MAKERERE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL

COURSE WORK TEST TWO

FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN FINANCE, BACHELOR OF REAL ESTATE
MANAGEMENT, BACHELOR OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP, BACHELOR OF BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION, BACHELOR OF OFFICE AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT, BACHELOR
OF TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT, BACHELOR OF PROCUREMENT AND
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, BACHELOR OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT,
BACHELOR OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS, BACHELOR OF MARKETING, BACHELOR OF
TRAVEL &TOURISM MANAGEMENT, BACHELOR OF LEISURE EVENTS AND HOTEL
MANAGEMENT OF MAKERERE UNIVERSITY
ACADEMIC YEAR 2024/2025

COURSE NAME: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION SKILLS (BCS)

COURSE CODE: MGT1106, MGT1105 & BBA1105
SEMESTER: ONE
YEAR OF STUDY: ONE
MODE OF ASSESSMENT: GROUP PRESENTATIONS
TIME: DURING BCS LECTURE TIME

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In groups of 5-10 students (Depending on the class numbers and as instructed by your Business
communication Lecturer) read the assigned questions and prepare to present during class time.
2. Choose an appropriate mode of presentation that suits your topic (Use of LCD projectors, Charts, skits,
demonstrations, non-verbal expressions, images, symbols, etc. is allowed and will carry extra marks) HINT:
Creativity is encouraged and think outside the Box!
3. Presentation will be done in the 12 th and 13th week of this semester or as guided by your facilitators. All work
should be handed in by the agreed deadline. Any late submission will be rejected.
4. All group members should be ready to present because the selection of who to present shall be at random.
5. You are expected to have two copies of work, one copy to be submitted to the course facilitator on the
deadline and the second (students’ copy) to be used during the presentation.
6. The work should be typed, in font 12, double-spaced, between 8- 10 pages (excluding the cover page).
7. No student shall be allowed to present their work without a coursework permit, ID or a copy of their
admission letter.
8. Each group should ensure that all members are around during the presentations and that all members are
ready to present any part of the questions assigned.
9. Students should use role plays and demonstrations during the presentations where applicable.
10. Presentation of similar work by two or more groups (plagiarism) or presentation of previously presented
work or presentation directly from AI is unacceptable and such work shall not be marked.
11. Please note that this assignment will contribute to your final coursework marks. There will not be any
consideration for those who will not be available to present. In case of challenges notify the Head of
Department in Writing ahead of time. Attach relevant documents for justification.
12. Please dress professionally to avoid being stopped from accessing the presentation room or presenting.
13. More instructions shall be given at the time of presentations. Makerere University examination guidelines
should be adhered to.
Note: The Facilitator may allocate the same question to more than one group. Presentation of similar work
will lead to disqualification.

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Question One (Group 1 and 38)
In our everyday life communication plays an important role in ensuring that; we relate well with others,
grow personally and achieve our life goals.
a) Using practical real-life scenario, explain circumstances under which communication has been of
great importance to you as an individual. Each member of the group should provide a scenario
demonstrating a circumstance when communication has been of importance.
b) What life lessons have you picked from those scenarios as far as communication is concerned?
Question Two (Group 2 and 37)
According to Arianna Huffington, "Technology has not only changed the way we do business but it's
also changed the way we communicate." – In your assigned group, approach any business within your
proximity to explore and substantiate this fact;
a) Explaining with examples, how the chosen company has practically adopted technology to aid its
communication and business operation.
b) What new technology can they still adopt to improve their communication and business operations?
c) As a group, think of a communication-related topic that would be interesting to any social media
forum you belong to. Make a presentation on the topic and share it on that forum. Devise ways of
getting likes and or views and or followings. During the class presentation, you will share your
journey in terms of the presentation you made, the milestones, challenges and lessons.

Question Three (Group 3and 36)

The Principal MUBS has tasked your class to brainstorm and recommend innovative ways through
which the school can improve the teaching mode for your programme to promote deeper learning.
a) Prepare a write-up describing the communication processes you have to go through in coming up
with the report and how you intend to share the feedback with the Principal.
b) Explain the barriers you are likely to encounter at each stage of the communication process (from
developing to delivering the report).
c) Explain how you will overcome those barriers to ensure that the report is adequately prepared and
delivered.

Question Four (Group 4 and 35)

According to the Customer Service Institute report, 40% of customers complain about poor
communication by business managers. This is mainly due to their failure to observe the 7 Cs of
communication while responding to them.
a) Based on your group members’ interaction with three business owners, record and write brief
extracts of the different conversations showing the lack of observance of the seven principles of

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 communication and justify why you think the conversation portrays non-observance of the key
principles for effective communication.
b) Explain how best the owners you approached could have handled the communication in line with
the principles you have identified.

Question Five(Group 5 and 34)

COVID 19 CASE
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Uganda’s health ministry faced significant challenges in its
communication strategy. The government implemented various public health measures, but the
communication surrounding these measures faced criticism and revealed several flaws in the planning
and execution. For example,
• Mask Guidelines: Early on, the government mandated mask-wearing in public places but later
released conflicting statements about mask quality and usage. This led to confusion about whether
homemade masks were acceptable.
• Lockdown Announcements: Sudden announcements about lockdowns left people scrambling for
supplies. For instance, a lockdown announced in March 2020 gave people only a few hours to
prepare for the lockdown
• Social Media Engagement: Younger populations, who primarily get their information from social
media, were less informed due to the government’s focus on radio and TV. This demographic
group missed out on updates and guidelines.
• Message coverage: urban populations received more detailed information than rural areas, where
many people rely on local languages and oral communication.
• Permission to travel: Some offices lacked clarity on the urgency of travel.

Based on the case above

a) What impact did each of the flaws identified in the case above have on the Ministry’s ability to
achieve its objective?
b) How best should the ministry correct the flaws above?
c) What are the key elements the government needed to consider in planning to communicate the
lockdown?

Question Six (Group 6 and 33)

Communication is regularly channelled both externally and internally to ensure that all organizational
activities run smoothly at all times. Internally, communication is channelled to flow in all directions as
and when the need arises. Based on MUBS as your case study;
a) Explain with examples, the different kinds of information that flow internally and external through
the different routes.
b) Critique the different communication systems identified in (a) above.
Question Seven(Group 7 and 32)

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The Government in a bid to streamline its cost and operations has decided to merge and or mainstream
agencies that were earlier created by the Act of Parliament to ensure efficiency. However, this process
has taken a long time to be actualized and to date, no update about the progress has been given to
affected employees. On October 1, 2024, The Permanent Secretary of Public Service announced the
merger of Uganda Wild Life Authority and Uganda Wildlife Education Center into one necessitating
streamlining of their Human Resources. Meanwhile, the management of these two agencies has never
made any formal communication to their employees regarding the matter. This has created unrest and
staff have started spreading rumors through the WhatsApp forums created due to the staff speculations
of job insecurity, salary reduction and many others. In response, the Human Resource Manager wrote a
brief memo denying those rumors.
a) How could management have prevented or mitigated the grapevine?
b) As the Human Resource Manager, write an email or a memo to staff explaining the circumstances
and the way forward.

Question Eight (Group 8 and 31)

The fact that in interpersonal communication the communicators’ lives mutually influence one another,
there is a need for the sender to exercise emotional intelligence as well as understand the personalities of
the receiver if they are to communicate effectively. Based on Han’s Theory of Personality;
a) Explain the different scenarios under which you successfully communicated audiences with
different personality traits of Hans’s Theory of Personality.
b) Demonstrate and explain the observable traits that made you qualify them under each particular
dimension? (use a role play to demonstrate)

Question Nine (Group 9 and 30)

The fact that in interpersonal communication the communicators’ lives mutually influence one another,
there is a need for the sender to exercise emotional intelligence as well as understand the personalities of
the receiver if they are to communicate effectively. Based on Han’s Theory of Personality;
a) Explain the different scenarios under which you unsuccessfully communicated with an audience
with different personality traits of Hans’s Theory of Personality.
b) What were the likely issues that made you fail to successfully communicate with them?
c) What lessons did you pick from the scenarios above that have enabled you to handle such issues
identified in ‘b’ above?

Question Ten (Group 10 and 29)

In a bid to respond to an advertisement for the position of the Chairperson Electoral Commission
MUBS Guild as advertised by the Guild President of MUBS, a prospective candidate has submitted a

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CV and a cover letter for your review as written below. Study it and answer the questions that follow
thereafter. All applications must have reference number (Ref. No. MUBSGUILD 2024)

October 08, 2024

The Guild President

Mr. Christopher Waswa
Makerere University Business School
P.O Box, 1337, Kampala.

C/O (your program and year) class

Makerere University Business School
P.O Box, 1337
Kampala

Dear Mr. President,

I am a 22 year old female Ugandan pursuing a (mention your program) in year one. I believe I
am capable enough to take on the position advertised.

I writing this letter to be given the position of chairperson Electoral Commission MUBS as
advertised in the notice Board and on our various class WhatsApp groups.

I await an interview appointment to be assessed further, please contact me on the above address.

Yours in service,
(Mention your name)
(Your signature)
Team Leader/ (mention your group)

ENC: My Curriculum Vitae and other support documents.

a) Identify the key issues that are wrong with this letter.

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b) Write a refined letter in line with the requirements of a standard letter using the block style of letter
writing.
c) Write a simple CV responding to the Job offer and explain with reasons why you included those
different parts of the CV.

Question Eleven (Group 11 and 28)

In a bid to solve the challenge of poor performance in Coursework Test One of all semester one course
units, the Principal MUBS has directed the different classes through their course leaders, to brainstorm
and prepare a report about the possible reasons for their poor performance.
a) Prepare a report using either the direct or indirect report method.
b) Justify why you chose the report writing style above
c) Extract from this report, a winning PowerPoint presentation write up and present it to the class.

Question Twelve (Group 12 and 27)

Even when information transmitted through e-mail is both instantaneous and cost effective, most
businesses still use it casually without following the writing mechanics and norms. The Director Career
Guidance Unit MUBS has written to your group requesting for your interest and availability to be
facilitated to go and market your programmes to the different ‘A’ level schools within Kampala.
a) You are requested to write an email replying to the request. This mail should be copied to; your
Dean, the Principal, and Head of Department and blind copied to the Lecturer and Course Leader of
your class.
b) Explain the likely communication challenges you might encounter while marketing your programme
to the students and also explain how you hope to overcome those challenges.

Question Thirteen (Group 13 and 26)

According to Epictetus "We have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen twice as much as we
speak." This implies that listening plays an important role in ensuring business success.
a) As a group, create a 10 minutes video titled "The Power of Effective Listening” for the class to
watch and listen in order for them to appreciate the importance of listening in different settings.
This video should capture importance of listening, a bad listener and a good listener.
b) After the video, engage the class on lessons and highlight any point that might have not been noticed
by the class.
NB: Provide examples and ensure your video is interesting for the class to watch.
Question Fourteen (Group 14)

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According to Jeffrey Gitomer B, "Phone calls build relationships, not just transactions." As such it must
be handled well.
a) As a group, act and record 5 telephone conversations depicting effective and ineffective
communication between a client and a manager of an organization. After playing the recording,
engage the class to discuss the key lessons learned and highlight any point that might have not been
noticed by the class.
b) Suggest how the inefficient conversations could have been handled better including any key lessons
from them.
NB: Identify any relevant questions you may ask, in each of them, choose to be a difficult caller and
listen to how the phone call was managed. Identify possible gadgets you require and test them to
ensure quality.
Question Fifteen (Group 15)

According to Richard Branson, "A successful interview requires effort and preparation from both sides."
And together, they are able to create a positive and productive conversation. Based on an organisation
that has recently advertised for a position commensurate to your program.

a) Within your group, Prepare for the interview as interviewers. Assign five members of the
group to prepare and conduct a panel interview. They will interview 5 applicants one at a time
who are unknown to the group as is the case in a real work place interview. Still within the
group, the other five should compose themselves as a panel to conduct a group interview.
Assign all members of the Team a role to play in the interview. Prepare questions that assess; the
general job competencies, experiences in solving problems, behavioural based questions for a
job position in relation to your programme that suits this format of an interview.
b) After the interview, engage the class to discuss lessons learned about interviewers and one group
member of the first group should try to explain what they had to go through to prepare and
conduct the interview. Also discuss the likely follow up that will be undertaken.
Question Sixteen ( Group 16)
According to Richard Branson, "A successful interview requires effort and preparation from both sides."
And together, they are able to create a positive and productive conversation. Think of an organisation
that intends to advertise for a position commensurate to your program.
a) Within your group, Prepare for the interview as interviewees. Five members of the group should
prepare to be interviewed individually by a panel. The other five should prepare to be interviewed as
a group by a panel of interviewees unknown to the group as is the case in a real work place
interview. All members of the Team should prepare answers to common interview questions
(general, problem solving, behavioural questions) given the format of the interview you are going to
be subjected to for a job position in relation to your programme or discipline.
b) After the interview, engage the class to discuss lessons learned and one group member should try to
explain what they had to go through to prepare, conduct the interview and the likely follow up that
will be undertaken.

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Question Seventeen (Group17 )
The Business Communication Skills Coursework Test 1 was done on 15 September 2024.
Subsequently, some students realized a need to meet Lecturers for guidance on how to attempt Business
Communication Skills questions. The GRC of your programme has guided that the proposed meeting
should be held at the MUBS Main Library Gardens on 10 November 2024 at 10 am. The venue is
deemed adequate for all the students in your programme doing Business Communication Skills.

a) Write an appropriate invitation to the BCS Lecturers to the meeting.

b) Conduct the above meeting that will last for 10 minutes ensuring that the key parties in the meeting
are evident.

Question Eighteen ( Group 18)

The Business Communication Skills Coursework Test 1 was done on 15 September 2024.
Subsequently, some students realized a need to meet Lecturers for guidance on how to attempt Business
Communication Skills questions. The GRC of your programme has guided that the proposed meeting
should be held at the MUBS Main Library Gardens on 10 November 2024 at 10 am. The venue is
deemed adequate for all the students in your programme doing Business Communication Skills.

a) Write a notice inviting appropriate participants to the meeting and draft an Agenda.
b) Identify a Chairperson and Secretary and guide them on their respective roles during the meeting.

Question Nineteen (Group 19)

The Business Communication Skills Coursework Test 1 was done on 15 September 2024.
Subsequently, some students realized a need to meet Lecturers for guidance on how to attempt Business
Communication Skills questions. The GRC of your programme has guided that the proposed meeting
should be held at the MUBS Main Library Gardens on 10 November 2024 at 10 am. The venue is
deemed adequate for all the students in your programme doing Business Communication Skills.

a) Refer to the purpose of the meeting and advise the students (participants) on their responsibilities for
a fruitful meeting.
b) During lectures, you experienced behaviors/mistakes that rendered meetings unsuccessful. This is
possible in the forthcoming meeting given the audience diversity. As a preparation procedure, notify
students of tips for a successful meeting.

Question Twenty ( Group 20)

According to Patrick Lencioni in His Book entitled "Death by Meeting, "Meetings are the linchpin of
teamwork, but they can also be the biggest time-waster.". As such there is need to properly plan and
manage them. One such important element is that the meeting’s purpose is guided by an agenda.
Because a meeting without a clear agenda is like a ship without a rudder. Think of a class meeting and
a) Conduct a 10-minute meeting during which the key terms used in the meeting should be utilized.
b) Identify a secretariat to record meeting minutes. The group should decide on the type of minutes to
be recorded and submit the draft minutes immediately after the meeting.

Question Twenty One (Group 21)

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According to Deborah Gruenfeld, “Nonverbal cues are the unsung heroes of communication." Because
they convey emotions, attitudes, and intentions more effectively than words. We must therefore master
the art of putting them to good use in every communication that we make.

a) As a group, prepare and display the different signs and symbols within your campus that depicts
nonverbal cues and explain the messages they convey.
b) Write a short memo to the Estates Manager of MUBS suggesting any other missing signs and
symbols within the campus that could be adopted and the messages they would communicate. (Feel
free to display alternative symbols from other universities).

Question Twenty Two (Group 22)

Clothing and accessories are a very important part of our everyday communication as seen from facts
that follow. First impressions are lasting impressions, and attire counts. As such "Dress appropriately to
make a good first impression." - Harvey Mackay. Also, according to Emily Post, "Your attire reflects
your respect for the occasion and the people."
a) Practically demonstrate or display with explanations the different types of dressings appropriate for
different occasions in the real work life. (Utilize your group members to demonstrate different dress
codes for various professional related activities)
b) Explain the likely consequences or signals that inappropriate dressing will send to the audience that
you are interfacing with.

Question Twenty Three (Group 23)

According to the Media Richness Theory (MRT) by Richard Daft and Robert Lengel (1986), written
communication should always be enhanced with nonverbal cues. This implies that for any written
communication to be effective, there must be nonverbal elements.
a) Explain with examples, the different types of Non-Verbal Communication that can be used in
Written Communication.
b) Explain the impact of Non-Verbal Communication on Written Communication.

Question Twenty Four (Group 24)

According to Albert Mehrabian, “The nonverbal cues of communication are more important than the
verbal cues." Your nonverbal cues can either reinforce or undermine your verbal message. For example,
people remember 10% of what they hear, 20% of what they read, but 80% of what they see. Therefore,
body language plays an important role in communication. You have been invited to make a
th
presentation in the 29 MUBS Annual Management Conference about the contributions that graduates
from your programme are likely to make to Uganda’s economy.

a) Demonstrate the positive body postures that you will use during the presentation and the positive
signals they send.
b) Demonstrate the negative body postures that you must avoid using and the negative signals they
send.
c) Explain the impact of appropriate use of body postures on communication.

Question Twenty Five (Group 25)

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According to Albert Mehrabian, “The nonverbal cues of communication are more important than the
verbal cues." Your nonverbal cues can either reinforce or undermine your verbal message. For example,
people remember 10% of what they hear, 20% of what they read, but 80% of what they see. Therefore,
body language plays an important role in communication. You have been invited to make a
presentation in the 29th MUBS Annual Management Conference about the contributions that graduates
from your programme are likely to make to Uganda’s economy.

a) Write a letter to the Chairman of the Conference accepting the invitation.

b) Explain the signs, causes and ways of dealing with stage fright that could arise during the
presentation.
c) Explain the impact of appropriate use of body gestures on communication.

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