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CMA Foundation · Fundamentals of Business Laws and Business Communication · Features of Effective Business Communication

A factory supervisor tells new workers, 'Make the batch ASAP,' but the workers do not know whether this means within one hour or by the end of the day. Which type of communication barrier is mainly illustrated here?

This is a semantic barrier. The supervisor's phrase 'ASAP' has no precise time meaning, so the workers cannot decode the intended deadline. The difficulty arises from ambiguous wording rather than from distance, emotional attitudes or organisational structure, so the other barrier types do not fit.

  1. ASemantic barrier, because the message wording is ambiguousCorrect
  2. BPhysical barrier, because the workers are far from the supervisor
  3. CPsychological barrier, because the workers dislike the supervisor
  4. DOrganisational barrier, because the hierarchy has too many levels

Explanation

The problem lies in the meaning of the words used. 'ASAP' has no fixed time meaning, so the receiver cannot decode it accurately. This is a semantic (language) barrier. Nothing in the case points to distance, emotions or structure.

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