MCS-015 - COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Assignment Number :
BCA(3)015/Assignment/2021-22
WRITTEN BY- ARPITA SHILPI
Q1: Read the following passage and answer the questions given below:

Time management has become one of the key issues of the second half of the twentieth
century.

Managers, grappling with work pressures and deadlines, have come to recognize that time is
a

precious commodity to be ‘saved’, ‘gained’, and not ‘wasted’ or ‘lost’. But if time is a

commodity, how then can we best describe, measure and manage it?

To describe and manage it, imagine a line that goes back to the beginnings of creation and

continues into the mists of the future. And on that line are a number of significant marks-
these

separate the past from the present from the future. And within each time zone-past, present
and

future-we can differentiate periods of time from points of time. For example, the 1980s gave
us

a period of rapid economic growth; black Monday was a point of sudden financial
catastrophe.

How can this brief analysis help the international manager? Firstly, there is the link between

past, present and future. In other words, historical performance should be a guide to the
future,

and the present ought to represent last year’s forecast. So change-that which normally

differentiates any two periods on our continuum - can be seen as a gradual evolution rather

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than

a dramatic revolution.

Secondly, the use of a time-planning system, on which key points and periods are plotted,

enables managers to organize their activities so that bottlenecks can be avoided and
deadlines

can be met. So stress, where the jobs to be done exceed the available time, can be reduced to
an

acceptable and productive level.

i. Tick the right choice:

Time management was one of the major issues

a) in the beginning of the twentieth century

Time management has become one of the key issues of the second half of the twentieth
century.

Managers, grappling with work pressures and deadlines, have come to recognize that time is a

precious commodity to be ‘saved’, ‘gained’, and not ‘wasted’ or ‘lost’.

b) in the latter part of the twentieth century

In other words, historical performance should be a guide to the future,

and the present ought to represent last year’s forecast

c) in the twentieth century (1 Mark)

the use of a time-planning system, on which key points and periods are plotted,

enables managers to organize their activities so that bottlenecks can be avoided and deadlines

can be me

ii. Give two reasons why managers are giving so much importance to time management.

(2 Marks)

ans- the two reasons why manegers are giving so much important to time management it,
imagine a line that goes back to the beginnings of creation and

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continues into the mists of the future. And on that line are a number of significant marks-these
separate the past from the present from the future.

iii. Explain the difference between period of time and point of time giving your own

examples. (4 Marks)

ans- difference between period of time and point of time within each time zone-past, present
and future-we can differentiate periods of time from points of time. For example, the 1980s
gave us a period of rapid economic growth; black Monday was a point of sudden financial
catastrophe

iv. Do you think time management can reduce stress? Discuss

ans- Image result for Do you think time management can reduce stress? Discuss Time
management helps you to reduce long-term stress by giving you direction when you have too
much work to do. It puts you in control of where you are going and helps you to increase your
productivity. ... Poor time management is a major cause of stress

Q2: Pick out words/phrases from the passage which have the following meanings. (10 Marks)

i. time when the world was made:- when the world was made

ii. area:- field

iii. latest time by which an activity must be completed. :- exclusive time by which an activity
must be completed.

iv. step by step.:-progressive, stepped

v. article which can be bought and sold:- bought into

vi. make a division between two things:- make distribute between two things.

vii. work very hard to solve a problem:- hardwork is solve our problem

viii. unclear period of time:-

ix. time or place when jobs cannot be carried out, usually because of other pressures

x. terrible event.:- terribleness

Q3: Put the verbs in brackets in their correct form. (10 Marks)

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We…………i…………(write) to tell you about the reorganization at Softsys. As you

……….ii…………(know), we …………..iii………..(trade) for two years now and

…………iv…………..(establish) a reputation as a reliable local supplier of business

software. On the one hand, the rapid growth in our business during this

period………v………..(give) us very good results; on the other, this increased

business…………this placed….vi…………..(now place) a lot of pressure on our organization. So,

we ……………vii……………..(currently change) the structure of Softsys so that we can

continue to provide the level of service and support that you, as a valued customer,

…….viii…….(expect). We ……..ix……(not plan) any major changes; the

company……….x………(continue) to be owned and run by the three partners.

ans- i. Write

ii. Know

iii. traded

iv. established

v. gave

vi. placing

vii. change

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viii. expect

ix. didn't plan

x. continues

Q4: You are looking for a job as software developer and your prospective employer asked you

to prepare a presentation (PPT) on the following:

Your career so far along with your interested areas, expertise and details about the

projects handled.

Q5: You have seen a job with a multinational company advertised in a national
newspaper for the post of Systems Analyst position. Prepare a good biodata/resume
to apply against it.

ans-

system Analyst Letter

142 Your Address Blvd, City Name, CA XXXXX
(XXX) XXX-XXXX
[email protected]

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[17-10-2021]

[Hiring Manager’s Name]

[341 Company Address]
[Company City, State xxxxx]
[(xxx) xxx-xxxx]
[[email protected]]

Dear [Mr./Mrs./Ms.] [Manager’s Name],

My name is [Your Name] and I am applying for the position of [system analyst] with your company
advertised on national newspaper / job board website].

I have spent the past 8+ years doing number crunching and database management for a SAAS
business, and I am keen to continue developing my career in the field of data analysis. I have alw
been a numbers person, with exceptional mathematics and computer skills. I am fluent in a numb
data management systems and software, including Excel, mySQL, SPSS, and Oracle 11i. Statisti
significance, A/B testing, and data-driven optimization are the rhythm of the drumbeat I march to.

As much as I’m into data manipulation, it’s the analysis of data that really gets me going. I like to
explore the relationships between numbers, and translate digits and spreadsheets into stories. In
age of big data, these stories become actionable solutions and strategies for businesses, and I ta
pride in my ability to make data accessible to both executive decision-makers and frontline sales s

On a personal level, I am detail-oriented, organized, and precise in my work; the only thing cleane
than my room are my spreadsheets. I have strong communication skills with a knack for clear and
illuminating presentation. I’m comfortable on my own facing the numbers, but I really enjoy being
of a motivated team of smart people.

Please find my contact information at the top of this letter, as well as on my enclosed resume. I
appreciate your time spent reading this letter, and look forward to connecting in the future.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

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Q6: A benefactor has given a sum of money to your school/college. One condition of
the gift is that both students and staff must be involved in deciding how the money is
to be used.A further condition is that the money must be spent on permanent and
tangible things. You have been asked by the principal of the school/college to survey
the views of staff and students.

ans- Report to the Principal

19th December, 2017

Sub.: Survey conducted

As delegated by the Principal, a survey was conducted by both the head-boy and head-
girl. We went class-wise and opinions were obtained. We had some list of
improvements jotted and first we took the toll on that. The students were asked to
raise their hands, if they approve of that facility and the number was noted against
each facility. The facility which was not in the list also was noted and the count was
taken. There were not many as we had covered it all aspects. The following were
some of the facilities that were obtained from the teachers and which were not in our
list.

Teachers: We need good toilet facility and a staff-room for the teachers; we need the
blackboard to be changed to White-board. Good chairs and tables. Separate water
containers for the teachers.

Most of the students’ points were predicted and noted. So, getting the vote was easy
but as far as the teachers’ requirements were concerned, it is the Principal to decide.
We have written the number of votes obtained by the side of the points. Separate
sheets of paper have been used for the teachers and the students.

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Students’ requirements: Classrooms to be converted to smart-board classrooms. New
Labs could be introduced. More length in the playground is needed. Hockey and
basketball court is needed. Swimming water draining system has to be improved. Bus
facilities to be improved. Separate Auditorium is needed.

Head-Girl and Boy’s opinion: Importance to be given to students requirements.

Q7: Mark the stress in the following words: (10 Marks)

i) attend attention :- att-end ,att-en-tion

ii) believe belief :- be-lie-ve, be-li-ef

iii) assist assistance :- as-sist, as-sis-tan-ce

iv) lovely loveliness :-love-ly,love-li-ness

v) commerce commercial :- co-mm-erce,co-mmer-cial

Q8: Write short notes on the following:

i) The essentials of Minutes of the Meeting.

here are three critical components to facilitating great meetings: the workplan, the
agenda and the meeting minutes. One of the clear signs of meeting effectiveness or
ineffectiveness can be seen in the quality of meeting minutes. If after reading this first
sentence you are saying to yourself, “what meeting minutes?” –don’t feel embarrassed.
Many teams manage meetings without minutes or get by with minutes that are nothing
more than a collection of sketchy, random thoughts filtered through the brain sieve of
the note taker. But just because you are part of a crowd and don’t need to be
embarrassed it does not let you off the hook either.So let’s back up and talk about the
purpose of meeting minutes because in my mind efficiency is the purpose of meeting
minutes. In my world, I believe that for functional teams meeting minutes serve as a
“relay race baton” between the past, the present and the future. When a team meets
on a regular basis and spend a couple hours over a period of weeks minutes should
document the progressive motion of the team –here is what we said needed to be
done; here is what we did and are doing; and here is what needs to happen next. You
can almost feel the motion and the efficiency. So why do we equate taking minutes
with flossing our teeth in terms of the priority we give it (okay you religious teeth

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flossers out there, I would bet money that you already take great meeting minutes)?
Part of the reason is because when meetings are put together well then there is an
inherent accountability that can be uncomfortable. Going back to our metaphor, if
meeting minutes are a relay race baton then it is up to us to grab the baton, run with it,
and appropriately pass it on to other team members. In other words it is easy work to
review a collection of sketchy, random thoughts filtered through the brain sieve of the
note taker but it quite another responsibility to hold a relay race baton in your hands.1.
Summary: The most common and essential element of meeting minutes is the
summary. The summary is being able to succinctly describe the big picture of what
happened at the meeting. However, in addition to the summary I believe that there are
three other important elements of meeting minutes that conveniently all start with the
letter A.

2. Agreements are the second essential elements to meeting minutes. Following a

meeting you not only want to what happened but also what agreements and decisions
were made and how they were made. Agreements are the markers of progress and
indicate motion. Ensuring that all agreements and decisions are captured in the
meeting keeps the group from asking, “what did we decide again?” It is also helpful for
team-building and keeping people accountable to the group process to record how the
decision was made. Was the decision or agreement made by consensus, or simple
majority, or was it an announced decision by one person? Capturing the agreement-
making process helps a team understand who is really responsible for the agreement
and how power is distributed among the group.

3. Actions The third essential element of meeting minutes are the Actions that are
connected to the agreement. So an agreement might be, “the team decided by
consensus to revise the organizational policy about pets in the office” and the
subsequent action might be, “Joe and Judy will revise the policy by the next meeting.”
Again, meeting minutes are relay race batons that track motion. Agreements don’t live
until there are actions connected to them.

4. Accountability: The final essential element to meeting minutes is Accountability.

Accountability how you know when the action is complete or it defines what

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mechanism ensures progress, quality or other outcomes associated with the
agreements and actions.

Like most aspects of organizational change, it is challenging to confront and shift the
culture of teams and the entrenched practices. However, if you have the courage to
change, the benefits of moving to a different practice will be measurable.

ii) Effective group discussions

There are some rules of a Group Discussion. The rules of Group Discussion are listed
below:

Prepare well for the topic.

The quick trick is to note all the important points during the preparation time. Do not
write brief paragraphs. Try to write short points and explain them briefly in the
discussion.

Be confident about your content

It would help if you always were confident about your content. If you are not confident,
you may hesitate while speaking, which will create a negative impression.

Participants Introduction

Most participants only focus on their content. You should be aware during the
introduction of all the participants in your group. To get attention, you can call out the
person's name when the discussion gets diverted.

Body Language

Always take care of your body language. Do not focus only on the content.

Leadership

Try to take the lead in the group if you are confident about the topic and the
knowledge.

Avoid false starts or commitments

Do not initiate the discussion if you are not sure about your content. Do not present

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any wrong information.

Follow your Domain

Every company has its own culture. Prepare your content according to the company
requirements. For example, industrial companies will focus more on technical talks,
while marketing companies seek the combination of creative and oriented content.

Do not fight

In the Group Discussion, some candidates often get aggressive. Do not fight during the
discussion. Most of the companies require sensitive and polite candidates rather than
aggressive ones.

Estimated criteria for a Group Discussion

The performance of an effective Group discussion depends on individual skills and

group coordination.

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