MB0039 Assignment set 2 Q1. Explain the purpose of keeping minutes of a meeting.

What goes into the contents of minutes of a meeting?

Ans :Do your hands cramp up at the thought of recording meeting minutes? Do you question what information you should record and what you should leave out? Youre not alone. Most of us have sat through a meeting madly scribbling what we thought were minutes only to find out later that weve missed essential information or that the notes were never used. Why Meeting Minutes Matter Dont give up, meeting minutes are important. They capture the essential information of a meeting decisions and assigned actions. They keep attendees on track by reminding them of their role in a project and clearly define what happened in a group session. How many times have your colleagues been confused or in disagreement about what happened in a meeting? With minutes to refer to, everyone is clear. What most people dont know is that meeting minutes shouldnt be an exact recording of everything that happened during a session. Minutes are meant to record basic information such as the actions assigned and decisions made. Then, they can be saved and used for reference or background material for future meetings relating to the same topic. The following instructions will help you take useful and concise meeting minutes. Before the Meeting If you are recording the minutes, make sure you arent a major participant in the meeting. You cant perform both tasks well. Create a template for recording your meeting minutes and make sure you leave some blank space to record your notes. Include the following information: Date and time of the meeting The purpose of the meeting The meeting lead or chairs name Assigned action items Decisions made Before the meeting, gather as much information from the host as you can. Ask for a list of attendees, as well as some information on the purpose of the meeting. This way you wont need to scramble to understand whats going on while youre recording notes. Decide how you want to record your notes. If you arent comfortable relying on your pen and notepad, try using a tape recorder or, if youre a fast typist, take a laptop to the meeting. During the Meeting As people enter the room, check off their names on your attendee list. Ask the meeting lead to introduce you to meeting attendees you arent familiar with. This will be helpful later when you are recording assigned tasks or decisions. Dont try to record notes verbatim its not necessary. Minutes are meant to give an outline of what happened in the meeting, not a record of who said what. Focus on understanding whats being discussed and on recording whats been assigned or decided on.

Record action items and decisions in your template as they happen dont wait until after the meeting to pull them out of your notes or you could make a mistake. If you dont understand exactly what decision has been made or what action has been assigned, ask the meeting lead to clarify. After the Meeting Review the notes and add additional comments, or clarify what you didnt understand right after the meeting. Do this while the information is fresh in everyones mind. Type your notes out in the template you created before the meeting this will make the notes easier for everyone to read and use. When youre writing out your notes, use some of the following tips from the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP). Number the pages as you go so you arent confused later. Remember, though, that the minute-taker is responsible for providing good flow. Dont force yourself to write the minutes in the actual chronological order of the discussion - it may not work. Focus on action items, not discussion. The purpose of minutes is to define decisions made and to record what actions are to be taken, by whom and when. Be objective. Write in the same tense throughout and avoid using peoples names except for motions or seconds. This is a business document, not about who said what. Avoid inflammatory or personal observations. The fewer adjectives or adverbs you use, the better. Dull writing is the key to appropriate minutes. If you need to refer to other documents, attach them in an appendix or indicate where they may be found. Dont rewrite their intent or try to summarize them. When you finish typing the minutes, ask the meeting lead to review the document for errors. Send the final copy of the minutes to attendees right away. Keep a copy of the notes (and the template) for yourself in case someone wants to review them later. Recording meeting minutes ensures that the decisions and actions resulting from a meeting arent lost or forgotten. By taking the time to record proper meeting notes youll make sure the time and effort that goes into a meeting isnt wasted.

Q2. Prepare a brief notice to be put up on official notice boards, informing employees of your organization about a newly introduced, official bus service.
Ans :-

Q3. Write short notes on (a) Upward communication (b) Downward communication (c) Horizontal communication.
Ans :- A formal communication network is one which is created by management and described with the help of
an organizational chart. An organizational chart specifies the hierarchy and the reporting system in the organization. Therefore, in a formal network, information is passed on only through official channels such as memos, bulletins and intranet (email within the organization). The organizational chart implies that information can flow in any of three directions vertically, i.e., upward or downward, and horizontally.

1. Upward Communication:This may be defined as information that flows from subordinates to superiors. Some of the reasons for upward communication include discussing work related problems, giving suggestions for improvement and sharing feelings about the job and co-workers. This type of communication has both benefits and disadvantages. One of the biggest benefits is problem-solving. Once a subordinate has brought a problem to his superiors notice, chances are that the problem will not recur, since the subordinate learns from his superior how to tackle it the next time. Thus, his ability to solve new problems and therefore his managerial ability, improves. Another benefit that could arise from upward communication is that valuable ideas and suggestions may sometimes come from lower level employees. Therefore organizations should encourage this kind of communication. A third benefit is that employees learn to accept the decisions of management and thereby work as a team.The biggest problem associated with this type of communication is that it may lead to handing down of decisions by superiors. When subordinates frequently seek the superiors guidance, the latter may adopt an authoritarian approach and merely give instructions, disregarding the subordinates opinion completely. 2. Downward Communication:This may be defined as information that flows from superiors to subordinates. The most common reasons for downward communication are for giving job instructions, explaining company rules, policies and procedures and giving feedback regarding job performance. A number of studies have indicated that regular downward communication in the form of feedback given to employees is the most important factor affecting job satisfaction. Therefore organizations today are trying to encourage more of this type of communication. There are both benefits and disadvantages associated with this type of communication. Downward communication that provides regular feedback will be beneficial if the feedback or review of performance is constructive. A constructive review is one where a manager counsels an employee, or advises him on how to improve his performance. On the other hand, a destructive review can destroy employee morale and confidence. Regular downward communication also creates a climate of transparency or openness, where information is passed on through official channels, rather than through rumors. Thirdly, downward communication boosts employee morale, since it indicates that management is involved in their progress. The problems with this type of communication are the danger of doing destructive reviews, as mentioned, and that of message overload. This means that superiors many sometimes burden their subordinates with too many instructions, leading to confusion. 3. Horizontal Communication: This type of communication is also known as lateral communication. It may be defined as communication that takes place between co-workers in the same department, or in different departments, with different areas of responsibility. For example, Sales Managers and Advertising Managers in the Marketing department, or Marketing Managers and Finance Managers. The reasons for this type of communication are for coordination of tasks, sharing of information regarding goals of the organization, resolving interpersonal or work related problems and building rapport. The biggest potential benefit of horizontal communication is the sense of teamwork that is created. Regular communication of this type ensures that all co-workers work together towards achieving a common goal in the overall interest of the organization. The biggest potential problem is that conflicts such as ego clashes are bound to arise, when co-workers at the same level communicate on a regular basis. In spite of these problems, horizontal or lateral communication has become more important in todays business scenario than upward or downward communication. This is because the organizational pyramid indicating the different hierarchies or levels in an organization has flattened. This is illustrated by the diagrams given below.

Multi-layer Organizational Pyramid

Compressed Organizational Pyramid

The first diagram illustrates the previous organizational pyramid which was a multi-layer pyramid. In this type of pyramid, vertical, i.e., upward and downward communication still plays an important role. This is still the case in many traditionally run organizations today. However, this has been replaced by a compressed or flattened pyramid where the hierarchy has diminished, as shown in the second diagram. Thanks to technology and computers which help in faster decision making, a manager today has a larger span of control. He or she can supervise and control more number of people than before. This in turn has led to greater empowerment, which means that even lower level employees are now being given decision making authority. Therefore, in the absence of several layers, there is greater lateral communication than before.

Q4. Go through business magazines and daily newspapers and select a situation when company was facing a crises (e.g., Coke and Pepsi pesticide controversy). How did the company communicate with its shareholders and other stakeholders to overcome the crisis? Was the communication effective?
Ans :- Shareholders are important internal stakeholders of an organization, since they are the owners of the company. Since the capital required is huge, there are no proprietors and partners any more. As organization grows, shareholding is widely scattered. Therefore, it is essentials to retain the shareholders, confidence in the companys management, through effective communication with them on a regular basis. There are two situations when shareholder communication is extremely vital

1. If a company is doing well and wants to expand its scope of operations, or diversify into unrelated areas. In this case, good shareholder relations can help to raise the required capital and minimize borrowing from banks and financial institutions. 2. If a company is going through a crisis or difficult times, more communication with shareholders is needed. Take the example of coke and Pepsi during the pesticide controversy. In such a situation, the company should be open with its shareholders and explain the problem clearly, including the steps being taken to overcome the crisis. Crisis communication is am important, but often overlooked area of shareholder communication. Lack of communication during a crisis encourages the grapevine among shareholders and leads to false rumors. For example. Rumors may spread that the company is going to close down. On the other hand, if you tell the truth, changes are that your shareholders will stand by you. The appropriate media for communication with shareholder include both oral and written periodic mailers should be sent to all shareholders, giving a fair and truthful representation of the companys results and progress on various fronts. In areas where there is an aggregation or concentration of shareholders, shareholder meeting and conferences should be held, making presentations on the companys progress. When the company is going through a crisis, shareholders should be taken on project site and factory visits, to show them the measures that are being taken to solve the problem. The overall guiding factor in communicating with shareholders should be that they are the owners of the company. Two examples are giving below of two companies, cognizant and reliance that are well known for effective shareholders communication.

Q5. Discuss the different types of business reports

Ans :- Types of Business Reports Reports may be classified based on several criteria,including the following whether theyare internal to the business, or are used outside the business.1. 1) Periodic reports:These are reports that are prepared on a regular basis forboth internal & external audiences. Their purpose is solely to inform. Examples ofthis type of report are --a) Routine management reports:These are reports such as equipment reports& sales updates & are prepared for internal audiences. b) Compliance repots:These are submitted to external stakeholders, such asthe government, stating compliance with regulations such as environmentalnorms. c) Progress reports:These reports may be prepared for both internalaudiences such as top management & shareholders as well as for externalaudiances such as customers. A project report stating progress on a longterm project is an example of this type of report. 2) Proposals:Unlike periodic reports the purpose of a proposal is to persuade.Proposals may be prepared for both internal & external audiences. Examples ofproposals include research proposals & marketing strategy proposals to topmanagement, proposals to the government to grant funds for building a research facility & proposals to consumers to buy a companys products. 3) Policies & procedures:The pupose of these repots is solely to inform. They arealso prepared only for internal audiences. Examples include repots on companypolicies & procedures, written by top management & to all employees. This ispart of downward communication.

4) Situational reports:These are one-time, exceptional reports that are preparedwhen a unique event occurs. For example, if sales of the company has shown asignificant decline, a study may be carried out to determine the reasons fordeclining sales & a report prepared on the findings. Similarly, a market feasibilitystudy may be carried out before launc of a new product & a report prepared,based on the study. The purpose of such repots is usually to inform, analyze &persuade.

Q6. List the different steps involved in report preparation.

Ans :- Since reports are a key to the success of any business, they should be carefullyplanned, organized, written and presented. A lot of groundwork should precede theactual writing of the report. We shall briefly discuss the five main steps in reportpreparation. 1. Planning the Report: The first question to be asked before gatheringinformation and writing the report, is regarding the type of report that is required.Secondly, it must be remembered that most reports are required bymanagement to solve a problem, or to make a decision. Therefore, the basis, orstarting point for a report is a problem. Reports are written after a problem isanalyzed and a solution to the problem is found. The problem may be of a dayto-day nature, such as determining which brand of overhead projector torecommend for purchase. Or, the problem may be a negative one, such assales of the company showing a decline. In any case, the problem is the singlefundamental issue to be addressed in the report and should be clearlydetermined, right at the outset.Once the problem has been defined, it must be broken up into sub issues or sub problems, by asking the following questions:What, why, when, where and who? The next step in planning the report is to do an audience analysis. We haveseen that reports may be addressed to internal or external audiences of anorganization. Some of the questions to be asked about the audience, or thereader of the report are: a. Is the audience internal or external to the organization? b. Who is the specific audience or reader? Reports are written for thegovernment & for top management should be more formal than for otheraudiences. c. Is the audience known to you? d. What is the level of knowledge of the audience? Is the topic familiar to thereader? If the report is of a technical nature & the reader is a layperson, thetechnical terms may need detailed explanation. e. What is the level of interest of the reader? If the report has been solicited or authorized, the readers level of interest will be high. On the other hand, if thereport is voluntary or unsolicited, it may have to sustain reader interest. The tone, length,complexity & degree of formality of the report will depend largly on the readers characteristics. A more conversational tone, while reports on company policies& procedures addressed to subordinates would adopt an emphatic tone. 2. Selecting a method to solve the problem:after defining the problem & doingan audience analysis, a method has to be selected to collect the necessaryinformation to solve the problem. Broadly, information may be gathered usingsecondary research methods such as books, magazines, newspapers, internet& other available sources or through primar research methods such as surveysthat provide first hand information.

3. Gathering & organizing data:Once the method of gathering information hasbeen selected, the actual process of gathering the information begins. Since thisis time consuming & expensive, only information that is relevant to the report &the study must be gathered. The raw data should be evaluated for its usefulness& organized in a form that is meaningful to understand. Tables,charts,graphs &summeries should be used to do this. 4. Arriving at conclusion:Once the information has been checked for its validity& reliability, it must be interpreted & conclusions drawn. Correct interpretetion ofthe data is needed for the success of the report. Sound conclusions cannot bemade if the interpretetion of the data is faulty. A common mistake made in theinterpretetion of the data is the tendency of the researcher to use subjective judgments, instead of objective reasoning based on facts. 5. Writing the report:The actual process of writing the report should begin onlyafter a satisfactory solution to the problem has been found. A well written reportthat contains a bad answer is worse than a badly written report that contain