MGMT 102 | Syllabus
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Spring 2013 Professor Jerry D. Estenson
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO
College of Business Administration
MGMT 102 – Effective Business Communications
6:00 – 7:15 Monday and Wednesday
OFFICE: Tahoe – 2048
OFFICE HOURS: M/W 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. and by appointment
OFFICE PHONE 278-6781 (Fax and Phone)
Personal Voice Mail: 916-557-5738
Personal Fax: 916-967-6410
EMAIL: estenson@csus.edu (CSUS)
jestenso@earthlink.net (Personal)
WEBSITE: www.csus.edu/indiv/e/estenson
TEXTBOOKS (Required)
Hamilton, Cheryl. (2011). Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions. 9th Ed
Clark, James and Clark, Lyn. (2012) How 12: A Handbook for Office Workers . Cincinnati: South-Western College Publishing.
COURSE OVERVIEW
Managers, struggling to meet the challenges of global economy, are inundated with information. This information is stored, manipulated, and presented as symbols on paper or in speech, as images on video, phones, and on television. It can also be presented as data on hard disks, memory chips, CD ROMs or as images on the Internet, television, and movie screens. In business the most common form of symbolic exchange remains dialogue between humans. How effective you are at translating and transferring these symbols into a form understood by those you work for (and with) will be a major determinate in your business success.
To assist you in the effective use of symbols in business, this course will provide communication tools and skills needed to perform as a manager in the complex world of work. To meet this goal, the course will be conducted in a manner similar to courses provided newly hired management trainees. This means a metric for minimum competency in several areas is established and used to determine retention and promotion. In this course, failure to demonstrate competency will adversely affect your grade, not your career.
Specifically by the end of the course you will:
- Understand international and inter-cultural barriers to business communication.
- Write and edit in a manner consistent with future employer expectations.
- Understand the need to relate to other individuals in organizations in a human and ethical manner.
- Present information orally in a manner consistent with future employer expectations.
- Research, organize and present critical business information both orally and in writing; in a manner consistent with the nature of the material and the needs of the audience.
- Improve your inter-personal managerial skills.
- Be able to analyze and understand the effects of social, political, legal and regulatory issues on business organizations.
- Utilize communication technology to enhance your individual communication skills.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
This class is designed as a hybrid course. This means that the instructor will use various methods to instruct and communicate with you.
The class will be divided between lectures, group work, experiential exercises, computer lab work, and discussion of assigned material. Since this course is designed to provide a broad exposure to many dimensions of communications, the pace of information presented to you will be fast and the content global.
The expectation is that you come to this class academically prepared, possess upper division collegiate analytic and reading skills, and are motivated to develop your business writing and speaking skills. Only by being prepared and participating can you fully experience the learning opportunities you will be offered.
To start the semester the course will be taught in a traditional stand and deliver format. This means that you need to plan to physically attend all classes during the first few weeks. After we have established basic knowledge, the course will be divided between lectures and then smaller cohort activities.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Assigned Readings
The chapter assignments are set forth in the class schedule. Read and reflect on each the material contained in each chapter. You will be called upon in class to share your views on the topics. You will also be provided supplemental readings as the class progresses. The additional readings will become part of the material you will master in order to successfully complete course examinations.
.
Assignments
1. Writing mechanics:
Your first challenge will be to demonstrate that you have mastered basic writing
mechanics. This will be done by acquiring a minimum grade of 80% or greater on a skills exam. You will be given three opportunities to pass.
2. Oral presentation skills:
Your second challenge will be to demonstrate oral presentation skills. Your chance to share your oral skills will be during a five-minute persuasive presentation on a current business topic of your selection. The target audience for your presentation should be the senior staff of an organization. The presentation will be evaluated by your peers using a matrix created by the instructor (specific performance criteria will be provided). A passing score of 75% or greater is required. You can present your oral report during office hours anytime after the first week of class but no later than the schedule time set forth in this course outline. You will be given two opportunities to pass.
3. Professional correspondence
You will prepare a portfolio demonstrating your ability to write effectively. The portfolio
includes a refusal letter, persuasive letter, memo written to a high level manager in an organization, and a transmittal letter for your report (see How 12 text for assistance). Your letters should be based on events currently taking place in business organizations. Use Business Week, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune or other business sources to stimulate your creativity.
4. Research and formal report writing
The last assignment is a short, team-prepared business report. The report will be on a business topic of your choice. This topic will be well researched and contain all elements discussed in chapter 7 (title fly, title page, letter of transmittal, table of contents, list of illustrations, executive summary and a well written body not to exceed five (5) well crafted double spaced pages. NOT INCLUDED in the five page limit are the title fly, title page, transmittal letter, table of contents, executive summary, addendum containing supporting data and the bibliography). For full credit the report should have an appealing cover, be free of mechanical errors, follow a consistent format style, contain a table of contents, an appropriate letter of transmittal, cite at least ten solid academic sources, and include effective graphics.
The report will be prepared in teams consisting of no more than six team members. The teams will develop a method to evaluate each team member’s performance, an individual team assignment sheet, and a time and action plan to complete the project. These planning documents will be part of the final report. Each team reserves the privilege of removing a team member during the 1st four weeks of class. After week four all individuals will remain as part of the team. Prior to removal of a team member the entire team must meet with the instructor during office hours to explain their reasons for removal of the team member.
5. Cross-cultural communication
You will work with a teammate to find a CSUS student from a country that is non-English speaking. If you cannot find a student from another country, you can interview a student with a family living in a non-English speaking country or who have recently moved to the United States.
Exams
There will be three (3) exams offered during the semester. Each exam is worth one hundred and fifty (150) points toward your final score. Exams are multiple choice, true and false, and short essays. Tests will be written on Form 886. Time allocated to the three tests will be one class period.
Every effort should be made to take the exams at the scheduled dates. Therefore make-up exams are discouraged. If there are mitigating circumstances, and you provide ample advanced notification (usually one week except in the case of illness), make-up exams will be considered.
The instructor reserves the right to modify this course outline.
Grade Criteria
DESCRIPTION |
POINTS |
Exams (three at 150 each) |
450 |
Writing mechanics skill checks (80% or greater equal 100% of possible points. A score below 80% generates no points.) Two attempts |
50 |
Writing portfolio (includes demonstration of skills used to edit classmate documents) |
150 |
Oral Presentation (A score of 75% or greater equals 100% of possible points. A score below 75% generates no points) |
100 |
Cross Cultural Communication Field Work |
100 |
Business Report |
150 |
Total |
1000 |
Grade Break Down
A = 1,000-940 C+ = 799-780
A- = 939-900 C = 779-740
B+ = 899-880 C- = 739-700
B = 879-840 D+ = 699-680
B- = 839-800 D = 679-640
CLASS SCHEDULE
DATE/ WEEK |
CHAPTER |
TOPIC |
Week One
|
Basics of Managerial Communication
Chapter One |
Read Chapter 1 |
Week Two |
Basic Managerial Communication and Writing Strategies
Chapter Two |
Read Chapters 2 Second writing mechanics exam - Thursday |
Week Three |
Appendix |
Read Appendix |
Week Four |
Present portfolios to edit partners |
|
Week Five
|
Strategies for Oral Managerial Communication
|
Read Chapter 11, 13 and 14 |
Week Six |
Presentation to oral report partners |
|
Week Seven |
Chapters Three
|
Read Chapter 3 |
Week Eight |
Chapters Twelve
|
Read Chapter 12 |
25 March – 31 March |
Spring Break |
|
April 1 |
Cesar Chavez Day – Campus Closed |
|
Week Nine |
Interpersonal Communication Effective Listening |
Read Chapter 4 |
Week Ten 8 and 10 April |
Nonverbal Communication | Read Chapter 5 |
Week Eleven 15 and 17 April |
Chapter Seven and Eight Interviewing for Effective Decisions |
Read Chapter 7 and 8 |
Week Twelve |
Apply knowledge learned in chapters 7 and 8 |
|
Week Thirteen |
Group dynamics and meeting management | Read Chapter 9 |
Week Fourteen |
Leading teams | Read Chapter 10 Prepare Final Draft of Report |
Week Fourteen |
Obstacles in communication within organizations | Read Chapter 6 |
Week Fifteen |
Lecture Notes Strategies for Success in Intercultural Communication |
|
Week Sixteen
|
|
TEST THREE |