11/23/2024 4:18:35 AM	BMG 52 Course Outline as of Summer 2021	Changed Course
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  BMG 52	Title:  BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Full Title:  Business Communication
Last Reviewed:2/13/2023

Units		Course Hours per Week			Nbr of Weeks	Course Hours Total
Maximum	3.00	Lecture Scheduled	3.00		17.5 max.	Lecture Scheduled	52.50
Minimum	3.00	Lab Scheduled	0		6 min.	Lab Scheduled	0
		Contact DHR	0			Contact DHR	0
		Contact Total	3.00			Contact Total	52.50
		Non-contact DHR	0			Non-contact DHR Total	0

Total Out of Class Hours:  105.00

Total Student Learning Hours: 157.50

Title 5 Category:  AA Degree Applicable
Grading:  Grade or P/NP
Repeatability:  00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP
Also Listed As: 
Formerly: 

Catalog Description:

Effective communication applied to business letters, memos, emails, proposals/reports, and presentations. Strategies for organizing, composing, and presenting information clearly and accurately while incorporating appropriate goodwill. Includes writing for the employment process.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:
Course Completion of ENGL 1A OR ESL 10

Recommended Preparation:
Completion of SPCH 1A, BGN 71, CS 60.11A, CS 61.11A, and CS 62.11A

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

Effective communication applied to business letters, memos, emails, proposals/reports, and presentations. Strategies for organizing, composing, and presenting information clearly and accurately while incorporating appropriate goodwill. Includes writing for the employment process.

(Grade or P/NP)
Prerequisites:Course Completion of ENGL 1A OR ESL 10
Recommended:Completion of SPCH 1A, BGN 71, CS 60.11A, CS 61.11A, and CS 62.11A
Limits on Enrollment:
Transfer Credit:CSU;
Repeatability:00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP

ARTICULATION, MAJOR, and CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

Associate Degree:		Effective:		Inactive:
Area:
CSU GE:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
IGETC:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
CSU Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 1981	Inactive:
UC Transfer:		Effective:		Inactive:
C-ID:
CID Descriptor: BUS 115	Business Communication	SRJC Equivalent Course(s): BMG52

Certificate/Major Applicable: Both Certificate and Major Applicable

COURSE CONTENT

Student Learning Outcomes:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1.  Apply principles of communication to plan, organize, and prepare effective and ethical

    business letters, memos, emails, proposals, reports, and oral presentations.

2.  Critically analyze content, organization, style, tone, sentence structure, grammar, goodwill,

    and business format.

3.  Present information and ideas clearly and accurately in writing and verbally.

4.  Create a customized resume for a specific job position.

 

Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Describe the communication process:  the sender, the message, the channel, the receiver, and

    the feedback.

2. Analyze how word selection, content, organization, style, tone, sentence structure, grammar,

    punctuation, goodwill, and business format affect business communications.

3. Analyze audience and anticipate audience needs, recognizing dimensions of culture including

    context, individualism, and time orientation.

4. Recognize professionalism, ethical business practices, and business etiquette in

    communication situations, including in social media and intercultural interactions.

5. Utilize techniques to listen, problem solve, plan, organize, compose, and present information

    clearly and accurately.

6. Compare the direct pattern for conveying positive messages and the indirect pattern for

    conveying negative messages.

7. Recognize established and commonly accepted business writing and delivery patterns and

    formats.

8. Determine the proper and most appropriate delivery pattern and format for a variety of

    business situations.

9. Plan, organize, write, proofread, and revise business letters, e-mails, memos,

    proposals/reports, and presentations.

 

10. Properly cite research data and references; distinguish between formal and informal research

    methods and between primary and secondary sources of data.

 

11. Deliver individual or team oral business presentation.

 

12. Select an appropriate resume format for a specific job position to create a resume and

    application cover letter.

Topics and Scope

I. Business Communication Foundations in the Digital World

    A. Information Flow in Today's Business World

    B. Ethics in the Today's Workplace

II. Professionalism

    A. Effective Work Teams

    B. Face-to-Face and Virtual Meetings

    C. Listening in the Workplace

    D. Communicating Nonverbally

    E. Professionalism and Business Etiquette

III. Intercultural Communication

    A. Effects of Globalization

    B. Cultural and Ethical Business Practices

    C. Social Media and Networking

IV. Planning Business Messages in the Digital Age

    A. Analyzing and Anticipating the Audience

    B. The Writing Process and Writing Techniques

    C. Team Writing and Team Revision of Collaborative Documents

V. Organizing and Drafting Business Messages

    A. Researching and Gathering Organizing Information

    B. Organization through Alphanumeric or Decimal Outlines

    C. Writing Draft of Effective Sentences and Paragraphs      

VI. Revising Business Messages for Conciseness and Clarity

    A. Readability through Document Design

    B. Proofreading Complex Documents

VII. Short Workplace Messages and Digital Media      

    A. Writing E-Mail Messages, Memos, and Texts

    B. Writing Podcasts and Blogging for Business

VIII. Strategies for Positive Direct Messages

    A. Writing Request, Response, and Instruction Messages

    B. Writing Direct Claims, Complaints, and Adjustment Messages

    C. Writing Goodwill Messages

IX. Strategies for Effective Negative Indirect Messages

    A. Writing Messages to Deny Requests

    B. Writing Messages to Deny Claims

    C. Bad News within the Organization       

X. Strategies for Persuasive Messages and Sales Messages in the Digital Age

    A. Writing Persuasive Request, Claim, and Complaint Messages

    B. Writing Effective, Legal Sales Messages in Print and Online

    C. Writing Direct-Mail and E-mail Sales Messages

XI. Reporting in the Digital-Age Workplace

    A. Formal and Informal Methods of Research

    B. Primary and Secondary Sources of Data

    C. Documentation of Research Data and References

    D. Effective and Ethical Charts and Graphics

    E. Intellectual Theft:  Plagiarism

XII. Informal Business Reports

    A. Interpretation of Digital-Age Data

    B. Writing Recommendation Reports

    C. Writing Informational Reports

    D. Writing Analytical Reports

XIII. Proposals, Business Plans, and Formal Business Reports

    A. Writing Formal and Informal Business Proposals

    B. Creating Effective Business Plans

XIV. Delivery of Effective Oral Business Presentations

    A. Audience Analysis for Most Effective Impact

     B. Preparing and Organizing Material

    C. Visual Aids and Multimedia Presentations

    D. Polishing Delivery to Aid in Avoiding Stage Fright

XV. The Employment Communication and Resumes in the Digital Age

    A. Preparing for and Conducting a Successful Job Search

    B, Organizing Education, Experience, and Skills into Categories

    C. Creating an Effective Customized Resume and Persuasive Cover Letter

XVI. Interviewing and Following Up

    A. Types of Job Interviews

    B. Before and After the Interview

    C. Additional Employment Documents

Assignments:

Representative Written Presentations:

1. Produce direct request letter, memo, or e-mail

2. Produce direct reply letter, memo, or e-mail

3. Produce persuasive letter or e-mail

4. Produce indirect letter, memo, or e-mail (Negative / Bad News)

5. Produce comparison / recommendation report

6. Produce customized resume for specific job position emphasizing education, experience, and

    personal characteristics

7. Outline chapters using traditional outlining format

8. Prepare oral presentation using presentational format

 

Representative Oral Business Presentation:

1. Deliver oral presentation with presentation software and/or audio-video multimedia

 

Other Assignments:

1. Read one chapter per week from text, which is approximately 30 pages per week

2. Weekly chapter exams

 

Note:  

1. Midterm and final exams will be written

2. All assignments will be evaluated for a grade

Methods of Evaluation/Basis of Grade.

Writing: Assessment tools that demonstrate writing skill and/or require students to select, organize and explain ideas in writing.		Writing 70 - 80%
Complete written assignments, midterm and final
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.		Problem Solving 5 - 10%
Complete proofreading exercises; Format business documents properly; Proofread documents for accuracy.
Skill Demonstrations: All skill-based and physical demonstrations used for assessment purposes including skill performance exams.		Skill Demonstrations 10 - 20%
Prepare and deliver oral business presentation using presentation software. Outline chapters from textbook using traditional outlining formats.
Exams: All forms of formal testing, other than skill performance exams.		Exams 5 - 15%
Complete weekly chapter exams from required textbook (Multiple Choice, True/False, Short Answer).
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 0 - 0%
None

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

Business Communication Process and Product. 8th ed. Guffey, Mary Ellen and Loewy, Dana. Cengage Learning. 2014

HOW 14: A Handbook for Office Professionals. 14th ed. Clark, James and Clark, Lyn. South-Western College Pub. 2016

Print PDF