Question 1

Narrative 14-2
Canadian tea retailer David's Tea has struggled with its growth plans,suffering turnover in the C-suite (the most senior leadership group of the company),but one thing remains constant: the company regularly reaches out to customers to find out what they're looking for. Nearly all new product ideas come directly from customers through an in-store feedback program,and are tried out over a season to minimize risk.
One customer described his experience at a David's Tea as exceptional. When he went into a David's Tea store to ask for a "Japanese tea," the store associate started probing and asking what type of tea the customer wanted: sencha,gyokuro,or genmaicha,which are all varieties of Japanese tea. Once he'd finished probing,he offered several different varieties of tea to the customer. The associate benefited from extensive training on varieties of tea,which is provided to all new associates when they start.
-Refer to Narrative 14-2. Which step of the communication process is involved when the store associate offers several different varieties of tea to the customer?

Accepted Answer

Decoding is the step of the communication process involved when the store associate offers several different varieties of tea to the customer, as they are interpreting and understanding the customer's request for Japanese tea and responding with appropriate options.

Question 2

Perception is the process by which individuals attend to,organize,interpret,and retain information from their environments.

Accepted Answer

Perception involves the cognitive process of attending, organizing, interpreting, and retaining information from the environment.

Question 3

Narrative 14-1
Urban legends and Internet scams are a real problem for some businesses. In 1997,Gerber Baby Foods was flooded with one million letters and 80,000 phone calls from parents responding to an email about a phony class-action lawsuit. Another urban legend about a Costa Rican flesh-eating bacteria that affected banana shipments cost that industry more than $30 million in 1999. More recently,Procter & Gamble (P&G)had to deal with claims that its Febreze product contained Agent Orange,a dangerous chemical. Many companies choose to ignore these myths created by angry customers or rabble-rousers,but experts believe that doing so is the worst possible action to take. Instead,companies should do everything possible to reassure their customers.
-Refer to Narrative 14-1. Some top managers encourage subordinates to do everything in their power to assure customers that Internet myths about their companies are false. In what do the manager s engage?

Accepted Answer

Managers are engaging in downward communication, which involves passing information from higher levels of the organizational hierarchy to lower levels, instructing subordinates to reassure customers.

Question 4

According to attribution theory,the two general reasons,or attributions,we use to explain people's behaviour are primary attribution and secondary attribution.

Accepted Answer

Attribution theory suggests that the two main types of attributions we use to explain people's behavior are internal (dispositional) attributions and external (situational) attributions, not primary and secondary attributions.

Question 5

Narrative 14-1
Urban legends and Internet scams are a real problem for some businesses. In 1997,Gerber Baby Foods was flooded with one million letters and 80,000 phone calls from parents responding to an email about a phony class-action lawsuit. Another urban legend about a Costa Rican flesh-eating bacteria that affected banana shipments cost that industry more than $30 million in 1999. More recently,Procter & Gamble (P&G)had to deal with claims that its Febreze product contained Agent Orange,a dangerous chemical. Many companies choose to ignore these myths created by angry customers or rabble-rousers,but experts believe that doing so is the worst possible action to take. Instead,companies should do everything possible to reassure their customers.
-Refer to Narrative 14-1. Which of the following would email users who received the email about P&G's Febreze have used to understand the message?

Accepted Answer

Email users who received the email about P&G's Febreze would have used decoding to understand the message as they had to interpret the meaning of the message from the symbols and language used in the email. Physical stimuli and intranets are not relevant to understanding the message in the email. Encoding is the process of creating the message, not receiving or understanding it.

Question 6

Narrative 14-2
Canadian tea retailer David's Tea has struggled with its growth plans,suffering turnover in the C-suite (the most senior leadership group of the company),but one thing remains constant: the company regularly reaches out to customers to find out what they're looking for. Nearly all new product ideas come directly from customers through an in-store feedback program,and are tried out over a season to minimize risk.
One customer described his experience at a David's Tea as exceptional. When he went into a David's Tea store to ask for a "Japanese tea," the store associate started probing and asking what type of tea the customer wanted: sencha,gyokuro,or genmaicha,which are all varieties of Japanese tea. Once he'd finished probing,he offered several different varieties of tea to the customer. The associate benefited from extensive training on varieties of tea,which is provided to all new associates when they start.
-Refer to Narrative 14-2. Which step of the communication process is involved when the store associate seeks clarification on what the customer means by "Japanese tea"?

Accepted Answer

The step of the communication process involved when the store associate seeks clarification on what the customer means by "Japanese tea" is feedback. This is because the associate is responding to the customer's initial request, indicating that the message was received but more information is needed to provide an accurate response.

Question 7

Narrative 14-2
Canadian tea retailer David's Tea has struggled with its growth plans,suffering turnover in the C-suite (the most senior leadership group of the company),but one thing remains constant: the company regularly reaches out to customers to find out what they're looking for. Nearly all new product ideas come directly from customers through an in-store feedback program,and are tried out over a season to minimize risk.
One customer described his experience at a David's Tea as exceptional. When he went into a David's Tea store to ask for a "Japanese tea," the store associate started probing and asking what type of tea the customer wanted: sencha,gyokuro,or genmaicha,which are all varieties of Japanese tea. Once he'd finished probing,he offered several different varieties of tea to the customer. The associate benefited from extensive training on varieties of tea,which is provided to all new associates when they start.
-Refer to Narrative 14-2. Which of the following did the store associate who sold the customer Japanese teas engage in?

Accepted Answer

The store associate engaged in empathetic listening by actively probing and understanding the customer's needs and preferences before offering different varieties of Japanese tea.

Question 8

Selective perception is the tendency to notice and accept objects and information consistent with our values,beliefs,and expectations,and screen out or not accept inconsistent information.

Accepted Answer

Selective perception refers to the tendency of individuals to perceive information that aligns with their existing beliefs and values while ignoring information that does not align with them.

Question 9

Communication is the process of transmitting information from one person or place to another.

Accepted Answer

This is the true definition of communication.

Question 10

Narrative 14-1
Urban legends and Internet scams are a real problem for some businesses. In 1997,Gerber Baby Foods was flooded with one million letters and 80,000 phone calls from parents responding to an email about a phony class-action lawsuit. Another urban legend about a Costa Rican flesh-eating bacteria that affected banana shipments cost that industry more than $30 million in 1999. More recently,Procter & Gamble (P&G)had to deal with claims that its Febreze product contained Agent Orange,a dangerous chemical. Many companies choose to ignore these myths created by angry customers or rabble-rousers,but experts believe that doing so is the worst possible action to take. Instead,companies should do everything possible to reassure their customers.
-Refer to Narrative 14-1. Personality-,psychology-,and experience-based differences determine how consumers respond to Internet scams. Which of the following also contributes to their responses?

Accepted Answer

Perceptual filters, or the way individuals perceive and interpret information, can greatly impact their response to Internet scams and other consumer issues. It is important for companies to understand and address these filters in order to effectively communicate with their customers. Conceptual screens, attitudinal derivation, and conceptual decoding are not directly related to this topic.

Question 11

In the perception process,interpretation is the process of incorporating new memories with old memories and creating the ability to recall both.

Accepted Answer

Interpretation in the perception process involves assigning meaning to the sensory information received, not incorporating new memories with old memories.

Question 12

Narrative 14-1
Urban legends and Internet scams are a real problem for some businesses. In 1997,Gerber Baby Foods was flooded with one million letters and 80,000 phone calls from parents responding to an email about a phony class-action lawsuit. Another urban legend about a Costa Rican flesh-eating bacteria that affected banana shipments cost that industry more than $30 million in 1999. More recently,Procter & Gamble (P&G)had to deal with claims that its Febreze product contained Agent Orange,a dangerous chemical. Many companies choose to ignore these myths created by angry customers or rabble-rousers,but experts believe that doing so is the worst possible action to take. Instead,companies should do everything possible to reassure their customers.
-Refer to Narrative 14-1. An angry P&G consumer created the initial email message and started the rumour about Febreze. What component of the communication process did the customer use?

Accepted Answer

The customer used encoding, which is the process of turning thoughts or ideas into messages that can be understood by others.

Question 13

Due to perceptual filtering,people exposed to the same information will often disagree about what they saw or heard.

Accepted Answer

Perceptual filtering is the process by which individuals select, organize, and interpret sensory information based on their personal preferences, experiences, beliefs, and expectations. It means that two people can see, hear, or feel the same thing, but perceive and understand it differently. This can lead to disagreements, misunderstandings, and conflicts among individuals and groups.

Question 14

In the perception process,apprehension is the process of remembering interpreted information.

Accepted Answer

Apprehension in the perception process refers to the initial act of sensing and taking in information, not the process of remembering interpreted information.

Question 15

Across all industries,poor communication skill is the single most important reason why people do not advance in their chosen career.

Accepted Answer

Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings, decreased productivity, missed opportunities, and a lack of trust and confidence in one's abilities, all of which can hinder career advancement. Effective communication skills are essential for building relationships, managing conflicts, presenting ideas, and inspiring others, among other professional competencies.

Question 16

Narrative 14-2
Canadian tea retailer David's Tea has struggled with its growth plans,suffering turnover in the C-suite (the most senior leadership group of the company),but one thing remains constant: the company regularly reaches out to customers to find out what they're looking for. Nearly all new product ideas come directly from customers through an in-store feedback program,and are tried out over a season to minimize risk.
One customer described his experience at a David's Tea as exceptional. When he went into a David's Tea store to ask for a "Japanese tea," the store associate started probing and asking what type of tea the customer wanted: sencha,gyokuro,or genmaicha,which are all varieties of Japanese tea. Once he'd finished probing,he offered several different varieties of tea to the customer. The associate benefited from extensive training on varieties of tea,which is provided to all new associates when they start.
-Refer to Narrative 14-2. Which type of feedback is David's Tea looking for when it seeks customer feedback in-store?

Accepted Answer

David's Tea is looking for constructive feedback from customers in-store. They want to know what customers are looking for and what new product ideas they have. They use this feedback to try out new products over a season to minimize risk.

Question 17

Narrative 14-1
Urban legends and Internet scams are a real problem for some businesses. In 1997,Gerber Baby Foods was flooded with one million letters and 80,000 phone calls from parents responding to an email about a phony class-action lawsuit. Another urban legend about a Costa Rican flesh-eating bacteria that affected banana shipments cost that industry more than $30 million in 1999. More recently,Procter & Gamble (P&G)had to deal with claims that its Febreze product contained Agent Orange,a dangerous chemical. Many companies choose to ignore these myths created by angry customers or rabble-rousers,but experts believe that doing so is the worst possible action to take. Instead,companies should do everything possible to reassure their customers.
-Refer to Narrative 14-1. Which term can be used to describe the Internet,through which urban legends are transmitted?

Accepted Answer

The term "communication medium" can be used to describe the Internet, as it allows for the transmission and exchange of information among users.

Question 18

Narrative 14-2
Canadian tea retailer David's Tea has struggled with its growth plans,suffering turnover in the C-suite (the most senior leadership group of the company),but one thing remains constant: the company regularly reaches out to customers to find out what they're looking for. Nearly all new product ideas come directly from customers through an in-store feedback program,and are tried out over a season to minimize risk.
One customer described his experience at a David's Tea as exceptional. When he went into a David's Tea store to ask for a "Japanese tea," the store associate started probing and asking what type of tea the customer wanted: sencha,gyokuro,or genmaicha,which are all varieties of Japanese tea. Once he'd finished probing,he offered several different varieties of tea to the customer. The associate benefited from extensive training on varieties of tea,which is provided to all new associates when they start.
-Refer to Narrative 14-2. All new associates are provided with training on the varieties of tea sold by DavidsTea. Which type of communication is this an example of?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of formal communication, as the training is provided to all new associates in a structured and organized manner.

Question 19

The resistance bias is the tendency for people to perceive themselves as personally and situationally similar to someone who is having difficulty or trouble,and therefore,to use external attributions to explain the person's behaviour.

Accepted Answer

Resistance bias refers to the tendency to resist changing one's beliefs or decisions in light of new information, not to the tendency to perceive oneself as similar to someone in difficulty and use external attributions to explain their behavior.

Question 20

Narrative 14-2
Canadian tea retailer David's Tea has struggled with its growth plans,suffering turnover in the C-suite (the most senior leadership group of the company),but one thing remains constant: the company regularly reaches out to customers to find out what they're looking for. Nearly all new product ideas come directly from customers through an in-store feedback program,and are tried out over a season to minimize risk.
One customer described his experience at a David's Tea as exceptional. When he went into a David's Tea store to ask for a "Japanese tea," the store associate started probing and asking what type of tea the customer wanted: sencha,gyokuro,or genmaicha,which are all varieties of Japanese tea. Once he'd finished probing,he offered several different varieties of tea to the customer. The associate benefited from extensive training on varieties of tea,which is provided to all new associates when they start.
-Refer to Narrative 14-2. Which type of communication is the David's Tea in-store customer feedback program an example of?

Accepted Answer

The David's Tea in-store customer feedback program is an example of upward communication, as it involves collecting information from customers (the lower level) and passing it up to the company (the higher level) for decision-making and product development.

Quiz 14: Managing Communication