Andrews University
School of Business
Course Outline
ACCT320 Business Communication
(Spring 2007)
| Instructor: Dr
Charles Tidwell
Office: 211
Administration
Andrews University
Berrien Springs, MI 49104
|
Phone: (269)
471-6160 (office)
E-Mail: tidwell@andrews.edu
Web: http://www.andrews.edu/~tidwell
|
Office Hours: 9:00 - 12:00 M T Th F
Other times by appointment.
Usually available mornings; typically in
committee in the afternoon
|
Class Hours: Tuesday and
Thursday: 6:30 - 7:45
pm
Chan Shun Hall, Room 208
|
Links
Presentation
Schedule
Business
Report Topics
Homework Review Teams
APA
Style Hints
Course Description
Designed for the
accounting major, this course focuses on techniques of successful
communication in the business world. The course introduces strategies
for various business situations including memos, letters, meetings,
presentations, reports, and electronic correspondence. The course also
examines methods of organizing and presenting information and of
developing a professional communication style. Prerequisites: COMM104,
ENGL215.
Course ObjectivesThis course is
designed to develop your professional communication skills. As a
result of this course, you are expected to:
- Understand
the importance of effective communication in a business setting.
- Understand
and utilize the basic forms (e-mail, memos, letters, informal and
formal reports, and informal and formal presentations) that are used in
effective business communication.
- Write
well-organized and effective business memos, letters, and reports.
- Reinforce and
further develop presentation skills in order to deliver professional
presentations.
- Understand and
use computer-aided communication including e-mails and presentation
software.
- Work effectively
in a team to improve communication skills and to prepare and present
group projects.
- Polish
standard English skills used in writing and speaking to enhance
professional communication.
Textbooks
-
Guffey, Mary Ellen. (2007). Essentials of Business
Communication. 7th ed. Thomson Southwestern.
-
One current business book: See list in Group Book Presentation
assignment below.
Course
Structure
This course will involve a
substantial amount of team work as part of the learning process.
There will be short lecture presentations on the key concepts of the
various types of business communication. Typically, these will be
on the Tuesday class period. These will be followed by
assignments which you will need to complete before the next class
period when you will submit the assignment to your assigned group for
review and revision. The team leader (which will change every few
weeks) will submit a brief report of the review and correction process
of the team together with copies of work done on each individual’s
assignment by the team.
Requirements
A. Weekly
Assignments
There will be a number of weekly
assignments. Some of these will be graded but most will only be
recorded. However, if you do not submit an “ungraded” assignment
on time, there will be an
automatic point deduction for that
assignment.
1) Complete
all assignments as listed in the weekly schedule below.
Team Review and
Revision Guidelines: The following guidelines apply to
all assignments submitted for team review and revision.
a) Provide a copy of each
assignment for each team member at the beginning of the class when
review and revision is scheduled. Note: No late assignments will
be accepted for review and revision.
b) Format the assignment
appropriately. Be sure to include your name on the assignment.
c) Keep track of all revisions
suggested by your team. Use these suggestions to make final
corrections to the assignment before you include in your portfolio.
d) During the team review and
revision session, each team member is expected to participate and to
make appropriate comments and suggestions to improve each team members
assignments. Typically, at least 10 minutes should be spent on
each team member’s assignment.
e) The team should focus on
appropriate format and language use (clear readable sentences, correct
grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.). Actual content of the
assignment should not be a priority except that it should be
appropriate to the type of assignment.
f) The team leader will be
responsible for keeping the team on task and for submitting a copy of
each assignment (showing team comments and recommendations) to the
instructor. If possible, these assignments should be submitted at
the end of the review and revision period but not later than the
beginning of the next class.
2) Complete the Grammar / Mechanics Checkup
assignments at the end of each chapter.
Self-report your results to the
instructor at any time during the week when a chapter has been
assigned. Note: Use the Grammar / Mechanics Checkup as a tool to
discover where you are weak in writing / communication skills.
3) Answer all the questions in each Chapter
Review assignment.
Submit your answers electronically to the
instructor, (preferably in a Word document as an e-mail attachment), by
Friday noon of each week.
B. Portfolio
Submit a portfolio at the end of the
course containing “corrected” examples of all assignments done during
the course. While it should include the following items, include
any materials that are relevant to showing your skills in business
communication.
E-mail messages
Business Letters
Adjustment
Recommendation
Goodwill
Persuasive – Sales Letter
Routine Denial
Bad News – Customer and Employee
Informal Reports such as:
Progress Report
Recommendation
Report
Minutes
Formal Business Report
Power Point Presentation
Job Search Letter
Resume and Resume Cover Letter
The Portfolio should be formatted with
each assignment following the appropriate structure and content as
recommended by Guffey. Note: The Portfolio may be used in
the future in an employment interview to demonstrate your command of
basic business communication skills to a prospective employer.
C. Formal Business Report
1. Paper: Prepare a formal
business report using one of the recommended topics (See Business
Report Topics on course web page)
Choice of topics will be on a first come,
first serve basis. The presentation schedule (which will be
posted on the course web site) will also be based
on choice order. The first to choose, will present first,
followed by second, third, fourth choice, etc.
Submit the formal business report to the
instructor in electronic form (Word or Wordperfect), preferably as an
e-mail attachment sent to the instructor at tidwell@andrews.edu.
The formal paper must be 10 pages in length (2000-2500 words) and must
include a one-page executive summary and a reference page). Use
APA format for this paper.
2. Oral Report:
In addition, present your formal business
report as an oral presentation to the class using PowerPoint and other
appropriate presentation techniques. This oral presentation must
be 10 minutes in length (9-11 minute acceptable range). Shorter
or longer presentations will result in point deductions.
D. Group Book Presentation
Form a group of 4-5, depending on
overall class size, and choose one of the following books. You
will need to buy the book – available at amazon.com but you may also
wish to check Barnes and Noble or Borders. Book choice will be on a
first-come, first-serve basis. However, the group that chooses
first will also present first, followed by second, third, fourth
choice, etc. The presentation schedule will be posted
on the couse web site.
Prepare a presentation (20-30 minutes) on
the significant concepts and the business applications of this work.
This presentation should be considered as a “corporate training
session” in which your group becomes “experts” who use good business
communication techniques to present the concepts of the book to others
in a way that they will find interesting and memorable.
Book Choices:
Collins, Jim. (2001). Good to Great. Harper
Business.
Greenspan, Alan. (2007). The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in
a New World. Penguin Press.
Hamel, Gary. (2007). The Future of Management.
Harvard Business.
Heath, Chip and Dan. (2007). Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas
Survive and Others Die. Random House.
Ogle, Richard. (2007). Smart World: Breakthrough Creativity
and the New Science of Ideas. Harvard Business
Taleb, Nassim Nicholas.
(2007). The Black Swan:
The Impact of the Highly Improbable. Random House
Tyson, Eric. (2006). Personal Finance for Dummies.
Wiley.
E. Exams:
There will be a Midterm and Final.
Regulations
A. Grading
Grades will be based on a percentage of points possible as follows:
| Assignment |
Points
Possible |
% (approximate) |
|
|
|
Weekly Assignments
|
100 |
16.66% |
| Midterm Exam |
100 |
16.66% |
| Final Exam |
100 |
16.66% |
| Formal Business
Report |
100 |
16.66% (75% paper;
25% presentation)
|
Group Book
Presentation
|
100 |
16.66% |
| Portfolio |
100
|
16.66% |
|
|
|
| Total |
600 |
100% |
Grading Scale:
| A
=
95-100% |
C+ = 70-74 |
|
| A - = 90-94 |
C
= 65-69 |
|
|
C- =
60-64 |
|
| B+ = 85-89 |
|
|
| B
=
80-84 |
D = 50-59 |
|
| B - = 75-79 |
|
|
|
F = below 50% |
|
Borderline grades
may be adjusted on the basis of
attendance, promptness, enthusiasm, and participation.
B.
Late Work
Late work will not be accepted except for stringently reviewed
contingencies such as long-term illness.
C. Plagiarism / Academic
Dishonesty
All
work
submitted
must a student's own work. Research format is expected to follow
standard documentation APA guidelines. University policies on
academic
honesty as explained in the section, "Academic
Integriity" in 2007-2008
Andrews University Bulletin, p. 28 will apply.
D.
Attendance
Andrews University
policy requires regular class attendance. Absences in excess of
20% may result in a failing grade. See "Class Attendance" and "Class Absences" in 2007-2008
Andrews University Bulletin, p. 28.
E. E-mail Accounts
Please be sure that you give the
instructor your preferred e-mail address(s). This should be the
one which you check on a regular basis. However, note that it may
be advisable to submit all assignments via the Andrews University
site. On occasion, documents sent from AOL, Hotmail, or G-mail
accounts, etc. are blocked by the Andrews University server.
F. Class Room Courtesies
1. Laptops may be used in class but
only for appropriate class purposes, such as note-taking or searches
involving specific class assignments while in team work sessions.
Any other use may lead to a “no laptop usage” during class for all
students.
2. Cell phones must be switched off
during class. Any cell phone interruptions during class will mean
an automatic point deduction for the offender.
3. Absence from class. Notify
the instructor by e-mail or phone (leave a message) before class starts
if you will be absent from class.
Class
Schedule
Week
1: January 8, 10
Topics: Course
Introduction; Basic Communication Skills
Read: Guffey,
Chapter 1
Assignment
– Due January 9:
Guffey, 1.2c, p
24. E-mail this assignment to the instructor who in turn will
e-mail it to the whole class.
Week
2: January 15, 17
Topics: The Writing
Process
Read: Guffey,
Chapter 2, 3, & 4
Week
3: January 22, 24
Topics: Oral
Presentations
Read: Guffey,
Chapter 12
Assignment: Due
Friday, January 24.
Guffey, 12.1 or
12.2, p 369. E-mail this assignment to the instructor.
Week 4: January 29, 31
Topics: Informal
Reports
Read: Guffey, Chapter 9
Assignment: Due at class, Thursday, January 31.
Guffey, 9.2 or 9.3, p 260. Submit this to your team for review
and revision.
Assignment: Due at class, Tuesday, Feb 19.
Guffey, 9.12, p 262. Submit this to your team for review
and revision.
Note: This assignment requires you to attend a meeting, such as a
Student Association meeting or any other open university or community
committee meeting. That is why there is a delay from the time of
assignment until its due date.
Week
5: February 5, 7
Topics: Formal Reports
Read: Guffey,
Chapter 10
Week
6: February 12, 14
No Formal Class:
Business Report Preparation
Week
7: February 19, 21
Topics: E-Mail and
Memos
Read: Guffey,
Chapter 5
Assignment: Due
Thursday, Feb 21.
Guffey, 5.5,
5.6, 5.11, or 5.14, pp125,127, 128. Submit this to your team for
review and revision.
Week
8: February 26, 28
Feb 26: Formal
Business Report Presentations
Feb 28:
Midterm Exam
Week
9: March 4, 6
Topics: Direct
Letters and Goodwill Messages
Read: Guffey,
Chapter 6
Formal
Business Report Presentations
Assignment: Due
at class, Thursday, March 6.
Guffey, Choose
two different types of assignments from 6.4 - 6.27, pp 160-167. Submit
them to your team for review and revision.
Week
10: March 11, 13
Topics: Persuasive
Messages
Read: Guffey,
Chapter 7
Formal
Business Report Presentations
Assignment: Due
at class, Thursday, March 13.
Guffey, Choose
two different types of assignments from 7.4 - 7.17, pp 190-166. Submit
them to your team for review and revision.
Week
11: March 18, 20
No class:
Spring Break
Week
12: March 25, 27 (NOTE: Changed from original outline)
April 1:
Face-to-Face Workplace Communication
Read:
Guffey, Chapter 11
March 27: Group Book Presentation Preparation: Meet in class
Assignment: Due
Friday, March 28.
Guffey: 11.7,
11.9, or 11.10, pp 338-339. E-mail this assignment to the
instructor.
Week
13: April 1, 3
(NOTE: Changed from original outline)
April 1: Negative
Messages
Read: Guffey,
Chapter 8
April 3: Class: Group
Presentation
Preparation: Meet in Class
Assignment: Due
at class, Thursday, April 3.
Guffey: Choose
two different types of assignments from 8.4 - 8.17, pp 227-232. E-mail
this assignment to the instructor.
Week
14: April 8, 10
(NOTE: Changed from original outline)
April 8 Class: Group
Presentation
Preparation: Meet in Class
April 10
Group Book Presentation
Week
15 April 15, 17
April 15:
Group Book Presentations (two groups)
April 17: No Class -- SBA Awards Banquet
Week
16 April 22, 24
Topics: Job Search
and Resumes / Employment
Interviews
Read: Guffey,
Chapter 13 and 14
April 22,
24: Group Book Presentation
Guffey, Do all
three of 13.4, 13.9, 13.10, pp 413-414. E-mail them to the instructor
Friday,
April
25: Portfolio Due
Week
17 April 29
Final Exam, 6:30 -
8:30 pm
Updated:
28 March 2008