B.B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) Sem 3 Business Communications 2014 Jun Question Paper with Solutions

For full marks, cover: what written communication is and why business uses it for so many purposes; its channels arranged by the purpose each serves: to instruct (office orders, instructions, manuals), to inform (circulars, notices, bulletins, house journals), to record (minutes, registers, files, agreements), to report (reports, returns, statements), to request and propose (letters, applications, memos, proposals), to transact (enquiries, quotations, orders, invoices, receipts), to persuade and promote (sales letters, brochures, advertisements, press releases) and to communicate quickly in writing (e-mail, messages, the intranet); how a channel is chosen; how one matter may pass through several channels; a table; and a conclusion.

• Notices: short announcements displayed on notice boards.
• Bulletins and newsletters: regular sheets carrying news of the organisation.
• House journals: magazines for employees, with news, achievements and messages from the management.

3. To record

• Minutes: the official record of meetings and decisions.
• Registers and files: records of attendance, stock, correspondence and transactions.
• Agreements and contracts: written terms that bind the parties.

4. To report

• Reports: routine reports on output, sales and progress, and special reports on particular matters.
• Returns and statements: figures sent at fixed intervals to head office, banks or government departments.

5. To request and propose

• Letters: to customers, suppliers, banks and authorities.

Choosing a channel

The writer chooses a channel by asking what the message must do and who must receive it. A message that must be obeyed goes as an office order. One that must be kept goes into minutes or a file, and one that must reach everyone goes as a circular or notice. One that must persuade goes as a sales letter or a press release. Choosing the wrong channel, such as a casual message for a binding agreement, weakens even a well-written text.

One matter, many channels

When a company opens a new branch, a memo proposes it and a report studies its feasibility. The Board's decision is recorded in the minutes, and an office order posts staff there. A circular tells all branches, letters and orders buy the furniture, and invoices follow. A press release and advertisements announce the opening, and e-mail carries much of the day-to-day work. One purpose of the business is served by many written channels, each doing its own job.

At a glance

Conclusion. Written communication is used for many purposes, and each purpose has its own channels. Business instructs through orders and manuals and informs through circulars, notices and journals. It records in minutes and files and reports through reports and returns. It requests through letters and applications, transacts through quotations, orders and invoices, and promotes through sales letters, advertisements and press releases. E-mail and the intranet carry much of this work quickly. Choosing the right channel for each purpose is the first step in effective written communication.