PART I: Short Response Questions

Directions: Please answer each of the following questions and provide examples from the text, if applicable.  Each response should be at least two paragraphs in length composed of five to seven sentences and be written in complete sentences.

1.      If you are an acknowledged expert in your field, do you really need to care about communication skills?  Why or why not?

2.      How does the presence of a reader comments feature on a corporate blog reflect audience-centered communication?

3.      How are social networks, wikis, and other Web 2.0 technologies changing the practice of business communication?

4.      Is it possible for companies to be too dependent on communication technology?  Explain.

5.      Because of your excellent communication skills, your boss always asks you to write his reports for him.  When you overhear the CEO complimenting him on his logical organization and clear writing style, your boss responds as if he’d written all those reports himself.  What kind of ethical choice does your boss’s response represent?  What can you do in this situation?  Explain your solution and your reasoning.

6.      Explain the increasing dependence on knowledge workers in business and provide at least two examples that illustrate the value of information in today's economy.

7.      Describe five characteristics of effective business messages.

8.      Describe four common types of communication barriers.

9.      How can the overuse or misuse of communication technology become a barrier to effective communication?

10.    Briefly explain the difference between an ethical dilemma and an ethical lapse.

PART II: Journal

Write a two page APA formatted paper in which you review the primary material that you learned this week, describe at least two ways that you can apply the material, and cite the original reference(s) using APA format.