MBA Career by MBA Books for MBA Education

Memo and Language of a Memo from MB0023 of SMU MBA Business Communication

2012-01-29T03:16:00.000-08:00

The term ‘memo’ comes from the Latin word ‘memorandum’ which means “a thing which must be remembered”. The plural form is memoranda. The document that you use to communicate within the organization is called as memorandum. It has to stay within the organization. So, it is also called ‘inter office memorandum.’ When you need to convey information and decisions or to make short requests with the members of your department, upper management, employees at another branch in another city, etc., the best way to do is to write a memo. The exception to this is if you are preparing a document for a reader several levels above you or for a formal situation. One colleague can write a memo to another; except for memos which concern disciplinary action. Only officers authorized to issue them can issue memos concerning disciplinary action.

Language of Memo:

Before you learn the format of the memo, it is very important that you learn the correct language that you should use in a memo to achieve its purpose.

Concise: A memo is always short. It is apt for a memo to be two pages; after which a memo starts to turn into a report. Keep the paragraphs short; limit each paragraph to five lines or less.

Personal: Use words like I, you, and we. It’s a lot more human to say, “I would like you to do this.” Use active voice to get the action done.

Simple language: Let your language be lucid, and easy to understand. You should not make emotional statements in a memo. Plain and direct statements of facts are made to achieve all that is required.

Avoid confusing words: While writing a memo, try to use the right words at the right place. Whe you have to use simple root words, don’t complicate them by using fancy suffixes like ‘tion’, ‘ance’, ‘ent’, ‘ment’, ‘ize’, and ‘ility.’

The chapter of Memo and language of Memo has been taken from Business Communication book of SMU MBA in the sequel of how to participate in meetings.

How to Participate in Meetings from Business Communication of SMU MBA

2011-12-26T19:42:00.000-08:00

It is very important that one attend meetings. There is a mixed feeling about attending meetings among people. Some members are happy to just attend the team meetings. It is as though they are physically present in the meetings without contributing anything constructive.

Meetings are only way of passing time for them. Others feel as though their opinions aren’t valued. They have a lot to contribute but go unnoticed. There are still others who just can’t get a word in. Unequal participation reduces the outcomes of the meeting and can be frustrating for all the participants.

Any meeting to be successful needs careful attention of honing of communication skills. The success or failure of a meeting can be attributed to the way it is conducted as well as the way how people have participated in its proceedings.

If people make the effort to attend a meeting, it is in everyone’s interest to have thoughtful contributions from all. For the success of a meeting, the participants should follow certain regimen. They are –

Arrive on time
Be prepared to discuss the agenda items
Keep their contributions relevant to the subject under discussion
Present their ideas clearly
Listen carefully and with an open mind to points raised by others encourage good ideas from others
Keep their interests in check

Some participants are responsible for the failure of the meetings. The outcome of the meetings is reduced because of their typical character. They could be compulsive talkers, never contribute, digress or carry on private conversations while the others are busy discussing important issues.

The chapter of participating in meetings has been taken from Business Communication book of SMU MBA. Meetings decide the future of any projects. So, to make it effective there should be a deep understanding about the participating in meetings. You need to understand above mentioned topic to make yourself best. It is the sequel of How to Prepare Minutes chapter.

How to Prepare Minutes from Business Communication Book of SMU MBA

2011-11-24T05:13:00.000-08:00

Practice note taking exercises well to master the skill. When writing minutes, keep the following key points in mind:

They are key points only
They are a summary except motions, which are verbatim
They must be entirely accurate – what was said, not how you interpreted what was said or what you would have preferred was said. Your point of view should not be given here, whether you agree/do not with the speaker’s statement.
Keep a record of every motion and vote; who said what and who moved and passed motions
Use simple, short words and use simple sentence construction
Use consistent grammar and use past tense eg. It was concluded, the matter was
If something is important and you are unsure what was said or who said it, don’t hesitate to ask for clarification

As soon as the meeting has concluded, begin to work on the minutes. The notes taken during the meeting act as a memory prompt and will be more reliable if the meeting is fresh in the secretary / minute taker’s mind.

The minutes that are taken down during the meeting must be transcribed into the style that was previously followed. It is best to keep the minutes in the same style as they were recorded in the previous meetings. There are three basic styles of minutes:

Report – this is a full record of all discussions that includes the names of all speakers, movers and seconders of any motions, written in a narrative style.
Minutes of Narration – these include some of the discussions that took place and important details. This style of minutes is considered a legal document.
Minutes of Resolution – these are limited to the recording of the actual words of all resolutions that were passed. Movers and seconders are not recorded. Each resolution that is made commences with the phase, ‘resolved that’.

The chapter has been taken from Business Communication book of SMU MBA in the sequence of Styles of Meetings, Agenda of Meeting and Minutes of Meeting.

Minutes of Meeting for SMU MBA from Business Communication Book

2011-10-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

The minutes of meeting are the official record of the key points of a meeting. They are recorded instantly at the moment of hearing the discussions.

The minute taker of the team takes responsibility for the writing up for the minutes. The minutes may be first taken down and then typed. The copies of the minutes should be sent/given to all participants of the meeting. Alternatively, the proceedings of the meeting may be audio-recorded, later typed, and then issued to the participants.

Generally, minutes begin with the organization name, place, date, list of people present, and the time that the meeting was called to order. Minutes then recorded what actually happens at a meeting, in the order that it actually happens, regardless of whether the meeting follows any written agenda.

Since the primary function of minutes is to record the decisions make, any and all official decisions must be included. If a formal motion is made, seconded, passed, or not, then this action and the vote tally must be included. If a decision is made by calling votes, then all of the individual votes must be recorded by name. If it is made by unanimous agreement, without a formal vote, then this fact is recorded.

Minutes in business and other private organizations are normally submitted by and over the name of an officer of the organization at a subsequent meeting for review. The traditional closing phrase is “Respectfully submitted,” name, and his or her title.

The minutes are approved only if the participants of the meeting agree that the written minutes reflect what happened at the meeting. Their approval is recorded in the minutes of the current meeting. If there are errors or omissions, then the minutes will be re-drafted and submitted again at a later date. If there are minor changes, then they may be made immediately, and the amended minutes may be approved “as amended” in the current meeting. Minutes of meeting is the next chapter of agenda of meeting.

Agenda of Meeting from SMU MBA of Business Communication

2011-10-20T20:23:00.001-07:00

The word ‘agenda’ is derived from Latin, meaning the actions to be taken. Note that it was a plural word. Originally the singular term was ‘agendum’. In modern days however, we accept ‘agenda’ to refer to the list as a whole and the plural is ‘agendas’. Every meeting should have an Agenda. It was a document, which provides an advance outline of the business of the meeting, thereby allowing participants to prepare themselves. In other words, agenda refers to a list of points that needs to be discussed at a meeting.

In business meetings of deliberative bodies, the agenda may also be known as the ‘orders of the day.’ The agenda is usually distributed to the participants of a meeting prior to the meeting, so that they will be aware of the subjects to be discussed, and are able to prepare for the meeting accordingly.

An agenda helps the chairperson to structure the meeting and the secretary/minute taker to keep track of what is being discussed. It needs to include the most important items and be sent out in advance. This allows the participants to research agenda items before the meeting. An agenda can be a list of items to be discussed at the meeting or may include more information advising the members on action related to the topics.

Planning and designing an agenda before a meeting is very important. It should give as much information as possible in advance. It should list not only the topics to be discussed during the meeting, but also the proposed goals of the meeting.

Circulate the agenda to the members, who have to attend the meeting; and supply any relevant background information before the meeting but keep it brief. Consider the approach you will take as a meeting leader, any opening remarks you will make and how will introduce each topic on the agenda.

Agenda of meeting is the sequel chapter of a note on types of communication and styles of meetings from business communication book of SMU MBA.

Styles of Meetings from Business Communication Book of SMU MBA

2011-09-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

In any organization, meeting is an important vehicle for human communication. In a meeting, two or more people come together for the purpose of discussing a predetermined topic, often in a formalized setting.

Styles of Meetings:

Formal Meetings:

These are the meetings that are governed by a set of rules or standing orders, which are agreed earlier. These rules determine how the meetings should be conducted. If you have to participate in a formal meeting, you should find out about the set of rules and procedures that you have to follow and act in accordance. These rules which are formulated many vary from one organization to another.

Semi Formal Meetings:

Not all meetings require a formal setting. Nevertheless, even semiformal meeting benefits from well chosen surroundings and a basic structure or protocol. Small semiformal meetings are ideal for problem solving, brainstorming, discussion of local issues giving feedback and appraisal workshops. They include mealtime meetings, such as breakfast, lunch or dinner meetings.

Informal Meetings:

Informal meetings are the meetings which mark the immediacy of the problem. These types of meetings are useful for resolving issues or problems quickly and easily. Informal meetings can take a range of difficult forms.

Thanks to the new media technology, a virtual meeting can go on either in real time for an agreed time period as a digital version of a face meeting. It can also go on over several days or weeks where people can join in at any time to chat to each other about agreed topics. It also allows them to leave messages on a bulletin board and gather opinion from across a range of participants. However, the limitations of this type of meeting are that it depends on restrictions of access.

The chapter has been taken from Organizational Communication of SMU MBA book after a note on types of communication.

A Note on Types of Communication from Business Communication Book of SMU MBA

2011-09-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

Organizations can’t operate without communication. Communication can take various forms; but all forms involve the transfer of information one party to the other. In order for the transfer of information to quality as communication, the recipient must understand the meaning of the information transferred to him. If the recipient does not understand the meaning of the information conveyed to him, communication has not taken place.

Types of Communication:

Internal/Organizational Communication: The communication that takes place between the members of an organization – within themselves, is internal communication. It takes place across the organization. In addition to the usual face-to-face, telephone, fax or mail, modern organizations may use technology to communicate internally.

External Communication: External communication is communication between the organization and those outside the organization. Modern organizations may design technological systems so that they can communicate with customers and undertake e-Commerce. Alternatively, they communicate with other business through the internet or similar systems and undertake e-Business. The communication is carried out through letters, fax, direct mail, internet, video telephone, advertising and websites.

Formal Communication: Formal communication is defined as communication, which occurs through the official channels. It is undertaken by an employee to do his job. Official meetings, letters, circular, memos and a manager asking an employee to carry out a particular task, are considered as formal communication.

Informal Communication: Informal communication is that which occurs outside the recognized communication networks such as talking in the canteens or hallways between employees. Informal communication can be productive or negative. Since the employees are in the relaxed atmosphere, the informal communication has the potential to build teams, improve working relationships and generate innovative ideas. Too much of informal communication in the work space may also prove negative. It may lead to negligence of work or disobedience. The chapter is in the continuation of style of writing.

The Top MBA Books Everyone Should Read

2011-08-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

Those looking towards getting their MBA either by going to regular classes or doing their MBA online will need to get the latest skills on how the new economy is working. Since not all MBA's are the same, it is a matter of skills and insight acquired that will dictate whether they will get the best jobs out there.

There is only one way to get the knowledge needed to compete at a global level and that is by reading the most concise books out there that cover the most current material.

The following are just a few of the best MBA books to read:

Capitalism and Freedom- was penned down by Nobel Prize winning Laureate Milton Friedman. This document which was released in 1962 attested to the fact that the greater freedoms a person had the stronger the economy was . In essence the more government interfered with the way people conduct business with one another the more harm it did for the market. While people do try to protect others with the best of intentions the free market is the best protection for both seller and buyer.

The Competitive Advantage Of Nations- This book highlights how various nations have inherent advantages over others. Since we live in a global economy, the economic advantages and disadvantages become very apparent. Also, this is where some governments try to enact protection measures by charging fees on imported goods in the hope of giving the local firms an advantage over foreign suppliers.

Made In America- Is the story of Sam Walton who built the largest retail empire in the world. We all know his business as Walmart ® Which now has become a multinational force that shows no signs of slowing down. Walton understood the need for consumers to have a place to go and find all the products they needed at the lowest prices possible. He started off with the five and ten stores and grew a global brand from humble beginnings.

The reason all prospective MBA graduates must read these and other books is to take the lessons from the past that were learned the hard way and apply them to real world solutions. By taking action and reading these books a person will be able to be more informed and better equipped to compete for the top jobs in the market.

Style of Writing from Business Communication Book of SMU MBA

2011-08-07T23:55:00.000-07:00

There are some important instructions about style of writing from Business Communication Book of SMU MBA. We already have shared some other topics also from the book like writing of press release and writing of resume.

Style of Writing:

Take much care of what you say and how you say it.

Avoid shortcuts or pop-conventions of e-mail culture like lower case letter at the beginning of a sentence: ‘i’ instead of I, ‘ur’ instead of your, etc. will make a poor impression.

If you know the person to whom you are writing you may begin with his/her name followed by a colon.

If you don’t know the person or are in very formal terms, start with the conventional format that is discussed earlier. Close with the corresponding closing.

The content should be structured in the same way as you would, in a formal letter.

Confidentiality: Keep your formal mails confidential by avoiding any message that you would not want others to read.

Permanence: Since the networks are not fail-safe, don’t consider the files that you have sent or received as ‘safe.’ Print out hard copies of anything that is very important.

Commercial Sensitivity: Don’t send commercially sensitive material by e-mail.

Contractual Material: Avoid sending contractual material by e-mail. Even if you have to send it, follow it up with hard copies.

Attachments: While sending and receiving, scan for virus. If files are large, zip them.

Unnecessary Messages: Don’t send unnecessary messages, while forwarding to large groups. It can cause irritation to the receiver, who is not concerned with your massage.

Content of Auto Signature:

Your auto-signature should contain your name, address of your institution, telephone/fax numbers. You can also include the URL of a personal website.

You need to follow these instructions as style of writing while writing a letter, message or email. This must be followed for the better impact.

About the Writing of Fax and Telegram from Business Communication Book of SMU MBA

2011-07-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

Now we shall focus our attention on writing smaller messages. These depend on the technical instruments that are used while sending the message. Hence concentration should be on writing short messages. Avoid all words and phrases that do not add significantly to the message that you want to send. Brief reference to the context should be provided to make your message complete.

So you may skip writing salutation, complimentary close, etc. But don’t forget to include your name at the bottom. Fax and e-mail used to send formal business letters.

While composing a telegraphic message (telegram), only key words and phrases are used. Function words such as articles and prepositions should not be included. If essential, they may be used to a minimum.

Fax: You should take much care while writing faxes.

Use fax template for cover document. This will have the layout of recipient’s name, institution, fax no. etc.

In formal faxing,

Do not hand-write

Use the formal conventions for starting and finishing as explained in formal letter writing

The content should be structured as you would structure a formal letter

Fax:

Fax from: Oberoi Shereton Towers

22 Alma Street

Sampangi Park 575222

Fax: 650 325 8723

Fax to: Sanjay Memon, Manasvi Inc.

Fax no: 235 266 3122

Date: 17 July, 2011

Subject: Remittance of draft for registration of classes

No. of pages including this one: 1

From: Ashis Jain, Registration Manager

Refer to our telephonic conversation on 15 December. The bank draft for Rupees Seventeen thousand has not yet been received. Please send by return post or by courier.

Ashish Jain

Telegram:

Training Manager

Cool Lounge Restaurant

10, Janpath

New Delhi – 110001

Sixty five copies of Registration form Books sent today by courier.

Buvan Patel
Manager

Logistics

Not to be telegraphed:

Bhuvan Patel, Manager Logistics

Accord Company Pvt. Ltd.

24, Akashganga Marg

Kolkatta – 432001

The chapter has been taken from Business Communication book of SMU MBA. We already have discussed about writing of press release and writing of resume. Now, you have a chance to learn how to write fax and telegram in this chapter.

A Theory on the Writing of Press Release from Business Communication Book

2011-05-23T00:13:00.000-07:00

A press release is pseudo-news story, written in third person that seeks to demonstrate to an editor or reporter the newsworthiness a particular person, event, service or product.

It is an effective form of publicity for any organization. It can be used to announce events, developments, meetings, appointments, promotions and the like. It should be prepared meticulously and concisely with the exact information you wish the public to receive. It must be interesting, newsworthy, and timely. Accuracy and completeness are essential, or it probably will not be used. Releases should be written like the best of all possible “stories” coming out of your event. You want reporters to use the information it contains to write stories of their own.

Another form of writing effectively publicity material is written a media advisory. It is written to announce an event, which you want the media to attend. A press advisory is designed to bring an event to the media’s attention and entice journalists to attend. It should be written in a simple form, including all pertinent information – the what/topic, where, when, and who speakers for the event. It should not be more than one page. You should clearly written what the journalists can expect to take place. A contact name and number for questions should be written at the top. These advisors are printed on the sponsoring group’s letter head.

The Press Releases should be sent to:

Beat reporters who cover your issue, e.g. environment, education, etc.

Assignment editors at television or radio stations

Radio and TV producers or bookers who schedule for shows that may cover your matter

The chapter has been taken from MB0023 Business Communication book of SMU MBA. We already have shared a note on the writing of resume in this series.

A Note on the Writing of a Resume from Business Communication Book of SMU MBA

2011-05-06T05:08:00.001-07:00

When you apply for a job, you should always remember that your application is not the only one which is seen; but your aim is to see that you write a resume that makes you really stand out as a superior candidate for a job you are seeking. So, even if you face fierce competition, with a well written resume, you should be invited to interview more often than many people more qualified than you. Such a resume needs conceptualization of your accomplishments and experiences all into one document. Your focus should be on the requirements of the employer. Therefore, your resume should contain:

Your aims, goals, work experience, achievements, qualifications

Your projects or researches if done

Your skill sets

Your objectives

References

Your experience in the previous company

Your strengths and weaknesses depending on what is the requirement of the job. Be careful while writing the weaknesses; they should appear as if the long run they are, after all, your strengths!

Your detailed contact information where the employer can reach you

Any other information that you fee can be relevant for you to portray yourself to get the job based on your experience and qualification.

All these matters that are the requirements of the vacancy you are applying to should be written in a precise and concise manner. Remember that no employer has enough time to go through extensive and detailed resumes. So your resume should be easy to read and should impress the employer at the first glance.

A note on the writing of resume topic has been taken from the chapter of Writing Skills. The chapter is the most important in Business Communication book of SMU MBA. It is introduced in the sequence of how to write a job application.

How to Write Job Application from Business Communication of SMU MBA

2011-04-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

Advancement in the career front is the most desired aspect of an individual’s life. Writing a job application is the first step towards such goal. A job application is nothing but a medium to sell your services. So it should show all qualities that are required by the buying agent i.e. the employer.

Normally a job application contains two parts: a converting letter and a Resume. It is also known as Bio-data or Curriculum Vitae. We will learn in detail the method of drafting in the covering letter and a Resume.

i) Covering Letter: This is the first paper that is read by a Personnel Manager which suggests to him whether you are fit or not for the requirements of his company. The covering letter will have the following elements.
a) The position you are applying for. You have to give the reference of the post that you have applied for. It is important to indicate where you came across the advertisement of the job vacancy. Your opening paragraph should be very effective to attract the employer’s interest in you.
b) Your interest in the job. You should indicate your keenness to get the job.
c) Your suitability for the job. Here you can give a brief about your experience and skills that make you fit for the job. Your most impressive details from the Resume may be included here.
d) A statement of your availability for interview.
e) Make sure you use good English and do the proof reading before you send the letter with the resume.

Structure of the Letter:

1) Address of the applicant and date: This is written on the top of the letter flush with the right margin. It may also be written on the left margin. The address is written first and after two line spaces the date is written. However, some may start with the date and then after two line spaces the address is written.
2) Salutation: Even if you know the name of the person whom you are addressing to, it is better to keep the salutation as ‘Dear Sir’ or Dear Sirs.’ If you know that you are writing to a lady, make it ‘Dear Madam’. This is typed two line spaces after the last line of the address written above.
3) Subject: It is better to write the subject which contains the vacancy you are applying for. This is written immediately below the salutation. Make it bold if you are printing it, or you should underline it in the case of written application.
4) Body: we have already discussed how to write a covering letter. You may follow those hints while writing the job application. Leave two line spaces after writing the subject to start the body of the letter.
5) Complimentary Close: You can follow the rules given in the unit ‘structure of business letter.’ Leave four spaces to sign in your name after the complimentary close.
6) Structure: After your signature don’t forget to write your full name clearly below it.
7) Enclosures: This is written two line spaces after writing your name. Write clearly all the documents that you are enclosing with your covering letter.

Check out this sample covering letter which may help you to make a start in writing impressing covering letters!

The chapter has been taken from SMU Business Communication book in the sequence of How to Write Accepting and Declining Invitations.

How to Write Accepting and Declining Invitations from Business Communication Book

2011-04-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

It is good business etiquette to write any acceptance or declination of an invitation. This helps the host in arranging the seats for the invitees or makes any other business arrangements. As a rule, you can decide the formality or informality of the letter depending on the style of the invitation. You should be gracious when accepting the invitation. In the first paragraph you should thank the person/organization that has invited you. In brief, identify the subject of the invitation. In other words, write in short that you are accepting. If you are accepting an invitation to a social event, express your anticipation that the event will be a success. Clarify any details about the event, if needed, such a date or time, location, dress, etc.

Even if you have to decline an invitation don’t forget to thank the person who was invited you. Be clear while stating that you are not accepting the invitation. Also, briefly write the reason for declining the offer. Given below is a sample letter where the writer declines the offer made in the previous letter. Note that though the letter is declining the business offer, it is written in a positive note suggesting chances of business in the future.

Date: 20th April, 2011

Dear, Mr. Keith

Thank you for inviting us to The Conference Room of your prestigious hotel, Valley View, for review and evaluation.

Though we were impressed with the quality of your service, our marketing review committee has made the decision not avail the benefit of this type at the present time. Should our policies change in the future, we will consider your service as an advantage for our business.

Should you develop or wish to submit other services in the future that you feel may be of interest to us, please feel free to contact us.

Again, thank you for considering Sikkim Manipal University as a potential guest.

Thank You

Yours sincerely

Name

Posts

The chapter has been taken from SMU Business Communication book. We already have shared our opinions about structure of business letter.

Learn Writing Complaint Letter and Apology Letter from MB0023 of SMU MBA

2011-03-03T03:42:00.000-08:00

Complaint Letter: Writing a complaint letter is often an undesirable task. But if it is done well, the end result can be very rewarding. Complaint letters can be used for the purpose of having products replaced or money refunded, for changing company policy or government legislation, for influencing the media, and so forth. Often a complaint letter is more effective than a simple phone call or e-mail message. Furthermore, in many cases, the formality of a complaint letter can add seriousness to the situation that will bring results. When writing your complaint letter, identify a definite purpose and outcome that you want to achieve, and indicate those ideas clearly in your letter.

Points to keep in mind while writing complaint letters:

Be sure that the complaint you are making is legitimate. Check out the facts of your complaint. Check out the facts of your complaint.

Let your language be diplomatic. Avoid being sarcastic, angry of threatening even if your complaint is genuine. Remember that the person to whom you address your letter may not after, all be the person responsible for the problem.

Let your letter be concise and limit to one page if possible. However, include important dates or places and include any additional relevant information you can.

If you have to enclose any documents do so but remember to send only the photocopy and keep the originals with you. Also keep a copy of your complaint letter for your records.

Apology Letter: Now that you have learnt to write a complaint letter, you should also learn to write an apology letter. An effective apology letter is an important part of the business correspondence that would make your life in work place easy. To err is human, so instead of dwelling on the mistake committed, it is better to act quickly in order to resolve the problem.

Points to keep in mind while writing apology letters:

While writing an apology letter, concentrate on the rectification of the error committed than on the problem that you have caused the receiving person.

If possible along with the apology, state any compensation that you can give to the person who has suffered the damage.

Take full responsibility on the problem caused.

Don’t be dramatic while apologizing. Your words should express your feelings clearly and simply. The tone of your letter should be considerate and respectful.

From the chapter you have already learned about structure of business letter and principles of writing letters. Now, there is a great example of writing a complaint and apology letter.

Structure of a Business Letter from Business Communication MB0023 of SMU MBA

2011-02-19T20:35:00.000-08:00

We already have discussed about the writing letter. Now, let us come to the arrangement of a business letter. To make your letter effective remember that your presentation of the letter also to be effective. Usually, the letter is drafted in two styles – Blocked and Semi Blocked.

Blocked – Every line in this style begins flush with the left hand margin. Paragraphs are differentiated by leaving a blank space in between them.

Semi Blocked – The first line of each paragraph is indented in this style of writing letters.

The structure of letter contains the following elements:

Heading: Many organizations use their letter head for writing business letters. This covers one fifth of the total space of the page.

Date: This is very important as it might act as a proof that you wrote on a particular date. Type the date two spaces below the last line of the heading at the left hand margin of the letter.

Reference: The advantage of writing a reference is that it helps to trace the letter at a later date. Writing reference number is of two types – one indicates the reference number what you allot for the letter that you write; the other indicates the correspondent’s previous letter to which you are replying now.

Inside Address: The complete address of the person whom you are writing to should be written. You should place it two line-spaces after the date.

Salutation: This is the vital part of the letter which is a good as wishing the person. It is important that you address the name of the person if you know it.

Subject: This indicates to the reader of the letter what the letter is about. It saves the time of the reader. The subject of the letter is written two line-spaces after the salutation.

Body: This contains the text of the letter that you write. You should organize the body of the letter into paragraphs depending upon the matter of your communication.

Conclusion: The conclusion is also known as ‘complimentary close’. You should always end the business letter with a firm or positive note.

Signature: You should place your signature below the complimentary close. Four line spaces are left after the complimentary close to write your name in full.

Enclosure: If you have to enclose any documents along with the letter, you must mention it. The word in abbreviated from encl. is typed two line space below the name / position that you had specified after the signature.

Principles of Writing Letters from Business Communication of SMU MBA

2011-01-20T20:09:00.000-08:00

Principles of writing letters can make our letters effective. There are some principles of writing effective letters:

Courtesy and Consideration:

The basis of any relationship is built on the strong edifice of feelings for others. Courtesy is like the oil which removes the friction, it makes life smooth and helps win friends. It softens the sting of an unpleasant piece of information, creates goodwill, and produces a favourable response. Look at the following sentences that help you word your business letter in a polite manner.

Many thanks for your letter of…

Thank you very much for your letter of…

We are glad to note that you are now in a position to pay our bill.

We appreciate your writing to us so promptly.

Conciseness: While writing a business letter it is important that your letter be concise and direct. Avoid old fashioned, stuffy phrases and long winded sentences associated with classic formal letter writing. In the present times, people are very busy and will be easily irritated to read unnecessarily lengthy letters. So you should focus directly on the message to be told. Express your idea in straightforward, plan English.

Clarity and Precision: Whenever you write a letter, be clear about what you want to say and say it clearly. Use short, simple words and language to relate whatever you want to tell in the letter. Use concrete words – two words in English will have similar meaning – in such cases, use the word which is commonly understand. E. g.: if you use the word ‘house’ and it conveys the meaning that you intend, don’t use the word ‘residence’ which will make the message more complicated. Avoid long winded sentences. Spare your reader the tedious task of understanding your letter and try to make smaller sentences.

To make your letter clear, break it into different paragraphs when you have to discuss more than one main point. Finally, you have to understand that writing a good business letter involves a lot of practice which will gradually enable you to be an effective writer.

The theory has been taken from MB0023 (Business Communication) book of SMU MBA. Principles of writing letter are written in the sequence of Business letter writing practices.

Business Letter Writing Practices from Business Communication of SMU MBA

2011-01-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

When you enter any profession, you will come across one task that you have to perform which is of utmost importance, writing letters as a part of your routine work. You will be writing letters to other organizations and institutions, customers, clients, suppliers, government officers, credit agencies, employees etc.

These letters are commonly called ‘business letters.’ Business letters are usually written to inform readers of specific information. However, you might also write a business letter to persuade others to take action or to propose your ideas. Business letters can be challenging to write, because you have to consider how to keep your readers’ attention. This is particularly the case if your readers receive large amounts of mail and have little time to read.

Writing business letters is writing any other document: first you must analyze your audience and determine your purpose. Then you gather information, create an outline, write a draft, and revise it. The key to writing business letters is o get to the point as quickly as possible and to present your information clearly.

While doing this you should always bear in mind the ‘audience’ of your letter, the person who is going to read your letter. So your letter should appeal to the reader. The best way of doing this is to put yourself in the shoes of your reader and foresee his reaction on reading your letter. Ask yourself “How would I react if I received this letter?”

The answer to this question will help you to decide about editing your letter. Sir Ernest has remarked aptly while he was advising about handling official correspondence, if he is rude, be especially courteous. If he is muddle-headed, be especially lucid. If he is pig-headed, be patient. If he is helpful, be appreciative. If he convicts you of a mistake, acknowledge it freely and even with gratitude.”

The business letter writing practices chapter has been taken from Business Communication book of SMU MBA MB0023 in the sequence of Elements of Writing and Cohesion in English Grammar.

Elements of Writing and Cohesion in English Grammar for Business Communication

2010-12-17T23:52:00.000-08:00

There are various skills prove helpful and are needed for most types of formal writing, whether a short invitation, or a longer letter, report or essay. Many essays, for examples, begin by defining a term in the title, then make some generalizations about the subject, before going on to provide examples of the main areas the writer or presenter wishes to examine.

Most of the reports also require discussion of numbers, graphs and charts. Comparison and discussion of certain aspects also become a part of some of the writings.

There is no fixed order for working on the different elements of writing. They have to be accessed according to the priorities.

Cohesion means linking words or phrases together so that the whole text is clear and readable. It acts as a link of ideas in different parts of the same sentence or ideas in different sentences. This helps in developing consistency in writing and improves the organization of the text. Cohesion is achieved by several methods, such as the use of conjunctions, pronouns, transitions, definite articles and synonyms.

For example – This is the third Hatchman’s “Business Abroad” series and their most useful publication to date. It’s a comprehensive guide to doing business in six Eastern European countries. This well-designed book includes everything from how to present your business card, to how to order in a Hungarian restaurant. The book contains useful information on leading companies and government agencies. There are also detailed street maps of Eastern Europe’s major business cities to help you find your way around.

Transitions and subordinating conjunctions are two of the most common types of words used to improve cohesion. Transitions are words and phrases such as: first of all, similarly, and in brief. Subordinating conjunctions are words such as: whereas and while.

The chapter has been taken from Sikkim Manipal University (SMU) MB 0023 (Business Communication) book in the sequel of Paraphrasing, reading.

Paraphrasing in English Grammar for Business Communication

2010-11-17T18:37:00.000-08:00

Paraphrasing is a technique that involves changing a test matter, so that it is quite dissimilar to the main source. But we should be careful to retain all the meaning of the passage. This skill is useful while expanding the taken notes or vice-versa. Effective paraphrasing avoids the risk of plagiarism. You should remember some important points in the process of paraphrasing. They are –

1. Although paraphrasing techniques are used in summary writing, it does not aim to shorten the length of a text, merely to restate the text.

E.g.: Evidence of a lost civilization has been found off the coast of China.

This could be paraphrased as –

Remains of an ancient society have been discovered in the sea near China.

2. A good paraphrasing is significantly different from the wording of the original, without altering the meaning at all. Read the text below and then decide which is the best paraphrase –

Text: Ancient Egypt collapsed in about 2180 BC. Studies conducted of the mud from the River Nile showed that at this time the mountainous regions which feed the Nile suffered from a prolonged drought. This would have had a devastating effect on the ability of Egyptian society to feed itself.

a) The sudden ending of Egyptian civilization over 4000 years ago was probably caused by changes in the weather in the region to the south. Without the regular river flooding there would not have been enough food.
b) Research into deposits of the Egyptian Nile indicate that a long dry period in the mountains at the river’s source may have led to a lack of water for irrigation around 2180 BC, which was when the collapse of Egyptian society began.

3. Techniques:

a) Changing vocabulary – studies > research

Society > civilization

Mud > deposits

b) Changing word class – Egypt (n) > Egyptian (adj.)

Mountainous regions (adj. + noun) > in the mountains (n)

c) Changing word order – Ancient Egypt collapsed > the collapse of Egyptian society began.

The chapter will improve your writing skills. It has been taken from Business Communication book of SMU MBA. It is the next chapter of strategies of note taking.

Strategies of Note Taking for SMU MBA MB0023 of Business Communication

2010-10-25T19:56:00.001-07:00

There are strategies that help you to organize a note card and view it in the process of presentation. Some of the important strategies are discussed below:

a) An effective strategy includes an efficient, systematic approach that assists in identifying major points of emphasis and separates them from minor considerations. A format should be developed to write the notes and understand it without difficulty. According to this strategy you have to recognize the major and minor points. Then they should be separated with the help of indicators that you develop. The minor points can be written as bullets under this main point. They can also be written in different coloured links.

b) An effective strategy should include abbreviations, emphasis and important indicators such as circling, underlining, numbering, asterisks, etc. These are used to give clear indication to the writer who develops the notes or the speaker who uses the notes for presentation.

c) The next strategy is that you should follow a proper writing order to assist you during the writing/presentation period. Your note taking should have continuity of thoughts, so that the development of that notes into draft or presentation is well organized.

d) It is often helpful to write out opening statements, support statements that may be confusing.

e) A review often can reduce errors and quality note preparation provides an opportunity to have outstanding results in writing or presentation. You should not forget to review the note to check for the continuity or if the matter taken down is correct or not. This will avoid the dilemma at the stage of developing the notes into draft or at the time of presenting the matter to the audience.

Strategies of note-taking for SMU MBA MB0023 of Business Communication are the next chapter of an introduction of note taking. The book completely deals about the note-taking.

An Introduction of Note Taking from MB0023 of SMU MBA for Business Communication

2010-09-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

Note taking is the foundation or road map of good presentation either oral or written. Well-prepared notes are a result of organization and mental preparation prior to presentation. Practice and methodical approaches to note taking help you to maintain concentration and have more organized set of notes. Although you are the only person who will read your notes, clarity and organization are of utmost importance while taking or making notes.

The practical uses of not taking are:

A good note-making technique leads to accurate essays or final drafts

To keep a record of reading / lectures

To revise for exams

To help remember the main points of instructions

As mentioned above, a correctly written down note can be developed into a well organized draft. It could also lead to a productive presentation.

Effective note taking is a part of the sequence: The note-taking forms the link in the sequence of communication. Prior to note taking, there is the aspect of listening or reading. Then you have to recognize and select the key items or concepts. These are taken down as notes in your own style. You can equip your own method for taking down notes; develop your own abbreviations, short-cut methods, etc. However, remember that you will be building up the draft or presentation with the help of these notes. Therefore, you have to be careful while selecting the abbreviations and any symbols because later on, you should know what it means. From this stage, note taking is further linked to ‘writing or speaking.’ The written down notes are expanded to explain the concept either in writing draft or presently it orally.

The chapter is also taken from MB0023 books of SMU MBA from Business Communication in the continuation of Extensive and Intensive types of reading and skimming and scanning types of reading.

Extensive and Intensive Types of Reading from MB0023 of Business Communication

2010-08-17T01:14:00.000-07:00

Extensive Reading:

As we already mentioned our way of reading is influenced by the purpose of our reading. Most of us have the habit of reading especially when we are free or have a lot of leisure time. We might get hold of a novel, a comic strip, a magazine etc.

When we read for the pure pleasure of reading we call it extensive reading. But, we should not give it a lesser priority because it is extensive reading. It is enjoyable as well as informative. Here, we practice rapid reading to get the global/overall understanding of the matter.

Intensive Reading:

When we read shorter texts like a research paper, for getting specific details / information we read slowly with a lot of concentration. This is intensive reading. When you read a book as a resource material for research you read it intensively because the overall understanding is not the objective/purpose of our reading.

When you read an article in order to write a review on it, you read it intensively. We use all the skills of reading when we do intensive reading.

For example - Every star is a sun, like our own sun. This means that stars are huge balls of glowing gases. They are so hot that if a piece of steel were placed there, it would disappear in a cloud of gas! In many of the stars, the gases are very thin. This is because the particles or atoms of matter in the gas are far apart.

But stars do have matter in them. We know, for example that the sun contains more than sixty of the chemical elements present in the earth. Among the elements in the sun are hydrogen, helium, iron calcium and magnesium.

In cooler stars, the matter may be more nearly liquid, somewhat like the boiling iron in a blast furnace. In some very old and cold stars, the matter may be so closely packed that a cubic inch of it would weigh a ton.

It is the next chapter of skimming and scanning types of reading which is taken from Business Communication of SMU MBA MB0023 book.

Skimming and Scanning Types of Reading from MB0023 of SMU MBA

2010-08-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

As we have already said, we read in different ways depending on the purpose for which we are reading a text. Let us look at skimming and scanning types of reading.

Skimming:

Let’s say that you are a student of Management; and as suggested by your professor, you need to buy a reference text book on Investment Management or you need to write a paper on Computer Graphics. You go to a book store and see a rack full of books, with the same title, but different authors. You don’t have time to read the pages before deciding on buying the book. Hence, you quickly go through the contents, title page and the blurb (it is a slang meaning, a short piece of writing that praises and promotes something, especially a paragraph on the cover of a book).

By now, you have decided to buy one book. The type of reading that you did in the bookstall is “skimming.” Thus, skimming means, “looking quickly over a text/book to get a general superficial idea of the content.”

Scanning:

As you read a text, editorial or an article, you suddenly come across a word that is not familiar to your. Naturally, you would like to know the meaning of the word, for your own benefit.

So you get the dictionary and carefully find the word. You see the spelling, pronunciation, meaning and also the various uses of the same word (if any). This type of careful reading, to find out the specific, clear details, is known as Scanning. Here you don’t just run your eyes across the page, but look into the information for specific details.

Skimming and scanning types of reading have been taken from Business Communication (MB0023) Book of SMU MBA. It is the next chapter of reading and purpose of reading.

Reading and Purpose of Reading from Business Communication of MB0023 SMU MBA

2010-07-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

According to the Webster, “Reading is thinking under the stimulus of the printed page.” Or “Reading is a psycho-linguistic guessing game.”

When you read, you read the lines, read between the lines and also read beyond the lines. So reading is nothing but a decoding process.

Purpose of reading:

We read many things in our day-to-day lives. Let us name a few of them:

Newspapers and magazines

Advertisements, leaflets, pamphlets

Textbooks, novels, short-stories

Letters, telegrams

Recipes, puzzles, menus

Articles, reports, legal documents

Dictionaries, telephone directories

Cartoons, comic strips

Time-tables, maps, statistical graphs and diagrams etc.

We have just listed the different texts that we normally read witch certain definite purpose in mind. They are read either for personal interest, for pleasure, to acquire information or to participate in society. For you, as students, the purpose of reading is emphasized on either for interest or for pleasure and reading to acquire information and knowledge. Reading for interest of pleasure is usually fulfilled through reading fiction, while reading to learn is associated with informative articles. Reading for information may be both internal and external. When you read for necessary background information about what is going on within the company where you work, or within your group it is called reading for internal information. Reading for the information of what is going on in your field, but outside your own company is called External information.

You may need to do something concrete in the not too distant future after you have read whatever it is you are reading this is Action Reading. Professional reading is done when you need to continue learning and studying so that you develop your own thinking and skills. But you should bear in mind that the text itself is not written strictly for any one purpose. For instance, any biography or autobiography will be read as personal interest to understand the life story of an individual. The same maybe read by a research scholar for his research purpose. People’s interest in reading is so varied, that any text could meet any purpose.

The chapter has been taken from Business Communication of SMU MBA MB0023. It is the next chapter of how to listen customer complaints.

How to Listen Customer Complaints from MB0023 Business Communication of SMU MBA

2010-07-14T09:55:00.000-07:00

A career in any industry, be it at the front office, managing the other staff or dealing with customers, can be managed smoothly if one develops his/her listening skills, especially when facing customer complaints. Listening skills have to be mastered because the customers you face are not the same always. You may come across a customer, who is drunk, may get belligerent or even violent if offended. You may sometimes come across another category of customers who are not satisfied with the treatment that they have received. These also should be attended with patient hearing.

Handling customer complaints need not have to be a battle always. With the right tools and responses you can turn complaints to your advantage; to help you build your business. How do you deal with your customer complaints? The easiest way to find out is to pick up the phone and play the role of the complaining customer. If you are very much irritated with the service you get or if the person on the other side doesn’t listen to your complaints, would you return to the same place? In such cases, you need to create a standardized method for dealing with your complainers and turn them into loyal customers.

One of the great tools used in the connection is the technique of BLAST. The acronym stands for:

Believe: This is the cornerstone of handling a customer complaint. The customers may be lying and be incorrect about their situation. It is important to understand that your customers believe that your establishment was wronged them.

Listen: Stop and listen to your customer’s complaint. While listening, engage in active listening where you either nod or repeat some words to assure the customer that you are ‘really’ listening to the complaint.

Apologize: Always apologize even if you did nothing wrong. From your customers’ perspective, they have a legitimate complaint, and they expect an apology.

Satisfy: Satisfied customer not only returns to your organization for a second time, but also advertises about his satisfaction to many of his friends and thereby improves your business!

Thank: At the beginning, at the end, in the middle; it doesn’t matter thank the customer for calling and complaining.

The chapter has also been taken from Business Communication of MBA MB0023 of SMU. It is the sequel of listening activities and strategies for effective listening.

Listening Activities for MBA MB0023 of SMU Business Communication

2010-07-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

Now since the time supermarkets began, marketing consultants, like us, have been gathering information about customer’s shopping habits.

To date, various research methods have been used to help promote the sales of supermarket products. There is, for example, the simple and direct questionnaire which provides information from customers about their views on displays and products and then helps retailers make decisions about what to put where.

Another method to help managers understand just how shoppers go around their stores are the hidden television cameras that film us as we shop and monitor our physical movement around the supermarket aisles: where do we start, what do we buy last, what attracts us, etc.

More sophisticated techniques now include video surveillance and such devices as the eye movement recorder. This is a device which shoppers volunteer to wear taped into a headband, and which traces their eye movements as they walk round the shop recording the most eye-catching areas of shelves and aisles.

But with today’s technology, Space Management is now a highly sophisticated method of manipulating the way we shop to ensure maximum profit. Supermarkets are able to invest millions of pounds in powerful computers which tell them what sells best and where.

Now, an example of this is ‘Spaceman’ which is a computer programme that helps the retailer to decide which particular product sells best in which part of the store. Now Spaceman works by receiving information from the electronic checkouts on how well a product is selling in a particular position. Spaceman then suggests the most profitable combination of an article and its position in the store.

So, let’s have a look at what we know about supermarkets and the way people behave when they walk down the aisles and take the articles they think they need from the shelves.

After listening and barriers to effective listening, the chapter has also been taken from the SMU Business Communication for MBA MB0023.

Strategies for Effective Listening from MB0023 of SMU MBA

2010-06-23T08:07:00.000-07:00

Although the reasons for breakdowns in listening are numerous, there are many ways to improve listening skills. You can improve your listening skills by following some of the strategies mentioned below:

Maintain eye contact with the speaker: Eye contact keeps you focused on the job at hand and keeps you involved in the lecture/speech.

Provide clues that you are actively involved in listening: Clues that you are actively listening can go a long way. It is important to make the speaker feel that you care about what he/she is saying.

Focus on content, not delivery: Have you ever counted the number of times a teacher clears his/her throat in a fifteen minutes period? If so, you weren’t focusing on content.

Avoid emotional involvement: When you are too emotionally involved in listening, you tend to hear what you want to hear-not what is actually being said.

Avoid distractions: Don’t let your mind wander or be distracted by anything. It is necessary that you must concentrate. Concentration requires willingness and practice. Practicing active listening helps to develop concentration but there are other elements that contribute to your ability to concentrate on what someone is saying.

Refrain from formulating an immediate response: It is important to refrain from formulating an immediate response. Let yourself finish listening before you begin to speak.

Ask questions: If you are not sure you understand what the speaker has said, just ask. It is a good idea to repeat in your own words what the speaker said, so that you can be sure your understanding is correct.

Use the gap between the rate of speech and your rate of thought: You can think faster than the speaker can talk. That’s one reason why your mind may tend to wander. All the above suggestions will help you keep your mind occupied and focused on what is being said.

Be willing to accept revisions: It will keep the communication process running smoothly. Often people are so busy trying to defend their positions that they fail to really stop and think whether they could be improved upon or viewed in a different way.

Choose the right environment: It is important because it will help the listener focus on what he is listening and avoid distractions. Although you cannot always create or call an environment ‘perfect’ for all types of communication, in general, it is best to avoid areas where there are high levels of activity, loud noises, an uncomfortable temperature, poor air flow, etc.

Stay active by asking questions for yourself: Active listening keeps you on your toes. Here are some questions you can ask yourself as you listen: What key point is the speaker making? How does this fit with what I already know? How is this lecture/speech organized?

Treat listening as a challenging mental task: Listening to an academic lecture is not a passive act at least it shouldn’t be. You need to concentrate on what is said so that you can process the information thoroughly.

Barriers to Effective Listening from SMU MBA MB0023 of Business Communication

2010-06-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

Listening is the most important part of the communication process. However, listening skills do not come naturally to most people; these require willingness, practice and patience to develop on the part of the person, who wishes to acquire these skills.

There are many reasons as to why individuals fail to listen successfully. These include:

Interrupting is a problem for many reasons. First, it is an aggressive behavior and will most likely bring a negative response from the speaker being interrupted.

Faking attention and tuning out can be offensive and is usually hard to hide. This hurts the speaker as it sends him the message that the listener doesn’t really care about what the speaker is saying.

Becoming emotional can hinder one’s ability to listen. It is important that the receiver be aware of his or her emotions.

Jumping to conclusions is often considered as the most common barrier to listening. The listening, to be effective, should be done with full attention to whatever the speaker has to say.

Getting distracted is common while trying to communicate. Often, one has many tasks to do or there is a lot of other activity taking place while someone is trying to communicate.

Pre-judging the subject: Often, instead of listening to the speaker, many people tend to assume that the subject is boring or dull. During any conversation, presentation or speech, they turn their attention to other things or simply day-dream.

Wrong focus: Another barrier of listening is the focus of the listener on appearance and delivery of the speaker. The listeners observe the appearance and the delivery style of speaker instead of listening to what is being said.

Gathering only facts: Many people listen to gather facts instead or trying to understand the underlying idea and integrated it with non-verbal communication.

Inflexibility while listening: Many formal speeches are not carefully outlined and organized.

Avoiding complicated subjects: When the subject is technical or complicated, many people stop listening altogether.

The strategies that one has to develop in order to be a good listener are: Providing clues that one is actively involved, concentrating while someone is talking, refraining from formulating an immediate response, trying to prepare beforehand, being prepared to accept revisions and being sure that the environment is conducive to listening.

Listening and Types of Listening from Business Communication

2010-05-27T02:01:00.000-07:00

Listening is a highly complex, interactive process “by which spoken language is converted to meaning in the mind”. As this definition suggests, listening is more than just hearing, although these two terms are often used synonymously. Hearing is only an important component of listening. Listening is a specialized form of hearing and is the primary function of the ear. The most crucial part of the listening process is thinking or converting to meaning what one hears.

Hearing is a passive process. It is merely the detection of sounds around us. Normally, we come across ‘hearing’ in certain situations.

Listening: It is an active process. It involves the conscious desire to determine the meaning of what is heard. While listening, one is engaged in processing the date, reconstructing the data and also giving meaning to the data.

Types of Listening:

Discriminative listening:

As the name itself suggests, discriminative listening is the most basic type of listening, whereby the difference between the sounds is identified. If you cannot hear differences, then you cannot grasp the meaning that is expressed by such differences.

Comprehension listening:

When the discrimination between sounds is achieved, one should learn to make sense of the perceived sound. To comprehend the meaning, one requires a lexicon of words and all rules of grammar and syntax by which one can understand what others are saying.

Evaluative listening:

Evaluative listening is also called ‘critical listening’ because we make judgments about what the other person is saying. We seek to assess the truth of what is being said, We also judge what they say about our values, assessing them as good or bad, worthy or unworthy.

Appreciative listening:

In appreciative listening, the main intention is to seek certain information which will be appreciated.

Empathetic listening:

When we listen empathetically, we seek to understand the beliefs, moods, emotions and goals of other people. This requires excellent discrimination and close attention to the nuances of emotional signals.

Therapeutic listening:

In therapeutic listening, the listener has a purpose of not only empathizing with the speaker but also to use this deep connection in order to help the speaker understand, change or develop in some way.

Dialogic listening:

The word ‘dialogue’ stems from the Greek words ‘dia’, meaning ‘through’ and ‘logos’ meaning ‘words’. Thus dialogic listening means learning through conversation. Dialogic listening is also known as ‘relational listening’ because with the help of exchange of ideas while listening, we also indirectly creation a relation.

The chapter has also been taken from Business Communication book of SMU MBA in the sequel of Visual Aids.

Visual Aids – Creating Visual Aid Properly from Business Communication

2010-05-18T10:01:00.000-07:00

In case you want to make your oral presentation very interesting, you can do so with the help of ‘Visual aids.’ However, they must be relevant to what you want to say. A careless design or use of a slide which does not correspond to the matter that you are presenting can simply get in the way of the presentation. What you use should depend on the type of talk you are giving. Here are some possibilities.

Overhead projection transparencies (OHPs)

35 mm slides

Computer projection (Power Point, applications such as Excel, etc)

Video and film

Real objects – either handled from the speaker’s bench or passed around

Flip-chart or blackboard – possibly used as a scratch-pad to expand on a point

There are certain precautions that you have to take while preparing these visual aids. While preparing a Power Point presentation, if we get the slides that we are looking for, we are tempted to be over-enthusiastic about it and keep adding the slides even if it is not so essential. Be careful and don’t heed to such temptations! Keep your presentations simple because a complex set of hardware can result in confusion for speaker and audience. Make sure you know in advance how to operate the equipment and also when you want particular displays to appear. If you are assisted by a technician to operate the equipment, arrange with him beforehand, the order of the displays and what signals you would use to convey the changes. Edit your slides as carefully as you talk – if a slide is superfluous then leave it out. If you need to use a slide twice, duplicate it. And always check your slides – for typographical errors, consistency of fonts and layout.

Slides and OHPs should contain the minimum information necessary. If your slides are loaded with text matter, they become unreadable. It also may divert the attention of your audience, so that they spend time reading the slide rather than listening to you. Slides or OHPs should be used to display a few handlings which are taken as prompts. Do not simply read the material off them: supplement or explain what is written. Try to limit words per slide to a maximum of 10. Use a reasonable size font and a typeface which will enlarge well.

Typically use a minimum 18pt Times Roman on OHPs and preferably larger. A guideline is: if you can read the OHP from a distance of 2 meters (without projection) then it’s probably OK. Making coloured slides will attract the attention of the audience. But avoid orange and yellow which do not show up very well when projected. For text only, white or yellow on blue is pleasant to look at and easy to read.

Avoid using a diagram prepared for a technical report in your talk. It will be too detailed and difficult to read.

Another thing that you have to avoid is adding to OHPs with a pen during the talk. Sometimes you tend to be so immersed in your presentation that you go on drawing circles or underlines on the transparencies. It will look messy and the audience will be fascinated by your shaking hand!

It is very important to consider the proper lighting in the room where you are presenting. Too much light near the screen will make it difficult to see the detail. On the other hand, a completely darkened room can send the audiences to sleep. Try to avoid having to keep switching lights on and off, but if you do have to do this, know the light switches are and how to use them.

The chapter has also been taken from the Business Communication of SMU MBA MB0023 book.

Oral Presentation – Basic Steps for Oral Presentations from Business Communication

2010-05-02T21:45:00.000-07:00

If you are going to prepare oral presentation, keep some suggestions in your mind. These are the basic suggestions that have been taken from Business Communication Book of SMU MBA MB023.

Plan your presentation keeping in mind the audience profile. In other words, develop a strategy bearing in mind, the specific needs of your audience. If you know your audience, their expectations and the importance of the occasion in which the presentation is being made, you will be able to make a worthwhile presentation. For example, if your presentation is on the occasion of the opening of a new Department of Surgery, and if it is meant for patients suffering from a particular symptom for which no treatment is available in your town, you are attempting to throw light on the necessity of the new Department. But if it is for your team of doctors during a month in which, the team’s performance has not been up to expectations, you are trying to present a situation where your team will be motivated to improve their performance.

Rate your presentation to your audience. Tailor your message to the audience – you should understand their needs, desires, knowledge level, and attitude toward your topic.

At the time of presentation, be concrete, specific, practical and relevant. Don’t give elaborate details. Your audience will think that you do not have sufficient content and so you are simply repeating the same pint unnecessarily. Clarify your objectives – is it to motivate? … inform? … persuade? …. Teach? – Remember, each of these motives calls for a different approach. You should also be sure about your role as a presenter. Are you a coach? advocate? teacher? This will help the audience understand your position and will have an influence over the outcome of the presentation. Tell them logically as to how your presentation will help your audience in their work. Will it solve a problem effectively without waste of time and resources?

Present a sound case. Let the presentation lead to a common goal. You should be a director towards this end. If you want to achieve this goal, you must research your subject extensively. There are no short cuts. You must be through with your subject and be sure of achieving the goals of the presentation.

Give your presentation a structure. Convert information into a meaningful message. Let the audience see a logical sequence, not a collection of bits and pieces of information.

Organize your message. Start with the simple points and move to the more complex. Let the audience recognize the importance of the message. Let your ideas be made clear to them so that they will understand not only the significance of the subject but also the importance of your ideas in relation to the subject.

Justify your ideas. Let the audience know what is expected of them. Let your topic be placed in context. Tell them why you are presenting the topic and how it will solve the problem successfully. Tell the audience who the presentation will progress and what you expect from them. Encourage their participation.

Keep in your mind the following suggestions while doing an oral presentation just like oral communication. They will help you to retain the interest of the audience.

Oral Communication – Advantages and Disadvantages of Oral Communication from Business Communication

2010-04-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

When you seek permission from your father to visit a nearby museum, he might say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Thus, in oral communication, there is a possibility of immediate response. This ensures speedy interaction and makes immediate feedback possible. This is the greatest advantage of oral communication.

Another advantage is that the speaker can observe the listener’s reaction to what is being stated. For instance, if someone brings to you your exam results and tells you that you have passed in first class; your reaction to the message will show that you are happy. Similarly, if someone tells you that your friend met with an accident and got injured, you will be shocked and the person who gave you the message will notice it.

The disadvantage of oral communication is that it does no always save time. People have to meet each other all the time to communicate orally, which is impossible. It may result in spending a considerable amount of money, time and other important resources.

Improving Oral Communication:

Speaking to friends and family members is easy, because you know them. But when you are asked to go and speak to a stranger you may hesitate. It is even worse when you have to address an angry client or present a project proposal in front of your higher authorities at the organizational meeting.

Oral skills should be paid adequate attention because learning to speak well will improve one’s personal and professional life considerably. You should remember that even if the listener cannot see you, while you are engaged in telephone conversation, it is easy to deduce your personality with the help of the quality of your voice. Your tone indicates your age, sex, intelligence etc. It also reveals whether you are confident or not. Even your geographical origin can be traced by noting the accent you use while speaking.

One-to-One Oral Communication:

In your day-to-day dealings, you have to interact with people on a one-to-one basis. It is central to developing positive working relationship with the clients as well as your co-workers and superiors. There are two ways in which we communicate orally through face to face and telephonic conversation.

The chapter has been taken from Business Communication of SMU MBA MB0023. It is the part of communication process.

Question Tag and Uses of Question Tags in English Grammar from MB0023 of SMU MBA

2010-04-11T23:54:00.000-07:00

Question tags are used in conversation and in informal letters. They are added to a statement to either indicate force or draw attention to the statement.

The question tag consists of the ‘helping verb’ followed by the ‘subject’ in the form of a suitable pronoun.

Rules to construct a question tag:

1. A positive statement takes a negative tag.

E.g.: Meena is a good swimmer, isn’t she?

2. A negative statement takes a positive tag.

E.g.: I did not tell you, did I?

3. The tense of the verb in the tag should be the same as the one in the statement.

E.g.: You are going to the cinema, aren’t you?

4. When the statement doesn’t have a helping verb, use ‘do’ form (does, did, don’t didn’t)

E.g.: We lived in Nigeria, didn’t we?

5. When the helping verb is ‘am’, the tag will always be aren’t.

E.g.: I am singing, aren’t I?

6. When the subject of the sentence is anyone, anybody, no one, nobody, none, neither, we use the pronoun ‘they’ as the subject of the tag.

E.g.: No one would object, would they?

7. Semi-negatives (hardly, few, little) take a positive tag.

E.g.: Few students knew the answers, did they?

A few and A little are positive and take a negative tag.

A little progress was made, wasn’t it?

Question tag is the most important chapter in English grammar. It is compulsory for spoken English. We already have discussed and learnt about other chapters of English grammar such as – Noun, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb, Preposition and Conjunction. The chapter is also taken from Business Communication book of MB0023 SMU MBA.

In this chapter, I have shared some important aspect and uses of question tags in English grammar. So, it is not the full analysis of question tag. I will try to introduce the chapter in details in coming future on the blog.

Direct and Indirect Speech in English Grammar from MB0023 of Business Communication

2010-04-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

In our daily communication, we come across various types of conversations. Of these, there are two ways of what one person has related to the other. They are –

1. Direct Speech: This refers to the relating of the spoken words of one person to the other verbatim. We can recognize a direct speech with the help of the punctuations. It is written within the inverted commas. A comma or colon is placed immediately before the spoken words.

Mr. Rooster said to Mrs. Hen, “I never eat meat. So I like the way you cook these berries.”

Note: The inverted comma in the above presentation of the conversation between Mr. Rooster and Mrs. Hen. They are talking to each other. So it is a direct speech.

2. Indirect Speech: This is also called as ‘Reported Speech’ because it refers to the meaning of the word spoken by one person though the exact spoken words are not used.

Note: The absence of inverted comma and the change in tense of the verb. This is indirect speech.

Mr. Rooster to Mrs. Hen that he never ate meat. He also praised her saying that he liked the way she cooked those berries.

Direct and indirect speech chapter in English grammar is just like Voice lesson. It is based on types of verbs; we have ‘active voice’ and ‘passive voice’.

The sentences which have ‘transitive verbs’ can be changed from “active voice” to “passive voice”.

E.g.: The Principal read the report. (Active voice)

The report was read by the Principal. (Passive voice)

In the simplest word, in the type of active voice, the subject of the sentence acts on the agent. While in the passive voice, the subject is acted upon by the agent.

So, both chapters – narration and voice are the most important in English grammar to learn, read and speak. The chapter has been taken from SMU MBA MB0023 of Business Communication book.

Subject Verb Agreement from Business Communication for MB0023 of SMU MBA

2010-03-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

We have thus far learnt various types of sentences and the elements that makeup a sentence. We shall polish this a little further to understand the nuances that we should keep in mind while writing or conversing in English. The rules that one should follow while constructing a sentence and while conversing may be different. The formal and informal usage of English differs.

The subject and verb agreement is an important aspect of the English language. It is very important that the verb and subject agree in number and person.

The two smart girls in the class were chosen to win the award.

In the given example there are three ways in which the subject (girls) is show to be plural:

The verb ‘to be’ in its plural form ‘were’

The adjective ‘two’

The plural marker ‘s’ attached to the subject ‘girl’

While trying to determine whether a verb should be in singular or plural form, find the subject and ignore all the words coming after it. If the subject is singular, then the verb is singular or vice versa.

The problems with the student have not yet been resolved.

In this example, the subject is ‘problems’ which is in the plural form. So the verb should be in the plural form. Hence we use the verb ‘have’ (plural form).

1. When two subjects are joined by ‘and, and the verb is plural. For example – John and Jinny are friends.

Exceptions:

When two singular noun are joined by ‘and’, but refer to the same person, then the verb is singular. For example – The secretary and treasurer is on leave.

When two different singular nouns express one unit, the verb is in singular. For example – Rice and curry is my staple diet.

When two singular subjects are practically synonymous, the verb is in singular. For example – Peace and prosperity is the need of the day.

When two singular subjects are joined by ‘and’ which are preceded by ‘each’ or ‘every’, the verb is in singular. For example – Every man, woman and child has been rescued.

2. The nouns that end in – s (certain countries, fields of study, activities, diseases) take a singular verb.

For example –

The aerobics class is held every Tuesday.

The United States doesn’t have a centralized governing body for educational affairs.

Mathematics was my favorite subject in school.

Measles is a serious childhood disease if not treated properly.

3. Most collective nouns take the singular form of the verb.

For example – The committee doesn’t have to come up with a solution until next week.

Exception: However, the nouns ‘people’ and ‘police’ are considered plural, so they take a plural verb.

For example – The police are here to protect us.

The people were happy to see the return of their king.

4. The expression of time, distance and money are often seen as collective items and hence take a singular verb.

For example – Two miles is too far to walk in this lashing rain.

Five hours has already passed since his surgery ended.

Five thousand rupees is a fair price for such an old painting.

5. When the words ‘all’, ‘most’, ‘some’ and ‘any’ are followed by a non-count noun, the verb is singular.

For example – All of the cake has been eaten.

Some fat is good for you.

Most car exhaust contains pollutants that threaten all living things.

Exception: However, if the words are followed by a plural count noun, the verb is plural.

For example – All men are created equal.

6. “Noun” and “neither” always take a singular verb, whether followed by a plural or a non-count noun.

For example – None of the cats belongs to me.

Neither of the women is the one who spoke to me yesterday.

7. When the subjects are joined by “either… or”, “neither… nor”, “not only… but also”, “both… and”, the verb agrees with the subject which is close to it.

For example – Neither the children nor the mother wants to leave.

Either you or I am going to call an end to this charade.

Not only she but all her friends also were in the list of failures.

Both my brother and I am interested in joining the team.

8. When two subjects are joined by ‘as well as’, ‘with’, ‘together with’, ‘accompanied by’, the verb agrees with the subject mentioned first.

For example – The President of India as well as his secretaries is invited to the function.

Her friends along with Sheela are arriving by the first flight.

9. “The + adjective” takes the plural verb because it refers to the whole group.

For example – The sick were taken to the hospital immediately.

10. A plural verb is used when ‘a lot of’, ‘a great deal of’, ‘plenty of’, ‘most of’, ‘some of’ are used while referring to number.

For example – A lot of people were present in the theatre and some of them were students.

Exception: However, if the expressions refer to amount, the verb is singular.

For example – A lot of home work is given to the students.

11. When the expression ‘a number of’ is used with a plural noun, it takes plural verb. The expression, ‘the number of’, along with a plural noun takes a singular verb.

For example – A number of students are going to the picnic.

The number of students to volunteer is dwindling by the day.

12. In sports, while referring to the players, the name of the country is followed by plural verb.

For example – England have won the world cup.

13. When the percentage or a part of something is mentioned with plural meaning, the verb used is plural.

For example – 30% of the Indian women are literate.

14. “Majority” can be singular or plural.

It is followed by a plural noun, plural verb is used.

For example – Majority of the pens were blue.

If it stands alone, singular verb is used.

For example – The majority believes in easy work.

These are the examples and implementations of subject verb agreement. This is the most important chapter in English grammar. Subject verb agreement chapter has been taken from Business Communication for MB0023 of SMU MBA.

Elements of Sentence Construction and Structural Categorization from MB0023

2010-03-17T02:20:00.000-07:00

We already have discussed about sentences and kinds of sentences in my previous post. Now, you will get some more explanation about elements of sentence and structural categorization from MB0023 of SMU MBA book.

In English, every sentence has two essential parts: a Subject and a Predicate, which are inclusive of clauses and phrases.

Subject: The complete subject is the simple subject (a noun or a pronoun) plus any words or group of words modifying the simple subject that tell who or what the sentence is about. Thus, a subject is the person, place, or thing that acts, is acted on, or is described in the sentence.

Additional Facts about Subject:

The “Understood You”: Sometimes, as in the case of imperative sentences, the subject does not actually appear in the sentence. At such times the invisible subject is called the “understood you”. For example – (You) Go out of the house.

Positioning: Although the subject most commonly appears before the verb, it can also appear after the verb. This is called the inversion of the Subject and Predicate. For example – Here come my friends and their parents.

Predicate: The predicate is the action or description that occurs in the sentence. Sometimes a verb will express existence instead of an action. Verb is an essential part of the predicate. In other words, we can say that the predicate is the ‘telling part’ of the sentence because it tells us what the subject is doing and to whom.

Phrases: A group of words without a finite verb is a phrase. In other words, phrases are just a group of related words that do not express a complete thought. They also do not have a subject and predicate pair. So, they cannot be considered as a sentence.

For example – The house at the end of the street is very beautiful.

The astronaut chosen to ride the space shuttle to Mars is afraid of heights.

Alix walk down the ramp to the beach.

The flying saucer appeared above the lake before it disappeared into space.

Clauses: Words and phrases can be put together to make a clause. A group of related words that contain both a subject and a predicate and that functions as a part of a sentence is a clause. A clause is different from a phrase because a phrase is a group of related words which lack either a subject or a predicate or both.

Structural Categorization of Sentences:

Structurally, a sentence may be categorized as Simple, Compound and Complex.

A sentence can be recognized by the number of clauses it contains.

Simple sentence: A simple sentence, also called an independent clause, contains a subject and a verb, and it expresses a complete thought. For example – Some students like to study in the morning.

Compound sentence: A compound sentence contains two independent (main) clauses joined by a coordinator. It may or may not have a subordinate clause. The coordinators are as follows: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. For example – Alex played football but Manu went shopping.

Complex sentence: A complex sentence has an independent clause joined by one or more dependent causes. A complex sentence always has a subordinator such as because, since, after, although, or, when or a relative pronoun such as that, who, or which. For example – The teacher returned the homework after she saw an error.

Sentences and Kinds of Sentences from MB0023 of SMU MBA

2010-03-08T23:13:00.000-08:00

A group of words that makes a complete sense or gives complete meaning is called a sentence. It expresses the thought of the person, who speaks or writes the sentence. Traditionally, a sentence is considered as a largest grammatical unit. It is also imperative that a sentence has a verb in it to consider it as a sentence.

The shortest legal sentences in the English language are “I am” and “I do” – although with some bending o the rules, the imperative “Go!” can be considered the shortest correct sentence.

Kinds of Sentences:

From the point of view of expression of thoughts, the sentences are divided into four kinds.

Declarative Sentences: They state or assert certain facts. So they are called declarative sentences. A declarative sentence makes a statement. It begins with a capital letter and ends with a period. For example – Veena is playing word zap.

Interrogative Sentences: The sentences that ask questions are called interrogative sentences. For example – What is your name?

Exclamatory Sentences: The sentences in the example express strong feelings either of happiness or sadness. The feelings are also sudden. Also notice the exclamatory mark at the end of the sentences. Such sentences are called Exclamatory Sentences. For example – Wow, what a win that was!

Imperative Sentences: The sentences that are used to express order, request or which are called as Imperative Sentences. For example – Go out of the class.

We already have discussed about Noun, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb, Preposition and Conjunction. A person can handle any sentences if he has understanding about above mentioned parts of speech. Chapter of sentences give a basic knowledge about how to make a sentence in English. The chapter has been taken from MB0023 MBA book of Business Communication. The book is referred by SMU for MBA students. So, take a look on sentences to know the structure of sentences.

Conjunctions – Uses of Conjunction from MBA MB0023 Business Communication

2010-02-23T04:21:00.000-08:00

We already have discussed about Preposition in detailed. Now, the chapter will reveal some secret about conjunctions. A Conjunction is a word which connects words, phrases, clauses or sentences. There are two classes of conjunctions. They are:

Co-ordinate Conjunctions

Subordinate Conjunctions

Co-ordinate Conjunctions joins two clauses or sentences which are at par in terms of importance. They also join two words of equal grammatical rank. The chief co-ordinate conjunctions are – and, but, for, nor, or, otherwise, else, also, either --- or, neither --- nor, both --- and.

Co-ordinate conjunctions are further divided into:

Cumulative conjunctions: They add one statement/fact to another. They are – not only – but also, both – and, as well as, too, also, moreover, and.

For example – They sang melodiously, and played the guitar well.

Alternative conjunctions: They express a choice between two alternatives. They are – or, else, either – or, neither – nor, otherwise.

For example – She is good neither at games not at studies.

Adversative conjunctions: They express a contrast between two facts or statements. They are – however, but, only, yet, still, whereas, nevertheless.

For example – I would have been there; only I am too busy this week.

Illative conjunctions: They show that a statement/fact is proved or inferred from another. They are – hence, therefore, so, subsequently, consequently, for.

For example – He is honest and amiable, hence is revered.

Subordinate conjunctions: are the conjunctions that connect the subordinate clauses to the main clauses in sentences.

Subordinate conjunction of time – The patient had died before the doctor arrived.

Subordinate conjunction of reason – Since you insist, I will come to your home.

Subordinate conjunction of purpose – We eat so that we may live.

Subordinate conjunction of condition – I wonder why you left the company.

Subordinate conjunction of consequence – The baby was so tired that it slept immediately.

Subordinate conjunction of concession – Though you insist, I will not talk to her.

Subordinate conjunction of comparison – You are taller than I.

As like verb and adverb, conjunction is also the most important chapter in English grammar. So, I have tried to explain some basic uses of conjunctions in this chapter.

Preposition – Uses of Prepositions from Business Communication MB0023 SMU MBA

2010-02-08T02:54:00.000-08:00

Prepositions are the words, which tell us about the relations of the nouns, pronouns and adjectives in a sentence. Their position is before (pre) the noun. Hence they are said to govern the noun. The noun which follows is said to be the object of the preposition. They are:

Simple Prepositions: in, on, after, at, which, under, above, etc.

For example – He wrote the notes with a pen.

Complex Prepositions: along with, apart from, as for, as to away from, onto, out of, together with, upto, such as, except for, owing to, due to, but for, because of, by means of, on account of, in comparison with, in accordance with, in view of, in spite of, instead of.

Uses of Prepositions:

A preposition can be used at the beginning of an interrogative sentence.

For example – At what time do you leave for office?

A preposition is placed at the end of the sentence in the following ways:

If a preposition governs a relative pronoun – This is the book which I mentioned about.

When the relative pronoun is ‘that’ – This is the school that I went to.

When the relative pronoun is understood – This is the person you spoke to.

If a preposition governs an interrogative pronoun or an interrogative adverb – What are you looking at?

When the preposition is used with the infinitive at the end of the sentence – Do you have a chair to sit on?

A word is considered a preposition when it governs a noun/pronoun. Otherwise it becomes an adverb. The most important words are – about, above, across, along, after, before, below, behind, besides, by, down, in, on, near, off, over, past, round, through, under, up etc.

He got off the bus at the corner (preposition)

He got off at the corner (adverb)

Peter is behind us (preposition)

He’s a long way behind (adverb)

She climbed over the wall (preposition)

You’ll have to climb over too (adverb)

Relations expressed by prepositions:

Preposition of time: on, in, at, for, before, after, until, till, between, by, upto.

For example – She was healthy till yesterday.

Preposition of place: to, at from away, on, onto, of, in, into, out, upon, inside, within, by over, above, on top of, behind, in front of, below, beneath, across through, all over, throughout, between, among.

For example – Where do you come from?

Preposition of method and manner: by, with

For example – The boys skipped going to school with audacity.

Preposition of reason and purpose: with, of, for

For example – I rented a house for my holidays.

Preposition of possession: of, with, by

For example – The tomb of Akbar is in Sikandarabad.

Preposition of direction and motions: into, towards, up, round, across

For example – They climbed into the lorry.

Preposition of contrast: despite

For example – Despite his mistakes, he is a sincere worker.

Correct use of some of the Prepositions:

Beside, besides:

The house is beside the river. (By the side of)

Besides being good at Tennis, he is also an excellent player of Golf. (In addition to/moreover)

Since, for:

He has been absent since Monday last. (Point of time)

He was absent for four days. (Length or period of time)

Between, among:

I have to choose between the two pictures. (Two persons/things)

This is the custom among the tribes. (More than two)

By, with:

He was killed by a servant. (Doer of the action)

He was killed with a knife. (Instrument of action)

In, at:

He lives at Juhu in Mumbai. (‘at’ – smaller area / ‘in’ – bigger area)

In, into:

He is in bed. (Indicates rest or motion inside anything)

He fell into the well. (Motion towards the inside of anything)

On, upon:

He sat on a chair. (Things at rest)

He lives on his maternal uncle. (Denoting support)

I wrote books on philosophy. (Denoting concern)

He jumped upon the horse. (Thins in motion)

In, within:

The loan will be repaid in a year. (End of a period of time)

The loan will be paid within a year. (Any time before the specified period)

Over, above:

They saw the peaks towering above them. (Higher)

We hung the picture over the fire place. (Vertically above)

Preposition is the biggest chapter in English Grammar. I have tried to explain the chapter with some good examples. The chapter has been taken from Business Communication MB0023 of SMU MBA.

Adverb – Uses of Adverbs from Business Communication MB0023

2010-01-11T19:40:00.000-08:00

Adverb is also the biggest chapter in English grammar just like verb and Noun. Here, we talk about adverb and uses of adverbs from Business Communication MB0023.

Adverbs add more meaning to the verb, adjective, or another adverb in a sentence. It ‘modifies’ that word.

For example – Radha sings melodiously.

He left immediately.

Formation of Adverbs:

By adding – ly, to an adjective: beautifully, strongly.

By adding – wise, ways, wards: otherwise, sideways, upwards.

By combining a noun and a prefix: asleep, ahead, away, besides.

By combining a prefix and an adjective: alone, around, below.

Two adverbs joined by conjunction: by and by, over and above, now and then.

Adverbs tell us about the time, place, manner, quantity, reason and frequency of an action. They are recognized by asking certain questions to the verb.

Useage of Adverbs:

An adverb must be placed as near as possible to the word it modifies.

For example – He waited long.

If the verb is in the simple tense form, the adverb is usually placed between the subject and the verb it modifies.

For example – He often visits his home town.

If the verb is in the form of ‘to be’ (is, am was, are, were) the adverb comes after the verb. For example – She is a very sober girl.

If the verb is compound, the adverb comes after the auxiliary.

For example – He will always teach.

If the sentence is negative, the adverb of frequency follows ‘not’.

For example – They are not generally selfish.

If the sentence is interrogative the adverb takes position immediately after the subject.

For example – Has he ever spoken to you?

In case of infinitives (to + simple form of verb + do), adverb should not be placed in between ‘to’ and ‘do’.

For example – He refused to do the task quickly.

Use of ‘hardly – ‘Hard’ as an adverb usually follows the verb.

For example – He works hard to make both ends meet.

‘Hardly’ as an adverb conveys a negative meaning of scarcely or barely.

For example – Hardly had he spoken when the bell rang.

Use of ‘scarce’, scarcely’ – ‘Scarce’ as an adverb means hard to find.

For example – Coal has become scarce in England.

‘Scarcely’ as an adverb is almost synonymous with ‘hardly’.

For example – I can scarcely hear you.

‘Hardly’ and ‘scarcely’ are followed by when. ‘No sooner’ is followed by than.

For example – Hardly had the bell rung when the children ran out of the classroom.

No sooner had the bell rung than the children ran out of the classroom.

Now, adverb chapter is very clear to improve your communication skills. The chapter has been taken from Business Communication book of SMU MBA.

Verb – Uses of Verb in Tenses from Business Communication of MBA

2009-12-11T21:42:00.000-08:00

Verb is the name of action in English grammar. Verb is divided into two parts – Transitive Verb and Intransitive Verb.

Transitive verb: the action passes from the subject to an object.

For example – My cat killed a rat.

In the sentence, the action of “killing” passes from the “cat” to the “rat”. In the sentence “killed” will be known as the transitive verb.

Intransitive verb: the action does not have any succeeding object. It merely points to a condition.

For example – The girl is dancing.

The action of “dancing” does not have any object that comes after it. Here “dancing” is an intransitive verb.

Uses of Verb in Tenses:

Tense refers to the time of action. The form of main verb changes with the change of tense. Tense has twelve structures.

Simple Present:

It is known for habitual action and permanent truths or facts.

Rules - Subject + V1

For example – The sun rises in the east.

Present Continuous:

The tense indicates the present time when an action is going on.

Rules – Subject + {is, am are} + V1+ ing

For example – My son is drawing scenery.

Present Perfect:

The tense indicates an action that has happened at an indefinite time in the past.

Rules – Subject + {have, has} + V3

For example – My father has just left.

Present Perfect Continuous:

The tense indicates an action that began in the past and still occurring in the present.

Rules – Subject + {have, has} + been + V1 + ing

For example – He has been working in Washington for 5 years.

Simple Past:

The tense is used for a completed action that had happened in the past. It indicates habits of the past also.

Rules – Subject + V2

For example – We always played together.

Past Continuous:

The tense indicates an action which was occurring in the past and was interrupted by another action.

Rules – Subject + {was, were} + V1 + ing

For example – I was watching cricket.

Past Perfect:

The tense is used to indicate an action that happened before another action in the past. Usually two actions are mentioned in the sentence.

Rules – Subject + Had + V3

For example – Ram had gone to the store.

Past Perfect Continuous:

The tense is used to convey an action which happened in the past and continued for certain time.

Rules – Subject + had + been + V1 + ing

For example – Ramu had been working at the university before he retired.

Simple Future:

The tense is used to express the speaker’s opinions or assumptions about the future.

Rules – Subject + {will, shall} + V1

For example – They will wait for us.

Future Continuous:

The tense is used to express an action as going on at some time in the future.

Rules – Subject + {will, shall} + be + V1 + ing

For example – I will be helping Marie tomorrow.

Future Perfect:

The tense is used for an action which at a given future time will be in the past. It is usually used with a time expression “by then”, “by that time”.

Rules – Subject + {will, shall} + have + V3

For example – By the end of next month he will have been here for ten years.

Future Perfect Continuous:

The tense can be used instead of future perfect tense.

Rules – Subject + {will, shall} + have + been + V1 + ing

For example – By the end of the week he will have been training pupils for ten years.

Verb and tense are interrelated elements in English grammar. It is the basic chapter of learning English. We already have discussed about Noun and Pronoun in the communication process chapter. Now, the Verb and uses of verb in tenses will surly improve your grammar skills. It will help in the examination of Business Communication of SMU MBA also.

Pronoun – Types of Pronoun and Uses of Pronoun from Business Communication of SMU MBA

2009-11-16T22:46:00.000-08:00

After the discussion of Noun, I need to share some thought about Pronoun. The chapter is the most important in English grammar. Types of Pronoun are related to the uses of pronoun. The chapter deals the book of Business Communication of SMU MBA.

Pronoun:

Pronoun is known as another face of Noun. Pronoun is used as a proxy to the proper noun to avoid repetition of the Nouns. The word “Pronoun” means “For a Noun”. Thus, Pronoun is a word that is used instead of noun.

Types of Pronoun:

Personal Pronoun

Relative Pronoun

Distributive Pronoun

Demonstrative Pronoun

Indefinite Pronoun

Reflexive Pronoun

Emphatic Pronoun

Interrogative Pronoun

Reciprocal Pronoun

The personal Pronoun replacing the noun should conform to the gender, number and person of the noun.

Relative Pronoun must always be placed as near its antecedent as possible.

Distributive Pronoun is singular in number and must be followed by singular verb.

Demonstrative Pronoun is also used to avoid the repetition of a preceding noun.

Indefinite Pronoun refers to noun in a general way.

Reflexive Pronoun is used when subject and object refer to the same person.

Emphatic Pronoun is used to emphasize the subject of the sentence.

Reciprocal Pronoun expresses a mutual or reciprocal relationship.

Interrogative Pronoun is used for questions.

Uses of Pronoun:

When two singular nouns joined by “and” are preceded by “each” or “every”; the pronoun must be singular in number.

For example: Every student and every teacher took his seat.

When two singular nouns are joined by “and” denoting the same person/thing, the pronoun used for them must be singular in number. The definite article “the” is placed before the first noun.

For example: The accounts officer and treasurer should be careful in his work.

When nouns of different genders are combined by a conjunction, the pronoun must agree with the gender of the noun which is next to the conjunction.

For example: Every boy and girl went to her house.

Pronoun is always considered as the biggest chapter in English grammar. To develop communication skills, pronoun is the essential chapter.

About Noun and Uses of Noun by Remedial English from Business Communication

2009-10-11T03:04:00.000-07:00

Remedial English is the chapter of Business Communication of SMU MBA. SMU introduces the book as MB0023 for MBA student. I want to discuss about the Remedial English chapter from the Business Communication book. This is the very big chapter of Business Communication which is about parts of speech. During the English language learning, grammar is known as the foundation. In the English Grammar, parts of speech is the base on which we make a sentence. There are eight parts of parts of speech in English grammar such as – Noun, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb, Adjective, Preposition, Conjunction and Interjection.

Here, I want talk about Noun and uses of Noun. Noun is the basic and most important chapter of English grammar. It is the first chapter of parts of speech. It is the communication process from where we begin.

Definition of Noun:

There are many definitions about Noun but we take only few for references. According the David Green, “A Noun may be defined as the name of a person, place or thing. By ‘thing’, we mean something that can be seen and touched (concrete) or something that can only be thought of and not seen and touched (abstract).” This definition is very suitable that says everything about Noun in short.

For example – Lisa, Shyam, Rohan etc. for names; Park, Patna, Delhi etc. for places; Pen, Pencil, Book etc for thing.

Functions of Noun:

Noun can function as subject, object and compliment in a sentence. For example – Ram Reads a Book. (Ram is Noun). A Book is read by Ram. (A Book is Noun). Ram’s book is very informative. (Ram’s Book is Noun).

Kinds of Noun:

There are very differences about kinds of noun between modern grammar and old grammar. According to the old grammar, noun is divided into five parts such as – Proper Noun, Common Noun, Abstract Noun, Collective Noun and Material Noun. New grammar treats these in two parts such as – Countable Noun and Uncountable Noun.

According to the Business Communication book, noun can be shown as:

Gender in Noun:

Father, Boy, Hero; male denoted noun is known as the Masculine Gender.

Mother, Girl, Heroine; female denoted noun is known as the Feminine Gender.

Baby, Parent, Student, Teacher; common denoted noun is known as the Common Gender.

Tree, Jewel, Building; neuter denoted noun is known as the Neuter Gender.

Number of Noun:

Single thing is known as the Singular Noun such as – tomato, boy, card etc.

More than one is known as the Plural Noun such as – tomatoes, boys, cards etc.

So, this chapter gives knowledge about Noun and uses of Noun in English grammar which is the first and basic chapter of parts of speech. This is the most important chapter in the process of learning English grammar. It is the most preferable chapter of business communication to develop communication skills and to know about types of communication also.

Types of Communication and Impact of Communication

2009-09-11T10:46:00.000-07:00

We already have discussed about communication process and communication barriers in our previous post. Here, I want to tell about types of communication and impact of communication on human behaviour.

Communication is possible with words. We talk to our friend to write a letter or E-mail. It means we are talking through words. We are establishing a communication with our friends. This is one type of communication but here we will discuss on many types of communication.

Communication through words:

When a baby cries, the mother turns to her. Communication through spoken words or written words is called verbal communication. Verbal communication is known as spoken communication also.

Non-verbal communication:

Non-verbal communication is known as communication without words. In this process we don’t use words to send or receive massages. We can categories non-verbal communication as:

Gestures

Body Language

Posture

Facial Expression

Eye Gazing

Impact of Communication on human behaviour or performance:

Effective communication is known as the well-defined strategy that enables any organization to achieve its set goals. A close tie between business, performance, technology and communication strategies provides a strong base for understanding and support within an organization.

The performance of an individual is either enhanced or hampered depending upon the effectiveness of communication in the work place. An organization is more than a set of by-laws, financial reports or organizational charts. It is a group of ‘people’. We cannot deny the social aspects of the workplace because it inhibits the transfer of information and knowledge and hinders the organization’s ability to outperform and innovate.

Just turn around- you may be in the cafeteria, front office, recreation area or the administrative block. Pay attention to different communication that I going on. Are they clear? Are they too harsh or too dry? How are they perceived? Is the receiver of the message accepting or rejecting the message? Do people care to what you say? Do you accomplish your goal? It is more than often that you are in a dilemma about issuing new instructions.

Effective communication enables you to hold a “relaxed” meeting and read to them what you wrote so that they could critique.

Communication Process and Communication Barriers in an Organization

2009-08-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Mostly, “Communication” term is used by behavioural theorists, management scholars and the general public. We will follow here some definition of communication which has been varyingly defined over the years.

I am going to share some definition of communication process from one of the MBA books - MB0023.

According to the Newman and Summer, communication is used as,

“an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or more persons.”

Here Newman and Summer theorizes communication as an exchange of views.

Hoben defines it as,

“Communication is the verbal interchange of thought or idea.”

He is not dealing with written and visual communication.

We get a good definition about communication by Anderson who says,

“Communication is the process, by which we understand others and in turn endeavor to be understood by them. It is dynamic, constantly changing and shifting in response to the total situation.”

So, the definition is in the process and continuances.

Function and Purpose of Communication

In an organization communication helps to establish and disseminate the goals. It facilitates the development of plans for the achievement of goals. Communication helps to manage and utilizes manpower and other resources in the most effective and efficient manner. Communication helps manager lead, direct and motivate employees to contribute right things.

Process of Communication

Normally, communication is known as interpersonal, wherein the information or message is transferred from one person to the others. Transmitting person of the message is called the sender or transmitter. Receiver of message is called the receiver. The process of converting information that has to be sent, into a format which the receiver can understand is known as encoding.

Information can be encoded into various formats – oral, written or visual. To show each of the formats we had to go through a medium called channel. There are many channels of communication which may be a letter, memorandum, computer, telephone, fax, telegram or a television.

Information which is transferred to the receiver has to be interpreted. Interpretation is known as decoding. The process of replying is known as feedback. Here is a diagram of communication process:

So, to send any message a sender chooses a suitable channel and finally receiver sends a message back to the sender.

Barriers to Effective Communication

In each process of communication – encoding, transference and decoding, there may be possibility of interface. It may hamper the communication process. This is known as noise. It is just like carrying water in leaky bucket. Barriers are also major difficulties during message transferred. To ensure clarity in communication, barriers must be eliminated or minimized.

Barriers of communication can be defined as

Linguistic and cultural differences: It creates the problem for receiver to complete or understand the language used by the transmitter.

Environment: Noise is the basic barriers in the types of environment barriers of communication.

Channel: A faulty fax machine, a crackling phone or illegible hand-writing can be barriers of channel communication.

Receiver’s Attitude and Behaviour: The type comes basically in organization to satisfy clients. It can lead the inaccurate hearing of the information.

Transmission Journey: There can be some difficulties during transmission journey. So, it is necessary to repeat the massage and use more than one channel to communicate a message.

Lack of Planning: Purpose to communicate a person should be very clear. So, planning is the most effective thing to void lack of planning in communication.

Semantic Distortion: The distortion comes in the uses of words. It may be a serious barrier to effective communication.

At last, we can sum up communication definition, function, process and barriers. To handle a person or an organization it is the most necessary thing to understand communication, communication process and communication barriers. There should be a planned way of communication to understand or send a message.

Leader and Leadership in an Organization

2009-07-09T20:16:00.000-07:00

There are great debate on leader and leadership. Some of the people say that leaders are born not made but some are against it. It is said that Alexander/Julius Caesar were leader from born.

On the chapter we have to discuss about leader and leadership in an organization. A manager should be leader or not? A manager has better quality of leaders or leaders have better quality of managers?

Leadership objectives:

Meaning of leadership

Qualities of a good leader

Theories of leadership

Different types of leaders

Functions of a leader

Differences between ‘managers’ and ‘leaders’

According to the Haiman Leadership is, “the process by which an executive or a manager imaginatively directs, guides and influences the work of others in choosing and attaining specified goals by mediation between the individual and organization in such a manner that both will obtain the maximum satisfaction.” In other word we can say leadership is, “the relationship in which one person influences others to work together willingly on related tasks to attain that level which he desires.”

Some quality of a good leader:

Has foresight

Has influence

Has representative role playing

Communicates properly

Commands attention and respect

Helps to achieve task objectives

Commands trust and confidence

Is sensitive to the task, people and environment

Builds team and becomes a model

Has the ability and skill to manage the team

Has the ability to take decision and many more

In the leadership theories “Great Man” theories comes first and according to it great leaders are born, not made.

According to trait theories people inherit certain qualities and traits that make them better suited to leadership.

According to Contingency theories leadership focus on particular variables related to the environment that might determine which particular style of leadership is best suited for the situation.

According to situational theories leaders choose the best course of action based upon situational variable.

According to the behavioural theories leaders are based upon the belief that great leaders are made, not born.

According to the participative theories ideal leadership style is one that takes the input of others into account.

Management theories focus on the role of supervision, organization, and group performance.

Relationship theories focus upon the connections formed between leaders and followers.

About the classification of leadership we know these types:

Bureaucrat Leaders

Autocrat Leaders

Diplomat Leaders

Expert Leaders

Quarter Back Leaders

But according to the Chris Argyris leadership classification leaders types are:

Directive type

Permissive type

Participative type

Abraham Zaleznik (1977), delineated differences between leadership and management. He saw leaders as inspiring visionaries, concerned about substance; while managers are viewed as planners who have concerns with process. Warren Bennis (1989) further explained a dichotomy between managers and leaders. He drew twelve distinctions between the two groups:

Managers administer, leaders innovate.

Managers ask how and when, leaders as what and why.

Mangers focus on systems, leaders focus on people.

Managers do things right, leaders do the right things.

Managers maintain, leaders develop.

Mangers rely on control, leaders inspire trust.

Managers have a short-term perspective, leaders have a long-term perspective.

Managers accept the status-quo; leaders challenge the status-quo.

Managers have an eye on the bottom line, leader have an eye on the horizon.

Managers imitate, leaders originate.

Managers emulate the classic good soldier, leaders are their own person.

Managers copy, leaders show originality.

In the end of the chapter we can say leaders are far ahead from a manager. Manager vision should be like a leader. Above mentioned all the resources will clear you about the function of a manager and leaders. In this term we can say leaders purpose are for high term however manager purposes are for short-term.

Groups and Group Dynamics

2009-06-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

The group concept is as old as civilization. In the primitive age group was a basic unit of survival. On this group chapter we have to focuses on group dynamics and principles of group dynamics.

Groups and Group Dynamics Objectives:

Meaning of group

Characteristics and functions of groups

Different types of groups

Group characteristics

Group dynamics and principles of group dynamics

About group Kimball Young defines, “two or more persons in a state of social interaction.” Sherif and Sherif define about group as, “a social unit which consists of a number of individuals who stand in definite status and role relationships to one another and which possesses a set of values or norms of its own regulating the behaviour of individual members, at least in matters of consequence to the group.”

Normally group characters define in four parts 1) two or more people, 2) who interact with one another, 3) share some common ideology, and 4) see themselves as a group.

On the formal group MBA book MB 0027 writes, “The formal work group has a designated leader who supervises group members, mediates rewards and punishments, and is responsible for group performance to a higher authority in the organization.”

On the informal work groups, “Informal groups are loosely organized groups such as bowling teams and social clubs that arise apart from the formal organization to which members of the informal group may belong.”

Thomas Harrll has defined group dynamics as, “an expression that describes the situation in which people acting together in a group accomplish certain thing, either positively or negatively in a way that cannot be explained adequately in terms of the individual acting separately.”

Cartwright has termed principles of group dynamics which are:

If a group is to be used effectively as a medium of change, those who are to be changed and those who are to wield an influence for change must have a strong sense of belonging to the same group, i.e., the barriers between the leaders and the led should be broken down.

The more attractive a group is to its members, the greater the influence it would exercise on its members.

The higher the prestige of a group member in the eyes of the members, the greater the influence he will exercise on them.

Information relating to the need for change, plans for change, and the consequence of change must be shared by all the members of a group.

In the end of the chapter we can say that group dynamics is concerned with the interactions and forces between group members in a social situation.

Grievance and Grievance Procedure

2009-05-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

Grievances always vary from company to company and it has many definitions also by many authors. Grievance is used company to indicate various forms and stages of an employee’s dissatisfaction.

According to the Dale Yoder, “a written complaint filled by an employee and claiming unfair treatment.” Another definition comes with Prof. Jucious who defines as, “any discontent or dissatisfaction, whether expressed or not and whether valid or not, arising out of anything connected with the company that an employee thinks, believes or even feels unfair, unjust or inequitable.”

There are various factors which arise Grievances. A grievance is always a symbol of some malfunctioning or maladjustment and an able and skillful manager can always find out the real or submerged reasons for a grievance.

The dispute or grievance constitutes a managerial problem and the scientific method is usually most productive in arriving at a satisfactory solution.

On the Grievance handling procedure from MBA books, MB 0027 writes:

A grievance should be dealt within the limits of the first line supervisor.

The appellate authority should be made clear to the employee so that is he cannot get satisfaction from his immediate supervisor, he should know the next step.

The grievance should be dealt with speedily.

In establishing a grievance procedure, if the grievance is against an instruction given by a superior in the interest or order and discipline, the instructions must be carried out first and then only employee can register his protest.

Grievance Handling Procedure Image

In the grievance handling the some factors include:

Receive and define the nature of the dissatisfaction.

Get the facts.

Analyze and divide.

Apply the answer.

Follow up.

In establishing a grievance procedure, if the grievance is against an instruction given by a superior in the interest of order and discipline, the instructions must be carried out first and then only employee can register the protest.

In the language of the labour management relations, a grievance is a complaint formally presented by the employee or employees to the management.

In case, the grievance has not been settled by top management and top union leadership, the same may be submitted to an impartial arbitrator.

Discipline and Disciplinary Procedure of Management

2009-04-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

On the basis of discipline a system or an organization may run very smoothly. Discipline in an organization is a paramount importance for its smooth running and survival.

Discipline comes with the capitalist system to run factories and arrange the resources and labour power. It is basically known for an organization however in the Jamindari system it was also most famous for discipline.

Discipline and Disciplinary Procedure Objectives:

Meaning of discipline and disciplinary procedure

Objectives of discipline

Principles for maintenance of discipline

Basic ingredients and guidelines for disciplinary action

Procedure for disciplinary action

Process of dismissal and discharge of the employee

Conditions for discharge of the employee

According to the Bremblett, Earl R, “discipline in the broad sense means orderliness-the opposite of confusion.” But according to the Calhoon Richard D., “discipline may be considered as a force that prompts individuals or groups to observe the rules, regulations and procedures which are deemed to be necessary for the effective functioning of an organization.”

On the objectives of Discipline one of the MBA books MB 0027 writes:

To obtain a willing acceptance of the rules, regulations and procedures of an organization, so that organizational goals may be attained.

To impact an element of certainty despite several differences in informal behaviour patterns and other related changes in an organization.

To develop among the employees a spirit of tolerance and a desire to make adjustments.

To give and seek direction, and responsibility.

To create an atmosphere of respect for the human personality and human relations.

To increase the working efficiency and morale of the employees, so that their productivity is stopped up, the cost of production brought down and the quality of production improved.

According to Article 311 of the Indian constitution, which says that, “no person shall be dismissed or removed from service until he has been given a reasonable opportunity to show cause as to why the proposed action should not be taken against him.”

In the end of the chapter we can say that the ultimate purpose of a disciplinary action is to maintain discipline, to ensure productivity, and avoid a repetition of the offense.

In the other words a disciplinary action should be evaluated in terms of its effectiveness after it has been taken.

Morale and Motivation Theory of Management

2009-03-06T03:06:00.000-08:00

Morale is internal feeling and it is inspired by the environment. Motivation comes from enthusiasm, zeal, confidence in individuals or groups that they will be able to cope with the tasks assigned to them.

Morale and Motivation Objectives:

Meaning and importance of morale

Relationship between morale and productivity

Methods of measurement of employee morale

Distinguish between morale and motivation

Steps in motivation

Ways of motivating the employees

Major theories of motivation

From one of the MBA Books MB 0027 a theory comes in my mind which has been proposed by Professor Ralph C. Davis about morale, “Good organizational morale is a condition in which individuals and groups voluntarily make a reasonable subordination of their personnel objectives of their organization.”

Another theory of morale comes from B Flippo morale is, “a mental condition or attitude of individuals and groups which determines their willingness to co-operate. Good morale is evidenced by employee enthusiasm, voluntary conformance with regulations and orders, and a willingness to co-operate with others in the accomplishment of an organization’s objectives. Poor morale is evinced by surliness, insubordination, a feeling of discouragement and dislike of the job, company and associates.”

On the importance of morale we can say that it is the realization of common objectives which refers to the working of an individual. Morale is also depends on the reality and material background. So, it depends upon the relations between expectations and reality.

There are some scales on which we can measure employee’s Morale:

The supervisor/executive’s impressions

The guided interview

The unguided interview

A combination of the guided and unguided interview

An analysis of company records

The listening-in process

The questionnaire

A combination of any of the foregoing methods

Morale can be improved in a specific organization and in a specific environment:

Creation of whole jobs

Job enrichment

Building Responsibility into a job

Modifying the work environment

Flexing Working hours

Job-sharing

Rotation of Jobs

Profit-Sharing

These are the perception on which we can develop a strong feeling for the morale in a person to do that.

Motivation is also an internal feeling like morale but it is not consistence like morale. About the motivation Michael Jucius has defined, “motivation is an act of stimulating someone to get a desired course of action.”

In the theories of motivation Maslow’s Need Hierarchy theory comes at first. According to Maslow’s hierarchy theory it is known as an individual’s motivations as a predetermined order of needs which he strives to satisfy. His model of hierarchy of needs indicates satisfaction of human basic needs.

Another theory comes with McGregor’s which is known as theory of X and theory of Y (and theory of Z).

In the end of the chapter we can say the best results come when an organization has both high morale and high motivation.

Compensation Management – Salary Negotiation

2009-02-24T07:11:00.000-08:00

Compensation management chapter contain wage and salary aspect. The word salary applies to compensation that is uniform from one period to the next and does not depend upon the number of hours worked.

Compensation Management Objectives:

Wage, Compensation and their administration

Job Satisfaction

Labour and Wage Theories

Classification of Wages

Machinery for fixing wages

Job Evaluation

Objectives of job evaluation and methods of evaluation

Promotions and transfers

Wage and Salary Administration:

The term compensation management is the alternative of wage and salary administration. Wage word is commonly used for those employees whose pay is calculated according to the number of hours worked. The concept of wage came from capitalist before it in the Jamindari system the concept of wage was in the slaves form. Salary applies to compensation that is uniform from one period to the next and does not depend upon the number of hours worked. When we got for job definition we found that job is defined as a collection or aggregation of tasks, duties, and responsibilities that, as a whole, is regarded as the reasonable assignment to an individual employee. Job is known as impersonal however position is known as personal. Job always contains a position which defines some set of works.

Job Satisfaction

Job satisfaction depends on the situations and environment of work atmosphere. According to the MBA Book MB 0027, “Job satisfaction is determined by a set of personal and job factors, personal factors relate to worker’s age, length of service, intelligence, skill, and other personality or temperamental factors.

About the Job Evaluation British Institute of Management has defined “job evaluation as the process of analysis and assessment of jobs to ascertain reliably their relative worth, using the assessment as a basis for a balanced wage structure.”

“Job analysis is the process of getting information about jobs; specifically, what the worker does; how he gets it done; why he does it; skill, education and training required; relationships to other jobs; physical demands and environmental conditions”.

On the job evolution methods we can include some aspects:

Ranking methods

Grade Description Method

Point Method

Factor-Comparison Method

Time-Span Method

Guide-Chart Profile Method

Pigors & Meyers give a unique definition of promotion which is, “the advancement of an employee to a better job – better in terms of greater respect of pay and salary. Better houses of work or better location or better working conditions-also may characterize the better location or better working conditions-also may characterize the better job to which an employee seeks promotions, but if the job does not involve greater skill or responsibilities and higher pay, it should not be considered a promotions.”

On the Subject of Transfer Pigors and Mayers also writes, “the movement of an employee from one job to another on the same occupational level and at about the same level of wages or salary.”

In the end of the chapter we can say that Compensation Management deals not only salary and wages but also job analysis and job satisfaction.

Performance Appraisal : Evolution of Employee Performance

2009-02-06T08:50:00.000-08:00

Performance is a type of evolution about employee which tells the organization about the employee skills and their work efficiency. Performance appraisal is evaluating the employee’s work and gives the chance to their career growth and satisfaction.

Performance Appraisal Objectives:

Meaning of performance evaluation and recognition

Various techniques and methods of evaluation

Significance of rewards and incentives

Purpose of promotions

Concept of 360 degree Appraisal

Performance appraisal has been arranged by HRM time to time on the yearly or half yearly basis to review the performance of an employee towards the organization. About the performance appraisal MBA book MB 0027 writes, “Performance evaluation is the personnel activity by means of which the enterprise determines the extent to which the employee is performance the job effectively.”

Techniques of Evaluation

Evaluation techniques depend on a particular organization because every organization has their own evolution techniques.

But normally evaluation methods have been divided into three parts:

Individual evolution methods

Multiple-person evaluation methods

Other methods

In the individual evolution methods there can be some aspects to evaluate which can be:

Graphic rating scale – normally it contain (0-9) scale to rate a person scores.

Forced choice – Forced choice can be by superiors, peers, subordinates, or a combination of these in evaluating employees.

Easy Evolution – In the evolution system some questions has been asked by evaluator strong and weak aspects of the employee’s behaviour.

Management by Objectives – It is known as MBO and in the system the supervisor and employee to be evaluated jointly set objectives in advance for the employee to try to achieve during a specified period.

Critical Incident technique – In this technique, personnel specialists and operating managers prepare lists of statements of very effective and very ineffective behaviour for an employee.

Checklists and weighted checklists – In the process you have to check out some question on the understanding of your answers.

Behaviorally anchored rating scales – It is known as BARS.

In the multiple-person evaluation methods there are also some techniques occurs:

Ranking – in the method the evaluator is asked to rate employees from highest to lowest on same overall criterion.

Paired comparison – this approach makes the ranking method easier and more reliable.

Forced distribution – It is similar to grading on a curve.

In the other methods we can include performance tests, fixed review techniques etc.

Appraisal, Praise or Recognition

About the praise, “Praise seems to have its greatest value when given and received as recognition, and is not perceived by either party as an attempt to control the behaviour of the recipient.”

Recognition satisfies human need for esteem by others and for self-esteem.

About the Rewards and Incentives Burack and Smith says, “An incentive scheme is a plan or programme to motivate individual or group performance. An incentive programme is most frequently built on monetary rewards (incentive Ray or a monetary bonus), but may also include a variety of non-monetary rewards or prizes.”

Incentives and rewards always attract the employee attraction towards the work and give them satisfaction to the organization.

Promotions

According to the MBA book MB 0027 promotion is, “a term which covers a change and calls for greater responsibilities, and usually involves higher pay and better terms and conditions of service and, therefore, a higher status of rank.”

360 Degree Appraisal

These terms (360-degree, full circle, etc.) mean using the variety of sources that provide the best picture of performance. Therefore, for example, an agency may use supervisor, self and customer input to supplement the rating official’s appraisal in one division’s program. Another division of the same agency with “self-directed teams” may use peer, self and subordinate ratings to obtain the most useful input.

Employee Growth & Development Training

2009-01-23T19:47:00.000-08:00

The era is of skilled workers because outsourcing has developed the work efficiency and has moved to quality works. So, every organization needs to have well-trained and experienced professional to perform the activities that have to be done. To solve the problem of complex job there is need of well trained employee selection policy.

Objectives of Employee Growth & Development Training Chapter:

Objectives of training

Importance of training

Types and techniques of training and development

Types, Methods and Procedures of training

Reasons of Failure of training

About the meaning of training MBA book MB 0027 writes, “Training indicates any process by which the aptitudes, skills and abilities of employees to perform specific jobs are increased. Training refers to the teaching/learning activities carried on for the primary purpose of helping members of an organization to acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes needed by that organization” It is well known that a company give the training to its employee to the fulfill organization objectives not for employee satisfaction however the job descriptions satisfy employee satisfaction also.

According to Douglas McGregor there are three different purposes of learning:

Acquiring Intellectual Knowledge

Acquiring Manual Skills

Acquiring Problem-Solving Skills

These three training purpose develop the skills, intellect and problem solving ideas to the employee.

Now, we can say that importance of training main purpose is sound management, for it makes employees more effective and productive. Importance of training widely known as, “training is widely accepted problem-solving device. Indeed, our national superiority in manpower productivity can be attributed in no small measure to the success of our educational and industrial training programmes.”

According to the A.D. Sinha identifying training needs:

Views of the line manager

Performance appraisal

Company and departmental plans

Views of training manager

Analysis of job difficulties

Now, we can look into need and importance of management development by Dr. B. K. Madan, “Mangement development is the development of management over and above its science and theory, of its practice and application in organization, corporations and institutions, alike in relation to the organization and manager, so as continuously to re-equip both to fulfill their purposes more effectively and in harmony with each other, and both with the environment in which they function and have their being and hope to thrive upon and grow.”

About the training evaluation MBA book MB 0027 writes, “Objectives of training evaluation is to determine the ability of the participant in the training programme to perform jobs for which they were trained, the specific nature of training deficiencies, whether the trainees required any additional on the job training, and the extent of training not needed for the participants to meet job requirements. There are various approaches to training evolution. To get a valid measure of training effectiveness, the personnel manager should accurately assess trainee’s job performance two to four months after completion of training.”

On the training failure we can writes:

The benefits of training are not clear to the top management.

The top management hardly rewards supervisors for carrying out effective training.

The top management rarely plans and budgets systematically for training.

It means all the aspect depends on the higher management who doesn’t know the reality and don’t want the reality of training management programme. It is the cause of training failures.

In the end of the chapter we can say that employee growth depends on the training and training for the organization development as well as well employee satisfaction.

Human Resource Planning & Selection Policy

2009-01-08T07:19:00.000-08:00

We already have discussed in previous chapter about the human resources evolution, importance and objectives. Now, we will elaborate here bout the planning and selection policy of human resource.

The objectives of Human Resource Planning & Selection Policies are:

Need for HR Planning

Process of HR Planning

HR Planning System and its Components

Responsibilities for HR Planning

Recruitment practices in the Indian Context

Recruitment Programme

According to Wikcstrom, “Human-resource planning consists of a series of activities.” Human resource planning is nothing but manpower planning.

About the Human Resource Planning Tata Electrical Locomotive company writes, “embraces organization development, management development, career planning and succession planning.”

The human resource planning contains:

Deciding goals or objectives

Estimating future organizational structure and manpower requirements

Auditing Human resources

Planning job requirements and job descriptions

Developing a human resource

In the responsibility of human resource planning Geisler writes:

1. To assist, counsel and pressurizes the operating management to plan and establish objectives

2. To collect and summaries data in total organizational terms and to ensure consistency with long-range objectives and other elements of the total business-plan

3. To monitor and measure performance against the plan and keep the top management informed about it

4. To provide the research necessary for effective manpower and organization planning.

From the MBA book 0027 about the recruitment policy Dale Yoder writes, “Recruitment is a process to discover the sources of manpower to meet the requirements of the staffing schedule and to employ effective measures for attracting that manpower in adequate numbers to facilitate effective selection of an efficient working force.”

In the sources of recruitment these are following aspects:

Advertising: the Company adverse about the job vacancy from the various sources –off-line and on-line.

Employment Agencies: In the recent era job consultants have acquired the job areas to give the job for employee.

Employee Referrals: It is the programme which is run by the company. It is internal communication within a company to get some referral when a employee refer to another for the organization.

In the India recruitment practices have been classified:

1. within the organization
2. Badii or temporary workers
3. Employment agencies
4. Casual Callers
5. Applicants Introduced by friends
6. Advertisement
7. Labour contracts

These are the major sources from where Indian company hair employee for an organization.

Human Resource Management : HR Management

2008-12-13T20:07:00.000-08:00

After having completed the book review of MB 0022 of 1st semester I am going to write about the human resource management in an organization. Globally, Human Resource Management today known as a part of an organization and it has own existence world wide.

It is said that management of human resources lead, mobilize and direct the efforts of people. In the stage of globalization and industrialization human resource management reveal the following trends according to Dale Yoder:

1. Increased complexity of organization and employment communication and a distinction between owners, managers and workers

2. Decreased number of employers and self-employed, and enlarged size or workforce

3. Enhanced need for training in view of increased requirements of specialized skills

4. Public interventions and legal complication in employer-employee relationships

5. Enhanced training and development of managers and professionalisation of management education

6. Possibility of employment explosion in view of the ever-increasing size of workforce

7. Rising formal level of education of rank-and-file employees who are becoming increasingly critical of management malpractices and errors

8. Rank-and-file employees’ rapidly growing demands in different employment situations

9. Increased applications of behavioural science by enterprising managers

10. Recognition of close relationship between profits and earnings and ability to manage human resources

These are the identified problem which occurs in an organization with the employee and owners. The need creates the role of human resource management.

Objectives of Human Resource Management by the MB 0027 Book:

Importance of Human Resources

Economic and Non-Economic factors and their interaction with HR

Evaluation of HR and HR management in the Indian context

Theory of Human Relations

Objective of HR

Growth of HR as a profession

Personnel Management and HR Management

At first we will discuss on the importance of Human Resources however it has been discussed some more above. From the MBA book MB 0027 we can defined that Human Resources is known as the “total knowledge, skills, creative abilities, talents and aptitudes obtained in the population whereas from the viewpoint of the individual enterprise, they represent the total of the inherent abilities, acquired knowledge and skills as exemplified in the talents and aptitudes of its employees” Main importance of human resource management are increasing significance in modern organizations.

In the chapter economic and non-economic factors we can say at 1st human resource known as the importance from the economic standpoint at national, enterprise and individual levels of analysis.

Evolution of Management of Human Resources in Indian Context:

In the “Artha-Shastra” which is written by Kautliya, an Indian 1st economist in 4th century B.C provides a systematic treatment of management of human resources. In the book he described labour in a society as the system of “Shreni”. According to the “Shreni” Indian society was divided in four parts from the labourer point of view. Kautilya has provided an excellent thought on staffing and personnel management also which define the ability of a man to work in society. According to the personnel skills everyone will get the job in society. Further, Indian society divided on the cast system to distribute labour system.

In the modern age of India there was a factory act in 1881. According to the act workers were allowed a week off-day and for woman workers hours of a day have been limited as eleven hours per day. Further the act lead to the child workers also and give them royalties to work seven hours in a day and a child should be in minimum age of 7 years and only day shift they can work.

To lead the voice of workers first labour organization designated in Bombay in 1890 as Mill Hands association. In 1905 the Printers’ Union at Calcutta comes in light and similarly in 1907 the Postal Union at Bombay was established.

In this process after the post independent of India the fight between employee and owners were continuous. All the aspect to organize resources and human being for an organization give birth the management of human resources in India also.

Theory of Human Relations

The theory of human relations has been defined in two factors – employee human relationship within an orgnastion and public human relations outside an organization. About the theory Huneryager and Heckmann said, “Human relations is a systematic, developing body of knowledge devoted to explanning the behaviour of individuals I the working organsion”. According to McFarland, “Human Relations is the study and practice of utilizing human resources through knowledge and through an understanding of the activities, attitudes, sentiments and inter-relationship of people at work.”

According to the MBA Book of SMU – MB 0027 Human Relations in Management “is a process that brings workers into contact with and causes them to be influenced by their leaders, their jobs and other aspects of the organizations which they work.”

Human Relations Objectives:

Mainly human relations work within the employee and for the employee in the favour of an organization and owners. It is not a technical and economic aspects but it is the aspect which deals the motives of an organization.

Specially, in India human relation movement took place in 1970s when Indian workers and agrarian announced to fight against the capitalist classes. It was the turning point for the human relation department in India.

In the end of the chapter we can take look of Yader, Henemen and others who differentiate the Personal Management and Human Resource Management by the definition, “HRM is a broad concept which covers many personnel aspects and include social, professional and individual enterprise aspects, whereas Personnel Management focuses only on personnel aspects such as leadership, justice determination, task specialization, staffing, performance appraisal, etc. HRM is more growth-oriented whereas Personnel Management is slightly narrow.”

Organisational Change and Development – MBA Book

2008-12-01T08:59:00.000-08:00

MBA is all about related to a firm or company so we have to discuss all things in the relation of on organization.

An intellectual has said that everything is changeable. So, it is also fact in the situation of organization. Development of organization is changing process.

We should decide some objectives of this chapter which can be:

Forces for change

Form of change

Approach to change

Concept and purpose of development

Types of Organisation Development Activity

Analysis of Organisational effectiveness

Change refers to a modification always. We know change without force is not possible. For example we can see whole history of life. So, we can indicate the forces of change in an organization:

Nature of the Work Force

Technology

Economic Shocks

Competition

Social Trends

World Politics

Change should be recognized as external and internal changes. External forces which is beyond us and include – Technological changes, globlisation, social and political changes, workforce diversity and managing ethical behaviour etc.

Like these internal forces includes - changes in Managerial personnel, declining effectiveness, changes in work climate, deficiencies in the Existing System, Crisis and Employee expectations.

Internal forces, which can be managed by us and which is not beyond us.

Now, we will discuss about forms of change. There are two types of changes – planned and unplanned.

Now, here is another thing which is definition of Organisation Development (OD)

For the topic we should take look on some theoretician definition. According to Wendell L. French and Cecil H. Bell, Jr., “Organisation development is a systematic process for applying behavioural science principles and practices in organizations, to increase individual and organizational effectiveness.”

Another theory comes from Worly, “a systematic application of behavioural science knowledge to the planned development and reinforcement of organizational strategies, structures, and processing for improving an organisation’s effectiveness.”

Now, we can say that organization development is organization improvement strategy. OD is known as a technique which brings change in the organisatioin.

Now, we can say change is inevitable in a progressive culture and society to meet the new.

Conflict Management – MBA Book

2008-11-08T06:52:00.000-08:00

Best examples of conflict are conflict between management and employees. Conflict a serious problem in any organization if the problem not handle properly.

Conflict Management Objectives from the MBA Book

Definition of Conflict

Outcome of Conflict

Forms of Conflict

Conflict Management Strategies

Stress

Causes of Stress

Stress Management

Crisis of Management

About the conflict in an organization there are many definitions by some academician. At 1st we will give some light on Gray and Starke’s theory of conflict management, “Conflict is behaviour by a person or group that is purposely designed to inhibit the attainment of goals by another person or group. This ‘purposeful inhibition may be active or passive.”

According to K. W. Thomas conflict is, “processes that begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected or is about to negatively affect, something the first party cares about.”

At last I give one more definition about conflict by B. Kabanoff, “Conflict refers to a disagreement, opposition, or struggle between two or more individuals or groups. It results from incompatible influence attempts between and within individuals, groups or organizations.”

In the age of globalization company has conflicts in terms of people personality, values, attitudes, perceptions, languages, cultures and national backgrounds.

Now, we will discuss about outcomes of conflicts. Outcome of conflicts is the results of conflicts. Conflicts has two consequences – Positive and Negative.

Positive consequences of conflicts are:

Leads to new ideas

Stimulates Creativity

Motivates changes

Promotes Organizational vitality

Helps Individual and Groups

Indicate Problems

Negative consequences of conflicts are:

Diverts energy from work

Wastes of resources

Creates negative climate

Breaks down group cohesion

Increase hostility and aggressive behaviours

Conflicts are divided into two parts – Functional Conflict and Dysfunctional conflict.

Functional conflicts support the goals of the group and improve its performance while dysfunctional conflict hinders the group performance.

In this chapter now we have to discuss about sources of organizational conflict. These are:

Line and Staff Competition

Organization-Individual Disagreements

Overlapping Responsibilities

Functional Interdependence

Personality Clashes

Disagreement over Goals

Flow of Work

Conflict can be divide into two forms also – Intra-Individual or Interpersonal conflict. An Individual can get experience about cognitive conflict, affective conflict, inter-role conflict, intra-role conflict and personal-role conflict.

Strategies of Conflict Management

In the strategies of conflict management we can include – avoiding, accommodating, competing, compromising and collaborating which is style of management.

Negotiation

In this chapter we have to study about negotiation also. Negotiation is a process by which we can define conflict what they are willing to give and accept in return. Negotiation has been including in this chapter because it is a part of conflict management. Negotiation process solves management conflicts towards the employees.

There can be some negotiation steps:

Preparation

Evaluation of Alternatives

Identifying Interests

Bargains

In every country there are different cultural differences in negotiation. Like Japanese give the high importance of emotional sensitivity while for North American it has no high value.

In the negotiation there are two major approaches – Distributive Bargaining and Integrative Negotiation.

In today world there are more value of third-party negotiators who known as – mediator, arbitrator, consultant, inquisitor and delegator or avoider.

Stress

Stress is exceeding complex. Here I will give some definition which has been proposed by theoreticians. According to J. C quick and J. D Quick, “Stress, or the stress response, is the unconscious preparation to fight or flee a person experiences when faced with any demand.”

Another definition from Mikhail is also very important, “Stress refers to a psychological and physiological state that result when certain features of an individual’s environment challenge that person, creating an actual or perceived imbalance between demand and capability to adjust that results in a non-specific response.”

I think stress creates from our environmental situation. Stress affects normally our health.

The causes of stress

After having study the definition of stress we need to know about causes of stress. In the causes of stress we can introduce conflict.

There is some cause of stress:

Inner conflicts

Perceptual influences

Thresholds of stress

Motivational level

Stress value can be measured by a rating scale. These are:

If a person feels about the spouse death its mean value is 100. Like that when a person gets notice of divorce then stress value mean of 73 scales.

In this chapter we will study about two type of behaviour pattern – A and B.

In pattern of “A” behaviour we see these:

Impatience

Aggressiveness

Hostility

Restlessness

Devotion to work

Feeling of Intense time Pressure

Attempts to several things at once

In the type of “B” behaviour pattern we can summarize it as:

Never suffer from a sense of time urgency

Feel no need to display any achievement

Play for fun

To manage stress we can follow some level which can be:

Individual Level

Organisation Level

Crisis Management

It is the last chapter of conflict management. Crisis management is an issue in business world. It is a big issue for now. We can categories crisis management.

Types of Crisis

Natural Disaster

Environmental disaster

Industrial accident

Shortfall in demand

At last, we can say conflict can be a serious problem for a company or organisatioin.

Power and Politics in Organisations – MBA Book

2008-11-02T01:21:00.000-07:00

Power and Politics both are associated with each other. In a firm or in a country power in is in dominating position if the politics is associated with that.

In the chapter of “Power and Politics in Organisation” from this MBA book we can decide some objectives which can be:

About Power

Source of Power

Types of Power

Ethical Use of Power

Analysis of Political behaviour in an organization

Power is a potential ability and influence for a people which direct others people in desired direction to do something.

Now, we discuss about source of power in organizations which is depends upon a manger. In an organization manager use multiple source of power to bring out the best employees for the organization.

Manager use normally two types of power – interpersonal and structural. Interpersonal power includes these elements:

Reward Power

Coercive Power

Legitimate Power

Referent Power

Expert Power

All these associated with maintain power and effectively uses of power. To maintain power for reward point we can find out the need and want of people but when we will want to use effectively “Reward Power” then we will offer desirable rewards.

Same with to maintain coercive power we will identify credible penalties to deter unacceptable behaviour while to use effectively coercive power we will inform target and rules and penalties.

In the Legitimate power to maintain we can will gain more formal authority while to use effectively it we will be polite and send a request.

To maintain “Referent Power” we will show acceptance and positive regards while to use effectively it we will use personal appeals when necessary.

To maintain expert power we will gain more relevant knowledge while to use effectively it we will explain the reasons for a request or proposal.

Using of Power Ethically

Ethical power is logical power in the favour of humanity which comes from manager characters.

There are some processes to use “Ethical Power” in a firm or organization which are:

Reward Power in ethical way should be use by manager as: Verify Compliance, make feasible, reasonable requests etc.

Like this all the sources comes from types of power but should be use them ethically by a manager in any firm.

Structure of Sources of Power

Source of power depends upon mainly three abilities which are: reduce uncertainty, lack of substitutes and centrality of activities.

Uncertainty contains - Resource control, information control, decision-making control, substitutability, centrality and managing the boss.

Now, we should come on political behaviour in Organisation

For the topic there is very good definition from D.Farrell and J.C Petersen, “those activities that are not required as part of one’s formal role in the organization, but that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization.”

Politics always tightly linked with power. In our day to day life we can see politics and power also. So, no one people and place escape with politics and power.

So, there should be some political strategies and influence tactics which may affect the thoughts, behaviour or feelings of another person.

In the political tactics we can include these elements:

Pressure

Upward Appeals

Exchange

Coalition

Ingratiation

Rational Persuasion

Inspirational Appeals

Consultation

About the types of politics when we inter we know about Maccoby’s Political thought which is divided into four parts. These are:

The Craftsman

The Jungle Fighter

Company Man or Women

The Gamesman

Using of Power and Politics as a Manager

As a manager we should care something when we use politics and power. These can be:

Effective use of power

Power should be use in Ethical way

We should understand all types and power and should use them very effectively

Should be develop power skills also

In the summery of Power and Politics in Organisation chapter we can say power refers to the potential ability to influence others in a desired direction.

Group Behaviour – MBA Book

2008-10-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

Introduction of Group Behaviour:

Group formation is created by more than one people for common interest. It is defined as two or more people interaction to achieve particular objectives.

According to Schien Group Behavior is, “Any number of people who interact with one another and are psychologically aware of one another and perceive themselves to be a group”. The theory was developed in 1972.

According to Adair theory which was proposed in 1986, “A group has common needs relating to task, group and individuals and each group develops its own “group personality”.

Objective of Group Behaviour Chapter:

Concept of Group

Types of Group

Group Formation

Characteristics of Group

Group Structures

These are topics of group behvaiour chapter which we have to study and elaborate this in our experience.

About the concept of group I have already mentioned it in introduction of group. So, from here I will start to write about “Types of Group”.

Groups can be divided into two parts – formal or informal. Formal group is well design and well define for an organization structure.

Formal groups run on command on group, task of group and with committee. Formal groups have some characteristics which should be followed by any formal group. These are:

It meets a required goal

It has defined structure

It is Problem solving group

It has some designation and work assignments for its member.

It has well defined norms.

It has specified goals and deadlines.

After the formal groups we can discuss on informal groups. In an organization both informal and formal groups work actively. But informal group don’t take responsibility like formal group.

Informal groups bring people together based on personal friendship and interest to the organization.

In informal group we can include – friendship group, interest group, reference groups, membership groups and cliques.

Stages of group development:

Everything has development process. So, group has also some process to develop its. According to Tuckman group development has five-stage. The theory was proposed in 1965.

The five stages of group developments are:

Forming

Storming

Norming

Performing

Adjourning

Forming is initial formed group.

Storming is the stage of inter-group conflicts for group.

Norming is the stage of developing close relationship within group.

Performing is the stage of function within a group.

Adjourning is the stage of permanent for any group.

After this, we should discuss about characteristics of groups. In the group characteristics we can involve some aspects that are:

Role Structures: It defines the group member’s roles. It develops on individual skills. Personal roles can be explained as:

Role Overload

Role Conflict

Role Ambiguity

Now, there are group roles also which can be explained as:

Work roles

Informer roles

Maintenance roles

Group Roles can be defined in two ways – task roles and maintenance.

In the task roles we can include:

Initiator

Information seeker or giver

Opinion seeker or giver

Elaborator

Coordinator

Orienter

Evaluator

Energizer

Procedural Technician

Recorder

Like these in the maintenance roles we can includes these:

Encourager

Harmonizer

Compromiser

Gatekeeper

Standard Setter

Commentator

Follower

After all these discussion, now we can discuss about group structures. Group is not a mob at all. It is well organized formation of individuals to achieve goals.

For a group these structures can be followed:

Leadership: it is main roles of a group and leadership has major responsibilities.

Norms: it is vision to look the world.

Status: It is social aspect which is recognized by people.

Size: a group has different size but depends upon group goals. But normally it should be from 3-13 but for high quality it should be 3-5.

Composition: a group is a collaboration of many people and many targeted goals. So, in a group there should be composition of knowledge and skills.

Some Techniques for Group Decision Making:

Decision making is main task of a group. To take decision in group there are some techniques which is known as:

Brainstorming: it is known as generating alternatives.

Normal Group Technique (NGT): It is known as very good technique because in this technique a group meets formally but does not restrict independent thinking.

Delphi Technique: the technique has great value because it has ability to generate a number of independent judgments without the involvement of members face-to-face.

Lastly, we can say define group behaviour in short as group ethics. It is not individual propaganda but it is an inter-dependence propaganda however it satisfies individual needs and goals also.

Motivation - MBA Book

2008-10-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

Motivation known as internal condition which derives from desire and needs. About the motivation Stephen P Robbins says, “The willingness to exert high levels of effort towards organizational goals, conditional by the effort ability to satisfy some individual needs.”

Another theory about motivation Fred Luthans said in 1986, “a process that starts with a physiological or psychological deficiency or need that activates behaviour or a drive that is aimed at a goal or incentive.”

Objective of Motivation:

In this chapter we have define some objective for motivation that are:

Process of Motivation

Theories of Motivation

Motivation Tools

Now, we will discuss about process of motivation. Motivation derives from needs and desire and it satisfy our goal and relief.

Needs: It is want or desire in normal words. Needs can be also defined as primary or secondary, depends upon situation.

In the theories of “Motivation” we 1st study about Maslow Hierarchy of Needs theory which was proposed by Abraham Maslow. The theory known as “Hierarchy of need theory” also.

Abraham Maslow defines his theory into five levels which are:

Physiological Needs

Security/Safety Needs

Social Needs

Esteem Needs

Self-Actualization Needs

Maslow defines these needs in a arranged way that is why its name is Hierarchy of need theory. It has been arranged by importance of hierarchical manner.

In the Motivation Tools we include some motivating factors which can be:

Job Security

Sympathetic Help

Personal Loyalty to Employees

Interesting work

Good Working Conditions

Tactful Discipline

Good Wages

Promotion and Growth in a Firm

Feeling of being in on things

Full Appreciation of work done etc.

These can be motivation tools by which we can motivate a people, in a organization an employee, working environment and our surroundings also.

Types of Motivation:

Here we can discuss about types of motivation which we can use to motivate a people who is related to us. There are some motivation types:

Achievement Motivation

Affiliation Motivation

Competence Motivation

Power Motivation

Attitude Motivation etc.

These are type of motivation which let us know about motivation situation.

Motivation is a part of OB (Organisation Behaviour). Motivation change and modified OB also. In the Organisation Behavour change known as MBO (Management by Objectives).

As a Motivation tools MBO is a systematic and organized approach and it allows management to focus about achievable goals and resources.

Objectives of MBO:

In the Objective of MBO we can read by MBA book these:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Result-Oriented

And Time Limited

All these explore the MBO objectives and let us MBA students about motivation which is the part of MBO.

To change or modified employees behaviour we arrange team training and employee involvement which let us know about employees behaviour modification.

Another theory about “Motivation” comes from Hertzbeg. Hertzberg gives “two-factor theory”. The theory is known as motivation-hygiene theory also. It was developed by Hertzberg in 1959.

Hertzberg develop his theory as Hygiene Factors or Extrinsic factor and another is Motivator factors or Intrinsic factor.

In the Hygiene factors there are some examples which deal:

Supervision

Company Policy

Working Condition

Salary

Interpersonal Relationship

Security

In the Intrinsic factor these involves:

Achievement

Recognition

Work It

Responsibility

Growth and Advancement

Challenging Job

All these factors let to know us about the motivation factors which are based on two-factor theory.

After some time criticism of Hertzberg Two-Factor Theory came in light because in the theory there are some errors which was founded by R.J House and L.A Wigdor. The errors of two-factor theory were:

Two-Factor theory is based on limited methodology.

Hertzberg’s theory based on situation which is not scientific.

Two-Factor theory is only related to job satisfaction which can be not a theory in real sense.

It ignores situational variables.

Hertzerg think about satisfaction and productivity by himself but in his theory there are only satisfaction not productivity.

By the End of Hertzerg’s theory in future came another theory which was Alderfer-ERG theory of motivation.

Alderfer developed his theory in 1972 which was known as ERG theory. It was also in criticism of Maslow “Motivation” theory.

Alderfer theory mean as:

E = Existence

R = Relatedness

G = Growth

Theory of ERG is similar to Maslow’s theory. Both theories define hierarchy of needs. But here Alderfer theory differs from Maslow in two major ways that are:

Individual regress to lower level if need remain unsatisfied at lower levels.

If the need satisfy, May continuous to dominant.

We know needs and desire create motivation. So, there is need theory also which is proposed by McClelland.

McClelland theory of needs announced that needs are acquired or learned on the basis of our life experience.

Motivating Tools in a Firm:

Today, when there is a chance to growth career for employee, a firm should also give them a chance to explore their career.

There are some tools by which we can give some satisfaction to our employees:

Job Enlargement

Job Enrichment

Job Rotation

These are the best practice by which can satisfy our employee and can motivate them in right direction also.

Summary of “Motivation” Chapter

Motivation is the process of explore goal behaviour in right direction. Motivation creates need and desire also. All these experience you can get from SMU MBA books also which is written by many reference books. I am writing here also after reading this book but all these writing based on my own experience.

MBA Results of Sikkim Manipal University

2008-09-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

MBA results has been already declared by SMU on 6^th, September, 2008 for July examination. Now, you can maintain all the things on the web along with results like- mail, prospectus, exam dates, forms and applications etc.

I have already told that I am doing my MBA from future point in my previous post. So, to see the my results I visit my future point site http://futurepoint.co.in/. Here in left navigation iI got student login with Sikkim Manipal University hyper link. Here all the students can enter their Roll Number to login on the site and passwords are also same – Roll Number. After entering your roll number the site will redirect to SMU panel where your profile and results all the things will be displayed.

I think like this all the centers sites have student login option where students can login to view their results. My 1^st semester results is not satisfactory and I got “C” Grade.

MBA Book – Perception

2008-09-21T03:31:00.000-07:00

Perception is the primary process of evaluation. It is way to understand our surroundings and ourselves. As an MBA in an organization perception study is necessary to understand employees activates. Perception can be process of interpreting information about another person or another organization. It is our sensory experience and by it we evaluate thought, behaviour, organization and a situation in initial stage of our thought.

Perception Objectives are:

Perception process

Factors influencing perception

Barriers to perception

Attribution: Internal and External perception

Kelley’s attribution theory

Attribution Biases

Perception process moves from selecting, starting and end on interpreting information.

Factors which influence perception are: perceiver, Object or being perceived and in the context of the situation in which the perception is made.

Barriers to perception are like burdensome whatever others want to perceiving and interpreting.

“Attribution refers to how a person explains the cause of another’s or his or her own behaviour,” defined by SMU book.

Internal attributions: This is something within the individual’s control.

External Attributions: it means something is outside the individual’s control.

Kelly’s Attribution Theory: it shows that attribution is a perceptual process. Kelly has proposed attribution theory, “Individuals make attribution based on information gathered in the form f three informational cues – consensus, distinctiveness and consistency.”

Theoreticians proposed that attributions can be affected by two very common errors – fundamental attribution error and self-serving bias. In these two attribution errors can be cultural errors.

In the last we can say perception can be defined as personal primary sensory to evaluate a person, organization and situations.

MBA Book – Personality & Emotions

2008-09-21T01:34:00.000-07:00

Personality has many definitions in general opinions or in a psychologist opinions but personality words origin is from Latin word “personare” which meaning is “to speak through”. In the MBA book personality is defined as “relatively stable set of characteristics that influence an individual’s behaviour.”

In this chapter we understand about:

Term of Personality

Determinants of Personality

Various Theories of Personality

Defence Mechanism

Theories of Emotion

About the personality I have already explained that there are no limitations of its theory. Here is one of the theoreticians, Gluck writes about personality, “Personality is a pattern of stable states and characteristics of a person that influences his or her behaviour toward goal achievement. Each person has unique way of protecting these states.”

Determinants of personality: depends on biological, cultural, family, social and situational factors.

Biological factors are related to heredity, brain, biofeedback, physical features etc. Like that cultural factors, family factors, social factors and situational factors are the determinants of personality.

There are four theories of Personality:

Intrapsychic Theory: the theory was developed by Sigmund Freud and it emphasizes on unconscious determinate of behaviour. It runs among three elements of personality- id, ego and superego.

Type Theories of Personalities: The theory classifies the label or categories of people. The theory comes from people body types, thinking types, judgment types etc.

Trait Theories: The theories include five factors- Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Trait theories can be defined in short term as OCEAN.

For the Trait personality theories some theoretician has also defined its. In the series Gordon Allport’s Personality Traits are on top. According to the Gordon Allport’s personality theory, “Personality traits are real entities, physically located somewhere in the brain.”

He defines his theory mainly in two parts:

Common Traits: the theory share or hold in common with most others in our own culture.

Individual traits: According to Allport, Individual traits have three elements- cardinal traits, central traits and secondary traits.

Reymond Cattell’s 16 Personality factors theory: Known as 16 P.F Test.

Unconditional Positive Regard Theory: It is developed by Rogers. He believes in therapist and thinks that unconditional positive regard gives the therapist.

Personality Characteristics in Organisation: As a manager if you going to hire in an organization, you would have to learn as much as possible about personality in order to understand their employees. Individual behaviour can be traced by these personality characteristics in an organization:

Locus of Control

Machiavellianism

Self-Esteem

Self-Monitoring

Positive/Negative Affect

Risk Taking

Type of Personality

In the book MBA which is provided by SMU defined emotion, “Emotion is defined as subjective feelings accompanied by physiological changes and usually associated with the change in perception, thinking and behaviour.

Many theoreticians have also defined emotions which are:

James Lange Theory of Emotion: James defines emotion theory that felt emotion occur of the bodily changes.

Cannon-Bard Emotion Theory: He says, “Felt emotion and bodily reaction are quite independent of each other.”

Emotion shows facial expressions as:

Anger

Fear

Sadness

Joy

Surprise

Disgust

Curiosity

Acceptance etc.

In the last we can say personality and emotion are guided by each other. And both are developed in a situational environment. Personality and emotion in an organization should be rational for the growth of organization as a manager.

MBA Book – Values, Attitudes and Job Satisfaction

2008-09-20T22:56:00.000-07:00

In this chapter, objective of MBA students are:

Concept of Values

Types of Values

Analysis of Attitudes formation, Component of Attitudes and Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Attitudes in Organisation

Job Satisfaction

Ethics in Organisation

Values decide what is right and what is wrong and it is inspired by moral.

Formation of values are rely on family, organization, school, religious, institutes and self justification.

About types of values we can say there are – theoretical, economical, aesthetic, social, political, religious etc. values which depends on person’s environment.

Attitude is psychological aspects which remain a person inside. Attitudes are also like values and come from person’s environment. Attitude develops thorough experience also.

Components of Attitudes:

Cognitive Component: The theory reflects a person’s perception or beliefs.

Affective Component: The theory reflects person’s feelings that result from his or her beliefs about a person, object or situation.

Behavioural Component: The behaviour component of an attitude refers to behave in a certain way towards an object or person.

Formation of Attitudes is also like values formation and it comes from family, organization, school, institutes etc.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory: The theory was proposed by Leon Festinger, in 1957. According to the theory people change their attitudes and behaviour to re-establish consistency which motivates by unpleasant state of arousal.

According to the book attitudes and behaviour are depends on five things:

Attitude Specificity

Attitude Relevance

Timing of Measurement

Personality Factors

Social Constraints

To change attitude a person is a very hard task but through some massages attitude can be changed like politician.

In an organization commitment towards organization depends on attitudes. A manager can develop attitudes in employee’s loyalty towards organization to increase job satisfaction.

Job satisfaction and organizational commitment is depends on attitudes that can be satisfied by a manager to improve employee’s attitudes satisfaction.

Attitudes in an organization are most important things because it affects work behaviour directly or indirectly in organization. If an employee is satisfied then his commitment towards organization and attitudes towards organization will be in favour of organization.

Ethics in an organization is developed by managers. Ethics are standards of conducts or moral judgment which is used by managers in the favour of organization to handle business very effectively.

Ethics are defined in three ways: Immoral, Moral and Amoral. Unethical behaviour can affect individuals, work teams and the organization so managers should be ethical in terms of organization and employees.

In the last we can say values and attitudes both are tinged with moral and lead to job satisfaction with ethical management.

MBA Books – Foundation of Organisational Behaviour: Individual Behaviour

2008-09-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

In this chapter, we will discuss about organizational behaviour as an individual. How to behave in an organization as an individual? In an organization when we work for productivity and growth as a manger, we care every individual employee and their goal derives to the company.

Objective of this chapter:

Biographical Character of Employee

Different types of abilities in an Employee

Concept of Learning

Theories of Learning

In the Basic Model of Individual Behaviour we learn about person environment, their attitudes, heredity, skills, needs, personality and knowledge then we able to know about individual behaviour in an organization and their consequences towards organizations productivity.

Biographical Character of an employee depends on age, gender, martial status and loyalty with an organization.

Abilities in an individual show his work capacity. Broadly, abilities are divided into two parts in the MBA book – intellectual abilities which occurs intelligence test, aptitude test, spatial aptitude etc.

Second are physical abilities which are related to individual stamina, dexterity, strength and characteristics.

In the concept of learning theory there are many definitions by theoretician like Stephen P Robbins, Munn N.L and Steers and porter. But in my sense learning change behaviour and give new things knowledge. Learning never related to only degree and university it is beyond from book also.

Now, for theories of learning there are about four learning theories in the MBA book chapter-

Classical Conditioning theory – The theory had been developed by Ivan Pavlov. Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) was a Russian physiology at the institute of Experimental Medicine in St. Petersburg. The theory was published in his book “Conditioned Reflexes”. Classical Conditioning theory is basically for modifying behaviour by conditioned stimulus.

Operant Conditioning Theory: The theory had been developed by B. F. Skinner in the critique of Pavlov Classical Conditioning theory. Operant Conditioning theory argues that behaviour is a function of its consequences.

Cognitive Learning Theory: the theory focus on mainly unobservable change in mental knowledge which is defined by the MBA books in the chapter. Further, it refers to individual’s ideas, thoughts, knowledge, interpretation and understanding of individual’s environment.

Social Learning Theory: Simply we can know about it that it is learning from social context.

Summery

The organizational behaviour and individual behaviour is the part of management. As an MBA we can justify individual goals and can adjust them towards the organization.

MBA Books – Management Process and Organization Behavior

2008-09-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

The book has been provided by Sikkim Manipal University for MBA Students (Distance Education) in the 1st semester there are six books. The 1st book is “Management Process and Organization Behavior”. The book is for Master in Business Administration degree and the management book code is “MB 0022” for SMU distance education students.

There are 10 chapters in the book. I am writing about 1st chapter “Organisational Behaviour”.

The chapter defines about management as a creative problem moving process. Management has some managerial features which are – organizing, staffing, leading and controlling. Every manager should be these skills to handle management situation.

Organisational behavour objectives are:

Functions of a Manager

Skills of a Manager

Roles of Manager

Organisational behavour as a discipline

Challenges and Opportunities for Organisational Behaviour

Functions of a manager are dependent on management environment. According to theoretician there are many definitions also: Neuman and summer has divided into four parts as a management: planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling.

Henri Fayol, define as – planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling in five parts.

Luther Gulik gives a new theory of management - POSDCORB. POSDCORB define management as – planning, organizing, staffing, directing or leading, coordinating, reporting and budgeting.

These are the theoretician concept about management and manager roles as a MBA.

Skills of manager are also decided by management environment. In the MBA book there are there types of management level has been defined:

Conceptual Skills – The skills is for top lever management which evolve concept about management.

Human Skills- It is middle level of management for a manger to handle human being softly.

Technical Skills- It is Supervisory or we can say low level of management which deals technical aspect of companies.

About the managerial roles there are also three process to get inform, to make decisions etc. that are –

Personal- it provides information to figurehead, leader and liaison.

Informational- it gives process information to monitor, disseminator and spokesperson.

Decisional- it is for using information to entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource Allocator, and negotiator.

Now Organisation Behaviour:

Organisaation Behaviour is the systematic study of actions and attitudes within organizations. It learns how to behave as an individual in group and in organizations. It is the study of dynamic character which acts in various organizations.

Organisation Behaviour is a part of management study. Its challenges in today’s world are:

Study of dynamic workplace

Employee behaviour modification

Employee up gradations

At last I can say management can enhance business growth and it can be back of business.

Objectives of MBA (Distance Education)

2008-09-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

MBA is broader aspect of management. We can say, it is mastery in business. Master in Business Administrator is a management of creative problem solving process. Nowadays, MBA course from distance education is for developing knowledge and skills in fundamental management disciplines and management activities.

Objective of MBA course are:

As a MBA the course is aim to develop essential management skills to face and participate in the creative solving problem among global business environment.

The course intended to industrialize, commercialize the cultural background of MBA students to make them professional manager in global companies.

MBA degree for a student can be a professional course to get promotions and manager rank in the big companies but it gives also a skill of management to manage business problem in the favour of companies.

Introductions of MBA from SMU University

2008-09-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

I have already mentioned in my previous post that I am a student of MBA from SMU (Sikkim Manipal University). Now, I am in second semester. In my view MBA is for managerial skills to handle trade & commerce, services effectively. It is a master degree in Master of Business Administrations. It is aimed at developing knowledge and skills in fundamental management disciplines.

Objectives of MBA: It is aimed to develop essential management skills for participate in the global business environment.

Admission Process: After having complete graduations from any UGC recognized colleges or universities; you are able to appear for the MBA courses in SMU University.

Duration of the Course: There is six semester for Master of Business Administrations for 2 years however you can complete up to 4 years.

Medium of Course: Medium of course is English.

Credit System: There is credit system for MBA course. Credit system is relying on your study of 30 hours for each credit. Every student has to complete at least 68 credits to be awarded Master of Business Administration.

Session Schedule: There are two session from SMU university to appear for MBA courses – Spring Session and Fall Session.

Session - Starting Date - Closing Date

Spring Session - 1st week of February - Last week of July

Fall Session - 1st week of August - Last week of January

Assignments/Project: You have to must write assignments and submit that in your respective learning centers till decided time.

Examination Schedule: In a year two times examination will be held like admission. Spring session examination will be till July/August and for fall session it will be Jan/Feb subsequent year.

Type of Questions: Only objective question will be for the course. There are three types of multiple choice questions (MCQs).

Negative Marking: 25% negative marking will be applied for each wrong answer.

Examinations Hours: There are total 2 hours for 3 types of questions. Part A, Part B and Part C, these are three types of questions. In Part A there is 40 questions and every question has 1 minute to complete it. In Part B there is 20 questions and every question has 1.5 minutes to complete it. In the Part C there are 15 questions and every question has 3 minutes to complete it.

Note: Before starting to complete questions read carefully instructions of solving questions paper. You must have black ball pen and a pencil. By the pen you have to fill up round box properly any one for one question.

Case of Re-Sitting: A student can appear in the Re-sitting examination if he has clashing in a particular subject. He will be allowed the examination with the re-sitting admit card.

Passing Marks: 40% is minimum marks to pass out in your subject. 35% will be from internal assessment and 35% will be from university examination however total aggregate should be minimum 40%.

Grade Systems: Which student will get 70% above marks will get “A” grade with “Excellent” reward. 60-69% will be counted as “B” grade for “Very Good”. 50-59 is for “C” grade which indicate “Good” performance. 40-49% is for “D” grade which is for “Satisfactory” performance. “E” grade is for failure.

Note: Before appearing examination read carefully term & conditions of exam. For ex. – You are not allowed to carry phone.

You will be able to know more about SMU university’s MBA courses from here: www.dde.smuhmts.edu

Specialization in MBA from SMU University: Sikkim Manipal University offers some specialization in MBA which is here –

Finance
Marketing
Human Resource Management
Information Systems
Banking
Retail Operations

Note: 1st and second semester will be same for all Master of Business Administration students.

Specialisation will be decided after 2nd semester. Now, after this I will write about all MBA’s books which will be related to me.

MBA 1st Semester

2008-08-30T00:06:00.000-07:00

I joined in February, 2008 for my MBA 1^st semester. It was SMU (Sikkim Manipal University) as I already mentioned in my previous post. I was charged 10,450 and 500 for prospectus. I got my book after 1 month and classes was also started after one month in Future Point which was my institute recognised by SMU.

I joined my only one class there that is about first semester MBA books and their study was poor. But I was studied myself. I am a hard worker man and done hard work for my study. After the office I was always busy in my study.

I will write about that books further but not deeply like as 2^nd semester. I will write about them here my experience which I got during the study. I think MBA study will boost my career and me as well. Lets see what happen after having complete it.

About me and the MBA blog

2008-08-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

The blog is started by me to write about MBA and MBA courses which I am doing from SMU University. I was appeared in its 1st semester examination was held in July. Now, I am waiting for its result. However, 2nd semester admission has been done in August and classes are started from 25th August in recognized organization.

I was a simple graduate from Patna University, Bihar. My honors subject was History. I was passed with 2nd division in my honors paper in 2004. After completing graduation I had no clear vision due to financial problem. I joined an organization there I worked as an advertiser and composer of book in July 2004. That time I had done computer course in DTP. By me there was a book is published that name was “Hero of twentieths century”. Its writer was Narendra Kumar. It was from “Iskra” Publication that name was defined by me when book was under consideration. I worked there till August, 2005. After that I came to Delhi and begin to try getting a job. That time I had no idea about my career and profile. Lastly I had joined an organization that name was V-Angelz technologies Pvt. Ltd. as a dispatch executive. Here I had joined in November, 2005. I worked as dispatch execute till July, 2007. In July 2007, I was transferred in Search Marketing department as a Link Exchange Executive.

When I was moved in Search Marketing team I was unaware about Search Engine and Search Engine Optimization. My seniors even team leader was not interested in me because I was simple graduate. No wants to make me learn something about SEO. But soon I started to learn myself and in very short period I learn major thing about this. I studied many books and expert SEO theory about it. I know online marketing, web 2.0., SEO, search engines, Social networking and bookmaking, blogging, RSS, optimization of on page and off page and web analytic etc. I studied some books related to analytic also that was written by Avinash Kausik. Now, I am running a SEO and Web 2.0 blog also and now I am capable to handle any type of SEO projects.

I was neglected that is why I joined in MBA course. I am unable to write more about 1st semester because I had not joined my classes but I will write about them in short. Now, about the 2nd semester I want write more because I have joined the classes. This is the blog regarding my MBA classes and courses and that books.