Institute of Management Technology

Centre for Distance Learning

A16, Site 3, UPSIDC Industrial Area, Meerut Road, Ghaziabad - 201 003

Subject Code: IMT-10

Subject Name : BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Objectives
To develop oral and written communication skills

Contents
A. Oral Communication
1. The communication Process : An overview of business communication - Role of communication in the business
organisation - A model of the communication process - Some fundamental truths of communication – Perception and
Reality.
2. Listening Skills : What is effective listening ? Inefficiency of listening - Improving your listening ability. Class discussion,
Role of Effective listening towards organisational excellence.
3. Business Presentations : What is business presentation ? - Presentation principles. Determination of presentation
techniques - Determination of personal aspects - Advance analysis - Appearance and bodily actions - Use of voice and
visual aids - Class discussion.
4. Conducting Meetings : Techniques for conducting meetings - Class discussion on problems on meetings and
contributing to a productive meeting.
5. Group Discussions : Pedagogy to conduct Group discussion. Class discussion on "The importance of Listening and
Non verbal messages in interpersonal communication".
6. Negotiations : What is negotiation ? Negotiation process & effective negotiation techniques & skills.
B. Written Communication
7. Process of Communication : Principles of clear business writing and effective communications model – taking down
notes in seminars/lectures/from reference material
8. Preparation of curriculum-vitae techniques - variety - effect.
9. Grammar Problems, Quality Aspects of Communication: Fundamentals of grammar and usage - How it affects effective
written communication ? Essay and precis writing. Live examples from the Industry - Class discussion.
10. Written presentation of Technical Material - preparation and presentation techniques etc.
11. Effective Reading : Ingredients and pedagogy of effective reading, to bring home by video recording and replay.
12. Basic Official Correspondence : Memos, Letters, Reports etc. - Formats : Discussion on formats and class
assignment on physical presentation of reports, Business letters and Memo writing including social correspondence.
13. Case Analysis Methodology : Present methodology and discussion of a Case study.
14. Technology, Methodology for Effective Communication: Early development of communication technology. Advent of
electronic and other technology. Revolutionary electronic innovations. Use of Computers to improve working.
Advances in E-mail - Tele Conferences- A look to the future - Class discussion.
References
1. Business Communication Today, Bovee, Thill, Pearson Education
2. Business Communication, K.K. Sinha, Galgotia
3. Successful Communication for Business and Management, Treece, Malra, Prentice Hall

Notes:
a. Write answers in your own words as far as possible and refrain from copying from the text books/handouts.
b. Answers of Ist Set (Part-A & Part-B), IInd Set (Part-C, Part-D), IIIrd Set (Short Answer Questions) and Case
Study must be sent together.
c. Mail the answer sheets alongwith the copy of assignments for evaluation & return.
d. Only hand written assignments shall be accepted.

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Subject Code : IMT-10
Subject Name: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
A. First Set of Assignments: Part-A : 5 Marks & Part-B : 5 Marks. Each question carries 1 marks.
B. Second Set of Assignments: Part-C : 5 Marks & Part-D : 5 Marks. Each question carries 1 marks.
C. Third Set of Assignments: 20 Short Answer Questions : 10 Marks. Each question carries ½ marks.
Confine your answers to 150 to 200 Words.
D. Forth Set of Assignments: Two Case Studies : 10 Marks. Each case study carries 5 marks.

ASSIGNMENTS
PART– A
1. What is Communication? Identify the basic elements of communication with the help of a management
model.
2. What do you mean by effective listening? How does it differ from hearing?
3. What qualities does a good listener possess?
4. Explain the different ways in which communication breakdown occurs?
5. What is the role of feedback in communication process?

PART– B
1. When do you choose oral mode of communication over written communication?
2. What are group discussions? Discuss the do’s and don’ts of a group discussion.
3. What is an agenda? What are the characteristics of a well constructed agenda?
4. What is non-verbal communication? Can non-verbal communication be studied in isolation?
5. Identify the characteristics of a good presentation.

PART – C
1. How does a memo differ from a letter?
2. Comment on the role of third party in the negotiation process.
3. What abilities are involved in analyzing a case?
4. What is a report? State various kinds of reports relevant to an organization.
5. Elaborate on the role of chairperson in conducting a meeting.

PART– D
1. What is the impact of technology on communication? List out some new concepts of significance to the
business communicator.
2. What do you understand by two part job application? Explain.
3. You have just completed PGDBM from IMT. You also have a degree in mechanical engineering and two
years of work experience in automobile industry. Prepare a ‘specific’ CV to be sent to Maruti Udyog.
4. Write the minutes of an extra ordinary meeting of the share holders of a textile company at which the
following matters were discussed.
5. On behalf of the residents welfare association of your colony write a representation to the Chief Engineer,
Delhi Municipal Corporation complaining about the inadequate water supply.

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 SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS
1. Discuss the importance of tone in oral communication.

2. Elaborate on benefits of listening.

3. Explain barriers to effective listening.

4. Discuss the role of non verbal communication in negotiation.

5. What are the limitations of reading and memorizing?

6. Why is audience analysis necessary for effective presentation?

7. Is it necessary to have a covering letter with a cv when one is applying for a job?

8. Comment on the importance of body language in interview process.

9. What you understand by a win-win position?

10. What do you understand by visible code?

11. What is social business writing?

12. What are the essential ingredients of an ideal covering letter?

13. List the essentials of good report writing.

14. Prepare a checklist of do’s and don’ts while sending emails.

15. Why should minutes be written in reported speech?

16. Why is a sales letter generally lengthier than other business letters?

17. List five qualities of a successful interviewer.

18. Discuss communication as a two-way process of exchange of information.

19. Prepare an evaluation sheet for effective business presentation.

20. What can be done to improve speed reading?

CASE STUDY-1
THE DASHMAN COMPANY

T
he Dashman Company was a large concern making many types of equipments for the armed forces of
United States. It had over two hundred plan, located in the central part of the country whose purchasing
procedures had never been completely coordinated. In fact the head office of the company had
encouraged each of the plant managers to operate with their staff as separate independent units in most
matters. Late in 1940 when it began to appear that the company would face increasing difficulty in securing
certain raw materials, Mr. Mansion the company’s president, appointed an experienced executive, whose
position was specially created for him. Mr. Mansion gave Mr. Post wide latitude in organizing his job, and he
assigned Mr. Larson as Mr. Post’s assistant. Mr. Larson had served the company in a variety of capacities for
many years, and knew most of the plant executives personally. Mr. Post’s appointment was announced through
the formal channel usual of the company, including a notice in the house organ published by the company.

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 One of Mr. Post’s first decisions was to begin immediately to centralize the company’s purchasing
procedures. As a first step he decided that he would require each of the executives who have handled
purchases in the individual plants to clear with the head office all purchase contracts which they made above
$10,000. He felt that if the head office was to do any coordination in a way that would be helpful to each plant
and to the company as a whole, he must be notified that the contracts were being prepared at least a week
before they were to be signed. He talked his proposal over with Mr. Mansion, who presented it to his board of
directors who approved the plan. Although the company made purchases throughout the year, the beginning if
its peak buying season was only three weeks away at the time this new plan was adopted. Mr. Post prepared a
letter to be sent to twenty purchasing executives of the company. The letter was as follows:

Dear……………
The Board of Directors of our company has recently authorized a change in our purchasing procedures.
Hereafter each of the purchasing executives in the several plants of the company will notify the vice
president in-charge of purchasing of all contracts in excess of $10,000 which they are negotiating at least a
week in advance of the date on which they are to be signed.
I am sure that you will understand that this step is necessary to coordinate the purchasing requirements of
the company in these times when we are facing increasing difficulty securing essential supplies. These
procedures should give us in the central office the information we need to see that each plant secures the
optimum supply of materials. In this way the interests of each plant and of the company as a whole will best
be served.

Yours truly,

Mr. Post showed the letter to Mr. Larson and invited his comments. Mr. Larson thought the letter an
excellent one, but suggested that since Mr. Post had not met more than a few of the purchasing executives,
he might like to visit all of them and take the matter up with each of them personally. Mr. Post dismissed the
idea at once because, as he said, he had so many things to do at the head office that he could not get away
for a trip. Consequently he had the letters sent out over his signature.
During the two following weeks replies came in from all except a few plants. Although a few executives write
at following reply was typical:

Dear Mr. Post:

Your recent communication in regard to notifying the head office a week in advance of our intention to sign
contracts has been received. This suggestion sees a most practical one. We want to assure you that you can
count on our cooperation.
Yours truly,
During the next six weeks the head office received no notices from any plant that contracts were being
negotiated. Executives in other departments who made frequent trips to the plants reported that the plants were
busy, and the usual routines for that time of year were being followed.

Questions

1. Why did the communication from Mr. Post failed?

2. If you were in the position of Mr. Post, how you would have communicated with your purchasing
executives?

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 CASE STUDY-2
OUTSOURCING BACKLASH

“I don’t want to speak to you. Connect me to your boss in the US,” hissed the American on the phone. The
young girl at a Bangalore call centre tried to be as polite as she could.
At another call centre, another day, another young girl had a Londoner unleashing himself on her, ‘Young
lady, do you know that because of you Indians we are losing jobs.’
The outsourcing backlash is getting ugly. Handling irate callers is the new brief for the young men and
women taking calls at these outsourced job centres. Supervisors tell them to be ‘cool’.
Avinash Vashistha, managing partner of NEOIT, a leading US-based consultancy firm says, ‘Companies
involved in outsourcing both in the US and India are already getting a lot of hate mail against outsourcing and it
is hardly surprising that some people should behave like this on the telephone.” Vashistha says Indian call
centres should trim their operators how to handle such calls.
Indeed, the furore raised by the Western media over job losses because of outsourcing has made ordinary
citizen there sensate to the fact that their calls are being taken not from their midst but in countries, such as
India and the Phillippines.
The angry outbursts that operators face border on racist and sexist, says the manager of a call centre in
Hyderabad. But operators and senior executives of call centres refuse to go on record for fear of kicking a
controversy that might result in their companies losing overseas clients.
“It is happening often enough and so let us face it,” says a senior executive of a Gurgaon call centre,
adding, ‘This does not have any impact on business’.

Questions

1. Assume you are working as an operator at a call centre in India and are receiving irate calls from Americans
and Londoners. How would you handle such calls? Imagine a situation and state your response.
2. “Keep your cool”. What does this mean in terms of conversation control?’
3. What impact such abusive happenings on the telephone may have on the employees and the business?
Give reasons for your answer.

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