The Association of Business Executives Certificate

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Introduction to Business Communication

afternoon 5 June 2008

1 Time allowed: 3 hours. 2 Answer FOUR questions. 3 All questions carry 25 marks. Marks for subdivisions of questions are shown in brackets. 4 No books, dictionaries, notes or any other written materials are allowed in this examination. 5 Calculators, including scientific calculators, are allowed providing they are not programmable and cannot store or recall information. Electronic dictionaries and personal organisers are NOT allowed. All workings should be shown. 6 Candidates who break ABE regulations, or commit any misconduct, will be disqualified from the examinations. 7 Question papers must not be removed from the Examination Hall.

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ABE 2008

F/500/3662

Answer FOUR questions Q1 (a) When you are writing a letter as part of a job application, state five ways in which you can ensure that the appearance of your letter will make a positive impression on the person who receives it. (5 marks) In a face-to-face interview, your personal appearance and body language can help or hinder your chances of being offered the job. (i) Briefly describe four ways in which your personal appearance can create a good impression on the interviewers. (6 marks)

(b)

(ii)

Show that you understand how body language can create a negative impression on other people, by describing four things that you should not do during the interview. In each case suggest what that negative aspect of body language might show about you. (Note that what you say, or the way you say it, are not relevant to this answer). (8 marks)

(c)

When you are answering questions in an interview, you need to be aware of the way you speak and the vocabulary you use. Suggest six things that you should bear in mind when speaking during an interview. (If you wish, your answer can be a list of Things to Do and Things Not to Do.) (6 marks) (Total 25 marks)

Q2

(a)

You work in a building with many offices, and you have a responsible job that often takes you away from your desk, though never out of the building. You believe that you should carry a piece of equipment that will allow you to be contacted when you are away from your desk. Your manager has agreed to buying either a mobile telephone or a pager for you, but has asked you to make your case for this purchase in writing. In the form of a report, outline the advantages and disadvantages of both mobile phones and pagers and make a convincing case for choosing either one or the other. (15 marks)

(b)

Explain what videoconferencing is and what it is used for. Identify its main benefits and also any drawbacks that it might have for a company. (10 marks) (Total 25 marks)

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Q3

You work in a company which produces publicity material for the tourist industry. Your manager has handed you the following description of a new holiday hotel, written by a junior member of staff at the hotel, and has given you this instruction: Rewrite this in no more than 200 words, and make it more appealing to the potential visitors who will read it. Its really boring as it stands. I dont know who wrote it, but some of the information has no place in your description, so be careful what you choose to keep in. You must use a better vocabulary that makes the hotel more attractive, but do not change any facts. Why not try and write it as if you are addressing the visitors directly? If lots of visitors want to book a holiday at this hotel, after reading your description of it, you might get a bonus! Rewrite the description below as your manager has instructed. Description: The new Mantris Hotel has just been built near the safe, sandy beach on the west side of the resort of Tupafehy, 5km from the town centre. This resort, which used to be a quiet fishing village, has been a popular tourist destination for over twenty years now. It has a long, safe, sandy beach, lots of shopping and nightlife, and is a good base from which to explore the surrounding countryside, where tourists can see lots of species of wild animals, nice plants, and other things that are quite interesting. But if tourists just want to come and relax at the hotel, then they can do that too. The Mantris Hotel has 200 bedrooms. All of them are quite big, and they all have a small table and one or two chairs in them. These bedrooms are well furnished, and they all have private bathrooms. About half of the rooms have views of the sea and the bay where the town sits. The rooms at the back of the hotel overlook an area of rough land that is going to be used for building, next year. At the moment, it is a very stony area, and some local people have been using it to dump things like old beds, refrigerators, and other rubbish. So when the weather is hot there can be lots of flies, and some of our guests have complained about the smell. The hotel has eight floors and two lifts. There are two swimming pools and two restaurants. One of the pools is on the roof of the hotel and the hotel does not let children use this pool. The other pool is shallow and safe for children, and is right beside the safe, sandy beach. Every day the Mantris Entertainments Team (who call themselves the METs) organise games and activities for the children. One of the restaurants offers formal dining with top quality food prepared by our chefs. The other is a buffet where visitors can choose from a wide variety of dishes, including international food. All of the hotel staff aim to give visitors a memorable time. The staff are always on hand to help visitors, and they are well-trained too. Many of them speak more than one language. They all speak English. They are very friendly and welcoming. Some evenings the hotel puts on its own entertainment for guests, which might be some local singers, or a cultural show, or a dance. The hotel can arrange a variety of trips into the countryside so that tourists can see wildlife or discover the culture of the country. The hotel always uses local guides. Many interesting excursions are available. These guides all speak English, and some speak German, Spanish and French, as well as the local language. For visitors who want to explore the town of Tupafehy, the hotel has its own minibus which runs at regular intervals throughout the day to the town centre and back again. It is free for hotel guests. Visitors who visit the Mantris Hotel will be guaranteed a great holiday. (515 words) (25 marks) [Turn over
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Q4

(a)

A well prepared routine meeting is likely to be more successful than one which is not well prepared. If you are asked to organise a meeting, state, in logical order, ten steps that you will take before the meeting to ensure that it will be successful. (10 marks) In a meeting, a chairperson has various responsibilities. State four responsibilities that the chairperson of a meeting has, apart from opening and closing the meeting. (4 marks) State six benefits that a well-conducted meeting can have for the people who attend it. (6 marks) In a workplace, a briefing is a particular type of meeting. Describe how a briefing works and give an example of what it may be used for. (5 marks) (Total 25 marks)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Q5

(a)

The layout of an office can help or hinder communication between staff. Show how this can happen by outlining the advantages and disadvantages of: (i) (ii) a cellular layout; an open plan layout.

(10 marks)

(b)

Briefly describe how the relationship between staff and their manager will be affected if the manager uses an office that is separated from where the staff work. (6 marks) List the three most important pieces of equipment that every office needs. In each case justify your choice by describing briefly why this equipment is so important. (3 marks each) (Total 25 marks)

(c)

Q6

(a)

Compose three brief, different and properly-headed memos, on subjects of your choice, which will be used in: (i) (ii) (iii) horizontal communication; vertical downwards communication; diagonal communication.

(4 marks each)

(b)

Is a notice most often used in horizontal, vertical or diagonal communication? Support your answer with a short example. (4 marks) Describe a situation in which a star communication network is appropriate, and say how such a network functions. Use a simple drawing to illustrate this network. (6 marks) State what is meant by negative feedback and give a brief example of it. (3 marks) (Total 25 marks)

(c)

(d)

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Q7

Imagine that you are a self-employed professional trainer. You work on your own and you run courses which are aimed at improving the communications skills of company staff. You have been running these courses for over a year in your own city, and you are now prepared to visit the premises of companies outside your city in order to run one-day courses for their workers. You have decided to write to companies in a nearby city to tell them of the courses you offer and how these courses will help their staff. Compose a letter addressed to one particular company, in which you introduce yourself. Describe the service you provide and explain what its benefits are for the company. Remember that your purpose is to obtain business. So, your letter will have to be accurate, detailed, interesting and impressive. Invent all information as you wish. Use a fully-blocked format. (As a rough guide, the body of your letter will probably need to be at least one page long, if it is to be effective.) (25 marks)

Q8

(a)

Describe, in a simple step-by-step way, how you would store a new text document on a computer, and then how you would retrieve it again the next day. (6 marks) Briefly describe what is meant by a website and state three advantages that there might be for a company which has one. (7 marks) What is a LAN, and what reasons might a company have for creating one? Explain what is meant by any three of the following words: adware; bug; hyperlink; peripherals; virus. (6 marks)

(b)

(c) (d)

(6 marks) (Total 25 marks)

End of Question Paper

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Certificate Introduction to Business Communication Examiners Suggested Answers Q1 (a) My handwriting should be neat. If the letter is typed, I must use a clear, easy-to-read font. The letter should be written on a good quality paper. The letter should have a lot of white space (OR should not look crowded on the page). It should look balanced on the page. The layout should be consistent, either fully-blocked or semi-blocked. (i) I should dress formally, in business attire, for example, to show that I am taking the interview seriously. My hair should be neatly brushed and my shoes should be polished. I should not wear too much jewellery. If I fidget, that will show that I am nervous. If I do not look the interviewer in the eye, I will come across as a person with something to hide. If I slouch, they will think that I do not care. If I keep my arms crossed, it will show that I am being defensive. speak slowly (but not too slowly) speak clearly keep your voice interesting and lively Speak in a polite tone

(b)

(ii)

(c)

DO:

DONT: mumble speak too loudly or too quietly use words that they will not understand use rude words

Q2

(a)

To: The Manager From: D B Clark Subject: Mobile Communications Date: 15 May 2008 Background: I often have to be away from my desk, and at present no-one has any way of contacting me easily. This is frustrating for me and inefficient for the company. Since staff often need me to make a quick decision on a variety of matters, there is a need to have in place a means of contacting me at all times. Options: There are only two options that we can consider: a mobile telephone, or a pager. Each has advantages and disadvantages, although one of them seems to me to be significantly better.

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The case for a pager: Pagers are inexpensive to buy and use. If there is a message for me, my secretary can buzz me on the pager, and I will call her as soon as it is convenient in order to deal with the issue. Because I do not have to answer the pager when it buzzes, I will not need to interrupt whatever I am doing, in order to take the call. When I do return the call, it will be free of charge, as it will be on the firms internal system. However, since a pager cannot be used to make a call, I will have to find a telephone before I can return the page. This potentially could waste time, and might not be much better than the current situation if there is a really urgent matter to be dealt with. The case for a mobile phone: I will not need a sophisticated phone, so it need not be expensive to buy. Since my number can be given to anyone who needs to make contact with me, it will not have to be done through my secretary every time. All matters can be dealt with immediately. In addition, if I need to speak to someone, I can contact them by using my mobile. The main drawbacks of choosing a mobile phone are these: I might be interrupted at inconvenient times; It can be expensive to call me, or for me to make a call; I might be asked to deal with non-urgent, trivial matters, just because I would be available. Recommendation: My preference is for a pager. A pager will allow my secretary to filter everything, and to decide what is and is not important. I trust my secretarys judgement in these matters. Thus I will not be interrupted in order to deal with trivia. A pager is also far cheaper to use, so it will save the company money as compared to a mobile phone. Since its uses are limited, it is much less likely to be a target for theft than a mobile phone would be. There is also no danger that it would be used to make private calls at the companys expense. (b) Videoconferencing offers a very effective way for people to meet each other over a long distance. By connecting cameras and microphones to a computer system, people at each end of the connection can both see and hear the other party. This has a great advantage over the telephone, since you will have a picture of what the other person looks like, and you will be able to see his or her body language. It gives a much more personal feel than a telephone, and allows relationships to be built more easily. It also does not restrict a conversation to only two people. It can save a company a lot of time and money, as it removes the need for anyone to travel long distances. If graphs or pictures need to be shown, they can be seen by the other party while they are being explained. Its main disadvantage lies in the initial cost of setting up such a system, but this cost is reducing all the time as the systems become more popular. For a small company that operates in only a local area, however, it is probably an unnecessary expense, but for a large company having many branches or operating in several different countries, it can be of great benefit.

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Q3

The new Mantris Hotel is the latest and greatest addition to the wonderful facilities of the popular resort of Tupafehy. Situated right beside a safe, sandy beach, only 5km from the town centre, it is ideal for relaxing, and also a great base for exploring the fascinating countryside nearby. The hotel runs its own free shuttle bus into town throughout the day. Half of the hotels 200 large, comfortable bedrooms, on eight floors, have stunning sea views, and all bedrooms are en suite. For adults only, there is an amazing rooftop swimming pool, while children have a safe pool next to the beach, where there are daily fun and games, organised by the hotels dedicated staff. We have two award-winning restaurants with excellent international cuisine, including an all-you-can-eat buffet every night. You can be sure of a warm welcome at the Mantris. All of our fully-trained, attentive staff speak English, and for them, nothing is too much trouble. During the day we can organise excursions for you to any number of fascinating places, while in the evenings we offer a huge variety of memorable entertainment. Come and enjoy a fantastic holiday at the Mantris. (193 words)

Q4

(a)

These are the steps I will take: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. In plenty of time, inform staff about the meeting by means of a memo or notice; Inform them of the date, time and place of the meeting; List the agenda items OR provide them with an agenda; Request confirmation that they will attend; Invite them to suggest additional agenda items; Shortly before the meeting, ensure that the room is clean OR well-ventilated OR at a comfortable temperature; Organise/arrange the furniture for chairman and delegates; Ensure that all necessary documents are prepared; Check that all visual aids are working properly; Organise refreshments OR stationery for delegates;

(b)

The chairperson:

keeps order in the meeting keeps the meeting running to time allows everyone a fair chance to speak ensures that the agenda is followed remains independent does not allow one person or group to dominate the meeting ensures that the meeting has an outcome

(c)

A properly-conducted meeting might have these benefits:

it allows for the sharing of ideas; it lets many different ideas be considered; it can bring people together, or develop relationships; it can engender a sense of shared goals, or create bonding; it can let people express frustrations and release tensions; it can enable attendees to solve problems; it can motivate staff.

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(d)

A briefing in a workplace normally happens at the start of a shift. The manager will tell staff about the latest relevant developments in the business, or may talk about sales targets, or issues concerning professional standards. A briefing is used to prepare staff for the day and to tell them what is expected of them.

Q5

(a)

(i)

In a cellular layout, each member of staff will have a private area in which to work, often separated from each other by walls. This has the benefit of letting people work in privacy, and it tends to be much quieter, so they can concentrate better. But it has the disadvantage of making communication slow between colleagues, since it is time-consuming to visit another room every time you need to speak to someone. It also creates physical barriers between colleagues. In an open plan office, there are no walls, so colleagues can see and hear each other. Thus, communication is usually fast, and relationships can more easily be built. However, there is little privacy for confidential discussions, and it can be noisy and distracting. It is also more likely to produce situations of conflict.

(ii)

(b)

A manager who uses a separate office may well be more respected by staff, even feared, than one who shares the same office. (S)he will not be easily accessible, and so will not be troubled by trivial matters. But (s)he will not always be aware of everything that is going on in the workplace, and might not get to know the staff very well. If the manager is not around the staff might not work as hard. Computers are probably the most essential equipment of all. Computers allow data to be stored and accessed easily, and through networking, they allow files to be shared. Telephones are absolutely essential. They allow easy and fast communication both inside and outside the office.They have many features which make communication easier. Without them, work would be completed at a far slower pace. A photocopier is another essential machine, for making copies of documents for meetings, or simply to pass on to colleagues for information. A photocopy may be better in some circumstances than an e-mail attachment, because it is something that you can actually hold in your hand. Photocopiers can also produce hundreds of copies with just the press of a button, and can organise multiple copies of different pages in a document. Comfortable chairs are also essential. If a chair is uncomfortable it makes a worker tired and sore. Chairs should be easy to move around, should have padded seats, and should be adjustable to give the correct working height. Work will be done more efficiently if the worker has a good chair.

(c)

Q6

(a)

(i)

To: Manager, Human Resources From: Manager, Production Further to your query, the greatest number of staff we have ever had in this dept is 13.

(ii)

From: Director To: Marketing Manager Please send me last months sales figures asap.

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(iii)

To: HR Trainee From: Finance Manager Can you please let me have sight of the file of Mr B B Tenugu.

(b)

A notice is most often used for vertical communication, for example: To All Staff Please note that the canteen will be closed on Monday and Tuesday of next week for essential maintenance. Catering Manager

(c)

A Star network will be used in a round-table discussion, where there is no clear leader, and all parties are free to communicate with any or all of the others. Feedback is fast. There is no rigid structure to this network. It can be shown like this:

(d)

Negative feedback occurs when someone does not do what you have asked, or expresses disapproval of your idea. An example would be if I asked someone to tidy their desk, but they did not do so. Negative feedback can also occur when the receiver does not fully understand the message, perhaps because of physical or psychological noise.

Q7

Dr Ashley Dawn PO Box 26773 West Side Downtown 17 May 2008 The Human Resources Manager Tresco Services PO Box 5561 Overtown Dear Sir or Madam, Fantastic Training Opportunity All of us who work with people know how vital good customer relations are to success in business. Many firms in this country are failing to capitalise on growth opportunities because their staff are not able to make the most of their contact with customers. This has a negative effect on their profitability.

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My name is Ashley Dawn, and I have a PhD in Human Relations from Downtown University. I have worked for many years in a managerial capacity with a number of the leading businesses in this city. For a long time now, I have watched with concern as other countries seem to be moving ahead faster than we are here in this country, and I believe that much of the reason lies with the way in which people in this country have been trained to deal with others. Clearly, our training methods have not always been as successful as they should have been. Now, however, I have developed a specialised training programme that is designed to maximise the potential of all your staff, and by doing so, will certainly increase your companys profits. I would like to tell you about this new training initiative, which has already proved successful for several companies in this area. The course that I am offering brings a fresh approach to the development of interpersonal skills within your staff. Focusing on the ways in which people form judgements of each other, and how we can interpret both verbal and non-verbal signals in other people, this course guarantees to increase the results your staff can achieve by making them more aware of other people their customers. The course will: Make your staff more confident Make them more efficient Make them more effective Give them pride in themselves and in your company Raise your companys profile nationally and internationally We have already had great success with companies large and small, and if you care to look on my website, www.ashdawn.com, you will be able to see for yourself the results that I have achieved with other companies. The testimonials that you will see there are all absolutely genuine. You are most welcome to call me for a confidential, no obligation assessment of your staffs needs. Depending on which of the available courses you choose, the cost could be as low as only $50 per person. The benefit to your company will far exceed this modest cost. Do remember that this course runs for an entire day, and will take place on a day that suits you. What is more, I absolutely guarantee to boost your companys sales by at least 10%, or I will offer a second training day completely free of charge. You have nothing to lose! Contact me today on 000-888-77766 or by fax on 000-888-77767 or by e-mail on ashdawn@bilbo.com, and I will happily provide you with fuller details of this wonderful opportunity. Please dont delay, as demand for these courses will be high. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully Dr Ashley G W Dawn MSc, PhD

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Q8

(a)

To store a document, I would: 1. Click on the Save icon; 2. Give the file a name; 3. Decide which folder to save it in; 4. Save it. To retrieve the document, I would: 1. Click on the Open document icon; 2. Click on the name of the document I want to retrieve; 3. it will be opened automatically.

(b)

A website is a place on the internet where a company can display its goods and services. It acts a bit like a shop, except that all its products are viewed on a computer screen. Customers can look around its products at their leisure, can compare products, and can even ask for further information about them, via e-mail. A website always has a name that begins www. Advantages for a company include: No cost of maintaining business premises or paying staff; Centralised distribution is much more efficient; A much bigger potential market, not limited to people who live within travelling distance of a shop; The buying process automatically provides companies with their customers details, which they can use in further marketing.

(c)

A LAN is a Local Area Network, and it allows a company to set up a system where all its authorised employees can have access to the same body of information. Depending on the nature of the business, the staff can update or alter customers records. LANs save a lot of time, because a customers details can easily be found and a customer can deal with any member of staff. LANs are efficient, and allow information to be stored in an extremely small space. Thus they can aid a companys profitability. Adware: short for advertising-supported software, refers to any software package that automatically displays advertisements when that software is in use. Bug: In terms of communications a bug is a fault in a computer program that prevents it from functioning normally. Hyperlink: a reference in a document which, when selected by the user, will take the user automatically to another area where information based on the reference can be found. Typically, hyperlink text is shown in blue in a document. Peripherals: also known as peripheral devices, are items of hardware, e.g. a printer or a camera, which can be connected to a computer. Virus: a malicious computer program, which is designed to infect a computer and damage the programs already on it.

(d)

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