Business Writing. Office Hours: M/W & T/H (or appt.)

Transcription

1 Business Communication 206 Business Writing Instructor: Marcy Leasum Orwig, PhD Office Hours: M/W & T/H (or appt.) Office: 417 Schneider Textbook Rentz, K., Lentz, P. (2014). Lesikar s Business Communication: Connecting in a Digital World (13th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Prerequisites English 110 strongly recommended; sophomore standing Course Description This course along with BCOM 207 (Business Presentations) fulfills the basic College of Business core requirements in the business communications area. In accordance with the College of Business Policy, a College of Business student who earns less than a B- in this course must repeat the course or complete BCOM 216 (Business Writing II). The perception of your professional image is enhanced with strong communication skills. Future supervisors, teachers, and/or co-workers associate intelligence, competency, and credibility with individuals whose speaking and writing complement their business attributes. The purpose of this course is to acquaint you with written business communications. The impact of technology, culture, and ethics will be discussed and/or applied to written communication. Department Objectives Relating to BCOM 206 Prepare students to successfully write formal and informal documents in upperdivision College of Business courses. Prepare students to successfully write formal and informal documents throughout their business career. Prepare students to successfully write formal and informal documents to meet personal and civic responsibilities.

2 Class Attendance and Participation Classes are in a discussion/workshop format; therefore, regular attendance and active, productive, and courteous participation with classmates and the instructor are important: Missing more than three classes will lower your grade (i.e. B to B-, etc.) Being absent for more than five classes will result in a failing grade for the course Running more than five minutes late to class will result in an absence Failing to be prepared for scheduled in-class writing days and peer review days will count as an absence Try to think of the missing more than three classes will lower your grade as a business policy. That is, you essentially have three days of sick and personal leave. If you are absent for longer than three days due to an overriding reason, please contact the Dean of Students Office and they will then contact me to arrange an accommodation. College of Business Learning Goals This course covers the learning goals set forth by the College of Business for all current students. These goals are listed as: Oral and written communication skills Ethical leadership, decision-making, corporate governance, and the role of business in society Strategic implications involved in a global business environment Characteristics of effective teams Ability to use technology in solving problems Business Writing Course Objectives The learning goals established by the College of Business are manifested in this course with the following objectives: 1. Compose business s, memos, and letters for routine, bad-news, persuasive, and job campaign situations. 2. Use correct grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and fundamental business writing techniques. 3. Use critical thinking skills to develop effective messages. 4. Adapt messages to existing and emerging technologies. 5. Develop a standard business report. 6. Select, prepare, and use visual support to enhance written documents. 2

3 7. Show sensitivity toward and awareness of diversity, including but not limited to diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social and economic class, ability/disability, age, and religion. 8. Demonstrate a professional image when presenting business information. 9. Demonstrate ethical behavior when communicating in a business setting. Major Units and Corresponding Explanation Below is a list of the major units/assignments for the course. Please note that you will receive much more detailed assignment sheets as we make our way through the semester. These assignment sheets will provide a more thorough description and will include activities/readings for each class period. Unit One: Begin Business Writing This unit explains the importance of job campaign correspondence and the job campaign process. Your assignment will be to create a print résumé and application letter (or cover message). The unit covers Chapter 10 in the textbook. By completing this unit, you will fulfill the following course objectives: 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8. Unit Two: Pitch Internal Proposals This unit introduces the role of proposals in business. You will learn how to individually craft a basic business proposal in memo format. The unit covers Chapter 9 in your textbook. By completing this unit, you will fulfill the following course objectives: 1, 2, 3, 8, and 9. Midterm Exam: Situate Business Writing The Midterm Exam will ask you to demonstrate a basic understanding of how to use existing technologies to adapt business writing. It will also introduce you to how messages can be written either directly or indirectly in the workplace. The unit covers Chapters 7 and 8 in your textbook. By completing this unit, you will fulfill the following course objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8. Unit Three: Write Collaborative Reports This unit helps you understand the importance of reports in the business workplace. You will collaboratively write a report based on the proposal (from Unit Three) that your group chooses. The unit covers Chapters 11 and 12 in your textbook. By completing this unit, you will fulfill the following course objectives: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. 3

4 Unit Assignments Format Due Date Weight BWF Quizzes Online Quizzes See D2L 10% Unit One Assignment Résumé and Application Letter Week Four 20% Unit Two Assignment Proposal in Memo Format ( Words) Week Seven 20% Midterm Writing Exam Business Message (Direct or Indirect) in Format ( Words) Week Ten 10% Unit Three Assignment Group Final Report in Week Fourteen 20% Memo Format (1,000-1,500 Words) Chapter Quizzes or Summaries Online Quiz or 500 Word Summary of Chapter(s) See D2L 10% Final Writing Exam Business Message (Direct or Indirect) in Letter Format ( Words) Final Exam Week 10% 4

5 Business Writing Fundamentals (BWF) Program Quizzes This program ensures students pass BCOM 206 with a proficiency in standard grammar, style, and mechanics that will enable them to be successful in their academic and professional careers. Students in all sections of this course will complete a series of grammar and mechanics tutorials and quizzes. You will take a diagnostic divided into ten grammar and mechanics sections Students who do not earn an eight or better on any section must complete a tutorial on that section and can attempt the quiz three more times. Students who earn a score of eight or higher on any section of the diagnostic do not have to take any subsequent quizzes on that section but may try to improve their score by taking additional quizzes on that topic. You can take up to three more quizzes throughout the semester to earn an eight or better The final score is the highest of the attempts that is eight or higher. Students who do not earn an eight or better by the end of the semester for a particular section will receive a zero on that section. Students have ten minutes to complete each quiz, so they should be sure to study and prepare well. You can access tutorials and quizzes in D2L. If you need additional help for any of the grammar and mechanics topics, I encourage you to contact me for additional help. Assignment Information All assignments must be placed in the D2L Dropbox in the appropriate assignment folder. I will not accept them otherwise. Additionally, all written assignments must be PDF documents, unless otherwise specified. Assignments in other file formats will receive a score of zero with no opportunity for resubmission. Make sure you have a backup copy of all work before you turn it in to be graded. Assignments will be penalized one letter grade (e.g., from B to C) for each class period they are late. All assignments must be completed for you to receive a passing grade at the end of the semester. 5

6 Written Assignment Grade Descriptions and Scale All grades in the course are recorded in the grade book as letter grades. Criteria for these letter grades are shown below along with the corresponding percentage scale: A+/-= Exemplary work; the qualities of B writing, plus seranalysis of the writing problem and effective expression. B+/-= Mature work; thorough analysis of the writing problem, appropriate and effective substance, good organization, and solid expression (style). No more than one or two small problems in correctness. C+/-= Competent, developing work; satisfactory analysis of the problem, organization, and expression, but nothing remarkably good or bad. Acceptable sentence structure; other problems in mechanics or usage may occur. D+/-= Beginning-level work; presence of a glaring defect in context, substance, organization, style, or delivery; inadequate treatment of the assignment. Possibly some sentence structure errors or other errors in correctness. F= Basic-level work; lack of context, inadequate coverage of essential points, poor organization, ineffective and garbled expression. Glaring defects in correctness. At the end of the semester, I will use UW-Eau Claire s GPA guidelines to calculate your grades. For example, all of your assignments/quizzes/exams will be assigned the corresponding GPA number (see table below) multiplied by the weight of the assignments/quizzes/exams. On our D2L site, you can find a helpful grade calculator if you need more specific information on how you are progressing through the course. A=4.0 A-=3.67 B+=3.33 B=3.0 B-=2.67 C+=2.33 C=2.0 C-=1.67 D+=1.33 D=1.0 D-=0.67 F=0.33 6

7 Revision Policy I allow one revision of a major, individual assignment from the semester. As you work on the revision, you must go to the Business Writing & Presentations Studio ( and I also encourage you to visit my office hours to talk through your work. This revision needs to be uploaded to the appropriate dropbox by the end of the semester with a self-assessment cover memo explaining to me your changes. The grade from this revision will replace your previously graded assignment. Chapter Quizzes and Exams Information All chapter quizzes will be available in D2L. You CAN T make-up chapter quizzes BUT you CAN drop the lowest score at the end of the semester. ALSO, you have the option of opting out of the chapter quizzes and, instead, writing a 500 word summary for the chapter(s) assigned (in traditional APA essay format) and then submitting your PDF named LAST NAME, FIRST NAME in the appropriate dropbox. All due dates of the quizzes (and summaries) can be found on D2L. D2L hints include: Establish a reliable connection and always have a back-up plan for access Save, in D2L, the answer to a question before moving on to the next one Avoid waiting until the last minute to take quizzes or to submit assignments Academic Dishonesty I encourage you to work together on assignments (e.g., collaborative writing assignments, peer editing, asking questions about an assignment) but obvious plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course. Plagiarism is a serious offense and will not be treated lightly. Any work that suggests the copying or appropriation of another s work without proper attribution will result in a grade of F for the assignment, a formal report of the deans in both the College of Business and Schofield Hall at UW-Eau Claire and with the appropriate authorities at other home campuses, and recommendation that you drop the course. My assumption is that you will do your own work and that academic dishonesty will not be an issue. While I realize that the Internet makes cheating much easier, I have also discovered that it also makes cheating much easier to detect. If you are tempted to cheat, ask yourself why. If you feel the need to cheat because the work is too hard, or if the learning environment overwhelms you, please contact me. 7

8 Computer Ethics You are expected to use the university computers responsibly and to communicate courteously with others in your class. Please familiarize yourself with UWEC's policies. Disability Accommodation In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you have a documented disability or special learning need, please contact me to discuss how we can accommodate your need or contact Alice Bayerl, Director, Services for Students with Disabilities/Project AIM, Old Library 2136, (715) or at bayerlam@uwec.edu. Racial, Ethnic, or Sexual Harassment Racial, ethnic, or sexual harassment will not be tolerated in this classroom. UWEC's policies on racial, ethnic, and sexual harassment can be accessed via the university's homepage. Tentative Schedule Week/Date Unit Topic Major Deadline Week One Introductions/Start BWF Quizzes/Read Chapter One Chapter One quiz or Week Two Unit One Start Unit One/Read Chapter Ten Chapter Ten quiz or Week Three Unit One Read Chapter Four Chapter Four quiz or Week Four Unit One Writing Conferences Unit One Assignment due by Friday at 5 p.m. in the dropbox on D2L 8

9 Week/Date Week Five Unit Two Start Unit Two/ Read Chapter Nine Chapter Nine quiz or Week Six Unit Two Writing Executive Summary and Forming Groups/Writing Group Conferences Week Seven Unit Two Finish Writing Group Conferences/Peer Review Session Unit Two Assignment due by Friday at 5 p.m. in the dropbox on D2L Week Eight Midterm Writing Exam Introduction to Midterm Exam/Read Chapter Five Chapter Five quiz or Week Nine Midterm Writing Exam Direct Messages Week Ten Midterm Writing Exam Indirect Messages Midterm Exam on Second Day of Week! Week Eleven Unit Three Choose Group Proposal/Report Topic and Find Sources Week Twelve Unit Three Intro to Reports/Read Chapters Eleven & Twelve Week Thirteen Unit Three Group Writing Conferences/ Thanksgiving! Chapters Eleven and Twelve quiz or 9

10 Week/Date Week Fourteen Unit Three Intro to Visuals in Reports/Editing Unit Three Assignment due by Friday at 5 p.m. in the dropbox on D2L Week Fifteen Final Writing Exam Review of Course/Intro to Final Writing Exam/Course Evals Week Sixteen TBA TBA TBA 10