You’ve dreaded it for a while, but now you feel prepared. In 30 minutes you’ll have to terminate Tim, a 12-year employee who is beloved by everyone in the firm. Unfortunately, he just hasn’t performed very well since his wife died three years ago and while he was given every chance to regain his performance, he has just continued to slide. Which of the following elements of communication is least likely to influence Tim’s perception of your communication effectiveness?

a. Tone
b. Pace
c. Indirect Non-verbals
d. Formailty

Leading guitar string producer wound up inc. has enjoyed a competitive advantage based on its proprietary coating that gives its strings a clearer sound and longer lifespan than uncoated strings. one of wound up's competitors, however, has recently developed a similar coating using less expensive ingredients, which allows it to charge a lower price than wound up for similar-quality strings. wound up's competitive advantage is in danger due to a. a lack of perceived value b. a lack of organization c. direct imitation and substitution d. resource immobility