(Mt) – MGT 421 Saudi Electronic University Communication Management Paper

Part-1: Ali, a successful financial officer in a banking company, is about to transition into the role of the new regional CEO for a recently acquired banking institution with a good market reputation. On Monday morning at 10 am, Ali called a meeting. Despite arriving at the office at 9 am, he found only a few employees present, which irked him. Nevertheless, he commenced the meeting punctually at 10 am, setting aside his emotions. Ali expressed his dissatisfaction with the lack of dedication among employees, noting that most of them had not arrived on time.

Later that afternoon, Ali met with the executive team, outlining strategic goals, objectives, and deadlines. A meeting with senior staff members followed to report progress, revealing positive market growth numbers and increasing new business figures.

A quarter later, during the quarterly report review, both positive and negative results surfaced. Ali shared the report with his staff, inviting their input, but was met with silence, sensing unease in the room.

Questions:

1. To what extent do you think Ali processes Emotional Intelligence?
2. Do you think the concept of emotional intelligence is important in an organizational setting? Briefly justify your answer.

Part-2 - Case Study Sara, a third-year adjunct faculty member at a major university, reviewed her course evaluations and was surprised by a very negative comment from one student. The comment criticized her for expecting students to shake hands during introductions. Sara recalled the first day of class where she conducted an icebreaker exercise, "mix it up," encouraging students to greet each other by shaking hands. The activity seemed successful, but the student`s feedback left Sara puzzled.

Reflecting on the incident, Sara realized that some students might have been uncomfortable with the handshake but didn`t express it. She considered redesigning the exercise to accommodate diverse cultural practices and individual preferences, such as providing alternative options before starting the activity.

Discussion: Q1. What responsibility should Sara take for her introduction exercise to be inclusive and respect other cultural customs outside the host culture’s practices? Q2. What recommendations do you have for the student who did not want to shake hands?

Part-3 Recall a difficult situation or conversation from your professional or student life and address the following:

1. Briefly discuss the conversation/situation.
2. Evaluate your and others’ performance in terms of assuming the best in one another, staying calm, finding common ground, disagreeing diplomatically, avoiding exaggeration.
3. Describe three ways you would approach the conversation differently if you encountered the same situation again.