Page 275 - Business Principles and Management

C HAPTER 10 A SSESSMENT

APPLY WHAT YOU KNOW

20. Explain how a grammar error in a memo might be considered a
distraction and thus a barrier to communication.
21. A manager was enjoying giving a talk about business to a group of
young people. An audience member asked the manager whether he
believed in open communication. The manager looked uncomfort-
able with the question, snapped a fast “yes,” and quickly asked,
“Any other questions?” Compare the oral and nonverbal messages
the manager was sending.
22. Distortion is not always unconsciously done. Explain why employees
may consciously distort information. Do you think such behavior is
ethical?
23. Discuss what strategy you would use to help resolve a conflict situa-
tion between two employees who always disagree on how a task
should be handled.
24. Describe how busy managers can encourage effective listening.

MAKE CONNECTIONS

25. Math LaToya put the following idea in her company’s suggestion
box: “Rather than hire a new full-time worker at $15 per hour to
handle our increased business, hire two half-time workers at $10
per hour. Then, if business slows later, we can cut back to one half-
time worker or no workers.”
a. As the manager, write LaToya a note saying that her suggestion
has been accepted and she will earn 20 percent of one year’s sav-
ings for the idea.
b. Assume one year has gone by and that one half-time employee
worked 860 hours and the second worked 600 hours. A full-time
employee would have worked 2,000 hours. How much will
LaToya receive for her suggestion?
26. Research Use your school library or the Internet to research the topic
of nonverbal communication. Find pictures in magazines that show
examples of nonverbal communication. Show these images to mem-
bers of your class. See if they can identify the nonverbal message.
Ask them to explain why they are making these judgments.
27. Technology Keep track of your various types of communication during
a school day. Use the charting feature in a software package to develop
a pie chart like the one in Figure 10-1. Divide the pie according to the
percentage of time you spend each school day (a) listening, (b) speak-
ing, (c) reading, and (d) writing. Compare your communication times
to those of a typical manager, as shown in Figure 10-1.
28. Speaking Divide into small groups. For this project, you may interact
with your group only by e-mail. Brainstorm a list of e-mail do’s and
don’ts appropriate for a workplace setting. Using your group’s
ideas, compose an e-mail policy for your workplace. Present your
group’s policy to your class.

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