THE INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS OF PAKISTAN EXAMINERS COMMENTS

SUBJECT Business Communication and Behavioural Studies General:

SESSION Intermediate Examination Spring 2012

Majority of the candidates attempted all the questions. However, very few of them produced answers which were relevant, focused and addressed precisely, the requirement of the question. It was noticeable that most candidates were unprepared for the demands of the examination paper. The examination questions are very specific and require an analytical and focused approach to answers rather than a write all you know method. Adequate knowledge as well as good communication skills are necessary for passing the paper. Question wise comments are given below: Q.1 In this question, the students were required to identify and briefly explain the causes of group conflicts (Inter-group & inter-departmental) in any business organization. Group Conflict or hostilities between different groups is a pervasive feature common to all organizations. Conflicts between people in work groups, committees, task forces are inevitable. A number of students were able to highlight the most prevalent causes like role ambiguity, personal differences and competition for scarce resources but points were haphazardly jotted and answers were not well chalked out. Students must give headings and mention the relevant points under each heading instead of breaking the same point in many parts or clubbing points that are completely different. The common errors in the answers were as follows: Many students repeated the same points. For example, group politics, strength for power, manipulation for control and dominance were mentioned in the same answer as three different points. Many candidates gave the headings but ignored the description or described it in a small sentence. Many students were totally ignorant and wrote points such as economic downturn, political situation of the country, etc. This was not only surprising but created a bad impression about the ability of these students.

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Examiners Comments on Business Communication and Behavioural Studies Spring 2012 Q.2 (a) This question was based on a brief case study pertaining to an organization called Fashion Planet headed by an entrepreneur named Ms. Humaira Haq. After going through the case the students were required to list the key elements of the organizational culture prevailing in Fashion Planet. As evident from the case, the culture of Fashion Planet was informal and friendly, communication flowed in all directions, the owner was very supportive, traditions were upheld and employees were concerned about the success of the organization. Teamwork and consensus were encouraged. All these factors were inherent in the case and could have been effortlessly listed if the case was studied carefully. Most students could just mention friendly environment, supportive leader and good co-ordination. All others points were mostly missing. Many students seemed confused between organizational culture and organizational structure. In this part the students were required to identify the changes in organization structure which would be required so as to facilitate the introduction of new partners and at the same time, achieve the objectives of the organization without significant shift in the culture of the organization. Many students really struggled with this one. Organizational structure should not be a alien topic for students. It has been asked in the past and will crop up frequently in the future too, in the corporate world if not in the exams. Therefore, this is a topic which students should know inside out. It seemed as if the students could not comprehend the requirement of this question. They either jumped to conclusion before reading the entire question or seemed to avoid grappling with difficult material and quickly turned over to the next question. There were many students who did not attempt this part of the question. Instead of discussing the changes in the companys structure most students only discussed the employees and how to retain them and how to make them aware of the current situation. Many candidates did not grasp the essence of the question and went on to describe the marketing strategy with changes in the areas of design, pricing and advertisement campaigns, etc. Q.3 This question was designed to assess the students understanding of the 7 Cs in business communication. It was a popular question among the students as most of them attempted it as their first question. The overall performance was quite satisfactory. The good part was that most of the students explained in their own words which were correct and the expression of thoughts was in a logical order as well. In this question a letter had to be written to candidates who had applied for the post of Head of Metallurgy Department but had not been offered employment. The students had the advantage that 4 marks were allotted to the format. However, in the body of the letter, reasons for refusal were poor. In many cases the rejection was blunt and rude. Also, the name of the selected candidate was given and the reasons as to why he was better than the one rejected was mentioned, which is against the rule of courtesy and even showed that students ignored the instruction that identical letters had to be written.

(b)

Q.4

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Examiners Comments on Business Communication and Behavioural Studies Spring 2012 Q.5 (a) Attributes of a well-prepared resume were required to be explained. Many students could not understand the gist of the question. Instead of listing the attributes of a resume most of the students discussed the format of the resume, the headings and the information to be given. Most others wrote points like using A- 4 size paper and including cover letter, etc. These are not the main points that make a resume attractive. Hardly any student could identify the attributes which would make the resume stand apart and be distinctive.

(b)

Very few students were able to give satisfactory answer to this question. Almost none of the students had a clear idea of the rules of etiquette that should be followed in sending e-mail messages. Students usually mentioned the process of writing an e-mail which was not the requirement of the question.

Q.6

The explanation of Participative and Authoritarian Leadership styles was given correctly by almost all students. However, their inability to identify the situations in which each style would/should be used, gave the impression that students have answered the first requirement by using their common sense and were not well prepared on the topic. It was quite evident that those who were able to clearly distinguish between the definition and above styles of leadership, did well and specified correctly that trust in employees and willingness of employees to make contributions call for participative style whereas lack of faith in the capabilities of the subordinates and repetitive nature of work, calls for the use of authoritarian style. Those who just gave the literal meaning of the two terms could not produce anything worthwhile when it came to applying the concept.

Q.7

Questions on meetings are quite common. This time the question required factors responsible for unsatisfactory outcomes of meetings. It was an easy question and even those who have carried out a cursory reading about the related issues could have secured good marks. However, the performance was not as per expectations. Most of the students restricted themselves to the issue of insufficient preparation and covered it from different angles but did not mention important points such as: Deliberate diversion of discussions from the main points by the participants. Reluctance of the participants to express their true opinions. Presumption of the participants that their recommendations would not be taken seriously as the authority vests somewhere else.

Some students instead of citing the complaints about meetings, suggested why meetings should not be conducted. Many candidates listed reasons which showed complete lack of understanding of the topic, such as Meetings disturb the manufacturing process of the organization. Instead of attending the meeting the employees can utilize their time more effectively on some other issues.

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Examiners Comments on Business Communication and Behavioural Studies Spring 2012 Q.8 This question was left in choice by almost all the students. Those few who attempted it really did well. However, instead of identifying the differences between Distributive Bargaining approach and Integral Bargaining approach, some students gave the definitions, which were not required. (a) Identification of traits of ineffective listeners was the requirement in this question. Since it is an oft-repeated topic and very commonly observed in everyday life also, it was done well. However, some candidates who did not bother to read the question properly went on explaining various components of listening skills, types of listening and barriers to effective listening. Self actualization is a very widely recognized concept in motivational theories and is the basis of many other motivational theories too. A common misconception among the students was that self-actualization can only be reached by those who are at a very senior position i.e. a director or a CEO etc. Many students just enumerated the five needs of Maslows Theory of Hierarchy of Needs and drew the pyramid without focusing on the actual requirements of the question.

Q.9

(b)

Q.10 In this question a letter had to be written to The Environment Protection Board by the CEO of Sterling Paper & Board Mill requesting the Board to grant permission to reopen the Mill. The performance here was better than in Question 4. The ideas were more logical and coherent. However, the areas of grammar, spelling and tense consistency were as deficient as in Question 4.

Q.11 (a)

In this question sentences with negative connotations had to be re-written to elicit a more positive tone and response. The answers could have been much better if grammar, sentence structure and spellings were also focused upon. In many cases only the negative words were rephrased with yet another negative word. In this part of the question the candidates were asked to mention the important considerations which might be kept in perspective while making an oral presentation to a knowledgeable audience. Oral presentation skills are the heart and soul of business communication. Students had a fair idea of how language, body language and content are to be correctly handled. Some candidates stated good appearance and attractive clothing as the important factors. Although these are important but not so much as to be among the top five considerations. Some students wrote that the presentation should not be critical of the customs and beliefs. Critical it may be but not biased or derogatory. Most students did not focus on the knowledgeable audience and did not discuss it in that perspective. Some candidates did not understand the question and described planning of messages in the context of purpose, audience profile and physical conditions rather than focusing on the considerations.

(b)

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Examiners Comments on Business Communication and Behavioural Studies Spring 2012 Q.12 Short notes were required on any four out of five concepts specified in the question. All were attempted well except Filtering of Information in which students wrote from the receivers perspective instead of the senders attempt to manipulate information. Most of the students confused the definition of filtering of information with skimming of information or with Selective Perception. Many students were unaware of the fact that filtering of information is carried out by the sender and not the receiver. The most common mistake in other areas was that the answers were restricted to giving definition of the terms only. Q.13 (a) Different types of Buffers used in bad news messages were to the explained. Many students used them in sentences instead of explaining them. For instance in case of Understanding the students wrote the company shows understanding for the applicants issue. In case of fairness they wrote that the company should be fair to every stakeholder without explaining as to what exactly does fairness mean. It has been discussed many times in the past that words in the headings should not be reproduced to give answers. Since those are the words which need to be explained, how would using them in the answer in the manner pointed out above, help to answer it? (b) In the last question the advantages of Oral Presentation were identified and described properly by the majority.

THE END

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