The Joseph M. Bryan School of Business and Economics
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO
Business Communications MGT 309/ Spring 2009
Instructor:
Phone:
Angelika Kausche, M.A.
256-8592
E-mail:
Sections:
a_kausch@uncg.edu
MGT 309-04, -05, -06, -07
Office: BRYAN 379
Office Hours: M 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
W 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm or by
appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE
The purpose of Business Communication (MGT 309) is to strengthen your
understanding of the complexities of oral and written communication in everyday
business situations. Strong communication skills are the key to success in today’s global
business world, especially in an increasingly team-oriented work environment. Your
professional image will depend tremendously on your ability to communicate
effectively in national and international business settings.
We use a combination of group discussions, exercises, lectures, and presentations to
enhance your professional communication skills and prepare you for the communicative
challenges of an increasingly global workplace. I emphasize a collaborative learning
environment and will give you various opportunities to contribute to discussions and
class activities.
Specific Course Objectives
After completion of this course, you should:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Understand the importance of effective communication skills in the workplace.
Identify communication strategies to business situations.
Create responses to communication problems.
Conduct research for evidence-based writings and presentations.
Use accurate documentation of sources.
Practice work place team behaviors.
Write concise and organized documents using the appropriate format.
Use the three step writing process.
Write reports based on evaluation of data.
Develop effective messages.
Demonstrate effective oral presentation skills with verbal & nonverbal proficiencies.
The Joseph M. Bryan School of Business and Economics
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO
Business Communications MGT 309/Kausche
Required Material:
Locker, K. O., & Kienzler, D. S. (2008). Business and Administrative Communication
(8th edition). New York, NY: MacGraw-Hill. (Available at the UNCG bookstore)
This text is also available as an e-book at www.coursesmart.com ($77 for a
180-day subscription).
Locker & Kienzler Business and Administrative Communication, 8/e online
learning premium content available at http://www.mhhe.com/locker8e ($ 10).
General Course Requirements
1. Blackboard proficiency
2. You are expected to adhere to the UNCG Honor Code, which can be found at
http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu/complete/
3. In addition, you are expected to adhere to the Bryan School of Business and
Economics guidelines for professional behavior, which can be found at
http://www.uncg.edu/bae/faculty_student_guidelines_sp07.pdf
PROFESSIONALISM
To prepare you for your entry into the business world, I try to mirror a business
environment in this class. Imagine that you have been hired for a career in Business
Communication and I am your new boss, who is a very busy executive with very limited
time at her hand.
Your objective is to complete this course successfully in order to be considered for a
promotion – moving on to your junior or senior year - and NOT to be fired (failing the
course).
As a newcomer, you probably are a little nervous about my expectations for your
performance. Therefore, this syllabus will give you guidance on what you need to do to
complete this course successfully.
I truly believe that students learn best in a positive learning environment. However,
building this positive learning environment is a mutual process. Thus, you receive clear
expectations and guidelines of what you should do; please follow those guidelines.
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The Joseph M. Bryan School of Business and Economics
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO
Business Communications MGT 309/Kausche
Participation: This is a communications course and active participation in class is vital.
Pretend you are showing up for work every class. As if this were your job, you have to
be productive every week, accumulate experiences, and contribute to the team’s success.
Therefore, your collaborative effort counts every class and your attendance is essential.
Attendance: You will receive three “vacation” days without penalty. If you miss more
than three classes, your final grade will be lowered two percent for each additional
class you may miss. If you miss more than seven classes, you will fail this course. For
any class you cannot attend, you are responsible for missed handouts, lecture notes,
changes in deadlines, or assignments. Please rely on classmates/teammates for help. You
cannot make up in-class participation assignments.
Coming late to class: Coming late to class regularly is very unprofessional. Just show
up on time. Regularly coming late to class will negatively affect your participation
grade.
ASSIGNMENTS
You will submit most of your written assignments via Blackboard using the Assignment
Function. Please check each assignment for instruction of how and when to submit it.
Usually, assignments are due on the stated date at the beginning of class. All written
work prepared outside of class must be composed using word-processing software.
Unless stated differently in the assignment, you will submit all of your written
assignments via Blackboard. Here is a brief description of how to do this:
1. Go to “Assignments”
2. Read the assignment carefully
3. Write your assignment in Word and save it as a separate Word file – give it a
meaningful name like “Joe_personalintro”
4. Go back to “Assignments” and open your specific assignment, for example: WA1
5. Click “View/Complete assignment”
6. Attach your Word file via “attach local file”
7. Submit your assignment
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The Joseph M. Bryan School of Business and Economics
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO
Business Communications MGT 309/Kausche
Assignments are weighed as follows:
Assignments
Percentages
Individual Writing (WA)
35%
Team Writing (TW)
25%
Presentations (P)
Professionalism
22%
10%
8%
Total
100%
Exams
Readings and class preparation: For a successful completion of this course, reading
assigned chapters and handouts before class is essential. To enhance your learning
experience, the Locker8e online learning premium content provides pre- and posttests
for each chapter and additional material you may find valuable for this class.
Individually written assignment: You will write several homework assignments using
professional writing skills. Written homework assignments should reflect your best
attempt of professional writing and adhere to the standards of business writing we
discuss in class.
Teamwork: This class takes an intensive team approach. Teams will be assigned within
the first couple of weeks of the semester. You will stay in your team for the whole
semester. The team’s responsibility is to actively engage in discussions, facilitate a Hot
Seat Video discussion in class, and prepare a business report. The business report is your
major research project for this course. It consists of an individual part and a group part.
Use Google docs (www.docs.google.com) for writing your group report.
Presentations: You will have to give two presentations: one individual and one team
presentation. For your individual persuasive presentation, you will have to consult the
UNCG Speaking Center for a practice session. Further, your team needs to facilitate a
Hot Seat Video discussion in class at an assigned date.
Exams: This course will have a midterm and final exam. A final examination will be
administered during the regularly scheduled examination period. Exams will be
cumulative and consist of multiple-choice questions as well as a short case analysis.
Exams should reflect your ability to apply what you learned through your readings and
in class work.
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The Joseph M. Bryan School of Business and Economics
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO
Business Communications MGT 309/Kausche
Professionalism: You are expected to behave professionally in class and in your
correspondence with your instructor. You need to participate actively in class, listen
attentively to contributions from classmates, and be supportive of your team. If you
regularly come late, prefer to browse the Internet on your laptop, play with your iPod,
cell phone etc. and overall present an unprofessional demeanor in class, your grade will
be affected at the discretion of the instructor.
Late Work: Assignments may not be submitted late. Exceptions will be granted only in
rare circumstances and be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Absence Policy: You cannot make up any in-class assignments, exams, or presentations.
Blackboard and Electronic Communications: All additional course material including
course lecture slides and additional handouts will be posted in Blackboard. Typically, I
post a weekly announcement about due dates etc. in Blackboard. This announcement
will be sent via electronic communication to the class. Having access to and frequently
checking Blackboard as well as your UNCG Spartan e-mail account will be important to
your success in this course.
GRADING
You will receive lots of feedback for you written assignments. Use this feedback as a tool
to help you improve. I will not point out every error because you are expected to review
your message for recurring errors.
All business communication needs to have at least three paragraphs (opening, body,
closing). Visual appeal makes it easier for the reader to comprehend your message. If
your assignment does not adhere to this basic format standard, you will automatically
receive a F.
If you receive an F for an assignment, you may submit a revised version by the next
class period. Submit both your old and new version of the assignment (hardcopy
please). Depending on the quality of your revision, you grade will be a D+ to a C.
All grades will be recorded in Blackboard and you will be able to review your standing
in class via “My Grades.”
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The Joseph M. Bryan School of Business and Economics
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO
Business Communications MGT 309/Kausche
Grading Standards:
A
In a business environment, this assignment would distinguish you as a top
performer in your company. It represents work that is outstanding in every
way. You fulfilled all the requirements of the assignment and went beyond by
contributing additional material or developing new insights, and distinguished
yourself using a particularly creative or inventive approach.
B
In a business environment, this work would reflect well on you and your
company. You completed the assignment, fulfilled all requirements, and went
beyond by contributing additional material or developing new insights.
C
You completed the assignment and fulfilled the requirements of it. However, in
a business environment this work would not represent you or your company
well without major revision and polish.
D
You fulfilled some of the requirements of the assignment, but not all of them.
This work would need to be reworked completely before it could be used to
represent you professionally.
F
You totally missed the point of the assignment, you did not apply basic format
requirements (three paragraphs), or you did not turn it in.
Grading Scale:
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
≥97% - 100%
≥94% - ‹97%
≥90% - ‹94%
≥87% - ‹90%
≥84% - ‹87%
≥80% - ‹84%
≥77% - ‹80%
C
CD+
D
DF
6
≥74% - ‹77%
≥70% - ‹74%
≥67% - ‹70%
≥64% - ‹67%
≥60% - ‹64%
‹60%
The Joseph M. Bryan School of Business and Economics
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO
Business Communications MGT 309/Kausche
Assignment
Details
Percentages
Individual
Writing (WA)
WA 1: Personal Intro
WA 2: Revised Message
WA 3: Routine Direct Message
WA 4: Negative –Draft
WA 5: Negative- Revision
WA 6: Résumé & Cover Letter
WA 7: Reflection on final presentation
Team Writing
(TW)
TW1: Business Report – Individual Part
TW2: Business Report - Group
TW3: Hot Seat Case Analysis Memo
25
Presentations (P)
P1: Persuasive Presentation Outline
P2: Individual Persuasive Presentation in Class
including PPT
P3: Team Hot Seat Facilitation
22
Exams
Midterm
Final Exam
10
Professionalism
Attendance
Participation
You need to participate actively in class. If you
regularly come late, prefer to browse the Internet
on your laptop, play with your iPod, cell phone
etc. and overall present an unprofessional
demeanor in class, your grade will be affected at
the discretion of the instructor.
8
35
If you miss more than 3 classes, your final course
grade will be lowered 2 percent for each additional
class you fail to attend. If you miss more than 7
classes, you will fail this course.
Total
100
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