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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? Answer : The following example illustrates an organizational barrier to communication. By the time the message is passed down from the Chief to the lower level Executives, it is distorted completely, so much so that the original message is interpreted differently by each level in the organization. Memo from CEO to Manager : Today at 11 oclock there will be a total eclipse of the sun. This is when the sun disappears behind the moon for 2 minutes. As this is something that cannot be seen every day, time will be allowed for employees to view the eclipse in the parking lot. Staff should meet in the lot at ten to eleven, when I will deliver a short speech introducing the eclipse, and giving some background information. Safety goggles will be made available at a small cost. Memo from Manager to Department Head : Today at ten to eleven, all staff should meet in the car park. This will be followed by a total eclipse of the sun, which will appear for 2 minutes. For a moderate cost, they will be made safe with goggles. The CEO will deliver a short speech beforehand to give us all some information. This is not something that can be seen everyday. Memo from the Department Head to Floor Manager : The CEO will today deliver a speech to make the sun disappear for 2 minutes in the form of an eclipse. This is something that cannot be seen everyday so staff will meet in the car park at ten or eleven. This will be safe, if you pay a moderate cost. Memo from Floor Manager to Supervisor : Ten or eleven staff are to go to the car park, where the CEO will eclipse the sun for 2 minutes. This does not happen everyday. It will be safe, and as usual it will cost you. Memo from Supervisor to Staff : Some staff will go to the car park today to see the CEO disappear. It is a pity this doesnt happen everyday. Communication was filtered or misinterpreted because of the following barriers : Organizational Barriers In organizations that are too hierarchical, that is, where there are multiple layers, messages may have to pass through many levels before they finally reach the receiver. Each level may add to, modify or completely change the message, so much so that it becomes distorted by the time it reaches the intended receiver. In other words, there is likely to be loss of meaning and the message may not reach the receiver in the same way as it was intended by the MBA I Semestar Sikkim Manipal University Page 1 of 9
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. Answer : World Markets Rise As Double-Dip Fears Ease: World stock markets advanced modestly Monday as investors rode momentum from Friday, when an upbeat U.S. jobs report eased fears that the global economy could slip back into recession. With Wall Street closed for a holiday, however, trading was expected to remain light. Markets took heart after official data last week showed private employers in the U.S. added 67,000 jobs in August, more than analysts expected.
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Q.3 . List out and briefly explain five dos and donts for each of participants and chairperson of a meeting. Answer : 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 :
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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.
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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. Answer : The abbreviated form of an Electronic mail is 'E-mail'. E-mail is a system of creating, sending and storing textual data in digital form over a network. Earlier, the e-mail system was based on Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) mechanism, a protocol
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Advantages of Email The benefits of e-mail are huge in number. Easy to use : E-mail frees us from the tedious task of managing data of daily use. It helps us to manage our contacts, send mails quickly, maintain our mail history, store the required information, etc. Speed : The e-mail is delivered instantly, anywhere across the globe. No other service matches the e-mail in terms of speed. Easy to prioritize : Since the mails have subject lines, it is easy to prioritize them and ignore unwanted mails. Reliable and secure: Constant efforts are being taken to improve the security in electronic mails. Thus making it one of the secured ways of communication. Informal and conversational : The language used in e-mails is generally simple and thus makes the communication informal. Sending and receiving emails takes less time, so it can be used as a tool for interaction. Easier for reference : When one needs to reply to a mail, there is a provision in the mailing system to attach the previous mails as references. This refreshes the recipient's knowledge, on what he is reading. Automated e-mails : It is possible to send automated e-mails using special programs like the auto responders. The auto responders reply back to the sender with generalized pre-written text messages. Environment friendly : Postal mails use paper as a medium to send letters. Electronic mail thus, saves a lot of trees from being axed. It also saves fuel needed in transportation. Use of graphics : Colorful greeting cards and interesting pictures can be sent through e-mails. This adds value to the e-mail service.
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Advertising tool : Many individuals and companies are using e-mails to advertise their products, services, etc. Disadvantages of Email The e-mails, though beneficial in our day-to-day life, has got its own drawbacks that are offlate coming to the fore. Viruses : These are computer programs having the potential to harm a computer system. These programs copy themselves and further infect the computer. The recipient needs to scan the mails, as viruses are transmitted through them and have the potential to harm computer systems. Spam : E-mails when used to send unsolicited messages and unwanted advertisements create nuisance and is termed as Spam. Checking and deleting these unwanted mails can unnecessarily consume a lot of time, and it has become necessary to block or filter the unwanted e-mails by means of spam filters. Spamming includes, sending hoax e-mails. E-mail spoofing is another common practice, used for spamming. Spoofing involves deceiving the recipient by altering the e-mail headers or the addresses from which the mail is sent. Hacking : The act of breaking into computer security is termed as hacking. After the e-mail is sent and before it is received by the desired recipient, it "bounces" between servers located in different parts of the world. Hence, the e-mail can be hacked by a professional hacker. Misinterpretation : One has to be careful while posting any kind of content through an e-mail. If typed in a hurry, the matter could be misinterpreted. Lengthy mails : If the mail is too long and not properly presented the reader may lose interest in reading it. Not suitable for business: Since the content posted via e-mails is considered informal, there is a chance of business documents going unnoticed. Thus, urgent transactions and especially those requiring signatures are not managed through e-mails. Crowded inbox : Over a period of time, the e-mail inbox may get crowded with mails. It becomes difficult for the user to manage such a huge chunk of mails. Need to check the inbox regularly : In order to be updated, one has to check his e-mail account regularly. Every new technology enters the social world with its share of benefits and drawbacks. Different people interpret and utilize it in different ways. In order to make the most of the available technology, users should try to understand both, the
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