BUSI 300 Homework 5 Aplia Persuasive Messages, Reports, and Research Assignment solutions answers

BUSI 300 Homework 5 Aplia Persuasive Messages, Reports, and Research Assignment solutions complete answers 

 

1. Persuasive Requests

Persuasive requests are reasonable, ethical, and logical arguments that overcome anticipated resistance. Persuasive requests include making a persuasive claim, asking a favor, requesting information, and persuading within an organization.

Read the scenario about making a claim, and then complete the sentence.

You ordered a blue tablecloth to go with your dishes. When you opened the box from the Kitchen Company, you discovered that the tablecloth you received is red.

 

To get the company to exchange the tablecloth, you need a   message.

 

Read the scenario about asking for a favor. Keep in mind that using an inductive approach is more likely to gain cooperation than using a deductive approach. After reading the scenario, answer the corresponding question.

You want your boss to let you go home early on Friday. You know that leaving early is against company policy, but you are willing to come in on Saturday morning to finish any work that still needs to be completed.

 

How should you begin your message to your boss?

State the rule about leaving early.

State your need to leave early on Friday.

State your willingness to come in on Saturday.

 

The majority of internal messages are routine in nature; however, there are situations in every organization that require persuasion. The first part of your message should When you are persuading within an organization,   to the receiver will help build interest in your idea.

 

Consider the scenario about persuading within an organization. Remember that even internal persuasion requires the sender to provide motivations and benefits to the receiver. Then, answer the corresponding question.

Your store closes between noon and 1 p.m., so all the salespeople can go to lunch at the same time. You want to increase sales by keeping the store open for customers by sending the workers to lunch in shifts.

Some workers will have lunch from 11 to 12, some from 12 to 1, and some from 12:30 to 1:30. You know your employees have been socializing with each other during the lunch break, so some of them will be unhappy with the change.

 

Which of these benefits might motivate your employees? Check all that apply.

A chance to choose the time slot for their lunch.

A trip to an undisclosed destination.

A gift certificate to the nearest diner for lunch.

The opportunity to quit the job if they don’t like the new schedule.

 

You work for the Charleston China Company in Bakersfield, CA. Your spouse is being transferred to Arlington, VA, and you will be moving. You would like to be transferred to one of Charleston China’s D.C.-area stores so that you can continue to work for the company after the move. You know there will be an opening in D.C. soon, but the company does not often transfer workers at your level.

 

To get the company to transfer you, you need a   request message.

 

You know that your friend Henry is planning to retire soon. He has shared this information with you in confidence; no one else knows of his retirement plans yet. Henry’s office is a good one with a view of a park and mountains. You want to ask your boss if you can move out of your cubicle into Henry’s office when Henry leaves. You aren’t next in the seniority line, but you do have more clients coming in than anyone else in the company.

 

How should you begin the message to your boss persuading him to let you move from a cubicle to an office?

Your clients need more privacy when they meet with you.

When Henry leaves, you want his office.

You want an office, your clients want you to have an office, and you want it now.

 

The majority of internal messages are routine in nature; however, there are situations in every organization that require persuasion. When you are persuading within an organization, you are often trying to motivate others to      .

 

You own a restaurant that is losing about $200 a day in free food given to friends by your workers. You will be installing a security system that monitors the main public areas of the restaurant. You will also begin tracking each order written and sent to the kitchen. You write a memo about this important topic, hoping to persuade employees to change their behavior.

 

Which approach will help you motivate your employees? Check all that apply.

Detail the huge negative effect the current practice has had on the employees’ wages.

Explain the benefits of the new system, including the chance to reward good workers.

Lecture your workers on being thieves.

Assume that the losses are due to two employees who should be fired.

 

You want to return a brass can opener to the company you ordered it from, but when you look at the receipt, you see you are past the 30 days allowed for returns.

 

To get the company to accept the can opener for a refund, you need a       message.

 

You want to buy a large armoire for your office, so you search online at a furniture store where you have been a loyal customer for years. You find a coupon online for 25 percent off. Unfortunately, it expired yesterday. You want the furniture company to honor the coupon even though it is a day late.

 

How should you begin your message to persuade the furniture company?

Asking if the coupon will be good a day late

Explaining what a good customer you have been in the past

Telling the salesperson how desperately you need the armoire

 

The majority of internal messages are routine in nature; however, there are situations in every organization that require persuasion. The first part of your message should      when you are persuading within an organization.

 

A construction boss notices that his employees are not wearing their hard hats while on the building site. According to state regulations, this building site does not require hard hats. Nevertheless, the construction boss knows that head injuries can occur on any job, even though they are infrequent. It’s very important that he motivate his workers to wear the appropriate safety equipment. He plans to compose a message to encourage workers to wear their hard hats.

 

To motivate his employees to wear their safety equipment, which techniques should the boss use? Check all that apply.

Examples that demonstrate how serious head injuries can be.

A routine request to wear headgear, issued every week.

Statistics that show the importance of wearing safety equipment.

Statistics about real people whose lives were saved by wearing hard hats.

 

2. Chapter 8 Review

Persuasive messages convince someone to accept a product, service, or idea. To persuade effectively, the sender of the message must know the audience, anticipate arguments, and reduce resistance. Persuasion doesn’t have to be a hard sell; it can be a way of simply getting someone to say “yes.”

 

You are composing an ethical message in which you aim to persuade customers to buy a product. What should the employee do? Check all that apply.

Know the audience and audience needs.

Cover up product flaws.

Know the product in detail.

 

Read the persuasive letter promoting investment services to Mr. Faraizl, and then answer the corresponding question.

Dear Mr. Faraizl:

Would you like to have more money in your pocket? We can help you make that happen. Recent market fluctuations make adjusting your portfolio to account for current trends more important than ever. Consequently, we are offering a free checkup of your mutual funds mix.

We will review your goals and risk assessment to maximize your returns and reduce any risk. Our company stands apart with our expertise and data on past performance and future prospects for a wide assortment of investment instruments. You can count on our firm to provide you with sound investment information.

When you visit our offices, we will help you create an investment mix that will serve your needs at a level of risk that is comfortable for you and your loved ones. Make an appointment today for a cost-free portfolio checkup.

Sincerely,

Madeline Sentz, Broker

 

The message to Mr. Faraizl is most likely   sales letter.

 

Which of the following sentences uses the most specific language to persuade?

Our writing products are precise and well manufactured.

You will be pleased with our writing products.

Our writing products are excellent.

 

Read the scenario about persuasion, and then answer the corresponding question.

To help earn extra cash while attending college, Blake repairs bikes in his basement. Blake offers the same services that bike shops provide, but he does it at a lower cost to the customer.

Blake will be traveling abroad next semester and wants to earn extra cash before he leaves. To increase his earnings, Blake is preparing an unsolicited sales message to send out.

 

What should Blake say in his unsolicited sales message? Check all that apply.

Blake could start with prices because he knows his service is cheaper than his competitors’ cost.

Blake’s first sentence could name a specific price because that is the main selling point of his letter.

Blake could emphasize the features and benefits of his service before he mentions cost.

 

Read the scenario about persuading within an organization, and then answer the question.

Ella wants to persuade her neighbor, Justin, to participate in a survey for her employer. The survey will take half an hour and ask many personal questions about finances. Justin would get a certificate for a free meal at a neighborhood fast-food restaurant. Unfortunately, Justin is very busy and probably will refuse outright when Ella asks him.

 

How could Ella structure her persuasive request to Justin? Check all that apply.

Ella could remind Justin that he likes the food at the neighborhood fast-food restaurant.

Ella could organize the message inductively, placing the request after the reasons and benefits.

Ella could start by just telling Justin what she wants and hope for the best.

 

 

Which of the following describes persuasion? Check all that apply.

An honest, organized presentation of information designed to encourage action.

The ability to convey relevant, well-researched information.

The ability to influence others to accept your point of view.

 

The primary purpose of the first paragraph is    .

 

Read this opening sentence for a sales message, and then answer the question about persuasive language.

Our Digital-Magic Picture Frame is absolutely the best product on the market!

 

Which would be the best revision for this opening sentence of a sales message?

No revision is needed.

Imagine your loved ones’ faces in our Digital-Magic Picture Frame.

Our Digital-Magic Picture Frame is stellar!

 

Jean is a small business owner. Her company, Gifts-on-the-Go, is looking to place its products in local retail shops. Jean thinks the local college bookstore would be an excellent place to sell her products. She wants to convince the college bookstore to carry her line of gift baskets, so she writes a letter of interest to the bookstore manager giving the details about her gift baskets.

 

How should Jean discuss price in her sales letter? Check all that apply.

Jean could state the price first, so the manager knows what the baskets cost.

Jean could compare her products with more expensive products.

Jean could focus on features and benefits before she mentions price.

 

Elan wants her boss to buy a new refrigerator for the break room. The current refrigerator is an old one; it doesn’t cool evenly, and she worries that employees’ lunches will spoil. Also, the old refrigerator is inefficient, using much more electricity to cool than newer models would.

 

How should Elan structure her message to her boss about the refrigerator? Check all that apply.

Elan could present the benefits of having a refrigerator that doesn’t let food spoil.

Elan could begin by stating the benefits of having an energy-efficient refrigerator.

Elan could organize the message deductively and place her request first.

 

What can you do to prepare before writing a persuasive sales letter? Check all that apply.

Become very familiar with the product, service, or idea.

Identify the action the writer wants the receiver to take.

Know what would appeal to the receiver.

 

The central selling point present throughout the letter is    .

 

Read the sentence, and then answer the question about persuasive language.

Our new Anti-Germ Hand Sanitizer is great.

 

What advice would you give the writer of this sentence as she revises her persuasive message?

Avoid capitalizing more than three words in a sentence.

Use spell-check: Sanitizer is spelled wrong.

Use concrete and specific language.

 

Josh runs a house-painting service every summer. He hires his classmates to work June through August painting houses. To line up business for the upcoming summer season, Josh is writing an unsolicited sales letter to potential customers.

 

How should Josh talk about price in his sales letter? Check all that apply.

Josh could emphasize that he and his workers are students and that they work for lower wages.

In the first sentence of the letter, Josh could compare the total price for painting the receiver’s house to three other house painters’ prices.

Josh could state the price in terms of cost per room rather than cost for the whole house.

 

Chelsea wants her employees to begin using a new computer program to do the reports they submit. The new program will make it much easier to locate information because contents are indexed and tagged. However, the program itself is complicated and will require some effort on the part of the workers.

 

How should Chelsea structure her message to her employees about adopting the new computer program? Check all that apply.

Chelsea could organize the message inductively.

Chelsea could tell the employees what she wants in the first sentence.

Chelsea could start with the benefits of having accessible information.

 

3. Basis for reports: The problem-solving process

Businesses use reports to help solve problems. Some problems are unique and call for information on a one-time basis. Other problems require a steady flow of information because they are recurring. Understanding the problem-solving process will help you prepare better reports and better solutions.

 

The problem to be solved in a report must be carefully defined. Before writing an analytical report, you must have a very clear    to help you solve the problem.

 

Read the scenario about developing a hypothesis, and then answer the question.

The Bernini Brothers Foundation runs a home for retired circus performers. They have always relied on donations from circus personnel, but now they want to start a public fundraising campaign in Miami. The money will be used to build a new wing at the foundation’s home community. They hire your consulting firm to evaluate the fundraising opportunities in Miami.

 

Which of the following statements is the hypothesis to be proved or disproved for this study?

Miami residents are generous contributors to homeless shelters.

The population in the greater Miami area will contribute to the foundation’s cause.

Senior citizens will take jobs with the circus to qualify to live in the home.

 

Read the scenario about limiting the scope of the problem, and then answer the question.

Your boss, Mr. Findlay, wants to know whether the expense of maintaining the corporate fitness center is a wise investment of company resources. He asks you to provide recommendations on whether the fitness center should remain open next year.

 

How should you limit the scope of the problem you are trying to solve? Check all that apply.

Focus on the opinions of executives.

Review fitness centers nationwide.

Interview former employees for honest opinions.

Compare costs and expenses with benefits to current employees.

 

Words often have more than one meaning. Defining terms clearly will increase the accuracy of your report and your readers’ comprehension. Which of the following terms is the clearest and most likely to be understood by the reader of a report?

Survey responses

Employee survey responses

Responses

 

A major shortcoming that often occurs in research planning is the failure to establish or to recognize desirable limits.

 

The    of the report helps to establish boundaries in which the report will be researched as prepared.

 

Reports can be used to solve various problems. Before you write a report, you need to define the problem and     .

 

The Shoester Company wants to build a specialty store in Phoenix, Arizona. They hire your consulting firm to determine whether there is demand for their new line of yoga shoes in the Phoenix area.

 

Consumers in Phoenix, Arizona, will not travel more than 15 miles to get to a yoga shoe store.

Phoenix, Arizona, is a viable market for a specialty yoga shoe store.

Consumers buy yoga shoes every year or so because they wear out.

 

Ms. Wallender, your boss, wants to hire a new information technology (IT) worker to redesign the company website. She asks you to prepare a report on IT salaries, so she will know what wages to offer the new IT employee.

 

Look at IT salaries in your local area.

Avoid defining salary because it is a hot-button issue.

Review the salaries of similar jobs at competing companies.

Conduct a review of IT salaries nationwide.

 

When determining the scope of research, asking    will help the researcher zero in on the problem.

 

Reports can be used to solve various problems. Research used in a report can be used to prove or disprove a    .

 

The Castle Candle Company is doing well. They are considering a remodel of their factory to produce a new line of candles. They have asked your consulting firm to evaluate whether the remodel would pay off.

 

The remodel of the factory will require firing 23 workers.

Remodeling the factory to produce soy candles will be profitable.

The factory will be changed significantly to produce a different product.

 

Your boss, the owner of a toy store, loves Japanese puzzles. He asks you to create a report to recommend a new line of Japanese Hanjie (puzzles) that he could import and sell at the store. Some of the last Japanese puzzles he ordered did not sell well, and he does not want to make this mistake again.

 

Review all Japanese toy imports.

Review all online toy retailers.

Consider puzzle-purchasing trends locally and nationwide.

Review Japanese puzzles that sold well in your store.

 

Boundaries imposed outside the control of the researchers are called    .

 

4. Chapter 9 Review

Preparing effective reports requires you to understand report classifications and the problem-solving process, to collect valid and reliable secondary or primary data, and to sort and analyze the data appropriately. These problems review the report-writing process.

Read the scenario, and then answer the question.

Amelia works for a toxic-waste removal and mitigation service company. She receives a request for proposals to clean up toxic waste left by a company in the Nevada desert in the 1950s.

 

What does Amelia need to do before she can begin writing the proposal? Check all that apply.

Amelia needs a good problem statement.

Amelia needs to do research to determine an appropriate cleanup method.

Amelia needs to use an old proposal submitted for an oil-spill cleanup.

 

Internet resources may be    .

 

Which of the following statements best defines a pilot study?

A pilot study would involve a small group of random individuals.

A pilot study is a study with a small, representative group used to correct problems in a questionnaire.

A pilot study is a review of secondary research prior to conducting primary research.

 

Read the scenario about gathering data, and then answer the question.

Jessica works at a local jewelry store. The store was considering expansion, so Jessica’s boss asked her to research expansion opportunities in a neighboring town.

Even before beginning to research, Jessica thought the expansion was unlikely to succeed. While researching, Jessica found out that one of the neighboring town’s jewelers just retired at age 42. This led Jessica to believe that the jewelry market in that town must have been in trouble. She reported this information to her boss.

When her boss did some further research, he found that the recently retired jeweler had won the lottery and decided to quit working, even though the jewelry business was booming.

 

Which of the following are errors that Jessica made? Check all that apply.

Jessica tried to make results conform to her prediction.

Jessica assumed a cause–effect relationship where none existed.

Jessica based a conclusion on a lack of evidence.

 

Jim and Lark are interns at a market research firm. They are drafting a questionnaire to collect consumer opinions for one of the firm’s clients. Lark has made a successful questionnaire in the past, and Jim asks her for advice.

 

What advice should Lark give to Jim? Check all that apply.

Avoid questions that are awkward or overly personal.

Avoid long items, and ask easy-to-answer questions.

Design survey questions that are easy to tabulate.

 

To add credibility to a report, you should include     .

 

Which of the following statements best defines ethical citations?

Citations refer to outstanding sections in a report.

Citations list authors of borrowed material.

Citations are optional sources.

 

Karissa is researching her first report and is overwhelmed with the amount of information she has gathered. She wants to do well, so she asks her coworker Jorge how he summarizes his research so that it can all fit in a written report.

 

What advice should Jorge give Karissa for condensing research for use in her report? Check all that apply.

Combine information in charts, tables, graphs, and summaries.

Include longer quotations to impress the reader.

Analyze the data to choose only the most relevant information to include.

 

Zach handles the Petterson account for his firm. Dana Owens, his boss, wants him to update her on the current state of this account.

 

What should Zach do? Check all that apply.

Prepare a vertical, informational report.

Logically organize his report, so his boss can easily access the information.

Be as subjective as possible in his report.

 

The null hypothesis is a claim when    .

 

Which of the following statements best defines primary research?

Primary research is based on data drawn from other studies.

Primary research is based on firsthand data, such as observations or surveys.

Primary research is the only way to find out population and market size.

 

Josh was writing a report for his fast-food restaurant’s franchise company when he saw Bradley, a friend of his from high school. Bradley had recently been fired by a competing franchise. Bradley told Josh that the other restaurant’s kitchen was always filthy.

Josh decided to include this information in his report, even though he didn’t have confirmation from another source. Later, Josh learned that the other restaurant recently won a cleanliness award from the county’s health inspector.

 

Which of the following are data-gathering errors that Josh made? Check all that apply.

Josh gathered too much information and then used it all.

Josh gathered his information unethically.

Josh took information from a biased source, Bradley, who had just been fired.