COMMGMT 7001 - Business Communication (M)

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2014

This course introduces the various communication options available in a business context so that students can make appropriate choices in the workplace. Students will gain confidence in their ability to communicate by practising and receiving feedback on business communication skills. Opportunities for improving academic and workplace language proficiency are embedded in the course. The course encourages the development of academic literacy which will enable students to become independent learners in the Master of Commerce program and to work efficiently and effectively in the workplace.

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Course Details

Course Code	COMMGMT 7001
Course	Business Communication (M)
Coordinating Unit	Adelaide Business School
Term	Semester 2
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Assessment	Exam/assignments/tests/tutorial work as prescribed at first lecture

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Ms Rosemarie Fonseka

Room 9.26, 10 Pulteney St
8313 0559 (extension 30559)
rosemarie.fonseka@adelaide.edu.au

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course students should be able to:

1. apply business communication theory to solve workplace communication issues.
2. demonstrate the communication skills required in the workplace.
3. understand complex ideas in written and spoken formats.
4. express complex ideas accurately in written and spoken formats.
5. manage resources effectively and efficiently in an academic context.
6. obtain information from a variety of sources and use it ethically.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised.	1 and 2
The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner.	3, 4 and 5
An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems.	1
Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication.	2, 3 and 4
An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities.	1, 2 and 6

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Eunson, B 2012, Communicating in the 21st century, 3rd edn, John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd, Milton, Qld.

This textbook is also available as an eBook from:
http://www.wileydirect.com.au/buy/communicating-in-the-21st-century-3rd-edition/

Communication Skills Guide
This booklet can be downloaded from: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/professions/hub/pg/downloads/
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

The readings, lectures and tutorials are connected by topic. Students are expected to read assigned readings before the lecture and tutorial.

Students are expected to attend and participate in all lectures.

Tutorials relate to the previous week’s lecture. Tutorials are an important component of your learning in this course. The communication skills developed in tutorials by regularly and actively participating in discussions are considered to be most important by the School and are highly regarded by employers and professional bodies.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The University expects full-time students (i.e. those taking 12 units per semester) to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies. This means that you are expected to commit approximately 9 hours for a three-unit course or 13 hours for a four-unit course, of private study outside of your regular classes.

Be aware that if there are certain skills that you need to improve significantly, you may need to spend more time doing private study than the guidelines suggest.

Learning Activities Summary

No information currently available.

Specific Course Requirements

Attendance at tutorials is compulsory.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

No information currently available.

Assessment Detail

Assessment 1: staff profile
Post a staff profile suitable for a company website on your tutorial’s Wiki on MyUni.

Assessment 2: meeting
In groups, create a Wiki for sharing the differences you have noticed between communication in Australia and communication in your country. Share these observations in a meeting. Then, identify the three most important implications of these observations for communicating in the Australian workplace.

Assessment 3: reflection piece
Write a reflective piece describing how your group experienced the stages of group development when preparing for Assessment 2.

Assessment 4: written report
Write an analytical report presenting guidelines for Australians interacting with people from your country in a workplace context. Write an email which will act as a letter of transmittal.

Assessment 5: interpersonal skills
Demonstrate interpersonal qualities and personal attributes required in the workplace.

Assessment 6: exam
Sit a two-hour exam which covers a selection of the topics studied in this course.

Please note that more detailed information and marking criteria are available at the end of the Course Booklet.

Submission

Retain a copy of all assessments.

Check assessment instructions to find out whether written assessments should be submitted electronically, as a hard copy in the Assignment Drop Box in 10 Pulteney St and/or through TurnItIn on MyUni.

Attach the cover sheet provided on MyUni under Assessments to hard copies. Make sure the cover sheet is signed and dated before submission.

Lecturers can refuse to accept assignments which do not have signed acknowledgement of the University’s policy on plagiarism.

Assignment Guidelines including Referencing Details

The Communication Skills Guide will assist you to structure your assignments. This publication also provides guidelines on a range of other important communication skills including writing essays and management reports and making oral presentations.

In preparing any written piece of assessment for your postgraduate studies it is important to draw on the relevant ‘literature’ to support critical analysis. Also essential is to reference the literature used. Correct referencing is important because it identifies the source of the ideas and arguments that you present, and sometimes the source of the actual words you use, and helps to avoid the problem of plagiarism. (Further information on plagiarism is provided later in this course outline.)

The Harvard system is widely used in the Business School. Guidelines for the use of this style of referencing can be found in the Communication Skills Guide. Further assistance with referencing is available from the Faculty’s Learning Support Advisors.

Late Assignment Submission and Requests to Resubmit

Students are expected to submit their work by the due date to maintain a fair and equitable system. Extensions will generally only be given for medical or other serious reasons. All requests for extensions must be emailed to the lecturer in charge of the course before the due date. Each request will be assessed on its merits. A late assignment (without prior arrangement) will be penalised by a 15% mark reduction for each day that it is late.

Return of Assignments

Instructors aim to mark and return assignments to students within two (2) weeks of the due date with written feedback. Students are responsible for collecting their marked assignments in their tutorials.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator