Course Outline for Business 14
Business Communications

Effective: Fall 2023
SLO Rev: 02/26/2021
Catalog Description:

BUS 14 - Business Communications

3.00 Units

This course applies the principles of ethical and effective communication to the creation of letters, memos, emails, and written and oral reports for a variety of business situations. The course emphasizes planning, organizing, composing, and revising business documents using word processing software for written documents and presentation-graphics software to create and deliver professional-level oral reports. This course is designed for students who already have college-level writing skills.
Strongly Recommended: ENGL 1 Critical Thinking and Composition
0506.00 - Business Management*
Optional
Type Units Inside of Class Hours Outside of Class Hours Total Student Learning Hours
Lecture 3.00 54.00 108.00 162.00
Laboratory 0.00 18.00 0.00 18.00
Total 3.00 72.00 108.00 180.00
Measurable Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. explain the elements of the communication process;
  2. solve business communication problems through planning, problem-solving, organizing, writing, listening, and presenting techniques;
  3. illustrate sensitivity to audience needs and desire, including cross-cultural situations;
  4. plan, organize, write, and revise letters, memos, emails, and reports suitable for a variety of business situations, including quantitative (e.g., accounting and finance) and business legal contexts;
  5. plan and deliver individual or team oral-presentations for business meetings;
  6. understand communication in an internationalization and globalization context;
  7. understand the uses of social media and related Internet writing contexts;
  8. demonstrate an understanding of social etiquette applicable in a business environment.
Course Content:
 
Lecture Content:
  1. Understanding Business Communication
    1. Establish credibility
    2. Interpersonal communication
  2. Principals of Communication
    1. Team communication
    2. Global communication
  3. Business message
    1. Create an effective message
    2. Improve the readability of the message, including format, message and content, grammar, and appearance.
    3. Email and other traditional message formats
    4. Social media for business communication
  4. Types of business messages
    1. The routine message, such as requests and information messages
    2. Persuasive messages, such as resume cover letters and requests for new equipment
    3. bad-news messages, such as a change in business policy that will impact employees
  5. Reports and Presentations
    1. Research for business reports, including citation formats
    2. Organizing a report to be audience-focused
    3. Planing a verbal or video presentation, using a slide presentation
    4. Prepare and deliver verbal or video presentation
    5. Employment communication, including resume, cover letter, and interview skills
Lab Content:
  1. Review and practice grammar
  2. Correct work on spelling
  3. Create a document format including whitespace, grammar, and spelling

 

Methods of Instruction:
  1. Case problems
  2. Guest speakers
  3. Internet-based research and written assignments
  4. Lecture/Discussion
  5. Distance Education
  6. Activity play
  7. Oral presentations
  8. Videos
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
  1. Present a video or in-person presentation on a business topic.
  2. Prepare in groups a final written assignment including a presentation by all members using a business style PowerPoint presentation. Students work in groups of 4 to 6 researching communication and business etiquette in an English second language country.
  3. Prepare a persuasive memo to your supervisor requesting a new laptop computer. Stress benefits to the reader and the company.
  4. Orally present your resume to a potential employer, outlining how your skills and experiences can benefit the company.
  5. Prepare a bad-news message to a client using an opening buffer, softening the bad-news, and ending the message on a positive forward-looking tone of voice.
  1. Quizzes
  2. Written assignments
  3. Oral Presentation
  4. Exams/Tests
  5. Group Projects
Upon the completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. analyze a typical business problem and prepare an appropriate written response;
  2. demonstrate proficiency in two-way verbal, non-verbal, and written or electronic communications;
  3. demonstrate job search and interviewing skills for use in the business environment.
Textbooks (Typical):
  1. Cardon (2021). Business Communication: Developing Leaders for the Networked World (4). McGraw-Hill.
  2. Guffey, Mary Ellen and Dana, Loewy (2022). Essentials of Business Communication (paperback) (12). Cengage.
Abbreviated Class Schedule Description:
Theory and application of written and oral communications in a professional business environment: organization of messages, editing for tone and polish, presentation techniques, meeting management, job search communications.
Strongly Recommended: ENGL 1 Critical Thinking and Composition