MBA 590

MBA 590: Managerial Communication

Fall 2009, Module 1

Dr. Jie Wang, Department of Managerial Studies

Office: 2104 University Hall

Phone: (312) 413-4433

E-mail: jiewang@uic.edu

Office hours: 2:00-3:00 MWF and by appointment

www.uic.edu/~jiewang

DESCRIPTION

Communication is key to success in any business, particularly in today's global marketplace. This course introduces the fundamentals of communication in a corporate environment. Topics to be discussed include, but are not limited to, audience analysis, research methods, organization, drafting, revising, presentation, and visual aids. We will analyze and write essential types of business documents such as memoranda, letters, proposals, and reports. We will also present our research findings to the class.

TEXTBOOK

Mary Ellen Guffey. Business Communication, 6th ed. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2008. (The book cover should indicate "For Professor Jie Wang's Managerial Communication course"; ISBN: 978-0-324-83078-1.)

An electronic version of the textbook is available from Aplia.

REQUIREMENTS

Course requirements include active class participation and contribution as well as on-time completion of a series of writing and presentation assignments. To ensure fairness, late assignments will incur a penalty (two points for each class period it is late), and daily exercises not submitted when requested will not be accepted.

As part of class preparation, the student should finish reading the chapter assigned prior to coming to class. In addition, the student is expected to read leading business publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Fortune magazine on a regular basis to keep abreast of the latest business news and issues.

Because sharing ideas is a crucial part of our learning process, you are expected to attend all classes and actively participate in and contribute to our discussions as well as revision and evaluation efforts. Your course grade will be partially determined by your level of contribution to the class.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Tuesday, August 25

Course introduction

Chapter 1: Communicating in Today's Workplace

Chapters 15 and 16: Employment Communication - Documents and Interviews

Thursday, August 27

Three-to-five-minute infomercial about yourself (personal background, focusing on education, work experience, and career goals)
Transcript of sample infomercial

Chapter 11: Business Report Basics

Teamwork: Planning for term project (see page 321)

Click here for a team work plan sample

Click here for term paper instructions

Click here for a sample term paper

Click here for MLA documentation guidelines

PowerPoint slide samples

Research resources for term project

Electronic resources: Internet research on companies
List of Chicagoland-based companies; click here for a sample

Tuesday, September 1

Chapter 2: Developing Team, Listening, and Etiquette Skills

Chapter 7: E-mail Messages and Memos

Memo 1 for revision

Thursday, September 3

Chapter 3: Communicating Across Cultures

Examples of cultural differences and implications for cross-cultural communication due