BAE1044 ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Sample 3

SECTION A: MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS [20 MARKS]

Instructions: Answer ALL questions in this section.

1. As the CEO of Stack.com, Mr. Damien would like his marketing team to work on
an advertisement to market their latest product of cardboard shoe-box drawers.
Mr. Damien would like to advertise it on YouTube, Facebook, television,
newspapers and magazines.

YouTube, Facebook, television, newspapers and magazines are examples of

_________ communication.

A. mass
B. public
C. interpersonal
D. intrapersonal

2. During a meeting, one of the members has been talking about a project for almost
30 minutes, while other members are looking glazed, making little eye contact
with the speaker, and doodling away on their notepads.

In the communication process, the participants’ actions are called __________.

A. providing feedback
B. decoding the message
C. encoding the message
D. conceiving the message

3. The excerpt below is from a university handbook. Which goal of ethical

communication does the following principle abide to?

The word “disabled” is an adjective, not a noun. Do not use “the disabled.”
If it is appropriate, explain a person’s disability instead of focusing on the
descriptor “disabled.” For example: “Mary has a neurological condition and
uses a wheelchair.”

A. Stereotyping
B. Spirit of inclusion
C. Labelling opinions
D. Inclusive language

4. Symantic CEO, John Penn’s office is designed with elegant furniture neatly

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arranged in a private room attached. The walls are lined with objects and
adornments which highlight his interest and lifestyle including diverse and
extensive collections of painting and music. 

Which type of non-verbal signal or cue is John displaying?

A. Haptics
B. Kinesics
C. Artifacts
D. Paralanguage

5. Sharon must write a letter to inform an advertisement agency that its contract will
be terminated due to the agency’s failure to adhere to the guidelines set by her
company. The agency has been verbally informed about the contract termination.

What will be the best approach to organise the negative message?

A. Buffer, bad news, positive close

B. Bad news, buffer, positive close
C. Bad news, reasons, positive close
D. Buffer, reasons, bad news, positive close

6. Despite the advances of women in the workplace over the last few decades, there
are still perceptions that a woman with blonde hair is unintelligent; therefore, she
is unable to fulfill simple tasks, or an attractive woman was promoted because she
flirted or slept with her supervisor.

This is an example of __________.

A. stereotyping
B. self-concept
C. discrimination
D. social comparison

7. Next week, Sally needs to show the distribution of visitors by types of tourist
attractions to her manager in Tourism Malaysia. She needs to show the
percentage or proportional data of the visitors for each of the five tourist
attractions.

Which of the following graphic is the best choice in illustrating her data?

A. Table
B. Pie chart
C. Bar chart
D. Line graph

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8. In 2012, Ikea, the global furniture company, apologised for removing the images
of women from the version of its catalogue circulating in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi
version of the catalogue showed that women had been airbrushed out of the
pictures of the company’s products. Ikea’s Saudi catalogue looks the same as
other editions of the publication, except for the absence of women.

In Saudi Arabia, Ikea has taken ________________ into consideration before

printing their catalogue as one of the visual communication tools.

A. language
B. stereotype
C. cultural awareness
D. communication style

9. The manager of a textile company visits the house of a newly joined executive
trainee, but the trainee is about to go out for a party. This puts the trainee in an
uncomfortable situation. Even if she invites the manager into her house, she
realises that she cannot leave without offending her superior nor can she stay
back happily. The conflict in her mind is reflected in the differences between her
words which are full of typical welcoming phrases and her tone which lacks the
same warmth.

What type of non-verbal behaviour is exhibited here?

A. Kinesics
B. Proxemics
C. Chronemics
D. Paralanguage

10. Mr. X: It looks like we need to keep the production line running on Saturday.
Mr. Y: I see.
Mr. X: Can you come in on Saturday?
Mr. Y: Yes. I think so. (with a hesitative tone)
Mr. X: That’ll be a great help.
Mr. Y: Yes. Saturday is a special day, did you know?
Mr. X: What do you mean?
Mr. Y: It’s my daughter’s birthday.
Mr. X: That’s nice! I hope you all enjoy it very much.
Mr. Y: Thank you. I appreciate your understanding.

From the conversation above, Mr. Y probably comes from _____________.

A. monoculture
B. low context culture
C. multinational culture

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D. high context culture

11. In 2008, Apple made two claims when releasing a brand-new version of its
flagship iPhone. Apple claimed that the new iPhone 3G was double the speed of
its predecessor, and cost half as much. However, not long after the claim, Apple
customers quickly reported dropped calls (calls were cut off during conversation
due to technical reasons), slow speeds, and a host of other issues. The initial price
of iPhone 3G fee dropped from $399 to $199, but there was a catch; an
expensive, 2-year contract.

Which of the following goals of ethical business practices have they not adhered
to?
A. Giving credit
B. Grandstanding
C. Telling the truth
D. Communicating clearly

12. Electrolux, an electrical company received a complaint from one of its customers
regarding the malfunction of a product bought and the customer has requested for
a refund. However, the company is unable to fulfill the customer’s request and
needs to inform the customer of the bad news.

The closing of the letter should then include _____________.

A. an apology
B. an explanation for the bad news
C. an action step for those who want to appeal or challenge the bad news
D. a goodwill statement aimed at maintaining a good relationship with the
reader

13. A manager of a small department is very pleased with the performance of all his
fifteen employees and wishes to convey his appreciation for their hard work and
commitment in landing an important contract.

Which channel of communication is the most appropriate to convey the message?

A. Letter
B. Memo
C. Face-to-face
D. Text message

14. Last week you attended the annual sales conference that was held in Singapore.
Your supervisor has asked you to prepare a report summarising what occurred at
the conference.

What type of report is this?

A. Progress
B. Analytical

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C. Compliance
D. Informational
15.
Do you have any openings for people who want to move into store
management? I am really looking for an opportunity to get a job like
yours even if it takes starting at a low level and working my way up.

The above is an introduction section of Amin’s job application letter. Identify the
mistakes that Amin has made.

I. Amin has not identified his strengths and weaknesses.

II. Amin has failed to show any knowledge of the company.
III. Amin has made all the content in the introduction about himself.
IV. Amin has asked a question that could be answered by visiting the corporate
website of the company.

A. II & III
B. I, II & IV
C. I, III & IV
D. All of the above

16. Which of the following are characteristics of good business writing skills?

I. I have looked into this matter.

II. I have arranged for a repeat order to be sent to you today.
III. Arrangements have been made for a repeat order to be despatched to you
immediately.
IV. I should be grateful if you would be good enough to advise us on the next
course of action so that the necessary course of action can be implemented.

A. I & II
B. I, II & IV
C. I, III & IV
D. All of the above

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17. Last week Nirmala’s manager came to see her and asked if she could do a presentation
to the senior leaders at their offsite retreat this summer. She is stricken by terror
thinking about it. Which techniques would you advise her to use to help convert anxiety
to positive energy for her presentation?

I. Visualise success.
II. Concentrate on yourself and the message.
III. Stop worrying about being perfect and focus on making an authentic connection.
IV. If you sense that you are starting to ramble or race, pause and take a three second
break.

A. I & III
B. I, II & IV
C. I, III & IV
D. All of the above

18. The following are appropriate answers when asked about your key weaknesses
during a job interview except:

A. I am not very good at public speaking, but I have recently volunteered to

run meetings to help me be more comfortable when addressing a crowd.
B. I sometimes have trouble saying “no” to requests and end up taking on more
than I can handle. I feel very stressful when I am unable to meet the
deadline.
C. It has been difficult for me to ask for help when I need it. I have learned that
it is much more beneficial both for me and the business to reach out when I
do not understand something or feel burned out with my workload.
D. I am not familiar with the latest version of the software for
designing.  Instead, I have focused on Adobe Photoshop because user-
centric design has become a strong passion of mine. In my last few jobs,
that is where I have spent time learning and growing.

19. Which of the following is an example of conclusion in a report?

A. From the bar chart, 75 per cent of the respondents face issues in balancing
between work and family matters.
B. It is highly recommended that the company publishes a quarterly employee
newsletter devoted to family and child-care issues.
C. From the data gathered, home and family responsibilities directly affect job
attendance and performance.
D. It is proposed that fresh graduates should not be choosy when finding their

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first job.

20. Sheila plans to apply for a job as a Finance Executive. However, as she has had
many frequent job changes and gaps in work history, she is worried that it could
be a concern for her future employers.

Which of the following suggestions should she adhere to while preparing her
resume?

I. Mention relevant experience and education gained during employment gaps.

II. Group together contract and temporary assignments of similar type under a
single heading.
III. Do not mention the job hops as employers may not understand the
circumstances.
IV. Find a suitable way to convey elimination of past positions because of
layoffs or mergers.

A. I & III
B. I, II & IV
C. I, III & IV
D. All of the above

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SECTION B: INTERPRETATION OF NON-LINEAR TEXTS [15 MARKS]

Instructions: Based on the information below, write the Findings, Conclusion and
Recommendation sections of a formal report in about 150 to 200
words.

A study was conducted on credit card ownership, credit card outstanding payment and
purchases using credit card among Malaysian in 2018. You have obtained the data as
displayed in Figure 1 and Table 1.

40 37 37 36
35
35
29 30
30 28
Percentage (%)

25
20
20
15
15 12
10
5
0
Generation Z Generation Y Generation X Baby Boomers Silent Generation
(4-24 years old) (25-39 years old) (40-54 years old) (55-73 years old) (74-94 years old)

Credit Card Owners Owners with Outstanding Payment

Figure 1: Average percentage of credit card owners and owners with outstanding
payment according to generation in 2018

Table 1
Credit Card Purchases by Category in 2018

Purchases Percentage (%)

Online Shopping 48
Department Store 38
Dine-In Restaurant 36
Gas Station 34
Supermarket 27
Utility Bills 25
Fast Food Restaurant 17

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Payment to Individuals 12

SECTION C: WRITTEN COMMUNICATION [15 MARKS]

Instructions: Read the description and complete the given task below using open
punctuation and fully blocked layout of a formal letter. Your letter should be about 200
words long.

Extreme X Games has just launched their latest product, Spinner the Best. The product
has been selling fast and has become the best seller. Spinner the Best has been promoted
as a toy that helps children who have trouble focusing or fidgeting. The toy does come
with a warning label that it must be used with adult supervision, and it is a choking
hazard for children below 10 years old.

After one year of its launch, the CEO is notified of the first lawsuit by a parent whose
child choked on a part of the spinner which had to be surgically removed. After further
discussion sessions, the board members have decided to pull the product from the market.
As the marketing manager of the company, you are to write a letter to the retailers of this
decision.

Before you compose the letter, reflect on the following points:

 How should you start your letter without directly communicating the bad news
upfront?
 What is your company’s business and what products do you offer?
 What specific product has caused you concern?
 How was the decision process made?
 What was the decision and why?
 What response do you expect from the retailers?
 How do you intend to gain back their confidence?

Compose a letter and include ALL the above information. You may add any other
relevant information.

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