Study Guide

Objective

* The student understands the essential principles and importance of ethical business communication in diverse and multicultural work environments and can apply these in practical contexts.
* The student will be able to produce effective, professional business messages in English in a variety of media and for various audiences.
* The student can plan, prepare and deliver effective audience-centred business presentations in English for global audiences.
* The student understands the importance of ethical communication in an organisation and with various stakeholders.

Content

* Effective, ethical communication for the individual and the organisation in intercultural contexts and with various stakeholders.
* Writing for global business audiences.
* Verbal and non-verbal communication.
* Presentation skills for intercultural audiences.
* Organisational communication.
* Communication technologies.

Location and time

The course requires attendance in contact sessions and cannot be taken remotely. Some of the course writing exercises will take place online in Moodle.

Materials

Lecturer’s own material.
The library has many books on the topic of business communication and intercultural communication that will assist you in your project and assignments. The list below shows some. Websites and other resources will be given during the course. You should refer to sources in your project report and presentation analysis using the recommended Harvard reference techniques.

Blundel R, Ippolito K, Donnarumma, D., 2013. Effective Organisational Communication Perspectives, principles and practices 4th ed (or earlier) Pearson

Bovée C L, Thill J V., 2018. Business Communication Today Fourteenth edition. Global edition Pearson (n.b. MBS library has earlier editions some of which are online).

Buchanan, D A., Huczynski, A., 2019. Organizational behaviour 10th edition Pearson Chapter 7 Communication (or other editions)

Cameron, S., 2021. The Business Student’s Handbook Skills for study and employment 7th edition Pearson (Chapter 6 Academic and business writing) or earlier editions

Dignen, B., 2007. Fifty ways to improve your Presentation Skills in English … without too much effort Summertown Publishing

Hernandez, R. A., 2013. Presenting Across Cultures How to adapt your business and sales presentations in key markets around the world Tertium Business Books

Lewis, R D., 2018. When cultures collide Leading Across Cultures Nicholas Brealey International (or earlier editions).

Morgan, N., Any publication by Dr Nick Morgan. e.g Blog: https://publicwords.com/blog/

Reynolds, G,. 2010. Presentation zen design: simple design principles and techniques to enhance your presentations Berkeley (or any Garr Reynolds book or website)

Robbins S, Judge T,. 2022 or earlier. Essentials of Organizational Behavior Fifteenth edition Global edition Pearson (Part 3)

Snyder, J. L., and Forbus, R., 2014. Ebook. Today's Business Communication : A How-To Guide for the Modern Professional Business Expert Press

Stansfield, L, Eerola T, Munne J,. 2009. Win Win English for your business career EDITA, Finland

Talbot, F., 2019 o 2023. How to write effective business English Your guide to excellent professional communication Kogan Page (or any books by Fiona Talbot)

Taylor, S., 2012. Model Business Letters, E-mails & Other Business Documents 7th edition Pearson (available as ebook in VLEbooks)

Teaching methods

This course involves many elements that mimic working life and uses a variety of methodologies appropriate to the communication topic under discussion, from seminars and workshops to lectures and simulations. In the group project, you research business communication in practice.

You will showcase your active learning in practical exercises in class and online. You will experience a taste of working life in the simulation in which you will write a variety of professional business messages under pressure.

You will improve your presentation skills in workshops and by giving a business presentation which we film and which you then analyse. You will all receive and give feedback enabling everyone to recognise their strengths and weaknesses and develop as the course progresses.

Employer connections

You will work in groups on an investigative project with a company. This gives you an opportunity to see how what we discuss in class is applied in practice in the real world.

All activities in this course will serve you well in your internship as you will develop practical working life skills.

Exam schedules

As there is no exam for this course, there is no resit. If you fail the course by not passing one of the components, not completing a compulsory element or not submitting an assignment, you are responsible for completing/submitting those at a later date as agreed with the lecturer. Points will be deducted for late submission of assignments/completions. Students with late completions without medical certificates will not be able to score top grades.

You cannot improve your course grade by resubmitting work.

International connections

The group project may be completed for an international company.
As the student group is international, we will discuss communication represented by the various cultures in the classroom.
Some international guest speakers.

Completion alternatives

Students with a lot of professional work experience who feel they have mastered the course contents and objectives may demonstrate their knowledge in alternative completions for the 3 components:
A portfolio documenting their business writing skills 45%
A professional presentation to the class with written analysis 30%
An individual project or interview on the company the student worked in 25%

Instructions for each component will be given.

Student workload

You are expected to attend contact classes and participate actively in all aspects of the course throughout the semester, i.e. in class seminars, workshops, the office simulation and student presentations.

5 credit course = 133 hours of student workload which can be broken down as follows:

Contact classes 40 - 45h
Individual research/reading/ writing assignments 25 h
Group project 30 h
Presentation, preparation, delivery and analysis 33 h

Content scheduling

See OMA for detailed course schedule.

Further information

PREREQUISITES:
You must have completed either Gateway to Business Studies or an equivalent course. You should have already studied the basics of academic writing, email writing and giving presentations before you start this course.

Evaluation scale

0-5

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

The student has achieved the course objectives fairly. The student will be able to identify, define and use the course subject area’s concepts and models. The student understands the criteria and principles of the expertise development.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

The student has achieved the course objectives well, even though the knowledge and skills need improvement on some areas. The student is able to define the course concepts and models and are able to justify the analysis. The student is able to apply his/her knowledge in leisure, study and work situations. The student understands the importance of expertise in the field of business and is able to analyze his/her own expertise.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student has achieved the objectives of the course with excellent marks. The student masters commendably the course subject area’s concepts and models. The student is able to make justified and fluent analysis and to present concrete development measures. The student is well prepared to apply his/her knowledge in leisure, study and work situations. The Student is able to analyze the business sector expertise and the development of his/her own expertise.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

The student has achieved the course objectives fairly. The student will be able to identify, define and use the course subject area’s concepts and models. The student understands the criteria and principles of the expertise development.

Assessment methods and criteria

This is a skills based course. Your grade reflects your abilities to apply knowledge and skills in practice: in writing exercises and oral presentations. This is mostly individual work. However, you will need to be a supportive member of your group project and contribute to a positive class atmosphere.
Read the instructions for the various assignments, project and presentation carefully, especially before emailing questions to the lecturer!
You need to achieve a pass grade (50%) for each component of the course: presentation, project and business writing to pass the course.

Prerequisites

Gateway to Business Studies