Communication Strategy in Business
Spring 2012
Professor: Jolanta Aritz
Office:
ACC 215 D
Office Phone: 213-740-8241
E-mail: aritz@marshall.usc.edu
Office hours: T and TH from 9am to 10am and by
appointment
INTRODUCTION AND COURSE OBJECTIVES
No matter what your career goals, the levels of success you reach will depend on your ability to
communicate. Will you become a powerful CEO, investment banker, consultant, entrepreneur, marketing
or management director, financial executive, or any other type of business leader? The women and men at
the top of quality organizations are skillful communicators. Almost without exception, successful business
professionals are recognized for their ability to write well, to speak dynamically, and to cultivate business
relationships through strong interpersonal communication skills. This course is designed to help you
develop or polish those skills and to help you identify the areas you should continue to improve as you
pursue your professional career.
BUAD 302 is an experientially based course that focuses on developing communication effectiveness with
an organizational context. You will be more successful in your classes, your career, and, for that matter,
your life if you focus your energies on developing your communication skills. Consider this course as
another valuable step in the ongoing process of becoming an effective communicator.
Goal and Learning Objectives
The overall goal of Communication Strategy in Business—BUAD 302—is to help you improve your ability
to communicate successfully in the business world. This class will thus focus on learning the theory of
business communication strategy as well as putting that theory into practice.
Business Communication Strategy—Theory
Demonstrate understanding of the elements of business communication theory and apply this understanding
to communications in a wide range of business contexts.
Business Communication Strategy— Application
Apply communication theory to develop business communication strategies, including evaluation of
purpose, audience, context, and channel choice. Demonstrate the ability to analyze, compare and critique
these strategies, and effectively communicate this assessment.
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By the end of your BUAD 302 experience, you should have acquired knowledge and skills in the following
areas:
Business Presentations
• Analyze a communicative situation and develop a strategy to create effective persuasive business
presentations.
• Demonstrate understanding of and apply the principles of effective business presentations,
including managing question-and-answer sessions and employing visuals.
Interpersonal Communication
• Demonstrate understanding of the elements of nonverbal communication and apply them in
interpersonal communication situations.
• Demonstrate understanding of the principles and processes of effective listening and apply them in
interpersonal communication situations.
• Demonstrate understanding of the principles of effective feedback and apply them to provide
effective and appropriate feedback to peers.
Organizational Communication
• Demonstrate understanding of organizational communication practices—external and internal—and
apply this knowledge in various communication contexts.
• Demonstrate awareness of intercultural factors that affect communication and apply this knowledge
in intercultural communication situations.
• Demonstrate understanding of the principles of small group communication, including problem
solving and decision making, and apply them to create effective teams.
Required Text
Quintanilla, K.M. & Wahl, S.T. (2011) Business and Professional Communication. Sage Publications, Inc.
ISBN# 978-1-4129-6472-2.
Harvard Business Review on Communicating Effectively (2011).Harvard Business Review Press: Boston,
MA.
If you are having difficulties with the mechanics of writing, I strongly suggest a self-study program, since
one of your forms of assessments will be the written Learning Portfolio. If you exhibit serious deficiencies
in your writing or your speaking, it will be wise for you to make plans early to visit the University Writing
Center on a regular basis and consider getting a tutor to help you. Located on the third floor of Taper Hall,
the Writing Center will allow you to schedule 30-minute appointments with writing consultants trained to
assist you in planning, organizing, and revising your assignments. Some consultants are graduate business
students in the Marshall School of Business. Others have special skills in working with students for whom
English is a second language: http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/writing/writingcenter/.
Attendance
I assume that you will be present and on time for every class and ready to begin work at the time class is
scheduled to start. Should you need to be absent I expect to receive an e-mail from you PRIOR to the start
of class. Keep in mind that a message in advance of class does not “excuse” your absence – it simply
shows me that you are taking responsibility for choosing to do something else during class time. Again,
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this does not mean that you will get credit for a class you do not attend. Multiple absences, even when
accompanied by conscientious notification, may be viewed as unprofessional behavior and negatively
impact your participation grade. To receive top points for engagement/participation you will need to take
an active role in class discussions, volunteer for leading ELC and in-class exercises, bring relevant news
stories to the attention of the class, etc.
And please note that ELC dates are non-negotiable – so missing an ELC session will negatively affect
your grade by 25 participation points (per missed session) unless excused by me. Further, if you miss
the mock interviews you will lose 50 points unless excused by me—in advance. There will be no
make-ups for the ELC Exercises or for the mock interviews. It is your responsibility to write down
the day/time for the interviews once you sign up.
If you miss a class session, you still need to come to the next class fully prepared. Please contact a
classmate before the next class meeting. What I cannot do is recreate lectures/discussions for individual
absences—telling you everything we did in class.
Assignments and Coursework
You are expected to arrive on time and be prepared for all class sessions. Final grades in the course will
depend on your performance in the following thee types of assignments:
•
•
•
Participation and involvement in classroom activities, including oral presentations, role plays, group
discussions, ELC and other activities
Knowledge of textbook and other assigned reading materials as measured by in-class quizzes and
the Learning Portfolio.
Written communication, specifically the Learning Portfolio.
Grading Policies
An A = Outstanding or exceptional work
• "A" work reflects mastery of course, concepts, tools, and techniques, plus a solid understanding of
implications, applications, or interrelationships, as may be appropriate.
• In addition, “A” work reflects your ability to apply and express that understanding with meaningful
language. In business, this would mean your manager would accept the work with no revision, be
willing to put his or her name on it, and send it forward. In other words, an ‘A’ on a written or oral
communication signifies that the communication
- contains a clear, early statement of the main idea
- states the sender’s conclusion as the receiver’s main idea
- has a carefully developed opening, middle, and close
- recognizes complexities by thoughtfully addressing more than one of them
- includes strongly supportive details
- is logically developed and well organized
- employs a style and tone appropriate to the occasion
- demonstrates mature sentence variety and paragraph development
- contains few, if any, clichés
- considers who does what next
- and is FREE of grammar and usage errors
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Here’s another way of looking at it:
•
90-100% (A)
(Your supervisor would be very impressed and remember your work. Your performance stands
out as superior to the performances of your peers.)
•
80- 89.99% (B)
(Your supervisor would be satisfied with the job, but not impressed. Your performance is on a par
with the performances of the majority of your peers.)
•
70- 79.99% (C)
(Your supervisor would be disappointed. Your performance does not meet the performance level
of most of your peers.)
•
60- 69.99% (D)
(Your supervisor would be troubled by the poor quality of the work and would advise you that
your position might be in jeopardy.)
•
0- 59.99% (F)
(Your supervisor would begin looking for your replacement because the work wasn’t submitted or
did not meet even minimum specifications.)
Late Assignments
Assignments must be turned in at the beginning of the class period, on the front table, on the due date. Any
assignment turned in late will receive a penalty. All assignments received up to 3 days late will receive half
a grade penalty, all assignments received up to 5 days late will receive a full grade penalty. Assignments
received more than 7 days late will be considered “missed” (i.e. 0 points). If you are unable to attend class
on the day a written assignment is due, make arrangements for it to be delivered to the classroom or to my
mailbox in ACC 400 by the start of class.
Grade Review
For all grade assignments, including your final grade, that you believe some error has occurred in the
grading, you can, within one week of the due date or period, request—using a memo—that I re-evaluate the
assignment or the grading. The memo should carefully explain why you think the assignment should be regraded. Arguing that “I worked hard and put in a lot of time” or simply saying “I don’t understand why I
received this grade” are neither full nor careful explanations. It’s important to also realize that the reevaluation process can result in three types of grade adjustments: positive, none, and negative.
Components of Final Grade
Participation grade (in-class presentations, activities, peer feedback, active participation in class)
100 points
10%
• Oral presentations
# 1 Focus statement presentation
#2 Informative presentation
200 points
20%
•
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#3 Persuasive Presentation (Individual)
#4 Persuasive Presentation (Team 100/Individual 100)
•
•
Quizzes (150 pts each )
Learning Portfolio
Total:
•
Classroom activities, exercises
ELC activity
Cover letter /resume review
Company profile
Cover letter /resume polished
Mock Interview
Career Center session
200 points
20%
300 points
30%
200 points
20%
1,000 points 100%
(-25 points)
(-20 points)
(-20 points)
(-80 points)
(-50 points)
(-50 points)
Final grades represent how you perform in the class relative to other students. Your grade will not be based
on a mandated target, but on your performance. Historically, the average grade for this class is about a (B).
Three items are considered when assigning final grades:
1. Your average weighted score as a percentage of the available points for all assignments (the points you
receive divided by the number of points possible).
2. The overall average percentage score within the class.
3. Your ranking among all students in the class.
Productivity Tools
The Marshall School of Business computing environment supports the Microsoft Office bundle of
productivity tools and the Blackboard course management system. All out-of-class assignments must be
prepared with these tools--or tools that produce compatible files--and printed on a laser or inkjet printer.
Additionally, you should have a good, recently published dictionary and a thesaurus and be familiar with
the spell-checking and grammar-checking features built into Microsoft Word. Check the program
documentation to see how to use these programs and be aware of the program’s limitations. Remember that
computer programs are insufficient to adequately proofread a document.
Experiential Learning Center (ELC)
You will be videotaped in business speaking situations and participate in exercises and simulations in the
Experiential Learning Center (ELC) in the basement of Bridge Hall, rooms 2, 3, and 4.
Exercises in the ELC are important to your mastery of communication skills. ELC sessions begin
promptly, and punctuality is vital. "Dress for Success" and maintain a professional appearance whenever
our class meets in the ELC--unless I change the dress code for the occasion. What an audience sees when
you speak influences what it hears and thinks, and what you wear is an important aspect of ELC
presentations.
Courtesy to Fellow Students
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Make sure you turn off all electronic devices upon entering the classroom (i.e. watch alarms, beepers, and
cellular telephones).
Add/drop process.
In compliance with Marshall’s policies, BUAD 302 classes are open enrollment (R-clearance) through the
first week of class. All classes are closed (switched to D-clearance) at the end of the first week. The
purpose is to minimize the complexity of the registration process for students by standardizing across
classes. I can drop you from my class if you don’t attend the first two sessions in classes that meet twice a
week or if you don’t attend the first session in a class that meets once a week.
Please note: No matter if you decide to drop, or if you choose not to attend the first sessions without
notifying me and are dropped, you risk being able to add to another BUAD 302 course this semester, since
sections are usually full and professors will not be inclined to add students after the first week.
These policies maintain professionalism and ensure a system that is fair to all students.
Academic Matters
Plagiarism
“Plagiarism is the unacknowledged and inappropriate use of the ideas or wording of another writer and can
result in severe penalties including an “F” in the course. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to carefully
document your sources, even when you are only making use of data or ideas rather than an actual
quotation. To avoid having your writing marked by illegitimate assistance, ask yourself whether you would
be able, on your own and without further assistance, to revise and improve the writing in question. If the
answer is ‘No’---if you would not be able to maintain the same conceptual and stylistic quality without
outside assistance—then you should not submit the writing as your own work.”
—Student Guide to the Freshman Writing Program
Retention of Graded Papers
Returned paperwork, unclaimed by a student, may be discarded 4 weeks after grades are posted by the
University and, hence, will not be available should a grade appeal be pursued by a student following the
receipt of his/her course grade.
Students with Disabilities
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with
Disability Services
and Programs (DSP) each semester. You can obtain a letter of verification for approved accommodations
from DSP.
Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301
and is open
8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
Services
Two other facilities within the Marshall School of Business offer a broad range of informational, software
and hardware services. Schedules for these facilities can be found on the Marshall School homepage:
www.marshall.usc.edu
Crocker Business Library (2nd floor Hoffman)
(213) 740-8520
Instructional Technology Support (ITS - HOH 300 D)
(213) 740-5577
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Emergency Numbers
USC Emergencies
USC Emergency Information Line
USC Information Line
(213) 740-4321
(213) 740-9233
(213) 740-2311
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