TU Exam 2081: 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. Rewrite the following paragraph, supplying the appropriate words or phrases, to complete a brief summary of Ernest Hemingway’s short story “An Old Man at the Bridge.” [5]

On Easter Sunday, the narrator, a Republican soldier, …. a pontoon bridge on the Ebro Delta during the Spanish Civil War to explore the land beyond to determine the Fascist enemy’s movements. On returning to the bridge, the narrator…. an old man, who is seventy-six years old. The old man has left his hometown of San Carlos, where he took care of a cat, two goats and four pairs of pigeons. He tells the narrator that he was the…. to leave the town. The narrator warns the man not to hang around but to hitch a ride on one of the trucks heading for Barcelona. The old man thanks him but it’s not clear whether he intends to follow this suggestion. He keeps asking the narrator if the animals will be …. without him. He knows the cat will be able to survive on its own but he is worried about the others. The story ends with the narrator telling the readers that the Fascist army is advancing towards the Ebro river and the old man will not have long to get away. But the old man seems…. to move away.

2. How does Jamaica Kincaid make a satire on the traditional gender roles in her story “Girl”? [5]

3. Why do Mokobi and Ramadi kill the latter’s daughters in Bessie Head’s “Looking for a Rain God”? [5]

4. Gary Snyder, in his essay “The Etiquettes of Freedom,” observes that graceful conducts are missing in human behaviours these days.
Which particular etiquettes, in your opinion, can a Front Desk Manager of a hotel learn from Snyder’s essay? Explain. [10]
OR
What is Eveline’s duty to herself? To her father? What promises has she made to her mother? Does she have a “right to happiness”? Why? Why not? Explain.

5. Why does Phil’s wife maneuver the non-verbal cues not to let her true feelings about her late husband show on her face as the company president appreciates Phil’s workaholism in “The Company Man”?
Drawing from the text as well as your own experience, also shed light on the importance of non-verbal cues in business dealings. [10]
OR
Point out the skills of an excellent sales representative with reference to Phineas T. Barnum’s famous lecture “Advertise You Business.”
Also examine how some of these skills have been employed in any interesting advertisement you have watched, read or seen.

6. Deriving ideas about beauty from Susan Sontag’s essay “Beauty,” write a critical commentary on the ideas of beauty as endorsed by the products and services, which seek to attract their consumers by presenting females as objects of male’s sexual desire. [15]
OR
Modeling on R. Scholes, N.R. Comley and G.L. Ulmer’s commentary on an advertisement of the ‘Lucky Strike’ cigarette in “Light my Lucky,” write a commentary on any popular advertisement highlighting what makes the ad click with the target consumers.

Group ‘B’

7. Define the following business communication terminologies/phrases. [5]
a. Memo
b. Diversity
c. Context
d. Flipchart
e. Downward flow of communication

8. Rewrite the following issues choosing the best alternatives. [5]

A. In order for the receiver of a message to respond in the manner desired by the sender, the receiver needs to ………………………… .
i. remember the message
ii. be able to respond to the message
iii. have the motivation to respond to the message
iv. belong to the same cultural group

B. Teams can achieve a higher level of performance than individuals alone because ………………………… .
i. they combine the intelligence and energy of multiple individuals
ii. motivation and creativity flourish in team settings
iii. they involve more input and a greater diversity of views, which tends to result in better decisions
iv. the members think that the power and responsibility ensure their success

C. What does “Haptic” refer to?
i. Communication through touch
ii. Communication through words
iii. Communication through letters
iv. Communication through emails

D. ……………… may be defined as information that flows from subordinates to superiors.
i. Downward communication
ii. Upward communication
iii. Horizontal communication
iv. None of the above

E. Effective communication is essentially a ……..…… .
i. two-way process
ii. one-way process
iii. both a one-way and a two-way process
iv. three-way process

9. What are the advantages of having excellent interpersonal communication skills? [6]

10. Assume that you work for the human resource department of a large company, which is trying to cut down its paper use.
Write an email to the employees encouraging them to submit their ideas for reducing paper use. Also assure them that they will be rewarded with cash prizes for their ideas. [8]

11. Suppose you are giving an oral presentation on the topic “Digital Marketing.”
Prepare an outline for your presentation, including your claim, at least three broader categories and their sub-categories to support your argument. [8]

Group ‘C‘

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

Having been inspired by a workshop he had attended earlier on motivating the employees, the section head of public relations department at DZire Company decided to send inspirational quotes to his employees repeatedly throughout the day to keep them motivated. To maintain good customer relations, the employees were expected to promptly respond to customers’ queries and address their complaints through emails, phones, and social media feeds. This could be very stressful, given that the number of complaints had exponentially increased due to Covid-19 situation and the closure and restrictions imposed by the government. Rasika, having a great record in meeting deadlines, had also been greatly affected by this situation. Even she was not able to keep up with the increase in inquiries and complaints made by the customers. The inbox was constantly full; the phone kept ringing and social media notifications kept on popping up.

Questions
a. Following his recent participation in a workshop on motivating employees, the section head of the public relation department seemed earnest in his intention to motivate the employees. However, his decision to motivate the employees with a constant flow of motivational quotations backfired.
Analyze minutely what went wrong regarding communication in this case.

b. Suppose you are the section head. How would you achieve your goal without disrupting the employees?
Discuss your approach with proper strategies.