Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
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AN INTRODUCTION TO DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING TOOLS
Practitioners can use their real life knowledge and skill to enhance learning skills.
Immediate visualization of the practical dimension of the concept will offer a rich learning
experience.
How is it useful?
Through these tools, the learning bytes are right sized for ease of learning for time challenged
participants.
The content starts from practice and connect to precept making it easy to connect to industry
and retain.
They can be connected to continuous assessment process of the academic program.
Where does this lead to?
Helps stay motivated and connected.
Easier to move ahead in the learning process.
Will facilitate the student to complete the program earlier than
otherwise.
When is it useful?
As and when you get 5 to 10 minutes you can read one of these and absorb and comprehend.
Spending more time is your choice.
You can use the time in travel, waiting for meetings, lunch time, small breaks or at home
usefully.
Business
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Communication &
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Soft Skills
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Management
Workbook
© The ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE), Hyderabad,
April, 2015. All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or
transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise – without
prior permission in writing from The ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE), Hyderabad.
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For any clarification regarding this book, the students may please write to The ICFAI Foundation for
Higher Education (IFHE), Hyderabad giving the above reference number of this book specifying chapter
and page number.
While every possible care has been taken in type-setting and printing this book, The ICFAI Foundation
for Higher Education (IFHE), Hyderabad welcomes suggestions from students for improvement in future
editions.
The Workbook is a set of questions which typically illustrate a real life context from contemporary
corporate happenings and then poses a question to the student for reflection. The narration of question
helps the reader to reinforce the concept and facilitates the student to enhance his/her capabilities in
analyzing and interpreting the conceptual frameworks.
The examples depicting the names of existing persons or companies are taken from news
clippings/published articles from various public domain websites or website of respective companies.
Since live examples reinforce the understanding of the students, the possible responses are connected to
the concepts taught directly or indirectly. In many cases the alternatives provided are choices in a work
situation based on alternative approaches.
These questions provoke the learner to start thinking from the application side and connect to the
knowledge that he will use to solve. Practitioners can connect better thereby improving the learning
experience. This form of assessment improves learning while assessing whereas the conventional form is
more about assessment of learning.
the subject.
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DETAILED CURRICULUM
UNIT 1 - FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNICATION
UNIT 3 - LISTENING I
Importance of Listening - Barriers to Effective Listening: Physiological Barriers, Environmental
Barriers, Attitudinal Barriers- Prejudices, Preoccupation, A casual attitude, Egocentrism, Poor Listening
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Habits, Lack of Common Experiences - Approaches to Listening: Discriminative Listening,
Comprehensive Listening, Critical Listening, Active Listening - How to be a Better Listener: Be
Motivated to Listen, Be Prepared to Listen, Be Objective, Be Alert to all Cues, Make Good Use of the
Thinking-Speaking Time Difference, Use Feedback, Practice Listening, Use Verbal and Nonverbal Cues
to Encourage the Speaker - What Speakers Can Do to Ensure Better Listening: Try to Empathize, Adjust
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Building Positive Relationships: Use Descriptive „I‟ Language, Focus on Solving Problems, not on
Controlling Others, Be Open: Don‟t Try to Deceive, Show Empathy, Don‟t Put on an Air of Superiority,
Listen with an Open Mind - Giving Praise: Make Praise Specific, Praise Progress, Not Just Perfection,
Be Sincere, Don‟t Overdo Praise, Get the Timing Right - Dealing with Criticism: Offering Constructive
Criticism – Understand why you are making a critical remark, Try to understand the other person‟s
perspective, Direct criticism at the person‟s behavior, not at the person, Avoid sounding judgmental, Do
not force criticism on anyone, Avoid Critical Overload; Responding to Criticism - Managing
Conflict: Approaches to Conflict – Avoiding, Accommodating, Competing, Collaborating,
Compromising; Resolving Conflict
UNIT 5 - NEGOTIATIONS
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UNIT 6 - INTERVIEWING
Interview and Types of Business Interviews: Employment Interviews, Performance Appraisal Interviews,
Counseling Interviews, Disciplinary Interviews, Persuasive Interviews - Planning an Interview: State the
Purpose, Get Information about the Other Party, Decide on the Structure, Directive Interview, Non-
directive Interview, Consider Possible Questions, Direct question, Indirect question, Plan the Physical
Setting, Anticipate Problems - Conducting an Interview: The Opening, Body- The interviewer‟s role,
The respondent‟s role, Closing - The Ethics of Interviewing: Guidelines for the Interviewer, Guidelines
for the Respondent- Don‟t be dishonest, Don‟t waste the interviewer‟s time
Factors in Group Communication: Size, Longevity, Leadership, Perception and Self-Concept, Status -
Group Decision Making: Stage in Group problem solving – The Orientation Stage, The Conflict Stage,
The Emergence Stage, The Reinforcement Stage; Reflective Thinking, Brainstorming, Nominal Group
Techniques, The Final Decision – Consensus, Compromise, Majority, Decision by leader, Arbitration -
Effective Meeting: The Planning Process, Why Have a Meeting at all?, What Type of Meeting should be
Held? – Informational meetings, Problem-solving meetings, Change-facilitating meetings, Who Should
Participate?, Where the Meeting should be Held?, When Should the Meeting be Held?, Notice Agenda,
Minutes, Opening the Meeting, Conducting Business, Concluding the Meeting, Following up the
Meeting
Speech Purposes – General: Informative Speeches, Persuasive Speech, Entertaining Speeches - Speech
Purposes – Specific - Methods of Speaking: Speaking from a Manuscript, speaking from Memory,
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Impromptu Delivery, Extemporaneous Delivery - Analyzing the Audience: The age of listeners, The
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sex of listeners, The occupation of listeners, Intelligence and educational level of listeners, The social,
professional, and religious groups your listeners belong to, The influence of geographical experience -
Nonverbal Dimensions of Presentation
Why Organize? - The Core Statement - Organizational Structures: Organizing the Speech to Inform- The
introduction, The body, The conclusion; Organizing the Persuasive Speech – The Problem-Solution
Order, The Motivated Sequence, Deductive and inductive structures - Supporting Your Idea: Illustration,
Statistics, Expert testimony, Analogies, Anecdotes, fable, parables - Visual Aids: Designing and
Presenting Visual Aids, Selecting the Right Medium- Handouts, Chalkboards and whiteboards, Flip
charts, Overheads, Slides, Computers, Videotapes, Audiotapes, Filmstrips, and Films, Models and
physical objects - After the Presentation
UNIT 10 - LETTER WRITING: WRITING ABOUT THE ROUTINE AND THE PLEASANT
Understanding the Audience: Cultivating a “You” Attitude, How Can We “Understand the Audience”?-
Organizing your Message: Why Organization is Essential, How to Organize Letters - Business Letters:
Routine Claims, Routine Letters about Credit- Request for Information, Request for credit, Favorable
response to a request for credit, Routine Letters about Orders – Order Letter, Favorable Response to an
Order Letter, Letters about Routine Requests
Writing for the Reader: Sequence of Ideas, Style of Expression - Saying “No” to an Adjustment Request
- Saying “No” to a Credit Request - Saying “No” to an Order for Merchandise: Unclear Orders, Back
Orders, Substitution, Offering a M ore Suitable Product - Saying “No” to a Request for a favour - Special
Problems in Writing about the Unpleasant: First Paragraph, The Bad News Sentences, Last paragraph
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UNIT 12 - WRITING TO PERSUADE
The Basis of Persuasive Sales Messages – Identifying Objectives: Know the product or service, Know
the customer, Know the desired action - The Basis of Persuasive Sales Messages – Organizing the
Message, The First Paragraph : An Attention-Getter- Start with the Product, Focus on a Central Selling
Feature, Address on a Central Selling Feature, Address the reader‟s needs, Keep paragraphs short;
Introducing the Product- Be natural and cohesive, Be action-oriented, Stress and central selling point;
Convince the Readers with Evidence – Use concrete language, Be objective, Interpret the evidence, Be
careful when you talk about price; Motivating the Reader to Action – Mention the specific action you
want, Refer to the reward for taking action, Present action as being easy to take, Provide a stimulus for
quick action, Ask confidently for action - Writing a Complete Sales Letter - Claim Letters and Requests
for Favors: Making a Claim, Asking a Favor - The Collection Series: Reminder, Inquiry, Appeal,
Urgency, Ultimatum
Formulating Career Plans: Self Analysis, Career Analysis, Job Analysis, Matching Personal Needs with
Job Profile - Planning your Resume - Structuring the Resume: Chronological Resume, Functional -
Resume, Combination Chronological and Functional Resume - Content of the Resume: Heading, Career
Goals and Objectives, Education, Work Experience, Summary of Job Skills/ Key Qualifications,
Activities, Honors and Achievements, Special interests, References - Electronic Resumes
Punctuation Styles and Letter Formats - Formats: Block, Modified Block, Simplified Block - Standard
Letter Parts: Heading and Date, Inside Address, Salutation, Body, Complimentary Close, Signature
Block, Reference Initials - Special Letter Parts: Mailing Notation, Attention Line, Reference Line,
Subject Line, Second-page Heading, Enclosure Notation, Copy Notation, Postscript - Memorandum
Formats: Heading, Body Authentication, Page Identification
The Elements of a Report: The Letter of Transmittal, The Title Page, The Abstract, The Table of
Contents, The List of Illustrations, The Executive Summary, The Glossary and List of Symbols, The
Appendix - The Text of a Report: Introduction, The Body of the Report, Summary, Conclusions, an
Recommendations, Notes and Bibliography
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UNIT 18 - WRITING THE REPORT
Different Types of Reports: Formal or Informal Reports, Short or Long Reports, Informational or
Analytical Reports, The Proposal Report, Vertical or Lateral Reports, Internal or External Reports,
Periodic Reports, Functional Reports- Preprinted form, Letter, Memo, Manuscript - Four Steps in
Writing a Report: Defining the Problem and the Purpose, Zeroing I on the Problem, Developing the
Statement of Purpose, Identifying Issues for Investigation - Structuring the Report: Information
Assignments, Analytical Assignments- hypothesis, Relative merit - Concluding the Report
When to Use Visual Aids - Selecting a Suitable Visual Aid: Tables; Bar Charts- Simple bar chart, Multi-
range bar chart, Stacked-bar chart; Gantt Chart; Line Charts; Pie Charts; Pictograms; Maps;
Flowcharts and Organization Charts; Other Visual Aids - Introducing Visual Aids in the Text
Sentence Structure - Punctuation: Apostrophe, Comma, Colon, Semicolon, Dash - Paragraphs: Logical
Order, Concluding Sentence - Compositions: Steps in Essay Writing – Limiting a topic, Clarifying the
purpose, Writing the thesis statement, Writing the introduction, Planning and writing the body, Writing
the conclusion
Definition of Stress - Sources of Stress: Internal stress, External stress, Types of stress: Personal stress –
Family stress, Health-related stress, Society-related stress, Work-related stress, Time and stress, Techno
stress - Effects of Stress: Physical effects of stress, Psychological effects of stress, Effects of stress on the
environment, Difference between stress and burnout: Burnout life cycle - Steps to handle burnout -
Strategies for Coping with Stress - Strategies to fight stress: Prioritize work, Delegate work, Laughter,
Exercise, Relaxations, Diet, Sleep - Avoiding stress: Meditation, Yoga, Holistic therapies - Maintaining
Work-life Balance: Importance of work-life balance: Changing social scene, Changing work culture,
Increased work time, Dual income families; Benefits of work-life balance: Steps to achieve work-life
balance - Spirituality and Stress Management - What is spirituality? - Importance of spirituality at
workplace: Introducing spirituality at workplace
Importance of Time Management - Analysis of Time: Time logs; Time wasters; Internal time wasters –
Personal disorientation, Procrastination, Excessive socialization, Poor communication, Inefficiency;
External time wasters - Excessive number of meetings, Interruptions, Excessive usage of internet - Time
abusers: The preemptive/proactive; The propel pleaser/YES man; The perfectionist/the analyzer -
Planning Time and Resources: Need for planning time; Components of a plan – Time factor, Rewards,
Group tasks; Types of planning; Strategies for planning time - Setting Goals and Objectives: Advantages
of goal setting, Setting goals - Planning to Achieve Goals: Scheduling; Process of scheduling:
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Delegating, Process of delegating; Controlling time wasters: Biological clock, Prioritize, Spiritual
planning, Accessibility, Divide time.
Defining Creativity: Innovation and creativity, Nature of innovation, Science of creativity, Creative
personality: Components of creativity – Fluency component, Flexibility component, Originality
component, Orientation component, Intellectual ability, Knowledge, Confidence, Stages of creativity:
Exploring, Inventing, Selecting, Implementing, Creativity in organizations - Importance of Being
Creative, Barriers to creative thinking: Fear, Anxiety, Pessimism, Stress, Environment - Developing
Creativity: Developing creative work environment, Developing creativity in teams; Creative teams -
Enhancing Creativity: Techniques of creativity, Popular Techniques to Enhance Creativity,
Brainstorming, Checklist technique, Attribute changing or listing technique, Morphological analysis,
Synaptic, delphi technique, Six thinking hats, Mind mapping, Lateral thinking, Guided visualization -
Stimulating creativity in organizations, Reverse brain-storming, Creative overloading, Creative
benchmarking, Parallel groups, Creative thinking network, Stakeholders‟ council, Creative scenario
building, Entrepreneurship, Kaizen, Creativity training, Exnovation
Introduction to Interpersonal Skills: Qualities – Ability to treat others in the organization with respect,
Readiness to share knowledge with others, Willingness to train others in the organization, Good
negotiation skills, Conflict-resolving skills, Readiness to accept feedback, Ability to learn from mistakes,
Being accountable for his/her actions, Ability to align with team goals and personal goals, Ability to
influence others positively: Essential interpersonal competencies for managers, Self-awareness, Control,
Motivation, Acknowledging the interests of subordinates, Communication skills - Developing
Interpersonal Skills: Developing assertiveness, Accepting responsibility, Managing conflicts, Avoiding, ,
Accommodating, Competing, Collaborating, Compromising; Factors hampering interpersonal
interactions: Poor listening, Emotional arousal, Lack of time, Difference in objectives - Transactional
Analysis: Ego states, Parent, Child, Adult; Indicators of ego states – Words, Voice, Gestures, Posture,
Outlook; Types of transactions; Complementary transactions; Crossed transactions; Ulterior transactions;
Strokes, Games, The life positions - Transactional Analysis and Managerial Effectiveness, Transactional
analysis and interpersonal communication, Transactional analysis and motivation, Transactional analysis
: and leadership, Autocratic, Benevolent/Autocratic, Consultative, Participative, Democratic, Free-reign
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UNIT 27 - LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT SKILLS
Leadership Skills: Developing leadership skills, Visioning skills, Leadership vision in practice;
Persuasion skills: Skeptics, Persuading skeptics, Charismatics, Persuading charismatics, Followers,
Persuading followers, Controllers, Persuading controllers, Thinkers, Persuading thinkers; Motivational
skills, General methods of motivation – Desire to be great, Communication skills, Sharing the burden of
risk, Motivating by caring, Motivating by setting difficult goals, Motivating people at different levels,
Motivating frontline staff, Motivating in times of crisis; Conflict resolution skills, Conflict need not
always be avoided, Leadership tactics, Relationships beyond the chain of command, Relations with
subordinates, Relations with superiors, Change Management Skills, Direction setting skills, Factors
resisting change, Individual resistance to change, Organizational resistance to change, Skills to
implement and communicate change, Communicating the benefits of change, Countering the arguments
productivity, Leader as a change agent - Crisis Management Skills, Crisis defined, Types of crises,
Sudden crisis, Smoldering crisis, Preventing a crisis, Plan for a crisis, Formulating strategies for dealing
with a crisis, Having written plans, Establishing clear chains of command, Identifying a crisis, Resolving
the crisis, Communication in crisis management, External communication, Internal communication, Risk
management, Decision-making under risk, Managing risk
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CONTENTS
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Unit 6: Interviewing 80
Unit 7: Group Communication 81
Unit 8: Making Presentations – Getting started 83
Unit 9: Organizing and presenting the speech 83
Unit 10: Letter writing: Writing about the routine and the pleasant 86
Unit 11: Writing about the unpleasant 86
Unit 12: Writing to persuade 86
Unit 13: Communication for Employment - Résumé 88
Unit 14: Communication for Employment – Application Letter 89
Unit 15: Writing effective Memos 90
Unit 16: Structure and Layout of letters 91
Unit 17: The Framework of a Report 92
Unit 18: Writing a Report 92
Unit 19: Managing data and using Graphics 92
Unit 20: Review of writing skills 93
Unit 21: Managerial Effectiveness – A conceptual framework 95
Unit 22: Stress Management 96
Unit 23: Time Management 97
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Unit 24: Creativity in management 98
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Unit 25: Emotional Intelligence in Management 99
Unit 26: Interpersonal Skills 100
Unit 27: Leadership and Change Management Skills 102
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MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Rohan was employed in the sales and marketing area of the company. The company over a
period of time observed that he was not confident speaking to customers and sometimes fumbles
for words. He would roll his eyes while speaking and make gestures in a fashion that would
annoy the customers. He was then sent for a training program on Communication skills wherein
the instructor, Ms. Raveena has begun on some basic definitions of what communication is.
Communication, per se is an:
a. Activity which includes Verbal and nonverbal behavior
b. Activity which includes Oral and written communication
c. Activity of conveying meaningful information between two or more participants
d. Activity which defines behavior and conveys information through gestures, speech
and -writings
e. Activity which includes contextual speech that can employ technology
2. Rohan is told that there are many elements in the communication process and Ms. Raveena
helps him to identify the elements of the communication process. They are
a. Sender , receiver, telephone, status, message, interference, feedback
b. Sender, receiver, channel, message, interference, feedback, context
c. Sender, technology, message, receiver, context, feedback, interference
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d. Sender, channel, message, feelings, perception, receiver, feedback
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e. Sender, receiver, information, channel, context, barriers, feedback
3. Ms. Raveena through a series of activities and videos tries to elucidate ______, ________; the
two broad types of communication that is employed by professionals.
a. Oral and written communication
b. Verbal and nonverbal communication
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Multiple Choice – Questions
7. Praveen has to brainstorm on how he has to inform the new HR Policy keeping in mind:
a. The receiver‟s preferences b. Complexity of the message
c. Significance of the message d. Depends on the comfort ability of the speaker
e. Depends on the comfort ability of the receiver
8. Harish, working in a private organization as a manager, has called for a meeting of his team
members and plans to apprise them of their performance in the previous quarter. He observes
two of his team members have not been able to complete the target and are short by 15% and
17%. Harish should effectively communicate to the non-performers by:
a. Criticizing them in front of the team b. applauding the other achievers
c. Being assertive and persuasive d. Using an aggressive tone
e. Begin in an aggressive tone and then motivate
9. Today‟s business world requires effective and efficient communication among all hierarchical
levels. Functional coordination is an important aspect to be considered when you communicate
with:
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a. Peers b. Superiors
b. Subordinates d. Share holders
c. Stake holders
10. To establish trust among its workforce and create a positive work environment, today‟s business
establishments lay more emphasis on effective business communication. Which is the factor
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11. Reema is pursuing her PhD from a reputed university and after gathering all the data and
analyzing, prepared a report. She spent nearly 10 months on data analysis and report
preparation. She has now submitted her thesis for review and feedback to both the internal and
external guides. What is NOT true of feedback mechanism in this case:
a. Feedback to be obtained in the next two days
b. Feedback in the form of verbal, written and nonverbal
c. Feedback depends on the understanding of the message by the receiver
d. Feedback to point out the mistakes deliberately
e. Constructive feedback to improve the thesis document
12. Expendables is an organization which is modern in its approach and believes that receiving and
providing feedback is one of the ways to help the employees grow professionally and
constructive feedback was also laid down in its company policy documents. Expendables
decided that feedback at any level should be:
a. Open b. Authority only for a few
c. Transparent d. Accurate
e. Right for every employee
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
13. Tanvi has received a hike of 10% in the salary for her performance during the previous year.
Tanvi‟s teammate Sairam is very happy for having received 15% hike along with a transfer to a
prestigious department. He incites her to fight for her rights and tries to _______ her against
the organization
a. Inform b. Instigate
C. Convince d. Request
e. Support
[For questions 14 – 19]:
Mohit is demonstrating a new product „Kafe Koffee” to the members of an elite ladies club. While
demonstrating as to how easy it is to make coffee decoction of varied concentration as per the choice of
the customers, he provides them details of the wattage of the machine, how much power it consumes, the
latest technology that it works on, the programming techniques, and so on. He observes that a few of the
ladies are conversing among themselves and laughing.
14. What communication barrier did Mohit face?
a. Assumption of the speaker that the receiver can understand the message
b. The message conveyed is same as the received message
c. Change in technology distorts the message
d. Intellectual level of the receiver is the same as the speaker
e. New product features
15. How could have Mohit avoided the Communication barrier?
a. Clarity of thought and expression
b. Active listening, answering questions and obtaining feedback
c. Awareness of the audience education level
d. Deciding on the best format of communication
e. Not confusing the receivers of technology
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16. The ladies tried to comprehend the demonstration when Mohit was preparing the coffee
decoction but later their interaction levels decreased and internal talking disturbed Mohit in his
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presentation. Hence filters can arise:
a. In the mind of the listener
b. In the mind of the speaker
c. In the channel of communication
d. Both in the mind of the listener and speaker
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e. Only c
17. Mohit could see that the ladies were losing their interest in the product. For Mohit to attain the
attention of his target group and persuade them to buy the product he has to be:
a. Accurate in his message delivery
b. Communicate in an understandable manner
c. Obtain desired action from the receiver
d. All the above
e. None of the above
18. While giving a speech to a heterogeneous audience, what care should Mohit take
immediately?
a. Use simple language and explain with examples
b. Use a lot of jargons and technicalities of the product
c. Use visual aids to explain them the technology the product has
d. Target only a small section of the audience
e. Explain only to a homogenous group
19. Mohit realizes that he has to build good-will with his customers. He has to change the way he
approaches the audience, since their recommendation to other Ladies clubs could enhance his
sales. While communication as a customer relationship manager Mohit should mainly focus on,
EXCEPT:
a. Bias-free language b. Hidden negatives
c. The „You‟ attitude d. Positive emphasis
d. Simplifying complex messages
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Multiple Choice – Questions
22. To impress the young audience Piyush should mainly focus his speech on:
a. Facial expression b. Logical flow of thought
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to explain the slide elaborately. Which is the type of listening that Shyam is employing at this
moment?
a. Response listening b. Reflective listening
c. Tactical listening d. Evaluative listening
e. Passive listening
26. Geeta is recently recruited by Citizens Union Bank as a Probationary Officer and has to attend a
3-day training workshop on SME banking. The workshop consists of several lectures by experts
which would aid Geeta to perform her job effectively. Geeta wants to learn as much as possible
from this workshop. An industry expert is delivering the lecture on „Customer Relationship
Management‟ in banks. Geeta is paying full attention to the speaker, but not displaying any
nonverbal cues. How can the speaker assume that Geeta is actively listening?
a. The listener is not asking any questions and can be thought of not receiving the
complete message
b. The listener tries to exhibit some non-verbal cues without her knowledge while
paying attention to the speaker which the speaker can evaluate
c. The listener is not showing any body movements so that it may distract the speaker
d. The listener tries to concentrate on the speech rather being worried about
nonverbal cues
e. The listener has come to the workshop to develop her skills and it is required to
actively listen
27. Panacea Corporate Services is conducting a recruitment drive to hire six HR Managers to its
four new branches in Karnataka. It has visited one of the reputed colleges in Bangalore. 400
applicants have applied for the job. After several rounds of the interview process, 15 were
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shortlisted for the final personal interview round scheduled at 7 pm on the same day. The
interviewers were stressed out and planned to complete the process in two hours. The candidate
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facing the interview should observe the panel and understand if they are not paying attention to
his answers. Which nonverbal cues help the candidate to assess the panel‟s disinterest?
a. Maintaining eye contact with the candidate
b. Nodding their head to the answers of the candidate
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Multiple Choice – Questions
30. Naveen, a Marketing Manager of a manufacturing company, has a German client visiting him
this morning at 11 am. He has scheduled a meeting consisting of 5 members at the Conference
Hall. Every 15 minutes a team member walks in and excuses for the delay. Naveen, himself is
stuck in a traffic jam at Hudson circle and reaches the office only by 12 noon and says “You
know, the traffic in this part of Bangalore is horrible, especially during peak hours.” What does
the German feel; which time orientation does this best characterize?
a. Poly-chronic time culture b. Mono-chronic time culture
c. Di-chronic time culture d. Chromatics time culture
e. Chronic time culture
31. Sneha worked as a physiotherapist, but after 2 years, she realized that she was not growing in
her career. She decides to do an MBA in finance. Initially she faced difficulty in subjects like
financial accounting, quantitative techniques, and financial management because of her science
background, but with her grit, hard work and determination she is on the verge of completing
her MBA. Deloitte personnel have come for campus placement and she is appearing for the
personal interview. The interviewer is standing, leaning on to the table and peering at her
asking very tough questions. What does he observe from her body language that makes him feel
she is confident?
a. Slouching b. Jittery voice
c. Looking at her writing pad while answering d. Shaking hands and legs
e. Resting her back and sitting comfortably
32. Rahul works in a software firm as a Public Relations Manager in Hyderabad and had an
appointment with the Manager of the British firm „Softronics‟ in their London office at 4 pm on
Friday. He had prepared his project proposal with extreme care and had proofread many times
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to eliminate any errors. He was very confident that he could obtain the deal which was very
crucial for him at this point of his career. He had chosen Friday dressing, groomed himself well,
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carried multiple copies of the documents neatly filed and reached the venue as per schedule.
The meeting went through but he could feel the cold response of the Manager and could sense
something wrong. What do you think was wrong with Rahul?
a. Kinesics b. Proxemics
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c. Chromatics d. Chronemics
e. Haptics
33. FIFA 2014 has enticed people of all nations to converge at Brazil. When USA played with
Ghana the American spectators were holding their index and middle finger in the shape of a “V”
sign which means victory. V sign in France means “worthless” or “Zero”. In Japan, V sign
denotes money. But these gestures are understood by public at large and have a huge impact on
our communication. These signs come under:
a. Emblems b. Adaptors
c. Illustrators d. Regulators
e. Affective displays
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
UNIT 5: NEGOTIATIONS
34. Kaushik worked in an FMCG company as a Retail Manager for the past one year and had an
exemplary performance. He was awarded Employee of the Quarter two times and was expecting
a growth in his career ladder. He was having his lunch when one of his teammates asked him to
check his mail for some important information. Leaving his lunch half way through, he went
and checked his mail. The company had organized a dinner at a 5-star hotel to employees who
had performed well in the past financial year and he was one of them. He enters the venue to see
the top management already present there. He was surprised when the Global Head –
Marketing division shakes hand with him and pats him on his shoulder. What message did
Kaushik interpret from this gesture?
a. Intimacy and close relationship b. Appreciation and support
c. Superiority d. Sincerity and concern
e. Self-important and aloof
35. Sireesh works for an IT company as a Software Engineer. His wife, Shagun is employed as a
journalist. They have a daughter, Shivani who goes to kindergarten. Every day it is Sireesh‟s
responsibility to drop Shivani to school, Shagun to her office and then reach his office. Off late,
he is reaching his office late by 15 to 20 minutes. Today his Manager is standing near Sireesh‟s
cabin and says, ”I have been covering up for your late coming with the Regional Manager,
whenever he calls for an early morning briefing and you have crossed the limit. “The Manager
is:
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a. Exhibiting his superiority b. Showing Empathy
c. Criticizing him d. admonishing him
e. Using Descriptive “I” language
36. Cuboid, is an infrastructure company which has recently signed an agreement with Buoyant
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Drinks to build their cool-drink factory premises in Nagpur. Cuboid believes in maintaining
positive relationships with all its stakeholders. The HR policy reiterates that each employee is
significantly worthy, treated with respect and can carve his own identity. Abhiram, a Research
Associate of Cuboid was assigned the responsibility of conducting a survey of the land and
other amenities near the outskirts of Nagpur and to present his report on the feasibility of the
establishment of the factory. He prepares a well-researched report and presents it before the
panel consisting of the parent company and the clients. Which response of the panel do you
think shows their open-mindedness in their approach?
a. I think you should have made the report the way I wanted it, not the way you want to
b. Your report here suggests that among the three possible locations, the second is more
feasible, could you elaborate on the second once again?
c. We cannot come to a conclusion on which is the suitable one. You need to work hard
d. You should have surveyed the availability of water and raw material in much more
detail. I think your suggestion is stupid
e. The survey and report has no clarity, taking a decision on this report is risky
Rajani was a brilliant student in her school days and always obtained the praise of her teachers. She was
hardworking, meticulous in her tasks and was detail-oriented. She joined an IT company as an IT trainee
engineer and her boss, Shalini was very appreciative of her work. Shalini would motivate her team to
brainstorm, think of new ideas, and would insist on performing with zeal and passion. Rajani was so
influenced by her that she would sometimes work till late in the nights and during weekends. Rajani‟s
progress and initiative was appreciated by the management and she was posted to another project.
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Multiple Choice – Questions
Initially Rajani was enthusiastic but a few months later, she could feel that her energy levels had
decreased and that reflected in her performance. She was upset with the office environment and
sometimes willed to stay at home without any reason.
personal interview at their State Head Office. Kishan attends a few rounds of interview and
they offer Kishan a hike of 10% on his CTC while Kishan expresses he is expecting at least 20 –
25% hike as the work load and responsibilities are more. What negotiation tactics should the
private bank personnel employ as Kishan is a suitable candidate?
a. Compromise on the salary with a hike of 20%
b. Lessen his responsibilities and employ an assistant for him
c. Compromise for a hike of 12%, with performance based incentives and benefits
d. Promise him the hike after his first year performance review
e. Hire a fresher with low salary and train him
41. Bhaskar is a dealer of Star Bikes and has sold over 20000 bikes of their X-lent brand exclusively
manufactured for ladies. He has received a mail from the Management of Star Bikes that the
welding in the handle bar is faulty and to recall the bikes sold after May 2014. Bhaskar has to
personally call the customers and inform them of X-lent Recharge Campaign wherein the faulty
handle will be repaired and also a free service of the bike would be done with no extra cost to
the customer. What tactics can the dealer employ while negotiating with the customers?
a. State the problems faced while manufacturing and overpower the customer
b. Defend the organization and get into a „give-and-take‟ mode
c. Ignore the mail and inconvenience caused to the customer
d. Offer free petrol worth Rs. 500 and a helmet for first 1000 customers
e. Win the confidence of the customer and be transparent about the benefits the customer
is going to receive
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
42. Sumanth is working for a publishing house as the Sales Head and has a team of six Sales
executives under him. He observes that Karanth is doing extremely well in his job, but when it
comes to completing the office formalities like reporting his sales, arriving on time for weekly
briefings, he sounds arrogant and also behaves bossy with his fellow teammates, sometimes
even taunting them for not being successful. Sumanth observes him for some time and decides
to talk to him. Choose the best approach that Sumanth should employ in this case:
a. Be aggressive and reprimand him for his misbehavior
b. List out the issues at hand, be assertive of what expectations are from the team
c. Warn him and inform him about the repercussions
d. Be lenient with him and give him another chance
e. Make fun of his shortcomings in front of his team mates
43. Avni is working for Silkpro, a cosmetics manufacturing company as an HR manager in
Chennai. She recently got married to an entrepreneur in Delhi and requests for a transfer to the
Head Office. To get her request sanctioned, which of the following skills will increase her
prospects?
a. Conversation and negotiation skills b. Aggressive communication
c. Logical communication d. Emotional communication
e. Ability to demand and dominate
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Multiple Choice – Questions
UNIT 6: INTERVIEWING
44. Arundhati Foods manufactures biscuits and has been in the business for the past 6 years. They
have gained a market share of about 9% and some of their products have made a name in the
market. Recently, the company is facing labor issues and the production department is under
lockout for more than a week. The management had discussions with the union and figured out
the problems faced by the workers. The management decided and instructed the HR department
to identify a Counselor to deal and solve the problems of the workers. Each individual worker
can approach the Counselor with his problems and expect solutions. What interpersonal
communication does this come under?
a. Disciplinary interview b. Persuasive interview
c. Appraisal interview d. Behavioral interview
e. Counseling interview
Karthik is in the third semester of his MBA and has secured 7.5 CGPA till his second semester. Campus
placement interviews are in the offing and Karthik had applied for Global Data Services for the position
of Analyst. The job required good analytical and numerical skills, attention to detail and problem
solving skills. Karthik researched and prepared a cover letter and résumé and submitted to the placement
department. He cleared the aptitude test, group discussion, and technical round with ease. The last
round of interview „personal interview‟ began with a panel of three members. The questions were like
this:
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i. Tell me something about yourself
ii. Why does the „Analyst‟ profile interest you?
iii. How do you see yourself in the next five years?
iv. Tell us something about your achievements?
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45. How do the interviewers want to employ the information provided by the candidate?
a. Explore the potential of the candidate in various areas
b. Provide an opportunity to the candidate to reveal his emotional feelings with
intelligence
c. Elicit precise data as written in his cover letter and résumé
d. All of the above
e. Both b & c
46. Karthik also faced some questions as given below. Which question did the panel ask to decide
his attitude and behavior towards work?
a. If you were asked to work for extended hours and during weekends, would you?
b. Do you understand politics?
c. Are you knowledgeable of our recent merger with a Netherlands company?
d. Were you able to convince teenagers to donate blood?
e. Did you fare bad in your 12th Mathematics paper?
f.
[For questions 47 – 48]:
Praneeth had applied for the Sales Executive position at Electrix, a retail store dealing with consumer
durables and was called for a personal interview at 10 am on Saturday. He had about two years of
parttime experience in his family business which deals with electric appliances like fans, geysers,
switches, etc.
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
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Multiple Choice – Questions
50. Paper Mache is a paper manufacturing company located in Orissa. They are involved in raw
material procurement, conversion of raw material into finished goods and supply of goods into
the market. The various functions that happen in tandem are purchasing, marketing, HR,
finance, production and operations, technical, supply chain and logistics, maintenance, to name
a few. Teamwork is an essential component in industries and group performance surpass
individual work. What is the type of team that includes inter-department communication at
Paper Mache in this case?
a. Informal team b. Operations team
c. Production team d. Cross-functional team
e. Sales and marketing team
[For questions 51 – 52]:
Sirish is selected as an intern in Siti bank for their financial products and services division for three
months. His job is to sell mutual funds. He is placed in a team consisting of Gaurav, Kiran, and
Saurabh who belong to Rockford B-School. In the initial two weeks, everything went fine as the team
was undergoing training and had to clear the Association of Mutual Funds of India (AMFI) examination.
Teamwork helped to gain and exchange information and all four could clear the examination. The team
was then sent to the field and productivity decreased within the next two weeks.
team consisting of Sirish, Gaurav, Kiran and Saurabh, when they went to the field to contact
probable customers?
a. Encouraging b. Withdrawing
c. Harmonizing d. Compromising
e. Only c & d
53. Kavita runs a Self-Help group center employing women and helping them to earn their
livelihood. The company‟s products like papad, pickles, bamboo chairs, coir bags, paintings,
embroidered cloth and accessories have a niche market. Kavita is busy all the time participating
in exhibitions, festival-sale counters and sometimes in multi-brand retail outlets. She has
appointed Srushti as her assistant who takes care of the day-to-day operations. Srushti observes
that the company has a good number of young mothers who have small babies to take care.
These young women have to take small breaks in between their jobs either to care of their ill
babies or to feed them. Srushti decides to solve the problem of these young women and also to
increase their productivity. Which group decision-making process best suits for this situation?
a. Reflective thinking b. Orientation, Conflict, Emergence and Reinforcement
c. Brainstorming d. Nominal group technique
e. Any of a, c & d
54. Amaan works in Softpro, an IT company as a Trainee Engineer. He completed his engineering
in Computer Science from Mumbai University and got campus placement at Softpro. After
completing around two years, he has been promoted as Team Leader and handles a team of 10
software engineers working across borders. Every Monday afternoon, there is a team briefing
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
through video conference discussing the issues at hand. The major challenge faced by Amaan
in effectively communicating to the entire group is:
a. Task-oriented member‟s b. Self-oriented members
c. Team-oriented member‟s d. Culture differences
e. Answers a, b & c
55. Shivram passed his MBA from a college in Chennai and obtained a job in Delhi as a Sales
Manager with a lucrative salary package at Aqua Regia Water Bottling Company. He was
conversant with two languages: Tamil and English but to his astonishment all his team members
either knew Hindi or Punjabi and most of the time communicated only in those two languages
much to the discomfiture of Shivram. Shivram tried hard to develop a good relationship with
the team. He could also understand that there were regional differences within the
Hindi/Punjabi speaking members as well. What reasons led to team failure in this case?
a. Absence of positive team bonding b. Poor communication within the team
c. The issue of baggage d. Both a & b
e. Both a & c
Keerthi, Jaya and Pramod joined Metastatix, a market research organization as Research Associates after
several rounds of interviews conducted across India. They were given an assignment to conduct a survey
on the selection of apps by smart phone customers. This involved a lot of research on the knowledge of
apps, benefits to the customers, and the cost of the apps and so on. The team diligently prepared a
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questionnaire and conducted the survey for a sample of 1000 across three cities. They analyzed the
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survey using modern methods of data analysis which they learnt after attending a workshop during
weekends. They prepared the report of the study and presented it to their supervisor, Mr. Madan. Madan
was not happy with the way the analysis was done as he knew only the traditional way of analysis. He
strongly instructed them that he cannot consider the report and forced them to follow the way he wanted
to. Being new to the organization, all the three decide to follow as the supervisor said.
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56. What challenges are the new recruits facing while working in the team?
a. Groupthink b. Baggage
c. Blockers d. Knowledge of traditional means
e. Status
57. In the above case, what challenges do you think is Mr. Madan, the supervisor facing with a new
set of young eager, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable team members?
a. Poor learning capabilities b. Baggage of experience
c. Blockers d. Groupthink
e. Answers a, b and c
After every project is done and approved by the senior authorities, Promax IT Solutions allows the teams
to have a one day outing or get together by sanctioning an amount of Rs. 5000/- for the same. The team
members along with their Team Manager, Mr Harsh Singh sit for a discussion. A few members suggest
to go to a movie and lunch at the newly opened mall, a few suggest to visit a resort in the outskirts of the
city, another suggests that they should only book for a „pure vegetarian‟ restaurant. Lata makes it clear
that she cannot be away after 7 pm as she has to pick up her daughter from the crèche and would not like
to participate in the outing.
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Multiple Choice – Questions
58. What strategies would Mr. Harsh Singh employ to resolve this conflict?
a. Collaborating b. Competing
c. Compromising d. Accommodating
e. Avoiding
59. What conflict resolution is Lata employing in the above case?
a. Collaborating b. Competing
c. Compromising d. Accommodating
e. Avoiding
[For questions 60 – 62]:
Rajkiran takes over as the Senior Manager of a well- known MNC. He has been in this job for the past
one month and observes that in a particular project, the team has been reduced to half in the last six
months. He looks at the profiles of the persons who have left and understands that they were working for
the company for more than 4 years. He conducts further investigations and learns that there was no
positive bonding between the Manager in-charge, Sukriti, an MBA from IIM and the team. The Manager
was newly appointed just 6 months ago and since then there has been an exodus of employees.
60. What will Rajkiran instruct Sukriti regarding Superior-Subordinate relationship building?
a. Praise achievements in public but criticize them in private, help in positive team
bonding
b. Personally identify problems within the team and solve their issues
c. Bring in politics within the team and try to find a few favorite team players
d. Both a & b
e. Both b & c
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61. What factors in-group communication should Sukriti, the Manager keep in mind to develop a
healthy relationship between Superior – Subordinate in the above case?
a. Size of the group b. Longevity of the group
c. Leadership and Status d. Perception and Self Concept
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
64. Shiksha works as the Marketing Head of Hertiage Products. The company has a chain of desi
stores dealing with furnishing, clothing, accessories, jute bags and mats, recycled paper, honey
in all the metros in the country and want to establish stores abroad also. Shiksha is sent to
London for a month as part of the Incredible India campaign which highlights Indian culture and
desi products on company expenditure. She tries to promote her services through kiosks,
exhibitions, fashion shows and so on. During weekends she visits the Big Ben, Trafalgar
Square, Madam Tussauds museum and posts the pictures on Facebook. She takes care to buy
small mementoes to her team also. When she comes back to her office she overhears from her
colleagues that she was very lucky to have gone abroad and has been utilizing office money in
enjoying the trip. How does she resolve this conflict?
a. Compromise b. Compete
c. Accommodate d. Avoid
e. Confront
Ceraglass, a ceramics and cutlery manufacturing company from Bhopal has been doing very well in the
market. Their Purple Daisy collection and Pink Blossom collection has been appreciated widely.
Several articles in interior decoration magazines have also mentioned the designer crockery sets that are
available at affordable prices. This prompted the company to sell its products online. Due to the huge
response and growing sales, the management wants to open its retail outlets in all the metros in India.
They plan to conduct a meeting with its stakeholders.
65. What is the type of meeting that has to be planned by Ceraglass in this case?
a. Change facilitating meeting
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b. Informational meeting
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c. Problem-solving meeting d. Board meeting
e. Decision making meeting
66. Ceraglass has entrusted Neethu, personal secretary to the Chairman to plan the meeting. Neethu
understands the culture of Ceraglass well and knows she has to make arrangements keeping in
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mind; that the decisions can be taken when the meeting happens effectively; focusing on the
issue, facilitating opinions and encouraging discussions. What care should Neethu take before
calling for a meeting?
a. Identify the number and status of people who should attend
b. Prepare a Notice, mentioning the venue and time of the meeting
c. Set a clear agenda for the meeting
d. Allocate ample time for each point to be discussed
e. All of the above
[For questions 67 – 71]:
Daniel, Regional Manager of an FMCG company has informed Mitha, his Secretary that he wants to
conduct a meeting of the sales executives of the region and asked her to prepare a Notice.
Today’s meeting is going to be held at 3 pm on the topic already mentioned yesterday at the coffee
room regarding sales of the new product. All are instructed to be present with the necessary data
a. Incomplete b. No clarity
c. Concise d. Both a & b
e. No problem
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Multiple Choice – Questions
68. Mitha also has enclosed the Agenda after preparing the Notice for the meeting. What are your
observations of the agenda?
Agenda:
Meeting at 3 pm
3: 05 Talk by the Manager
3:10 Discussion on New product
3:20 Customer behavior
3:30 Tea/Coffee
3:45 Data analysis
4:00 Vote of thanks by Secretary
a. No Clarity on Topics of discussion
b. Time allocated for each discussion less
c. Inaccurate on where, why is it being conducted
d. Inaccurate on who should attend the meeting
e. All of the above
69. The meeting was over with a lot of chaos and Daniel, the Manager advised Mitha to be more
careful in the future. He also assigned her to prepare the minutes of the meeting and take his
approval before forwarding to the attendees. Mitha knows that the minutes of a meeting is the
record of discussions and decisions taken for every point of agenda. What care should she take
while preparing the minutes of the meeting?
a. Mention the name of the person
b. Write in past tense
c. Be Precise
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d. Mention the decisions taken on each point on agenda
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e. All of the above
70. If there is chaos when a meeting is being held, the Chairperson can use his discretionary powers
to control by:
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
The Marketing department also informs you that they will give a discount of 25% from the
annual fees and provide additional technical certifications worth Rs. 1 lakh, if they admit
Ganesh into this college within 7 days. What is the kind of speech being employed by the
Marketing department?
a. Entertaining speech b. Informative speech
c. Persuasive speech d. Confrontational speech
e. Analytical speech
76. Rohit is in his final year of his post-graduation. During the last two semesters, the college runs
a placement-training program to all its students to prepare them for the ongoing placement
processes of different companies. The facilitator in the Training Program is conducting a JAM
session where Rohit has to pick up a topic and speak for one minute. What method of speaking
does it come under?
a. Speaking from memory b. Impromptu delivery
c. Extemporaneous delivery d. Speaking using a manuscript
e. All of the above
[For questions 77 – 79]:
Manas joined as a Sales executive for one of the publishing houses and the company has recently forayed
into e-books. Manas‟s job was to give presentations about e-books to several clients and today he has an
appointment to address the students of one of the graduate colleges.
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Multiple Choice – Questions
e. a, c and d
81. Why couldn‟t Sakshi make the audience connect to her interesting topic?
a. Lack of Confidence b. Nervousness
c. Excitement d. Loss of memory
e. Stiff body postures
82. What problems on voice delivery do the candidates face while presenting to an audience even
after enough preparation?
a. Variation of pitch b. Variation of rate of speech
c. Correct pronunciation d. fumbling for correct vocabulary
e. All of the above
83. Sounak also had to give the presentation and he chose „Samsung Mobile phones‟ as his topic.
While preparing the slides he planned it well on how to begin, what topics to cover, and the end.
He also included some pictures to explain the products of Samsung. It was an interesting topic
and could have easily scored high marks for his presentation skills. But the case was not so.
What could be the reason?
a. Pictures on the slide b. Paragraphs on the slide
c. Dark Slide background and light font d. No Animation
e. Big Font size
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
84. What visual aspects of delivery did Sakshi and Sounak realize is important to obtain the
attention of the audience after getting feedback for their presentation?
a. Quality of gestures and posture b. Movements on the stage
c. Eye contact and facial expression d. Body orientation with the audience
e. All the above
85. Harsha has picked up the topic on „Critical review of an advertisement‟ for his continuous
evaluation. He is usually a dramatist and he wanted to attract the audience interest. He
downloaded video-clippings to highlight his points. What kind of a speech should Harsha focus
on?
a. Persuasive Speech b. Entertainment Speech
c. Analytical speech d. Informative Speech
e. Both c & d
86. If you have chosen the topic on „Budget 2014‟, what kind of a speech it would be?
a. Informative speech b. Entertainment speech
c. Analytical speech d. Persuasive speech
e. Impromptu speech
87. What kind of a speech delivery would you choose for the topic „Budget 2014‟?
a. Impromptu delivery b. Manuscript delivery
c. Speaking from memory d. Extemporaneous delivery
e. None of the above
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88. To explain some facts and figures you can include graphs, and can prepare handy notes by:
a. Taking notes on A4 paper b. Taking colored cue cards
c. Carrying a note-pad d. Memorizing the numerical figures
e. Placing the figures in one corner of the slide
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89. When you are delivering a topic like „Budget 2014‟ you observe it is very difficult to engage the
audience and keep their interest levels high. What steps do you need to take?
a. Involve the audience in the discussion b. Increase your voice levels
c. Use humor d. Serve tea/coffee time to time
e. Shout at them to listen to you
[For questions 90 – 93]:
In a 3-day training workshop conducted by the organization for newly inducted employees in Cochin,
through training facilitators mostly from the local sources.
90. Garima Singh could not understand the accent of one of the speakers. Should Garima
a. Let her mind wander rather than listening to the speaker
b. Imitate his accent in front of other employees
c. List the key words and assimilate the information
d. Play with her smart phone under the desk
e. Talk to her neighbor about the speaker
91. Nitin Gupta who was a participant in the training workshop was eager to learn as much as
possible as this would help him in his future projects. He has some questions to ask the speaker.
Should he ________?
a. Interrupt the speaker and put forth his questions
b. List down the questions and ask them at the end of the speech
c. Be scared of the speaker‟s position and think to try to find answers himself
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Multiple Choice – Questions
Sudhir is an SIP (Summer Internship Program) intern. During the last week of SIP, he submits the report
to his faculty guide and company guide. They ask him to make a presentation for 20 minutes the next
day on the report submitted by him.
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
99. Sudhir has done a customer satisfaction survey and has a huge data of 25 questions answered by
a sample of 200 customers. What would be the best mode of presenting this data to his faculty
and company guides?
a. Showing the excel sheet containing the data
b. Plotting graphs for each question
c. Analyze the data and present only relevant points
d. Forget the data and only give recommendations
e. Answers a & b
100. While preparing his SIP report, Sudhir conducts a lot of research, learns SPSS software for
analysis of data and works on formatting the report. He then comes across a similar kind of
report on the internet. He thinks he can use some information, flow charts and pictures from
that report to make it more appealing. After final submission, his faculty guide rejects his
report and asks him to work on it again. What could be the reason?
a. Plagiarism b. incomplete data analysis
c. Report not in logical order d. Informal language
e. Lack of formatting
Sriram was an employee in the sales department at Decathlon, a sports gear manufacturing company. He
was supposed to give a presentation on the quarterly sales of his team to the Sales Director. He decided
to prepare a PPT to aid him in his speech.
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101. While making presentation, Sriram should take care to:
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a. Introduce his project with a paragraph of five lines
b. Use dark green slide design with grey font
c. Include flow charts and graphs on one slide
d. Use colorful pictures and animated gifs on his slide
e. Keep one idea per slide
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102. Sriram has to follow a logical order to present the data to the Sales Director. Sriram can select
how to present his report in one of these ways:
a. Flip charts b. Video clippings
c. Models d. Handouts
e. Audio clippings
[For questions 103 – 105]:
Prakruthi Infrastructure Company is well known for constructing public buildings, schools, IT parks, etc.
Sahana was a qualified postgraduate who worked for Prakruthi Infrastructure Company as a Senior
Architect. She has been working on planning and designing the structure of a management school for a
prominent education company in a vast area of land in the city outskirts. Sahana and her team have to
give a presentation of her plan and design to their clients.
103. What steps should Sahana take before she meets her clients?
a. Prepare her plans and designs as per client requirements
b. Use the right medium to present
c. Support her ideas with solid evidence
d. Prepare on the questions that might arise
e. All of the above
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Multiple Choice – Questions
104. Sahana should choose the right visual aid/ medium to present her architectural plan and design.
Which among these is the best for this kind of a presentation?
a. Overheads b. Model
c. Video clippings d. Chalk and white boards
e. Flip charts
105. The audience in the presentation would like to clarify Sahana‟s design by posing a few
questions to her. What should Sahana do?
a. Make it clear to them that she will answer after her presentation is over
b. Say that she cannot hear the question and avoid the person
c. Paraphrase the question as an introduction to her answer and resolve the query
d. She should tell the person that she will meet him separately and answer his queries
e. Start the discussion on the question immediately with the audience
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
UNIT 10: LETTER WRITING: WRITING ABOUT THE ROUTINE AND THE PLEASANT
UNIT 11: WRITING ABOUT THE UNPLEASANT
UNIT 12: WRITING TO PERSUADE
106. Abhishek wants to renew his car insurance. He tries to find out the different policies from
different general insurance companies. He writes a letter to find the best possible policy for
him. What kind of a letter is this?
a. Enquiry letter b. Claim letter
c. Purchase letter d. Order letter
e. Adjustment letter
107. The Marketing team has just received an email from their Marketing Manager, Sarah Jones.
Which kind of letter does this come under?
Please send me the confirmation that you will be available for the event by 5 th August, 2014.
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Looking forward to seeing you all there
Best Regards,
Sarah Jones,
Marketing Manager
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West Watch Corporation (WWC) received an order from a reputed IT company for 200 watches, both
male and female variants, to be given as corporate gifts for Deepavali. The order did not specify the
color of the dial and the number of male and female styles.
109. What kind of a letter does Raksha, the Marketing Manager of WWC write to the IT Company?
a. Routine letter b. Deductive letter
c. Inductive letter d. Claim letter
e. Persuasive letter
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Multiple Choice – Questions
110. Due to a rise in the demand of the products, the Production department at West Watch
Corporation decided to change the timings from 8 am to 6:30 am for the last two weeks of
September. Which kind of letter should the HR department write while conveying the message
to the employees in the production department?
a. Inductive letter b. Deductive letter
c. Routine letter d. Claim letter
e. Adjustment letter
[For questions 111 – 112]:
Indira, from the purchasing department of Sanjana Sheet Metal Works recently bought a Kashmiri
woolen carpet from a reputed retail store „Wools world‟ for her office premises. It was light blue in
color and matched well with the interiors of her office in an industrial plant. The company had also
given a guarantee for one year on the product. Due to some carelessness and ill maintenance, a few stains
stood out from the carpet and made it look ugly. She writes a letter to „Wools world‟ for a replacement
or cleaning of the carpet, hoping a person would be sent to clean those stains right away. But she
receives a reply to her letter as below:
“The letter is in response to your letter of June 25 asking for replacement of your stained Kashmiri
woolen carpet. You purchased a pale blue colored carpet, but then installed it in an industrial plant.
This represents a misuse of the product. I have no control over the care and use of the carpet after it
has been installed”.
111. What are the basic rules the company‟s Public Relations Department had not adhered while
framing this kind of letter?
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a. Building rapport with the client b. Needs and expectations of the client
c. “You” attitude while communicating d. Maintaining goodwill with the client
e. All of the above
112. Wools World‟s PR (Public Relations) person in the above case has to develop goodwill among
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its customers and has to act fast. What can he do to reverse the ill feelings of the customer?
a. Write an apology letter immediately
b. Write a letter offering him a gift voucher
c. Write a long and detailed response
d. Write a rejection letter with a direct „no‟
e. Write to him to approach the senior management
[For questions 113 – 114]:
Ravishankar owns „Elektronics‟, a dealers‟ showroom where he sells electronic goods like TVs, washing
machines, laptops, Ipads, mobile phones, sound systems, speakers, etc. The Regional Manager of
Computer Solutions has written to Ravishankar informing him that the Edulearn Ipads sold by the
company has a small glitch in its monitor hardware as some grey lines appear on the screen after a few
minutes of operation. The company along with repairing the hardware would like to include software
such as learning material for CBSE and ICSE students and also upgrade the Ipads with the latest version
of their operating system for those customers who bought after May this year. Ravishankar needs to
send an email to the customers of Edulearn Ipads informing them about the problem and the new add-
ons. The customers need to be convinced about the steps taken by the company to resolve their problem.
113. What kind of a letter will Ravishankar write to resolve the issue?
a. Information letter b. Persuasive letter
c. Claim letter d. Adjustment letter
e. Complaint letter
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
114. Ravishankar writes an email to each of his customers explaining about the problem related to
the monitor hardware and tries to convince them that they can also have add-ons. He expects
the customers to:
a. Accept his explanation with an open mind
b. Reject his explanation with a closed mind
c. Be interested in the message conveyed
d. Act and follow what he intends to convey
e. Read the message and delete it
[For questions 115 – 118]:
Superior Accommodation is a company which offers service apartments for rent in the major cities of
India. Manoj works as a Publicity Manager for this company. His job is to make companies aware of
these service apartments. He plans to write an email to the IT companies of Hyderabad to promote his
company and its services. He plans to use the AIDA approach for framing the letter.
a. A quotation b. A cliché
c. A bargain d. A provocative question
e. A challenge
118. If you need to mention the price of the product which is expensive to the reader, care should be
taken while:
a. Discussing the price in the opening paragraph
b. Concentrating more on the features of the product not on price
c. Mentioning the price of the product using compound sentences
d. Stating the price in small units or per unit price
e. Both c & d
[For questions 119 – 124]:
Vipul is the Purchase Manager of ITA Hotels and has purchased glassware from Ceraglass. He has
ordered 15 sets of their Gold Room Collection and expects to receive the order in three days‟ time.
Today he receives an email from Ceraglass that the dispatch of the Gold Room collection will take
another two weeks, but their Blue Room Collection is available if wanted immediately. They also offer
him an additional discount of 5% on the entire order.
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Multiple Choice – Questions
119. What will be Vipul‟s first step before taking a decision on the issue at hand?
a. Use a direct approach for not complying with the order on time
b. Write a Cancellation of order and look for some other supplier
c. Write a Claim letter for the payment made in advance with 10% interest
d. Identify why there is a delay in the dispatch of Gold Room Collection
e. Accept the Blue Room collection and negotiate for an 8% discount
120. The Dispatch department at Ceraglass also has to take care before sending the email since ITA
Hotels is an important client. Whenever writing letters about the unpleasant they should begin
with:
a. A neutral statement Informing why the dispatch did not take place
b. A statement giving them the dates when they can receive the product
c. A statement where the receiver can expect some good news
d. A statement with an offer of discount
e. A statement to persuade to buy whatever is available
121. Whenever writing about the unpleasant or if there is „bad news‟ to be conveyed, the letter begins
with a neutral statement. It is known as:
a. Equivocation b. Buffer
c. Apology d. Empathetic
e. Refusal
122. When writing about the unpleasant, the language NOT to be used by the writer is:
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a. Courteous to the reader b. Tactful use of words and expression
c. Show empathy in the message d. Offer an apology to the reader
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e. Understand the problems of the reader
123. While writing buffer statements for communicating the unpleasant, it can contain the following,
EXCEPT:
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124. In the above case, the Dispatch department of Ceraglass should take care whenever writing
letters about the unpleasant. They should close with:
a. A negative statement refusing to process the order
b. A statement restating that the order will be processed in 2 weeks
c. A statement providing alternative solutions
d. A persuasive statement to buy the products available
e. A statement giving explanations for non-dispatch of the order
While writing letters, it is always better to follow the 7 C‟s of communication. A letter was sent by
Vikram to Prakash:
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
We have seen your advertisement for 3200 square feet of office space in the Daily Newspaper. As
we are interested we would like some additional information.
Specifically, if you are interested, we would like to know the interior land annual cost, availability
of transportation length of lease agreement, escalation provisions, and any other information you
think is pertinent.
If the information you give is favorable, we will inspect the property. Please send your reply.
Sincerely,
Vikram
125. Which of the 7 C‟-s of communication is NOT adhered in this letter shown above?
a. Clarity b. Concreteness
c. Conciseness d. Courteousness
e. Completeness
126. A letter requires clear statements mentioned in a particular sequential order and usage of:
a. Proper business vocabulary b. Tone
c. Punctuation d. Grammar and spellings
e. All of the above
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FA
127. Mr. Hari has purchased D-Craft jeans and has written a complaint letter to the company saying
that the color ran and the jeans has become faded. Mr. Jerome Lobo, Customer Relations
Manager has written a rejection letter to Mr. Hari. Identify the writer‟s intention in this
rejection letter shown below:
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Mr. Hari,
Subject: Your May 3 claim for damages
I regret to report that we must reject your request for money back on the faded D-Craft
jeans.
We must refuse because D-Craft fabrics are not made to be washed in washing machines
and that too with other clothes. It is difficult for me to understand how you failed to notice
the washing instructions that were tagged along with the product. Since we have been more
than reasonable in trying to inform you, we cannot possibly be responsible for the colors
that ran on your other clothes.
We trust that you will understand our position. We regret very much the damage and
inconvenience our product has caused you and your other clothes in the washing machine.
Mr. Jerome Lobo,
Customer Relations Manager
38
Multiple Choice – Questions
Dev is the Purchase Manager of Mantra Retail. He writes a letter to CamCord, a CCTV camera
manufacturing company placing an order for 10 more cameras. He tells them the payment that is due for
the 25 cameras purchased last month would be sent by bank transfer by the end of this month and
requests them to send the new order as it is very urgent.
e. Urgency
131. Mantra Retail, due to some contingencies, asks for a credit extension. Even after the extension,
the payment is due for over a month now. Hence the accounts department sends a reminder
letter followed by an inquiry letter. When the payment still remains pending, the Account
Manager decides to follow the next series of Collection letters – Appeal letter. He can choose
from one of the following types of appeals EXCEPT:
a. Fair play b. Ultimatum
c. Closure d. Pride
e. Fear
132. To write a strong appeal letter, the Accounts Manager has to keep in mind to:
a. Use a demanding tone in the language
b. Use a deductive approach
c. Mention the credit worthiness and reputation of the company
d. Insist on why the company must clear the dues now
e. All of the above
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
40
Multiple Choice – Questions
Assisted in:
Conducted market research for six companies based on their requirement
Prepared questionnaire for data collection
Collected a sample of more than 3000 from various regions
Analyzed the data and suggested recommendations
a. Educational qualifications b. Job experience
c. Curricular activities d. Hobbies and Interests
e. Honors and achievements
141.Rohit and Subin prepare a draft of the résumé and exchange for proofreading. Identify one of
the pitfalls in a résumé.
a. Layout and formatting
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b. Correct spelling and grammar
c. Wordiness and lengthy phrases
d. 100% correct information
e. Using active verbs
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142. When Rohit and Subin prepare the draft of the résumé, what should NOT be included in their
career objective from the below mentioned options?
a. Career goals b. Domain for which theyare applying
c. Skills required for the position d. Choice of Location
e. Infinitive verb
143. Finally, Rohit and Subin do a checklist of their résumé. What topics may be omitted in the
résumé?
a. Declaration statement b. List of references
c. Strengths and weaknesses d. Religion and political affiliations
e. All of the above
144. Rohit and Subin also decide to register in the job-portals through an electronic résumé. They
learn that while posting their résumé to electronic portals, the electronic software is dependent
on key words. What care should Rohit and Subin take while applying for an e-portal?
a. Replace action verbs by nouns b. Use Helvetica font of size 11 – 14
c. Avoid bullets, bold, italics, underlining d. Take special care while writing Headings
e. All of the above
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
Shivam and Shakti are applying for a job in an online marketing company. They are in the process of
preparing a job-application letter which they want to enclose with their electronic résumé. They feel
their job-application letter will add value to their résumé from the employer‟s point of view.
145. Which option from the below does not add any value to the résumé?
a. Focuses on the skills and experience of the applicant
b. Employs the „I‟ attitude to describe their talent
c. Arouses the employer‟s interest to read the résumé
d. Increases the chances of being called for the interview
e. Assures that the applicant knows the job requirements
146. Shivam and Shakti do a little bit of research on the tips of effective preparation of the job-
application letter. The most important tip among these is:
a. Focus on a central selling point b. Address to the title/ designation
c. Length can exceed two pages d. Repeat the job requirements
e. Provide candidate-benefit information
147. Shivam and Shakti prepare their opening sentences in the job- application letter. What approach
I
is being followed by Shakti in this opening sentence?
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My persuasion and leadership skills along with attention-to-detail have proved successful during
my academic projects and I am sure these skills would add value to the position of Sales Manager
which was advertized in the Times of India dated 8 th August 2014
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This is in response to the job opening in the Marketing Department of your organization and
would like to submit my résumé for your consideration
a. It is direct b. It is polite
c. It is general d. It is short
e. None of the above
149. Shakti prepares the second paragraph to arouse interest and create desire in the recruiter. Which
among these should he include in his job-application letter?
a. I perceive myself fit for this job as I have specialised in marketing in my post-
graduation and keep a keen interest in this field.
b. With my academic profile with a technical background, I believe that my skills and
achievements are the best and I am the most competent candidate for the reputed
position of Sales Manager.
c. I believe that I possess the technical skills and a good grasping power required for this
job position.
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Multiple Choice – Questions
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
At the Annual Review Meeting of ProIT, an IT firm, they observe that some departments have excelled
in their jobs and the company could gain a substantial 18% growth after the third quarter of the financial
year. The Management decides to reward those employees with an additional bonus and incentive
scheme. They assign Ashwini Narain, HR Head to convey the information to the employees informing
them about the new scheme and requesting them to submit the self-appraisal form before January 31st.
She decides to write a memo.
153. What is the order of the memo parts that Ashwini Narain should consider to begin with?
a. To and from address, Subject, Content, Action, Signature
b. Headings, Body, Authorization, Reaction
c. Sender and Receiver address, Context, Headings
d. Company letter-head, authentication, validation, reaction
e. Any of the above
154. What kind of a memo does this come under?
a. Information memo b. Request memo
b. Confirmation memo c. Periodic report memo
d. Only a, b, and d
155. Which approach should Ashwini choose before forwarding the memo to all the employees of
ProIT?
a. Deductive approach
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b. Narrative description
c. Convincing and informative d. Both a and c
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e. a, b and c
156. Ashwini prepares the memo as shown below. What do the employees interpret from this
memo?
Sd/-
Ashwini, HR Head
44
Multiple Choice – Questions
Neelesh Mehta is the Director of Marketing of Bhavans, an infrastructure firm who are into building
apartments and office space in Bangalore and Hyderabad. He writes a memo to his Sales Managers.
157. What kind of a memo is Neelesh Mehta writing to his Sales Managers?
To: All Branch Managers
It has come to my notice that some of you people don‟t know exactly what a Sales Manager‟s job is
or what duties are expected for the position of Sales Manager and as to why it is essential for us to
hire anyone to begin with. A Sales Manager‟s major job is to bring in clients. He then needs to keep
those clients happy. If he is not keeping those clients happy then those clients will no longer do
business with us and the Sales Manager is not doing his job properly. The question has been posed,
“How do you get clients?” That‟s the Sales Manager‟s work and that‟s what we take them for. In the
future please forward all questions of this and like nature to me, the Director of Marketing. Thank
you
Sd/-
Neelesh Mehta
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FA
Director of Marketing
a. Information memo b. Request memo
c. Ideas and Suggestions memo d. Unpleasant memo
e. Confirmation memo
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
Pankaj Srivastav, Regional Sales Manager (RSM) of Coolant Air-conditioners is preparing a report and
requires some data related to the sales growth of the first quarter from the seven zones in the country and
writes a request letter to them. The Zonal Managers send the letters to the RSM.
161. Pankaj finds a fault with one report of the East Zone. Identify the fault.
a. Letter includes tables and figures
b. Letter is in yellow color and multi-folded
c. Letter is well-formatted
d. Letter is neatly typed in A4 size letterhead
e. More and detailed information are included in the enclosure
162. Pankaj receives a letter from the Western zone with the opening and closing as written below.
What style of punctuation does it follow?
Coolant Air-conditioners
To
Mr.Pankaj Srivastav
Regional Sales Manager
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Head Office, Coolant Air-conditioners
Residency Road, Bangalore 560025
Truly yours
Lalit Suri
a. Mixed punctuation b. Closed punctuation
c. Open punctuation d. Both a and c
e. Both b and c
Surbhi Khanna and Farheen Naqvi are partners of a newly opened Ad agency. They want to design their
letterhead.
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Multiple Choice – Questions
164. Surbhi Khanna prepares a welcome and offer letter to the new recruits of her company. She
omits the salutation and the complimentary close. The subject line is placed double space below
the inside address and double space above the body of the letter. She begins all the lines from
the left margin. What type of letter format is she employing?
a. Modified Block b. Simplified Block
c. Block d. Signature Block
e. Both b and c
165. Surbhi begins to write the welcome and offer letter on the letterhead of the company. It extends
to the second and the third page. What should she do now?
a. Use plain white sheet paper for the successive pages
b. Include a heading indicating continuation of the first page
c. Put in page numbers
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
166. Surbhi posts the letters to the new recruits indicating how the letter should be sent. She includes
the words „Confidential‟ and „Registered Post‟ just below the date (in the block format). The
above mentioned special feature in business letters comes under:
a. Mailing notation b. Attention line notation
c. Enclosure notation. d. Copy notation
e. Post script
167. Surbhi would like to send copies of the letter to the HR Manager of her company for recording
I
purpose. She would also like to enclose the rules and regulations to be followed by the new
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recruits once they join the company. This information should be mentioned in the main letter.
What special features does she have to employ to do this?
a. Post Script b. Enclosure Notation
c. Copy Notation d. Mailing Notation
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e. Both b and c
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
168. What care should Divya take while preparing the report?
a. To present factual information
b. To provide information in a clear and comprehendible manner
c. To provide the body of the report in a logical and focused manner
d. To employ tools, graphs, pictures and charts to explain complex matter
e. All of the above
169. Divya is in the process of preparing the title for her report. Identify the best title for her.
a. A study on the customer satisfaction of Z100 car
b. An analytical report of the customer satisfaction of Z100 car
c. An analysis of the after-sales service and customer satisfaction of Z100 car
d. A review on the customer satisfaction after purchasing Z100 car
e. A customer satisfaction survey of Z100 car: A summary
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170. Divya wants to prepare a 200-word informative abstract for her report. Identify the element
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which Divya must NOT include in her abstract.
a. Identifying information – title, writer and department , receiver and department
b. Problem statement – scope and methodology used
c. Findings – implications for other projects
d. Pictorial representation – graphs, flowcharts, pictures
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48
Multiple Choice – Questions
177. Which point should Arjun NOT include from the below mentioned list?
a. Sales growth for the last six months
b. Cost price of the product
c. Customer experiences through social media
d. Availability of variants as per customer needs
e. Competitors‟ products‟ in the same line
178. Which method should Rakshit adopt while conducting the product survey in various Tier-II
cities with the help of researchers?
a. Questionnaire method
b. Interviewing customers and reviews in social media
c. Providing samples
d. Analyzing the sales at retail outlets
e. a, b and d
179.After the collection of data, Rakshit systematically arranges the data in the form of a table
preparing suitable headings. He decides to use visual aids to emphasize the findings. Which
among the below best suits for illustrating the data?
a. Pie, Bar or Line charts
b. Pictograms
c. Flowcharts
d. Maps and photographs
e. Diagrams
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
180. A Gantt chart is not useful for this type of a survey because it:
a. Shows how the parts of a whole are distributed
b. Expresses data that change over time
c. Represents time relationships to plan, allocate and schedule resources
d. Depicts changes in quantitative data over time and illustrate trends
e. Both b and d
181. Rakshit carefully plans to present the findings in the form of a report. The steps involved in the
preparation of this analytical report are:
a. Defining the objective, scope and limitations
b. Identifying and organizing the issues through research
c. Analyzing and interpreting the research data
d. Drawing conclusions and developing recommendations
e. All of the above
182. While preparing the chapter on Recommendations, Rakshit chooses the deductive report
method to:
a. Summarize the key findings
b. Analyze what the key findings mean to the reader
c. Decide on the course of action that should be taken
d. Develop a time frame to obtain the required results after the action is taken
e. Only c and d
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FA
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50
Multiple Choice – Questions
183. „Today‟s meeting is going to be held at 3 pm on the topic already mentioned yesterday at the
coffee room regarding sales of the new product. All are instructed to be present with the
necessary data.‟ Why is the communication not effective in this case?
a. No clarity b. Incomplete
c. Non-courteous d. Concise
e. Both a and b
184. Compare the following sentences and choose the most effective among them:
a. Please send me a price-list for your T-shirt.
b. Kindly send me a price-list for your T-shirt.
c. You are requested to send me a price-list for your T-shirt.
d. Would you please send me a price-list for your T-shirt?
e. I would appreciate it if you could send me a price-list for your T-shirt.
185. In business writing, the You-attitude is considered to be better than the I-attitude as it focuses
from the reader‟s perspective. Rewrite this sentence using the You-attitude approach: “I have
received your quotation.”
a. Your quotation has been received
b. Thank you for your quotation
c. Quotation is received
d. Received your quotation on time
e. Both a and b
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FA
186. While conveying something negative, care should be taken to apply the 7 C‟-s of
communication with the You-attitude approach. For conveying a refusal of credit facility to a
client, the best way to write is:
a. Your request for credit cannot be accepted
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more than the intelligent quotient iq it is emotional quotient eq which employers hunt for in
prospective candidates this is so as high eq helps individuals build and maintain relations with co-
workers and increases level of sensitivity towards others people who maintain a calm composure
during tense situations can handle situations better and find solutions better unlike those who get
hyper easily companies look for a eq iq ratio of approximately 80 20 in potential candidates as they
believe iq can be built but eq is often inbuilt
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
188. Emphasizing a word changes the meaning of a sentence. What does this sentence mean when
emphasis is on ‘Ravi’: “Ravi has not performed well this financial year?”
a. Ravi has not performed well only this financial year.
b. Ravi has performed badly this financial year.
c. Ravi was performing well till last financial year.
d. Only Ravi has not performed well this financial year.
e. Ravi‟s performance was better than last financial year.
189. While trying to provide emphasis on words, care should be taken to decide where the
importance to the word can be provided. When writing about the features of a printer; the
following sentences were written. Choose the more effective sentence:
a. This printer prints 17 pages per minute.
b. This printer can turn out one of your 100-page proposals in six minutes.
c. This printer utilizes paper on both sides for printing.
d. This printer turns out printing and saves you on electricity.
e. This printer is eco-friendly as the toner lasts for nearly 1000 sheets.
190. When the emphasis is more on the action than the doer; the passive voice is used. Choose the
sentence in passive voice from the following sentences:
a. Private companies contributed funds to open a new hospital.
b. Production costs must be reduced to continue to remain in business.
c. Board members consulted no one before deciding reduction in salaries.
d. Managers drafted an email policy to restrict employees on internet access.
e. The driver‟s negligence caused the accident.
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191. Précis‟ writing is an intelligent summary of a long passage. Effective writing skills involve
precise and concise ways of handling information. Convert the sentence to be more meaningful
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using précis‟ writing: “We wish to state that if you have any further queries regarding this
matter, please feel free to contact Mr. X at any time”
a. If you have any queries regarding this matter, contact Mr. X.
b. Mr. X can be contacted for further queries.
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52
Multiple Choice – Questions
194. Choose the correct idiom that best expresses the meaning for the following sentence: “I've been
working hard for the last few months trying to make ends meet, but something I'm not even
expecting always comes up and I have to pay for it.
a. Survive b. Meet my family‟s needs
c. Make good business d. Make for the losses incurred
e. Make enough money to pay for expenses
195. Choose the correct verb for the following sentence: “The Chairman, along with his two
assistants, _______ to attend the annual convention.”
a. Nominate b. Have
c. Plans d. Decide
e. Want
196. Choose the correct verb for the following sentence: “The issues of inflation and tax reform
____________ to be on everyone's mind.”
a. Is b. Was
c. Persists d. Continue
e. Continues
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
54
Multiple Choice – Questions
209. Javed wanted to introduce some exclusive offers and facilities to the passengers of Gravity
Airlines. He also wanted to bring in Loyalty Cards for frequent fliers. Javed chooses to use the
Franklin‟s Rule in making this decision. Franklin Rule is:
a. A method of selecting an important criterion and making a decision based on that
criterion
b. A method that involves identifying two appropriate solutions and listing the pros and
cons for each. The solution with the maximum number of pros is selected.
c. A method that involves choosing an important criterion and selecting the solution with
the highest score in the chosen criterion.
d. A method in which each of the alternatives is selected and the pros and cons are given
some weights or values. The total value of the pros and cons are then used to
determine the best decision for a particular situation.
e. None of the above.
210. Telesoft is a company which believes in ethical practices. It has maintained policies in business
ethics and written rules and regulations for all employees working in the organization. The
company also recognizes employees who have acted in an ethical manner. This helps in setting
standards for other employees in the business. Telesoft‟s organizational culture is characterized
by high-risk tolerance, control and conflict tolerance which plays a vital role in the employee‟s
ethical behavior. The personality (internal) variables also affect ethical behavior in the
employees. Identify the personality behavior from the options given below:
a. Values and beliefs b. Physical and mental variables
c. Ego strength and locus of control d.All of the above
e. None of the above
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
211. Rita joined Celebrations, a media company as a brand manager. She had completed her MBA
from a reputed Business School and was eager to take up this assignment. As soon as she joined
she was entrusted an important project which required accurate planning and implementation.
Rita was excited to be a part of the team as this project was from a very important client. She
wanted to contribute immensely to the project even if it required staying for long hours at the
client site or working on weekends. What kind of a stress is Rita facing?
a. Distress b. Tech-stress
c. E-stress d. Eustress
e. Burnout
212. Abhijeet is from an IIM who is working as the Operations Head for a manufacturing company.
Abhijeet was in an irate mood while speaking to his peer Nitesh. Abhijeet complained, “I
cannot believe the incompetence in this department. I work hard, sometimes nearly 15 hours a
day, bearing with the staff incompetence, crisis, unrealistic budgets, insane deadlines and
untrained staff.” Abhijeet continued, “I have a severe back ache, my eyes are paining and I feel
that I‟m ready to jump off from this place.” As per Hans Selye‟s General Adaptive Syndrome
(GAS model) in which stage is Abhijeet into?
a. Alarm reaction stage b. resisting stage
c. Exhaustion stage d. Burnout stage
e. Aftermath stage I
213. Nisha is a young mother who is working as a Probationary Officer in a private bank. She lives
in a joint family with her in-laws. Her mother-in-law is very supportive of her and takes care of
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her child when she is away on her work. Nisha belongs to the Type A personality type where
she is obsessed with accuracy, perfection and sets high goals for herself. She sometimes stays
long hours at work as her goal is to get the job confirmation letter within a year. After six
months into her job, she finds it hard to balance both work and personal life. What kind of a
stress is she experiencing?
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Kiran is 40 years of age working in a Software company for the past 18 years. He has around 13 patents
in his name. Through sheer hard work, he has risen to the position of Vice-President to its unit in
Bangalore. His job entitles him to manage a team of 300 people who are involved in developing
software on „prevention of accidents in airplanes‟. He also needs to report to his superiors in US. At
nights, he is busy handling tele-calls and videoconferences with his clients and superiors. Once in every
two months he needs to attend meetings in US and Singapore. Due to constant work pressure, erratic
time schedules and stringent deadlines, Kiran has developed cervical spondylitis, blood pressure and
mood swings leading to burnout.
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Multiple Choice – Questions
219. Google conducted a survey on „Work-life balance among Google employees‟ and differentiated
them into Segmentors and Integretors. Segmentors are employees who could draw a line
between work and personal life which was around 31%. Integretors are the 69% of employees
for whom work always remains in their mind. Integrators are hooked to their computers and
often keep checking if any new work has been allotted to them. What steps should the
organization take to NOT encourage the Integrators?
(Source:http://www.businessinsider.in/Most-Google-Employees-Cant-Separate-Work-From-Their-
Personal-Life/articleshow/32860487.cms)
a. Organization should encourage employees to take weekend breaks and vacations.
b. Organization should increase the pay for employees who work for long hours.
c. Organization should encourage employees to take-up training programs on how to
work effectively in a given time frame.
d. Organization should adopt holistic therapies and spiritual programs to combat stress.
e. Organization should conduct surveys to understand employees‟ work patterns and
counsel them on how to improve performance.
220. HBO, Apple, Nike, Forbes and many corporate companies across the globe offer on-site
Wellness programs for its employees to keep them physically and mentally fit called „Body and
mind healing techniques‟. Corporate Yoga and meditation have been the new trend in these
companies. (Source: http://www.yogajournal.com/article/lifestyle/incorporating-yoga/)
221. Instead of a multi-tier hierarchy organization structure, many small companies are adopting flat
structure to enable teams to interact directly with the executive management. The executive
management has firsthand information on the needs of the employees and the projects. This aids
in faster problem solving and decision-making since the layers involved are much lesser.
Managers in flatter organization structure have more flexibility, opportunities, responsibilities
and greater span of control. Managers should be aware of cost effective prioritization of tasks
and efficient time management. The first step for these managers is to prepare a time log to
analyze their time spending pattern. However time logs should NOT be used to:
a. Identify the time wasting activities of the employees
b. Analyze the productivity of an employee
c. Categorize the appropriate time to perform an activity
d. Monitor the performance of an employee
e. Plan, schedule and delegate activities to employees
A company manufacturing biscuits had a crisis at hand. Some of their biscuit packets were found to
have fungus. This had been in the news and the executive management had to take an action before the
crisis went out of control. Vaibhav, a Manager was designated to analyze the intensity of the problem
and suggest suitable measures as soon as possible. However, Vaibhav is taking a lot of time in analyzing
the problem. He is not very confident in taking a decision due to fear of failure or fear of making a
wrong decision.
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FA
222. What is the internal time waster observed from this above case?
a. Poor and irrelevant communication b. Procrastination
c. Inefficiency d. Personal disorientation
e. Excessive socialization
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58
Multiple Choice – Questions
A to-do list mentioning the milestones and the deadlines without being too rigid or too flexible but
workable using the Pareto principle follows the:
226. Nidhi is working as an Analyst for a market research company. Her work involves preparing a
report after collating and analyzing data from the survey conducted by her research associates.
She is obsessed with maintaining deadlines and sometimes overlooks important information
vital in making decisions. Sometimes, the Senior Analyst is unhappy with the results she has
depicted and points out mistakes in her report. What is the time abuser that explains Nidhi‟s
time management?
a. Procrastination b. Preemptive
c. People pleasing d. Perfectionist
e. Personal disorientation
[For questions 227 – 230]:
Samarth works as a Project Manager in a manufacturing company which produces automobile spare
parts. He maintains a hectic schedule and sometimes the unit runs on three shifts if the demand rises.
His job is to analyze the time frame allotted to him to complete the production and needs to plan
backwards. He prepares a to-do list allocating tasks to be done daily, weekly, short-term and long-term.
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It helps him to fill the gap in between the long-term expected results and daily activities. He reviews and
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if necessary reschedules plans as per demand. It is the time of the Dasara-Diwali festive season –where
companies gear up to introduce offers to the customers. Samarth‟s actual work starts from June every
year to meet the demand for the festive season.
227. In which quadrant is Samarth from June to October as per Stephen Covey‟s time management
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matrix?
228. Samarth has assistants working for him where several tasks are delegated based on their
qualifications and experience. Arpit, Assistant Purchase Manager, Yogesh, Maintenance
Manager, Madhav, Production Manager and Yash, Logistics Manager report to Samarth directly
and are accountable for their respective departments. Each department has to set S.M.A.R.T.
(specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound) goals to complete their activities,
plan and schedule the execution of the processes with minor hitches or problems. What should
each department NOT follow in the process of scheduling the work:
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
229. Samarth has delegated the roles and responsibilities to the above-mentioned Managers who need
to report to him on a timely basis. He reviews the progress and suggests if any problems or
issues are faced by them. Delegation is an important exercise in every company because:
a. It is the authority given to a person to carry out specific activities.
b. It is the authority given to perform unpleasant activities on behalf of other person.
c. It is the authority given to a person to help him in doing simple jobs of the other
person.
d. It is the authority given to a person to minimize his work responsibilities.
e. It is the authority given to a person to act as a substitute to another person.
230. In December, after the maximum demand for the products is over, Samarth conducts an
appraisal for the Managers and their departments and finds that there was a huge difference in
the productivity of the production department from the 1 st shift to the 3rd shift, while the
logistics department‟s maximum productivity in the 3 rd shift. He wants to control the time
wasters which are the result of the biological clock that determines the time at which he/she
works best and the time at which he/she is very dull. He plans to change the shift timings of the
employees based on their productivity levels and involve them in other activities. The manager
can use the dull hours of his employee by asking him:
a. To perform tasks disliked by him b. To perform tasks he is efficient at
c. To go for refreshments d. To de-stress himself
e. To socialize I
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Multiple Choice – Questions
233. AO Smith‟s electric geyser uses advanced technology; a blue diamond glass coated tank with a
glass lined heating element gives maximum protection against hard water and corrosion. The
company‟s tag line says „Fit it and forget it.‟ What is the component of creativity that AO Smith
follows? (www.aosmithindia.com/)
a. Fluency component b. Flexibility component
c. Originality component d. Orientation component
e. Both a and d
234. Zipdial is considered to be one of the most innovative companies of 2014. It is based in
Bangalore, was started by a California native, Valerie Wagoner. Valerie noticed that in India,
friends intentionally call each other, let it ring once or twice, and hang up. That's their way of
sending a signal, like "I'm home safe," without being charged. Valerie moved to Bangalore,
used this concept of missed calls and is now responsible for 416 million of them. That's how
many times people have used her company, ZipDial, to connect with brands including Gillette,
Disney, Procter & Gamble, and India Info Line. She issues the brand a number, which it prints
on its ads. Consumers call, hang up, and get a text or call in return--and thus enter in
contests, receive coupons, or place an order. Valerie Wagoner was able to view things from a
new prospective and tapped the opportunity. The stages of creativity process that has she has
dealt with are:
(Source: http://www.fastcompany.com/section/most-innovative-companies-2014)
a. Exploring b. Inventing
c. Selecting d. Implementing
e. All of the above
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
235. As a 25-year-old first-year social studies teacher at a public school in the Bronx, Charles Best
saw firsthand the need for classroom materials for low-income students. With few technical
skills, he nonetheless managed to launch DonorsChoose.org in 2000. It was an early and popular
example of online crowd funding. The site allows donors to pick an individual class or project
on Donors Choose and support it directly for as little as $5. Once a project is funded, the charity
purchases the supplies and sends them to the teacher. Since then, Donors Choose has evolved
into an education juggernaut. It has raised $225 million from some 1.2 million-citizen
philanthropists. Those donations have helped more than 175,000 teachers, funding more than
400,000 class projects. The number of students who have benefited is staggering: 10 million and
counting. Donors Choose has an impressive list of supporters – Bill and Melinda Gates, Sheryl
Sandberg, Stephen Colbert to name a few. Identify the techniques of creativity (categorized by
Pradip Khandwalla) employed by Charles Best.
(Source: http://www.fastcompany.com/section/most-innovative-companies-2014)
an industry leader in such diverse fields as health care, office products and transportation. 3M
manufactures familiar products, like Post-it® Notes and Scotch® tape, and a new family of
Scotch-Brite Cleaning Products that give consumers the right scrubbing power for a host of
cleaning jobs. Through market research, the department learned that people used duct tape in a
host of unusual ways, from constructing a wallet made of duct tape to holding a car door in
place. The department recognized that there was a cult of duct tape enthusiasts around the
world, and it wanted to broaden its market with an updated or innovative version of duct tape.
Kim Johnson, from 3M‟s Corporate Research and Development, was asked to conduct sessions
with the ideation experts to bring in an innovative version of the duct tape. There were several
sessions conducted by Kim:
i. Participants gave new ideas on the duct tape
ii. Discussion on each idea provided by the participants
iii. Determination of the most preferred idea
iv. Decision on the new product – duct tape for women – a colorful variation
From Edward De Bono‟s Six Thinking Hats, which hat allows the thinker to ascertain the most
preferred or favorite idea among the participants?
(Source: http://www.debonoforbusiness.com/PDF/3M-Six-Hats-Case-Study.pdf)
a. White Hat b. Yellow Hat
c. Black Hat d. Red Hat
e. Blue Hat
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Multiple Choice – Questions
India is emerging as one of the fastest growing fast food markets in the world. According to a
National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) report, the fast food industry in India is estimated
at Rs 8,000 crore and is growing at a CAGR of 35-40% annually. As per a report in TOI, nearly
70% of the total pizzas sold in the country are vegetarian pizzas even in regions like Punjab, which
is known for its meat-loving populace. Around 42% of Indian households are vegetarian, according
to the Food and Agricultural Association of the United Nations and non-vegetarian population eat
vegetarian for 35% of weekdays.
238. McDonald's is the first global fast-food chain to bring in a customized vegetarian menu to India,
which boasts of McAloo Tikki burgers. KFC , the Kentucky-based fast-food chain known for
its "finger-lickin' good" range of chicken fillets and burgers, has introduced Paneer Zinger and
Veg Twister, in addition to the hot-selling Potato Krisper Burger, Veg Strips, Veg Rockin'
Burger and Veg Rice Bowl, with a global tagline, "So good" to "So veg, so good."
(Source: http://www.businessinsider.in/KFC-Creates-A-Veg_Menu-ForIndia/articleshow/33542403.cms)
Identify the stimulating creativity in these fast food restaurants:
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
241. A Texas-based Fortune 500 Company had utilized personality assessment tests for candidate
selection for years with little results in reducing turnover in their sales force. After turning to an
emotional intelligence-based selection assessment and EQ training and development program,
they increased retention by 67 percent in the first year, which when calculated added $32
million to their bottom line and reduced turnover costs with increased sales revenues. (Source:
http://www.zeroriskhr.com/articles/emotionalintelligence.aspx) Emotional intelligence quotient
or EQ is a term highly used in the past decade by the Human Resources department. Emotional
intelligence Quotient screening tests are conducted for a candidate during interviews to assess
his competencies and place him for the right role. It is observed that productivity has increased
among employees having high EQ score. What does the term Emotional Intelligence Quotient
(EQ) mean?
a. The capacity for knowledge and the ability of a person to acquire it.
b. The capacity for reason and abstract thought.
c. The capacity of a person to evaluate, judge and comprehend relationships.
d. The ability that a person has to recognize his own behavior, moods, and impulses and
manage them effectively as the situation demands.
e. The ability of a person to learn about, learn from, understand and interact with the
environment.
242. The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) is used to test the Emotional
Intelligence Quotient (EQ) of an employee through a series of tests for both experiential and
strategic skills. One of the tests contains faces, landscapes and designs. What is the ability of
the employee being checked in this type of test?
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(Source: http://www.cjwolfe.com/ MSCEIT%20Resource%20Report.pdf)
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a. Using emotions - the ability to create emotions and to integrate your feelings into the
way you think
b. Perceiving emotions – the ability to correctly identify how people are feeling
c. Understanding emotions - the ability to understand the causes of emotions
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d. Managing emotions - the ability to create effective strategies that use your emotions to
help you achieve a goal
e. All of the above
243. In 1983, Harvard psychologist, Howard Gardner, in his book “Frames of mind”, has outlined
eight types of Multiple Intelligences (MI). The MI theory claims that all human beings have
any of the eight intelligences to a larger extent and that defines a person‟s intelligence profile.
(Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2014/01/09/emotional-intelligence/)
The ability of a person to understand people‟s intentions, motivations, and desires and who can work
well with people comes under:
a. Linguistic intelligence b. Spatial intelligence
c. Interpersonal intelligence d. Intrapersonal intelligence
e. Naturalist intelligence
244. A leader is one who is optimistic – even in the face of failure, has a strong drive to achieve, and
is committed to the organization. He has a passion to work with people for reasons that go
beyond money or status and a penchant to pursue goals with energy and persistence. Which one
of the five personal and social competencies of emotional intelligence quotient given below,
does the leader have?
a. Self-management b. Self-awareness
c. Social awareness d. Relationship management
e. Empathy
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Multiple Choice – Questions
245. Emotionally intelligent people know how to manage their emotions and try to maintain
positivity in the workplace. They are people who prefer to be calm, contented and in control of
situations. From the below list which is the quality that defines emotionally intelligent people?
(Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2014/03/26/9-things-emotionally-intelligent-
people-wont-do/)
a. Emotionally intelligent people do not say „Yes‟ unless they really want to
b. Emotionally intelligent people are bogged down by others‟ mistakes
c. Emotionally intelligent people set perfection as their target
d. Emotionally intelligent people live in the past
e. Emotionally intelligent people cannot handle crisis
246. Job seekers tend to focus on their professional skills when they apply for a job. But recruiters
want employees who are experts in their field, with both IQ and EQ. More than the Intelligent
Quotient (IQ), it is the Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EQ) which employers hunt for in
prospective candidates. This is so, as high EQ helps individuals build and maintain relations
with co- workers and increases level of sensitivity towards others. People who maintain a calm
composure during tense situations can handle situations better and find solutions better unlike
those who get hyper easily. Companies look for an EQ - IQ ratio of approximately 80:20 in
potential candidates as they believe IQ can be built, but EQ is often inbuilt. Which interview
question below helps to evaluate the EQ of a candidate?
a. Describe a project where you were a part of a team. What was your role and
contributions?
b. Can you describe your past employer?
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c. Why have you applied for this job which is offering a lesser salary than your previous
job?
d. What are your hobbies and interests?
e. All of the above
247. Emotional Intelligence Quotient helps an employee to combat stress; enchances team output and
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aids in peer learning. Good workplace relationships develop and create job satisfaction and
emotional balance in the employee‟s life. Which of the following is a positive emotion in the
workplace?
a. Grapevines and computer flaming b. Optimism and emotional resilience
c. Opinions not valued or listened d. Lack of confidence and fear of failure
e. Passive, aggressive communication
248. In the book, “Working with Emotional Intelligence”, Daniel Goleman makes a comparison
between Emotional Intelligence and workplace performance. He found that 67% of all
competencies deemed essential for high performance were related to Emotional Intelligence. In
addition, one‟s Emotional Intelligence mattered twice as much as one‟s technical knowledge or
IQ for this high performance. A good organizational culture and a good leader can enhance the
performance of an organization. What qualities does a leader exhibit in improving performance
of his team members from the below instances that displays his Emotional Intelligence
Quotient?
(Source: http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/pod/leaders/orgdev/alliance/articles/EQ_Craemer.pdf)
a. Keep lines of communication open even when frustrated
b. Focus not only on tasks but the persons involved in the tasks
c. Getting to know, who they are, what they value and how they like to work
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
249. Identify how the company benefitted by training its managers on people management and
Emotional Intelligence?
a. Better performance scores b. Enhanced employee engagement
c. Improved bottom-line results d. Drop in employee turnover
e. All of the above
250. As mentioned in the case above, organizational engagement, emotional intelligence and
performance go hand-in-hand. Higher bottom line results with higher organization commitment
have actually enhanced the overall performance in the organization. Likewise, the organization
provided the right climate for the employees to perform and succeed. Which are the factors in
the organization climate that drive employee engagement, emotional intelligence and
performance? I
a. Employer-employee trust : take risks, innovate and go beyond comfort zones
b. Motivation: high energy, enthusiasm and commitment
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c. Teamwork: collaboration and communication
d. Execution: focus and accountability
e. All of the above
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Multiple Choice – Questions
251. A survey conducted by Workforce Solutions Group at a college finds that more than 60% of the
employers complain that applicants lack interpersonal skills. Another employer survey
conducted by a staffing company, Adecco, says in a statement „44% of respondents cited lack of
interpersonal skills which is the biggest gap among candidates.‟ Companies now-a-days are
concerned with both organizational and interpersonal proficiency among its employees. What
characteristics should a candidate NOT possess to be interpersonally proficient?
(Source: http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2014/01/29/Surprising-Reason-College-Grads-
Can-t-Get-Job)
a. Conflict – creation techniques b. Communication, critical thinking
c. Problem-solving and decision making d. Creativity and collaboration
e. Planning and prioritizing work
252. 35-year old Shiv Tyagi is a natural leader. He is brilliant, creative, energetic and assertive. He
is a strategist and financial genius. He has grown up the ladder quite fast because of his key
business instincts and proven bottom-line results over the years. He is working for an
international consumer durables division which has extensively advertised a new product in the
market. Shiv realizes that the production of the product has faced a major setback, customers
are furious for orders not being fulfilled. The company‟s image has plummeted as the news
went public in the major leading newspapers. Which essential interpersonal competency should
Shiv Tyagi have possessed that could have prevented this crisis?
a. Intellect b. Intolerance
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c. Group dynamics d. High ambitions
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e. Attitude
253. Effective communication is an important component of professional success for all levels –
intragroup, intergroup, superior, organizational or external. It just doesn‟t mean having a good
vocabulary, accent, tone, pitch, voice or modulation. Great leaders are found exceptionally
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good in effective communication. They influence the listeners‟ emotions and aspirations. The
message is conveyed in such a way that the audience feels deeply influenced and involved.
How does effective communication develop interpersonal relationships?
a. Builds trust, integrity and commitment
b. Improves understanding due to clarity, brevity and specificity
c. Transfers ideas, aligns expectations, inspires action
d. Confronts, challenges and develops the team
e. All of the above
254. An organization should create an atmosphere of openness for its employees with clear lines of
communication. Leaders in the organization should lead by example, be ethical, share
information completely and stay receptive to both good and bad news. What qualities of a
leader improve interpersonal skills in its employees?
a. Lead yourself first – be disciplined, committed, and determined
b. Cast your vision – have a vision and communicate it effectively
c. Lead others – understand, motivate and empower others
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
255. „People skills or soft skills + technical skills = Professional success.‟ Linn Taylor, a workplace
expert and author says. “Employees who are aware of the „human factor‟ in the workplace
understand how to get things done. An ounce of people sensitivity is worth a pound of cure
when it comes to daily human interaction and mitigating conflict.” Developing interpersonal
skills reduces bad behavior at the office, relationships develop through diplomacy and trust
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
improves corporate productivity, job satisfaction, employee contribution and loyalty. What
steps are to be taken for developing interpersonal skills?
a. Asserting – listen and be heard
b. Convincing – rationally and logically
c. Negotiating – Compromise and concession
d. Bridging – listening and facilitating
e. All of the above
[For questions 256 – 257]:
David Sandler, a consultant and conditioning coach observed that “People make buying decisions
emotionally….” It means a sales person has to explain about the product to make him emotionally
involved leading to a purchase. Sandler used the theory of Transactional Analysis (TA) for sales training
called „Sandler Selling System‟. TA theory defines three ego states that influence our behavior - the
Parent, the Adult, and the Child.
(Source: http://www.efconsulting.sandler.com/pressitems/show/2307/432)
256. Which one of the following statements identifies the Parent Ego state?
a. Ego state where information is stored and can distinguish between good and bad, right
and wrong, appropriate and inappropriate
b. Ego state is the logical, analytical, rational part of our behavioral framework
c. Ego state where the emotional part, that is where feelings are stored
d. Ego state where many decisions originate
e. Ego state is the source of emotions, recreation, spontaneity and intimacy
257. “People make buying decisions emotionally and justify those decisions intellectually.” „Sandler
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Selling System‟ has Budget and Decision steps to satisfy the intellectual aspect of the decision.
From the salesperson's perspective, these are qualifying steps; but from the prospect's
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perspective, these steps provide an opportunity for the Parent and Adult to be involved in the
process. They get to specify under what conditions the buying decision would be considered
appropriate and logically sound. Identify the Adult Ego state that reacts during a sale.
a. I want to buy the product
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b. Do you really need this? Are you sure you‟re not acting too impulsively?
c. Okay, this seems to be the right thing to do, you can make the purchase.
d. After weighing all the information, the purchase makes good sense.
e. Yes, this is what I want.
258. When a message is sent from an ego state and expected to be received back in the same ego
state, sometimes it is sent back from a different ego state. Recognize the crossed transaction in
this case.
For example: “The deadline is tomorrow. We‟ll need to stay an additional half an hour to
give another check before we upload.”
“What do you mean „we‟? If you did not leave things unattended till the last minute, this
would not have happened.”
a. Critical Parent - Adapted child b. Adult - Critical Parent
c. Nurturing Parent - Critical Parent d. Adult - Adapted child
e. Nurturing Parent - Adult
259. Sirigowri, a manager in a hardware company, has worked the hard way over the years in the
company and is expecting a promotion soon. She had taken this job knowing that she was more
than qualified, handled difficult projects which no one wanted to venture into and also mentored
her team in successfully reaching the targets. But sometimes even after performing to the
maximum potential there might be one hindrance in the job – Games people play – known as
„Office Politics‟. Sirigowri learns that when all the people around you are in the game with
ulterior motives, it is difficult to avoid being a part of it. Office Politics can also lead to
negative consequences in her career. So Sirigowri has to develop competencies to work it out
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Multiple Choice – Questions
ethically to her best advantage. How can Sirigowri obtain the desired outcome by playing the
game?
a. Social wisdom – developing communication and relationships with people you work
b. Interpersonal interaction – recognize the movers and shakers in the organization
c. Capacity to network – with influencers, associates and supporters
d. Authenticity – build authentic connections and establish confidence
e. All of the above
260. Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, investor, television personality and
author. He is the Chairman and President of The Trump Organization and the Founder of Trump
Entertainment Resorts. He is considered to be a highly successful leader who has set new
standards of excellence in business. He believes in centralized decision- making and wields
absolute power. He is known to have keen observation including the minutest of details and
takes ideas only from a select few. Although he is considered a tough boss, he is respected and
liked by his employees. Applying transactional analysis to understand leadership style, where
does Donald Trump fit into?
a. Consultive b. Democratic
c. Autocratic d. Free-reign
e. Participative
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
261. Microsoft‟s Bill Gates is the most exemplary leader who had a vision that every home should
have a computer running Microsoft software. He was the first person who saw the potential of
Personal Computers and Software as a business. He started with BASIC and then seizing the
opportunity, expanded into operating system and server software. Bill Gates is a good example
of leading change, where there is dissatisfaction at the present, and a vision of how things
should be and the idea of the first steps that needs to be taken. What is the most suitable
leadership skill that emulates Bill Gates from the options below?
a. Encouraging creativity and analyzing market conditions
b. Focusing on the task and not on individuals
c. Communicating on a need-to-know basis
d. Making decisions and then asking for feedback
e. Not enforcing stringent standards
262. Steve Jobs, Co-founder, CEO and Chairman of Apple Inc., is considered as a pioneer of the
“personal computer revolution.” He has made a great mark in the computer and consumer
electronics fields, transforming from computers and smart phones to movies and music. He had
a clear vision, a passion for the company and its people, and the power to inspire trust. He was
considered as a hard taskmaster and would be abusive at times to attain the desired perfection
from his employees. His leadership style is often described as profound and mercurial. His
other qualities were the ability to convey excitement and generate enthusiasm, self-confidence,
communicating key points simply, celebration of success, articulating a clear strategy, and
setting challenging goals. Based on the style of decision-making, what kind of leadership style
does Steve Jobs exhibit?
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a. Skeptic b. Follower
c. Thinker d. Charismatic
e. Persuading Skeptic
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263. Martha Stewart‟s Living Omni media Inc. (MSLO) is a diversified media and merchandising
company organized into four business segments: Publishing, Internet, Broadcasting media
platforms, and Merchandising product lines. MSLO's business holdings include a variety of
print publications, television and radio programming, and e-commerce websites. She was a
highly successful business leader. In 2002, when the US Securities and Exchange Commission
accused her of violation of insider trading. This led to a lengthy investigation by the Justice
Department leading to the fall in the share price of MSLO and cancellation of her television
program. The company‟s losses mounted and she was convicted for five months. After her
release, she single-handedly and meticulously rebuilt her empire. She started paying
personalized attention to every detail and became demanding of her staff. She now has low
tolerance for ambiguity, is aggressive and operates with tight controls. Although she is
efficient, she has to achieve results and gain the confidence of her shareholders. She allegedly
treated people as commodity and critics opine that she would not have reached the brink of
bankruptcy had she managed her people better. Based on style of decision-making, what kind of
leadership style does Martha Stewart exhibit?
a. Skeptic b. Charismatic
c. Follower d. Thinker
e. Controller
264. The key to successful leadership is to lead by example, inspire and motivate the employees to
perform during crisis situations. After 9/11 terrorist attack in the USA, a Government order to
shut down airlines was received by Southwest Airlines, which is known for its outstanding
customer service. Southwest Airlines‟ passengers, pilots, flight attendants, stewards were
stranded in all places of the USA. The implications in the Government order forced other
airlines to cut staff. James Parker, CEO of Southwest Airlines, thought otherwise. He
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Multiple Choice – Questions
encouraged the employees to leverage their trademark fun approach to entertain the passengers
in movie halls and bowling alleys. James Parker, just after three days of the 9/11 crisis
announced that the entire staff would be retained and would be eligible for payment in profit
sharing. James Parker protected his staff which then became the strongest airline. What
motivational characteristics are observed in James Parker‟s working style?
a. Demanding, troublesome and defiant by nature
b. Share the burden of risk, motivate by caring and setting challenging goals
c. Take independent decisions, be talkative and enthusiastic
d. Fear for the worst and create insecurity in the minds of employees
e. Become emotional, unable to take risks and make decisions
265. Equipment manufacturers sold 80% of their product volumes in brick and mortar stores. But
now-a-days, online retailers have been able to capture the consumer market in IT and mobile
sales. The traditional channels are simply not able to compete with the services offered by
online retailers like home delivery, cash-on-delivery, easy accessibility, hassle free shopping,
and huge discounts. Due to high purchasing power of the urban people, the e-tailers are able to
garner huge revenue in a few seconds. The traditional marketers fear brand dilution, price war
and channel conflict. A new kind of conflict has emerged between original equipment
manufacturers, traditional retailers and online retailers. The industry needs to resolve this
conflict. What conflict resolution skills are required in this case?
a. Try to force compliance b. Work to develop individual payback
c. Work to develop common agreement d. Separate yourself from the situation
e. Accept the competition I
266. Leadership behavior depends on dynamic changing situations both internally and
externally. In his book, Pour Your Heart into It, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz (1997)
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says, “If I hang my hat on one thing that makes Starbucks stand out above other companies, it
would be the introduction of „bean stock.‟ With it we turned every employee of Starbucks into a
partner.” Schultz goes on to say that privately held companies, such as Starbucks in the earlier
days, didn‟t have employee stock plans. But continues Schultz, “My goal was to link
shareholder value with long-term rewards for our employees. I wanted them to have a chance to
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share the benefits of growth, and to make clear the connection between their contributions and
the growing value of the company.” What is the leadership tactic Starbucks CEO Howard
Schultz is employing in this case?
(Source: http://www.stuffofheroes.com/leadership_style_vs%20leadership%20tactics.htm)
company. Howard also restructured the Heads of the other three regions (Americas, Europe
Middle East and Africa, China and Asia Pacific) as well.
Howard is particularly interested in making the Starbucks brand thrive as more and more people are most
of the time connected online and inter-connect to the world through smart phones. As customers are
shopping online, he observed that there is a reduction of mall traffic which leads to lesser business in his
coffee shops. Howard plans to build upon the existing mobile payment system and introduce some pilot
programs like „tweet-a-coffee‟ where Twitter users can send $5 Starbucks cards to their friends. Loyalty
cards increased Starbucks revenue by $1 billion in the last quarter of 2013 and 10 million of its
customers used digital payment app leading to 5 million transactions per week. Change in leadership
was intended to accelerate its innovation and growth. Which of these innovation strategies should the
leaders adopt to elevate the coffee experience to its customers all over the world?
i. Sudden crisis
ii. Smoldering crisis
iii. Criminal crisis
iv. Product failure
v. Management Turnover
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Multiple Choice – Questions
i. Identify the chain of command who can deal with the causes of crisis
ii. Effectively communicate strategies to overcome crisis
iii. Admit that the company is not ready to handle crisis
iv. Stay away from such foolhardy disruptive attempts
v. Better preparation to handle technical glitches and stock issues
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Business Communication & Soft Skills: Workbook
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Multiple Choice – Questions
276. An American woman was delighted after a meeting with a Japanese supplier to agree to her
price quotation. A few days later, she received a mail requesting details about the price. The
businesswoman recalls the „Um – hmms‟ and „Yes‟ in the meeting. The Japanese even nodded
and smiled at her proposal. What does the American businesswoman not understand about the
Japanese response of „Um – hmms‟ and „Yes‟?
a. Prefer not to say „No‟ b. „Yes‟ may actually mean „No‟
c. We‟ve to think more about this d. We don‟t want to fall out with you
e. All of the above
277. Silence is considered as an important part of discussion and indicates good listening in some
cultures while other cultures consider silence as something negative which needs to be avoided
in a discussion. Which country‟s culture among the list below considers silence as an important
part of discussion?
a. Brazil b. India
c. USA d. UK
e. France
278. Erin Meyer, Professor at INSEAD, a European business school and author of „The Culture Map:
Breaking through the invisible boundaries of global business‟ quotes a Russian woman saying,
“My American colleagues send me these emails with no greeting. They jump right into telling
me what they want from me and then they sign their emails with their initials. When I get these
emails I say to myself, „Don‟t they care enough about me to write a simple greeting? Don‟t they
care enough about me to even take a second necessary to write their name?‟”. What is the
cross-cultural difference perceived by the Russian woman with her American colleagues?
a. Task-oriented culture
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b. Respect for people‟s time
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c. Inefficient email writing etiquette d. Lack of courtesy and consideration
e. Both c and d
279. An Iranian razor manufacturer used the brand name “Tiz” meaning „sharp‟ in Persian, but when
he sold it in Qatar, the sales presumed did not happen, because “Tiz” in Arabic slang meant
„buttocks‟. What is the cross-cultural issue faced by the Iranian manufacturer in this case?
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Multiple Choice Answers
UNIT 1: FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNICATION
1. d- Activity which defines behavior and conveys information through gestures, speech and -
writings
Communication is the activity of conveying information between two or more persons, exchange of
ideas and thoughts, thus defining behavior of the person involved through gestures, meaningful
speech and writings.
2. b – Sender, receiver, channel, message, interference, feedback and context.
3. c – Verbal and written communication
It includes oral, nonverbal, and written communication.
4. d – Meetings, face-to-face interactions, presentations, conferences
These are means of communicating orally.
5. c – Character
The 7 C‟s of communication are clarity, conciseness, completeness, concreteness, credibility,
courteousness, consistency.
6. d- Channel
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Sender sends the information to the receiver through various channels of communication like
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emails, voice messages, SMS (Short Message Service), telephone, etc.
7. b – Complexity of the message
It helps to choose the right channel for communication to make it comprehendible to the receiver.
8. c – Being assertive and persuasive
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Speaker needs to be motivating, can be persuasive and assertive without being aggressive.
9. a- Peers
Knowledge of the subject and context defines effective communication among peers.
10. e. Increases grapevine
Effective communication helps in increasing interpersonal relationships and decreases grapevine.
11. a – Feedback to be obtained in the next two days
In written communication feedback is generally not immediate whereas in oral communication
feedback is the reaction of the audience.
12. c – Transparent
In any organization, feedback should be transparent and constructive among all employees both
while receiving and giving for obtaining the organization goals.
13. b - Instigate
Primarily communication is required to inform, convince and request. Communication to instigate
causes conflicts between employees, teams, and the management.
14. a – Assumption of the sender that the receiver can understand the message
Any communication should be audience centric; hence it is important to understand the level of
knowledge of the receiver, technology he uses and the situation when he reads the message.
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Multiple Choice – Answers and Explanations
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It signifies the interviewer is not paying attention to the candidate‟s answers and the candidate has to
make his answer concise and clear.
28. b – Empathetic listening
It is employed when you are trying to understand the feelings of the speaker without any prejudices.
29. a - Personal space
Every human being is entitled of at least 2ft of personal space around him. Listening to other
person‟s conversation is a violation of his personal space.
30. b – Mono Chronic time culture
Chromatics is the study of time, an important aspect in nonverbal communication and is culture
specific like polychromic and monochromic cultures; Germans, Swiss and Americans give high
importance to time schedules, tasks and getting the job done.
31. e – Resting her back and sitting comfortably
Resting on the back, not on the edge of the seat, using hand gestures and maintaining eye contact
conveys the level of confidence of the candidate to the interviewer.
32. c – Chromatics
Britishers are very specific about dressing and prefer light colored shirts and suits for all formal
occasions, irrespective of the day of the week. Only Americans and Canadians have now begun to
accept Friday dressing which is more like a casual wear.
33. a – Emblems
Emblems are gestures (hand signals, facial expressions) used by almost everyone but the meaning
might vary across cultures and hence very culture specific.
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Multiple Choice – Answers and Explanations
UNIT 5: NEGOTIATIONS
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UNIT 6: INTERVIEWING
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Multiple Choice – Answers and Explanations
Groupthink is a behavior of the team members not objecting by accepting what is being told to them
for fear of being detested. The supervisor forced the team members to follow his instructions and
accept his decision.
57. e – a, b & c
The manager was not interested to know the new methods of analysis because he has the baggage of
experience and blockers in his mind thinking that he may not be able to gain respect of this young
team and tried to be authoritative than being supportive and be in sync with his team members.
58. c – Compromising
It involves all members to compromise on one decision, and this strategy can be used when the
stakes are not high as is in this case.
59. d – Accommodating
Sometimes people in a conflict can simply move off from the situation and give way to others in
certain situations.
60. d – Both a and b
It is the responsibility of the Manager to win the trust of the team by setting achievable goals,
supporting them during problems and awarding them in front of all but criticizing them in private.
The manager should feel proud of the team he is leading and be accountable.
61. e- All of the above
The superior should maintain open-minded communication, develop trust, respond to ideas and take
into account the experience the team has doing the project since she is new to the organization.
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62. a – Take time to understand the Manager, be professional and work as desired by her,
taking care of the deadlines
Peer to Superior relationships do not happen immediately and takes time; it is the duty of each to
understand each other, ask suggestions when required and keep communications clear.
63. b – Competing
Rita should adopt this approach by taking facts and figures of how training has helped in revenue
generation and protest to protect the team from being scrapped.
64. d – Avoid
You know that you have done your work very well and brought a few contracts to the company and
the management recognizes your hard work. So you let the rumors to die down with time and avoid
conflict.
65. a- Change facilitating meeting
The management has to explain reasons why they want to open retail stores in all the metros, look
into the investment, advantages, handle objections and most importantly identify the members who
should attend such a meeting as it involves making decisions.
66. e – All of the above
Any meeting should show yield results leading to action. Hence Neethu needs to follow all the four
steps to make the meeting successful.
67. d – Both a & b
The notice mentioned is not clear to whom it is addressed, it is too informal and message is
incomplete.
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68. e – All of the above
While preparing the agenda care should be taken that the topics are mentioned and discussion time
for each topic to be adequate. The message should follow the 7C‟s of communication.
69. e – All of the above
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Mention the names of the persons who were involved in the discussion and if a decision was made
mention the name of the person who proposed it and who seconded it. Minutes of the meeting are a
record helpful for the company in the future also.
70. b – Raising his hand and indicating that the discussion should come to a close
Chairperson should be the controller and leader of the group and coordinate the meeting without
steering away from the topic and ensuring participation from all its members.
71. a – Be assertive and Signal them to listen to another‘s point of view
Promptly signal him to sit and only speak when given a chance. Be assertive in your body language
and speech that there should be equal participation among all members.
72. e– All of the above
Some challenges are observed while conducting virtual meetings. It is important to observe these
rules before sitting for such a meeting.
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Indicators from the audience like playing on the mobile, yawning, drawing not maintaining eye
contact, internal talking are signs for the speaker to make his speech interesting.
93. d – Both a and b
He can immediately think of quoting examples, showing a video or illustrating an incident.
94. a – Impromptu speech
It involves speaking right at the moment without any preparation.
95. d – Both a & b
While anchoring, they have a prepared manuscript with a lot of research done. Prior time would be
given to practice and present.
96. e – Any of the above
The introduction is the most important part of the speech and speakers can narrate an incident, facts,
quotation, fable or research data/ statistics, opinions to connect to the audience.
97. b – Summarizing the main points
Summarize all the main points discussed and informing them what action you desire after listening
to your speech.
98. e – All of the above
Presentations are preferred in organizations as it is less time consuming to understand the project and
helps in decision-making. Technology also supports the speaker in adding visual impact and gets
the attention of the audience.
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Multiple Choice – Answers and Explanations
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UNIT 10: LETTER WRITING: WRITING ABOUT THE ROUTINE AND THE PLEASANT
UNIT 11: WRITING ABOUT THE UNPLEASANT
UNIT 12: WRITING TO PERSUADE
You need to provide the information of the glitch in the I Pad and persuade them to get it repaired
with no extra cost to the customer. It is important to win the trust and goodwill of the customer by
sometimes offering some freebies.
114.d- Act and follow what he intends to convey
You want the customers to act immediately and get their gadgets repaired for longer use of the
product.
115.b –Attention, Interest, Desire, Action
It means capturing the attention of the customer, creating an interest, desire a need for the product
and encourage action (completing the sale).
116.e – All of the above
A sales proposal should initiate interest in the mind of the customer. This can be further impressed
upon by the feel of the product/ service practically and then end in a sale.
117.b – A cliché
A cliché does not capture the reader‟s interest, whereas a bargain statement generally gets the quick
attention of the reader.
118.e – Both c & d
While mentioning the price of the expensive product in the sales letter, the sentences should be
tactfully placed, taking care to attract the buyer with the features of the product and then informing
the price in small units and then what the buyer is going to gain if he chooses to buy it.
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Multiple Choice – Answers and Explanations
119.d – Identify why there is a delay in the dispatch of Gold Room Collection
Before taking any decision on taking any action against the suppliers, you need to identify the delay
in the dispatch and then think of suitable alternatives.
120.a – A neutral statement Informing why the dispatch did not take place
Be true to the customers; tell them the reasons why the order could not be processed. Request them
time to process the order, then only give alternate solutions. Positive tone and respect for the
customer has to be maintained throughout the letter.
121.b- Buffer
When you convey bad news you need to begin the letter with a positive tone with a cushion called a
“buffer”.
122.d- Offer an apology to the reader
Offer an apology as it may lead to more communication from the receiver‟s end and further
correspondence.
123.e – Self-promotion
Self-promotion is a bad thing to write when you are conveying a bad news.
124.c – A statement providing alternative solutions
Having identified difficulties in processing the order, the writer has to leave alternate options for the
reader to take. One way is to provide him all the alternate solutions available or wait for the order
dispatch.
125.a – Clarity
Clarity is not adhered to in this correspondence, as the words used are a layman‟s language not
corresponding to business vocabulary.
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126.e – All of the above
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Care should be taken to check the language, grammar, punctuation, vocabulary and tone while
communicating in business.
127.e – All of the above
The writer feels that the customer has not understood the terms of warranty of the product and hence
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wants to give a clear refusal to his claim. The writer uses the deductive form of approach as he feels
clarity is more important than goodwill. The writer does not intend to alienate the receiver with this
direct approach.
128.e – All of the above
When you are asking for a credit, you want to first place an order, please the company and then
inform about the payment that is due and make sure that your order will be processed as desired by
you.
129. d – Both a and b
You need to give a favorable response to the customer who is tried, tested and valuable. Hence a
positive emphasis on extension of credit and dispatch of goods will please him.
130. c – Closure
Closure is an appeal letter where payment is the final step and full payment is being made and deal is
closed.
131. b – Ultimatum
When strong appeals don‟t work, then only an ultimatum is issued where you warn the customer
against legal action and have a deductive approach of writing.
132. e – All of the above
When a long pending payment is due, a strong appeal letter becomes necessary which should follow
the points mentioned in the question to make it effective.
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While writing memos for unpleasant news, you need to take an inductive approach with a positive
tone. You need to convey the news clearly without ambiguity.
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195. c – Plans
None of the other verbs match the subject-verb agreement rules. Here, The Chairman is only
considered as the subject whereas “along with his two assistants” do not come under the subject.
196. d – Continue
The subject here is “issues” which is in plural form and hence the correct verb that agrees with the
subject is “continue”
197. a – We would place an order immediately
In conditional „If‟ clauses, if + Simple present – will/ would Future is used.
198. b – Would have been
In conditional „if‟ clauses, if + past perfect, would + have + past participle is used.
199. c – I have completed my MBA
When using „have‟ it is understood that you have completed your education in the recent past and
need not mention the year. When you need to mention the year you use simple past verb in your
sentence.
200. e – Most reliable
Superlative degree of comparison is used as „the‟ is before the blank.
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206. c – Believe and realize the habits of superiors and utilize them optimally
Many people find it easy to manage their subordinates and find it difficult to handle superiors. They
believe that superiors have no weaknesses and they can be won over by flattering. However
effective managers understand the habits and inclinations of their superiors and work accordingly.
207. b – Use conventional thinking to prioritize
Effective managers need to think out of the box in solving problems and work towards a practical
solution. Hence they might have to do away with conventional thinking and be able to take risks.
208. a – Posterioritizing
Effective managers need to prepare a time log to perform important tasks on hand and reduce time
wasters. Posterioritize means handling tasks that require immediate attention and postpone less
important activities to be handled later.
209. d – A method in which each of the alternatives is selected and the pros and cons are given
some weights or values. The total value of the pros and cons are then used to determine the
best decision for a particular situation.
Several methods help effective managers in taking decisions. It involves a step-by-step analysis of
the available alternatives and choosing the best option. Dawe‟s Rule, Franklin‟s Rule,
Lexicographic method and Heuristics are some methods employed in the decision making process.
210. c – Ego strength and locus of control
Factors that influence ethical behavior of managers are of two types: internal and structural
characteristics. Internal characteristics are ego strength and locus of control. Structural
characteristics depend on the organizational culture and intensities of the issues.
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211. d – Eustress
Stress can be differentiated by the way in which it affects the body and the mind of an individual
which can be positive or negative. In this case, Rita is happy and enthusiastic to be a part of the
project and is facing positive stress which is called eustress. However, eustress beyond a certain
level can cause distress.
212. b – Resisting Stage
In the resisting stage, an individual begins to react or resist to the situation. The body begins to be
under the fight or flight mode where the individual may feel to either deal with the situation or
escape from it.
213. e – All of the above
Type A personality types are those who are obsessed about winning and become stressed when they
fail to do so. In this case, Nisha feels external stress and family related stress as she is not being able
to have work-life balance. Personal related stress and work related stress begins to occur due to
prolonged imbalance between work and life.
214. c – Techno stress
A changing technological environment can cause undue stress to individuals who cannot adapt to it.
It may reflect in the attitude and behavior of the individual and may affect directly or indirectly.
215. a – Burnout acts as a motivator to set goals which are impossible to achieve.
Burnout is a process which happens over a long period of time and there are various stages
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associated with it. It is a result of excessive stress and definitely does not act as a motivator to an
individual. The individual is incapable of meeting the excessive demands placed on him personally
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and professionally.
216. d – Brownout stage
The energy levels of an individual during brownout stage are low and he loses interest in the tasks
being allotted to him. The quality of work suffers and may require a break from his regular work
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Multiple Choice – Answers and Explanations
management.
226. b- Preemptive
Preemptive or proactive people are obsessed about meeting deadlines and try to complete the work
in a hurry. There are chances of low quality of work and might require to be redone leading to
wastage of time.
227. c – Quadrant of crisis
Quadrant of crisis is the first quadrant in Stephen Covey‟s Time management matrix wherein the
most important and most urgent work needs to be completed in a given deadline. Perfect planning
and scheduling is required in handling crisis and deadline driven projects.
228. d – Rescheduling plans and time frames every few days
While planning to achieve the specified objectives and department goals, a manager has to take care
in allotting specific time and backup strategies in case of missed deadlines or change of situations.
They should also identify the cause of the missed deadline and take care to rectify and avoid
repetition. Rescheduling of plans and time frames frequently may hamper the progress of the work.
229. a – It is the authority given to a person to carry out specific activities.
Delegation of work is the assignment of responsibility or authority given to an employee (usually
from a superior to a subordinate) to perform specific activities. The employee can make decisions
and is accountable for the outcome of the activities delegated to him.
230. b – To perform tasks he is efficient at
One way of controlling time wasters is to allocate the specific tasks to the right person at the right
time. Assigning tasks that the employee is efficient at or which he is passionate about reduces the
time wasters and enhances productivity.
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Delphi method is used for acquiring informed judgments and opinions from knowledgeable
individuals using a series of questionnaires to develop a consensus forecast about what may occur in
the future. Although the method has been used for a variety of applications, forecasting has been one
of its primary uses. It has been especially useful for forecasting technological changes and advances
for companies.
237. d – Red Hat
Among Edward De Bono‟s Six Thinking Hats, Red Hat allows a thinker to express his ideas without
the need to justify them.
238. c – Kaizen
Kaizen is the method employed to bring in minor changes and innovations to capture the Indian
market in this case. The management nurtures creativity by setting up quality circles, starting
suggestion schemes, etc. as per need.
239. e – Intrapreneurship
It means encouraging creative ideas which are cost effective. In the case mentioned, employees are
encouraged to provide creative ideas. The organization puts the innovative idea into practice, tests
the project in the market before making a huge investment.
240. a – Exnovation
It is a method wherein any product innovation is incorporated, exercised in or put to use in the
developing country to create products which would later be introduced in the western markets as
cost effective solutions which is adopted by Tata in this case.
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241. d – The ability that a person has to recognize his own behavior, moods, and impulses and
manage them effectively as the situation demands.
Emotional intelligence quotient (EQ) is the capacity of an individual to be aware of, control and
manage relationships judiciously. The other options in the question describe what intelligence
quotient (IQ) is.
242. b – Perceiving emotions – the ability to correctly identify how people are feeling
Emotions in the faces, designs and landscapes contain valuable information about relationships and
the world around you. Perceiving emotions help in being aware of emotions of people which is the
key while working in teams/ companies.
243. c – Interpersonal intelligence
People with high interpersonal intelligence are sensitive to other people‟s moods, feelings,
motivation, working styles, and coordination levels to work in a group assignment. The careers that
match interpersonal intelligence people are teachers, politicians, managers, social workers, etc.
244. d – Relationship management
The leader, in the above case, has social competency of Relationship Management which defines
that he can work effectively with others, has a passion to excel, can handle change and conflicts with
positive attitude.
245. a – Emotionally intelligent people do not say ‗Yes‘ unless they really want to
Based on a research conducted by University of California, people find it difficult to say „No‟ and
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hence experience stress, burnout and sometimes depression. Emotionally intelligent people say „Yes‟
only if they can fulfill those commitments. They do not hesitate to say „No‟ which means that they
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would want to finish existing commitments successfully before taking any new responsibilities.
246. e – All the above
These questions enable the employer to check the candidate‟s emotional intelligence quotient.
Relationship management
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Multiple Choice – Answers and Explanations
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Japanese follow indirect approach to customers, risk of disharmony is too great to be outspoken.
They feel it is better to agree to somebody and negotiate with the party later than blatantly disagree.
The Americans who follow direct approach consider this indirectness deceptive, two –faced and
lacking in integrity.
277. b – India
India and many Asian cultures consider silence during business meetings as a sign of thoughtfulness.
278. d – Lack of courtesy and consideration
Americans follow a task-oriented culture and respect other people‟s time. They consider
understanding of the message is more important among colleagues and sometimes convey the ideas
quickly by just putting the message right on the subject line of their email. For example: A subject
line on the email might read – “Today‟s meeting at 3 pm in Room No. 106”.
279. a – Language issues
Language barriers affect a company‟s international business. While marketing products and
defining the product features in other countries care should be taken to avoid horrendous meanings
in other languages. A brand name which exemplifies quality and reliability in one language may
have negative connotations in another.
280. c – Questioning the stereotypes
As per Dr. Linda Beamer, conscientiously realize the difference between cultures which can block
meaning between the sender and the receiver; understand the message of stereotypes thereby
considering the next level of communication; question stereotypes to understand their working style,
analyze past communication, not commit the same mistakes and become fluent in understanding and
replying to communication (both verbal and nonverbal) messages.
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The ICFAI Group
ICFAI was established in
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society with the broad levels.
objective of empowering
The ICFAI Group's culture of teaching and learning
citizens through world class
supports and fosters intellectual and personality
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development among its graduating students. They carry
establishment, ICFAI Group
an attitude of ownership of their work. ICFAI Group strives
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Subsequently, there was a
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ICFAI Group has 3 Strategic
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