CHAPTER 1
UNDERSTANDING BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION IN TODAY’S
WORKPLACE
True/False
_____Communication is a simple process of sending and receiving
messages.
ANSWER: False. Communication is the process of transferring
information and meaning between senders and receivers using
one or more written, oral, visual, or electronic channels.
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGE: 4; OBJECTIVE: 1; TYPE: concept;
AACSB: Communication
_____Stronger business relationships and stronger decision making
are two of the benefits received from effective communication.
ANSWER: True. A list of benefits is on pages 4-5.
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGES: 4-5; OBJECTIVE: 1: TYPE: concept;
AACSB: Communication
_____By stressing the benefits of responding to your messages, you
can increase the chances that your audiences will react as you’d
like them to.
ANSWER: True. This is an effective strategy for positively
influencing the audience of each message.
DIFFICULTY: easy; PAGE: 5; OBJECTIVE: 5; TYPE: concept; AACSB:
Communication
_____Plagiarism is claiming someone else’s work as your own.
ANSWER: True. Plagiarism is claiming someone else’s work as
your own.
DIFFICULTY: easy; PAGE: 8; OBJECTIVE: 6; TYPE: concept; AACSB:
Communication, Ethical Reasoning
_____Ethics are the accepted principles of conduct that govern
behavior within a society.
ANSWER: True. This is the definition given in the text.
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGE: 8; OBJECTIVE: 3; TYPE: concept;
AACSB: Communication, Ethical Reasoning
_____Ethical communication may state opinions as facts.
ANSWER: False. Ethical communication does not state opinions
as facts, does not hide negative information behind an
optimistic attitude, and does not portray graphic data
unfairly.
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGE: 8; OBJECTIVE: 2; TYPE: application;
AACSB: Communication, Ethical Reasoning
The process of transferring information and meaning
between senders and receivers is called ______.
ANSWER: Communication
Difficulty: moderate; PAGE: 4; OBJECTIVE: 4; TYPE:
concept; AACSB: Communication
______ is the last step in the communication process.
ANSWER: Feedback or the receiver sending feedback
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGE: 7; OBJECTIVE: 4; TYPE:
concept; AACSB: Communication
______ refers to the accepted principles of conduct that
govern behavior within a society.
ANSWER: Ethics
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGE: 8; OBJECTIVE: 6; TYPE:
concept; AACSB: Communication, Ethical Reasoning
______ ______ is the mixture of traditions, expectations, and unwritten
social rules that help convey meaning between members of the
same culture.
ANSWER: Cultural Context
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGE: 11; OBJECTIVE: 5; TYPE: concept;
AACSB: Communication, Multicultural and Diversity
China and Japan are both considered ______-context cultures.
ANSWER: High
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGE: 12; OBJECTIVE: 3; TYPE: concept;
AACSB: Communication, Multicultural and Diversity
In a/an ______-context culture, people rely less on verbal
communication and more on the context of nonverbal actions and
environmental setting to convey meaning.
ANSWER: High
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGE: 11; OBJECTIVE: 3; TYPE: concept;
AACSB: Communication, Multicultural and Diversity
List the eight steps in the communication process.
ANSWER: 1) The sender has an idea. 2) The sender encodes the
idea—puts it into a message that the receiver will
understand. 3) The sender produces the message in a
transmittable medium. 4) The sender transmits the message
through a channel. 5) The audience receives the message. 6)
The audience decodes the message. 7) The audience
responds to the message. 7) The audience provides
feedback.
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGE: 7; OBJECTIVE: 4; TYPE: concept;
AACSB: Communication
Briefly explain the difference between ethical communication and
unethical communication.
ANSWER: Ethical communication includes all relevant
information, is true in every sense, and is not deceptive. It
avoids plagiarism, misquoting, misrepresenting numbers,
and distorting visuals. By contrast, unethical communication
can include falsehoods and misleading information (or
exclude important information).
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGE: 8; OBJECTIVE: 6; TYPE: concept;
AACSB: Communication, Ethical Reasoning
CHAPTER 2
MASTERING INTERPERSONAL
COMMUNICATION
True/False
_____ Effective teams have a clear sense of purpose.
ANSWER: True. As well as having a clear sense of purpose, effective teams
communicate openly and honestly, reach decisions by consensus, think
creatively, remain focused, and resolve conflict effectively.
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGE: 28; OBJECTIVE: 3; TYPE: concept; AACSB:
Communication
_____ Teams can contribute to higher performance levels by improving employees’
productivity and creativity.
ANSWER: True. Successful teams improve productivity, creativity, and employee
involvement.
DIFFICULTY: easy; PAGE: 29; OBJECTIVE: 1; TYPE: concept; AACSB: Communication
_____ While working in teams is productive for the individual, the group effort is less
creative than an individual effort.
ANSWER: False. Working in teams can unleash vast amounts of creativity and
energy in workers who share a sense of purpose and mutual accountability.
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGE: 29; OBJECTIVE: 1; TYPE: concept; AACSB:
Communication
_____ Groupthink leads team members to withhold contrary or unpopular opinions.
ANSWER: True. Groupthink can result in decisions that are worse than the ones
team members might have made individually.
DIFFICULTY: easy; PAGE: 29; OBJECTIVE: 1; TYPE: concept; AACSB: Communication
_____ Prejudgment, interpreting, and selective listening are barriers to
being a good listener.
ANSWER: False. Prejudgment, selective perception, and selective
listening are barriers.
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGES: 37-38; OBJECTIVE: 5; TYPE:
concept; AACSB: Communication
_____ Generally speaking, nonverbal signals are more powerful than
words.
ANSWER: True. Nonverbal cues (gestures, etc.) can cancel the
meaning of verbal language that accompanies them.
DIFFICULTY: easy; PAGE: 38; OBJECTIVE: 6; TYPE: concept;
AACSB: Communication
_____ Your tone and facial expressions shape the way others perceive
you and your messages.
ANSWER: True. These nonverbal signals communicate important
messages to your receivers.
DIFFICULTY: easy; PAGE: 39; OBJECTIVE: 6; TYPE: concept;
AACSB: Communication
Fill-in the Blank
A unit of two or more people who work together to achieve a goal is a/an ______.
ANSWER: Team
DIFFICULTY: easy; PAGE: 28; OBJECTIVE: 1; TYPE: concept; AACSB: Communication
______ occurs when peer pressure causes team members to withhold contrary or
unpopular opinions.
ANSWER: Groupthink
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGE: 29; OBJECTIVE: 1; TYPE: concept; AACSB:
Communication
Individuals with private motives that affect a group’s interaction are said to have _____
______.
ANSWER: Hidden Agendas
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGE: 29; OBJECTIVE 1; TYPE: concept; AACSB:
Communication
“______” is the Hawaiian word for “quick,” and refers to a website technology that allows
team members to revise the content of a website as they get new ideas.
ANSWER: Wiki
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGE: 30; OBJECTIVE: 4; TYPE: concept; AACSB:
Communication, Technology
Your behavior, personal appearance, smile, and handshake are all important aspects of
business ______, which is now widely regarded as an important business skill.
ANSWER: Etiquette
DIFFICULTY: difficulty; PAGE: 30; OBJECTIVE: 2; TYPE: concept; AACSB:
Communication
Short Answer/Essay
Discuss at least two ways that teams help an organization succeed.
ANSWER: Any two of the following should be listed. 1) Increasing information and knowledge.
2) Increasing the diversity of views. 3) Increasing the acceptance of a solution.
4) Increasing performance levels.
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGE: 29; OBJECTIVE: 1; TYPE: concept; AACSB: Communication
Outline the four elements necessary to plan a productive meeting.
ANSWER: 1) Identify your purpose—informative or decision-making. 2) Select participants—
involve only those whose presence is essential. 3) Choose an appropriate time and
location. 4) Set and follow an agenda.
DIFFICULTY: moderate; PAGES: 32–33; OBJECTIVE: 3; TYPE: concept; AACSB: Communication
List and briefly describe three important forms of meeting technologies in use today.
ANSWER: Popular meeting technologies include instant messaging and teleconferencing (in
which three or more people are connected by phone simultaneously);
videoconferencing (which lets participants see and hear each other); web-based
meeting systems (which combine the best of instant messaging, shared workspaces,
and videoconferencing with other tools such as virtual whiteboards).
DIFFICULTY: difficult; PAGES: 35–36; OBJECTIVE: 4; TYPE: concept; AACSB: Communication,
Technology
List and explain at least three phases of the listening process.
ANSWER: The listening process includes the following steps: 1) Receiving—hearing and taking
note of the message. 2) Decoding—assigning meaning to sounds; determining what the
speaker really means. 3) Remembering—retaining what you hear. 4) Evaluating—
applying critical thinking skills to weigh the speaker’s remarks. 5) Responding—
reacting to the speaker’s message.
DIFFICULTY: difficult; PAGE: 37; OBJECTIVE: 5; TYPE: concept; AACSB: Communication