COURSE OUTLINE
SCHOOL:
School of Business
DEPARTMENT:
Business and Management
PROGRAM:
COURSE TITLE:
Business Communications
COURSE CODE:
BUSN-333
TOTAL COURSE HOURS:
45
PRE-REQUISITES/COREQUISITES:
ENGL170/171
COURSE ELIGIBILITY FOR PRIOR
LEARNING ASSESSMENT AND
RECOGNITION (PLAR):
ORIGINATED BY:
Yes
Kerri Shields, Winter 2007
Suggestions from:
(Ingrid Smith, Brian Little, Hal Huhn, Debra
Warren, Patricia Steger)
DATE:
WINTER 2008
APPROVED BY: ___________________________________
Chair/Dean, David Johnson
Students should keep all course outlines for each course taken at
Centennial College. These may be used to apply for transfer of credit to
other educational institutions. A fee may be charged for additional or
replacement copies.
Course Title: Business Communications
CENTENNIAL COLLEGE
Course Cod: BUSN-333
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Communication is the foundation that supports and sustains organizations. Employees will be
expected to conduct research, solve problems, collaborate with work teams, work with global
partners, use sophisticated technologies to communicate, and make decisions independently.
The ability to write and speak well will become increasingly important to job seeker’s ability to
obtain jobs and an employee’s ability to gain promotions.
Students taking this course will be introduced to many forms of business communication.
Topics include: formatting and writing business letters, memos, reports and proposals for
various audiences and purposes, preparing and delivering oral presentations, various aspects of
business etiquette, teamwork skills and resolving conflict in teams, intercultural sensitivity and
its implications on global business.
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1)
Describe different types of business communications.
2)
Implement techniques used to overcome the fear of public speaking.
3)
Demonstrate techniques used by effective public speakers.
4)
Describe some of the technologies used in business communications.
5)
Explain the impact of body language, voice, and words on a variety of audiences.
6)
Illustrate the impact of cross-cultural challenges in making business communications.
7)
Design and deliver oral presentations.
8)
Prepare business reports, memos and letters.
9)
Use e-mail as an effective business tool.
10)
Demonstrate teamwork skills in researching, building and delivering a group
presentation.
ESSENTIAL EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS (EES);
This course supports the students’ ability to:
1)
communicate clearly, concisely and correctly in the written, spoken, and visual form
that fulfills the purpose and meets the needs of the audience.
2)
respond to written, spoken, or visual messages in a manner that ensures effective
communication.
3)
apply a systematic approach to solve problems.
4)
use a variety of thinking skills to anticipate and solve problems.
5)
locate, select, organize, and document information using appropriate technology and
information systems.
6)
analyze, evaluate, and apply relevant information from a variety of sources.
7)
show respect for the diverse opinions, values, belief systems, and contributions of
others.
8)
interact with others in groups or teams in ways that contribute to effective working
relationships and the achievement of goals.
9)
manage the use of time and other resources to complete projects.
10)
take responsibility for one’s own actions, decisions, and consequences.
Issued & Revised by COLT: June 2007
THIS COURSE ADHERES TO ALL COLLEGE POLICIES (See College Calendar)
PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT & RECOGNITION PROCESS (ES):
Students with prior work experience who have gained the skills and have acquired the learning
outcomes of this course may apply for the PLAR challenge. Students should visit the registrar’s
office and complete the PLAR form and pay the PLAR fee. PLAR challenge must be completed
early in the semester or before the semester begins.
The program coordinator or course leader will contact the student to arrange for the PLAR
process. The PLAR process for this course requires 2 tasks: 1) the student completes a written
exam based on the full course content. 2) The student will research an assigned topic, prepare
a presentation outline and deliver a business presentation based on this topic. Students are
advised to discuss this process with their coordinator or course leader prior to paying for the
PLAR.
Students who have studied similar course content in another course taken at another
educational institute may apply for transfer credit (course outline and original transcript must be
supplied). Apply through registrar’s office.
EVALUATION & GRADING SYSTEM:
Assignments, quizzes, impromptu speeches, group and individual exercises, etc.
35%
(homework and in-class tasks as determined by Professor)
Mid-term Exam
15%
Final Exam
15%
Individual Speech #1
5%
Individual Speech #2
10%
Group Speech & Report
20%
Total
100%
STUDENT ACCOMMODATION:
All students have the right to study in an environment that is free from discrimination and/or
harassment. It is College policy to provide accommodation based on grounds defined in the
Ontario Human Rights Code. Accommodation may include changes or modifications to
standard practices.
Students with disabilities who require academic accommodations must register with the Centre
for Student with Disabilities. Please see the Centre for Students with Disabilities for details.
Students requiring accommodation based on human rights grounds should talk with their
professors as early as possible. Details are available on the Centennial College website
(www.centennialcollege.ca )
If students are unable to write an examination due to a medical problem or unforeseen family
problems, they should immediately contact their professor or program Chair for advice. In
exceptional and well-documented circumstances (e.g. unexpected family problems, serious
illness, or death of a close family member), students should be able to write a make-up
examination to replace an examination missed.
TEXT AND OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL/LEARNING MATERIALS:
Excellence in Business Communication, Second Canadian Edition,
Excellence in Business Communication, THIRD Canadian Edition,
John V. Thill, Bovée, Cross; Pearson Education Canada,
ISBN:978-0-13-239670-7
Note:
Students will provide a VHS Video tape or recordable DVD (to be determined by professor) to
their professor so that the individual presentation #1 and #2 may be taped and a self-evaluation
may be completed by the student. Students may keep the tape or DVD afterward.
VHS tapes can be purchased inexpensively at the dollar store for $1 each. VHS tapes can be
viewed at the LRC or at home if the student has the necessary equipment.
Recordable DVD’s may be purchased at the College bookstore for $3-4 each. DVD’s may be
viewed using a laptop or PC computer (wear head-phones if viewing in labs). LRC may or may
not have a DVD player. Students may view at home if they have the necessary equipment.
USE OF DICTIONARIES:
Students are permitted to use a bilingual paper dictionary during tests and exams. The
invigilator reserves the right to examine the dictionary for any supplemental notations. There is
to be no use of electronic devices including dictionaries.
Probationary Policy:
Please contact your academic department for details.
Course Title: Business Communications
WEEK
1
TOPIC/CONTENT
Introduction
READINGS
Centennial College
LEARNING OUTCOMES
™ Review course outline, College policies,
Classroom policies, professor’s contact
information, myCentennial
Chapter 1
™ Understanding Business Communication
• Explain why effective communication is
important to organizations and how it can
help you succeed in business
• Discuss how technology, culture and teambased organizations are intensifying the need
to communicate effectively
• Describe how organizations share information
internally and externally
• Identify and briefly define the communication
process
• Identify and briefly discuss communication
barriers: perceptual differences, restrictive
environments, distractions, deceptive tactics
• Differentiate between ethical choices and
unethical choices
2
Business Etiquette
Chapter 4
™ Business Etiquette
• Discuss professional use of a business
telephone
• Distinguish between acceptable business
luncheon behaviour and unacceptable
behaviour
• Describe good e-mail practices
• Describe professional behaviour in the
workplace
™ Planning Business Messages
• Describe the three-step writing process –
Issued & Revised by COLT: June 2007
THIS COURSE ADHERES TO ALL COLLEGE POLICIES (See College Calendar)
Course Code: BUSN-333
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
USED
™ Each week may include any
combination of the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lecture
Discussion
Individual and group
assignments
Videos
Impromptu speeches
Interactive exercises
Homework and in-class
assignments
Quizzes, exams, speeches
™ Business Etiquette Handout
COURSE
EVALUATIONS
(TESTS &
ASSIGNMENTS
USED)
WEEK
TOPIC/CONTENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES
READINGS
planning, writing, completing
Outline how you can collect information
informally, clarify what your audience wants
to know, and test the thoroughness of your
information
• List factors to consider when choosing the
most appropriate channel and medium for
your message
• Discuss how you can establish a good
relationship with your audience
™ Giving Oral Presentations
• Illustrate how planning presentations differs
from planning written documents
• Describe ways to get an audiences attention
and keep it
• Describe ways to end a presentation
• Explain how to prepare a presentation outline
and Cue Cards/Speaker Notes
• Explain why using visuals in an oral
presentation is a good idea, and list types of
visuals commonly used with oral
presentations
• Discuss tips for making global presentations
• Discuss ways to overcome your anxiety and
feel more confident
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
USED
•
3
Chapters 13
Appendix B
™ List Document Sources
• Discuss that informational resources are
listed in specific formats – APA, MLA,
Chicago
• Illustrate how to create a reference list using
APA style
4
Chapter 5
Issued & Revised by COLT: June 2007
™ Writing Business Messages
• Explain why good organization is important to
THIS COURSE ADHERES TO ALL COLLEGE POLICIES (See College Calendar)
™ Individual Presentation #1
Assigned – 5%
™ Topic: How to…speech.
Topic list provided by Professor.
Requirements:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Up to 6 Minutes in length
Presentation Outline
with at least 3 references
(Purpose, Intro., Body,
Conclusion, References
(APA style))
Speaker Notes/Cue Cards
Audience Feedback forms (3)
Grading Rubric (from Professor)
Video-recorded
Self-evaluation
(completed after speech,
separate assignment mark)
COURSE
EVALUATIONS
(TESTS &
ASSIGNMENTS
USED)
WEEK
TOPIC/CONTENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES
READINGS
•
•
•
•
•
5
Student
Presentations
(some)
Chapters 6
6
Student
Presentations
(remaining)
Chapter 7
Issued & Revised by COLT: June 2007
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
USED
both the communicator and the audience
Discuss how good organization is achieved
Explain when to use the direct and indirect
approaches
Discuss consideration for style, tone and
vocabulary when composing a message
Explain techniques used to create effective
sentences and paragraphs
Explain how to write e-mail messages that
are effective at keeping an audience’s
attention
™ Students deliver speeches
• Implement skills taught to date
™ Individual Presentation #1 –
Delivered
• Requirements – See week
3
™ Completing Business Messages
• Explain why revision is so important in
business and discuss when revision is
performed
• Identify issues to keep in mind when critiquing
someone else’s writing
• Describe design elements to consider when
creating your written messages
• Outline some of the ways technology helps
you produce and distribute your messages
• Define the types of errors to look for when
proofreading
™ Students deliver speeches
• Implement skills taught to date
™ Writing Routine, Good-News, and Goodwill
Messages
THIS COURSE ADHERES TO ALL COLLEGE POLICIES (See College Calendar)
™ Individual Presentation #1 –
Continued
COURSE
EVALUATIONS
(TESTS &
ASSIGNMENTS
USED)
WEEK
TOPIC/CONTENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES
READINGS
•
•
•
Appendix A
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
USED
Illustrate the strategy for writing routine
requests
Discuss the differences among types of
routine requests and replies – placing orders,
requesting information and action, making
claims and requesting adjustments,
requesting recommendations and references
Clarify the importance of goodwill messages,
and describe how to make them effective
™ Format and layout for business documents
7
MIDTERM EXAM
™ Assess students retention and understanding of
course curriculum to date
MIDTERM EXAM – 15%
(40-60 Multiple-choice and 5-10
short-answer or other questions)
8
Chapters 10
™ Planning Business Reports and Proposals
• Discuss why businesses need reports and the
factors that affect how reports are planned
and prepared
• Distinguish between informational reports and
analytical reports and proposals
• Describe how to gather information for
business reports
• Describe how to evaluate, finalize and
document your sources
• Clarify what it means to adapt your report to
your audience
™ Individual Presentation #2
Assigned – 10%
Chapter 11
Issued & Revised by COLT: June 2007
™ Writing Business Reports and Proposals
• Discuss the structure of informational and
analytical reports
• Describe various report formats – pre-printed
form report, letter report, memo report,
manuscript report
• List the most popular types of visuals and
THIS COURSE ADHERES TO ALL COLLEGE POLICIES (See College Calendar)
™ Topic: Research any company.
Discuss how the ways they
communicate (internally or
externally) help or hinder their
prosperity. Focus should be on
communication not product.
Requirements:
•
•
•
•
Up to 6 Minutes in length
Formal Business Research
Report (manuscript)
with minimum 3 references
(APA style)
Audience Feedback forms
(3)
Grading Rubric (from
COURSE
EVALUATIONS
(TESTS &
ASSIGNMENTS
USED)
WEEK
TOPIC/CONTENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES
READINGS
•
•
discuss when to use them (various charts)
Clarify principles of good graphic design
when preparing visuals
Identify and briefly describe ways to help
readers find their way through long reports
and proposals – opening, headings and lists,
transitions, previews and reviews, ending
(also applies to presentations)
9
Chapter 12
™ Completing Formal Reports and Proposals
• List the prefatory, text, and supplementary
parts of a formal report
• Discuss the functions of the introduction,
body and conclusion
• Describe considerations to make when
proofing visual aids
10
Student
Presentations
(some)
™ Students deliver speeches
• Demonstrate skills taught to date
Chapter 3
Issued & Revised by COLT: June 2007
™ Communicating Interculturally
• Discuss two trends that have made
intercultural business communication so
important
• Define culture and subculture
• Explain the importance of recognizing cultural
differences
• Describe contextual (high- and low-context),
ethical, social, nonverbal, cultural differences
• Define ethnocentrism and stereotyping; then
discuss suggestions for overcoming these
limiting mind sets
• Discuss ways to improve cultural
THIS COURSE ADHERES TO ALL COLLEGE POLICIES (See College Calendar)
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
USED
•
•
•
Professor)
Student must use one form
of visual aid –overhead,
chalkboard, handouts,
flipchart, prop, etc., but NO
electronic slide show
Video-recorded
Self-evaluation
(completed after speech,
separate assignment mark)
™ Individual Presentation #2 –
Delivered
• Requirements – See week
8
COURSE
EVALUATIONS
(TESTS &
ASSIGNMENTS
USED)
WEEK
TOPIC/CONTENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES
READINGS
•
11
Chapter 3
Student
Presentations
(remaining)
12
Chapters 8
Chapter 9
communication across cultures
Illustrate how word choice affects
communication with people in other cultures
™ Communicating in Teams
• Explain the advantages and disadvantages of
using teams
• Explain effective listening
• Identify the characteristics of effective teams
• Explain group dynamics, conflict and how to
overcome resistance
• Discuss using technology to collaborate
• Clarify the importance of nonverbal
communication
• Explain how you can improve meeting
productivity through preparation, leadership,
and participation
™ Group Presentation Assigned
(Groups of 3 or 4 students)
™ Audience analysis surveys
assigned (due next week)
™ Individual Presentation #2 –
Continued
™ Students deliver speeches
• Demonstrate skills taught to date
™ Writing Bad-News Messages
• Explain how to achieve an audiencecentered tone
• Differentiate between the direct and
indirect organizational approaches to
bad-news messages and discuss when
it’s appropriate to use each one
• Discuss the three techniques for saying
“no” as clearly and kindly as possible
• Define defamation and explain how to
avoid it in bad-news messages
™ Writing Persuasive Messages
Issued & Revised by COLT: June 2007
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
USED
THIS COURSE ADHERES TO ALL COLLEGE POLICIES (See College Calendar)
™ Audience Analysis Surveys
to be completed by the
class (one group
distributes and collects at a
time)
COURSE
EVALUATIONS
(TESTS &
ASSIGNMENTS
USED)
WEEK
TOPIC/CONTENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES
READINGS
•
•
•
•
•
13
Group
Presentations
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
USED
Discuss the planning tasks that need
extra attention when preparing
persuasive messages – analyze your
purpose, analyze your audience,
establish credibility, strive for high ethical
standards
Distinguish between emotional and
logical appeals, and discuss how to
balance them
Describe the AIDA plan for persuasive
messages
Explain how to avoid common mistakes
when putting together persuasive
messages
Compare sales messages with
fundraising messages
™ Students deliver Group Presentations
ƒ Demonstrate skills taught to date
™ Group Presentations – 20%
Topic: Professor’s Choice
Requirements:
•
•
•
•
Issued & Revised by COLT: June 2007
THIS COURSE ADHERES TO ALL COLLEGE POLICIES (See College Calendar)
13-16 Minutes in length
Audience analysis
surveys – completed
surveys done one week
before presentation date
PowerPoint slide show –
electronic slide show
PowerPoint slides printout
6 slides per page
COURSE
EVALUATIONS
(TESTS &
ASSIGNMENTS
USED)
WEEK
TOPIC/CONTENT
READINGS
LEARNING OUTCOMES
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
USED
•
•
•
ƒ
Formal Research Report
– title page, Table of
Contents, page numbers,
References page (APA
style), etc.
Audience Feedback
forms (3)
Peer Evaluations –
evaluate performance of
each group member,
including self
Grading Rubric (from
professor)
Note: group members
may receive different
grades based on
performance and
participation
14
Group
Presentations
™ Students deliver Group Presentations
ƒ Demonstrate skills taught to date
™ Group Presentations
(continued)
15
FINAL EXAM
™ To assess students’ retention and understanding
of course curriculum to date
FINAL EXAM – 15%
Issued & Revised by COLT: June 2007
THIS COURSE ADHERES TO ALL COLLEGE POLICIES (See College Calendar)
COURSE
EVALUATIONS
(TESTS &
ASSIGNMENTS
USED)
POLICY STATEMENTS
College Policies
The following statements are selected from Centennial College policies approved by the Board
of Governors.
Student Responsibilities
Students are expected to know the contents of the course outline and to discuss with the
professor any areas where clarification is required.
Students should keep all course outlines for each course taken at Centennial College. These
may be used to apply for transfer of credit to other educational institutions. A fee may be
charged for additional or replacement copies.
Other Policies
Students should familiarize themselves with all College Policies that cover students’ rights,
responsibilities, and the Academic Appeal process. For further information, consult the
Academic Matters Section in the full-time and continuing education calendars. The Academic
Appeal Application form is available from any Enrolment Services (Registrar) Office.
Proof of Student Status
Students are obliged to produce official photo identification at any time during the semester
when requested to do so by any professor. (The official piece is the Centennial Student Card.)
Continuing Education students do not have Centennial Student Cards, and so they may use
other forms of photo identification, such as a driver’s license, health card, or other governmentissued photo identification.
Final Examinations
When writing a test or examination, students must put their official photo-ID cards in full view,
for review by the invigilator. Students who do not have official photo-ID will be permitted to write
the examination with a substitute photo-ID, but they will be required to produce photo-ID at the
program or department office within 24 hours or the next business day following the
examination, or else the examination results will be void.
Faculty Consultation
Professors are available to see students outside of class time. Students can contact professors
via voice mail, email, or through their program or department office. Information regarding how
to contact teachers will be provided at the beginning of the course and is also available in the
program or department office.
Human Rights Statement
It is the policy of the College that all programs will strive for a learning, teaching, and working
environment that promotes inclusion, understanding and respect for all students and
employees, consistent with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Centennial College's
Statement of Diversity.