Take home Final Examination
Subject Title: Professional Communication Practice
Total Number of Questions: 2 Sections
Total Marks: 100 Marks
1. Answers should be properly referenced.
Section A - Write two letters based on the scenarios below worth 15 marks each - 10 marks for structure and 5 marks for language. (Total 30 Marks)
Scenario 1
You have received a letter from the local Youth Orchestra asking your organisation for a donation to buy new instruments. As you have just employed two new staff and bought new equipment, you expect costs to be higher than returns for the next two months and feel unable to help until this time next year.
Write a letter of refusal which is courteous and will maintain the goodwill of those associated with the Youth Orchestra. Use the writing strategy for bad news letters.
Scenario 2
You are a manager of a ski resort. The resort welcomes many tourists during the ski season but has a high vacancy and low profits during the rest of the year. You know that the resort and the entire area have a great potential to attract tourists in a low season as well. The resort is located in beautiful hills within a few kilometers from the alternative community known for its organic produce and cultural events.
Write a letter which can be used in a direct mail campaign to persuade people to visit the resort in a low season.
Section B – Case study. Answer the case study questions. (Total of 70 marks)
You are the new communications officer hired by a well-known accounting firm… You are the new communications officer hired by a well-known accounting firm. The firm was established in 1885 and has a very good name in the field, but recently it has started
to lose its reputation for providing excellent service. The firm has 5000 employees and
operates across several managerial levels.
Your job description is to improve communication within the company as well as improve the company’s communication with its stakeholders. During your first two weeks in the position you notice that lower-ranking staff members are often kept in the dark about the organisation’s new goals and that there is very little communication between management and the rest of staff. This creates a situation in which staff members often give conflicting answers to prospective and existing clients. Lower-ranking staff members who try to make middle managers aware of this situation either do not receive any response or are penalised in some way. Memos from top management seldom remain in their original state by the time they reach even the middle managers. As a result, many staff members are demoralised
and are constantly gossiping, creating more unrest and an unproductive work atmosphere.
Questions:
1. Analyse the current situation with respect to the firm’s organisational communication.
For example: What type of organisation is the firm, in terms of its organisational
structure? And what communication issues (name them using professional communication studies terminology) does the firm face? Use at least three academic sources as references for both in-text referencing and your reference list when answering this question. Your response should be around 300 words in length. (20 marks)
2. What plan (again, use professional communication studies terminology when responding) would you prepare in order to solve the firm’s communication problems? The best way to approach this task is to divide your plan in two: one for internal and one for external communication, then elaborate on the exact communication tools you would
use to address any issues. Your response for question 2 should be in total 600 words in length and about 300 words for external communication plan and 300 words for the internal communication plan. You should also use at least three academic references for both in-text referencing and your reference list when answering this question. (25 marks for the external communication plan and 25 marks for the internal communication. (Total 50 marks)
THIS IS THE END OF THE FINAL EXAM