Long reports and complex business problems often require formal research methods. Consider the following scenario and identify which formal research method would be appropriate. Your division has been asked to compile a recommendation for the price point for an innovative software application. You need to know how much customers will be willing to pay and under what circumstances.

Routine tasks often require informal research methods. Routine tasks often require informal research methods. Identify which informal research technique would be most appropriate for each situation. During your first day on the job, you are asked to respond to a customer inquiry regarding an extended warranty. The best informal information gathering technique for this situation would be to:

Determine which research method is being used in the following scenario: The market analyst of a chain megastore bakery, called More Dough, asks you to find out why people are choosing to go to smaller bakeries rather than their megastore in the same area. The analyst asks you to visit the smaller bakeries and observe the consumers and owners. After you observe and gather data, you are to bring your findings to a group of researchers who will establish controlled variables and conduct a series of experiments.

Read the following scenario, and determine which is the best research approach: As a library board member, you are asked to write an e-mail to people who have donated books to the library. The message will inform them of an upcoming banquet honoring all supporters of the library. Which is the best research approach?

Once you have collected data for a message, you’ll need to find a way to organize it. Well-organized messages group similar ideas together, allowing readers to see relationships and follow arguments. You can use two primary techniques for organizing your information: a scratch list and an outline. Scratch lists and outlines give you a chance to __________________ .

Answer the question based on the following scratch list. The Boston Hotel High-end linens 600-thread-count sheets Coffeemaker and selected teas Imported beer Fresh-squeezed juices Affordability Food and drink Double-thick bath towels Silk pillowcases Raw silk curtains with gold embellishments $100/night four-star rooms Free snacks, shampoo, and conditioner Free wireless Internet There are three main categories of amenities indicated in the scratch list: high-end linens, affordability, food and drink. Which of the following indicate three examples of supporting details for the main categories of amenities? 600-thread-count sheets Coffeemaker and selected teas Imported beer Fresh-squeezed juices Affordability Food and drink Double-thick bath towels Silk pillowcases Raw silk curtains with gold embellishments $100/night four-star rooms Free snacks, shampoo, and conditioner Free wireless Internet

Business messages typically follow either a direct strategy or an indirect strategy. The direct strategy, or frontloading, places the main idea at the beginning of a message. Using a direct opening strategy _____________.

An indirect strategy places the main idea after an explanation or reason. Which of the following is a situation that might call for an indirect strategy?

Read the following scenario and determine if the situation requires a direct or indirect message. You are going on a business trip to Singapore to deliver a proposal to a potential client. You have finished proofing the last part of the presentation, and you need your coworker to doublecheck the statistics in your presentation before you go.

Read the following message and identify the organizational pattern used. Your bonuses will be in your next paycheck. The sales department exceeded its goals this month. Congratulations! In this message, the ________ organizational pattern is used.

Outlines give you a chance to organize your thinking before determining word choice and sentence structure. Which of the following will help you create a more effective outline?

The most compelling and effective messages contain a variety of sentence patterns and avoid common sentence faults. You can create successful messages with sentence variety by understanding the four sentence types, controlling the length of your sentences, and avoiding fragments, run-ons, and comma splices. Identify the correct pattern of a complex sentence.

Identify the sentence pattern of the following sentence. Katherine submitted the recommendation report yesterday.

Sentence length also impacts the reception of your message. Complete the following sentence. Limiting your sentences to ___________ will help the reader comprehend the message.

The three most common sentence errors are fragments, run-ons, and comma splices. If you can identify the common types of sentence errors, you will be more likely to avoid making them. Read the following selections and identify the sentence error. Typing an e-mail message is a form of message encoding. Such as converting an idea into written language.

Avoiding the most common sentence faults helps you maintain professional credibility and craft more effective messages. Select the correct version of each pair of the following sentences.

Select the correct version of each pair of the following sentences.

Select the correct version of each pair of the following sentences.

Select the correct version of each pair of the following sentences.

Select the correct version of each pair of the following sentences.

You can improve your message by using mechanical emphasis, parallelism, voice, and well-placed descriptions. One way to achieve emphasis is through mechanical devices. Complete the following sentence. _________ —used sparingly—can be an effective way to emphasize explanatory information.

In some cases it is necessary to de-emphasize an idea, such as bad news. Does the following selection emphasize or de-emphasize the bad news? While we are unable to renew your contract for the upcoming year, we hope to have the position reposted once the funds are available.

When you compose messages, you may use the active or passive voice to convey meaning. Most business messages use the active voice. Which of the following are instances when you would use the passive voice in a business message?

Does the following sentence use the active or passive voice? Dr. Rudolfo presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Christina Balian.

Parallel sentences are balanced and easy for readers to understand. Choose which sentence has the better parallel structure.

Choose the best revision to the following sentence. Teagan saw the recommendations flipping through the report.

Effective business writers use various techniques to improve their messages. How could the following selection be improved? The last time the board met, members discussed sending Fui to Tokyo for training on HumanPoint software, but she isn’t working with HumanPoint any longer because we decided to use Point I software rather than HumanPoint, and she will no longer need to attend this training. The problem in this ineffective selection is:

Writers should use words carefully and construct sentences skillfully to emphasize main ideas and de-emphasize minor ideas. Choose the best response. Which of the following uses vivid words and phrases?

Read the selection and answer the question that follows. As a member of the crisis management team, you are required to attend our biannual crisis management workshops. These workshops will prepare you to lead your division in the event of a company crisis. The workshops always take place during the second week in January, and they are held at our headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Workshop registration information is available on the company website. Identify the function of the sentence As a member of the crisis management team, you are required to attend our biannual crisis management workshops.

Paragraph coherence occurs when the ideas in a paragraph are linked and there is a logical flow from one idea to the next. Which of the following are techniques that you can use to help the reader follow your ideas?

Read the following paragraph and its possible revisions. Then choose the revision that has the best paragraph coherence and that most accurately supports the original paragraph. Communication with the public and employees should be overseen by the director of PR. The duties of the crisis team should be divided according to each member’s area of expertise. Since communicating accurate information is critical, you will need to assign specific members to interface with your own employees and public-safety agencies. If your company does not have a public relations executive, this job should be handled by the head of marketing or human resources. Furthermore, all members of your crisis team should receive training in crisis communication. 1. Communication with the public and employees should be overseen by the director of PR. The duties of the crisis team should be divided according to each member’s area of expertise. Since communicating accurate information is critical, you will need to assign specific members to interface with your own employees and public-safety agencies. If your company does not have a public relations executive, this job should be handled by the head of marketing or human resources. Furthermore, all members of your crisis team should receive training in crisis communication. 2. All members of your crisis team should receive training in crisis communication, and the duties of the crisis team should be divided according to each member’s area of expertise. Since communicating accurate information is critical, you will need to assign specific members to interface with your own employees and public-safety agencies. Communication with the public and employees should be overseen by the director of PR. If your company does not have a public relations executive, this job should be handled by the head of marketing or human resources. 3. The duties of the crisis team should be divided according to each member’s area of expertise. Since communicating accurate information is critical, you will need to assign specific members to interface with your own employees and public-safety agencies. Communication with the public and employees should be overseen by the director of PR. If your company does not have a public relations executive, this job should be handled by the head of marketing or human resources. Nevertheless, all members of your crisis team should receive training in crisis communication. The best revision of the original paragraph is:

Select the most appropriate transitions to promote paragraph coherence in the paragraphs that follow. Entrepreneurial folklore weaves a dream of perfection in the pursuit of success; __________________, 50 percent of all entrepreneurial businesses fail in the first year

Select the most appropriate transitions to promote paragraph coherence in the paragraphs that follow. ____________ , with hard work and proper planning, you can increase your chance for success.

Shorter paragraphs are more readable and inviting to business audiences. Answer the following question about paragraph length. Which one of the following techniques will help you control the length of your paragraphs?

Choose the correct verb form for each of the following sentence. The focus group_____ meeting on Tuesday.

Choose the correct verb form for each of the following sentence. The policy is too old; it _____ to be revised.

Choose the correct verb form for each of the following sentence. The management team _____ to hire new warehouse workers.

Choose the correct verb form for each of the following sentence. If the customer _____ four or more items from the catalog, offer a price reduction.

Choose the correct verb form for each of the following sentence. We should both _____comfortable with the final decision.

Choose the correct verb form for each of the following sentence. The corporate directors _____ a full investigation.

Choose the correct verb form for each of the following sentence. The board of directors _____ approved the current ethics policy.

Choose the correct verb form for each of the following sentence. The regional manager and the district supervisor _____ all purchasing decisions.

Choose the correct verb form for each of the following sentence. The writer of a well-designed e-mail message _____ correct grammar and spelling.

Choose the correct verb form for each of the following sentence. The initial proposals the team submitted _____ how hard they have worked.