ASSIGNMENTS - MBA - I SEMESTER

MB0023

SET 1

Business Communication

1. Describe any situation in your experience where the communication was

a failure. Analyze the barrier(s) which stood in the way of successful
communication. Explain how you would overcome the barrier(s).
Ans.

Situation in which I was involved ,where the communication went wrong.

As a Project Head, I convened a meeting of site engineers and site supervisors and I
send a communication that is intended to be received by them. I have sent the
following communication to my sub ordinates through a notice and displayed on the
office notice board:

“Coming Thursday, to complete our project targets for the month a review meeting
is arranged and all should attend. If anybody is not able to attend should find out the
contents of the meeting from their peers with out fail”.

But my communication went wrong and out of 12 sub ordinates, only four have
attended at 3.00 PM who checked with me the time of the meeting.

Barriers that stood on the way of my communication:

1. The “Channel” I have chosen did not ensure the receipt of the communication by
“Receivers”.
2. The communication lacked the “Chronological context”---- Thursday being a half-
day work in this part of Middle East.
3. The communication has created a “Psychological noise” by not mentioning
correct time of the meeting and confusion has been created.
4. The “social context” also is one of the cause for the failure of the
communication as I have not taken all my executives into confident by giving
any advance information or a intention of the meeting earlier
5.I didn’t planned the meeting date very early, so that everybody can communicate
and know about it.

I can rectify these barriers in my future communication by rectifying my mistakes as

follows:
a. My communication was unclear by not giving exact time of meeting.
b. The media I have used is the placing the notice on the notice board, instead had I
circulated to all the receivers and obtained their signatures by asking their
availability or feed back my communication would not have failed.
c. I have chosen a wrong day ---a half –working day, though the task was a routine
one.
d. I could have maintained more good relations with my sub ordinates for success of
my communication.
2. Select an article of around 200 words from any business publication.
Analyze the readability of the article using the “Fog Index”. Is the reading
level appropriate for the reader of the publication?
Ans.

This is an article published in The New York times-Business edition on Oct-

30,20009

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Consumer spending in the United States fell in

September for the first time in five months as the increase from the cash-for-
clunkers auto rebate program faded, data showed on Friday, adding to fears that
consumers may be pulling back as they head into the last quarter of the year.

The Commerce Department said spending fell 0.5 percent, the largest decline since
December, after an upwardly revised 1.4 percent increase in August. Consumer
spending in August was previously reported to have advanced 1.3 percent.

September’s decline was in line with expectations. Consumer spending, which

normally accounts for over two-thirds of economic activity, in August was bolstered
by the popular “cash-for-clunkers program that gave discounts on some new motor
vehicle purchases.

The program, which ended in August, contributed to a jump in consumer spending in

the third quarter and helped to pull the economy out of its worst recession since the
1930s.

Spending adjusted for inflation fell 0.6 percent in September, also the largest decline
since December, after rising 1 percent the prior month, the Commerce Department
said.

Personal income was flat last month after rising 0.1 percent in August. That was also
in line with market expectations.

Commerce Department data also showed the personal consumption expenditures

price index excluding food and energy, a key inflation gauge monitored by the
Federal Reserve, was up 1.3 percent from a year ago in September, matching the
August increase. (Approx.200 words)

Fog index is the readability formula to measure the readability of a piece of

writing:

Calculation of Fog index:

1.Ave.length of the sentence = Total no. of words / No. of sentences

=236/10 =23.6
2.No. of difficult words per hundred =No. of difficult words/Total no. of words

x 100

=22/ 236 x 100 = 0.09 x 100 =9

3.Add the number of difficult words per hundred and ave. sentence length

=9 +23.6=32.6

4.Multiply the figure obtained in Step 4 by 0.4 ,to calculate reading level

= 32.6 x 0.4 =13.04 is the fog index

Fog index 13 is bit higher for business writing, as the normal shall be between
8 and 11. But as the magazine is NEW YORK TIMES- BUSINESS EDITION, the
readers are having high standard, so the fog index 13 is appropriate.

3.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. You have been asked to call a meeting
of the members of the Board to discuss the launch of new management
programs and new specializations in the existing management program.
What kind of meeting would be required? Prepare a comprehensive agenda
for the participants of the meeting.
Ans.

A meeting is any focused conversation that has a specific agenda and set up
in advance.
As the meeting has been called to discuss the launch of new management
programs and new specializations in existing management programs, this type of
meeting is a called Task Oriented Meeting that is to discuss and make
arrangements for a specific event. All the key people involved may be asked to
attend the meeting to discuss the arrangements that are to be made for this.

AGENDA

Date : November 14th, 2009

To :
 Mr. Rajoth [In charge - Administration]
Mr. Basith [In charge – Curriculum]
Ms. Mora [In charge –Adv. & Marketing]
Mr. John [In charge – Admissions]
Mr.Pillai [In charge – Examination]

From : Mr. Ameer Abbas [Chairperson – BSDMC]

Subject : “Launch of new Management Programs and new

Specialisations in existing programs”

Time : Saturday, November 14th, 2009 from

10.00AM to 11.00AM

Place : Second floor Conference Room

Background : Planning to launch new management programs

And new specialisations 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. Rajoth

• Research and Design of curriculum – Mr. Basith
• Publicity methods and press releases of new programs – Ms. Mora
• Admission procedures and dates – Mr. John
• Examination patterns – Mr.Pillai

4 Select a corporate ad of your choice from any publication. Analyze the ad

in terms of its specific objectives and type of corporate advertising. Is it
effective? Why or why not?
Ans.

The corporate ad which is referred here is of DOW CHEMICALS---

Dow Chemical Co. has a modest goal for its corporate ad campaign: to be
acknowledged as the largest, most profitable and most respected chemical company
in the world.

The idea is to show what the "human element" can do to solve some of the
world's problems, such as countering climate change and providing clean water,
decent housing, health, safety, and an affordable and adequate food supply.
The specific objectives of this ad are :
1.To create positive attitude towards the organisation
2.To project the personality, culture and values of the organisation
3.To safeguard their reputation
4.To make understand about their organisation.
5.To project the organisation as socially responsible

The advertisement proved to be very effective:

The "Human Element" push, now a year old, has boosted Dow's brand-equity
rating, as measured by Core Brand, 25%, but here's how Dow CEO Andrew Liveris
reckons the campaign will be successful: when a Dow employee in a bar anywhere in
the world can tell the guy next to him where he works and get the response, "Oh,
Dow. That's good."

Dow has lots of constituencies beyond its direct customers: local communities that
might or might not welcome Dow in their backyards, legislators, journalists,
environmentalists, charitable organizations and foundations, employees,
shareholders, investment analysts and consumer influencers—the 10% of the
population that "thinks a little more, that's more connected,". One unexpected
benefit is that the ads have served as a highly effective recruiting tool.

The TV spots and print ads are written by Draft FCB's John Claxton (who also does
the voice-over). They are powerful, even lyrical in tone—for money, the best
corporate campaign today. Listen to this: "For each of us, there is a moment of
discovery. We turn a page. We raise a hand. And just then, in the flash of a synapse,
we learn that life is elemental." (How many ads would dare use the word "synapse"?)
It goes on: "And in the dazzling brilliance of this knowledge, we may overlook the
element not listed on the chart—its importance so obvious its presence is simply
understood. The missing element is the human element. And when we add it to the
equation, the chemistry changes. ... The human element. Nothing is more
fundamental, nothing more elemental."

Dow is addressing the litany of problems one at a time. To emphasize the need for
clean water, the company is sponsoring a worldwide relay race with the Blue Planet
Run Foundation. Ads running in magazines such as The New Yorker and Harper's are
headlined, "This summer, 20 runners will cross four continents to bring someone a
drink of water."

It's hard to correlate a company's stock price with the impact of corporate
advertising. But for the record, Dow's stock appreciated almost 29% in the last year
(as of the close of trading on Aug. 1,2009). Competitor DuPont's stock was up about
20% only.

5.Write an unsolicited job application letter to a company that you would

like to work for in a specific position. Include a one page profile about
yourself.
Ans.
31-10-2009

Ms. Larry Wang

Recruitment Manager
Victoria pools
Sydney-Australia.

Dear Madam,

I am a Chemical Engineer from India with more than 8 years experience, in

that nearly 5 years in swimming pool construction/maintenance field in Kuwait,
India and Dubai. Now I am working as swimming pool division head in SAHARA
LANDSCAPING Co., Dubai , UAE.
I have in depth knowledge in swimming pool sales, design, projects,
installation; water treatment including manpower handling .I am goal-oriented and
able to make things happen and strives for continuous improvement. I have
excellent communication, coordination, interpersonal and organization skills. I have
strong sense of leadership and great ability to effectively deal with multicultural
people, as well as I’m a team player.
Hoping to get a suitable placement in a reputed company like yours, so as to
improve my knowledge base as well as to contribute for the development of your
esteemed company.
My profile is attached for your kind perusal.
Awaiting your favourable reply.

Yours Faithfully,

AMEER ABBAS

PROFILE:

Educational Qualification :

Bachelor of Chemical Madurai Kamaraj First Class

1 Engineering University – Tamilnadu 1996-2000 (67.04%)

Advanced Information BITS Computer Education

2 2000 O’Grade
Management (Mumbai)
Experience :

 Now working as Swimming Pool division head in SAHARA LANDSCAPE Co.

(A leading company in the field of landscaping/water features),Dubai,
UAE. from 20-08-2008
 Worked as Engineer in ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS, Aluva, Kerala-
India(A leading firm in the design & construction of Sewage treatment
plant/water treatment/swimming pool sector) from 01-08-2007 to 15-08-
2008
  Worked as maintenance Engineer ( Water treatment ) in TIMA POOLS,a
leading swimming pool company in Kuwait ,from 04-06-2004 from 16-07-
2007

Other areas of Expertise:

 Computer :Operating System – Windows, AutoCAD

Advanced Information Management.
 Doing MBA in Project Management from Sikkim Manipal University,
India by distance Education.
 Associate Member Of Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers
(Participated in Seminars and training sessions)
 Membership in society of Engineers-UAE

Personal Profile:
Date of birth : 16-05-1977
Gender : Male
Nationality : Indian
Marital Status : Married
Languages Known : English, Arabic, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil
Permanent Address : Shaji Manzil
East Street-Koduvayur
Palakkad(Dt)-Kerala
INDIA-678501

6.Case Study
The Power of Nonverbal Communication

Soon after I graduated from engineering college, I accepted a position with

the Sundaram 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 General Manager and president of this family owned
company, Although there were many technical problems, the work was
extremely interesting and I soon learnt all about the foundry business.

The foundry workers were mostly older men and were a closely knit team.
Many of 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. He also let me know that the foundry workers,
although a good group, were very clannish, since they had been working
together for several years. Therefore, it would 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
down the main aisle of the foundry, I heard them talking to each other in
low voices and 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 would automatically stop these antics.

A few weeks after this incident, I happened to visit the enamel shop. As I
entered, I noticed a worker cleaning the floor with a hose, from which water
flowed 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 I
suddenly felt the force of a stream of water hitting me. I was almost
knocked down by the pressure and slipped on the wet floor. When I turned
around, the worker looked away in the other direction, as if he had not
noticed this happening. However, I was pretty sure that he had intentionally
turned the hose on me.

Questions

1. How could the engineer, the foundry workers and Mr. Vishwanath be
more effective, both verbally and nonverbally?
2. What do you suggest that the engineer should do, after the hosing
incident?

Ans.

Verbal communication provides the opportunity for personnel contact and two
away flow of information. Nonverbal communication on the other hand is the
communication without words. It refers to any way of conveying meanings without
the use of verbal language. This is generally unintentional.
The engineer, the workers and Mr. Viswanath can be more effective both
verbally and nonverbally.

Even though large part of communication occupied by 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 been moving in the foundry and
observing the workers activities without introducing himself. He could have wished
them daily or whenever they happen to se him or he happened to see them.

Nonverbally he might be showing some signs of pride as he is the only person with
technical qualification 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 inviting more
trust from Mr. Viswanath than the foundry workers.
Foundry Workers:

The foundry was family owned one. The workers were closely knit with them and
were mostly older men. This means that they have formed an internal circle among
them and they were having good work experience and are working in the foundry for
many years. The sudden entry of a qualified engineer into the foundry and he was
observing their work and advises by him was not getting acceptance from the
workers as the behaviour of the engineer was entirely different form the workers.
They were not able to accept anyone in their circle of influence. They also believe
that technical education adds no values to the business. Instead of policing and
playing tricks with the engineer like taking and laughing behind him etc., they would
have got themselves introduced to the engineer by showing seniority and accept the
engineer into the organisation. This would have helped him, gain more knowledge
from their experience and share his technical knowledge with them.

Mr. Viswanath:

He was the president and General Manager of the foundry. The business was a family
owned and is in a small town in Tamilnadu. Most probably he would have taken
workers form the town and trained them in the work. They might have close
relationship with him. He was realised that to cope up with the technical snags in the
foundry, better to hire a technically qualified person.

As he is having a close relationship with workers, he would have consulted them and
when the engineer joins the organisation, he could have organised a small gathering
and introduced workers t the engineer and the engineer to the workers, by
explaining his roles clearly and seeking cooperation from workers.
He was warned the engineer verbally about the situation he may face, but not given
any advice on how to cope up with it.
After facing all sort of problems as result for ineffective verbal and nonverbal
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 and explain his
intentions that neither he is not against them nor he dislikes their job. But want to
be friendly with them and want to learn from them as they are more experienced
than him. Instead coming to work and doing his job, he can interact with them
whenever h has time and mingle with them so that they will accept him as a member
of their team.

As the foundry is having some technical problems, he could understand the problems
form them and based on his technical knowledge advise them on how to do the work
in a better way by overcoming the snags.

Most importantly engineer can exchange a sweet smile [not laughing] with the team
on the foundry, as the nonverbal communication is more powerful than the verbal
communication.
 ASSIGNMENTS - MBA - I SEMESTER

MB0023

SET 2

Business Communication

1. Describe three specific situations at the workplace where positive non

verbal communication could be used effectively to enhance verbal
communication.
Ans.

Situation one:

In a very big foundry or iron scrap factory, there will be huge noise inside the
plant. So if any Engineer, when asking the main operator to shut down the process,
he normally inform him to shut down the process verbally and by gesture he crosses
his both the hands, so that the main operator can understand, even if he didn’t hear
his sound fully.

Situation two:

Normally if there are any project success, if the information comes, both the
parties (co-officers) will inform this as well as they may make a high five act to
support this success.

The high five is a celebratory gesture, usually executed by two people at a

time. To properly execute a high five, each person raises a hand to make contact, or
slap, the opposing raised hand of the other. If the initiator offers the right hand, the
reciprocator offers the right hand, as one would with a traditional handshake. The
hand and arm are usually extended in an upward fashion to form the "high" part,
and the palms of each hand make physical contact in final execution of the gesture.
The usual and ordinary five fingers of the human hand equal "five" in number, hence
the name "high five". The gesture is currently most commonly employed to
communicate mutual satisfaction between spectators and between participants alike,
during a sporting event, or to extend congratulations from one person to another in
any informal setting.

Situation three:

To inform a customer complaint, if the manager is talking with sales person,

if he is not in eye contact, it will be treated as negligence. If the sales person is
gazing at the manager, the manager will feel that he is interested and more
attentive in the talking

The study of the role of eyes in nonverbal communication is sometimes referred to

as "oculesics". Eye contact can indicate interest, attention, and involvement. Gaze
comprises the actions of looking while talking, looking while listening, amount of
gaze, and frequency of glances, patterns of fixation, pupil dilation, and blink rate.
2.Lateral or horizontal communication is more important today than vertical
communication. Do you agree or disagree? Justify your answer.
Ans.

In organizations and organisms, lateral communication works in contrast to

traditional top-down, bottom-up or hierarchic communication (Vertical
communication)and involves the spreading of messages from individuals across the
base of a pyramid.

It is argued that communities communicate and store collective knowledge

through lateral communication, and that it is an essential ingredient to make
hierarchies work, by compensating for errors in hierarchies' information flows.

Lateral communication is communication between different individuals,

departments, or organisms on the same organizational level.

An organic organizational structure is built upon an entrepreneurial concept.

Here, the decisions made are decentralized and coordinated by mutual adjustment
rather than command and control. Examples include a small business or a
manufacturing facility where communication is promoted at all levels of the
organization. This organizational structure allows for greater autonomy, promotes
individual initiative, and allows employees to be involved in the decision-making
process thus enabling employee decision-making to contribute to or detract from
organizational goals. In short, an organic organizational structure can encourage and
facilitate lateral communication

Main disadvantage of lateral communication-Lack of Motivation

Horizontal communication often fails simply because organization members

are unwilling to expend the additional effort that it requires.” “Horizontal
communication may require contact with people in units that are well removed from
our own. The channels and rules of interaction may be unclear. We do not really
know these people. The need to communicate with them makes us uneasy or takes
too much time, so we avoid or ignore it

Vertical communication

Vertical Communication consists of communication up and down the

organization’s chain of command. Downward communication starts with top
management and flows down through management levels to line workers and non-
supervisory personnel. The major purposes of downward communication are to
advise, inform, direct, instruct, and evaluate employees and to provide organization
members with information about organizational goals and policies. The main function
of upward communication is to supply information to the upper levels about what is
happening at the lower levels. This type of communication includes progress reports,
suggestions, explanations, and requests for aid or decisions.
Problems of vertical Communication:

Downward communication is likely to be filtered, modified, or halted at each

level as managers decide what should be passed down to their employees. Upward
communication is likely to be filtered, condensed or altered by middle managers who
see it as part of their job to protect upper management from nonessential data
originating at the lower levels. In addition, middle managers may keep information
that would reflect unfavorably on them for reaching their managers. Thus, vertical
communication is often at least partially inaccurate or incomplete.

Problems in downward communication exist when managers do not provide

employees with the information they need to carry out their tasks effectively.
Managers are often overly optimistic about the accuracy and completeness of their
downward communication. In fact, they can fail to pass on important, information
(such as a higher level change in policy) or to instruct employees adequately on how
to perform their duties. This lack of communication is sometimes deliberate, as when
managers withhold information to keep employees dependent on them. The net
effect of incomplete downward communication is that employees can feel confused,
uniformed or powerless and might fail to carry out their tasks properly.

So,Lateral or horizontal communication is more important today than vertical

communication.

3. Imagine that you have to make an oral presentation on the features of

the EduNext portal to new students of the SMU MBA program. Prepare an
outline of the presentation and specify the following – a) Purpose of the
presentation b) Key idea c) Audience analysis d) Delivery style
Ans.

Outline:

The purpose is to make a presentation informing the features of EduNext portal to

new students who joined SMU MBA program.

a. Purpose of the presentation:

To help the new students to know about the EduNext portal of SMU.

b. Key idea:
The main idea of the presentation should be based on EduNext.

EduNXT is the next - generation interactive learning system that is designed

to change the way you learn. It combines content with a high degree of interaction.
It has powerful collaborative tools that provide you the opportunity of interacting
with fellow students and established faculty of the Sikkim Manipal University. There
is no similar example of such offering in this part of the world.

EduNXT brings together 2,55,000 students who access 6,300 mentors in

100,095 counseling sessions across 310 towns, to 1 university to get 1 prestigious
degree.

c. Audience Analysis:
 As the students are newly admitted and they are moving to a PG course like
MBA, the students will be more attentive. More over the presentation is regarding a
web-portal which is more useful for them.

d. Delivery style

A relaxed, extemporaneous style of speech and delivery will suit most formal and
informal oral report situations. Effective speakers can deliver a presentation with
great clarity yet with a relaxed and open manner. Extemporaneous speaking does
not rely on a memorized text, nor is it a droning reading of a written manuscript.
Instead, this style of speaking relies on visuals as cue cards.

The presentation may be allocated 30 minutes (this could be an hour if you are
in a large team, in which case scale the timings up). After the prepared presentation,
we will lead a short period of discussion and entertain questions. You should plan on
interacting with your audience during this period (perhaps during the entire 30
minutes). If, when you finish, no one has any questions or comments, it is your
responsibility to stimulate some discussion. One way to do this is to leave out
something in your talk that you expect them to question, and then turn the question
on the audience if they are silent.

4. Write a letter to your distributor, conveying the bad news of one of your
product lines being phased out or discontinued, offering some form of
compensation in return.

Ans.

To
M/s Glaxo Agencies
Kochi-15

Dear Sir,

Please be advice that with effect next month the __________ product line
that we have been supplying will be phased out in the market. However, we could
offer you a better and one of the most innovative product now in the market.
We have confidence that your inspection and testing of the product would
prove to you the high quality of this product. And for this purpose you are invited for
a meeting to discuss further regarding the same.
The enclosed folder is indicative of its competitive price and quality.
We have always valued our esteemed relationship built over the years, and
we will do our best to maintain it.

Sincerely yours,
S/d
5. As a Sales Manager, prepare a one page report in memo format
addressed to the VP Marketing, providing sales updates for a newly
launched FMCG product.

Ans.

To: Vice-President Marketing

From: Sales Manager

Date:12th Nov.2009

Subject: Sales updates

The sales of the new face cream that we launched last month came down
drastically this week compared to last week. This week being the last week of the
month and the all over sales of the cosmetics are down , count for the downward
trend of the sales.

But anyhow we have met our monthly target we put forward for the new face
cream. I’ll forward the individual sales status and figures as soon as I receive from
sales staff. Please find attached the general sales update figures.

Regards
S/d
Sales Manager

6. Case Study (10 Marks)

Problems with Email communication

Strat Assemble, leading developer of web-based project and detail

management services that improve communication and increase
productivity, has released a white paper chronicling the growing problems
associated with email--"Can Your Business Survive Email?"

The paper recounts the history of email, its changing role in business, and
the emergence of new Web 2.0 collaboration tools, such as StratAssemble's
PlanDone, that offer new and better ways for companies to manage their
workflow.

Email usage drains workplace resources and hinders the timely completion
of projects of all types. Given today's fast pace of business, communication
in real-time and keeping staff on the same page are crucial to staying
ahead. Yet delays caused by using email to coordinate business-critical data
between individuals, departments, and remote locations actually slow
productivity.

Top 10 critical email problems:

1. Lack of security

2. Attachment problems

3. Reliability problems

4. Spam clutter

5. Document version confusion

6. Scattered data

7. Unclear project direction

8. Project status confusion

9. Next step priority uncertainty

10. Lack of accountability

"Email has become a barrier to effective communication and productivity.

StratAssemble's PlanDone encourages participation from everyone involved
with a project's outcome and is available anytime and anywhere," said
StratAssemble founder AJ Wacaser. "As email problems escalate, the
PlanDone solution will become the method of choice for managing day-to-
day operations of companies everywhere."

Transferring project and task functions from email to PlanDone's interactive

platform helps teams build on each other's work. Ideas and opinions are
shared, documented, and refined in constructive ways. Two powerful tools--
priority ranking and deadline analysis--help staff focus precisely on first
things first each day, ensuring last-minute changes and course corrections
don't turn into unmanageable business fires. Unlike most other software,
PlanDone supports both individual styles and team methods rather than
forcing everyone to conform to one rigid system.

Strat Assemble's motto is "Work smarter. Live happier!" We believe in team

creativity and sharing ideas, and are passionate about the collaborative
process. Our purpose is to enable and inspire our customers to better
manage their knowledgebase and workforces by providing a simple, open
platform where every staff member can assemble, participate and
contribute--revolutionizing corporate communications and strategic
planning.

Questions
1.Evaluate email communication as a tool for internal communication, based
on the facts mentioned in the case.

2.How will you adapt email communication to overcome some of the

problems mentioned in this case?

Ans.

1. E-mail is ideally suited for large organizations, organizations that have a purely
online presence, traveling employees and off – site workers. All types of
information, including reports, company goals, policies and HR related
announcements may be posted on the intranet.

The primary advantages of the E-mail from the facts mentioned above are –
• Facilitates discussion of preliminary ideas, prior to meetings

• Enables constant flow of information through an official network

and discourages rumors

• Saves time and paper

• Is better than email, when multiple versions of a document have to

be sent

2. We can adapt E-mail communication to overcome some of the problems

mentioned in the case study. When communicating through email, the following
guidelines should be kept in mind –

• Avoid saying anything negative or confidential

• Make the tone friendly

• Include a specific subject line

• State important information first

• Describe the attachments

• Pay attention to use of “to” and “cc”

• Make the email brief and easy to read

• Stress reader benefits

• Keep your mailbox tidy

• Allot time for checking and answering email

Email etiquette involves the following

• Remember to be polite

• Avoid “ shouting”

• Avoid use of symbols and acronyms

• Include friendly salutations and sign-offs

• Respond promptly

• Respect privacy

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