MB0023 - Business Communication_new

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ASSIGNMENTS - MBA Semester-I

Subject code: MB0023 – Business Communication (Set I)

Q1. “Describe any situation in your experience where thecommunication was a failure. Analyze the barrier(s)which stood in the way of successful communication.Explain how you would overcome the barrier(s).

Answer

As an Associate Manager, I was a sender for a communication and intendedto be received by my executives. I have sent the following communication tomy executives through a notice and displayed on the notice board: “ComingSecond Saturday to complete our targets for the month a review meeting isarranged and all should attend. If any executive is not able to attend shouldfind out the contents of the meeting from their peers without fail”. But mycommunication went wrong and out of 10 executives, only three executiveshave attended at 4.00 PM who checked-in with me the time of the meeting.Following were the barriers of communication which stood in the way of mycommunication: The “Channel” I have chosen communication by “Receivers” did not ensure the receipt of the

The communication lacked the “Chronological context” The second Saturdaybeing a non working day. The communication has created a “Psychologicalnoise” by not mentioning correct time of the meeting and confusion has beencreated. The “social context” also is one of the cause for the failure of thecommunication as I have not taken all my executives into confident by giving

any advance information or a intention of the meeting earlier.

Lessons learnt in order to overcome these barriers of communication:

My communication was unclear by not giving exact time of meeting. Themedia I have used is the placing the notice on the notice board, instead hadI circulated to all the receivers and obtained their signatures by asking theiravailability or feedback my communication would not have failed. I havechosen a wrong day a holiday though the task was a routine one.

I could have maintained good relations with my executives for success of my communication.

Q2. “Select an article of around 200 words from any business

publication. Analyze the readability of the article using the

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“Fog Index”. Is the reading level appropriate for the reader of the publication?.

Answer

“Readability formulas” are methods used to find out if documents are written atthe right reading level for their targeted audience. Gunner’s Fog Index is one of the most famous. The Fog Index measures the level of reading difficulty of anydocument. It assumes that the bigger the words you use and the more complexyour sentences, the more difficult your document will be to read. The Fog Indexlevel translates into the number of years of education a reader needs to read thematerial easily. The “ideal” score is 7 or 8; anything above 12 is too hard formost people to read. The Fog Index does not determine directly if the writing istoo basic or too advanced for a particular audience. It does help you decide

whether a document is likely to be hard to understand – and might benefit fromediting using “plain English” or “plain language.” Using the FOG Index

1. Select a short document or passage and count the number of words(Usually around 100 words). For example:

Article: The responsive manager tends to succeed by building bonds of respectand trust with those around him/her. Staff respond positively to responsivemanagers; they work more diligently, work to help the manager and theorganization succeed, and will go the extra mile when necessary. That is

because responsive managers act consistent with the principle that their jobsare to help their staff do their jobs. So, a basic inter-dependence emerges basedon behaviors that show concern, respect and trust. Responsive managers alsoinfluence those above them in the hierarchy. Because responsive managers havethe ability to read and act upon the needs of their "bosses", they are perceivedas helpful and reliable, or in a simple way, very useful. This allows them to getthe "ear" of people above them in the system, and further helps get things donewhen needed. Contrast this with the limited influence of the UN responsivemanager. The unresponsive manager is restricted in influence because thosearound him/her do not respect or trust them to look out for their welfare.Influence is more limited to the use of power coming from the formal position,and fear, a motivational component that is hard to sustain over time.Unresponsive managers tend to be perceived as self-interested, or at bestuninterested in the needs of those around them.

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Number of words: 220

2. Count the number of sentences within the passage.

Number of sentences: 113. Count the number of big / difficult words (3 or moresyllables). Exclude words in which “es” or “ed” form the third and final syllable,hyphenated words like “state-of-the-art”, and compound words like “newspaper.” Number big or difficult words: 94. Calculate the average sentencelength by dividing the number of words by the number of sentences. : 220/11:20 words 5. Calculate the percentage of big words by dividing the number of bigwords by the number of words, and multiplying by 100. : (11/220)*100 : 5% 6.Add the average sentence length to the percentage of big words and multiplythat result by 0.4; that’s the Fog Index score. FOG Index:: (20+5) *0.4 10Percentage of big words Average length of sentence

This passage requires 10th class level of reading ability. A 10th class student willunderstand this passage without any difficulty.

Q3. Imagine that you are the Chairperson of the Board of

Studies of the Department of Management & Commerce of Sikkim Manipal University Department of Distance Education.

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You have been asked to call a meeting of the members of theBoard to discuss the launch of new management programsand new specializations in the existing management program.What kind of meeting would be required? Prepare a

comprehensive agenda for the participants of the meeting.

Answer

As the meeting has been called to discuss the launch of new managementprograms and new specialisations in existing management programs, this typeof meeting is a called Task Oriented Meeting that is to discuss and makearrangements for a specific event. All the key people involved may be asked toattend the meeting to discuss the arrangements that are to be made for this.

AGENDA

Date: February 15th, 2010

To: Mr. Sharma [Incharge - Administration],Mr. Prasad [Incharge – Curriculum],Ms. Nivedita [Incharge - Adv. & Marketing],Mr. Rathod [Incharge – Admissions],Mr. Manjunath [Incharge Examinations]

From: Mr. Sanjay Kumar .S [Chairperson – BSDMC]

Subject: “Launch of new Management Programs and new Specialisations inexisting programs”

Time: Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 from 10.00AM to 11.00AM

Place: Fourth floor Conference Room

Background: Planning to launch new management programs And newspecialisations in existing management programs for the spring session of 2010.Meeting is planned to discuss the necessary changes in our existing system.

We will discuss the following:

• Administration arrangements and learning centres – Mr. Sharma

• Research and Design of curriculum – Mr. Prasad

• Publicity methods and press releases of new programs –Ms. Nivedita

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• Admission procedures and dates – Mr. Rathod

• Examination patterns – Mr.Manjunath

Q4. Select a corporate ad of your choice from any

publication. Analyze the ad in terms of its specificobjectives and type of corporate advertising. Is it

effective? Why or why not?

Answer

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Advertisement of Tata Consultancy Services

The above is a corporate advertisement form Tata Consultancy Services.

Specific Objectives:

The main objective of the corporate advertisement is to make the organizationbetter understood. With this add Tata consultancy services are meeting theobjective that they have presence in the racing car segment. The formula oneFerrari is one of the most advanced racing cars in the world, packing research inaerodynamics, style, engine technology, brakes, modeling. It has more incommon with a jet plane than with the performance of high speed car. Tataconsultancy Services worked with Ferrari before, during and in between races tohelp their cars go even faster. As one of the world’s fastest growing technologyand business solution providers, TCS ensures that all mechanical and electricalsystems perform at their optimum under levels of extreme stress. Managingpressure and troubleshooting where every little advantage makes a very hugedifference. And, of course Ferrari to experience certainty.

Type of advertising:

Corporate advertising has not only objectives but has different types of advertising. It has also become wider in scope, going beyond the traditionalimage building. The Ferrari advertisement of TCS comes under the ‘CorporateUmbrella Advertising’. This type of advertising is aimed at consumers and tries

to show the identity of the company. This highlights the services which theyoffer to customers. The addition of customers to this umbrella is added in thistype of advertising.

Effectiveness:

This advertisement is very effective especially the automobile segment, wherethe customers look for maximum, mileage, good performance of cars withlimited resources.

Q5. Write an unsolicited job application letter to a companythat you would like to work for in a specific position. Includea one page profile about yourself.

Answer

To,

The HR Manager,

Symantec Systems Pvt. Ltd.,TK Nagar,

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Bangalore.

Dear HR Manager,

Sub: Application for the post of safety Engineer

I read the latest article in a business publication that your company own aprestigious contract and understand that you may want to hire qualified ITmanager to serve the newly acquired contract. I am post graduate in ComputerApplications. From the business courses taken during my MBA program, I havelearnt how to take the IT demands of clients by implementing all relevantregulatory & statutory IT requirements at project sites. I had a specialization of Project Management during my MBA. As part of my MBA final year project work,I had taken the topic of implementing IT related systems in unorganized sectorslike construction.

Please contact the references in my enclosed resume, for their comments on myknowledge, expertise and interpersonal skills. I would be grateful if you couldindicate whether these would be an opening for a IT Manager in your esteemedorganization, in the near future.

Thanking you,

Sincerely,Sanjay Kumar. S

Enclosures: Resume.

RESUME of

SANJAY KUMAR SASIDHARAN NAIR

• Innovative, results-driven ERP Implementation specialist.

• Wide-ranging background in implementing ERP for prominent organizations.

• ERP Project Manager & Systems Architect with 12+ years of success combiningtalents in project management and staff leadership.

• Deliver high-performance applications and IT infrastructure.

KEY COMPETENCIES

ERP & IT Project Management

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Subject code: MB0023 – Business Communication (Set I)Business Process Re-engineering

Security & Network InfrastructureSystem Architecture/DesignLarge-Scale Internet Applications

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

* Leverage technical, business and analytical skills to align enterprise technology strategiesand processes with business plans.

* Continuously seek ways to improve operation productivity, through the introduction of newtechnologies, systems, methods and controls.

* Exceptional team-builder, adept at managing cross-functional teams to consistently deliverprojects ahead of schedule and under budget.* Visionary leader who can manage change, mitigate risk, infuse new ideas and deliver solidbusiness results, taking system performance and productivity to the next level.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

TARMAC ME (AL FUTTAIM TARMAC Dubai)

10/2008 – Present

Tarmac Middle East is the part of Tarmac International, based in Frankfurt, which in turn is partof Tarmac Limited in the UK, an Anglo American plc subsidiary. Al Futtaim Tarmac in Dubai is theregional head office for all the Tarmac entities in the Middle East from where the regionaloperations are managed.

REGIONAL IT MANAGER / ERP Champion

• Manage IT operations including ERP implementation of complete ERP solution for theregion covering Dubai, Abudhabi, Oman and Qatar.

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

* Successfully implemented the Disaster Recovery solution.

* Currently involved in the process of implementing an ERP (Completed ERP selection process).

WEIR ENGINEERING SERVICES

11/2006 – 10/2008 (2 years)

REGIONAL MANAGER – IT & BUSINESS SYSTEMS (ERP) (11/2006 – 10/2008)

• Managed IT operations including implementation of MOVEX (A Complete ERP package)

for the region covering Dubai, Abudhabi, Saudi Arabia, Baku and India.


* Successfully implemented the ERP solution – MOVEX for the region by leading the project.

* Successfully implemented the DR solution for the ME region including the connectivity from all

locations

to Dubai.

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Subject code: MB0023 – Business Communication (Set I)FUSION SYSTEM SOLUTIONS L.L.C, Dubai, U.A.E;

05/1999 – 10/2006 (7 years)

ERP IMPLEMENTATION SPECIALIST/CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER (05/2003 – 10/2006)

•

Developed a completely customizable ERP solution which has the following modules.

Financial AccountingSales Order ProcessingPurchase Order Processing

Inventory & LogisticsHR & Payroll

• Direct the design, development, scalability of all client/server, Web applications.

• Manage day-to-day operations, vendor relationships, with emphasis on consolidatingapplications and reducing IT hardware/software, maintenance and programming costs.

• Supervise database, Network security.


* Consulted with various divisions to set technology direction for software development,Database selection.

* Developed a common reusable architectural design for applications.* Involved in the implementation of customized ERP solutions for the following concerns in

various Databases like Oracle, Sybase, SQL etc.

* Involved in the analysis, design and development of following standard software solutions invarious database platforms like Oracle, Sybase, SQL etc.

• Standard Financial Accounting package with budget, cost centre and element,sub element concepts.

• Payroll and HR management solution.

• Integrated Inventory solutions with purchase order, sales order processing.

• Jewellery Management solution which is very specific to the Jewellers industry.

• School Management solution.

• Printers Management System.

• ERP for Man power consultancies.

• Real Estate management solution.• Production and job costing system for various industries.

• Other specific custom made software solutions.

SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR (05/1999 - 04/2003)

• Chaired the Security Leadership Team, establishing corporate policies and guidelines

for servers, Databases and Applications.


* Produced a real-time data collection system used for predictive failure analysis, a performance

monitoring tool, and a database/data warehouse system using Oracle Replication Options.

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* Created logical/physical database designs utilizing template/pattern modeling techniques, anddeveloped fact and dimension tables to support real-time access to monitored data points.Completed projects on-time/budget.

* Charged with rearchitecting IT infrastructure, and managing database programmers.

* Redesigned networks and production servers, increasing bandwidth and meeting highavailability needs.

* Design and developed an ETL application to take hundreds of data feeds from online merchant

vendors and covert them to a common XML format.

* Re-engineered outdated database to be scalable, flexible, responsive and have automaticfailovercapabilities.

TECHNICAL SUMMARY

PLATFORMS/OS: Windows 2000/NT/3x, IBM AS 400

NETWORKING: TCP/IP, Routers, Hubs, Switches, Load Balancers, Firewalls

DATABASES: Oracle 10G Rac/9i/8i, Sybase Adaptive Server Anywhere, Sybase Enterprise, SQLServer 2000, DB2

EDUCATION

Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.Master of Computer Applications, 05/1995

Madurai Kamaraj University, Tamil Nadu, IndiaBachelor of Computer Science, 05/1992

PERSONAL & CONTACT DETAILS

Passport Number : E 8171694Expiry Date : 02/2014

Present Visa Status : Resident

Email Id : [email protected] No. : 00971 50 4594479Residence No. : 00971 6 5594520

(S. SANJAY NAIR)

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Q6. Case Study

The Power of Nonverbal Communication

Soon after I graduated from engineering college, I accepted a position with theSundaram Foundry, a medium-sized firm located in a small town in Tamil Nadu.It was a good position, since I was the assistant to Mr. Vishwanath, the GeneralManager and president of this family owned company, although there weremany technical problems, the work was extremely interesting and I soon learntall about the foundry business.

The foundry workers were mostly older men and were a closely knit team. Manyof them were related and had been in the foundry for several years. Therefore,they felt that they knew the business in and out and that a technical education

had no value. In fact, Mr. Vishwanath had mentioned to me even at the time of my joining, that I was the only engineer ever to be employed in the foundry. Healso let me know that the foundry workers, although a good group, were veryclannish, since they had been working together for several years. Therefore, itwould probably take them some time to accept me.

I introduced myself to the group of foundry workers, a few days after my joining. As I went around in turn, I felt them eyeing me coldly. As I went downthe main aisle of the foundry, I heard them talking to each other in low voicesand laughing. I found their behavior to be very childish and felt that it was best

to ignore these signs of hostility. I thought that if I ignored them, they wouldautomatically stop these antics.

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A few weeks after this incident, I happened to visit the enamel shop. As Ientered, I noticed a worker cleaning the floor with a hose, from which waterflowed at high pressure. I was aware that it was the practice to clean the shop

at least once a week.I turned my back on the worker and was busy near a dipping tank, when Isuddenly felt the force of a stream of water hitting me. I was almost knockeddown by the pressure and slipped on the wet floor. When I turned around, theworker looked away in the other direction, as if he had not noticed thishappening. However, I was pretty sure that he had intentionally turned the hoseon me.

Questions

1. How could the engineer, the foundry workers and Mr. Vishwanath be moreeffective, both verbally and nonverbally?

2. What do you suggest that the engineer should do, after the hosingincident?

Answer

1. How could the engineer, the foundry workers and Mr. Vishwanathbe more effective, both verbally and nonverbally?

Verbal communication provides the opportunity for personnel contact andtwo away flow of information. Nonverbal communication on the other hand isthe communication without words. It refers to any way of conveyingmeanings without the use of verbal language. This is generally unintentional.The engineer, the workers and Mr. Viswanath can be more effective bothverbally and nonverbally. Even though large part of communication occupiedby verbal communication; the nonverbal is having a great power.

Engineer: The engineer has recently graduated from engineering college, is with full of

enthusiasm and interest to start his career as an assistant to Mr. Viswanath.The foundry was family owned and it is located in a small town in Tamilnadu.Instead of introducing himself to the foundry workers after few days he joins, he would have done it on the day of the joining itself. He has beenmoving in the foundry and observing the workers activities withoutintroducing himself. He could have wished them daily or whenever theyhappen to see him or he happened to see them. Nonverbally he might beshowing some signs of pride as he is the only person with technicalqualification in the foundry. He might have spent most of his time with Mr.Viswanath and started to move closely with him. This might have been taken

wrongly by the foundry workers as he is occupying their space and invitingmore trust from Mr. Viswanth than the foundry workers.

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Foundry Workers: The foundry was family owned one. The workers were closely knit with themand were mostly older men. This means that they have formed an internal

circle among them and they were having good work experience and areworking in the foundry for many years. The sudden entry of a qualifiedengineer into the foundry and he was observing their work and advises byhim was not getting acceptance from the workers as the behavior of theengineer was entirely different form the workers. They were not able toaccept anyone in their circle of influence. They also believe that technicaleducation adds no values to the business. Instead of policing and playingtricks with the engineer like taking and laughing behind him etc., they wouldhave got themselves introduced to the engineer by showing seniority andaccept the engineer into the organization. This would have helped him, gainmore knowledge from their experience and share his technical knowledgewith them.

Mr. Viswanath: He was the president and General Manager of the foundry. The business wasa family owned and is in a small town in Tamilnadu. Most probably he wouldhave taken workers form the town and trained them in the work. They mighthave close relationship with him. He was realized that to cope up with thetechnical snags in the foundry, better to hire a technically qualified person.As he is having a close relationship with workers, he would have consultedthem and when the engineer joins the organization, he could have organized

a small gathering and introduced workers t the engineer and the engineer tothe workers, by explaining his roles clearly and seeking cooperation fromworkers. He was warned the engineer verbally about the situation he mayface, but not given any advice on how to cope up with it.

2. What do you suggest that the engineer should do, after the hosingincident?

After facing all sort of problems as result for ineffective verbal andnonverbal communication like, Talking behind him low voices and laughing

Pointing of water jet behind him and slipping him down on the floor.

The engineer can go and speak to the worker in a cordial manner andexplain his intentions that neither he is not against them nor he dislikestheir job. But want to be friendly with them and want to learn from themas they are more experienced than him. Instead coming to work and doinghis job, he can interact with them whenever h has time and mingle withthem so that they will accept him as a member of their team. As thefoundry is having some technical problems, he could understand theproblems form them and based on his technical knowledge advice them on

how to do the work in a better way by overcoming the snags. Mostimportantly engineer can exchange a sweet smile [not laughing] with the

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team on the foundry, as the nonverbal communication is more powerfulthan the verbal communication.

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