国际商务交际作业答案.doc

Assignment oneChapter 1 Effective and Ethical Communication at work1. What does the expression ‘communication skills’ include?Communication skills mean reading, listening, nonverbal, speaking, and writing skills; communication skills are critical to effective job placement, career advancement, and organizational success.2. Fewer layers of management mean greater communication challenges for frontline workers. Why?The flattening means fewer layers of managers separate decision makers from frontline workers. In traditional companies, information flows through many levels of managers. In flat organizations, however, where the lives of communication are shorter, decision makers can react more quickly to market changes. Restructured companies organize work with horizontal teams that allow various areas to interact more efficiently. Today’s flatter organizations, however, also pose greater communication challenges. In the past, authoritarian and hierarchical management structures did not require that every employee be a skilled communicator. Managers simply posed along messages to the next level. Today, however, frontline employees as well as managers participate in decision making. Nearly everyone is a writer and a communicator. Business people prepare their own message; secretaries no longer clean up their bosses’ writing.3. Why is oral communication considered more effective than written communication?Oral communication has many advantages. For one thing, it minimizes misunderstandings because communicators can immediately ask questions to clarify uncertainties. For another, it enables communicators to see each other’s facial expressions and hear voice inflections, further improving the process. Oral communication is also an efficient way to develop consensus when many people must be consulted. Finally most of us enjoy face-to-face interpersonal communication because it is easy, feels warm and natural, and promotes friendship.4. When you are faced with a difficult ethical decision, what questions should you ask self?Is the action you are considering legal?How would you see the problem if you were on the opposite side?What are alternate solutions?Can you discuss the problem with someone whose advice you trust?How would you feel if your family, friends, employer, coworkers learned of your action?Chapter 2 Professionalism: Team, Meeting, Listening, Nonverbal, and Etiquette Skills2.If you are considering organizing a meeting, what should you do before themeeting?●deciding whether a meeting is necessary●Selecting participants●Distributing advance information●Using digital calendars to schedule meetings3.How is videoconferencing different from web conferencing?Web conferencing is similar to videoconferencing but may work with or without the transmission of pictures of the participants. Attendees use their computers to access an online virtual meeting room where they can present PowerPoint slides or share spreadsheets or word documents, just as they might do in a face-to-face meeting. Web conferencing is particularly useful for team meetings, training, and sales presentations. Participants can demonstrate products, make presentations, and interact with participants.4.What is groupthink, and how can it be avoided?Groupthink: faulty decision-making process by team members who are overly eager to agree with one another.Effective teams avoid groupthink by striving for team diversity in age, gender, background, experience, and training.Chapter 3 intercultural Communication1.What is geographical location virtually irrelevant for many activities andservices today?To be successful in this interdependent global village, companies are increasingly finding it necessary to adapt to other cultures.Many companies are increasingly looking overseas as domestic markets mature. Another significant factor is the passage of favorable trade agreement. Besides, the development of new transportation and information technologies contribute themselves to the explosive growth of global markets.2.How is a ‘stereotype’ different from a ‘prototype’?A stereotype is an oversimplified behavioral pattern applied uncritically to groups. The term was use originally by printers to describe identical type set in two frames. Stereotypes are fixed and rigid. Although they may be exaggerated and over-generalized beliefs when applied to groups of people, stereotypes are not always entirely false. Often they contain a grain of truth.Prototypes, then, are dynamic and change with fresh experience. Prototypes based on objective observations, usually have a considerable amount of truth in them. That is why they can be helpful in studying cultures.4.Why is intercultural communication increasingly important, and what mustbusiness communicators do to succeed?The reasons lie in:●The globalization of markets mean that you can expect to be doingbusiness with people from around the world;●Technological advancements in transportation and information aremaking the world smaller and more intertwined;●More and more people are coming from other cultures, thus changingthe competition of the marketplace. Successful interaction requiresawareness, tolerance, and accommodation.Business communicators needs to:●Learn foreign phrases●Use simple language●Speak slowly and enunciate clearly●Observe eye messages●Encourage accurate feedback●Check frequently for comprehension●Accept blame●Listen without interrupting●Smile when appropriate●Follow up in writing.Assignment TwoChapter 4 panning business messages1.Why do you think business writing differs from school essay writing?In preparing high school or college composition and term papers, you probably focused on discussing your feelings or displaying your knowledge. Your instructors wanted to see your thought processes, and they wanted assurance that you had internalized the subject matter. You may have had to meet a minimum word count. Business writers, however, have different goals. For business messages and oral presentations, writing should be:●Purposeful: you will be writing to solve problems and convey information.You will have a definite purpose to fulfill in each message.●Persuasive: you want your audience to believe and accept yourmessage.●Economical: you will try to present ideas clearly but concisely. Length isnot rewarded.●Audience-oriented: you will concentrate on looking at a problem fromthe perspective of the audience instead of seeing it from your own.2.What is meant by ‘audience benefits”?In describing effective writing, Bn Franklin observed, “To be good, it ought to have a tendency to benefit the reader.” These wise words have become a fundamental guideline for today’s business communicators. Expanding on Franklin’s counsel, a contemporary communication consultant gives this solid advice to his business clients: “always stress the benefit to the audience, of whatever it is you are trying to get them to do. If you can show how you are going to save them frustration or help them meet their goals, you have the makings of a powerful message.3.When is the ‘you’ view appropriate, and when is it inappropriate? Appropriate: notice that may of the previous audience-focused messages included the word you. In concentrating on receiver benefits, skilledcommunicators naturally develop the ‘you’ view. They emphasize second-person pronouns instead of first-person pronouns. Whether your goal is to inform, persuade, or promote goodwill, the catchiest words you can use are you and your.Inappropriate: although you want to focus on the reader or listener, do not overuse or misuse the second-person pronoun you. Readers and listeners appreciate genuine interest; on the other hand, they resent obvious attempt at manipulation. The authors of some sales, for example, are guilty of overkill when they include you dozens of times in a direct mail promotion. Furthermore, the word can sometimes create the wrong impression. Another difficulty in emphasizing the ‘you’ view and de-emphasizing we/I is that it may result in overuse of the passive voice.4.Why is it OK to use instant messaging abbreviations and happy faces inmessages to friends but not OK in business?Most instant messages, email messages, business letters, memos, and reports replace conversation. Thus, they are most effective when they convey an informal, conversational tone instead of a formal, pretentious tone. Workplace messages should not, however, become so casual that they sound low level and unprofessional. Instant messages enable coworkers to have informal, spontaneous conventions. Some companies have accepted IM as a serious workplace tool. To protect a professional image, you must sound educated and mature. Overuse of expressions such as totally awesome, you know, and like, as well as reliance on needless abbreviations (BTW for by the way), make a businessperson sound like a teenager. Professional messages do not include IM abbreviations, slang, sentence fragments, and chitchat. We urge you to strive for a warm, conversational tone that avoids low-level diction.Chapter 5 Organizing and writing business messages1.For routine writing tasks, what are some techniques for collecting informal dataand generating ideas?Here are some techniques for collecting informal data and for generating ideas: ●Look in the files;●Talk with your boss;●Interview the target audience;●Conduct an informal survey.2.What is the difference between a list and an outline?In developing simple messages, some writers make a quick scratch list of the topics they wish to cover. Writers often jot down this scratch list in the margin of the letter or memo to which they are responding (the majority of business messages are written in response to other documents). These writers then compose a message at their computers directly from the scratch list. Most writers, though, need to organize their ideas-especially if the project is complex-into a hierarchy,such as an outline. The beauty of preparing an outline is that it gives you a chance to organize your thinking before you can get bogged down in word choice and sentence structure.3.When is the indirect pattern appropriate, and what are the benefits for usingit?When you expect the audience to be uninterested, unwilling, displeased, or perhaps, even hostile, the indirect pattern is more appropriate. In this pattern you reveal the main idea only after you have offered explanation and evidence. This approach works well with three kinds of messages:●Bad news●Ideas that require persuasion●Sensitive news, especially when being transmitted to superiors.The indirect pattern has three benefits:●Respects the feelings of the audience. Bad news is always painful, but thetrauma can be lessened by preparing the receiver for it;●Facilitates a fair hearing. Messages that may upset the reader are more likelyto be read when the main idea is delayed. Beginning immediately with a piece of bad news or a persuasive request, for example, may cause the receiver to stop reading or listening.●Minimizes a negative reaction. A reader’s overall reaction to a negativemessage is generally improved if the news is delivered gently.4.What is a topic sentence, and where is it usually found?Paragraphs arranged in the direct plan begin with the topic sentence, followed by supporting sentences. Most business messages use this paragraph plan because it clarifies the subject immediately. This plan is useful whenever you must define (a new product or procedure), classify (parts of a whole), illustrate (an idea), or describe (a process), start with the topic sentence; then strengthen and amplify that idea with supporting ideas.It’s usually found at the beginning of the paragraph.Chapter 6 Revising business messages1.How is proofreading different from revising?Proofreading: correcting the grammar, spelling, punctuation and mechanics of a message.Revising: improving the content and sentence structure of a message may include adding, recasting, reforming, and redesigning a message.2. What is a redundancy? Give an example. Why should writers avoid redundancies?Expressions that repeat meaning or include unnecessary words are redundant. Saying unexpected surprise is like a like saying surprise surprise because unexpected carries the same meaning as surprise. Redundancies do not addemphasis, as some people think. Instead, they identify a writer as inexperienced. As you revise, look for redundant expressions such as the following:Redundant conciseAbsolutely essential essential3. Why should writers avoid opening a sentence with ‘there is’ or ‘there are’? Because in many sentences the expressions there is/are and it is/was function as unnecessary filters. In addition to taking up space, these fillers delay getting to the point of the sentence. Eliminate them by recasting the sentence. Many- but not all-sentences can be revised so that fillers are unnecessary.5.Why should business writers strive to conciseness?In business, time is indeed money. Translated into writing, this means that concise messages save reading time and thus, money. In addition, messages that are written directly and efficiently are easier to read and comprehend. In the revision process, look for short ways to say what you mean. Examine every sentence that you write. Could the thought be conveyed in fewer words? Your writing will be more concise if you eliminate flabby expressions, drop unnecessary introductory words, get rid of redundancies, and purge empty words.Assignment ThreeChapter 7 electronic messages and digital media and describe two prevailing technologies trends today.A number of electronic communication channels enable business people to exchange information rapidly and efficiently. All of those new electronic channels showcase your writing skills.●Instant messaging: more interactive and immediate than email, instantmessaging includes the exchange of text messages in real time betweentwo or more people logged into an IM service. IM creates a form ofprivate chat room so that individuals can carry on conversations similar totelephone calls. IM is especially useful to back-and-forth onlineconversations, such as a customer communicating with a tech supportperson to solve a problem. Like e-mail, instant messaging creates apermanent text record and must be used carefully.●Podcasts: a podcast is a digital media file that is distributed over theinternet and downloaded on portable media players and personalcomputers. Podcasts, also called netcasts or webcasts, are distinguishedby their ability to be syndicated, subscribed to, or downloadedautomatically when new content is added. In business, podcasts areuseful for improving customer relations, marketing, trainging, productlaunches, and viral marketing.2.How can you use instant messaging and texting safely on the job?Instant messaging and texting can definitely save time and simplify communication with coworkers and customers.●Learn about your organization’s IM policies●Don’t text or IM while driving a car●Make yourself unavailable when you need to complete a project or meet adeadline●Organize your contact lists to separate business contacts from family andfriends●Keep your messages simple and to the point●Don’t use IM or text messages to send confidential or sensitive information●Be aware that instant or text messages can be saved●If personal messaging is allowed, keep it to a minimum.●Show patience by not blasting multiple messages to coworkers if a response isnot immediate●Keep your presence status up-to-date so that people trying to reach youdon’t waste their time.●Beware of jargon, slang, and abbreviations, which, although they mayreduce keystrokes, may be confusing and appear unprofessional●Respect your receivers by using good grammar and proper spelling and byproofreading carefully.3.What is wiki, and what are its advantages to businesses?A wiki is a web site that employs easy-to-use collaborative software to allow users to create documents that can be edited by tapping into the same technology that runs the well-known online encyclopedia wikipedia.The advantages to business;●The global wiki: for companies with a global reach, a wiki is an ideal tool forinformation sharing between headquarters and satellite offices. Team members can easily edit their work and provide input to the home office and each other.●The wiki knowledge base: teams or departments use wikis to collect anddisseminate information to large audiences creating a database for knowledge management.●Wikis for meetings: wiki can facilitate feedback before and after meetings orserve as repositories of meeting minutes.●Project management with wikis: wikis offer a highly interactive envireonmentideal for projects by enabling information to be centralized for easy access and user input.●Documentation and wikis: wiki can help to document projects large and smallas well as technical and nontechnical.4.Explain why companies use blogs.The potential applications of blogs in business are vast. Like other web 2.0phenomena, corporate blogs usually invite feedback and help build communities. Specifically, companies use blogs for public relations, customer relations, crisis communication, market research, viral marketing, internal communication, and recruiting.Chapter 8 Persuasive and sales messages1.What is persuasion?Persuasion is defined as ability to use argunment or decision to influence an individual beliefs or actions. A team member uses persuasion to convince her technology-averse manager that IM is an excellent tool to keep all team members informed about a project. You might want to persuade your boss to allow you to work at home part of time. Successful persuasion depends largely on the reasonableness of your request, your credibility, and your ability to make the request attractive to the receiver. Many techniques can help you be effective in getting your ideas accepted by your fellow workers, superiors, and clients.2.How can you reduce resistance in requesting favors, making claims, anddelivering complaints?Many individuals and companies are willing to grant requests for time, money, information, cooperation, and special privileges. Developing credibility is especially important when persuading strategies to do something. Making a reasonable request tied to benefits is also important. This favor request incorporates many techniques that are effective in persuasion: establishing credibility, making a reasonable and precise request, tying facts to benefits and overcoming resistance. One of the biggest mistakes in persuasive requests is the failure to anticipate and offset audience resistance. You can minimize objections by presenting your counterarguments in sentences that emphasize benefits.3.Why is a written favor request or action request often more effective than aface-to-face request?Persuading someone to do something that largely benefits you may not be the earliest task. Fortunately, many individuals and companies are willing to grant requests for time, money, information, cooperation, and special privileges. They grant these favors for a variety of reasons. They may just happen to be interested in your project, or they may see goodwill potential for themselves. Professionals sometimes feel obligated to contribute their time or expertise to pay their duties. Often though, businesses and individuals comply because they see that others will benefit from the request.4.When is persuasion necessary in business messages flowing downward in anorganization?Instructions or directions moving downward from superiors to subordinates usually require little persuasion. Employees expect to be directed in how to perform theirjobs. These managers (such as information about procedures, equipment, or customer service) use the direct strategy, with the purpose immediately stated. However, employees are sometimes asked to volunteer for projects. For example, some organizations ask employees to join programs to stop smoking, losing weight, or start exercising. Organizations may ask their free time volunteering for charity projects. In such cases, the four-part indirect strategy provides a help structure. Chapter 9 Business presentations1.Can speaking skills be improved, or do we have to be ‘born’ communicators? Many future businesspeople fail to take advantage of opportunities in college to develop speaking skills. However, such skills often play an important role ina successful career. In fact, the No. 1 predictor of success and upward mobility, according to an AT&T and Stanford University study, is how much you enjoy public speaking and how effective you are at it. Speaking skills are useful at every career stage. You might, for example, have to make a sales pitch before customers or speak to a professional gathering. You might need to describe your company’s expansion plans to your banker, or you might need to persuade management to support your proposed marketing strategy.2.In the introduction of an oral presentation, you can establish your credibility byusing what two methods?To establish your credibility, you need to describe your position, knowledge, or experience-whatever qualifies you to speak. Try also to connect with your audience. Listeners respond particularly well to speakers who reveal something of themselves and identify with them. A consultant addressing office workers might reminisce about how she started as an administrative assistant; a CEO might tell a funny story in which the joke is on himself.3.How is the 6-x-6 rule applied in preparing bulleted points?As a general guideline, most graphic designers encourage the 6-x-6 rules: “ six bullets per screen, max; six words per bullet, max.” you may find, however, that breaking this rule is sometimes necessary, particularly when your users will be viewing the presentation on their own with no speaker assistance. For most purposes, though, strive to break free from bulleted lists whenever possible and minimize the use of text.4.List suggestions that would ensure that your nonverbal messages reinforce yourverbal messages effectively.The following suggestions focus on nonverbal tips to ensure that your verbal message is well received:●Look terrific●Animate your body●Speak extemporaneously●Punctuate your words●Get out from behind the podium] ●Vary your facial expression。