Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Kuiper CHP 17

        I.            Q: How do the policies, procedures and instructions differ from one another?
a.       Policies define an organization’s view on specific issues or problems and indicate how the organization will handle problems when they arise
b.      Procedures are general guidelines for accomplishing a task or objective; they sometimes also describe who does what and when
c.       Instructions provide detailed step-by-step directions for completing a task

      II.            Q: What are the three types of policies that should be included in an employee manual?
a.       Requirement of employee (for example, rules, regulations, standards)
b.      Benefits of employment (for example, vacations, holidays, insurance)
c.       Statement to satisfy legal requirements or to protect the organization against legal action (for example, overtime pay, sexual harassment, family and medical leave provisions)

    III.            Q: What are the nine legal guides for the construction of an employee manual?
a.       Avoiding creating a contract
b.      Maintain an at-will relationship
c.       Establish benefits clearly
d.      List/explain work rules and procedures
e.      Set forth required policies
f.        Consider union contract conflict
g.       Define modification authority
h.      Provide a receipt form
i.         Instruct supervisory personnel

    IV.            Q: What are the conditions that would warrant revising an employee manual?
a.       New laws. Employment laws change constantly. The manual must reflect the most current laws
b.      Company growth. As a company grows, its employment practices change
c.       Changes in benefit plans. The changing nature of the labor force and the increasing costs of benefits have prompted employers to make significant changes in benefits plan
d.      Changes in company goals and philosophy

      V.            Q: What are the basic guides for writing and document design that you should follow when you write instructions?
a.       Structure and format: fixed-order steps must be performed in the order presented. Variable-order steps can be performed in any order. Alternate steps present two or more ways to do something. Nested steps are substeps of a complicated procedure
b.      Supplementary information: clearly distinguish supplementary information from the specific instructions that make up the step
c.       Writing style: instructions make heavy use of imperative verbs and the pronoun “you”
d.      Graphics: use illustrations generously to help the reader visualize the process and its outcome

PPT-CBRW (Kuiper)-Chapter 15

PPT-Contemporary business report writing (Kuiper)-Chapter 15
Shared by Professor Sylvia: http://crocodoc.com/gJO6DO

PPT-CBRW (Kuiper)-Chapter 17

PPT-Contemporary business report writing (Kuiper)-Chapter 17
Shared by Professor Sylvia: http://crocodoc.com/NuuCrW

PPT-CBRW (Kuiper)-Chapter 18

PPT-Contemporary business report writing (Kuiper)-Chapter 18
Shared by Professor Sylvia: http://crocodoc.com/yu5Nga

Monday, April 25, 2011

Kuiper CHP 08

        I.            Q: What are the examples of Non-routine reports? What are their characteristics?
a.       Interview reports: can be thought of as a special form of a production report
b.      Exception reports: conveys information about deviations from the normal operations of the organization
c.       Justification reports: describes or proposes an action and the reasons for that action
d.      Feasibility reports: the term often used to identify a special type of justification report, which analyzes the potential success of a major undertaking
e.      Staff reports: be used to identify any report produced by a manager’s staff for the manager
f.        Press releases: a report that is released by an organization for distribution by the mass media

      II.            Q: What is the general objective of all proposals?
a.       The objective of a proposal is to influence others-to persuade someone to act in a way that the proposer considers good or desirable

Kuiper CHP 09

        I.            Q: What are the four steps to prepare for a presentation?
a.       Analyze the context: audience analysis, purpose of the presentation, and physical environment
b.      Select delivery style: impromptu, extemporaneous, textual or scripted, memorized, and combination
c.       Outline the presentation: the opening, a preview or partition statement, the body, and the conclusion
d.      Prepare presentation aids: slides, flip charts, and handouts

      II.            Q: What are the major characteristics of each type of delivery?
a.       Impromptu delivery: speaking spontaneously, without previous rehearsal, with little or no advanced preparation and without text or notes to assist you
b.      Extemporaneous delivery: spontaneous, but involves extensive planning, purposeful rehearsal, and the use of notes during the presentation
c.       Textual or scripted delivery: involves reading a manuscript verbatim, used in formal context, you can feel confident about the accuracy of your speech
d.      Memorized delivery: presentation of a verbatim message learned by rote, full freedom of movement and permits you to maintain eye contact with your audience
e.      Combination delivery: employs a variety of delivery styles in a single presentation

    III.            Q: What factors must be considered when selecting a visual aid?
a.       The constraints of the topic
b.      The availability of the equipment
c.       The cost of the visual
d.      The difficulty of producing the visual
e.      The appropriateness of the presentation aid to the audience
f.        The appropriateness of the visual to the speaker
g.       The appropriateness of the visual to the time limit

    IV.            Q: What are the recommendations for preparing a presentation using presentation software packages?
a.       Visuals should enrich the message, not become the message
b.      An effective slide show reflects more than just technical features of the software. The overriding goal is effective communication of easy-to-grasp content that facilitates extemporaneous delivery by a well-rehearsed, confident speaker
c.       The value of slides should be weighed against the need for audience interaction. Slide presentations tend to flatten discussion, sacrifice the richness of dialogue, and reduce audience involvement
d.      Presentation software outlines and templates should never direct or control your presentation. An effective presentation must begin with a worthy message that you are able to formulate and support, can organize and effectively deliver, and can inspire listeners to attend to
      V.            Q: What are the effective techniques to reduce stage fright?
a.       Justify your presentation
b.      Bolster your self-confidence
c.       Trust your audience
d.      Prepare for the presentation
e.      Arrive early
f.        Use stress reduction techniques just before your presentation

    VI.            Q: What are the major nonverbal communication factors that require control during an oral presentation?
a.       Appearance
b.      Posture
c.       Gesture
d.      Facial expression

  VII.            Q: How to contribute to effective team presentations?
a.       As the report is prepared, individuals should be given responsibility for specific parts of the presentation. Ideally, each person will assume primary responsibility for a part about which he or she is most knowledgeable
b.      All members of the team should be familiar with the total report, not only with the parts for which they have primary responsibility
c.       One team member should act as coordinator to introduce the presentation and the presenters and to moderate the discussion. The coordinator may also be responsible for summarizing the report
d.      As an individual completes a section of the report, that person or the coordinator should  introduce the next presenter and topic
e.      Team members should be seated quietly while the current presenter stands before the audience
f.        Team member should share the responsibility for answering questions. Avoid having one person dominate the session
g.       All aspects of the presentation-spoken parts ,use of presentation aids, seating arrangement- should be rehearsed until the group achieves a smooth, comfortable performance

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Kuiper CHP 10

        I.            Q: What is the function of a research plan?
a.       A guide for collecting data
b.      A guide for analyzing data
c.       A guide for reporting the result of the analysis

      II.            Q: What are the parts of a research plan?
a.       Obtain or review authorization
b.      Identify the audience
c.       Define the problem
d.      Clarify the purpose
e.      Narrow the scope
f.        State delimitations and limitations
g.       Plan data collection
h.      Plan data analysis
i.         Estimate time schedule
j.        Estimate resources needed
k.       Plan the presentation of results
l.         Seek approval to proceed

    III.            Q: What is the relationship of a research plan to a research proposal?
a.       The objective of a research proposal is to persuade the recipient to authorize the time and money required to carry out a significant research project
b.      An investigative or research proposal is a formal version of research plan

    IV.            Q: Why must you limit a project’s scope?
a.       By narrowing the scope of the analysis, you identify the specific factors or elements to be analyzed
b.      Same time and money, and you focus your study on the factors most likely to yield relevant data

      V.            Q: What are delimitations and limitations?
a.       Delimitations are additional boundaries or restrictions that you place on the study
b.      Limitations are potential shortcomings or inadequacies of the study

Friday, April 22, 2011

Kuiper CHP 12

        I.            Q: Why are secondary sources important in business research?
a.       Secondary data help you gain perspective on the problem and identify and define what must be investigated
b.      Secondary sources may contain adequate data to solve the problem, eliminating the need to collect primary data. In fact, some secondary sources contain more extensive and more valid data than you would be able to collect from primary sources

      II.            Q: What are the four steps in collecting secondary data?
a.       Locating the data
b.      Evaluating the data source
c.       Extracting the data from its source
d.      Keeping records

    III.            Q: What are the five criteria to help you evaluate the reliability of secondary sources?
a.       Timeliness: is the source current? If outdated, the source should not be used
b.      Relevance: does the source address the research problem?
c.       Accuracy: is the source reliable and unbiased?
d.      Quality: is the information verifiable, consistent, and properly referenced?
e.      Cost: will the available data lead to an appropriate, cost-effective solution to the problem?

Kuiper CHP 11

        I.            Q: How to determine data sources?
a.       Two research questions: what kinds of information do I need to answer the research question? Should I use primary or secondary data sources-or both-to obtain that information?
b.      Divide the research question into appropriate elements or factors of analysis and narrow the scope
c.       The specific kinds of data and specific data sources must be identified for each element in the scope
d.      Focus your attention on finding data directly related to those factors

      II.            Q: Why should a researcher consult secondary data sources before primary sources?
a.       Secondary sources often provide information to help define the problem more clearly and to identify elements that should be investigated.
b.      When the problem you are investigating is unique to your organization, primary data may be the only usable information
c.       If adequate secondary data are available, you should use those data instead of spending the time and effort required to use primary sources effectively

    III.            Q: What are the three criteria for the data sources?
a.       Validity: a measurement concept that refers to the extent to which differences revealed with a measuring tool represent true differences among the people or objects being measured
b.      Reliability: measurement concept that refers to the consistency of results obtained with a measuring device
c.       Practicality: refers to both the cost and the convenience of using a data source

    IV.            Q: What are the characteristics of a valid sample?
a.       Accuracy: an accurate sample is free of bias; an accurate sample has no systematic variance
b.      Precision: a precise sample has little sampling error
c.       Sample size: sample size can affect the accuracy and precision of your inferences

      V.            Q: What are the four guides for determining sample size?
a.       Where samples are to be broken into subsamples (males/females. Juniors/seniors, etc.), a minimum sample size of 30 for each category is necessary
b.      If several variables are used in the research, the sample size should be several times as large as the number of variables measured in the study
c.       For simple experimental research with tight experimental controls, successful research is possible with samples as small as 10 or 20

Monday, April 18, 2011

Kuiper CHP 16

        I.            Q: What are the major parts that formal business reports include?
a.       Report Preliminaries (sometimes called Front Matter): Cover or binder, Flyleaves, Title page, Transmittal message, Authorization message, Acceptance message, Table of contents, List of tables or figures, Foreword or preface, Acknowledgments, Synopsis or executive summary.
b.      Report Body: introduction, presentation and discussion of findings, summary, conclusions, and recommendations.
c.       Report Supplements (sometimes called End Matter): endnotes, bibliography, source list, or references, glossary, appendix, index.

      II.            Q: What are the purposes of report preliminaries?
a.       Help to make the report user-friendly
b.      Provide a convenient way to physically transmit the report
c.       Establish a context for understanding it
d.      Enable the reader to locate specific information easily

    III.            Q: Why should you bind a report?
a.       Many readers prefer that you bind the report securely
b.      A cover or binder protects the pages of the report and prevents them from loosening while the reader uses the report.
c.       Enable the reader to handle the report document conveniently

    IV.            Q: What information should a title page contain?
a.       The full title of the report
b.      The identity of the person or agency for whom the report was prepared, including full name and address
c.       The author’s identity, including full name, address, and possibly the telephone number or e-mail address
d.      The submission date

      V.            Q: What should a transmittal message accomplish?
a.       A review of the research problem, purpose, methodology
b.      Highlights of major findings
c.       Significant recommendations
d.      Comments about the research experience
e.      An offer to discuss the report or assist with future projects.

    VI.            Q: What are the functions of authorization and acceptance messages?
a.       The authorization message provides evidence of permission to undertake the project
b.      The acceptance message gives evidence of agreement to do the task.

  VII.            Q: What are the purpose of a table contents and a list of tables?
a.       Help the reader get an overview of the report
b.      Help the reader easily refer to specific parts of the report.

VIII.            Q: What should be included in an executive summary?
a.       The executive summary should briefly state the research problem, purpose, research methods, major findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

    IX.            Q: What are the purposes of report supplements?
a.       Provide supporting information
b.      Include any information that may be useful-but not essential-for understanding the analysis, conclusions, and recommendations.