(a) The contents of a typical meeting agenda

i. Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting

ii. Discussion of matters arising from the previous meeting, if this is needed

iii. The agenda items: The chairman takes the meeting through each agenda item in turn. The matter is discussed and where appropriate, a plan of action is agreed upon. One of the individuals at the meeting is made responsible for putting the plan of action into practice

iv. Any other business which implies any other matters not originally listed on the agenda.

v. Date of the next meeting. The meeting closes with an agreement on the date and location of the next meeting.

(b) Five phenomena that can be explained using emotional intelligence (EI)

i. Bullying is an abusive social interaction between peers which can include aggression, harassment and violence. Bullying is typically repetitive and enacted by those who are in a position of power over the victim. A growing body of research illustrates a significant relationship between bullying and emotional intelligence.

ii. Job performance Though there are conflicting reports of correlation between EI and job performance, recent findings have shown that EI contributes to performance in emotionally demanding job situations, leading to the concept of emotional exhaustion (burnout) contributing negatively to performance

iii. Leadership Although EI plays a positive role in leadership effectiveness, what makes a leader effective is what he or she does with his role, rather than his interpersonal skills and abilities

iv. Health Recent studies have shown that people with higher emotional intelligence enjoy better physical and mental health

v. Self-esteem and drug dependence Researchers discovered that subjects with low emotional intelligence scores had low self-esteem and a high incidence of drug dependence.

(c) Five benefits of electronic communication

i. Facilitates quick transmission of information: The greatest advantage of electronic communication is the quick transmission of information

ii. Enhances communication of large volumes of information: The large volume of information can be sent with the help of electronic devices

iii. Enables wide coverage Information can be transmitted to receivers in different geographical locations in real time

iv. Reduces communication costs Electronic communication not only saves time but also money

v. Facilitates instant business decisions With the help of electronic communication, managers can make instant or quick decisions.

vi. Information Storage Electronic devices can store vast amounts of data, which can be retrieved and used as needed.

Five drawbacks of electronic communication

i. Information and data overload Many small and medium organisations are overwhelmed with the abundance of data and information available for use. This suffusion of information, delivered at lightning speed, makes it difficult for business owners to manage the quantum of information

ii. The cost of development Electronic communication requires a huge investment in infrastructural development. Frequent change in technology also demands further investment.

iii. Undelivered information Information may not be delivered due to a system error or fault with the technology. Hence, the required service may be delayed or not even delivered.

iv. Dependence on developed countries Developing countries depend on developed countries for new technology infrastructure, which they cannot afford; hence, they depend on developed countries for housing and sharing the global network

v. Over-dependence on technology Many organisations are deskilling in areas of technical competence due to over-dependence on technology. Whenever technology fails, organisations find it difficult to cope as core skills required to run the organisations have been lost to technology.

vi. Loss of vital information Most vital information is electronically stored; hence, when there is a technology failure or a cyber attack, this information may be lost irretrievably, except where the organisation has a good backup arrangement.

vii. Loss of confidentiality The deployment of technology in the dissemination of information accentuates the risk of loss of confidentiality of this information.

viii. Rapid changes in technology Rapid changes in technology create disruptions to the extent that most organisations in developing economies find it difficult to cope with the pace of changes to the technology and infrastructure.