Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "BUS 220"
COURSE NAME: "Business Communications"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Summer Session I 2012

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Favorite Michele
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MTWTH 11:00-13:00
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: EN 110 with a grade of C or above
OFFICE HOURS: by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Help students become proficient in written and oral business communication. The standards used in the American business world are used as benchmarks for standards for the course: no tardiness, no misspellings, etc.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This course will help students enhance their understanding of the strategic role that communication plays in the business world. It will analyze how communication is used to inform, motivate, facilitate, change and create value in today’s rapidly evolving organizations, and how the means of communication are changing constantly. It will evaluate what determines effective business communication, and how to achieve it.

Students will learn how to develop, support and organize arguments and how to strengthen their research skills. They will develop their written, oral and interpersonal communication skills in business settings and across a range of tasks including letters, memoranda, resumes, press releases, emails, reports and presentations. Students will learn: how to effectively deliver negative and positive business news while maintaining a confident tone, how to communicate persuasively, how to present themselves to the business world through resumes and cover letters and how to create and present effective visual aids. The course will include at least one guest speaker and a resume workshop. This course is writing-intensive.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students will learn the principles of effective written and oral business communication. They will specifically learn how to write routine emails, letters and memos; how to write effective claim amnd adjustment letters; how to write effective bad- news and sales (persuasive) letters; how to effectively research and write a business report and how to prepare an effective resume and cover letter. The course will spend considerable time on oral communication: how to structure and deliver a business presentation, including visual aids.

TEXTBOOK:

NONE

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
	<table id="gridAssMethod" style="border-collapse: collapse;" border="1" rules="all" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td>Participation</td> <td><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Participation means contributing regularly to class discussion in a constructive, intelligent and proactive way.&nbsp; Students must therefore come to class having read the assignments. The participation grade also will be based on the presentation of class that students will be asked to do from time to time. Students who miss or are late to more than three classes may be asked to withdraw from the class.&nbsp; Two latenesses equal one absence</span></td> <td>15%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Short assignments </td> <td><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Letters, memos, emails.&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></td> <td>20%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Research report</td> <td><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A double-spaced research report of approximately 5 pages will be assigned in week three.<br /> <br /> <br /> </span></td> <td>15%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>PowerPoint Presentation</td> <td><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;Group presentations will be assigned in week seven.<br /> <br /> <br /> </span></td> <td>15%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Midterm</td> <td><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A cumulative exam on the topics covered in the first half of the course.<br /> <br /> </span></td> <td>15%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Final Exam</td> <td><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">An exam on the most important topics covered in the course.<br /> <br /> <br /> </span></td> <td>20%</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
A:

The few students who earn an A in this course are those who have mastered the philosophy behind effective business communication and can apply the specific techniques learned in class. This requires that students not only have attended all classes and have contributed in a construtctive and original way to class discussion and that they fulfill all assignments in a timely way, but that their work shows a critical analysis of the theory of business communication and that this analysis optimizes the different techniques to various scenarios. Students must have an excellent mastery of written and oral English.

Students who earn an A must also produce a report that is based on thorough research and interesting/unusual results and that specifically addresses the topic. These students will also have mastered the principles and techniques of oral presentations.

B:

Students who earn a B in this course have contributed in an interesting way to most classes. They have understood what makes business communication effective and how to use the specific techniques covered in the course. Assignments have been turned in on time and show a good understanding of how to apply different techniques to different scenarios. These students will have a very good level of written and oral English.

The report will have addressed the topic and will be the result of a good level of research, producing interesting results. Students will be able to deliver an effective oral presentation.

C:

Students who earn a C in this course will have produced satisfactory work. They will have attended most classes and will have contributed some interesting thoughts to class discussion. Their understading of the principles of business communication will be fair and their use of the techniques to apply to various scenarios will be adequate. The effectiveness of their communication will be basic. Their written and oral English will be of a satisfactory level.

Thei report will not address the topic fully and will be based on sketchy research that yields commonplace results. Their oral presentation skills will be adequate.

D:

Students who earn a D will have barely done enough work to avoid failing. In most cases this is a results of poor effort. This means that they will have missed several classes and will have contributed little while in class. Their application of the techniques of business communication will be poor and the effectiveness of their communication almost non-existant. Usually these students will have a poor level of written and oral English.

The report will be very poorly researched and written, and the topic will probably be only indirectly addressed.

F:

A level of performace that shows inadequate ability to produce effective business communication. Usually these students miss many classes and contribute to class sporadically. Levels of English for these students is very poor and effort is almost non-existant.

The oral presentation results from poor preparation and poor effort.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
See Assessment methods.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE