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CHAPTER 1
Establishing a Framework for
Business Communication
1. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Define communication and describe the value of communication in business.
2. Explain the communication process model and the ultimate objective of the
communication process.
3. Discuss how information flows in an organization.
4. Explain how legal and ethical constraints, diversity challenges, changing
technology, and team environment influence the process of business
communication.
2. KEY TERMS
Channel the medium used to send a message p. 4
Chronemics the study of how a culture perceives time and its use p. 14
Communication the process of exchanging information and meaning between or
among individuals p. 2
Decoding the process of interpreting a message p. 4
Diversity skills the ability to communicate and work effectively with both men and
women of all ages, sexual orientations, backgrounds, and cultures p. 14
Downward communication communication that flows from supervisor to
employee, from policy-makers to operating personnel, or from top to bottom on the
organization chart p. 7
Encoding the process of selecting and organizing a message p. 4
Ethics the principles of right and wrong that guide one in making decisions that
consider the impact of one’s actions on others as well as on the decision maker p. 10
Ethnocentrism the assumption that one’s own beliefs and traditions are the “right”
ones p. 14
External messages messages directed to recipients outside an organization p. 9
Feedback a receiver’s response to a sender’s message p. 5
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Formal communication channel a channel of communication characterized by the
formal organization chart; dictated by the technical, political, and economic
environment of the organization p. 5
Grapevine the informal communication system within an organization p. 6
Horizontal communication interactions between people, groups, or departments
on the same hierarchical level p. 8
Informal communication channel a channel of communication that continuously
develops as people interact within the formal system to meet their social and
psychological needs p. 6
Interferences also called barriers; factors that hinder the communication process p. 5
Internal messages messages intended for recipients within an organization p. 9
Kinesics the study of body language p. 15
Organizational communication the movement of information within the company
structure p. 5
Proxemics the study of cultural space requirements p. 15
Stakeholders people inside and outside an organization who are affected by
decisions p. 10
Stereotypes preformed ideas about what people in a group or culture are like p. 14
Synergy a situation in which the whole is greater than the sum of the parts p. 16
Team a small number of people with complementary skills who work together for a
common purpose p. 16
Telecommuting also called teleworking; working from home or other remote
locations p. 15
Upward communication communication that flows from lower-level employees to
those higher on the organization chart p. 8
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3. KEY CONCEPTS
Understanding what communication is and how it occurs is central to successful
transactions in the workplace. Business communication does not take place in a
vacuum but is impacted by various external forces, including legal and ethical
constraints, diversity challenges, changing technology, and team environment.
4. STUDENT MOTIVATION: WHY SHOULD STUDENTS CARE?
Good communication skills are an essential skill. Without them your job search will
be severely limited. The top soft skill that managers look for is the ability to
communicate well. Skilled communicators reflect well on themselves and their
employers. If you can speak and write effectively, you are an asset to your employer.
If you can express yourself well, you don’t waste people’s time, and you can handle
difficult situations with customers and co-workers without costing the company
money in dissatisfied clients and disgruntled employees. It’s estimated that managers
spend nearly 80% of their time communicating in one way or another. If that’s how
you are going to spend 80% of your working life, then now is the time to hone those
skills that will make you stand out from your first interview to your retirement party.
5. BARRIERS TO LEARNING
Remind the students that this is not an English class. There are no essays and no
Shakespeare. This is the place where they are going to learn how to communicate in
situations that they will encounter in the workplace. The information is practical and
applicable. Understanding that what they learn in this course actually reflects what
they need to use in the workplace helps students overcome their often-usual
reluctance to put a lot of effort into a “writing/English” class.
Throughout the course, it’s important to remind them of the practical use they will
make of this information in the workplace. When they’re competing with other
students for a job and they all have roughly the same marks and skills in their
program, it is their ability to communicate those skills--write about them, talk about
them--that will get them the job over the others, and that will help get them
promoted once they are hired.
Bottom line: Communication is where the money is.
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6. LECTURE OUTLINE AND ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES
Ice-breakers for the New Semester
Get your students acquainted with each other early as they will be working with
partners and in small groups throughout the semester.
Here are a few suggestions:
1. Students find all other class members who share the same birth month. Once they
are in their group, and meet each other, each person then introduces one of the
persons to the other members of the group.
2. Each student is assigned a partner and the students interview each other, finding
out each student’s major, career plans, what city they’re from, and their favourite
TV show or movie. Then each student introduces his or her partner to the class
with this information.
3. Each student is given a list of 10 statements and must find 10 individual students
to match them. Each student who matches a statement has to give the student
his or her name to write beside the statement. Possible statements include

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4
Played sports in high school
Watches hockey/sports on TV
Is on Facebook
Likes lemon meringue pie
Likes pizza
Has seen an entire series of movies: Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings,
etc.
Watches Big Bang Theory
Likes ice cream
Reads magazines
Texts more than 20 times a day
Has more than 100 songs on his/her MP3 player
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LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1: Define communication and describe the value
of communication in business
Before looking at the communications model, have students begin looking at
communication as it applies to them by doing the following:
1) Have students brainstorm about what communication means to them. Ask
them whether they think business communication differs from everyday
communication. In what ways? Or not? (from slide notes)
2) Have them contribute to a list of the many different ways to communicate.
(from slide notes)
3) Ask students why good communication would be valuable in business for
both them as employees and for the business as well.
Possible answers: make a good impression with management and
customers; clear communication means no misunderstandings that can
cause stress or cost money; can’t sell a product without communicating its
benefits to a possible market; can’t persuade boss that you need a raise if
you can’t communicate how you make a beneficial difference to the
company; can’t get a job in the first place, if you don’t communicate well;
makes the business and its employees appear professional and competent.
4) Clocking Your Own Communication Activities (page 3 of text) Prepare a
record of your listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities from 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. for the next two days. Try to record in one-hour time blocks
the time spent doing each activity, and then calculate the total time
engaged in each. Did you see any patterns? Which communication activity
did you spend the most and least time doing and why? Be prepared to
share your distribution with the class.
This activity illustrates the enormous amount of time we spend
communicating and how that time is distributed among various
communication activities. A student’s time distribution of communication
activities may reinforce studies showing that a manager’s time is distributed
as follows: listening, 45 percent; speaking, 30 percent; reading, 15 percent;
and writing, 10 percent.
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LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2: Explain the communication process model
and the ultimate objective of the communication process
The Communication Process
Explain the various stages in the communication process. To illustrate the process,
describe the flow of a typical message, for example, a request for a meeting. Use the
diagram to show the decisions of the sender, how the message will be worded, how
the message will be sent, hoped for feedback from the receiver, and what
interferences could get in the way. Let the class help compose the message with the
purpose of getting positive feedback.
 Group Work - Interferences: Ask students to work in small groups to quickly
list what can get in the way of the message getting the feedback the sender
wants the first time. Assign each group one form of communication: email,
face to face, phone, text, voicemail, snail mail.
 Have groups report their answers as you go through each category. Have them
add any suggestions from the class to their lists.
 Examples of responses: Subject line isn’t clear, sender doesn’t ask for a
response by a certain date, receiver’s email box is full, receiver needs
more information, receiver has a headache, the room is noisy, the
reader doesn’t understand the short forms the sender uses when
texting, the voicemail box is full, the person leaving the message speaks
to quickly or quietly.
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Communication Process Interferences
A summary of various interferences are on this slide and also on page 5 of the text.
Review them with the students and check if there are some that the students missed.
The following are two further engagement strategies around the topic of
interferences.
 Group Work: Working in small groups students can create a 3-slide
PowerPoint presentation describing a situation at work or at school in which
there was a communication breakdown, analyzing the problem, and offering a
solution. Slide 1 will briefly describe the situation. Slide 2 will indicate which
barriers caused the problem. Slide 3 will show possible solutions. They can
present their slides to the class, or print them for a quick
evaluation/completion grade.
 Group Work: In groups of three, develop a list of 10 to 12 annoying habits of
yours or of others that create barriers (verbal and nonverbal) to effective
communication. Classify each according to the portion of the communication
process it affects. For each, give at least one suggestion for improvement. The
lists will probably include items related to interrupting the speaker, ignoring
the speaker, not looking at the speaker, fidgeting, exercising poor personal
habits of cleanliness and mannerisms, passing the buck, getting too far ahead
of the speaker, and failing to provide feedback.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3: Discuss how information flows in an
organization.
Explain to students that in a business, communication moves in particular ways
through the company structure. This is a good time to remind them that whatever
they communicate reflects back on them and their abilities. Poorly spelled,
grammatically incorrect emails will tell co-workers and supervisors that the writer is
lacking basic skills. They may wonder whether a person who can’t spell or bother to
make sure an email is correct is someone they could trust with a project or a
promotion. The reader just might think that the writer was lazy, which is not the
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message you want to send. There are formal channels of communication and
informal. Even though some channels are more informal, it doesn’t mean that you
forget you are in a business setting and act accordingly.
 Have students consider how communication works at the places where they
have had jobs. Is there an organizational chart for the company as a whole?
 Ask the students if they speak to management in a different way than they
speak to their co-workers. Can they think of situations where this might
happen?
Introduce the concept that organizational communication can be both structured and
unstructured. Next slide looks at Formal Channels and Informal.
Communication Flow in Organizations
This slide shows the students the differences between formal and informal channels.
 Discussion: Using the model of a college, have the students discuss what
information will be distributed or exchanged using formal and informal
methods. Information regarding registration and student loans, course outlines,
and student handbooks would be formal. Helping a fellow student with
homework, cheering a team, participating in a student-led activity could be
considered informal.
Dispelling Myths about the Grapevine
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 Ask the students what they think is meant by the word “networked.” How
does networked communication differ from linear? The next three slides
explain various linear forms of communication in a company.
 In groups, have the students connect these three directions of communication
to their own experience and create a list of examples for each which they can
present to the class.
Levels of Communication
This diagram shows the various levels of communication that an employee could
experience in the course of a day. It shows how important it is to be a good
communicator, since the personal success of the worker and the success of his team
and the organization as a whole depend upon the daily interaction of employees with
each other and with the public. When poor communications causes
misunderstandings at any of these levels, it can be costly.
 Explain how someone employed at the college could experience all of the
communication levels in the course of his or her job, or have the students
brainstorm how this could work. Can they think of someone that they know
that communicates at all of these levels?
 Discussion: What levels do the students communicate at most frequently? How
many communicate at all of these levels at one time or another? (If they are on
Twitter, LinkedIn or have a website or post to YouTube, they have a public
profile.)
The different directions of communication flow are outlined on the next three slides.
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Directions for Communication Flow: Downward
Downward communication involves both written and spoken methods.
People at high levels in the organization usually have greater knowledge of the
organization and its broader goals than do people at lower levels.
Both spoken and written messages tend to become larger as they move downward
through organizational levels. This expansion results from attempts to prevent
distortion and is more noticeable in written messages.
Spoken messages are subject to greater changes in meaning than are written
messages.
When a supervisor sends a message to a lower-level employee who then asks a
question or nods in agreement, the question and the nod are signs of feedback.
 Ask the students if they can think of any examples: policy changes, praise or
criticism, job postings, plant closings (from slide notes)
Directions for Communication Flow: Upward
Upward communication is primarily feedback to requests and actions of supervisors.
Upward communication can be misleading because lower-level employees often tell
their superiors what they think their superiors want to hear. Therefore, their messages
might contradict their true observations and feelings. What problems can result from
this?
Employees will reject superficial attempts by management to obtain feedback.
Examples: department reports, sales figures, expense reports, requests for holidays,
leave, etc. (from slide notes)
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Directions for Communication Flow: Horizontal
Examples: team meetings, shift change meetings, training new employees
 Ask students which form of communication is most common at their
workplace. Which would they prefer?
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 4: Explain how legal and ethical constraints,
diversity challenges, changing technology, and team environment act as strategic
forces that influence the process of business communication.
Key Factors Influencing Business Communication
Briefly review the four major factors and explain that you and the class are going to
focus on ethics first.
You could also have the class do the following activity.
 Group Work: Looking at the slide, Key Factors Influencing Business Communication,
divide the students into groups and assign each group one of the factors. Have
them create one or two scenarios in which one of their factors would be an
important influence on communication and present their information to the
class. They can break their presentation down into three parts: the situation,
the governing factor, and why it would be an important influence on
communication in that situation.
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Causes of Illegal and Unethical Behaviour
To introduce the topic of ethics, initiate a class discussion to arrive at a definition of
ethics, which should lead to the principles of right and wrong that guide individuals in
making decisions that affect others. Discuss how compromises in personal values can
affect a person’s value system. This discussion should lead naturally into a discussion
of commonplace unethical behavior in a student’s academic life and in the workplace.
Encourage students to contribute other examples from their own experiences.
Students’ responses might include the following:
 using answers from another student’s test paper or to achieve a certain grade
point average
 not contributing a fair share to a group project
 plagiarizing on a term paper
 copying a computer software program so class assignments can be completed on
one’s own computer rather than in a computer lab
 not reporting a student witnessed cheating on an exam
 listing false qualifications to increase chances of getting a job, scholarship,
internship, and so on.
 Discussion: Have the class create a list of examples of unethical behaviour that
they know of from the news of personal experience. This could include items
such as the revelations about Tiger Woods, the use of drugs in professional
sports or the Olympics, the behaviour of banks and investment companies
that caused serious economic problems for a vast number of people and
governments, cheating on exams, copying projects, illegally downloading
music or videos, etc. Looking at the slide Causes of Illegal and Unethical Behaviour,
what causes do they think are behind the unethical actions that they have
listed? How do they think people justify their unethical actions? How
convincing do they think those justifications are?
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Four Dimensions of Business Behaviour
Remind students of the expectations of their employer (and their school) that they
behave in an ethical manner. “Determining whether an action is ethical can be
difficult. Learning to analyze a dilemma from both legal and ethical perspectives will
help you find a solution that conforms to your own personal values. Figure 1.4 on the
slide shows the four conclusions you might reach when considering a particular
behaviour.” (p. 12)
Consider how hard it is to make decisions when a circumstance falls into each of the
4 dimensions. Looking at both the legal and ethical perspectives of a decision can
help you find a solution.
1 – Decisions about behaviour here are pretty obvious, as are the consequences for
making the wrong decision.
2 – The example from the text refers to gifts to doctors from pharmaceutical
companies promoting new drugs. Though it is legal in Vermont to accept these gifts,
how would you feel about your doctor’s ethics if he accepted the gift and then
changed your prescription to the new drug?
3 – Consider the bankers who acted legally in allowing sub-prime mortgages, but
knew that the products would, the moment that the mortgages were required to go
back to the prime rate, cripple their clients financially.
4 – These decisions are easy to make. Review the 6 questions in the Pagano Model.
Diversity Challenges
Emphasize that people will have to work in, supervise, and manage businesses in a
culturally diverse environment.
 Have students consider the expectations of communication from the point of
view of a 50 or 60-year-old with many years in the workplace that may differ
from the expectations of their friends or co-workers who are younger and new
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to the workplace. Consider the level of formality, the level of the use of short
forms, lack of capital letters, emoticons ….”
 Ask them to think about how educational level can affect the choices they
might make when decoding and choosing a channel for communication.
 Do they think that gender makes a difference in communication? Why or why
not?
 Group Work: In your class, locate other students to form a “diverse” group;
your diversity may include age (more than five years difference), gender, race,
culture, geographic origin, etc. Discuss your areas of diversity; then identify
three things the group members all have in common, excluding your school
experience. Share your group experiences with the class.
Barriers to Intercultural Communication
Explain the meaning of the different terms using pages 14-15 in the text.
 Group Work: In small groups, conduct an online search to locate examples of
intercultural communication mistakes made by North American companies
doing business in another country. How can an organization improve its
diversity awareness to avoid such problems? Be prepared to share your ideas
with the class.
This application encourages students to explore current new ideas and analyze
diversity issues. Articles might focus on problems in marketing campaigns,
contract negotiations, etc. Improving diversity awareness involves researching
the appropriate culture and determining ways to communicate effectively.
One of the reasons why adapting to cultural diversity is key to business success it that
it is so easy to do business on a world-wide basis and with a wide-range of clients and
suppliers because of the ease of communication provided by new technology.
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Changing Technology
This slide lists some of the advantages that technology has brought to the workplace
and to society.
 What legal and ethical issues can the students think of that are a result of new
technology?
 What actions have they seen on the part of governments to control
technology and information?
 Students could work in small groups to research a legal or ethical issue related
to new technology or social media and present the issue to the class.
 Have students also consider the downsides of technology. What dangers are
present when using current technology? (Consider lack of privacy,
consumption of time, less personal contact) How have they made sure that
their “Internet face” is appropriate for business? They need to consider that
increasing numbers of employers and schools check them out on the Internet
before they get the chance for an interview or are offered admission.
http://www.macworld.com/article/145719/2010/01/facebook_jobs.html
This is covered again in the chapters on job searches and interviews.
The Team Environment
Work teams are seen as a way to help businesses remain globally competitive.
Decentralized decision making enables teams of people to communicate in a peer-topeer fashion, and new technologies give employees the ability to communicate easily
and openly with one another and with those outside the company. (p. 16)
synergy: defined as a situation in which the whole is greater than the sum of the
parts.
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 Since the students have worked in groups and teams before, ask them what
they believe the advantages and challenges are or working in teams. Draw a
pro and con list on the board.
 What are their strategies for making groups work?
 How have students solved problems in a group or work team that they’ve
participated in?
Skills for Work Team Effectiveness
 Ask the students if they can see that when group members and leaders apply
some of the skills on this list that many of the items on the ‘con’ list would be
eliminated.
To determine their own ‘team orientation’ ask the students to complete the following:
 Writing Activity: Writing About Your Team Orientation (page 18 text)
Effective teamwork is important to many career paths. Access the following
link to find out whether you are a team player:
www.quintcareers.com/team_player_quiz.html Write a brief paragraph about
your results.
 In a small group, discuss what makes an effective team player and how being a
team player may affect your career success. Have the students keep this
paragraph and any notes from the discussion as a resource for preparing their
resumés.
 What leadership style do they prefer in a group or team situation? What are
the characteristics of an effective leader? Can they think of any examples they
can share from work, politics, or school?
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7. TRY IT OUT! SOLUTIONS
Try It Out! 1 - Clocking Your Own Communication Activities (pg. 3)
Prepare a record of your listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities from 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. for the next two days. Try to record in one-hour time blocks the time
spent doing each activity, and then calculate the total time engaged in each. Did you
see any patterns? Which communication activity did you spend the most and least
time doing and why?
This activity illustrates the enormous amount of time we spend communicating and
how that time is distributed among various communication activities. A student’s
time distribution of communication activities may reinforce studies showing that a
manager’s time is distributed as follows: listening, 45 percent; speaking, 30 percent;
reading, 15 percent; and writing, 10 percent.
Try It Out! 2 - Writing about Your Team Orientation (pg. 18)
Effective teamwork is important to many career paths. Access the following link to
find out whether you are a team player:
www.quintcareers.com/team_player_quiz.html. Write a brief paragraph about your
results. Discuss what makes an effective team player and how being a team player
may affect your career success.
Student scores for the team player quiz will vary, but papers (or class discussion)
should focus on team collaboration, self-directiveness, mutual respect, team
achievements, complementary skills, and empowerment.
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8. CHAPTER IN REVIEW SOLUTIONS
Chapter Review
1. What are the three purposes for which people communicate? Give examples of
the ways business people communicate. (Obj. 1)
The three purposes of communication are to inform, to persuade, and to entertain.
Managers spend approximately 60 to 80 percent of their time involved in some form
of communication, including attending meetings, writing reports, presenting
information to groups, explaining and clarifying procedures and work assignments,
evaluating and counseling employees, and promoting company products, services,
and image.
Communication activities in which managers are typically engaged include attending
meetings and writing reports related to strategic plans and company policy; presenting
information to large and small groups; explaining and clarifying management
procedures and work assignments; coordinating the work of various employees,
departments, and other work groups; evaluating and counseling employees; and
promoting the company’s products/services and image.
2. Describe the five stages in the communication process using the following terms:
(a) sender, (b) encode, (c) channel, (d) receiver, (e) decode, (f) feedback, and (g)
interferences or barriers. (Obj. 2)
The five stages of the communication model follow.
a. The sender encodes a message.
b. The sender selects an appropriate channel and transmits the message.
c. The receiver decodes the message.
d. The receiver encodes the message (feedback) to clarify any part of the message
not understood.
e. Sender and receiver give feedback until the message is understood.
f. The sender and receiver remove or minimize interferences that hinder the
communication process.
3. What is the difference between intrapersonal and interpersonal communication?
(Obj. 3)
Intrapersonal is the communication that occurs within a person as the person
processes information; interpersonal communication occurs between or among
people.
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4. How is the formal flow of communication different from the informal flow of
communication? (Obj. 4)
The formal flow follows obvious organizational lines. The informal flow is
sometimes referred to as the grapevine because it does not follow predictable lines of
flow.
5. Describe several ways that communication technology can assist individuals and
organizations. (Obj. 4)
Communication technology can assist individuals and organizations in collecting and
analyzing data, shaping messages to be clearer and more effective, and
communicating quickly and efficiently over long distances.
6. How does communication in work teams differ from that of traditional
organizations? (Obj. 4)
Communication in work teams differs from that in traditional organizations in that
communication patterns are different; trust is a primary factor; open meetings are the
norm; shared leadership exists; and listening, problem solving, conflict resolution, and
negotiation are important factors.
7. Why has communication been identified as perhaps the single most important
aspect of team work? (Obj. 4)
Communication has been identified as perhaps the most important aspect of team
work because open lines of communication are essential to increasing interaction
between employees and management as well as horizontally among team members,
with other teams, and with supervisors.
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Digging Deeper
1. What aspect of cultural diversity do you feel will affect you most in your career:
international, intercultural, intergenerational, or gender? Explain your answer,
including how you plan to deal with the challenge.
Answers will vary, but student responses should focus on one of the three listed here,
using concepts from the chapter to defend their answers. For example, if
intergenerational issues arise, students could talk with relatives of the same generation
as co-workers to obtain suggestions about how to communicate more effectively.
2. Considering the four factors influencing business communication, how is business
communication today different from that of 30 years ago? In what ways is it
easier? In what ways is it more difficult?
More communication is conducted through electronic channels than 30 years ago, which
makes some communication easier. But changing technology presents a new set of issues,
including privacy, ownership and copyright, and access. A more diverse workforce has
provided corporations with additional viewpoints that can reach a more diverse audience,
but this diversity has raised issues in communicating across cultural differences. Team
environments have made the workforce more productive by providing a channel for
communicating with supervisors more directly and on a more personal level.
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9. FEATURE ASSIGNMENTS
1. Legal and Ethical Constraints: Read The Power of Ethical Management by
Kenneth Blanchard and Norman Vincent Peale, a short, engaging story of a sales
manager's attempt to make an ethical decision. Write a brief report summarizing
the ethical principles presented in the book.
2. Analyzing an Ethical Dilemma: Research a scandal in the business or popular
press using campus resources. Read the article and respond to the following
questions:
 Who are the stakeholders in the case? What does each stand to gain or lose,
depending on your decision?
 How does the situation described in the case relate to the four-dimension model
shown in Figure 1-4?
 What factors might influence your decision as the manager in the case?
3. Intercultural Interview: Assemble a group of three and interview an
international student at your institution. Generate a list of English words that
have no equivalents in his or her language. You should also find out about
nonverbal communication that may differ from that used in Canadian culture. Be
prepared to share your findings in a short presentation to the class.
4. Communication Failure: Assemble a group and discuss experiences where
"communication failure" was blamed for problems that occurred in your work,
academic, or personal interactions. Generate three to five additional ways
communication can fail, with suggestions for correcting them. Your instructor
may ask you to share your results in a short presentation.
5. Changing Technology: Discuss the role that changing technology has upon
one's ability to communicate in the business world. Do electronic tools eliminate
the need for basic communication skills? Defend your argument.
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10. ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
1. Communication Challenges in the Future Workplace: Locate the following
article through the Internet or an online database at your library:
Kaplan-Leiserson, E. (2004, February). 2004 forecast. T & D, 58(2), 12(3).
In small groups, discuss the following:
 What communication trends are predicted in the workplace? Are any of these
surprising? Why?
 Which trends are likely to impact your chosen career field most significantly? In
what ways?
 How do the predicted trends relate to the chapter?
2. Miscommunication Cause and Solution: Identify and describe a
miscommunication that you have had with a fellow college student, friend, family
member, co-worker, or representative of a company with which you have dealt.
Explain the source or cause of the communication. Was it due to some type of
interference? Or was it a problem with encoding? What feedback might you have
given to eliminate the problem?
3. Formal Network Flows: Identify an organization with which you are part. This
organization can be your workplace, or a church, sports, or post-secondary
organization in which you participate. Try to identify the formal network flows
that are dominant in the organization. Does organization primarily flow upward,
horizontally, or downward? Based upon this observation, can you see ways that
network flow might be improved and its benefits to the organization?
4. History and Development of Your Career Field: Research the history and
development of your chosen career field as well as some of the companies and
organizations that offer employment in that area. How have their business
practices changed over the years? What has been the effect of technology on the
organization(s)? What has been the effect of globalization? Has the legal
environment changed in such a way as to affect its practices and communication?
5. Methods of Communication within Your Career Field: List examples of ways
in which you may communicate within your chosen career field.
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Copyright © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd.
CHAPTER 1
11. HANDOUT ASSIGNMENTS
ACTIVITY 1 - CHANGING TECHNOLOGY
Indicate which of the following communication mediums would be most appropriate
for sending the following messages: email, fax, telephone, or face-to-face
communication. Justify your answer.
a. The company is expecting a visit from members of a committee evaluating your
bid for this year’s Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. All employees must be
notified of the visit.
b. After careful deliberation, the management of a mid-sized pharmaceutical company
is convinced the only way to continue its current level of research is to sell the
company to a larger one. The employees must be informed of this decision.
c. Lincoln Enterprises is eager to receive the results of a drug test on a certain
employee. The drug-testing company has been asked to send the results as quickly as
possible.
d. The shipping department has located the common carrier currently holding a
customer’s shipment that should have been delivered yesterday. Inform the customer
that the carrier has promised delivery by tomorrow morning.
e. An employee in another division office has requested you send a spreadsheet you
have prepared so he can manipulate the data to produce a report.
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Copyright © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd.
CHAPTER 1
12. CASES
CASE ASSIGNMENT: Roots Canada: Establishing a Standard of Excellence
in Business Communication
Roots Canada, more commonly known as Roots, is a Canadian company that was
founded in 1973 by partners Michael Budman and Don Green. Interestingly enough,
Michale Budman has a B.A. in Communications! The Roots concept was developed
based upon Budman and Green’s childhood experiences at an Algonquin Park
summer camp named Camp Tamakwa. As their website states, “Roots was also based
on a keen sense of aesthetics and certain values shared by Don and Michael.” Roots
has, since its inception, become known as Canada’s leading lifestyle brand, and, more
recently, Roots has become even more popular, outfitting our Olympic athletes as
they participate around the world. Some of these world-famous Canadian athletes
include Adam van Koeverden, Kurt Browning, Catriona Le May Doan, and Razor
Ruddock.
What simply began as an idea and concept to make comfortable outdoor footwear
has now morphed into a successful international company that manufactures quality
leather jackets, bags, accessories, home furnishings, and natural-fibre clothing. The
Roots company headquarters is found in Toronto, Ontario, and Roots employs over
2000 people, with over 120 Canadian and American stores, and 40 stores in Asia.
Currently Roots makes all of its leather goods at its factory in Toronto, and,
whenever it is possible, it makes other products here at home as well. However,
Roots conducts business all around the world and as such, business communication is
extremely essential to Roots’s success.
The colour green has significance to Roots. Not only is it the official colour that is
used on the iconic beaver logo but the colour green illustrates the company’s longtime commitment to the environment. Roots uses recycled, reclaimed, and non-toxic
materials when building stores, and makes sustainable products. In addition, Roots is
known for supporting numerous environmental organizations and related products.
As stated on its website, “Roots is an independently-owned Canadian company that is
proud of its Canadian identity and heritage. It is forever thankful of the tremendous
loyalty and support that Canadians have always demonstrated for Roots, making it
one of the country’s most celebrated brands.”
Sources: Shaw, H. (2011). Sinking Roots in Canada. The Financial Post. Retrieved
from http://business.financialpost.com/2011/06/10/sinking-roots-in-canada/;
Sarner, R. (2011). Roots brings Canadian touch to Asia. Canada Newswire. Retrieved
from http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/833897/roots-brings-canadian-touch-toasia; http://canadaroots.com/.
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CHAPTER 1
ACTIVITIES
To assist with answering the questions for this case, please go to the Roots website at
http://canadaroots.com/ as well as the above-mentioned sources, or search an online
database for additional information.
1. Examine Roots’s Workplace Code of Conduct. Is this document an effective
model for communication with Roots’s stakeholders? Why or why not?
2. How does Roots communicate effectively with its employees, suppliers, and
customers? What types of information are available on the website that provide the
aforementioned stakeholders with necessary information?
3. Read the “How We Do Business” letter found on the Roots website. In what
ways does this letter explain the importance of the following aspects of Roots’
business communication?
a) Legal and ethical constraints
b) Diversity challenges
c) Changing technology
d) Team environment
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Copyright © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd.