MB0039 Business Communication - 4 Credits

Assignment Set- 2

Q1. List the differences between extensive reading and intensive reading? Ans. Reading is essentially a process of decoding messages, with a view to understanding a written text. It has various purposes, such as reading for personal interest, pleasure or for gaining information. A single text is not written for any one purpose, but could meet any purpose, depending on individual needs. Reading in the real sense is an active, rather than a passive process. Active reading means reading to grasp the meaning. It is a skill which has to be developed and practiced. Based on the purpose for which we are reading, there are five different types of reading 1. Skimming Quickly glancing over a text to get a general idea of the content 2. Scanning Careful reading to find out specific details 3. Extensive reading Rapid reading to get an overall understanding of the matter 4. Intensive reading Reading slowly with concentration to get specific details 5. Silent or loud reading This depends on whether we are reading to ourselves or reading to others Extensive Reading: Our way of reading is influenced by the purpose of our reading. Most of us have the habit of reading especially when we are free, or have a lot of leisure time. We might get hold of a novel, a comic strip, or a magazine. When we read for the pure pleasure of reading, it is known as extensive reading. However, it should not be given less priority, because it is extensive reading. It is enjoyable, as well as informative. Here, we practice rapid reading to get a global/overall understanding of the matter.

Intensive Reading: When we read shorter texts like a research paper for getting specific details or information, we read slowly with a lot of concentration. This is known as intensive reading. When you read a book as a resource material for research, you read it intensively because the overall understanding is not the objective or purpose of our reading. When you read an article in order to write a review on it, you read it intensively. We use all the skills of reading when we do intensive reading

Q2. Explain the different advantages and disadvantages of intranet. Ans. An intranet is similar to a website, except that it is an internal network that is exclusive to a particular organization. This means that only employees of the organization will have access to it. This is as opposed to an extranet, which is also an internal or private website, but where access privileges are also extended to external stakeholders of the company, such as customers, suppliers, partners and others. Advantages and Disadvantages of Intranet: Like any other tool, the intranet has its advantages and limitations. Some of the primary advantages are

Discourages grapevine Grapevine, or the informal communication network was discussed in one of the earlier units. Although grapevine can be useful, it also leads to rumors, in the absence of information passed on through the formal communication network. When employees are misinformed, they become dissatisfied and de-motivated. Using the intranet as an official channel to post information for all employees to see discourages gossip and avoids creating a transparency gap. Facilitates pre-meeting discussion The intranet may be used to discuss and debate ideas prior to a meeting, so that valuable meeting time is spent focusing only on relevant ideas.

Example Suppose a sales team of five members are required to make a presentation to the Vice President Sales, on how to increase sales during the current year. Instead of each salesperson making a lengthy presentation during a meeting and then getting his ideas reviewed and approved, a discussion board can be created using the

intranet, a few days before the meeting. The salespersons could post their ideas on the discussion board for the VP to review in advance, so that only the most promising ideas are discussed during the meeting. This way, the salespersons can come into the meeting more focused.

Saves time The intranet is paperless communication and is therefore a big time saver. A lot of unnecessary time wasted on filling out forms, leave requests, supply orders, etc., can be saved by doing this through the intranet. Employees can get information on official holidays and other HR related information, without having to interact with the HR manager.

Some of the disadvantages are

Getting started Building an intranet to your specifications can be expensive. A consultant may have to be hired to give it the desired look and feel and to make sure that it is user friendly and simple enough for all employees to use. Developing and maintaining content Once it has been set up, someone has to be responsible for maintaining and updating the information on a continuous basis. In small organizations, it may be sufficient to appoint one person to do this. In larger organizations with multiple departments, it may be necessary to appoint several persons to maintain and update information for the different departments. This becomes a complex and expensive task. Training employees Once it has been set up, employees have to be familiarized and trained on how to use the intranet. This involves investment in time and money. Convincing old economy employees Some employees may not be technology or computer savvy and may be reluctant to use the intranet to access information. Therefore, they may have to be convinced about the benefits of using the new technology.

Q3 List the different principles of business letter writing? Ans. Principles of Business Letter Writing: Business letters are used primarily to communicate with external stakeholders such as consumers, intermediaries, government and bankers. Business letters are much more formal than general letters. Let us look briefly at some of these principles* Consideration and Courtesy It is very important to retain the goodwill of customers and other external publics. A discourteous, rude letter can make you lose business. Therefore, the business letter should be extremely polite at all times and mindful of the Ps and Qs, i.e., the words please, thank you and sorry. Even if you happen to get a rude letter from a customer, you must respond politely, in order to retain the customer. If the company has been at fault, it is important to apologize to the customer for the mistake and for the inconvenience caused. The overall tone should not be negative.

* Directness and Conciseness Business letters should be brief and to the point, avoiding unnecessary details and round about expressions. A typical Indian tendency is to be too wordy or verbose, using redundancies and unnecessary words. Business letters should give maximum information to the reader, using minimum words. * Clarity and Precision Business letters should be clearly worded, avoiding the use of jargon or technical terms, and slang words. Concrete words should be used, so that there is no ambiguity. * Appearance Apart from the content, the format, layout and overall look of the letter should be equally appealing to the reader. Attention should be paid to the quality of paper used. The margins should be appropriate, including one inch on each side and one and a half inches on top and at the bottom.

A business letter should include the following standard components 1. Date in the upper right hand corner 2. The To address above the salutation in the upper left hand corner. 3. The Salutation When addressing a firm, Messr should be used before the name of the firm. Since business letters are formal, the appropriate salutation when addressing an individual is Dear Mr. /Ms., followed by the last name, rather than the first name, which is informal. If the gender of the reader is not known, it is better to use a neutral salutation, such as Dear Customer or Investor. 4. Sometimes, an Attention Line may be included below the salutation, in order to ensure prompt action. For example, Attention: John Smith, HR Manager. 5. A Subject Line indicates the purpose of the letter and is placed between the salutation and the first line of the letter. 6. The Body of the letter includes an explanation of the main idea(s). 7. The Close is the ending of the letter and should be polite and friendly, so as to retain goodwill. A standard close for a business letter is Yours faithfully or sincerely.

Q4. Write short notes on (a) corporate identity advertising (b) institutional advertising Ans. (a) Corporate Identity Advertising: This type of corporate advertising is done purely to communicate the organizations corporate identity, such as its name, logo (e.g. the Nike Swoosh), trademark or brand name and slogan. When the organizations identity changes, this is communicated through corporate advertising. Example The American fast food outlet, Kentucky Fried Chicken, changed its name to KFC, to remove the association with fried, greasy chicken. This name change was communicated through corporate identity advertising.

(b) Institutional Advertising: This type of corporate advertising is Aimed at special publics such as the media, suppliers and dealers, to correct communication problems with them.

Q5. Discuss the different types of business reports Ans. Types of Business Reports: Reports may be classified based on several criteria, including their use (progress reports and financial reports), purpose (informational, analytical and persuasive reports), and frequency of preparation (annual, monthly, weekly and hourly reports), length (short and long reports) and whether they are internal to the business, or are used outside the business. The most common types of business reports may be divided into the following categories: 1. Periodic reports: These are reports that are prepared on a regular basis, for both internal and external audiences. Their purpose is solely to inform. Examples of this type of report are: a) Routine management reports: These are reports such as equipment reports and sales updates and are prepared for internal audiences. b) Compliance reports: These are submitted to external stakeholders, such as the government, stating compliance with regulations such as environmental norms. c) Progress reports: These reports may be prepared for both internal audiences such atop management and shareholders, as well as for external audiences such as customers. A project report stating progress on a long-term 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 and external audiences.

Examples of proposals include research proposals and marketing strategy proposals to top management, proposals to the government to grant funds for building a research facility and proposals to Consumers to buy a companys products. 3. Policies and Procedures: The purpose of these reports is solely to inform. They are also prepared only for internal audiences. Examples include reports on company policies and procedures, written by top management and sent to all employees. This is part of downward communication. 4. Situational reports: These are one-time, exceptional reports that are prepared when unique event occurs. For example, if sales of the company have shown a significant decline, a study may be carried out to determine the reasons for declining sales and are port prepared on the findings. Similarly, a market feasibility study may be carried out before launch of a new product and a report prepared, based on the study. The purpose of such reports is usually to inform, analyze and persuade.

Q6. List the different steps involved in report preparation Ans. Steps in Report Preparation: 1. Planning the report: The first question to be asked before gathering information and writing the report, is regarding the type of report that is required. We classified reports into four main types, based on the purpose, the audience to whom they are addressed and the frequency of the report. Secondly, it must be remembered that most reports are required by management to solve a problem, or to make a decision. Therefore, the basis, or starting point for are port is a problem. Reports are written after a problem is analyzed and a solution to the problem is found. The problem may be of a day-to-day nature, such as determining which brand of overhead projector to recommend for purchase. Or, the problem maybe a negative one, such as sales of the company showing a decline. In any case, the problem is the single fundamental issue to be addressed in the report and should be clearly determined, right at the outset.

Once the problem has been defined, it must be broken up into sub issues or sub problems, by asking the questions what, why, when, where and who? Example: Suppose the purpose of a study is to survey clerical salaries in public sector banks in Bangalore city, in order to determine whether salaries in your bank are competitive and consistent. The problem may be broken up as follows

What? A study of clerical salaries Why? To determine whether salaries in our firm are competitive and consistent When?Current Where?Bangalore city Who? Clerical employees in public sector banks

Asking the above questions determines the exact scope of the study and reduces the problem to a workable size.

2. Selecting a Method to Solve the Problem: After defining the problem and doing an audience analysis, a method has to be selected to collect the necessary information to solve the problem. Broadly, information may be gathered using secondary research methods, such as books, magazines, newspapers, internet and other available sources, or through primary research methods, such as surveys that provide first hand information.

3. Gathering and Organizing Data: Once the method of gathering information has been selected, the actual process of gathering the information begins. Since this is time-consuming and expensive, only information that is relevant to the report and the study must be gathered. The raw data should be evaluated for its usefulness and organized in a form that is meaningful to understand. Tables, charts, graphs and summaries should be used to do this.

4. Arriving at a Conclusion: Once the information has been checked for its validity and reliability, it must be interpreted and conclusions drawn. Correct interpretation of the data is needed for the success of the report. Sound conclusions cannot be made if the interpretation of the data is faulty. A common mistake made in the interpretation of 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 only after satisfactory solution to the problem has been found. As pointed out earlier, a well written report that contains a bad answer is worse than a badly written report that contains a good answer.