CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT FILE (Business Communication Course)SEMESTER -II

Submitted to: Ms. Shweta Awasthi Submitted by: Ayushi Jain Class: MBA HR (Batch 2013) Roll. No.: 15

Question 1An old college friend phoned you out of the blue to say, Truth is I had to call you, you would better keep this under your hat, but when I heard my company was buying you guys out, I was dumb founded. I had no idea that a company as large as yours could sink so fast. Your group must be in pretty bad shape over there. Your stomach suddenly turned queasy and you felt a chill go up your spine. You would heard nothing about any buyout and before you could even get your college friend off the phone, you were wondering what you should do. Of the following choose one course of action and explain your choice in detail.a. Contact your CEO directly and relate what you have heardb. Ask coworkers whether they have heard anything about a buyout c. Discuss the phone call confidentially with your immediate supervisord. Keep quiet about the whole thing

Answer 1 In the given case there are many alternatives are there to deal with the situation such as a. Contacting the CEO directly and relate to him what I have heardb. Ask coworkers whether they have heard anything about a buyout c. Discuss the issue confidentially with my immediate supervisorsd. Keep quiet about the whole thing. In my opinion, if one day my friend calls me out of the blue and informs me that his company is buying my company and my job is at a risk , I will discuss this issue relating to the phone call with my immediate supervisors. I will choose this alternative for following reasons:- According to the first option i.e. Contacting the CEO directly and informing him about the issue will not be a right decision because there is a proper manner in which we can contact the CEO, a proper hierarchy is to be followed in an organization and the communication chain cannot be broken. In order to contact the CEO I will first have to inform my seniors and then they will in inform the CEO which means that I cannot directly inform about the issue to the CEO. I am also not sure whether the news of takeover is true or not so I will not contact the CEO directly. The second option i.e. asking coworkers whether they have heard anything about buyout is also not a good option. As I am not sure about the news and if this came out to be a rumor than this will create confusions on the mindset of the co workers and this news may not be in there knowledge if I will go and ask them then it might spread like fire and might cause panic among the employees. Third option i.e. discussing the phone call confidentially with my immediate supervisor is what I would choose to do as I cannot directly contact the CEO ,so following the hierarchy I would discuss the issue with my immediate supervisor . The supervisor will look over the issue and would if any seriousness in the phone call will take action accordingly. If my supervisor would have some knowledge about the takeover then he would help me by giving more details about it but on the other hand if my supervisor would not have any knowledge about the takeover then he will then inform the CEO about it and the CEO will then look on the matter and will find out what the truth is. If the phone call is fake then the CEO will take strict actions against the issue. So for the above mentioned reasons I will discuss the matter with my immediate supervisors. Fourth option i.e. keeping quiet about the whole thing is not a good option as if the phone call is fake it will bring a bad name on the organization and its working as rumors spread like fire and it may be possible that the employees will come to know about this and will think this as true and start leaving the jobs and because of this organization will be at lose. So I will not select this alternative.So discussing the phone call with my immediate supervisors will be my course of action for this problem because of all the reasons discussed above.

Question 2 What are the effective communication skills required in the business world and where do you feel that you lack and you need to take care off?

Answer 2To succeed at the workplace you need more than just hard work. You need good etiquette as well as good workplace communication skills. It is well-known that before you come to work, you have to leave your informal self back home. In the office, you're an employee, someone who's supposed to go about his work in the most professional manner. There is a way to talk to your superiors, to your peers and your subordinates. This mode of communication is known as workplace communication and is typically formal and to the point. A business enterprise has employees from different strata of society with different culture, language and backgrounds. A company that does not place extra emphasis on clear and concise message is bound to suffer in the long term. Lack of effective and open communication can result into high employee turnover, low motivation and wastage of organizational resources.So some of the effective communication skills that are required in the business world and which we ought to have to succeed at work place are as follows:-1. Courteousness: A person should always be courteous while speaking to anyone in the workplace, whether senior or junior. One should not speak disparagingly with juniors, while speaking in a laudatory way with seniors. Courteousness should be maintained in the workplace irrespective of rank.2. Precision: You're not supposed to sit and chat in the workplace. Workplace communication facilitates necessity and should be completed as quickly as possible. Workplace communication mostly consists of delegating tasks and reporting results. So keep it short.3. Language: One should never use any slang terms while at work. Business communication should be crisp and clear so that everyone understands what you're saying. Slang terms bring in the eventuality of misunderstanding and also look unprofessional. So one should avoid using slang in office.4. Low Speaking Volume: One comes across so many loud-talkers. Perhaps they are naturally so or do so deliberately to drive some point across. But speaking loudly is disturbing to other people around you hence; a low speaking volume should be maintained.5. Clarity: It is also essential to ensure that the person you are speaking with has completely understood what you have to say. Hence, one should speak very slowly and clearly. If you have a strong ethnic accent, you should make sure that you talk slowly so that the other person gets what you have to say. It is always good to ask; "have you understood?" just in case someone doesn't get what you have to say.6. Listen to Others: Most people think of effective communication as a one-way thing. But it is very important to also be a good listener and not just a good talker. Others too often have something to say or to contribute to a discussion hence; listening too, is one of the effective communication skills at work.7. Posture and Body Language: They say actions speak louder than words and the same can be considered to be true at the workplace. The body has a language of its own too, and at the workplace, the body ought to be courteous. There are simple things to keep in mind, whether it is wishing everyone 'good morning' at work, or having a courteous smile on your face, being well-dressed in office or sitting erect when someone is talking to you. All these things too are included in the superset of workplace communication skills.The effective communication skills which lack in me and I need to take care to be an effective leader is:

Confidence Vocabulary English speaking fluency Clarity To be precise

The above are the communication skills which I lack in and I need to take care off.

Question 3Once a memo or any other document leaves your hands, you have essentially published it. Discuss ramifications of the above statements.Answer 3A memo, short for the word memorandum, comes from the Latin word memorandus, which means, "to be remembered." It is a compact written message designed to help someone remember something. Memo writing is something of an art form. A letter is not a memo, nor is a memo a letter. A memo is a short, to the point communication conveying your thoughts, reactions or opinion on something. A memo can call people to action or broadcast a bit of timely news.With memo writing, shorter is better.As with all writing, memo writing needs a structure. Because they are short, rambling meanderings will soon destroy the memos effectiveness and become a waste of productive time to those that read it and to the person who wrote it. Using a standard format for business memos and letters makes it easier to get your point across, and conveys the kind of professionalism that is so essential in the world of business. A memo can either be written or typed. A memo, whether written or typed, can be transcribed in a variety of formats. Therefore, every institution has its own way of recording memos. However, with the advancement in the technology, use of memos in workplaces has become limited as nowadays emails are used as alternate of memos. On the other hand, some offices still tend to use this form of communication. There is no limit on the length of the memo. Keep the reader in mind as you write and make the memo as conversational as possible. Keep it short and focused. Its often more effective to write a series of short memos, with one topic per memo, rather than one long one. Procter & Gamble, e.g., considers one-page memos the norm. The topic should be evident in the subject line and be immediately addressed in the first paragraph. Present the main idea of your memo or make your request before spending time on an explanation. If background detail is necessary, state the key points first and then fill in the background. Explain references fully enough to avoid confusion. If your organization has many manuals or policies, don't vaguely refer to what "the manual says" or "the policy requires." Specify which manual or which specific policy youre referring to. Similarly, don't refer to previous conversations, letters or phone calls without specifying the date, topic and gist of that exchange. When youre using e-mail its easy to provide this context and avoid confusion by pasting key parts of the previous message(s) in your reply. However, its considered poor netiquette and a waste of bandwidth to include the entire previous message; delete any unnecessary or overly-detailed information, as well as any extraneous comments and formalities.

Once a memo or any other document leaves our hands, we have essentially published it. So, after publishing it no alterations and corrections can be done. Therefore, before publishing a memo or any other document one should keep the following points in mind.

How to write a memoMemos should have the following sections and content: A 'To' section containing the name of the receiver. For informal memos, the receiver's given name. For more formal memos, use the receiver's full name. If the receiver is in another department, use the full name and the department name. It is usually not necessary to use Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms unless the memo is very formal. A 'From' section containing the name of the sender. For informal memos, the sender's other name. For more formal memos, use the sender's full name. If the receiver is in another department, use the full name and the department name. It is usually not necessary to use Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms unless the memo is very formal. A Date section. To avoid confusion between the British and American date systems write the month as a word or an abbreviation. ASubject Heading. The message.Unless the memo is a brief note, a well-organized memo message should contain the following sections:a. Situation - anIntroductionor thepurposeof the memob. Problem (optionalc. Solution (optional) d. Action - this may be the same as the solution, or be the part of the solution that the receiver needs to carry out; Signature, this is optional.If you have something longer than a page, its better to send it as an attachment or a document that follows the memo used as a cover letter. Never make a memo too long. If someone takes a glance at a memo that appears to be too long, theres a good chance it will be set aside for a time when they arent busy. This can defeat your memos purpose which is timely communication.

ADVANTAGES OF MEMOThe memo has thefollowing advantages:1. Inexpensive:Because of its hand to hand circulation within the organization, it is inexpensive means of communication.2. Convenient:It is convenient to write and read memo, as all headings like date, person, etc. are usually printed in standardized format. Therefore, Memos take comparatively less lime for writing, transmission and reading than letters.3. Future reference:Memos are usually stored in office files or computer discs. As a result of their preserving they can be used for future references.4. Quick:Memos ensure quick and smooth flow of information in all directions. With exchange of memo, the busy executives and employees can interact with each other without disturbing their routine,5. Establishes accountability:As memos are records of facts and decisions, they establish the accountability. Therefore some organizations prefer to use memos even for small events and requests than telephone or verbal conversations.

DISADVANTAGES OF MEMOThough writing memo provides the advantages of, convenience, accountability and time saving; yet it is not free from certain disadvantages stemming at emotional level. It is very common: hat people feel hurt when they are issued memo for something bad. But there are certain extreme situations, where the question of fixing responsibility arises, memos have to be issued.The executives should avoid frequent use of memos especially in situations like calling explanations. The person whom written explanations are issued feels embarrassed and consequently tries to react through back-biting, etc. This pollutes the organizational environment and creates cynicism which is harmful for the organizational growth and creativity.To bring a change in the organization, issuing memos will not serve the purpose. Before -issuing memos, executives and employees of different levels should be involved. Remember the chain of understanding should always precede the chain-of-command.

Specimen of MemoTo: My EmployeeFrom: Your BossRef: PCE/MECCDate: January 17, 2012Subject: County Government Web DesignI have met with Susan Barnes from the Ballard County Planning Commission regarding the new website design. She gave me a list of departments and employees that will need to be featured. I left her with our pre-design package. She will look over the various features we offer, discuss them with the other committee members, and contact me by February 5th with their choices.The county logo currently in use should be incorporated into a banner that will be featured at the top of every page.I have assigned Jeff Cordova to be our liason person for the project. Bryson's team will be responsible for the design phase. Martin's team will set up the necessary data bases and Johnston will handle the testing and implementation. Johnston's team is currently working on the Tabor Auto website project, but he assures me it will be finished by the end of July and they will be free in plenty of time.There will be several deadlines to be met. I am enclosing the bid parameters along with information of the projected cost and timeline.

Enc: (3) TPC/amg

. Question 4Assume that you have recently taken over as the secretary of a Public Limited Company. Informal discussion with the senior officer reveals, among other things, that the growth of the organization has been hampered because of frequent strikes by laborers. After going through your preliminary report the chairman has called a meeting of the board of directors to discuss the issue in depth and to find lasting solution to the problema. How will you disseminate this information to the directors of the organization, which forms of the business communication writing will you select? Give a specimen of the same along with the text.

Answer 4If I have recently taken over as the secretary of a Public limited Company and I have to disseminate the information to the directors of the organization about the meeting of board of directors, I would select notice for board meeting as a form of the business communication writing.

Specimen of the notice of board of directors meeting next page

SPECIMEN OF NOTICE OF BOARD MEETING

PUBLIC LIMITEDRegd. Office : AB Forgings Tower , 15 Community Centre, Delhi

TO: Board of DirectorsFROM: Secretary

Notice of Board Meeting

Notice is hereby given that a meeting of the Board of Directors of the company shall be held on Saturday , the 15th of February , 2012 at the registered office of the company, at AB Forgings Tower , 15 Community Centre, Delhi at 10:30 AM to transact the following business:

1. To look into the issue in depth and find out the reasons for strike of laborers.2. To find a long lasting solution to the above mentioned problem.3. To fix the date and time of the next Board Meeting.

All the directors are requested to be there at the time of the meeting and have some suggestions ready for the same issue.

By Order of the Chairman Place : New Delhi For Public Limited XYZDated : January 17 , 2012 (secretary)