Question 1

Mariana is a young woman who spends a good deal of her time and income on athletic and outdoor pursuits. She recently purchased a pair of in-line skates that got damaged within a week of use on her beach vacation. She wrote to Fleet of Foot (FOF), the manufacturer of the skates, to request a repair or refund and was disappointed to receive a letter denying either action. The letter flatly stated that FOF was in no way responsible because the style of skate Mariana purchased was not made for use near salt water or sandy areas. The letter further stated that Mariana would have known this if she had read the instruction manual and product warranty information.
-Discuss FOF's letter in light of the four goals of delivering bad news.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Mariana is a young woman who spends...

Question 2

Use a template or a generic message to respond to negative posts or even complaint emails.

Accepted Answer

Do not use a template or a generic message to respond to negative posts or even complaint emails.

Question 3

Declining an invitation is an example of a bad-news message.

Accepted Answer

Denying a request or an invitation, denying a consumer claim, and rejecting a recommendation or proposal are all examples of bad-news business messages.

Question 4

The following statement eases the impact of the bad news by placing it in a subordinate clause:
"Although a replacement is not provided by the terms of your warranty, we are happy to offer you a 15% discount on your next purchase."

Accepted Answer

When you place the bad news in a subordinate clause ("Although a replacement is not provided by the terms of your warranty"), you can emphasize the good news ("We are happy to offer you a 15% discount") in the main clause.

Question 5

If denying a customer's request results in losing their goodwill, the worst that can happen is that you can lose their business.

Accepted Answer

It is true that losing a customer's goodwill can result in losing their business. But since customers are likely to tell twice as many people about their bad experiences as their good ones, bad word of mouth can jeopardize the business of their friends and colleagues as well.

Question 6

Your bid to set up the computer system at Evergreen, a small local business, was accepted. Today you found out that the software that Evergreen's systems require just had a price increase, so your bid will need to increase to reflect this change.
-As you plan your message to notify Evergreen of the increase, you consider not telling them the reason for it, as you don't think they need to be bothered with the technical details. Why might this backfire on you? What might you do in your message to soften the bad news?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Your bid to set up the computer...

Question 7

Business is bad and you need to cut costs by reducing your employees' work hours or by eliminating several positions. You plan a meeting with your employees to discuss this situation.
-You consider using the buffer mentioned below to begin your remarks. Discuss whether or not using a buffer is a good idea, and how this particular example will meet your objectives:
"I am grateful that you have all worked hard this past year to keep costs down and try to increase sales, and we are thrilled to announce that our customer satisfaction rating is at an all-time high."

Accepted Answer

The answer of Business is bad and you need to...

Question 8

Stacey runs a small technology company. She has tried to retain all her staff, but her business is losing money and she has no alternative but to let several employees go. These workers are professional, loyal, and highly effective, but Stacey can no longer bear the expense of their salaries and benefits. She feels terrible about letting these employees go, and even somewhat guilty that she couldn't improve the bottom line enough to save their jobs. As the business is a technology company, much of the communication is done via email, text messaging, etc.
-How would you advise Stacey to convey to the employees that they are fired?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Stacey runs a small technology company. She...

Question 9

Research shows that social media audiences respond much better to impersonal messages than to personal-sounding responses.

Accepted Answer

Research shows that social media audiences respond much better to personal-sounding responses than to impersonal ones.

Question 10

For sensitive communication like bad-news messages, evaluation is particularly important because communication can have significant negative business results.

Accepted Answer

While evaluation is important for any communication to ensure that your message is effective, it is essential for sensitive communication due to the serious negative results that could follow. You must evaluate to consider whether a sense of goodwill is communicated, and to ensure that the message achieves a good business result.

Question 11

Imposing bad news on a client may lead to negative business results.

Accepted Answer

Giving your audience the opportunity to say no is likely to achieve a better business result than imposing the bad news on them and presuming that they will comply.

Question 12

Business is bad and you need to cut costs by reducing your employees' work hours or by eliminating several positions. You plan a meeting with your employees to discuss this situation.
-When conveying a bad-news message, how might the use of the word "you" be interpreted?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Business is bad and you need to...

Question 13

When delivering bad news it is best to only imply the message.

Accepted Answer

If you convey the bad news in vague terms or only imply the answer, the audience may misunderstand. The best way to ensure that the audience understands the bad news is to state it clearly.

Question 14

Within Indian culture, saying "no" without actually saying it is considered evasive.

Accepted Answer

In many eastern cultures including India, people say "no" by ignoring the question, changing the subject, making a statement from which the bad news can be inferred, etc. It is understood that the speaker is uncomfortable actually saying "no," and is not considered to be evasive.

Question 15

Business is bad and you need to cut costs by reducing your employees' work hours or by eliminating several positions. You plan a meeting with your employees to discuss this situation.
-Discuss whether or not an apology should be part of a bad-news message.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Business is bad and you need to...

Question 16

Mariana is a young woman who spends a good deal of her time and income on athletic and outdoor pursuits. She recently purchased a pair of in-line skates that got damaged within a week of use on her beach vacation. She wrote to Fleet of Foot (FOF), the manufacturer of the skates, to request a repair or refund and was disappointed to receive a letter denying either action. The letter flatly stated that FOF was in no way responsible because the style of skate Mariana purchased was not made for use near salt water or sandy areas. The letter further stated that Mariana would have known this if she had read the instruction manual and product warranty information.
-How would you suggest improving this message?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Mariana is a young woman who spends...

Question 17

Mariana is a young woman who spends a good deal of her time and income on athletic and outdoor pursuits. She recently purchased a pair of in-line skates that got damaged within a week of use on her beach vacation. She wrote to Fleet of Foot (FOF), the manufacturer of the skates, to request a repair or refund and was disappointed to receive a letter denying either action. The letter flatly stated that FOF was in no way responsible because the style of skate Mariana purchased was not made for use near salt water or sandy areas. The letter further stated that Mariana would have known this if she had read the instruction manual and product warranty information.
-Discuss the ramifications of firing by email or text message.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Mariana is a young woman who spends...

Question 18

Business is bad and you need to cut costs by reducing your employees' work hours or by eliminating several positions. You plan a meeting with your employees to discuss this situation.
-Discuss why it is especially important to communicate bad-news messages in ways that will maintain the audience's goodwill in our increasingly technological age.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Business is bad and you need to...

Question 19

If bad news is expected, then you shouldn't try to soften the blow of the bad news.

Accepted Answer

Regardless of which organizational plan you use to present the main idea of a bad-news message, you want to "soften the blow" of the bad news, even if it is expected.

Question 20

Business is bad and you need to cut costs by reducing your employees' work hours or by eliminating several positions. You plan a meeting with your employees to discuss this situation.
-Discuss how the legal liabilities of bad news might be affected by the delivery of the message.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Business is bad and you need to...

Quiz 6: Communicating Bad News

Use a template or a generic message to respond to negative posts or even complaint emails.

Declining an invitation is an example of a bad-news message.

The following statement eases the impact of the bad news by placing it in a subordinate clause: "Although a replacement is not provided by the terms of your warranty, we are happy to offer you a 15% discount on your next purchase."

If denying a customer's request results in losing their goodwill, the worst that can happen is that you can lose their business.

Research shows that social media audiences respond much better to impersonal messages than to personal-sounding responses.

For sensitive communication like bad-news messages, evaluation is particularly important because communication can have significant negative business results.

Imposing bad news on a client may lead to negative business results.

Business is bad and you need to cut costs by reducing your employees' work hours or by eliminating several positions. You plan a meeting with your employees to discuss this situation. -When conveying a bad-news message, how might the use of the word "you" be interpreted?

When delivering bad news it is best to only imply the message.

Within Indian culture, saying "no" without actually saying it is considered evasive.

Business is bad and you need to cut costs by reducing your employees' work hours or by eliminating several positions. You plan a meeting with your employees to discuss this situation. -Discuss whether or not an apology should be part of a bad-news message.

If bad news is expected, then you shouldn't try to soften the blow of the bad news.

Business is bad and you need to cut costs by reducing your employees' work hours or by eliminating several positions. You plan a meeting with your employees to discuss this situation. -Discuss how the legal liabilities of bad news might be affected by the delivery of the message.