Business Communication (BUS 101) Quiz 1 and 2 Solutions

This document presents the solutions to two quizzes on business communication. The first quiz explores the communication process, including the roles of sender and receiver, encoding and decoding messages, and the interaction model with its elements like channel, context, and noise. It also addresses communication apprehension and the KEYS process, emphasizing its benefits in improving communication skills in various business settings. The second quiz delves into cultural communication, defining culture and co-culture, and contrasting low and high-context cultures. It discusses the cultural background of the author and the adaptations needed to function in a high-context culture, considering nonverbal communication, time, gender, and conflict resolution in the workplace. The document emphasizes the importance of acknowledging cultural diversity for effective communication.

Quiz 1
The communication system is a complex process which is consisted of a diverse number of
elements and play vital roles in the process of communication. Any type of communication
involves the presence of the sender and receiver. Here the sender encode the messages with
different verbal or nonverbal cues consisting the actual meaning of the messages. On the other
hand the receiver decode the messages set by the sender thus the message are successfully
transferred. However, communication is not only the matter of encoding the messages or
decoding them successfully. It needs to be done in a more holistic manner.
I was once communicating with Pat, one of my classmates. He greeted me first which I
responded positively. Then I started to encode my weekend plan to him and sent through verbal
channels which he accepted for short while. After few moments he started to look at the wrist
watch and I understood that he is sending a nonverbal message to show that we are running me
of time. I decoded the message properly and cut off the conversation.
The interaction model of communication consists of five steps like sender and receiver,
messages and feedback, channel, context and noise. Sender and receivers are the persons
involved in communication process. Messages and feedbacks are the content of the conversation
and the response of the either parts of communicating persons. Channel is the method by which
the persons are sending and receiving the messages. The context is the location, occasion, time
and place of communication. Noise can be either external or internal that distracts the
communicators and caret barrier for the perfect understanding of the messages. In the example,
Pat and I are sender and receiver, the greetings and weekend plan are messages and feedback,
one on one meeting was the channel, occasion was the plan that serves as context and time was
noise.

Communication apprehension is the anxiety or fear of the persons relating to the anticipated
communication with the others. I the example I have used the trait communication apprehension.
This type relates to the shy trait where is tend to avoid ignoring situation. This is clear from the
response to the nonverbal communication of watching wrist watch by Pat. I felt extremely shy
and found myself talking out of context and interest of my friend.
This has caused the peer evolution factor where I thought what will be the response of my peer.
This factors kept on concerning me therefore I did not allow Part to tell about time more
explicitly but cut off the conversation as early as possible.
The KEYS process can help me as a student of business a great deal. It can developed my
communication process in the group discussion, meeting communication and public speaking.
This is supportive of developing the interpersonal skills that allow me to think more in depth and
then communicate about a certain matter. Through this process I will be able to overcome
communication apprehension and gain the support of the receivers more effectively.
Quiz 2
Culture is defines as the totality of the learned, shares symbols, values, language and norms that
differentiate one groups from the other. On the other hand co culture is the groups of people who
share the values, customs and norms relating to the mutual characteristics beside the national
citizenship.
If I am a part of a work culture I will be associate myself to be white American. I am born in
American therefore the cultural norms I have adapted is that of Americas. In other words this the
western cultural dominating most of the cities of the US. I do not belong to the black or African
American community but have white cultural background. I have different points of view, values
and norms associated with my community. I have different history living in the same society full
of diversity therefore I can associate myself to be a white American.
US has a high context culture where the messages are explicit and overt. We use simple and clear
process of communication. In this regard, to become a high context culture, US communication
system needs to learn using metaphor and capable of reading between lines. In the high context
culture, people communicate in much indirect way. They maintain harmony by avoiding offenses
by hiding their own feelings. In order to move to a high context culture, I need to develop
capability to accept failure and inner locus. Acceptance of face lose in any situation and adapting
subtle behaviors are essential for moving to the high context culture. We in the US do not bother
about the ambiguous meaning of the words which are the features of the high context culture. I
need to be learning much nonverbal communication which is not the feature of the low context
culture of the US. The inward reactions and reserved expression of reaction are dominate in the
high context culture system. Therefore I need to develop the capability of understanding the
nonverbal communication and avoid misinterpretation of those.

Some important points are the nonverbal communication, time, relationship with the
communicators and inner locus of control.
time is essential for the effective communication because while communicating with the people
from my own culture or for that matter the other culture, process can be more important that the
product. Giving proper time to the proper communication topic eliminates confusion and
boredom among the audience. Gender is an import factor to keep in mind because the choice of
word and touch can change the meaning of messages and respect for the women is an import
factor to acknowledge while communicating. The conflict in the communication is also
important to note that choice or word and misinterpretation of the message can lead to conflict.
In the workplace, accepting the diversity of culture is essential. By acknowledging the difference
in language, values, norms and understanding I can reduce the conflicts among my colleagues. I
will be acknowledging the effort of the others irrespective of their gender, race, ethnicity
physical disability and socio economic background.