General Discussion Instructions

In order to prepare for this assignment, READ the information contained in the document “Salty Pawz Background.”

You are required to post to this discussion THREE TIMES, on THREE DIFFERENT DAYS. Please refer to the Discussion Grading Rubric for details regarding how your performance will be assessed. NOTE: Please be certain to read the entire discussion assignment since in some cases there is more than one question you need to discuss, respond to, or address. Be sure that you have answered the entire question!

Post 1: Initial Post

This posting should be a minimum of one short paragraph and a maximum of two paragraphs. Word totals for this post should be in the 100–200-word range. Whether you agree or disagree, explain why with supporting evidence and concepts from the readings or a related experience. Include a reference, link, or citation when appropriate.

Scenario

For the third time in less than a week, Wanda has received a phone call from a customer who is upset that when her order arrived, it was incorrect. Wanda refunded money to all three customers in order to keep them happy. She is not sure what’s causing these errors, but she knows it has to be remedied or she will lose customers.

When you meet for coffee, Wanda mentions these problems and wonders aloud what the issue is. Is the customer service staff not writing things down correctly, or is production not reading the orders correctly? Alternatively, the mistake could be in shipping with the young man who comes in after school to package and prepare orders for shipment. Salty Pawz can’t afford an automated system yet, so everyone must rely on person-to-person communication to get order details right.

For Discussion

1. Explain to Wanda common reasons why organizational communications can become ineffective and break down. Suggest specific things to watch for in her organization that can indicate poor communication skills.
2. Make at least one specific recommendation that Wanda can implement to improve communication among Salty Pawz departments and individual employees.
3. Now that you have improved communication at Salty Pawz, think about a time when you were on the receiving end of poor communication, such as when the message was not clear or the wrong information was conveyed. What was the consequence of this poor communication? How did you or would you keep this from happening again in the future?

Posts 2 and 3: Respond to Classmates’ Posts

Instructions

After you have created your initial post, look over the discussion posts of your classmates and give at least two thoughtful responses to two different classmates (one per classmate) as outlined in the Discussion Grading Rubric.

A response posting should be a minimum of one short paragraph. Word totals for these posts should be in the 75–100-word range. Whether you agree or disagree, explain why with supporting evidence and concepts from the readings or a related experience. Include a reference, link, or citation when appropriate. The goal of your response posts is to extend discussions already taking place or pose new possibilities or opinions not previously voiced. Your goal should be to motivate the group discussion and present a creative approach to the topic.