‘THE COPPERBELT UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS AND NATURAL SCIENCES, 2009 SESSIONAL EXAMINATIONS 1A 111/ PE 121 /eS 142/ FO 150 COMMUNICATION SKILLS TIME ALLOWED 3 HOURS Instructions 1. This paper comprises eight (8) questions and you are to attempt only six (6) questions 2. Read the questions carefully before answering them, 3. All questions carry equal marks. 4. Appropriate language, spelling, punctuation, style and layout will be taken into account when awarding marks.‘QUESTION ONE You are employed bya company. The company has linited money, This money has to be [lsttbuted among sc dvsios, each with Is own needs and priorities. The divisions areas fellows 1+ Personnel (This division urgently needs extra funds to cecrult staff and train them) * Information Technology ( new computer programs are needed to keep the company competitive) Sales (The Company is shrinking. Customers are becoming much more selective. Sales peop! need to be sent on special sales courses to keep the company competitive ‘+ Monufaeturing (This division urgently needs ta replace absolute machinery) 5 f New product Department (new products are to be developed the company will not remain compete). 5+ Public relations (he company has had some bad publicity recently. Money is needed to ree establish the company’s good name), Having cetried out an assessment needs, write a letter to the Chalrman ofthe Board justlying how yc have allocated this money to each division (Bear in mind that you have to priartize the allocation because the money isnot enough) question Two & Reduce the passage below to atopic note outline form with suitable headings and subheadings, Give YOUr finished nates tie ‘The most basic form of communication Is nonverbal communication: all the cues gestures, faci! ‘expressions, spatial relationships, and attitudes towards time that enable people to. communicate ‘without words, Amhropologats theorize that long before human beings used words to talk things ove, ‘ur ancestors communicated with one another by using thee bodies, They gritted thelr teeth to show anger; they smiled and touched one another to indicate affection “Although we have come a long way since those primitive times, we sill use nonverbal cues to express superiority, dependence, disie respect, love and other feelings Nonverbal communication eifers from verbal communicaton in fundamentals ways. For one thing, i's ‘ess structure, soit fs more lficlt to study. You can't pick up a book on nonverbal language and Master the vocabulary of gestures, expressions, Inletions that are common in our culture. Even fxpelts don't really now how people learn nonverbal behavior, No one teaches the baby to ry or smile, et these forms of self-expression are almost universal. Other types of nonverbal communication, such asthe meaning of colours and certain gestures, vary fom culture to culture."Nonverbal communication also differs from verbal communication in terms of itent and spontanef You! generally plan your words. When you say, "Pease get back to me on that order by kay,” yr. have a conscious purpose; you think about the message, only for a moment. However, when you orimunicate nonverbally, you sometimes do so unconsciously. Yau don’t mean to raise an eyebrow or bush. Those actions come natural. Without your consent, your emotions are writen all over yo face, ‘Although you can express many things nonverbally, there are limits to what you can communices: Without the hep of language, If you want to discuss past events, ideas, or abstractions, you need Symbols that stand for thoughts. Verbal communication consists of words arranged in tmeaningfal Patterns, The ever growing English language contains about 750,000 words. To create a thought with {hese words, you arange them according to rules of grammar, putting the various parts of speech inte Droper sequence. You then transmit the message in spoken or writen form, anticipating that someo. ‘ill hear or read what you have to say, Given a choice, eople would rather talk to each other than write to each other. Talking takes less time and needs no composing, keyboarding, rewriting, duplicating, or distributing. Even more important ors} ‘communication provides the opportunity for feedback. When people communicate orally, they can ak ‘questions and test their understanding ofthe message; they can share ideas and work together to sole problems. Nonetheles, oral communication has its drawbacks. You have far less opportunity to revise you ‘written words, You can't cross out what you have just said and start all over. Furthermore, at time \wltten forms, such s letters, memos, reports, and proposals, are more appropriate and effective: whe the Information you are conveying is more complex, when permanent record is needed for ft reference, when the audience Is large and geographically dispersed, and when immediate interaction With the audience i either unimportant or undesirable. ‘QUESTION THREE As the assistant director of human resources fra large engineering company, you hear the concerns of ‘many diffrent employees. Lately, increasing number of female employees has been camplaining about 'ack of promotion in their section. The male employees receive preferential treatment, even though ‘many female ae much more highly qualified, ‘The table below depicts how executives perceive the barriers to female advancementWhy Female Executives don’t Advance into corporate leadership positions ean Eee ETON Ave "wale stereotyping 52% 25% preconception Exclusion from informal 49 a5 Netwerks Lack ofgenerat Management 47 a2 Inosptable corporate 3 8 culture Women not experienced 2 o Enough ‘Women not educated enough 30 6a a Write a short report tothe director of human resources interpreting and summarizing the Information inthe table above. Suggest a possible course of action to remedy the situation QUESTION FUR, ‘bescribe how organizations share information internally and externally QUESTION FIVE Either Explain the tasks involved in developing the three parts of oral presentation; the introduction, the body and the conclusion. Or Explain how body language and tone of volce reveal about a person's emotions and attitudesTae 7 / QUESTION six Why do meetings at times falta achieve t objectives in managing ogankvatio’s affairs? Discuss, QUESTION sevEN @ What are the objecties af Fmployment interview? Discuss the factors that have tobe taken into account bythe interviewer before the selection made QUESTION EIGHT ‘What are the elements of communication process? Discus where errors are likly to occur within the ‘communication process and stete the relationship, ifany between erors and image ofthe vaiter and that ofthe organtation