Business Communication

Which of the following statements is accurate?

Proposals are persuasive documents used to solve problems, provide services, or sell equipment.

A company might prepare a proposal for which of the following reasons?

To bid for a contract to retrofit a local bridge

An RFP (request for proposal) can best be defined as

a document that solicits competitive bids on a project.

A business would be most likely to write a request for proposals

to renovate offices.

In addition to an introduction, the background information, and the proposal itself, informal or letter proposals often contain

staffing requirements, a budget, and an authorization request.

you can make the introduction of a proposal more persuasive if you

provide a "hook" such as mentioning a remarkable resouce available exclusively to the writer

Which of the follwing si the best tip to fight writer’s block when writing proposals>

begin by making a bulleted list of customer wants and needs.

In which part of a solicited proposal would you most likely convince your reader that you undestand the porblem completely?

background

In whihc section of an infromal proposal would oyu moslt likely include a timetable for a project to be completed?

proposal

what may be included in the stafing section fo an infromal proposal?

all may be included in the staffing section.

The budget in a proposal should

reflect careful research becasue a proposal is a legal contract.

Jeremy has decided to include a deadline fro acceptance in his proposal to install energy-effiecient workstations for a local manufacturer. In which section should Jeremy place the dead line?

Authorization request

The main differences between informal and formal proposals are

format and length

Although formal reports are similar to formal proposal, a primary difference is that

forma reports represent the end product t thorough investigation and analysis.

what is the first step in preparing to write a formal report?

Define the project and limit its scope

What is the best advice when writing a statement of purpose for a formal report?

Use action verbs that tell what you intend to do

Primary research data can be defined as

information gained from firsthand experience and observation.

Your boss asks you to write a formal report on the impact of smoking on employee healthcare costs. Like nearly every writer of a research project, you should begin your research by

reviewing secondary data in the library or on the Internet.

Although researchers are increasingly using electronic data, you should learn to use print resources because

some data is available only in print

What type of print resource provides excellent historical data?

Brochures

Many researchers today begin by looking in electronic databases because

electronic databases are convenient to use.

Which statement about the World Wide Web is accurate?

The Web is a collection of hypertext pages that offer information and links of trillions of pages.

Searching the Web requires a(n

Web browser

Which statement about search tools is accurate?

A search tool is a service that indexes, organizes, and often rates and reviews Web pages.

What is the best advice for conducting an Internet search?

When connecting to a search tool for the first time, always read the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), Help, and How to Search sections.

A blog is

an online diary or journal that allows visitors to leave public comments.

Which of the following is a primary data source?

Experimentation

Surveys, which are used to collect firsthand data, have many advantages. One advantage is that

data can be gathered economically and efficiently.

Brittany is writing a business report about protecting workplace data and will be conducting an interview with a data security expert. What is the best advice you can give her?

Brittany should complete all these steps.

Plagiarism

is the act of using others’ ideas without proper documentation or by paraphrasing poorly.

Which of the following statements about documenting data is not accurate?

Documenting data is not necessary if you put the information in your own words.

Which of the following statements would need to be documented in a report?

The Fujita-Pearson tornado scale rates tornadoes with wind speeds of 261 to 318 miles per hour as F5 storms.

Paraphrasing is

restating an original passage in your own words.

Which of the following is not a purpose for a direct quotation?

To add length to a researched document

Which of the following is the best advice about the use of direct quotations in a report?

Beware of overusing quotations because you may appear as if you have no ideas of your own.

What is the correct order of ideas for a report using the indirect strategy?

Findings, conclusions, and recommendations

Chronological organization arranges ideas by

time.

Tanika must prepare a formal report detailing the findings of a year-long study of her company’s new wellness program. In this report she must discuss employee absenteeism before and after the program’s implementation. What type of organizational pattern will she likely use?

Compare/Contrast

Tyler is writing a report that analyzes the GlobalCom, Inc., market share of cell phone subscriptions worldwide by region. He will probably organize his report

geographically with sections representing each region’s market share.

Logan is creating an outline to help him write a report on e-waste generated by his company. What advice should he follow?

Avoid placing only one subpoint under a main idea.

Yolanda must include a long table in a report she is preparing on employee Internet use. What advice should she follow when creating the table?

Place the table as close as possible to its text discussion.

The major advantage of line charts is that they

demonstrate trends.

What type of graphic illustrates changes in data over time?

Bar chart

In her letter to policyholders, Min Yi needs a graphic depicting the procedure a policyholder follows when filing a claim. Which of these would be most appropriate?

Flowchart

Which statement about pie charts is accurate?

Pie charts are most appropriate for showing percentages.

Which of the following is the best advice when using graphics in reports?

Don’t overuse color because too much color can be distracting and confusing.

What is the purpose of a letter or memo of transmittal?

To present an overview of the report

What advice should you follow when preparing a table of contents?

Wait until you have completed the report before writing the table of contents.

The discussion of findings in a report should do all of the following except

use first-person pronouns.

What information is included in the appendix in of a formal report?

Surveys

Proposals are informative documents used to educate readers

F

Proposals may be internal or external, but most proposals are external.

T

External proposals may be solicited or unsolicited, but most proposals are unsolicited.

F

RFP stands for "Required Formal Procedures."

F

Informal proposals are often presented in short (two- to four-page) letters.

T

Most proposals begin by explaining briefly the reasons for the proposal and by highlighting the writer’s qualifications.

T

To make the introduction of your proposal persuasive, include a "hook" that focuses on the audience’s specific needs and benefits.

T

In a solicited proposal, your goal is to convince the reader that a problem exists.

F

If you are responding to a request for proposal (RFP), avoid using the same language of the RFP as doing so will show a lack of creativity.

F

Don’t include a deadline for acceptance in the budget section of a proposal because doing so puts too much pressure on the reader

F

A proposal represents a legal contract.

T

Companies today prefer online proposals.

T

The main differences between formal and informal proposals are tone and language use.

F

Like proposals and informal reports, formal reports begin with a definition of the project.

T

The first step in preparing a report is to conduct research.

F

Secondary data come from reading what others have experienced and observed.

T

An advantage of secondary data over primary data is that secondary data are easier and cheaper to develop.

T

Books provide historical, in-depth data; however, periodicals provide limited but current coverage.

T

If you find information on the Web, you can be assured that it is reliable.

F

To efficiently locate information using the Internet, use two or three search tools and combine keywords into phrases

T

Businesses should avoid using social networking sites to generate research because these sites serve entertainment and leisure purposes only.

F

Both observation and experimentation produce firsthand data to clarify cause and effect.

F

When you conduct an interview, prepare closed-ended questions to make the interviewee feel relaxed and at ease

F

The only reason to document sources in a report is to avoid charges of plagiarism

F

Documenting data is necessary only when writing long reports and proposals.

F

If you paraphrase (put information in your own words), you did not need to credit the information source.

F

Information that is common knowledge requires no documentation.

T

If you are worried about plagiarizing, you can avoid the problem if you use the grammatical structure of the original and just replace words with synonyms.

F

Katrina has decided to organize her business report using the direct organizational pattern. Therefore, she should begin the report with her conclusions and recommendations.

T

A report discussing the correct procedure to process customer complaints should be organized using a chronological order

T

Most writers agree that the clearest way to show the organization of a report is by recording its divisions in an outline

T

Avoid the use of graphics in a report because graphics usually confuse readers.

F

Probably the most frequently used visual aid in reports is the table.

T

The major advantage of line charts is that they show changes over time, thus indicating trends.

T

Avoid referencing graphics in the text of your report; the visual should speak for itself.

F

The title page is a prefatory part of a business report.

T

If included with a report, a letter or memo of transmittal should be written using the indirect pattern.

F

The body of a formal report typically includes an introduction; the discussion of findings; and a summary, conclusions, or recommendations.

T

The recommendations of a report may be placed in a separate section or incorporated with the conclusions.

T

Regardless of the referencing format used, citations include the author, title, publication, date of publication, page number, and other significant data for all sources used in the report.

T

Graphics should incorporate lots of color and decorations to provide visual impact for readers.

F