TU Exam 2080: Business Communication BBS

Candidates are required to give their answers in their own words as far as practicable.
The figures in the margin indicate full marks.

Attempt ALL the questions.

Group ‘A’

1. What wrongs of ‘old Nepal’ does the poet want ‘new Nepal’ to amend in the poem “New Nepal” ? [5]

2. Phineas T. Barnum in “Advertise Your Business” blends moral advice (“be honest”) and business advice (“don’t blab”). Discuss how the writer highlights the blend of these two aspects to flourish business. [5]

3. How does Gary Snyder in his essay “The Etiquette of Freedom” bring in the idea of ‘deep ecology’? Explain. [5]

4. How does the poet bring about the similarities and differences between a fly and a human being in “The Fly”? Do you think it is worthwhile to live without thinking about the future? Discuss. [10]
OR
“Although human lives are by themselves transient and insignificant, experiences are immortal.” Examine this statement in the light of “Once More to the Lake.”

5. How does the lunatic persona of Devkota’s poem “The Lunatic” differ from conventional lunatic? Explain why Devkota employs such lunatic personality as his speaker in the poem. [10]
OR
Discuss how W.H. Auden’s poem “The Unknown Citizen” comments on the modern bureaucratic society where individual freedom is snatched away by the state mechanism.

6. In his essay “An Essay in Aesthetics,” Roger Fry argues, “In dreams and when under the influence of drugs, the imaginative life passes out of our own control, and in such cases its experiences may be highly undesirable, but whenever it remains under our own control it must always be on the whole a desirable life.” Do you agree with the writer’s argument? Give reasons. [15]
OR
In her essay “Beauty,” Susan Sontag seeks to discredit conventional attitude about beauty. Briefly discuss her argument and explain what change in attitude about beauty the writer wants to bring in her readers.

Group ‘B’

7. Define the following business communication terminologies/phrases. [5]
a. Collaboration
b. Brainstorming
c. Merchandising
d. Memorandum
e. Netiquette

8. Rewrite the following issues choosing the best alternatives. [5]
a. Information flows from executives to low-level employees in ………………. communication.
i. upward flow
ii. downward flow
iii. horizontal flow
iv. diagonal flow

b. The engagement of employees in their jobs, their commitment to the organization is called ………………………… .
i. employee management
ii. interpersonal communication
iii. event management
iv. corporate communication

c. ………………….. is a dialogue between two or more parties to resolve points of difference, gain an advantage for an individual or collective interests.
i. Bargaining
ii. Conflict
iii. Negotiation
iv. Business appraisal

d. ……………… are the official written records of a meeting.
i. Minutes
ii. Agendas
iii. Memos
iv. Roll calls

e. A ……..…… is usually a formal interaction or discussion among a group of people for specific purpose.
i. sitting
ii. setting
iii. gathering
iv. meeting

9. Why is business communication important in today’s competitive world? Discuss with examples. [6]

10. Do you agree that visual and nonverbal communication is integral to oral communication? Discuss with relevant examples. [8]

11. Write a letter to your internet service provider complaining about the poor quality of their services. Identify clearly, with specific examples, how the poor quality has affected you, and suggest the ways to improve it. [8]

Group ‘C‘

12. Read the given case and answer the following question. [2×9=18]

‘More than half of car drivers are complying with 30mph speed limits for the first time, according to official figures, which suggest that speed cameras have altered drivers’ behavior.
The proportion of drivers who break the limit in built-up areas fell from 72 per cent in 1996 to 49 per cent last year.
The improvement in compliance appears to have contributed to a sharp fall in pedestrian deaths, down by a third in the past decade, from 997 in 1996 to 671 in 2005.
The Department for Transport monitored the speeds of different types of vehicles in free-flowing conditions on several types of roads.
The measurements were taken well away from speed camera sites to ensure that the results were not distorted by drivers slowing down briefly. The proportion of drivers in a 30 mph area travelling faster than 35 mph, the lowest speed at which cameras are triggered, has halved from 37 per cent in 1996 to 19 per cent last year. However, the proportion travelling at more than 10mph above the 70mph limit on motorways has fallen only slightly over the same period, from 19 per cent to 17 per cent.’
‘Paul Watters, the AA’s head of roads policy, said that the big increase in speed camera fines, from 260,000 in 1996 to two million in 2004, had made drivers pay more attention to the limit. More than a million drivers have six or more penalty points on their licenses and are only one conviction away from an automatic six-month ban, according to a survey last week.
Mr. Watters said that satellite navigation systems which inform drivers of the limit on the road they are on may also have played a part in improving compliance.’
‘The RAC Foundation said that a greater police presence was needed on the roads to deter a hard core of car drivers and motorcyclists who obeyed the limit only when they spotted cameras. Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed anti-speed camera campaign, said that the fall in pedestrian deaths was partly the result of a 16 per cent decline in walking.
“It’s not exceeding the speed limit that causes the crash – it’s driving like a nutter,” he said. “Just because people are driving more slowly on some types of road does not mean those roads are safer.” ‘ (Ben Webster, Transport Correspondent The Times, 6 April 2007)

Questions
a. The passage discusses speed cameras and their impacts on drivers’ behavior. Does the writer in the passage think that speed cameras help in reducing road accidents and killing of pedestrians?

b. Road accidents and killing of the pedestrians are common in Nepalese contexts as well. In your opinion, what are the causes of road accidents? Can we minimize such accidents setting up speed cameras in the street? Discuss.