UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2014/2015
ORDINARY EXAMINATION FOR THE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
BIT 1104A BUSINESS COMMUNICATION SKILLS
DATE: APRIL, 2015 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question ONE and any other TWO
QUESTION ONE
a) You’re an office worker at a large paper products company that has just installed an
upgraded computer system. Many employees are having difficulty with the new
software. The manufacturer’s representatives will be on site all next week to provide
training. Since you are studying computer technology, you’ve been asked to serve as
liaison. You must inform your colleagues about the training, which will be delivered
in Conference Room 3 from Monday through Thursday in these sessions (9.00am to
12.00pm and 1.00 to 4.00pm.). Workers unable to attend must sign up for one of two
make-up sessions that will be held on Friday. You must ensure that everyone
understands all these requirements. Write a memo. (10 Marks)
b) Draw the organizational chart of the institution where you study or the company
where you work, and explain how communication flows. (10 Marks)
c) Why are organizations today placing a greater emphasis on horizontal
communications? (5 Marks)
d) Explain how one can improve their reading. (5 Marks)
QUESTION TWO
a) What communication barriers could distort the communication between you and
your lecturer? What are some approaches you could use to overcome these
communication barriers? (10 Marks)
b) Research shows that in a job interview, the interviewer is likely to be strongly
influenced by first impressions of the interviewee. In many cases a decision is
made within the first minute of the interview. Assuming that you want to make a
positive impression in a job interview, how would you communicate nonverbally
to create a favorable impression? (10 Marks)
QUESTION THREE
a) As a team leader, suppose one of the students on your team has poor listening skills
and continuously interrupts others who are speaking, becoming a source of frustration
for the team members. How would you improve this situation? (5 Marks)
b) Name five different types of listening. (5 Marks)
c) Describe the listening process and state the most critical stage of the process.
(10 Marks)
QUESTION FOUR
a) Explain the stages in forming groups. (5 Marks)
b) Identify four strategies that may be used to resolve group conflict effectively.
(8 Marks)
c) Describe the features of a good meeting. (7 Marks)
QUESTION FIVE
a) A consumer product that you especially like is suddenly no longer available in
retail stores in your area. Write to the manufacturer an inquiry letter requesting
information about the product and how to place an order. (10 Marks)
b) Describe the principles for effective persuasion. (10 Marks)
