists

avoiding the use of cause-effect statements

providing supporting details for your conclusions

Question 5

Which of the following statements about online research is true?

The information found on the Internet tends to be of uniformly good quality.

Industry sites list a variety of sources that may be more current than the information in business databases.

It is not necessary to document information sources found on the web.

None of the information sources on the web are informed and accurate.

Speeches and presentations provided in video and audio format have no usefulness for business research.

Question 6

When choosing a communication channel, ______ refers to the degree to which communications can be planned and recorded, thus allowing strategic message development.

Control

constraint

coordination

richness

immediacy

Question 7

Which of the following terms best describes the process of sending and receiving verbal and nonverbal messages between two or more people?

active listening process

interpersonal communication process

review process

thought process

verbal communication process

Question 8

Which statement about audience analysis for routine messages is true?

Most routine messages do not contain much content, so little audience analysis is needed.

The audience is likely to respond positively to routine messages, so little audience analysis is needed.

Routine messages are not important, so audience analysis is unnecessary.

Routine messages are not composed very often, so audience analysis must be thorough.

Top management is usually the audience for routine messages, so audience analysis is vital.

Question 9

In business communication, by applying the FAIR test, you can avoid _______.

manipulation

validation

attribution

reciprocation

depersonalization

Question 10

Which of the following statements about business reports is true?

A title page should be used in a business report to preview the report’s most important contents.

It is important to strike a balance between objectivity and positivity in a report.

A business report should always use as many bulleted or numbered lists as possible.

Preview statements help decision makers judge the quality of the data provided in business reports.

Precision in most business reports is the result of using the right documentation system.

Question 11

Which of the following is one of the three components of the AIM planning process for developing influential messages?

analysis of the medium

message review

idea analysis

message structuring

inductive structure

Question 12

Which of the following is a guideline connected with the SOFTEN model of nonverbal communication?

Avoid gesturing with your hands, arms, body, and head as it is distracting.

Speak in a steady tone and avoid dramatic modulation of your voice as much as possible.

Go through your presentation quickly because most audiences have a short attention span.

Use your facial expressions to connect with your audience and show enthusiasm for your topic.

Lean back and lower your shoulders to convey self-confidence while presenting.

Question 13

Teams rapidly develop shared perceptions and commitment during the ______ stage of team development.

reforming

performing

forming

norming

storming

Question 14

Which of the following is a reason that organizations use virtual teams?

to encourage sharing of opinions

to avoid time zone differences

to resolve conflict more easily

to save money

to reduce isolation

Question 15

Which of the following statements best describes the view most companies hold about their employees engaging in social media?

Companies view social media as having a negative effect on employee productivity and consider it a distraction.

Companies understand employees use social media for the sole purpose of improving the company’s business.

Companies respect the rights of their employees to use social media tools for both personal and professional use.

Companies are aware they can control and restrict employees from engaging in social media.

Companies understand employees use social media for the sole purpose of self-expression.

Question 16

A drawback of online databases is that they _______.

provide outdated information

contain sparse business-related information

are more expensive than primary research

are not found in university libraries

take time to navigate

Question 17

Which of the following will help you identify your interests, abilities, and attributes?

working on your weaknesses

completing a self-inventory

researching the needs of your potential employer

developing hobbies relevant to the job you are applying for

speaking to people who have the position you are interested in

Question 18

The mum effect results when employees in an organization _____.

view the delivery of bad news opportunistically

avoid sharing bad news because they do not want to be blamed

take quick actions to rectify the problems described in a bad-news message

take responsibility for bad events even if they are not at fault

avoid talking to superiors at all for fear that they will be criticized

Question 19

Which of the following business trends is valued across the world?

High priority on hierarchy

Low priority on future orientation

Low priority on egalitarianism

Low priority on humane orientation

High priority on performance orientation

Question 20

Which social media tool would be best at helping a business professional establish a personal brand?

microblog

a discussion forum

a social bookmarking page

a wiki

a blog

Question 21

When you evaluate how well research can be revised to address your specific business problem, you are considering its ______.

relevance

adaptability

bias

reliability

expertise

Question 22

In the context of setting expectations, what does it mean to describe responsibilities?

setting out the timeline by which the work should be accomplished satisfactorily

identifying a potential crisis and developing a strategy for avoiding it

encouraging employees to engage in networked communication to solve problems

providing guidelines for how employees should communicate and cooperate with one another

designating tasks and work outcomes to certain employees

Question 23

Consider the following statement: “Employee managers can use our motivational tools to motivate their employees to increase productivity.” The best way to make this statement concise is by ________ .

removing any redundant words

replacing a prepositional phrase with a verb

removing empty phrases

starting with “It is” or “There are”

changing the passive voice

Question 24

Which of the following is typically included in the planning stage of writing an effective business message?

setting a positive and other-oriented tone

identifying the primary message and key points

ensuring the communication is fair

making the message easy to navigate

making the message easy to read

Question 25

In what way does caring help establish credibility in the business world?

It encourages people to demonstrate accountability.

It encourages people to work as individuals instead of as teams.

It helps people understand serious business problems.

It makes individuals less transparent.

Question 26

Which of the following is most likely to negatively influence readers’ perceptions of your credibility?

parallel language

inaccurate statements

passive voice

long paragraphs

generous white space

Question 27

What does research consistently demonstrate about nonverbal communication?

People are good at masking their feelings, but most people still manage to decode nonverbal signals.

People are not good at masking their feelings, but most people are inconsistent in their ability to decode nonverbal signals.

People are not good at masking their feelings, and most people are highly skilled in their ability to decode nonverbal signals.

People are not good at masking their feelings, but most people are incapable of decoding nonverbal signals.

People are good at masking their feelings, so most people are incapable of decoding nonverbal signals.

Question 28

Which of the following is the best example of setting measurable and realistic expectations?

Pablo tells Rachel, one of his sales people, that he expects a sharp improvement in her sales figures.

Marsha tells Eddie, a maching operator, to reduce the defective parts he produces by 60 percent.

Keisha informs Roger that she expects to see an improvement in his output as soon as possible.

Jessica tells Halim that she believes he can turn things around for his next performance review.

Mark asks Ben to help ensure that the market share of the company increases.

Question 29

One of the first tasks to accomplish when developing a presentation is to _____.

apply the story line approach

use headings to create a storyboard

understand the needs of your audiences

gather content for an effective review

develop effective slides

Question 30

Which of the following communication techniques show that someone has a team orientation?

using the FAIR test to evaluate what other people say

discussing only positives rather than focusing on negatives

being open and transparent about the company’s confidential matters

keeping personal motivations hidden in the workplace

using the pronouns “your” and “our” to discuss goals and needs