BA 290 Business Communication
Spring 2014
M. Monika Slater
mslater@mail.sdsu.edu
SH 110A
Office Hours: T/Th 10am- 12
Classes:
T/TH 8:00-9:15am
Section 17
Schedule no. 30903
Classroom: EBA 256
T/TH 12:30-1:45pm
Section 12
Schedule no. 23866
Classroom: EBA 341
T/TH 2:00-3:15 pm
Section 13
Schedule no. 23867
Classroom: SSW 2522
Course Description: In this class you will learn concepts and develop skills directed
toward written business communication.
BSBA students will graduate being:
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Effective Communicators
Critical Thinkers
Able to Analyze Ethical Problems
Global in their perspective
Knowledgeable about the essentials of business
BA 290 contributes to these goals through its student learning outcomes as follows:
Learning Objectives:
 Learn the essentials of organizing business messages
 Gather primary and secondary information and interpret it effectively
 Prepare short documents for business such as memos, letters, e-mail, and
business reports.
 Prepare a substantial analytical report using both primary and secondary
research and supported with suitable graphics.
At the end of this course students should be able to:
 Adapt the concepts of business communication to written and oral presentations
through careful audience analysis and message planning.
 Employ business writing techniques and the language of business
communication in choosing words, writing sentences, and developing
paragraphs for good news, bad news, and persuasive messages that are clear,
concise, complete, and accurate.
 Incorporate technology effectively in gathering, organizing, writing, and
presenting information.
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Gather, interpret, organize, and attribute both primary and secondary
information in analytical business reports.
Evaluate and produce graphics to communicate messages quickly and
accurately.
Discuss effective collaboration in preparing written documents.
Explain the role of communication in intercultural and global settings.
Required Text:
Business Communication
Marie Flatley, Kathryn Rentz, & Paula Lentz
ISBN-10: 0073403164
ISBN-13: 978-0073403168
Publication Date: February 2, 2011
Edition: 2
Highly Recommended:
Any Writer’s Handbook (such as Keys For Writers) to help you with correct writing,
formatting, referencing.
Also, take advantage of the new writing center. For more info, go to http://rhetoric.
sdsu.edu/resources/tutoring.htm
Class Website: http://blackboard.sdsu.edu
Students are expected to check BlackBoard and email before each class session. Updates
or changes will be posted to BlackBoard.
Reading: There is reading assigned for every class period we will meet. It is much more
valuable for you to read the assignment before we have the class lecture on that material.
To help ensure readings are completed I will utilize quizzes through Blackboard or in class
or assign a short homework exercise based on the chapter reading that is to be turned in at
the beginning of the class. The requirement to complete the quiz or the assignment will be
announced in class and be posted on Blackboard. All work is expected to be typed in MLA
format (if applicable) and with a standard font of 12.
Course conduct: on-time attendance is expected at each class; assignments will be
collected in class; students are expected to be prepared for each class by having read
assignments, prepared homework, and so on. As both a courtesy to all and a way to keep
your focus solely on the class activities, please turn off all cell phones, and other electronic
devices. If there is some extraordinary reason why you must have an electronic device on,
please see me. No devices will be permitted during tests.
This class is an environment where we are all learning. To that end, patience and
consideration are essential. Please arrive at class well prepared and ready to be fully
engaged. Your success in this class is your responsibility.
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Grading: All your work and the final course grade will be evaluated on a performance
scale rather than a curve. Tests are based on both your knowledge about writing concepts
and your application of these concepts to a variety of writing assignments. These
assignments are ones you are likely to encounter both in the workplace and in your upper
division work in business.
Late Policy: Out-of-class assignments turned in late will only be accepted one class period
late and then with a late penalty applied. Missed in-class assignments and exams cannot be
made up. Only severe illness or other grave circumstances will be considered valid reasons
for allowing make-up work.
Grading: There are a variety of assignments that will be required for completion of this
course. Their weight is listed below:
Homework/Quizzes related to Chapter Readings
Written Assignments:
email
Good/Bad news message (5%each)
Fact sheet/short report
Group analytical paper
Resume/cover letter
Participation
Final
10%
5%
10%
10%
20%
15%
15%
15%
Your written work in this class will be evaluated using a rubric that has been approved by
the MIS department. It can be found on Blackboard under Syllabus. Grades will be posted
on Blackboard. You must notify me within 7 days of any grading discrepancy. Please refer
to page 28 of the university policy file at http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/universitysenate/
images/2010pffinal.pdf for information regarding course grading. A full range of grades
are used (“A” through “F”) – a grade of “A” is reserved for truly exceptional work.
Grading Scale:
A+ = 99
A = 95
A- = 91
B+ = 88
B = 85
B- = 81
C+ = 78
C = 75
C- = 71
D+ = 68
D = 65
D- = 61
Cutoffs:
90
80
70
60
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Attempted F = 50
Unattempted F = 0
Studies with Disabilities: If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need
accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability
Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you
should contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that
accommodations are not retroactive, and that I cannot provide accommodations based
upon disability until I have received an accommodation letter from Student Disability
Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Academic Dishonesty (Cheating or Plagiarism):
Cheating is behavior that undermines the learning objectives of a paper, exam, quiz or any
other graded work. Among other things, cheating is working with a classmate on an
individual project; using a quiz from a previous semester to study for a quiz in your class;
or passing someone else’s work off as your own.
The SDSU policy file defines Plagiarism as:
the act of incorporating ideas, words, or specific substance of another, whether
purchased, borrowed, or otherwise obtained, and submitting same to the university
as one’s own work to fulfill academic requirements without giving credit to the
appropriate source. Plagiarism shall include but not be limited to (a) submitting
work, either in part or in whole, completed by another; (b) omitting footnotes for
ideas, statements, facts, or conclusions that belong to another; (c) omitting
quotation marks when quoting directly from another, whether it be a paragraph,
sentence, or part thereof; (d) close and lengthy paraphrasing of the writings of
another; (e) submitting another person’s artistic works, such as musical
compositions, photographs, paintings, drawings, or sculptures; and (f) submitting as
one’s own work papers purchased from research companies.
The SDSU library has a self-paced tutorial called “Plagiarism: The Crime of Intellectual
Kidnapping” which can be accessed from the SDSU library home page. Make sure you ask
me if you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism.
Class Schedule: While the following class schedule gives you an idea of the material to be
covered and due dates intended, you are responsible for any changes as announced in class
or via Bb.
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Class Schedule:
Week
Tuesday
1
Thursday
1/23
Introduction to Class + syllabus
2
1/28
1/30
Chapter 1: Communicating in the Workplace
3
2/4
2/6
Chapter 2: Understanding the Writing Process and the Main
Forms of Business Messages + email
4
2/11
2/13
Finish chpt 1+2; establish groups
5
2/18
2/20
Chapter 3: Graphs and Visuals + fact sheet
6
2/25
2/27
Chapter 4: Using an Appropriate Style + fact sheet due
7
3/4
3/6
Chapter 7: Writing Persuasive Messages + Proposals + group
project
8
3/11
3/13
Chapter 8: Research + group project
9
3/18
3/20
Group project and presentation
Group conferences
10
3/25
3/27
Group project/presentation due
11
4/3
4/4
Spring Break
12
4/8
4/10
Chapter 5/6: Good news/Bad news messages
13
4/15
4/17
Acceptance/Refusal message due
14
4/22
4/24
Chapter 11: Communicating in the Job Search
15
4/29
5/1
Cover letter/resume due
16
5/6
5/8
FINAL prep
17
Finals (see http://arweb.sdsu.edu/es/registrar
/finalexams/14_spring.html)
**If you miss a class, you may attend another section after consulting with me.
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