Business Communications II 1 Middle East Technical University Course Syllabus BA/3103 Business Communications II Instructor: Dr Patricia Schroeder Contact: Office 312 210 3071 Cell - 0 506 292 53 93 Office Hours: Tuesday: 13.15 16.00 Thursday: 13.15-16.00 Class Hours: Friday, 11.45 14.30 Room G-110
Business Communications II 2 Course Description This course will help you develop communication skills that will assist you throughout your studies and as you build a career. In this course you will develop an understanding of today s dynamic business environment and the importance developing the ability to communicate ideas in a variety of mediums. In addition, we will focus on how you may build your personal brand, the ability to identify and communicate your personal skills and strengths in any job market. Course Materials Course Text: Bovee, C. L. & Thill, J. V. (2014). Business communication today (10 th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Recommended Readings from: Chaney, L. H., & Martin, J. S. (2011). Intercultural business communication (5 th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. ISBN: 9780132127905 De Janasz, S. C., Dowd K. O., & Schneider, B. Z. (2002). Interpersonal skills in organizations. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 0072441224 Gerson, S. J., & Gerson, S. M. (2012). Technical communication: Process and product (7 th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. ISBN: 9780131377349 Locker, K. O., & Kienzler, D. S. (2010). Business and administrative communication (9 th ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. ISBN: 9780073377803 Roebuck, D. B., & McKenney, M. A. (2006). Improving business communication skills (4 th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. ISBN: 9780131184596 Course Policies Late assignments receive a 10% deduction for each day they are late. Assignments submitted more than 4 days after the due date will not be accepted. Several of the assignments in this class will be completed in Learning Teams of five to seven students. Team members are expected to collaborate and function well in team settings as both leaders and followers. It is expected that you will actively participate with your learning team and contribute to the team assignments by a) contributing original work b) participating in the project from assignment organizing through meaningful final review of the team project for submission, and c) ensuring to your team that your contributions are properly quoted, cited, and referenced. The instructor reserves the right to grade team members individually if an individual does not fully participate in a team assignment. Attendance is an official requirement. Unauthorized absences (without a medical report) in excess of 4 weeks will result in automatic failure in the course. Make-up exams will only be offered if you have a doctor s report that has been authenticated by the health center of the university or a hospital. Plagiarism or cheating on assignments or exams may result in academic disciplinary action and/or a grade of zero for the course.
Point Values Week Three Assignment 1: Individual Assignment: Social Media 5 Week Five Assignment 2: Team Assignment: Team Assignment Selection E- Mail 5 Week Six Assignment 3: Individual Assignment: Visual Media 5 Week Seven Assignment 4: Team Assignment: Written Report/Proposal 10 Week Nine Midterm Exam 15 Week Ten and Eleven Assignment 5: Team Assignment: Oral/Visual Presentations 20 Week Thirteen Assignment 6: Individual Assignment: Resume 10 Week Thirteen Assignment 7: In-class Peer Review of Resumes in Teams 5 Week Fifteen and Sixteen Final Exam 25 Point Total 100 Business Communications II 3
Business Communications II 4 Week One Overview of Business Communications Course Describe the characteristics of effective teams. Offer guidelines for collaborative communication. List the key steps to creating effective team meetings. Read Ch. 2 of Business Communication Today. Recommended reading: Ch. 6, 15 of Interpersonal Skills in Organizations. Week Two Electronic and Social Media Identify the electronic media available for short messages. Identify seven key points for using social media in business communications. Describe the role of blogging in business communications today. Read Ch. 7 of Business Communication Today. Recommended reading: Ch. 3, 7 of Technical Communication: Process and Product. 2. Class Activities Form teams. 3. Individual Assignment: Social Media: due in Week 3 Week Three Planning Reports and Proposals Adapt the three-step writing process to reports and proposals. List the options for organizing informational reports, identify the parts of a business plan,discuss the ways to organize an analytical report. Explain how to choose an organizational strategy when writing a proposal. Read Ch. 13 of Business Communication Today.
Business Communications II 5 2. Team Assignment: Review options and select Team Assignment. Submit selection for instructor approval in Week 4. The final written report is due in Week 7 and will be used for the Oral/Visual Presentations in Week 10 and 11. Week Four Finding, Evaluating, and Processing Information Describe an effective process for conducting business research. Define secondary research and explain how to evaluate, locate, and document information sources. Explain how to summarize research results and present conclusions and recommendations. Read Ch. 11 of Business Communication Today. Recommended reading: Ch. 15 of Improving Business Communication Skills. 2. Team Assignment: List and summarize 4 to 5 sources of information to use in the team assignment (identified in Week 3). This assignment is due in Week 5. Week Five Visual Media Explain the power of business images, discuss six principles of graphic design that help ensure effective visuals, and explain how to avoid ethical lapses when using visuals. Explain how to choose which points in your message to illustrate. Describe how to integrate visuals with text, and list three criteria to review in order to verify the quality of your visuals. Read Ch. 12 of Business Communication Today. Recommended reading: Ch. 9 of Business and Administrative Communication. 2. Individual Assignment: Complete the visual media assignment and submit in Week 6. Week Six Writing and Completing Reports and Proposals Explain how to adapt to your audience when writing reports and proposals. Name five characteristics of effective report content, and list the topics commonly covered in the introduction, body, and close of formal reports.
Business Communications II 6 List six strategies to strengthen a proposal argument, and list the topics commonly covered in the introduction, body, and close of proposals. Read Ch. 14,15 of Business Communication Today. Week Seven Communicating in a World of Diversity Discuss the opportunities and challenges of intercultural communication. Define culture, explain how culture is learned; explain the importance of recognizing cultural variations and list eight categories of cultural differences. List four general guidelines for adapting to any business culture. Read Ch. 3 of Business Communication Today. Recommended reading: Ch. 6, 8, 9 of Intercultural Business Communication. Week Eight Developing Oral/Online Presentations; Enhancing Presentations with Visuals Explain how to adapt to your audience and develop an effective opening, body, and close for a presentation. Discuss five steps for delivering a successful presentation. Explain the role of visuals in business presentations, list the types of visuals commonly used; and describe how to create effective slide content. Read Ch. 16 & 17 of Business Communication Today. Recommended reading: Ch. 9 of Improving Business Communication Skills. 2. Team Assignment: Using the Week 3 Team Assignment, create a 10-12 slide presentation to be delivered orally during Week 10 and 11. Week Nine Midterm Exam
Business Communications II 7 Week Ten Team Presentations Demonstrate successful presentation delivery, including effective oral presentation and visually appealing slides. Week Eleven Team Presentations Demonstrate successful presentation delivery, including effective oral presentation and visually appealing slides. Week Twelve Building Careers and Writing Resumes Explain the process of planning your résumé, including how to choose the best résumé organization. Describe the tasks involved in writing your résumé, and list the major sections of a traditional résumé. Characterize the completing step for résumés, including the six most common formats in which you can produce a résumé. Read Ch. 18 of Business Communication Today. Recommended reading: Ch. 11 of Business and Administrative Communication. 2. Individual Assignment: Create a personal resume. Assignment is due in Week 13. Bring a paper copy to Week 13 class. Week Thirteen Building Careers and Writing Resumes Explain the process of planning your résumé, including how to choose the best résumé organization. Describe the tasks involved in writing your résumé, and list the major sections of a traditional résumé. Characterize the completing step for résumés, including the six most common formats in which you can produce a résumé. Read Ch. 18 of Business Communication Today.
Business Communications II 8 Recommended reading: Ch. 11 of Business and Administrative Communication. 2. Class Activity: Peer Review of team member resumes. Get together with your team and work in pairs to review at least one team member s resume (using the Peer Review form and ensuring all team members receive review), providing constructive feedback regarding strong points and ways to improve the document and content. Week Fourteen Applying and Interviewing for Employment Describe the typical sequence of job interviews, the major types of interviews, and what employers look for during an interview. List six tasks you need to complete to prepare for a successful job interview. Explain how to succeed in all three stages of an interview; identify the most common employment messages that follow an interview, and explain when you would use each one. Read Ch. 19 of Business Communication Today. Recommended reading: Ch. 14 of Improving Business Communication Skills; Ch. 10, 11, 12 of Intercultural Business Communication. Week Fifteen and Sixteen Final Exams Final Exam Monday, January 11, 13.30