BCOM Quiz Questions – Flashcards

How can a business leader create an environment of transparency? - By acknowledging the concerns of employees - By being unavailable to stakeholders - By interpreting business values subjectively - By establishing closed communication structures - By not admitting mistakes to subordinates

In the business world, caring can be demonstrated by: - understanding the interests of others. - sharing information. - emphasizing results. - focusing on action. - seizing business opportunities.

_____ refers to a reputation for adhering to high moral and ethical values. - Prudence - Character - Expertise - Transparency - Perceptiveness

Personal values are: - those that individuals prioritize and adhere to. - those which are practiced only in the workplace. - unwritten rules by which an industry works. - the stated and lived values of a company. - guidelines which the government expects public companies to follow

"A focus on action" and "emphasis on results" are the two traits associated with: - character - transparency - power - ethics - competence

_____ causes distortion to or interruption of messages. - Feedback - Encoding - Decoding - Noise - Decryption

Which of the following communication channels is low in control but high in richness? - Blog - Email - Videoconference - Texting - Social networking

People who speak out constructively about differences of opinion are most likely to have: - low self-management skills. - low empathy. - high self-awareness. - high relationship management skills. - low self-awareness.

Which of the following is most likely to be a communication preference of a thinker? - A thinker discusses concepts first and facts last. - A thinker wants only the relevant facts. - A thinker moves from topic to topic. - A thinker avoids exaggeration and big claims, and is precise. - A thinker enjoys small talk and begins conversations by warming up.

Which of the following is most likely to be used for one-to-one conversations between parties in different locations, and is a fairly rich communication channel to quickly discuss and clarify workplace issues? - Email - Phone conversation - Blog - Social networking - Texting

In tense and emotionally charged situations, it is important to: - maintain your point of view. - speak loudly and assertively. - hold judgment. - be uncompromising. - ask cross-examination questions.

Which of the following is expected of a facilitator? - Ensuring that each agenda item is properly discussed - Discouraging expressions of opposing viewpoints - Steering conversations toward predetermined conclusions - Documenting the meeting's minutes - Discouraging association and disassociation

In which of the following components of active listening does body language play an important role? - Paying attention - Holding judgment - Reflecting - Meditating - Retrospection

_____ is a process by which professionals accept critique of their ideas without taking it personally and becoming defensive. - Disassociation - Clarification - Affiliation - Consolidation - Retrospection

Ben works at a well-known travel agency in Riverside called Globetrotter. He disagrees with his boss Martin, over certain business strategies. Martin, who has more than fifteen years of experience in the business, doesn't believe Ben's concerns are valid. This leads to a certain amount of tension in the workplace. Which of the following statements would Martin have made, if he had a learner mindset? - You don't have the experience I do, so leave the thinking to me. - I don't think this can be done in any other way. - I've been in the business longer than you have, so I know what I'm talking about. - We have very different perspectives but I'd like to understand your view better. - I have already made my decision, so let's not go over this again.

To build well-reasoned business positions, one should: - use either/or logic. - avoid spending time on planning. - exaggerate the facts when needed. - avoid taking into consideration audience priorities. - avoid faulty cause/effect claims.

Which of the following techniques is most likely to make business messages more positive? - Exaggerating facts - Setting unrealistic expectations - Avoiding diplomatic words - Displaying a confident attitude - Avoiding the other-oriented tone

In all business messages, communicators should ideally aim at: - effectively using either/or arguments. - slanting facts to their benefit. - projecting concern for others. - appropriately exaggerating facts. - using the I-voice.

Terence works as a software developer and is very particular about maintaining the quality of his work. He has set a very high standard for himself as well as those working under him. Terence's high ideals are referred to as: - archetypes. - prejudices. - values. - prototypes. - biases.

The deductive approach is also known as the _____ approach. - indirect - incidental - direct - concurrent - inductive

Figures of speech, such as idioms and metaphors, should ideally be avoided while writing business messages because they: - are too specific. - contain nonliteral meanings. - cannot slant facts. - shorten the message. - are too precise.

In the context of navigational designs, which of the following is most likely to improve the ease of reading business messages? - Avoiding headings - Avoiding numbered lists - Using several different font styles - Using white space generously - Avoiding bullets

In the context of the use of headings in business documents, which of the following guidelines would contribute toward improving the ease of reading? - For complex messages, the use of headings is advisable. - As you create headings and subheadings, ensure that you use different font styles. - Headings should not indicate the content of the section because then people might avoid reading the section. - As you create headings and subheadings, ensure that your formatting is not too consistent. - In information-rich messages, headings are not required.

Improving ease of reading with natural style requires that the writer: - avoids using action verbs. - avoids using parallel language. - avoids using active voice. - uses short and familiar words. - uses buzzwords.

Which of the following is one of the advantages of using the FAIR test to review business documents? - It lets business writers to efficiently slant facts. - It ensures that there are no logical errors in the message. - It eliminates the need for a feedback. - It allows writers to exaggerate facts whenever needed. - It eliminates the need for the other-oriented tone.

Many business professionals consider use of the _____ a breach of privacy. - "to" feature - attachments - "draft" feature - "blind carbon copy" feature - spam filter

Which of the following is most likely to be included as an attachment? - A signature block - A subject line - A list of the names of the recipients - A spreadsheet - Salutation

Which of the following is the property of a dashboard? - You can swap or exchange your dashboard with colleagues. - You can customize your dashboard to display selected features. - You can view others' dashboards within your dashboard. - You can discard your dashboard or delete it, to avoid distractions. - You can interact with it via dials and buttons.

Which of the following is true of wikis? - They create a redundant knowledge management system. - The collaborative potential of wikis is weaker than any of the other social media tools. - They lead to decreased transparency in the organization. - They decrease dependency on single employees. - They are shorter blogs that contain just a few sentences.

The most critical information should be placed: - at the beginning of a message. - as close to the signature block as possible. - in the subject line. - in an attachment. - in a note after the signature block.

Which of the following is true of messages showing appreciation? - Only employees at lower levels of hierarchy send appreciation messages to their superiors. - A sincere expression of thanks strengthens work relationships. - It is not important to state goodwill in such messages. - Messages showing appreciation are always informal. - Gaining attention is the primary focus of messages showing appreciation.

Which of the following is most likely to be true regarding messages that provide directions? - Messages that provide directions are distinctly different from those that set expectations. - For routine matters, several people need to test the procedures written to provide directions to find which steps need to be clarified better. - Since describing step-by-step procedures is so specific, insufficient detail in such messages can frustrate readers. - While writing highly technical and complicated procedures, you should review your own work. - Your ability to foster interpersonal trust is gauged from your ability to provide directions.

If you don't provide all the required information in your email then: - your readers are more likely to comply with your message. - you tend to lose your credibility. - your readers perceive you to be sincere and honest. - your email succeeds in quickly capturing the attention of the readers. - your message appears genuine and unbiased.

In the drafting stage, the process of designing the message focuses on: - giving the message a writer-centered tone. - ensuring the ease of reading so readers can find information in just moments. - correcting the typos in the message. - ensuring that the message contains all needed information. - analyzing the audience of the message.

_____ is an important element of an apology. - Providing deadlines - Making requests - Offering commitments - Describing responsibilities - Setting expectations

The sandwich approach to delivering bad news: - softens the bad news. - makes the message open, clear, and specific. - focuses more on attitudes and intentions than on actions and results. - is the best way to deal with poor performers. - makes the feedback and expectations specific and direct.

While delivering a negative performance review, one should: - focus on attitudes and intentions. - sugarcoat the bad news. - focus on actions and results. - avoid adopting a team-centered orientation. - emphasize blaming rather than problem solving.

Which of the following questions is most likely to be used by you while reviewing your bad-news message to evaluate the "access" aspect of the FAIR test? - Have I gathered all the relevant facts? - Would recipients consider my communication respectful? - What have I done to lessen the negative impacts on recipients? - Are my motives clear, or will others perceive that I have a hidden agenda? - Is my perspective of the facts influenced by defensiveness, favoritism, or some other bias?

A(n) _____ falls into the category of external partners. - employee - competitor - joint-venture partner - customer - shareholder

Mark, the production manager at Flying Horses Inc., has decided to lay off a few employees due to decreasing demand for the firm's products. Which of the following will be the best way for Mark to convey his decision? - Sending out an e-mail to the employees - Breaking the bad news to the employees over the phone - Organizing a meeting with the employees and sending a follow-up memo - Delivering the bad news to the employees over a video call - Putting up a notice on the company's bulletin board