Name: Kailash Singh Rawat

Roll Number: 520916267

Learning Centre: Noida

Assignment No.: 1

Subject: Business Communication

Date of Submission at The Learning Centre:

10.10.09
 ASSIGNMENTS- MBA Semester I
Subject code: MB0023

Subject: Business Communication

Q.1. Describe any situation in your experience where the communication

was a failure. Analyze the barrier(s) which stood in the way of successful
communication. Explain how you would overcome the barrier(s).
Ans.1

Q.2. Select an article of around 200 words from any business publication.
Analyze the readability of the article using the “Fog Index”. Is the reading
level appropriate for the reader of the publication?

Ans.2 Too Young to Rent a Car? - 25-years-old the minimum age for car renting - Brief
Article

Fresh off a flight from San Francisco, Internet consultant Auren Hoffman needed to rent a car to
get to a business meeting in downtown Los Angeles. He tried several car-rental companies near
the airport with no luck.

Then he struck gold. Actually, it was yellow--a Ryder truck complete with blankets for moving
furniture. "It was huge, the biggest truck I've ever driven," says Hoffman, who worried that his
professional image would suffer if he showed up driving a moving van. It took him about 20 tries
to parallel park the truck in a space several blocks away from the office.

But Hoffman got to his meeting--no small feat for someone who was then 20 years old, an age
generally considered not old enough to rent a car. "I'm turning 25 soon," says Hoffman, "and for
me it's going to be a great burden off my shoulders."

With few exceptions, Alamo, Avis, Hertz and National require all drivers to be 25 or older.
Budget, Dollar, Enterprise and Thrifty rent to drivers over 21, but penalize underage drivers with
a daily surcharge. Some even restrict the type of vehicle, making a luxury model or sport utility
vehicle off-limits.

If you're under 21, your chances of renting from the big companies are just about nil unless you're
a military or government employee or happen to be renting a car in New York, the only state that
currently requires car-rental companies to rent to drivers 18 and older. A similar law has been
proposed in Connecticut, where state legislator Michael Cardin has gone to bat for young people.
"You get people who are essentially adults but who can't rent a car," says Cardin. "How are they
going to get around or be perceived as equals in business?"

HIGH RISKS. Because of the high accident rate associated with drivers under 25 (and the
severity of those incidents), "car-rental companies don't think it's worth the risk to rent to this age
group," says William Maloney, chief operating officer for the American Society of Travel Agents.
Maloney himself couldn't persuade Hertz to rent a car to his 21-year-old son last December--and
Maloney was a Hertz executive at the time.
Others contend that car-rental companies are practicing age discrimination. "Every under-25
driver shouldn't be treated like some out-of-control frat student on his way to a beer bash," says
Jules Polonetsky, commissioner for the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs.

By using the right tactics, young drivers between the ages of 21 and 25 can increase their chances
of renting a car. But they'll nearly always pay an underage surcharge, which generally ranges
from $10 to $20 per day. Hoffman says he has paid more than $30 a day. "That is really
outrageous because sometimes that's as much as the rental fee," he says. In New York City, the
daily surcharge can run a staggering $75.

Because most of the big car-rental agencies are self-insured, surcharges help pay for the higher
cost of repairs and liability claims that the companies say are associated with younger drivers. But
some firms deliberately set charges high to deter young adults from renting a car.

You'll get a warmer welcome if you rent a car in a small town, where outlets of national rental
firms are often independently owned franchises with more liberal policies than corporate-owned
offices in big cities. "The franchise owner in Butte, Mont., for example, won't necessarily follow
all the rules of the corporate office," says Steven Dietsch of Rental Industry Services, which
insures car-rental companies.

Mom-and-pop car-rental shops that are not affiliated with national chains may also be more
accommodating and may rent to drivers as young as 18. Customer-service representatives at a
national firm's toll-free number should be able to tell you which franchises have lower age
minimums, and a good travel agent can track down small private companies.

Also try rental companies in a college town near your destination. Rent-a-Wreck, for instance,
serves many college communities and rents used cars (typically about two years old) to drivers 21
and older. Rates run 10% to 50% less than you'd pay at other rental companies, and underage
surcharges range between $5 and $10 per day.

SPECIAL DEALS. But young professionals traveling on business can't count on being sent to
friendly small towns. If your company has a corporate account with a car-rental firm, the
minimum age requirement, and sometimes the underage surcharge, may be waived. National, for
instance, will rent to drivers as young as 21 if the rental contract is in the employer's name.

If you must rent a car at an airport, check out BreezeNet.(www.bnm.com) which lists about 30
airports with car-rental companies either on the premises or nearby that will rent to drivers under
25. Rates and surcharges are also listed.

Some professional associations may offer special rates to members, regardless of their age. But
underage surcharges are rarely waived, so factor them in when comparing costs.

Most car-rental companies require drivers to present a credit card along with a driver's license,
and the name on the license should match the name on the card. For example, most major
companies won't accept a parent's card.

To avoid nasty surprises, call ahead to the rental location to verify its policy on young drivers.
"The last thing you want is to be standing at some counter, miles away from home, with no car,"
says Gary Paxton, president of the American Car Rental Association.

The word logorrhoea is often used pejoratively to describe prose that is highly
abstract and contains little concrete language. Since abstract writing is hard to
visualize, it often seems as though it makes no sense and all the words are
 excessive. Writers in academic fields that concern themselves mostly with the
abstract, such as philosophy and especially postmodernism, often fail to include
extensive concrete examples of their ideas, and so a superficial examination of
their work might lead one to believe that it is all nonsense.

Q.3.Imagine that you are the Chairperson of the Board of Studies of the
Department of Management & Commerce of Sikkim Manipal University
Department of Distance Education. You have been asked to call a meeting
of the members of the Board to discuss the launch of new management
programs and new specializations in the existing management program.
What kind of meeting would be required? Prepare a comprehensive agenda
for the participants of the meeting.
Ans.3

Q.4 Select a corporate ad of your choice from any publication. Analyze the ad in
terms of its specific objectives and type of corporate advertising. Is it effective?
Why or why not?
Ans.4

Q.5 Write an unsolicited job application letter to a company that you would like
to work for in a specific position. Include a one page profile about yourself?

Ans.5 Kailash Singh Rawat

23/1 Greater noida
Distt: Guatam Budha Nagar
Uttarpradesh – 201308
Mob.989986272
Email: ksrbull@gmail.com

Date: 10.10.09
Jaypee Greens Limited

G – Block surajpur kasna Road

Delhi

Dear Sir/ Madam,

Jaypee Green Ltd. company enjoys the reputation of being one of the most sought after
employers in India .
After Jaypee Greens Ltd. has revealed its expansion plans in North West India to cater to its
growing clientele,
I expect you will need technically skilled employees to manage and lead the development team.

Can I assist you in this important area?

My skills include:

• Experience in managing full lifecycle of Accounting and payroll framework.

• Strong knowledge of project management principles, portfolio management, resource
optimization, value and cost analysis and management.
• Deep knowledge of HR Theories and made practical.
• Excellent leadership, communication and presentation skills.
• Successful track record producing results with limited supervision.

I have attached my detailed CV with this cover letter, for your reference. It would be my
pleasure to discuss the details in a personal meeting with you. Perhaps I may call you
next week to seek an appointment.

Yours Sincerely

Kailash Singh Rawat

Enclosed: CV
 CURRICULUM – VITAE
Kailash Singh Rawat

Personal Information:
Career Objectives

Address: Quest to work in real professional atmosphere, which enables me to

H – 311 cope up with emerging as well as latest technology.

Alpha – II
Greater Noida City
Distt: - Gautam Budh Nagar
UTTARPRADESH Professional Qualification
Pin-201308
Mobile: +91-9899986272  One year Diploma in Industrial Accountant from The Institute of
Computer Accountant (ICA) Noida.
Major Area: -
 Tally 6.3/7.2, (financial accounting systems),
E-Mail ID:
 Maintenance book of accounting,
kailshrawat@gmail.com  Bank Reconciliation statement,
 Handling Petty cash and bank transaction,
 Preparation of all respective vouchers and posting thereof,
 Bill passing & making payment as per terms negotiated,
 Raising Purchase order,
 To help in finalization of Accounts,
Personal Detail:  Preparation of MIS report and Data Entry.
Ms-Office, Internet, E-Mail etc, from NIIT.
DOB : 24.12.83
Key Skill: - 100Wpm Typing Speed.
Sex : Male

Father’s Nm: Sh.B.S Rawat

Academic Record
Nationality : Indian
• Pursuing MBA (HRM) from SMU Distance Learning Centre, Noida.
• Graduated, B.Com (P) from Delhi University (D.U),
Languages • 10+2 from Kendriya Vidyalaya Lakhanpur (J&K) C.B.S.E, 63%
Known : English, Hindi • 10th from Kendriya Vidyalaya No.1 (AF), Pathankot, Pb. C.B.S.E.

Leisure Interest: Cooking,

Listening to music (Soft)

Working Experience
Presently working with Moserbear Greater noida as a Telephone
Operator from 1st Nov, 2005 to till date.
Key Strengths

• Optimistic approach.
• Ability to implement new concepts with ease.
• Quick Learner.

(Kailash Singh Rawat)

Date : Signature

Q.6 Case Study

The Power of Nonverbal Communication

Soon after I graduated from engineering college, I accepted a position with the
Sundaram Foundry, a medium-sized firm located in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It
was a good position, since I was the assistant to Mr. Vishwanath, the General
Manager and president of this family owned company, Although there were many
technical problems, the work was extremely interesting and I soon learnt all about
the foundry business.

The foundry workers were mostly older men and were a closely knit team. Many
of them were related and had been in the foundry for several years. Therefore,
they felt that they knew the business in and out and that a technical education
had no value. In fact, Mr. Vishwanath had mentioned to me even at the time of
my joining, that I was the only engineer ever to be employed in the foundry. He
also let me know that the foundry workers, although a good group, were very
clannish, since they had been working together for several years. Therefore, it
would probably take them some time to accept me.

I introduced myself to the group of foundry workers, a few days after my joining.
As I went around in turn, I felt them eyeing me coldly. As I went down the main
aisle of the foundry, I heard them talking to each other in low voices and
laughing. I found their behavior to be very childish and felt that it was best to
ignore these signs of hostility. I thought that if I ignored them, they would
automatically stop these antics.

A few weeks after this incident, I happened to visit the enamel shop. As I entered,
I noticed a worker cleaning the floor with a hose, from which water flowed at high
pressure. I was aware that it was the practice to clean the shop at least once a
week.
I turned my back on the worker and was busy near a dipping tank, when I
suddenly felt the force of a stream of water hitting me. I was almost knocked
down by the pressure and slipped on the wet floor. When I turned around, the
worker looked away in the other direction, as if he had not noticed this
happening. However, I was pretty sure that he had intentionally turned the hose
on me.

Questions

1. How could the engineer, the foundry workers and Mr. Vishwanath be more
effective, both verbally and nonverbally?
2. What do you suggest that the engineer should do, after the hosing
incident?

Ans.1

Ans.2

ASSIGNMENTS- MBA Semester I

Subject code: MB0023

Set 2
Subject: Business Communication

Note: Each question carries 10 Marks. Answer all the questions.

Q 1. Describe three specific situations at the workplace where positive non verbal
communication could be used effectively to enhance verbal communication.
Ans.1

Q 2. Lateral or horizontal communication is more important today than vertical

communication. Do you agree or disagree? Justify your answer.
Ans.2
Q 3. Imagine that you have to make an oral presentation on the features of the
EduNext portal to new students of the SMU MBA program. Prepare an outline of
the presentation and specify the following – a) Purpose of the presentation b) Key
idea c) Audience analysis d) Delivery style.

Q 4. Write a letter to your distributor, conveying the bad news of one of your
product lines being phased out or discontinued, offering some form of
compensation in return.

Q 5. As a Sales Manager, prepare a one page report in memo format addressed

to the VP Marketing, providing sales updates for a newly launched FMCG
product.

Q 6. Case Study

Problems with Email communication

StratAssemble, leading developer of web-based project and detail management

services that improve communication and increase productivity, has released a
white paper chronicling the growing problems associated with email--"Can Your
Business Survive Email?"

The paper recounts the history of email, its changing role in business, and the
emergence of new Web 2.0 collaboration tools, such as StratAssemble's
PlanDone, that offer new and better ways for companies to manage their
workflow.

Email usage drains workplace resources and hinders the timely completion of
projects of all types. Given today's fast pace of business, communication in real-
time and keeping staff on the same page are crucial to staying ahead. Yet delays
caused by using email to coordinate business-critical data between individuals,
departments, and remote locations actually slow productivity.

Top 10 critical email problems:

1. Lack of security

2. Attachment problems

3. Reliability problems

4. Spam clutter

5. Document version confusion

6. Scattered data

7. Unclear project direction

8. Project status confusion

9. Next step priority uncertainty

10. Lack of accountability

"Email has become a barrier to effective communication and productivity.

StratAssemble's PlanDone encourages participation from everyone involved with
a project's outcome and is available anytime and anywhere," said StratAssemble
founder AJ Wacaser. "As email problems escalate, the PlanDone solution will
become the method of choice for managing day-to-day operations of companies
everywhere."

Transferring project and task functions from email to PlanDone's interactive

platform helps teams build on each other's work. Ideas and opinions are shared,
documented, and refined in constructive ways. Two powerful tools--priority
ranking and deadline analysis--help staff focus precisely on first things first each
day, ensuring last-minute changes and course corrections don't turn into
unmanageable business fires. Unlike most other software, PlanDone supports
both individual styles and team methods rather than forcing everyone to conform
to one rigid system.

StratAssemble's motto is "Work smarter. Live happier!" We believe in team

creativity and sharing ideas, and are passionate about the collaborative process.
Our purpose is to enable and inspire our customers to better manage their
knowledgebase and workforces by providing a simple, open platform where every
staff member can assemble, participate and contribute--revolutionizing corporate
communications and strategic planning.

Questions

1.Evaluate email communication as a tool for internal communication, based on

the facts mentioned in the case.

2.How will you adapt email communication to overcome some of the problems
mentioned in this case?