This Document Contains Chapters 1 to 5 CHAPTER 1 SOLUTIONS Succeeding in the Social and Mobile Workplace Critical Thinking Discussion Guide Note: Solutions to Chapter Review questions 1-10 appear in the Annotated Instructor’s Edition. 11. What could be the career fallout for someone who is unwilling or unable to train to become a better communicator? Can workers today be successful if their writing is and remains poor? (L.O. 1) Each of us probably knows at least one example of a highly successful dyslexic person or a poor writer who is admired and thrives in the world of work. However, such cases are the exception rather than the rule. Surveys of employers find over and over again that woefully unprepared young job applicants will fall behind in their careers and not be promoted if they are even hired in the first place. 12. Why do executives and managers spend more time listening than do workers? (L.O. 2) Before they can make decisions, executives must listen to feedback from supervisors, specialists, and others. They must also listen to their bosses—boards of directors and owners—as well as to customers, especially when handling serious complaints. Minds are like parachutes; they work well only when open. All three levels of workers should have good listening skills; but because the decisions coming from executives may be more critical, their listening skills should perhaps be most highly developed. 13. What arguments could you give for or against the idea that body language is a science with principles that can be interpreted accurately by specialists? (L.O. 3) Although few would argue that body language does send silent messages, no scientific principles have evolved explaining exactly what those messages mean. Most researchers agree that nonverbal cues contain much information, but specifically what those cues mean is unknown. In Nonverbal Communication, authors Hickson and Stacks wrote, “The nonverbal message by itself may be ambiguous; in almost every instance it needs the verbal message to complete the process of communication.” [Madison, WI: WCB Brown & Benchmark, 1993, p. 8.] Julius Fast, author of the precedent-setting Body Language, stated that “nonverbal language is partly instinctive, partly taught, and partly imitative.” [New York: Pocket Books, 1970, p. 14.] But it is not a science with principles that always hold true. 14. Imagine that businesspeople from a high-context culture (e.g., Japan or China) meet their counterparts from a low-context culture (the United States) for the first time to negotiate and sign a manufacturing contract. What could go wrong? How about conflicting perceptions of time? (L.O. 4) Misunderstandings are almost assured if both sides are not aware of their diverging perceptions and willing to accommodate each other. A businessperson who prefers directness and relies mainly on precise written information (low context) will be impatient with a businessperson who avoids saying no, seemingly doesn’t get to the point, or communicates in what appear to be ambiguous messages (high context). Moreover, the person raised in a low-context culture will expect a quick decision and is “ready to do business,” whereas the member of a high-context culture will want to consult with other managers, and the group may say yes only after lengthy deliberations. In turn, because low-context communicators may be perceived as pushy and rude, their foreign counterparts may not want to do business with them. As for time orientation, Americans tend to live by the clock. Time is a commodity that can be spent or wasted. Punctuality is a generally accepted virtue. In other parts of the world, time is not such a high priority and is kept approximately at best. Smart negotiators can test Americans’ patience and throw them off balance simply by strategically dragging out negotiations. 15. It is quite natural to favor one’s own country over a foreign one. To what extent can ethnocentrism be considered a normal reaction, and when could it become destructive and unproductive? Provide examples to support your answer. (L.O. 5) The love of country can express itself in healthy patriotic sentiment or in potentially hateful jingoism or nationalism. Ethnocentrism can be defined as putting one’s own culture first and making it central to one’s world. Most Americans would probably describe themselves as patriotic. This means recognizing the great accomplishments of one’s country of origin and being proud of them without, however, dismissing other countries contemptuously and viewing the rest of the world as inferior. Ethnocentrism turns into a negative trait once closed-mindedness or even hatred of other cultures sets in. The key is openness, tolerance, and empathy. Activities and Cases 1.1 Introduce Yourself (L.O. 1) This e-mail or memo is an excellent way to assess students’ skills and, at the same time, get to know them. Don’t grade this assignment, but be sure to write a friendly comment on all papers or send friendly e-mail replies to demonstrate that you have an interest in them as students and as individuals. You may want to use the profile function in your institution’s learning-management system to have students create professional profiles covering the information requested or additional information you may want to gather. This assignment may be revisited later in the term to practice professional online presence (e.g., in a LinkedIn profile) when you cover employment communication. If you are tech savvy and teach smaller classes, you may want to try introductions by tweet in 140 characters or fewer. These messages might include a tiny URL taking the recipient to a profile, website, or other virtual location. More information about using LinkedIn is provided in Chapter 13. 1.2 Small-Group Presentation: Introduce Team Members (L.O. 1, 2) Decide whether you wish each student to (a) interview a group member and introduce that person to the group or (b) introduce himself or herself to the class. Class size may help you decide. Encourage students to consider this a casual introduction. However, it is a good opportunity for students to not only learn about each other but also start to develop the skill of speaking in front of a group. This informal oral assignment induces students to become aware of their employability skills. You could make it more structured by asking them to record in writing the information they learn in the interview to create a short biographical sketch. The main purpose of this assignment is to encourage students to start thinking about presenting themselves well on professional social media platforms such as LinkedIn and in other forums of public opinion. If students are not on LinkedIn yet, impress upon them that it’s about time they created an account! Many students are now urged to join LinkedIn in high school. 1.3 Social Media Inventory (L.O. 1, 3, 4) The generalization that young people today are digital natives and as such must all be extremely tech savvy may not apply to all students, not even the millennials among them. Taking stock of students’ social media and technology use can be important for getting to know the class and its members’ preparedness. Assign the inventory activity to small groups or collect written responses from individuals if you fear that students might hesitate to admit that they do not fit the stereotype of the hyperconnected contemporary and do not own the latest electronics, particularly given that gadgets tend to be expensive. You may also want to ask about attitudes: how important are smartphones and staying connected with friends via text or Facebook to the students? Do they see any disadvantages in being connected nonstop? 1.4 Soft Skills: Personal Strengths Inventory (L.O. 1) Your students should submit a list of four categories of soft skills. Encourage them to frame statements that will be useful when they prepare a résumé later in the course. For example, under “Thinking and problem solving,” a student might write, “Learned new spreadsheet program and prepared cost projection for remodeling office,” or “Learn new software applications quickly and with little training.” 1.5 Rating Your Listening Skills (L.O. 2) This quiz focuses on good listening techniques as presented in the textbook. Although some of the answers are obvious, an interactive quiz presents an alternative learning mode that can pique student interest and reinforce good habits. 1.6 Listening: An In-Person or Virtual Social Media Interview (L.O. 2) The answers will vary. Students could brainstorm and discuss their interview questions in class or prepare questions at home. Then they could approach their interviewees in person, by phone, by e-mail, or via LinkedIn or Facebook. A special word of caution when contacting professionals on LinkedIn: Warn students not to relentlessly pursue random strangers, but to work from within their own established LinkedIn circle of professional acquaintances or their acquaintances’ contacts. This assignment could be done orally or in writing (e-mail, memo) individually, in small groups, or in class. The task could be expanded to a group oral presentation or written report. 1.7 Listening and Nonverbal Cues: Skills Required in Various Careers (L.O. 2, 3) Student teams should generate lists of listening and nonverbal cues that include some of the following: good eye contact, avoiding being distracted by others, not interrupting, taking notes, paraphrasing instructions, asking pertinent questions in a nonthreatening manner, leaning forward, and showing empathy and compassion. Critical listening involves judging and evaluating what you are hearing. Discriminative listening is necessary when you must identify main ideas and understand an argument. Teams should generate cues and behaviors to reflect these forms of listening in relation to the professional roles they are analyzing. 1.8 Nonverbal Communication: How Do You Come Across? (L.O. 3) Answers will vary. Ask students to review the aspects of nonverbal behavior discussed in this chapter and to focus on specific cues. Remind the class to look for aspects of professionalism, such as a straight but not rigid posture, and steady yet not staring eye contact. Students might observe slouching, playing with pens and pencils, or nervous gestures such as tugging at necklaces and ears, or running fingers through hair. 1.9 Nonverbal Communication: Reading Body Language (L.O. 3) These body movements do not necessarily mean the same thing when used by different individuals. Remember that to a certain degree nonverbal communication can be culture or subculture specific, and context always plays a major role in the interpretation of this type of communication. Students may have other interpretations, but these body movements can be construed to mean the following: a. Whistling, wringing hands: nervous or fearful b. Bowed posture, twiddling thumbs: bored c. Steepled hands, sprawling sitting position: contemplative or relaxed d. Rubbing hand through hair: frustrated or nervous e. Open hands, unbuttoned coat: relaxed f. Wringing hands, tugging ears: upset or nervous 1.10 Nonverbal Communication: How Best to Signal I Messed Up (L.O. 3) This is a good exercise for teams. Suggest that team members take turns demonstrating each of the nonverbal messages. They should then discuss how effective each would be. Of course, some would be quite dangerous if they require taking your hands off the steering wheel. Be sure to discuss with students the difficulty of cultural implications. Although a gesture might be effective in one country, it might not work in another. 1.11 Nonverbal Communication: Signals Sent by Casual Attire (L.O. 3) This activity can be expanded into a research paper topic. A variation on this activity relies on student experiences. Instead of conducting interviews in the community, they can conduct a forum among students who work, asking them to comment on casual-dress policies in the jobs they have had. 1.12 Nonverbal Communication: Gestures From Around the World (L.O. 3, 4) Students should be able to find a number of gestures and their meanings discussed at various websites. Here is one example: “The fingertip kiss, in which the tips of the thumb and fingers are kissed and quickly moved forward away from the face, is a sign of affection and may be used as a greeting in Sicily and Portugal. The fingertip kiss is not used often in Italy and the British Isles, but it is common in France, Germany, Greece, and Spain to signify praise.” [See Martin, J., & Chaney, L. 2006. Global business etiquette. Westport, CT: Praeger, p. 53.] 1.13 Intercultural Communication: Watching Those Pesky Idioms (L.O. 4) 1.14 Intercultural Communication: Probing Cultural Stereotypes (L.O. 4, 5) This activity drives home the limiting nature of stereotypes, even positive ones. Very few of us are comfortable representing our entire culture, although others may perceive and designate us as “ambassadors” of our countries of origin. Students may find some stereotypes flattering, but most will recognize that they are ambivalent at best. Few Jewish students, for example, would enjoy being called good with money because it’s an old anti-Semitic prejudice couched in positive language. Likewise, being seen as a Latin lover is a mixed blessing, and not all Asian students are studious and nerdy. Students should also recognize that we may be amused by positive and even negative stereotypes leveled at others, but we may react with less humor once the barbs of prejudice are pointed at us. 1.15 Intercultural Communication: Negotiating Diversity in Job Interviews (L.O. 4, 5) Role-playing relies on a solid knowledge of the workplace and interviewing techniques. If role-playing is too advanced for students, a discussion of differences between the interviewer and interviewee and how they could be bridged might be productive. In the first example, students should recognize the preconceived notions that come with gender expectations. A female boss interviewing a male assistant is still in a minority. a. Students should recognize that explicit references to gender roles would be inappropriate and that the sex of the applicant has no bearing on the qualifications for the job. b. Any questions about the candidate’s national origin should be avoided unless the interviewee volunteers such information. If the accent does not hinder communication, only the skills, experience, and ability of the candidate should be considered. c. In the last decade, turbans and other religious symbols have been perceived negatively because some Americans associate them with radical Muslims and even terrorists. Yet in a job interview, turbans and other forms of religious garb should not be addressed, nor should they be considered relevant to the hiring decision. d. Age discrimination against people over forty is outlawed in the United States. Any question making age a factor in the hiring process would be illegal and should be avoided. Questions should be kept relevant, referring solely to the requirements of the job posting. e. Disability cannot and should not be used against the candidate applying for the job. The interviewer could put the candidate at ease by extending common courtesy to him or her and making sure to speak with the person at eye level. Patronizing behavior should be avoided. Communication Workshop: Technology Exploring Career Prospects in Your Field With LinkedIn This first Communication Workshop encourages students to visit LinkedIn and potentially similar social media networks and job boards, such as Indeed or CareerBuilder. The goal is to motivate students early in the semester to recognize the value of this course in developing the communication skills that many job placement advertisements require. Students should become familiar with using Internet job-search tools, LinkedIn in particular. This activity takes them through the steps of locating positions in their career fields. They should find three advertisements and print them. They should analyze the skills required, tasks to be performed, and salary ranges for the listed jobs. You may ask them to discuss these findings in groups or submit them in a report. Alternatively, student teams could be asked to examine other popular job boards, such as CollegeGrad and Monster. Besides the largest professional networking site, LinkedIn, Glassdoor is potentially eye-opening as it offers accurate salary estimates and anonymous reviews from within organizations, written by current or former employees. Because students sometimes need gentle nudging to go beyond what is assigned, direct them to LinkedIn’s Learning tab; Monster’s Resumes, Jobs, and Career Resources links, which offer a wealth of job-related information; or the popular iPQ Career Planner app. A simple Google search yields links to websites and news articles that also provide job-seeking advice. CHAPTER 2 SOLUTIONS Planning Business Messages Note: Solutions to Chapter Review questions 1-10 appear in the Annotated Instructor’s Edition. Critical Thinking Discussion Guide 11. The use of digital communication has overtaken face-to-face and voice-to-voice communication in the workplace. How has this shift changed the fundamental process of communication? (L.O. 1) The authors of this text argue that the basic elements of communication have not changed as a result of digital transmission. More messages are being transmitted faster, farther, and more cheaply than ever. Successful communication still requires the transmission of meaning from sender to receiver. However, others might contend that communication has profoundly changed as a result of new technologies. In response, everyone acknowledges that e-mail and micromessaging media have shortened messages and response times. In addition, the communication process has changed from unidirectional to multidirectional. Yet, to be successful, communication still requires that meaning be transferred effectively—regardless of the media involved. 12. Is it necessary to follow a writing process when preparing a short message? A long message? Why or why not? (L.O. 2) Following a writing process is helpful for any size message. Although short messages take less time, following a systematic process helps you avoid writer’s block and the necessity of starting over once you get to the end of the message and realize what you were trying to say. Analyzing your purpose, thinking about your audience, collecting information, organizing your ideas, composing carefully, and revising a message before sending it will always result in an improved product. Following the process also saves time in the long run. 13. In their e-mails, writers sometimes use abbreviations such as FYI (“for your information”) and ASAP (“as soon as possible”). Others sometimes use LOL (“laughing out loud”), 4 u (“for you”), and gr8 (“great”). What’s the difference between these abbreviations, and how do they contribute to one’s professional image? (L.O. 4) The first two abbreviations (FYI and ASAP) are acceptable in e-mails because most business writers understand their meaning. The last three are informal, and many consider them unprofessional. When business writers rely on shortcuts such as B4 (“before”), they may be perceived as ignorant, lazy, or adolescent. Using such abbreviations in messages to friends, of course, is perfectly acceptable. But in the workplace, it’s more professional to stick to accepted abbreviations. 14. A grocery clerk helps a customer with purchases to her car, and the clerk says No problem or Not a problem when thanked. What’s the problem with these expressions? What could be said instead? Why do you think some people are now adopting these expressions instead of the conventional You’re welcome? A number of alternatives can work as well: You are very welcome, My pleasure, Happy to help, We are happy to serve you, We aim to please, Certainly, and Enjoy. People may be switching to Not a problem or No problem because they are bored with the conventional You’re welcome, which in itself is not altogether meaningful. The new expression seems more contemporary and hipper, but it doesn’t seem to fit all circumstances. 15. To focus on the “you” view, should writers scrub all uses of I and we from their writing? Why or why not? (L.O. 4) Although writers are encouraged to use the “you” view, doing so does not mean that they must remove all first-person pronouns. Doing so would make a message sound unnatural and contrived. It would also be extremely difficult to achieve in most first-person messages. Conscientious business writers strive to focus on the audience, but they should not sterilize their messages by removing all uses of I and we. Note: Solutions to the Writing Improvement Exercises are provided in the Annotated Instructor’s Edition. Communication Workshop: Career Skills Perfecting Your Critical-Thinking, Problem-Solving, and Decision-Making Skills 1. Identify and clarify the problem. Students will first focus on the problem of the chaos caused by multiple lines. Where should customers stand? 2. Gather information. When solving any problem, we need information. Students will probably relate their experiences at banks and airlines (which often have roped areas to clearly force single lines), sporting events (where fans frequently crowd concessionaires), and retail stores (where people often politely form lines at checkout counters). Grocery stores have multiple lines, but they are physically separated. 3. Evaluate the evidence. Evidence would logically come from observing customer lines at McDonald’s stores and customer lines at other types of retail establishments. At how many McDonald’s stores was customer behavior observed? Where did the evidence regarding alternative customer behavior originate? Was that information based on a wide number of retail establishments? Was it documented? Was it anecdotal? 4. Consider the alternatives. Many people prefer the orderliness of single lines. Customers know that they are being treated fairly. No one can crowd ahead. However, when big crowds of people are involved, the line can look very long. At McDonald’s a single line might snake around and at rush times actually flow out the door, giving the impression that the restaurant is very crowded. Rushed customers might take one look and leave to find a less crowded restaurant. However, major competitors seem to have gone to single lines. Wendy’s International and Burger King use single lines successfully. By the way, a Wendy’s spokesperson said, “With stopwatches we’ve proved [a single line] is faster. But consumer perception is the only thing that counts.” Setting up line areas separated by physical barriers might crowd the counter area and make it difficult for disabled people to stay in line. As an alternative, students might suggest that one or two of the McDonald’s try using a single-line system for several months. 5. Choose the best alternative. Students will select one alternative and offer reasons supporting it in a memo or in class discussion. Most important is that they go through the critical-thinking steps to arrive at a decision and that they are able to defend their solution. CHAPTER 3 SOLUTIONS Organizing and Drafting Business Messages Critical Thinking Discussion Guide 11. A recent PayScale survey revealed a significant gap in perception between managers and new grads. “Overall, the majority of workers (87 percent) feel well prepared (immediately or within 3 months) for their job upon graduation from college. In contrast, only about half of managers (50 percent) feel that employees who recently graduated from college are well prepared for the workforce.” The skill most lacking, said the managers, was writing proficiency. What could explain this gap in perception between managers and new grads? (L.O. 1–5) The gap might be explained by a difference in standards. Students have been graded on their work according to academic standards. It could very well be that employers have different and perhaps higher standards. Students have an opportunity to rewrite some assignments, but on the job this permissive attitude doesn’t exist. Additionally, academic assignments often focus on how the writer feels rather than requiring clear organization and presentation of data. Critics of such studies as that of PayScale contend that managers frequently do not know how to judge “writing proficiency.” Managers may think that a misspelled or mistyped word reveals poor language skills. Yet, employers have a right to expect college graduates to be well trained. Commenting on the PayScale report, Dan Schawbel, research director at Future Workplace, said, “Graduates need strong communication and problem-solving skills if they want to interview well and succeed in the workplace, because effective writing, speaking and critical thinking enables you to accomplish business goals and get ahead. No working day will be complete without writing an email or tackling a new challenge, so the sooner you develop these skills, the more employable you will become.” [PayScale. 2016, May 17. Leveling up: How to win in the skills economy.]The use of digital communication has overtaken face-to-face and voice-to-voice communication in the workplace. How has this shift changed the fundamental process of communication? (L.O. 1) 12. How can bad writing waste a businessperson’s time? A researcher asked that question of workers who read business material an average of 25 hours per week (about half of which was e-mail). What writing flaws do you think they named? Should new employees be trained in writing effectively on the job? (L.O. 1–5) Of the 547 businesspeople interviewed in this study, 81 percent reported that what they read was frequently ineffective because it was (a) too long, (b) poorly organized, (c) unclear, (d) filled with jargon, and (e) imprecise. The author of the study claimed that “entry-level employees get little training in how to write in a brief, clear, and incisive way. Instead, they’re immersed in first-draft emails from their managers, poorly edited reports, and jargon-filled employee manuals.” Rarely are new employees given any training in writing. Students taking this course, however, will receive definite training in how to avoid all of these writing faults. 13. Ashley, a twenty-one-year-old college graduate with a 3.5 GPA, was hired for her first job. She was a fast learner on all the software, but her supervisor had to help her with punctuation. On the ninth day of her job, she resigned, saying: “I just don’t think this job is a good fit. Commas, semicolons, spelling, typos—those kinds of things just aren’t all that important to me. They just don’t matter.” For what kind of job is Ashley qualified? (L.O. 1–5) By refusing to develop fundamental language skills or to recognize their importance, Ashley is limiting herself to jobs such as selling shoes or waiting on tables. If she wants a job as a knowledge worker (and most college graduates do), she will have to pay close attention to words and punctuation so she can express her ideas and gain credibility among her peers and superiors. 14. Why is audience analysis so important in the selection of the direct or indirect organization strategy for a business message? (L.O. 2) Audience analysis is important because it helps the writer decide whether the receiver will react positively or negatively to the message. Help your students develop the habit of always thinking of the audience first. Ask students to put themselves in the place of the receiver. For example, suggest that writers picture a recipient, such as Lisa, who sits in the first row. How would she feel if she received the contemplated message? If the message is expected to upset her, it might be better to break the news softly. Most business messages, of course, are not sensitive and should be handled directly. But occasionally, especially with bad news, the indirect method may work better. 15. Now that you have studied the active and passive voice, what do you think when someone in government or business says, “Mistakes were made”? Is it unethical to use the passive voice to avoid specifics? (L.O. 4) By using the passive voice in the familiar statement Mistakes were made, the speaker or writer is avoiding responsibility by refusing to identify who or what caused the mistakes. Politicians and business executives often use the passive voice when they don’t want to reveal what happened or who was to blame. However, most people would consider it unethical to cover up wrongdoing or mistakes by using the passive voice. Note: Solutions to the Writing Improvement Exercises are provided in the Annotated Instructor’s Edition. Radical Rewrites 3.1 Radical Rewrite: Improving a Message About Checking References (L.O. 4, 5) Weaknesses a. Lacks parallelism in the first sentence; should read as follows: . . . many of you are reviewing candidates’ applications and checking references. Match verbs: reviewing and checking. b. Lacks parallelism in the third sentence; should read as follows: by calling or by writing. (The second by could also be dropped.) c. Lacks parallelism in the fourth sentence; should read as follows: Calling is preferred because it’s easier, quicker, and more revealing. Match adverbs. Note, too, that revision will avoid the passive voice. d. Punctuates fragment as a sentence (which can be used to prove that you did your homework). e. Includes dangling modifier and passive voice (When calling to check references, several important steps). An introductory verbal phrase must be followed by a logical subject. Who is calling? f. Fails to begin each item in the bulleted list with a verb to match the other verbs. g. Uses a dangling modifier and passive voice in last sentence; should read as follows: By following these guidelines, you can obtain. An introductory verbal phrase must be followed by a logical subject. 3.1 Radical Rewrite: Improving a Message About Checking References (L.O. 4, 5) Revision To: All Managers From: Mark Sanchez Subject: Improving Reference-Checking Procedures With our recent increase in hiring, many of you are reviewing candidates’ applications and their references are being checked. Our CEO has asked me to provide all managers with guidance on how to check references to obtain the best information. Generally, the two ways to check references are by calling or to make an inquiry by writing. Calling is preferred because its easier, can be done more quickly, and calling can reveal more. The main advantage of calling is that people will often provide more valuable information over the phone then they would in writing. However writing does provide stronger documentation. Which can be used to prove that you did your homework. References from former employers are likely to be more valuable than personal references, and can help avoid negligent hiring claims. Educational references should also checked when necessary When calling to check references, several important steps should be followed to obtain the best information: • Call once to schedule the reference check, then call back when you said you would. • Plenty of time for the call should be allotted. • Ask only about job-related information, do not ask inappropriate questions. • Good notes should be taken, especially in relation to the candidate’s former employment. • At the end, you should summarize and thank the reference for the information. By following these guidelines, meaningful information can be obtained that will help you make the best hiring decisions. Mark Vice President, Human Resources | mark.sanchez@zycamindustries | Office: 455-390-5539 | Cell: 455-290-9760 Communication Workshop: Social Media Eight Guidelines for Safe Social Networking Students should be able to generate from their own experience many tips for using social media safely. By conducting online research, they will find additional wise advice. If you need to prime the pump for your students, ask questions such as the following: How easy is it for identity thieves to obtain personal information about you through social media? What is phishing? Can you name phishing attempts that you have experienced and resisted? Do you know anyone who has been scammed or whose identity was stolen? Do you receive a lot of spam? What does it mean to overshare? Students will find many entertaining examples of oversharing as well as cautionary tales online. CHAPTER 4 SOLUTIONS Revising Business Messages Critical Thinking Discussion Guide 11. A blogger recently asserted that “the pervasive use of email for business has made the work of writing well even more difficult because it invites—relentlessly—hitting Send before you have thought through, organized, reviewed, and even rewritten your message.” Do you agree that the process of writing has become more difficult with e-mail? (L.O. 1–5) Some might argue that e-mail has made the process easier because it’s so simple to dash off a message without thinking too hard about it. However, that is precisely the problem. Good writing requires thought, as well as revision. Celebrated author James Michener, who wrote over 40 books, said, “I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.” Especially in business writing, clear messages take time to create and even more time to revise. 12. You have just submitted a beautifully researched report. But your supervisor focused on the two or three little errors that you missed and gave none of the praise you expected. Was this fair of your supervisor? (L.O. 4, 5) It doesn't matter whether it was fair. You made mistakes, and those mistakes obscured the excellent work you did. Take the criticism graciously, and promise to be more careful in proofreading in the future. This is a good lesson in the need for excellent proofreading. No matter how outstanding your research was, it was overlooked because of a few careless mistakes. No matter how small, a few mistakes can cast doubt on the entire project. Resolve not to let this happen again. 13. It’s easy to use clichés because they just roll off the tongue. What’s wrong with tried-and-true expressions such as it is what it is and at the end of the day? (L.O. 2) Clichés are so tired that they have lost their capacity to communicate any specific meaning. They are imprecise and sound boring and worn out. When you find yourself using an expression that sounds very familiar, try to replace it with a more concrete expression that says exactly what you mean. 14. Because business writing should have high “skim value,” why not write everything in bulleted lists? (L.O. 3) Although listing items in bulleted or enumerated lists does improve readability, excessive use of such lists thwarts other business writing goals. Business writing must be purposeful, goal oriented, and conversational. Achieving a friendly, conversational tone is difficult or impossible in a bulleted list. It’s also difficult to be persuasive or to convey a “you” view in lists. Bulleted lists are valuable to improve “skim value,” but they are appropriate only when used occasionally in presenting related ideas. Used excessively, they begin to look like laundry lists and turn off readers. 15. Conciseness is valued in business. However, can messages be too short? (L.O. 1) Of course, messages can be too short. Although conciseness is valued, messages must be clear. If extra verbiage is needed to explain, then a message should be longer. Persuasive and sales messages are necessarily longer than routine business memos and e-mails. Messages should be as long as necessary to be clear and effective. However, they should not be curt or abrupt. Note: Solutions to the Writing Improvement Exercises are provided in the Annotated Instructor’s Edition. Radical Rewrites 4.1 Radical Rewrite: Information E-Mail—Negative Announcement Weaknesses a. Does not provide a helpful subject line. b. Starts indirectly with an explanation instead of the main idea: scheduling interviews. c. Fails to develop reader benefits, such as explaining why the readers should be interested. d. Sounds negative (unable to offer; avoid making poor selections; should not have to urge you). e. Buries a verb (made a decision instead of decided). f. Has a long lead-in (This is to inform you that). g. Suffers from flabby expression (in view of the fact that), other wordiness, repetition, and a demanding tone. h. Fails to make the interview dates and rooms highly readable with a list. i. Inserts request (send me your ranking lists) in the middle of a paragraph instead of at the end of the message where action items should go. j. Does not include an end date and reason for returning the ranking lists. 4.1 Radical Rewrite: Information E-Mail—Negative Announcement Revision To: Management Staff From: Nathan Weintraub Subject: Invitation to Help Interview Possible Interns You are invited to help us interview six excellent student candidates for three paid internships. These potential interns from our local college could bring fresh ideas and talent to your projects. The management council decided to begin offering paid internships because candidates majoring in computer science and information systems are usually offered compensation. Please mark your calendars to meet at 2 p.m. on the following dates: April 5 Conference Room April 8 Office 22 April 11 Conference Room Before the meetings, please examine all the candidates' résumés. Send me your ranking lists before April 1 so that we can work together to invite the top interns that you select. Nathan Weintraub Director, Human Resources Communication Workshop: Technology Using Google Docs to Collaborate, Revise, and Edit Team assignments that require using Google Docs and other collaboration tools offer many possibilities. You may assign a team project using the Radical Rewrite or Editing Challenge exercise in this chapter, or you may prefer to wait to apply these skills in subsequent chapters that involve composition. Teams of two or more students would compose and edit a document together. CHAPTER 5 SOLUTIONS Short Workplace Messages and Digital Media Critical Thinking Discussion Guide 11. The eminent sociologist Zygmunt Bauman had this to say about social media: “Most people use social media not to unite, not to open their horizons wider, but on the contrary, to cut themselves a comfort zone where the only sounds they hear are the echoes of their own voice, where the only things they see are the reflections of their own face. Social media are very useful, they provide pleasure, but they are a trap.” Do you agree? Why or why not? How do you use social media networks? (L.O. 5) Answers will vary as students may be inclined to share their online experience and describe uses of the Internet and social media. Some are likely to concur that social media foster living in a bubble and enable a narcissistic preoccupation with the self (most notably manifest in the ubiquitous selfie). The late Zygmunt Bauman was convinced that “social media don’t teach us to dialogue because it is so easy to avoid controversy.” Instead, he believed that “real dialogue” means talking to people who don’t believe the same things we do. Bauman argued that social media alleviate the modern human’s feelings of loneliness and abandonment, but because users can control their network by easily adding and removing friends, they fail to develop social skills needed offline. [De Querol, R. 2016, January 25. Zygmunt Bauman: “Social media are a trap.” El País (in English).] 12. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, four Oklahoma State University students tweeted a group selfie; two of the students were wearing blackface, causing outrage on campus. In another incident, several students were expelled from a Texas university for posting a Snapchat video of a peer in blackface, wearing baggy clothes, sporting exaggerated lips, and making offensive racial jokes. Comment on these incidents in the light of the students’ eventual job search. What advice would you give your peers about posting on social media? (L.O. 5) Tastelessness and poor ethics aside, posting sensitive information or questionable images of any kind is risky. Offensive content spreads like wildfire until the authorities, in this case the university administration, catch wind of it. In egregious cases, apologies and dire warnings of future repercussions are not enough, and students are booted from the university. The long memory of the Internet alone is a pragmatic reason for avoiding inappropriate or risqué posting. Even the supposedly ephemeral posts on Snapchat can be preserved for eternity when someone takes a screenshot. In the Texas case, it was a Snapchat video that did the white students in. Recruiters scour the Internet to find evidence of a potential hire’s online presence; unsavory or questionable content may result in the job being offered to someone else. 13. Are common abbreviations such as lol and imho and all-lowercase writing acceptable in texting or instant messaging for business? (L.O. 2) Like other electronic messages, IM and texts may be shared with others. Don't include abbreviations that are unprofessional and confusing. They do not save time if someone has to stop and think about what they mean. Also, IM and texting produce a permanent record and could tarnish a reputation. 14. Traditional mainstream media act as so-called gatekeepers that vet the news and decide what kind of content gets published. However, social media networks have changed the game. Now anyone with an Internet connection can publish anything, even fake news, and reach vast audiences in mere seconds. What are the benefits and dangers of this unprecedented access and speed of distribution? (L.O. 5) Among the benefits are the following: Social media have democratized access to media. Artists can turn to their audiences directly and promote their music on the Web, as U2 and smaller indie bands have done. Enterprising individuals can turn to the crowd for funding their business ventures. Filmmakers have appealed to potential audiences for donations to make films that Hollywood studios rejected. Aspiring writers can self-publish their novels. In short, anyone can tell a story online. The chief complaint about social media is their unreliability, especially with breaking news or during an unfolding crisis. Immediately after the deadly terrorist attack in Paris that killed 130 people, users circulated photos on Twitter and other social media that claimed to be up-to-the-minute images from Paris when in reality they depicted other, past events. Rumors and falsehoods spread at lightning speed and are being amplified a millionfold every time big news breaks. Traditional gatekeepers kept reprehensible, despicable, horrifying, and illegal content away from the public, yet the Internet today is a free-for-all. Reputable news sources such as the BBC, National Public Radio, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal are vying for listeners and eyeballs fueled by ever-lessening advertising revenues. Their costly information, vetted and corroborated, must compete with hearsay and shrill opinion—even deliberate misinformation in the form of fake news. Readers, listeners, and viewers must be ever vigilant and critical. They are flocking to reputable fact checkers to debunk half-truths and outright lies. 15. Some marketers employ machines to inflate the number of likes and fans online. So-called bot networks (botnets) operate large numbers of fake accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. A rental agency based in Washington, D.C., went from two fans to almost 15,000 within a few days. How do you feel about companies and their brands pretending they have actual traffic on their sites and buying likes? (L.O. 5) Most upstanding marketers find the practice unethical. They point out that it violates the terms of use on platforms such as Instagram. Answers from students indicating their attitudes toward fake likes may vary. However, social networking from a marketing standpoint is about establishing relationships between brands and customers. Relationships are based on trust and authenticity. Fans of a brand want to feel that they are insiders who know more than those who do not follow the brand or company. They form communities around brands, provided that those are well managed and honest. Deceitful practices jeopardize this trust and invite a backlash once the dishonesty is discovered. As for why some businesses adopt fraudulent schemes, the motivations may vary, too; however, businesses are trying to “monetize” their social media presence, and they hope that traffic will create buzz and draw more followers to their sites. Fans, they hope, will turn into leads and eventually into buying customers. If we ask who gets hurt, the answer is both—the customers who rely on the sites they love and who trust that the feedback is real, as well as the businesses that are risking having their dishonesty discovered. Note: Solutions to the Writing Improvement Exercises are provided in the Annotated Instructor’s Edition. Radical Rewrites 5.1 Radical Rewrite: Information E-mail—Hastily Written Message Needs Drastic Revision (L.O. 1) Weaknesses a. Fails to provide a clear subject line. b. Does not open directly with a statement summarizing the message or with the most important question. c. Buries the call to action at the end of the first paragraph instead of at the end of the message where readers expect to find such information. d. Reduces readability by failing to list concise questions in bulleted form. e. Suffers from wordiness and imprecision throughout. Revision To: Danika Benoit From: Nathan Weintraub Subject: Please Answer Questions About Starting an Intern Program Hi, Danika, Should we start an internship program here at Bien? I’m asking you and other members of our management team to consider the following questions and to come to the next management meeting prepared to express your views. Although we have considered such a program in the past, we did not follow through with any plans. As our organization continues to expand, an internship program may be advantageous. However, we need to discuss some of the following points: • What specific advantages and disadvantages would such a program have? • What are the legal ramifications of hosting interns in our state? • Should we pay them or expect that college credit would serve as compensation? • What departments would be best to pilot an internship program? Please carefully consider these questions and be ready to discuss them at our management meeting at 9 a.m. on March 14. Nathan Weintraub Manager, Human Resources | [email protected] | Cell: 566.201.9033 5.2 Radical Rewrite: Information E-Mail—Tips for Conferencing Weaknesses a. Fails to include a meaningful subject line that summarizes the main idea. b. Should have used Dear Ms. Staiger or Dear Samantha if the sender knows the receiver well. Full names should be used only when the recipient’s gender is not obvious. c. Does not organize the information for easy reading and comprehension. The five tips should be bulleted with bold headings. d. Suffers from wordiness (make a contribution instead of contribute; first and foremost); needless repetition (preparing and working up), and inappropriate tone (Ick!). e. Uses a fragment (Such as the start time, audio information, and the agenda). f. Includes spelling/grammar errors (Here's five tips instead of Here are five tips; advise instead of advice; its good instead of it's good; don't move things when your instead of you're). g. Does not end with a closing thought and the offer of a comprehensive list of dos and don'ts. Revision To: Samantha Staiger From: Gabriel Lugo Subject: Sending Tips for Your Networking Voices Article Dear Ms. Staiger: I appreciate this opportunity to contribute to the article that you are preparing about Web conferencing for Networking Voices. Web meetings have become quite popular as an alternative to in-person meetings. You asked me to provide brief advice for Web conferencing. Here are five concise tips that your readers may find helpful: • Plan ahead. Before the conference, notify all participants of the date, time, and duration of the conference. Provide log-ins, passwords, and necessary printed documents by e-mail. • Identify yourself. The first few times you speak, state your name. Don't assume that attendees will quickly recognize your voice. • Mute your phone. When you are not speaking, silence your phone. There's nothing worse than hearing barking dogs, side conversations, or, even worse, toilets flushing during a conference. • Sound good. Play with positioning your microphone and speakers to get the best sound. Avoid shuffling papers, eating, or moving things while you are speaking. • Open with a lobby slide. Start your Web meeting 10 to 15 minutes early with a slide that confirms the meeting details (start time, audio information, agenda). Web conferencing eliminates the need for traveling to meetings, which is especially effective for global teams and large groups. If you would like a more extensive list of dos and don'ts for Web conferencing, I would be happy to provide it in time for your deadline. Gabe Gabriel Lugo | Gabe’s World Blog | [email protected] | Activities and Cases 5.3 Instant Messaging: Live Chat Training at TransGlobal Airlines (L.O. 2) Communication Technology Rep 1 exhibits extreme carelessness; he is the superbly laid-back type. Rep 2 sounds pompous, formal, and uncaring because much of this person’s messaging relies on clichés. The key to a good online conversation is to be helpful and professional while sounding human and authentic. Rep 3 strikes a good balance between the two extreme sample chats. A possible revision follows. Discussion Guide Following is a possible revision of chat with Rep 3:
Representative 3
Rep: Hello, Alex, thank you for calling TransGlobal Airlines. How are you doing? Alex: Hi, I’m okay. Rep: I’m glad to hear that. How may I help you today? Alex: Your award-travel system sucks!! I’m so tired of wasting time on your website! Rep: I’m sorry to hear that, Alex. We have been having some service disruptions. What happened? Alex: What happened is that I keep getting an error message just before I click Purchase. I tried many times. Alex: What point are award miles when they can’t be redeemed?? Rep: Please describe how the error occurs. If all fails, I will try to make the booking for you and will waive the live booking fee. Alex: I am planning a business trip to London with some of my 500k frequent flyer miles. Whenever I choose the itinierary, fill in payment information for the taxes etc, hit Purchase and an Error !!! pops up. I can’t finish the booking. So annoying! Who has the time?? Rep: Any visitor to our SuperMileage site is tracked. I can see your attempted booking. Please let me try to make the reservation for you. [Pause] Rep: I understand your frustration, Alex. I wasn’t able to complete the booking on our new system, not even on the old one. Alex: Why on earth do you roll out something that’s full of bugs, why waste my time?? Rep: Alex, I don’t want to keep you online needlessly. Let me try to fix this. You will not incur any live booking fees. I will call you as soon as I am able to complete your booking. I will send you a confirmation e-mail. In it you will find a link to our new customer service blog. Please describe your experience there. Our CTO set up the site to receive feedback about the new computer system. He wants to hear from customers like you. Alex: Okay. That’s a relief. Thanks. I’ll be awaiting your call and e-mail. Rep: Is there anything else I can do for you at this time? Alex: No, gotta run! Bye Rep: I will be in touch soon. Have a good day!
5.4 Information/Procedure Message: Parking Guidelines With a Smile (L.O. 1) Date: Current To: All Employees From: Adelle Justice, Director, Human Resources Subject: Review of Parking Policies Please review the parking policies described below. They are designed to give everyone fair access. All Employees • Register your car with Employee Relations. • Place the white registration sticker on your back bumper on the driver’s side. • Park in regular marked spaces unless you have a matching identification tag displayed in your front windows. Special spaces are reserved for tandem, handicapped, vanpool, car pool, and management employees. Day-Shift Employees • Park in your assigned space in Lots A and B. • Leave the curb open for visitors and swing-shift employees. • Lend your parking space to another employee, if you desire, on your days off. Swing-Shift Employees • Park at the curb before 3:30 p.m. • Use any regular empty parking space after 3:30 p.m. For your convenience, Employee Relations will staff a booth at the south end of the cafeteria on May 12 and 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 3 to 5 p.m. On both days an Employee Relations representative will be at the booth to take applications and issue white parking stickers. You may otherwise register your car in Room 128 any weekday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Unregistered cars and those in violation will be ticketed. For more information on the parking policies, call 654-PARK. 5.5 Information Message: Announcing Floating Holidays (L.O. 1) To: All Employees (Distribution List) From: Your Name Subject: Announcing Floating Holidays You will be pleased to know that, effective immediately, you can take two floating holidays per year whenever you need them. A floating holiday is a paid day off that you may take for any reason. Typical reasons are to celebrate family events, vote in an election, attend parent-teacher days, enjoy a holiday shopping day, or visit a house of worship. This flexible benefit is offered to you in addition to paid personal days and the customary U.S. holidays, such as Easter, Christmas Day, and Fourth of July, specified in your compensation and benefits package. The following guidelines briefly explain the new floating holiday policy: • Request your floating holidays through your manager; you aren’t required to disclose their purpose. • Take your floating holidays anytime; there are no blackout dates. • Note that unused floating holidays do not roll over to the following year; if you don’t take your floating holidays, they will be paid out at the end of the year or when you leave the company. You can access more detailed information on our HR intranet. Direct any questions about this new benefit to your manager, who will work with you so that you can take advantage of your floating holidays when you need them most. As a courtesy, whenever possible, please give your supervisor some notice when you plan to take your day off to ensure coverage and accommodate scheduling. We hope you will enjoy this reward for your hard work. 5.6 Information Message: Establishing Wiki Rules (L.O. 3) Date: May 20, 2019 To: All Employees From: Your Name Subject: Introducing Helpful Wiki User Rules Here are a few guidelines that should ease the upcoming launch of our first company wiki and make you a valued contributor. Now, you all are familiar with Wikipedia, the ubiquitous online encyclopedia. Unlike Wikipedia, our yet-to-be-named wiki will not be open on the Internet but will reside on our intranet for use in-house. Some vendors will be allowed occasional access. The following general rules will get us off to a good start until we formulate detailed policies: • Be informed. All new users will need to read and follow the guidelines for contributors. • Follow the conventions of polite society. Every comment on the intranet is effectively published for the whole company to see. • Be kind and show respect. Gentle, constructive feedback is more helpful than personal attacks and harsh criticism of other contributors. • Don’t be a troll. Trolls are annoying individuals who anger fellow users by posting irrelevant or controversial comments and by disrupting forum discussions. • Verify your facts and question unsupported claims. Your professional credibility depends on the accuracy of the information you post. Don’t blindly trust everything you read. • Let go of the ego. Collaboration is a team effort. Don’t expect individual recognition or control over your writing. Newbies should ask for help if necessary. • Cite sources to avoid plagiarism. Copyrighted material is subject to fair use guidelines and explicit permission in some cases. Give credit where credit is due. • Avoid ambiguous language. Because expression online allows for little subtlety, wiki editors know that words can be misinterpreted. • Mind your grammar, spelling, and style. Sloppiness causes embarrassment or worse. Every contribution must match the wiki’s established style, content, and format. We hope you will soon appreciate the benefits of our wiki as it will allow us to document key business information, build our knowledge base, work together, and facilitate communication within the wiki platform. If you have any questions, please contact Joanna Bridge in IT at [email protected]. If you haven’t done so yet, sign up with John for wiki training by May 24. 5.7 Information Message: Rescheduling Interviews (L.O. 1) As you requested, the project manager interviews that were scheduled for Thursday, August 22, have been rescheduled for Thursday, August 29. Here is summarized background information for each candidate as well as the day’s interview schedule: Kimberly Yang, operations personnel officer, has been a member of our interview team in the past. Before you leave on August 20, please let me know whether you would like her to be part of the selection process for the project manager position. 5.8 Instant Messaging: Practicing Your Professional IM Skills (L.O. 2) Communication Technology This activity can also be accomplished with the help of Blackboard’s chat function, but AIM, Skype, and the other IM tools are often more versatile and sophisticated or have a more pleasant interface. It’s important that all students download the same client because many software platforms are not designed to work with others. IM aggregators Trillian and Pidgin allow communication among applications that otherwise would not be compatible, however. Once students install the software on their computers, distribute their tasks. You might have two or three students role-play while the rest of the class is logged in and watching, IM dialogue could be projected onto a screen, or students could take turns responding to hypothetical business situations. The role-play may begin with a student acting as a customer who has a question about a product. The student messages a customer service representative who must improvise, showing professional courtesy. Provide only minimal notes, scripts, or instructions. A posttraining question-and-answer session could serve as a group activity involving the whole class. The training could be based on the content of a chapter in this textbook or a business article that was assigned to the class. The leader—either you or a student volunteer—fields questions from all logged-in participants. He or she has to maintain order and ensure turn taking. Participants must wait their turns and ask professional, relevant questions. Other one-on-one or group scenarios are also possible. The log of the IM session can be saved and downloaded for subsequent analysis. 5.9 Analyzing a Podcast (L.O. 3) E-mail responses to this assignment would enable students to respond to the assignment more fully and in greater detail. However, composing concise yet informative professional texts or tweets is also a valuable skill. Summarizing is often not students’ strong suit, and this activity may provide playful practice. If you are understandably reluctant to give away your cell phone number, create a Google Voice account, which will provide you with a phone number you can give out and access online or forward to your home phone or cell phone without disclosing your private phone number. If you don’t like forwarding, Google Voice can also be set up to send you text or e-mail messages alerting you to a voice mail message left on the Google Voice website. Alternatively, consider asking the students to text to your e-mail address or to tweet to your Twitter account. You don’t need to register to search for and view tweets in your Internet browser, but you should open a Twitter account to enjoy the full benefits of the free service. Also, students will need to be able to follow you, and for that purpose they will need your Twitter user name (Twitter handle). Signing up is quick and intuitive. Follow the on-screen directions and watch the brief instructional video clip, if you like. You will be able to follow not only friends and family, but also news, business updates, film reviews, and sports, and be able to receive and share other up-to-the-minute messages. As for the style used in the Money Girl podcasts, they clearly appeal to young people because they are irreverent and funny, although they do provide valuable advice. Following is the gist of Money Girl’s podcast, in which she is discussing the advantages of turning one’s hobby into a business. Using iTunes or your favorite browser, search for Money Girl: How to Turn a Hobby into a Business to listen to the podcast. Here is a potential tweet or text: Potential tweet or concise text message: You get the most favorable tax treatment when you have a legitimate business—you can even deduct your overall business losses in years you don’t make a profit. (133 characters with spaces) Here is a summary of Grammar Girl’s podcast in which she attempts a “quick-and-dirty” definition of the object of a sentence; in iTunes or using your favorite browser, search for I Love You: A Subject-Object Valentine to listen to the podcast. Potential tweet or concise text message: I love you. You are the object of my affection and my sentence. It’s like a Valentine’s Day card and grammar mnemonic all rolled into one. (138 characters with spaces) 5.10 Recording a Simple Audio Podcast (L.O. 3) Answers will vary. Consider helping students select business topics and prepare brief scripts. Some of these steps could be done in class in small groups or as a peer editing exercise. Students could be asked to present a local company, introduce a business idea, discuss a new piece of legislation and its effect on small businesses, or summarize an industry trend. The podcasts should not run longer than three minutes. They could be posted on a course-management website or a social media site such as Facebook or YouTube, and each student might be asked to comment publicly on at least three other podcasts to practice respectful and constructive online feedback. The students could be given a checklist for their evaluations, in which they could comment on technical issues, such as sound quality, but also the originality of the content and the delivery (voice, pitch, loudness, etc.). Larger universities often provide sophisticated software free or at minimal cost to the campus community because they obtain licenses for educational institutions at substantial discounts. 5.11 Blogging: Learning From Master Bloggers (L.O. 4) Answers will vary. As an alternative to a blog entry, students could be asked to analyze in a memo or an e-mail the blogs of the professional bloggers they visited. Students could also research a specific topic to blog on or to write off the cuff, but within the constraints of professional best practices. Some of the information messages in this textbook could be assigned as internal blog entries, composed in MS Word but formatted as blogs in narrow columns or saved as Web pages. 5.12 Composing a Personal Blog Entry (L.O. 4) This assignment is purposely limited to a recent survey or study to ensure academic honesty and discourage copying from the Internet. The added benefit is that the students will become acquainted with reliable sources of many useful statistics, not only for social media. The blog post could be assigned as a persuasive or informative message; however, by its very nature a professional blog is a platform for well-supported opinion. Although the rules for crediting sources are more relaxed on the Internet than they are in academic writing, it is customary to link to the originator of a study or survey and to credit the organization by name. When in doubt about the originality of the students’ writing, a simple string search in a browser of your choice can quickly tell you whether your suspicions are warranted. At your discretion, you could direct students to the section on paraphrasing and plagiarism in Chapter 10. 5.13 Reviewing Corporate Blogs (L.O. 4) This assignment allows for a variety of activities. Students could be asked to evaluate a blog verbally or in writing—in memo form, in an e-mail, as a blog entry, or as a concise social media post. Facebook, Blackboard, or another course-management site could be used to post student reviews for feedback and comments by class members. The keywords listed in the task yield several leads guiding students to corporate blogs. Students could also be encouraged to visit the corporate blogs mentioned in this chapter; for example, Bill Marriott’s outstanding platform. They may end up at Feedspot, which features a current list of “Top 100 Leadership Blogs for Executives, Managers, and CEOs.” On CEO Bloggers/CEO.com, students will find the author’s top 25 CEO blogs; on CEOBlogger/CEOExpress, which in turn is searchable, students can peruse executive blogs, allowing them to locate a suitable corporate blog. 5.14 Monitoring Twitter Feeds and Facebook Posts (L.O. 5) Ask students to obtain a Twitter account if they don’t already have one. The so-called digital natives may not be as obsessed with social media after all. Of the 61 percent of millennials who have a Twitter account, 19 percent say they rarely or never use it. This means that almost 40 percent don’t have a Twitter account at all; 54 percent aren’t on Snapchat. Although 89 percent of twenty- to thirty-five-year-olds have a Facebook account, 27 percent use it less than once a week, citing privacy fears as the main reason. [Charrier, R. 2016, May 4. Millennials and social media: It’s more complicated than you think. Social Media Today.] According to a 2015 Pew Research Center study, only 32 percent of Internet users ages eighteen to twenty-nine use Twitter. Students don’t need to register to search for and view tweets in their Internet browsers, but they should open Twitter accounts to enjoy the full benefits of the free service and to be able to follow others. Signing up is quick and intuitive. Students simply follow the on-screen directions and watch the brief instructional video clip, if they like. They will be able to follow not only friends and family, but also news, business updates, film reviews, and sports, and receive and share other up-to-the-minute messages. Have them type into the search box any current international or business event to see what other Twitter users are saying about it—in this case, news, reviews, or complaints about HP. Other companies that have successfully created a devoted fan community on Twitter are Foursquare, Ford, PepsiCo, Levi Strauss, and Craftsman tool company. Companies with a particularly loyal following on Facebook are Coca-Cola, Netflix, Dove, Nutella, Oreo, and GM, to name just a few. 5.15 Social Media: Quitting Cold Turkey? (L.O. 5) Answers will vary, but most students will probably agree that they would consider it a hardship to relinquish their cell phones even for a day. In the Maryland study, students felt that giving up their cell phones was the hardest part of being media free for a full day. They felt less strongly about forgoing television. Some felt out of sorts as a result of not being able to listen to music all day on their devices. A few selected sound bites from the student blogs in the Maryland study hint at the tremendous change communication technology has wrought on millennials: Email is the only kind of mail I’ve ever sent; I have received 40 texts in the last 15 minutes; I always text and drive; I have more TV channels memorized than math formulas; I only use newspapers to clean my windows. A related problem to explore is Internet gaming addiction, which is most prevalent in Asian countries. Several much-publicized deaths have revealed obsessive playing of World of Warcraft and other hugely popular games. The problem is serious enough that the governments of South Korea, China, and Taiwan have set up Internet addiction treatment centers. Communication Workshop: Social Media Should Employers Curb Social Media, E-Mail, and Other Internet Use? Many employers resign themselves to the fact that employees will spend a certain amount of time during the workday online shopping and visiting social media sites. Some have accepted that workers goof off approximately one hour a day. Although they understandably dislike this personal use of company time, they realize that Internet use is increasingly tougher to enforce. Besides, before social media came along, workers used to hover around the water cooler, sneak cigarette breaks, and so forth. Other employers take a hard-line approach. However, rigid enforcement, although justified, may cause resentment and damage morale. It has been argued that reasonable personal Web surfing may be relaxing and lead to greater motivation and productivity. Experts such as Nancy Flynn of the ePolicy Institute suggest rigorous training of employees and clear, comprehensive media use policies. Some consultants, such as Suzana Flores, recommend limiting but not fully restricting or overmoderating social media use at work. Arguments for allowing personal use of social media on the job: Depending on the job, workers take their work home and on the road. Asking them to stay away from the Internet at the office while also requiring them to work long hours away from the office seems unreasonable. Even at the office, monitoring traffic to websites, chatting, texting, Facebook visits, and e-mail has gotten harder with the rise of mobile devices. When workers rely on their personal smartphones running on cellular networks (without installing any employer-provided apps or work e-mail!), employers may not know how much time is spent not working. Some positions require Internet research and professional use of some of the same media that would be affected by a wholesale ban. Some workers need to be in constant contact with suppliers, customers, and coworkers. Distinguishing between professional and personal use is therefore not always easy. Some employers give employees a lot of latitude as long as the work gets done. Other employers block specific websites or record all keystrokes on workplace machines. Compromise could be sought—for example, allowing personal use of communication technology on machines at work during breaks and after hours. Arguments against allowing personal use of social media on the job: Recreational activities, as well as unintentional yet careless miscues, can gobble up precious network resources and waste valuable work time. Even more important is concern over lawsuits and network security. Companies must maintain workplaces free of harassment. If employees view or download pornography, transmit sexually explicit jokes, or use inappropriate screen savers, the work environment can become poisoned and employers may be sued for tolerating a hostile workplace. Furthermore, security problems arise when employees open phishing e-mail or fall for malware during Internet searches. Solution Manual for Essentials of Business Communication Mary Ellen Guffey, Dana Loewy 9781337386494
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