Business Communication MGT 5200

Transcription

1 Business Communication MGT 5200 Syllabus Fall Semester 2013

2 Table of Contents Course overview 3 Course objectives 3 Learning outcomes 4 Lecture times 4 Course lecture schedule 5 Prescribed text and supplementary reading 7 Additional resources 8 Assessment 8 Grading and grade appeals 9 Code of conduct 10 Student advising 11 Contacting your professor 11 Professor s profile 12 KIMEP MBA Program, Fall Semester

3 Course overview The skills taught in this course are essential for surviving and succeeding in today s corporate world. You will learn to analyze, understand and write clear and concise business communiqués, develop skills for high level interpersonal communication and strengthen your oral presentation competence. The course introduces a range of business communication methods and examines the technologies available for convey business messages. Other key components of the course include a review of important communication theories and strategies we can adopt to plan different types of communications. The course also introduces the topic of corporate communications which is about how organizations (rather than employees) communicate. Ethics is a very important part of business communications. We will spend two lectures on this topic and this will be complemented with a home task on communicating ethically in business messages. This course is 150 learning hours long. Almost one-third of this is lectures. The other two-thirds is home study including reading the course text book and other books, doing home work, and self-guided research. I wish you well with your study of Business Communication and hope that you find the course interesting, enjoyable and practically useful. Dr. Paul J Davis Assistant Professor of Management Course objectives The objectives of this course are: To teach relevant, practical and applicable business communication skills including reading, writing, speaking, listening and analysis. To improve the student s self-confidence to express themselves in the professional business environment. KIMEP MBA Program, Fall Semester

4 To introduce contemporary theory and practice in modern business communications and the range of tools and methods available to address business communication challenges and problems. Learning outcomes At the successful completion of this course students will be able to: Describe a number of communication theories and distinguish between them. Articulate what business communication is and how to communicate well. Discriminate between different types of communications for different purposes and audiences. Explain how to communicate effectively in business settings on an interpersonal level. Highlight particular issues impacting on business communications. Identify the important elements that make for effective presentations. Apply critical thinking and problem solving skills to the analysis and resolution of communication problems as presented in case studies. Lecture times MGT5200 ~ Business Communication GROUP 1 Day Start Finish Duration Room # Tuesday hr 15 minutes TBA Thursday hr 15 minutes TBA KIMEP MBA Program, Fall Semester

5 Course lecture schedule Week commencing SEP 2, 2013 SEP 9 SEP 16 Lecture topics Communication fundamentals Communicating effectively on the job Using technology to improve business communications Ethical considerations in business communications Team communications Developing listening skills Non-verbal communication Verbal communication: tone, volume, pitch, word choice Communication in a diverse world Improving intercultural communication skills Case study analysis: introduction A communication case study SEP 23 Fundamentals of planning oral presentations 1 Giving an oral presentation Dealing with challenges during oral presentations Reviewing the success of an oral presentation SEP 30 Planning business messages Writing business messages 1 Writing business messages 2 Completing business messages OCT 7 Oral Presentations Assessment Task 1 Oral Presentations Assessment Task 1 Oral Presentations Assessment Task 1 Oral Presentations Assessment Task 1 OCT 14 Communication and technology Crafting messages for electronic media 3 step process for writing positive messages Writing positive messages KIMEP MBA Program, Fall Semester

6 OCT 15 OCT 21 OCT 28 NOV 4 NOV 11 NOV 18 NOV 25 DEC 2 3 Step process for writing negative messages Writing negative messages 3 step process for writing persuasive messages Writing persuasive messages Review: Writing for audience, writing for purpose Class practice and homework challenge Review and discussion of homework challenge Small group class activities on writing Writing reports and proposals Using information effectively Informational and analytical reports Planning proposals Writing application letters Understanding the job interviewing process Preparing for an interview How to participate in an interview Communication for securing employment Preparing a resume Analyzing a resume Improving a resume Writing application letters Understanding the job interviewing process Preparing for an interview How to participate in an interview Ethics: Principles and Concepts Ethics in Business Communications Conducting effective business meetings Networking skills Communicating with difficult people Communicating through conflict Communicating effectively with the boss KIMEP MBA Program, Fall Semester

7 Communicating to influence others DEC 10 & 12 End of Semester Quiz/Case Study DEC 14 DEC 16 Classes End Final Assessment Tasks Due NOTE: There is no end of semester exam for this course Prescribed text and supplementary reading The text book for this course is: Thill, J. and Bovée, C. (2012). Excellence in Business Communication (10 th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education International. KIMEP has 33 copies of this book. There are also a lot of copies available of earlier editions of this book. For example; the library has 85 copies of the 8th edition (2008). You do not have to have the latest edition of the book; the 8th edition is just fine. The book is only for supplementary reading anyway. Two other very good books are: O Rourke, J. (2007). Management Communication: A Case-Analysis Approach (3 rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. O Rourke, J. (2002). The Business Communication Casebook. Cincinatti, OH: South- Western. The First book covers much the same ground as our set text but with a chapter on business communication in transition and a chapter dedicated to business communication strategy. There is also a chapter on persuasion and another on managing conflict. There are over 20 case studies in the book. The second book has a number of different chapters on interesting topics such as brand image and identity; protecting the environment; crisis management and community relations. In this sense, the book looks more towards corporate communications. There are 38 very interesting case studies which examine how leading global brands have managed communication challenges. KIMEP MBA Program, Fall Semester

8 You can borrow both of these books from me. Contact me if you are interested. There are other books in the library that have chapters dedicated to business communication. Students should find these books and use them for the written paper (see Assessment section). Those who read most widely invariably produce the best work and earn the best grades. The library also has many electronic journals. I recommend the journal Business Communications published by Emerald (UK). You can search and read this journal online in the library s electronic resources room. Additional resources From time to time, additional resources for this course (for example; case studies, articles) will be put on the L Drive. All students have access to the L Drive and they should look in the sub-folders in the Paul Davis folder. While the lecturer may inform students that new material has been put on the L Drive, it is the student s responsibility to check the folder regularly. It is recommended that you check the L Drive once a week for new materials. Assessment The assessment for this course is as follows: Assessment Task 1 (20%) This will be a three (3) minute oral presentation. You will deliver the speech in front of your classmates. We will have covered topics relevant to giving oral presentations. You will select your own topic for your presentation and full instructions will be provided to help you prepare. Details will be put in the course folder on the L Drive soon. Assessment Task 1 will be delivered in class on Tuesday 8 th October and Thursday 10 th October (if a second evening is required) 2013 KIMEP MBA Program, Fall Semester

9 Assessment Task 2 (40%) This will be two end of semester knowledge tests each worth 20%. The first test on the Tuesday will be a multiple choice quiz based on the full semester's work...it is a comprehensive quiz. There will be 60 questions. The second test on the Thursday will be a case study which you will analyze and then answer 3 questions on. Each test will be in class time for the full 75 minutes. Assessment Task 2 is during class time, Tuesday 10th December (Quiz) and Thursday 12 th December (Case Study) 2013 Assessment Task 3 (40%) This is your final assessment for the course. You will submit two pieces of work. One will be a business proposal for a fictional business and the other will be a homework portfolio. Each will be worth 20% and full details will be posted on the L Drive early in the semester. I strongly advise to work on these big tasks throughout the semester do not leave it until the eleventh hour. Assessment Task 3 must be submitted in full and in hard copy between 4pm and 7pm on Monday 16 th December 2013 IMPORTANT NOTE: Monday 16 December is a holiday in Kazakhstan and KIMEP is officially closed. However, I will be at KIMEP and you must deliver you work to me on this date. The only other choice you have is to submit your work earlier (for example, at the end of our final class on Thursday 12th December). Work that is submitted late will be penalized by 5% off for each day late. The percentage is deducted from your final score. For example; if you hand in work 3 days late you will lose 15% of whatever marks the work is given. Grading and Appeal of Grades Grading for this course follows the standard KIMEP Grading scale (please refer to the KIMEP Catalogue). If you wish to appeal your final course grade then you must follow the rules for grade appeal set out in the KIMEP Catalogue. A summary is provided below: KIMEP MBA Program, Fall Semester

10 GRADE APPEAL Page 25 of the KIMEP Catalogue clearly states that an appeal against a grade can ONLY be made on the grounds that the PROCESS for determining a grade was wrong. This means: 1. The answer key for an exam is incorrect 2. The points on an exam are incorrectly totaled or average total points incorrectly calculated 3. The grading formula has been changed without advance notice The Catalogue goes on to say A student may not appeal their grade because they are dissatisfied with the grade. Further; A grade review will NOT be considered where the evaluation is subjective. (Case studies; essays; business plans; proposals etc are, of course, subjective). Any appeal outside of the above KIMEP policy will not be heard. Code of conduct Students are expected to be aware of the important rules regarding appropriate academic behaviour. If you have not already done so, please read carefully pages of the online KIMEP Catalogue You will find important information on: Student classroom behaviour Disruptive behaviour policy Class attendance policy Examination rules Plagiarism Classes for Business Communication are compulsory and are considered an integral part of the course. Students should contact the lecturer if they are going to be / have been absent and provide a satisfactory explanation for their absence. Regular absenteeism, whether explained or not, may result in lowered grades or instructor-initiated withdrawal from the course. There will be an attendance sheet to sign at the beginning of each lecture. It is the student s responsibility to ensure that they sign this sheet. KIMEP MBA Program, Fall Semester

11 Mobile phones must be switched off throughout the lecture. If you leave the room to make / receive a call then you do not come back into the class. Cheating, either on class assignments or during exams, will not be tolerated. Be warned that KIMEP imposes severe penalties on those caught deliberately cheating. Students who fail to complete an assessment task may be removed from the course by academic withdrawal. Students who fail to complete 2 assessment tasks will be automatically withdrawn by the instructor from the course. See page 24 of the KIMEP Catalogue for further information on academic withdrawal. Student advising Your lecturer is available to you outside of class times for the purposes of academic advising. If you have any concerns or questions regarding the course, you should contact your lecturer as soon as possible and seek advice. There are four scheduled timeslots for student advising. You do not need to make an appointment, just come by. Scheduled Student Advising Hours ~ Dr. Davis Monday & Wednesday Tuesday & Thursday Other Times By appointment Contacting your professor Your lecturer is Assistant Professor Paul Davis and he can be contacted as follows: By at [email protected] By office telephone at (extension 2331) By mobile (for urgent messages) At his office: #333, Dostyk Building KIMEP MBA Program, Fall Semester

12 Professor's profile Dr. Paul Davis BA (UNE); GradDipEd (UNE); GradCertVET (CSturt); MPET (Deakin); PhD; (Deakin); DipBus (AIM); CAHRI; SHRMM; FCMI Assistant Professor of Management Paul is from Kent, England but lives mostly in Australia. He has also previously lived in Japan. He is a British and Australian citizen. Before joining KIMEP Paul Davis was managing director of an international management consulting company based in Sydney, Australia. Paul founded this business and soon built up a large international client base. He has consulted, coached and trained managers and executives from more than 500 organizations representing 63 different countries. His clients included Transocean (USA); Air New Zealand; ING (Hong Kong); RHB Islamic Bank (Malaysia); Local Government Managers Association of Australia and Northern Savings Credit Union (Canada). Paul continues to consult internationally and has worked in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Canada, India, Tanzania and South Africa. Paul has written and delivered numerous public courses for managers and executives around the world. Topics have included: Corporate Communications; Strategic Human Capital Management; Talent Management; Compensation, Benefits and Total Rewards; Change Management; Human Performance Measurement and Management. He has trained all levels of management with companies including: Nike; Shell; Saudi Aramco; Malaysia Airlines; Dell; Michelin; PricewaterhouseCoopers; News Limited; HSBC; Allianz; Société Genéralé; Tourism Canada; Commonwealth Bank of Australia; Tenix Aerospace; Sanofi-Aventis; Central Banks of Sudan, Philippines and Vanuatu; Dubai Islamic Bank; China Bank and Singapore Department of Defence. He has published many articles in leading academic journals including: International Journal of Corporate Communications; International Journal of Corporate Governance; International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management; Training and Management Development Methods and Learning and Development in Organizations. Paul has also published widely in the world s leading management periodicals. His work has been published nationally in major KIMEP MBA Program, Fall Semester

13 business magazines in UK; USA; Australia; New Zealand; Canada; South Africa; Israel; Hong Kong and Singapore. He wrote three chapters, including the introductory chapter, for Retaining Your Top Talent (Key Media, Sydney; 2006). Paul has won four competitive international awards for excellence in published research (awarded in the UK). Paul is on the advisory board of the International Journal of Corporate Governance and is occasional peer reviewer for two other international journals. Dr. Davis has been an invited speaker at leading management conferences in numerous countries. He has been a key note speaker at conferences in Canada; Australia; New Zealand; Malaysia and Singapore. Paul has advised the Australian Federal Government; Government of New Zealand; Government of New South Wales; Government of Queensland; Government of Victoria and Government of British Colombia in Canada. He advised these governments on the strategic management and sustainability of local authorities. Paul is a graduate of Charles Sturt University; Deakin University; University of New England (all Australia) and the Australian Institute of Management. His PhD is in executive leadership and organizational development. Research interests: Small business / entrepreneurship and gender issues Franchising Training, learning and vocational education Human Resource Management Leadership and corporate governance KIMEP MBA Program, Fall Semester