On-line Syllabus
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
MBA 505: BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS
(3 Credit Hours)
Effective: January 2010
Zaremba, A. J. (2003). Organizational communication: Foundations for business and management.
Mason, OH: South-Western.
Whitaker, A. (2010). Research and APA style guide. Bratislava, Slovakia: City University of Seattle.
Available online at http://www.vsm.sk/en/students/academic-support/ or for purchase in the
CU Slovakia library.
Access to the Internet is required.
All written assignments must be in Microsoft-Word-compatible formats.
See the library’s APA Style Guide tutorial for a list of resources that can help you use APA style.
Copyright 2008 by City University of Seattle
All rights reserved.
MBA 505: BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS
FACULTY
Faculty Name: John Graham
Contact Information: jgraham@cityu.edu
E-mail me or post on the bulletin board anytime you have any questions.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The knowledge, competence and mastery of human communication are essential for success in every
business setting. This course introduces you to the power of written and oral communication within
the context of a multi-cultural and diverse business environment. You will learn the most effective
methods for communicating information, data, research and ideas to both external and internal
stakeholders using various media.
Prerequisite: MBA 500.
COURSE RESOURCES
Required and recommended resources to complete coursework and assignments are listed on the
My.CityU portal at Library>Resources by Course.
CITYU LEARNING GOALS
The content of this course addresses the following CityU Learning Goals:
 Professional Competency
 Professional Identity
 Strong Communication and Interpersonal Skills
 Critical Thinking
 Commitment to Ethical Practice and Service
 Lifelong Learning
PROGRAM CONTEXT
This course helps to meet the following end-of-program outcomes:
 Communicate effectively both orally and in writing with internal and external stakeholders;
 Lead individuals and organizations to achieve business missions and goals in a global
environment;
 Build, lead and participate in productive and diverse teams;
 Leverage managerial effectiveness through recognition of individual strengths, values and
business philosophy;
 Use people skills to manage diverse work environments and navigate organizational politics;
 Recognize when information is needed; find, evaluate and use it to support continuous
professional and organizational development;
 Manage projects successfully through effective resource allocation, use of technology and
cross-functional awareness.
COURSE OUTCOMES
After completing this course, you will be able to:
 Determine the role of communication as a specific competitive advantage in business today;
 Compare and contrast different communication styles; identify your own communication style;
 Build credibility and professionalism through interpersonal skills, information and data;
 Develop and practice a process for team formation, decision making, feedback and conflict
resolution;
 Analyze, compare and contrast communication in a diverse and global business environment;
 Demonstrate informative and persuasive presentation skills;
 Compose various forms of business writing to persuade and inform recipients;
 Distinguish and explain communication nuances in organizations (i.e. leadership and power,
networking and politics, negotiation).
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CORE CONCEPTS, KNOWLEDGE, AND SKILLS
The course will cover the following concepts and topics:
 Myths and facts about communication flow in organizations;
 The role of communication in business today;
 Types of communication in organizations and how to create conditions for effective
communication;
 Forms of power in organizations and the influence of networking vs. politics on the quality of
communication;
 Cross-cultural communication;
 Impact of globalization and diversity on communication in business;
 Communication styles and barriers to communication;
 Emotional intelligence;
 Giving and receiving effective feedback;
 Sources of credibility and practices for building trust;
 Importance and practice of listening;
 Theory and practice of team formation, team decision making and managing conflict;
 Influence of different learning styles and personal values on teamwork;
 Relevance of presentation skills in business;
 Informative vs. persuasive presentations;
 Effective presentations, including visual aids and media;
 Layout, structure, guidelines and etiquette for reports, emails, memos, summaries and letters;
 Academic and professional integrity: research, information literacy, and documentation skills
(APA) in academics and business;
 Coaching skills.
OVERVIEW OF COURSE GRADING
The grade you receive for the course will be derived using City University of Seattle’s decimal
grading system, based on the following:
Overview of Required Assignments
Student Introductory Assignment
Constructive Participation
Learning Log
Writing Assignments – Apply It Now
Delivering Messages Appropriately
Resolving Conflict with another person
Cross-Cultural Communication Paper
Authoritative Paper (Team assignment)
% of Final Grade
0%
20 %
10 %
10%
10 %
15 %
15 %
20 %
TOTAL
100%
SPECIFICS OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
Your instructor will provide grading rubrics that will provide more detail as to how this assignment
will be graded.
STUDENT INTRODUCTORY ASSIGNMENT (SIA)
City University requires that you submit a Student Introductory Assignment (SIA). This SIA must be
completed during the first week of your course. The SIA consists of introducing yourself in the
Discussion Forum titled: Student Introductory Assignment. It is designed to begin the online class
experience by letting us know you are in class and facilitating interaction. It is due at the end of the
first week. Even though this assignment is not graded, it is required in order for you to continue your
course. Your instructor will notify CU/VSM at the end of the first week as to whether or not you
completed your SIA.
WEEKLY ONLINE DISCUSSION BOARD POSTINGS
A discussion question or other task from your instructor appears weekly in the discussion forum.
Sometimes these will be questions to discuss based on the reading, sometimes you may be asked to do
research and post real-life examples that relate to the course, sometimes you may post your written
work and be required to give feedback on your classmates’ written work, and other times you may be
asked to solve problems or calculations and post your answers for your classmates to correct.
(1) Post your initial responses to the instructor’s discussion questions and (300-350 words
per response) no later than midnight on Wednesday
(2) Post at least two thoughtful and topic-relevant comments to responses made by
classmates on at least three days of the school week.
(3) Respond to any questions that your instructor or peers have regarding your original
discussion question posts by the end of the school week.
(4) Please note that you cannot make all your posts on the same day.
This forum is to help promote student-to-student interaction. Your instructor will not be responding to
individual posts, but may enter the discussions with comments, corrections, and additional questions,
and will close each topic. If you have a question or comment that is specifically for your instructor,
email your instructor directly or use the Question & Answer/Help forum.
After the topic is closed, your participation will be evaluated. Although the tone of your discussion
board postings can be informal, your instructor will expect them to be on a professional level. You
will be evaluated on participating regularly, being aware of the issues from the reading, expressing
your own ideas clearly, supporting your ideas, maintaining a respectful and inoffensive tone,
thoughtfully reacting to others' ideas, and using clear and appropriate English.
Grading Criteria for Online Discussion
Quality of responses (thoughtful, supported, clear)
Quantity of responses (3 relevant responses per topic)
TOTAL
50%
50%
100%
WEEKLY LEARNING LOG
In a separate document, keep an ongoing log of thoughts, perceptions, insights and personal learning
as it relates to your individual communication skills and your understanding of communication in
business. The length of each entry is up to you. Entries might include such areas as insights, reactions,
feelings/thoughts, questions raised, things tried, and risks taken.
Begin your Learning Log by doing a personal analysis of your current perceptions of your
interpersonal communication skills. Answer these questions to give yourself a basis to compare with
your future development:
 Describe your overall interpersonal effectiveness?
 Describe your interpersonal relationships? Write about your best relationship and your worst
relationship.
 What are your strengths regarding interpersonal skills?
 What are your weaknesses regarding interpersonal skills?
 What are your goals for your communication development?
Subsequent entries are required weekly at minimum. Every entry should contain the date, an insight,
and any action steps for future growth and development.
Grading Criteria
Demonstrated critical self reflection
Applied learning and experimentation of new concepts
Integration of course concepts
50%
25%
25%
TOTAL
100%
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WRITING ASSIGNMENTS – APPLY IT NOW
Improving communication skills combines scholarly advice from texts and practical application of
concepts. Learners must practice and receive feedback on a regular basis. Over the course, five realworld tasks, developed by the instructor, will be assigned to apply concepts and practice. Feedback
will be provided by the course facilitator as well as other learners.
Grading Criteria
Clear and complete presentation of concepts
Depth and appropriateness of research
Integration of course concepts
Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and format
25%
25%
25%
25%
TOTAL
100%
DELIVERING MESSAGES APPROPRIATELY
A 3-5 page paper which explains rules in communicating in a business culture. Describe the rule and
possible results of not following the rule. Include rules applying to different methods of
communication. Explain situations when a rule may be violated.
Grading Criteria
Clear and complete presentation of concepts
Logical organization of conclusions and findings
Integration of course concepts
25%
50%
25%
TOTAL
100%
RESOLVING CONFLICT WITH ANOTHER PERSON
Using your knowledge about team building, trust and communication, compose a 5-7 page written
presentation on a conflicting situation at work. Describe the situation using your perception and then
describe the situation using the other person’s perception. Describe the actions taken to resolve the
conflict. Describe a better alternative solution to your conflict. Was the trust level increased or
decreased? Why? What would help you come to a better solution? This is an individual activity.
Maximum 7 pages, APA format and citations.
Grading Criteria
Clear and complete presentation of concepts
Depth and appropriateness of research
Integration of course concepts
Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and format
25%
25%
25%
25%
TOTAL
100%
CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION PAPER
A 5-7 page paper comparing and contrasting American business culture with business culture from an
organization with which you do business as a supplier or customer. Describe mistakes made and
lessons learned from conducting business with each other. Include cultural differences, language
challenges, greetings, non-verbal communication, attitudes and behaviors, customs and etiquette,
gender roles, the nature of authority, hierarchies, humor, etc.
Grading Criteria
Clear and complete presentation of concepts
Logical organization of research and findings
Depth and appropriateness of research
Integration of course concepts
Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and format
25%
25%
20%
20%
10%
TOTAL
100%
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AUTHORITATIVE PAPER (TEAM ASSIGNMENT)
Prepare an authoritative paper presenting a broken process in one team member’s work and presenting
a solution to fix and improve the process within your organization. This will be prepared for
presentation to the class in preparation to present to a manager who will use the presentation to make
a decision if the company should support and implement your solution. An authoritative paper
typically argues a specific position or solution to a business problem. It is a hybrid of marketing tool +
decision-making tool + high quality research report.
Other features of an Authoritative Paper:
 Provides historical precedence and/or an overview
 Demonstrates an understanding of the problem and provides evidence to support the proposed
solution
 Introduces a unique solution, idea or new class of products and explains why it is the best
approach to addressing the problem
 Includes specific fact-based benefits the company will achieve
 Includes high-quality research, success stories and case studies from third-party sources.
 Adds credibility to ensure your readers know the claims made are true
 Written objectively
 Cites ALL references using APA
 Maximum 12 pages
 Uses images, charts, illustrations… (Be cautious with clip art. Does it reinforce your point?);
Add sidebars and callouts
 Although this is a team effort, be sure your final product has only one voice.
Grading Criteria
Clear and complete presentation of concepts
Logical organization of research and findings
Depth and appropriateness of research
Integration of course concepts
Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and format
25%
25%
20%
20%
10%
TOTAL
100%
COURSE POLICIES
This document provides an overview of the course foundation elements, assignments, schedules, and
activities. For information about general, City University of Seattle policies, please see the City
University of Seattle catalog. If you have additional questions about the course, please contact your
instructor.
Late Assignments
Students are expected to meet submission requirements for assignments in a timely manner.
Evaluation includes an assessment of timeliness. Late assignments jeopardize your learning, and may
also penalize your classmates as most assignments will not be returned to students until all students
have submitted their work.
If circumstances prevent a student from meeting the due date, the student is obliged to contact the
instructor and request an extension at least 48 hours prior to the date the assignment is due.
Emergency situations will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Being busy, pressured with outside
work, or having competing academic commitments are not valid reasons to grant extensions.
A student who receives an extension in advance of the due date and abides by the agreement with the
instructor is not subject to late penalties.
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Without prior arrangement with the instructor, students who submit assignments after midnight on the
due date will receive a 10 percent deduction in grade each day or part of the day that the assignment is
late. For example, if the assignment is submitted two days late, 20 percent of the grade will be
deducted.
Coursework received after one week (seven days) will not be graded and will receive a zero grade.
Participation
Online and Hybrid classes are required to use online discussion board (Blackboard – Bb).
Participation through discussion is an integral part of this course, although it is typically less formal
than other assignments submitted throughout the course. Participation is active engagement in
discussions with enhancing points, new ideas, constructive disagreement, real-world examples,
personal insight, expanded resource material, and collaborative sharing. Instructors will determine the
type of questions. The instructor will provide instructions for in-class participation and discussions.
To provide structure for balanced participation and enhancement of discussions follow these
guidelines for online discussions (the instructor will provide instructions for in-class participation and
discussions):
Professional Writing
All assignments submitted for this course should be of professional quality. The presentation should
always take into account your intended audience.
This course requires that you use the American Psychological Association (APA) style in preparing
any required research papers, or any written work where other sources are used. A style guide is
included in the “Required Text and Materials” section. Refer to this style guide for proper format,
referencing methods, and bibliographic format. References should be cited for all facts, ideas,
conclusions, and opinions not your own.
A proper title page should preface all written assignments, unless otherwise required. The title page
should include: your name, the title of the paper, the name and number of the course, the start date of
the course, the date submitted, and the name of your instructor.
Generally, your work should be prepared in Word and all narrative portions should be double spaced.
Electronic submission of all work is encouraged in face-to-face courses and required in online
courses. See the instructions for the graded assignments for more information about format. If
financial statements or accounting records are required, they should be in good form. Some
assignments may require that your work be prepared on a computer spreadsheet.
UNIVERSITY POLICIES
You are responsible for understanding and adhering to all of City University of Seattle’s academic
policies. The most current versions of these policies can be found in the University Catalog that is
linked from the CityU Web site.
Scholastic Honesty
City University of Seattle expects each student to do his/her own work. CU has "zero tolerance" for
cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration on assignments and papers, using "notes" during
exams, submitting someone else's work as one's own, submitting work previously submitted for
another course, or facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others. The penalties are severe! A first
offense can result in a zero grade for the course and suspension for one quarter; a second offense can
result in a zero grade for the course and suspension for two or more quarters; a third offense can result
in expulsion from CU.
The Policy and Procedures may be found at
http://www.vsm.sk/en/students/scholastic-honesty/policies-and-procedures/.
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In addition to providing your work to the instructor for grading, you must also submit an electronic
copy for the CU archives (unless the work is specifically exempted by the instructor). You will not
receive a grade for particular work until and unless you submit this electronic copy. The procedure
for submitting work to the archives is to upload it via the website http://www.vsm.sk/en/students/online-center/uploader/uploader.html or http://www.cutn.sk/upload. Files should include the cover page
of the work with the student name, instructor name, course name and number, and date. File names
should indicate the type of assignment, such as “researchpaper.doc”, “casestudy.doc” or “ thesis.doc”
(student name should not be a part of the file name because the system adds it). All files received into
the archives are submitted to www.TurnItIn.com for plagiarism checking.
Attendance
Students taking courses in any format at the University are expected to be diligent in their studies and
to attend class regularly.
Regular class attendance is important in achieving learning outcomes in the course and may be a valid
consideration in determining the final grade. For online classes, a student has attended if s/he has
posted or submitted an assignment. A complete copy of this policy can be found in the University
Catalog in the section titled Attendance Policy for Mixed Mode, Online and Correspondence Courses.
SUPPORT SERVICES
Disability Resources
If you are a student with a disability and you require an accommodation, please contact the Disability
Resource Office or Associate Dean as soon as possible. For additional information, please see the
section in the University Catalog titled Students with Special Needs under Student Rights &
Responsibilities.
Library Services
In order to help you succeed in this course, you have access to library services and resources 24 hours
a day, seven days a week. CityU librarians can help you formulate search strategies and locate
materials that are relevant to your coursework. For help, contact a CityU librarian through the Ask a
Librarian service. To find library resources, click on the Library link in the My.CityU portal. The CU
Slovakia library home page is at http://library.cutn.sk/. For additional help, visit the Slovakia library
or submit your question in the Contact Us section of the Slovakia library’s web site.
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COURSE SCHEDULE
WEEK
MODULE(S), TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS
READINGS
Zaremba Ch. 1
1
Communications in the workplace / Organizational
Communication: An Introduction
DUE Sunday: Weekly Learning Log
2



Principles of Communication
DUE Wednesday: Weekly Learning Log
Upload Sunday: Individual Paper: Delivering
messages Appropriately
Managing Information and Communication Networks
3
DUE Wednesday: Weekly Learning Log
Upload Sunday: Apply It Now Activity 1
Intercultural Communication and the Organization
4
DUE Wednesday: Weekly Learning Log
Upload Sunday: Apply It Now Activity 2
Improving Written Communication
5
DUE Wednesday: Weekly Learning Log
Upload Sunday: Cross-Cultural Communication
paper
Communication Climate and Organizational Culture
6
DUE Wednesday: Weekly Learning Log
Upload Sunday: Apply It Now Activity 3
Improving interpersonal Communication
7
DUE Wednesday: Weekly Learning Log
Upload Sunday: Resolving Conflict with another
Person
Communicating in Meetings
8
DUE Wednesday: Weekly Learning Log
Upload Sunday: Apply It Now Activity 4
Making Presentations in Organizations
9
10
DUE Wednesday: Weekly Learning Log
Upload Sunday: Apply It Now Activity 5
Upload Friday: Authoritative paper (Team
Assignment)
Upload Friday: Final learning log (all entries
combined into one document)
CityU of Seattle Online
Tutorials for How do I …?:
Use the APA citation style;
Evaluate information resources;
Evaluate scholarly articles.
Zaremba Ch. 3
Zaremba Ch. 5 and 6
CUoS electronic library – for
international and other resources
related to the concepts
Zaremba Ch. 12
CUoS electronic library – for
international and other resources
related to the concepts
Zaremba Ch. 11
CUoS electronic library – for
international and other resources
related to the concepts
Zaremba Ch. 7
CUoS electronic library – for
international and other resources
related to the concepts
Zaremba Ch. 10
CUoS electronic library – for
international and other resources
related to the concepts
Zaremba Ch. 8
CUoS electronic library – for
international and other resources
related to the concepts
Zaremba Ch. 9
CUoS electronic library – for
international and other resources
related to the concepts
All Zaremba chapters and
CUoS electronic library related
to the summary of course
concepts