Com 270: Business Communication

Daniel Simon Phone: 856-278-1413 Email: dgs23@drexel.edu

Office hours: M 9:30-10:00 a.m, W 9:30-10:00 a.m

Class location: TBD

Required Text:

Kolin, Philip, Successful Writing at Work, Houghton Mifflin, Eighth Edition,

Suggested Text(s):

MLA Handbook (a good online reference is: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/),

Strunk and White: Elements of Style, Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, A good thesaurus

Course Description:

The ability to write effectively is an important skill for today’s business professionals. Memos, letters, proposals, reports and planning documents represent just a small sample of the kinds of writing “non-writers” can expect to work on. This course will help the student learn the basics of business communication. This is a writing intensive class and students should expect to do a lot of writing this term.

Your textbook is an important part of the learning process, and you will be expected to read all the assigned chapters in time for each class. Please bring your textbook to class with you. You will also be expected to follow and use a style guide. To make things a little easier on everyone, we’ll use www.dictionary.com as our resource for spelling. Please note, you are responsible for correct spelling, grammar and punctuation in this course.

Evaluation:

You will have the following assignments this term:

Introduction Letter 5 points

Web site evaluation memo 10 points

Advertisement audience analysis paper 10 points

Press Release 10 points

Sales Letter 10 points

Report 15 points

Instructions (group project) 10 points

Proposal 15 points

Rough draft conference 5 points

Oral presentation 15 points

Grading scale: 98-100 A+, 94-97 A, 91-93 A-, 88-90 B+, 84-87 B, 81-83 B-, 78-80 C+, 74-77 C, 71-73 C-, 68-70 D+, 64-67 D, 61-63 D-, 60 and below, F.

Course Policies

Attendance/Participation

You will lose one point for each absence (first time doesn’t count). Students are expected to participate in class. In-class work may not be graded, but may instead help you with your graded assignments. I accept doctor’s notes for excused absences and will consider other circumstances that are beyond the student’s control. Since late arrivals disrupt the class, any student who arrives for class more than five minutes late will be counted as absent.

Assignments

Unless otherwise noted, all papers, memos, notes and contact logs will be typed using Times New Roman at 12 points, using 1.5 line spacing and one-inch margins. Letters and memos will be single-spaced. Assignments are due at the start of class (not the end). You may submit work via email provided I receive it by 5 p.m. the day before it is due (make allowances for slow servers). Late work will be penalized one half grade (5 points) for each class it’s late.

Extensions

I do not grant extensions unless there is a medical situation involved (with accompanying documentation). You are allowed to turn in work early.

Oral Presentations

Yes, you may use visual aids (PowerPoint, flip charts, handouts or overheads), no, you may not sit down and hide behind an LCD screen while you present. I strongly suggest you plan on rehearsing your presentation ahead of time. I will be happy to meet with students who would like specific advice or wish to practice their presentations beforehand.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism (turning in someone else’s work as your own) is one of the most serious mistakes a student can ever make, and it is treated as such in this class. If you are caught, you will receive a zero for your assignment – no exceptions! “Self” plagiarism (the act of turning in an assignment you completed for a different class (whether it was used for a grade or not) is treated the same way. Research materials from other projects however, may still be used to prepare completely new work. You are expected to create original work for this class. If you are told you can use material from a source other than yourself, you must still provide attribution otherwise you will still be guilty of plagiarism.

Writing Center:

Drexel has a Writing Center, which is located at 32 MacAlister (x6633). This is a free writing tutorial, but not a proofreading service. You and your classmates are welcome to proof each other’s papers and help each other out (just don’t do each other’s work). http://www.drexel.edu/academics/coas/writingcenter/index.html

Assignments

Introduction Letter (Due June 29)

Write a letter to me introducing yourself. Tell me about who you are and who you hope to become. Be sure to discuss your accomplishments too. Your letter should be from one to two pages in length (refer to chapter 5, for information on writing letters).

Web evaluation (Due July 2)

Choose a Web site belonging to a Fortune 500 company. Write a memo analyzing the site concentrating on the audience it is trying to reach. Please do not make this a paper describing the site itself; the purpose of this paper is to analyze the site’s audience. Consider the graphics used on the site and evaluate whether or not they are effective in reaching the target audience. Note: place special emphasis on audience analysis and supporting references.

Advertisement Audience Analysis (Due July 9)

You will select a magazine advertisement. After examining it closely you will write a paper analyzing the audience the advertisement is trying to reach. Be sure to include such factors as age, gender, financial status and other indicators. Remember, the purpose of this assignment is to analyze the ad’s intended audience and not to describe the advertisement. (Please include a copy of the advertisement with your paper.)

Press Release (Due July 16)

Your company is ready to announce a new product or service. Your job is to write a press release announcing this product and its features. Use a standard press release format (as described in your textbook in the section on news releases starting page 431) Your press release should be from one to two pages in length and should include a letterhead. You may provide artwork to accompany your release, but it is not required.

Sales Letter (Due July 23)

Using the same product or service as in your press release, prepare a sales letter offering it to one of your regular customers. (see your textbook starting at page 167).

Report (Due August 1)

Write a detailed report (see chapter 16, plus there is a model report beginning on page 679 in your text book). This paper should be from 10 to 20 pages in length and should include artwork, charts, tables and graphs. The student will choose a subject, which must be approved by the instructor first. Produce a memo proposing your subject, what research you plan on conducting to support your efforts and why you feel this is a worthwhile choice for your report. (Due July 18) Some possible subject ideas could include a report on Drexel’s efforts to beautify the campus, Effectiveness of public transportation for the student population, A plan for starting your own business, Creating a company policy to deal with a particular topic (equal opportunity, sexual harassment, employee health, smoking cessation).

Instructions Group Project (Due August 10)

Around August 1^st, the class will be divided into groups. Each group will choose a topic and prepare an eight- to 12-page instruction manual. The document should include artwork. While students will be given some time in class to meet in their groups, they should also be prepared to meet outside class to achieve best results.

Proposal (Due August 20)

Write a formal proposal. This can be for either a research project or a business effort. Describe how you plan to execute it, why you’re qualified to manage such a plan and what benchmarks you will use to track your progress. You will also provide a budget (use Excel or another spreadsheet program) and create a timeline (via a Gantt chart). (See chapter 14)

The choice of topic is up to you, but should relate to a practical business subject. It can be based on co-op or personal experience, but must contain new work. It cannot be recycled material from another class or project. You will submit a memo advising me of your topic choice and requesting my approval. (Due August 1)

Your paper should be about eight to 10 pages long (including budget and Gantt chart). A little longer is okay, but any shorter probably won’t be complete.

Instead of holding class week 8, I will meet with you individually to evaluate your rough drafts. You don’t have to bring in a finished first draft, but you should have a substantial amount of work to show me if you hope to get the full five points this meeting provides. I will pass around an appointment sheet the beginning of week seven. If you don’t attend you lose the five points.

Oral Presentation (beginning August 21)

Each student will deliver a 5-minute presentation on their proposal to a live audience (i.e. your classmates). Even though the audience will be your classmates, you should project to the audience you would actually be pitching your proposal to. Tell us who that is (briefly) and what you think their priorities would be.

Use visual aids (PowerPoint, flip charts, overhead projector slides). Don’t run long! (You will be stopped at the six-minute mark.)

Your presentation should:

· Identify the problem

· Persuade the audience it’s a real problem

· Briefly describe what action needs to be taken and why it needs to be taken now

· Propose the solution (if known)

· Articulate what action you want your audience to take (provide funding, change direction, hire new staff, etc.)

Note: presentations should be a minimum of four minutes long; any longer than six minutes and you will be cut off.

Visual aids of some sort are required. LCD projectors can be checked out from Instructional Aids at McAlister Hall.

Week	Topic	Readings	Assignment
1	Course Introduction	Mon 6/25: Wed: Chapter 1 Fri: Chapter 2	Course Introduction, Introduction to Web Evaluation Assignment (Due Monday ) Introduction letter due Friday
2	Memos	Mon: Chapter 4 Wed: July 4 Holiday Fri:
3	Instruction s Design Graphics	Chapters 10 13 and 14	Elements of Design, 3 copies of crisis assignment (for peer review) File types and usage, crisis assignment due layout and design principles
4	Persuasions and proposals	Chapters 4, 6 and 17	Work in class on proposal, hand in one paragraph description. Peer review workshop: instructions
5	Sentences/Coherence	Chapters 10 and 11	Lecture, Peer Review workshop Instructions, work on Instructions draft
6	Formal and Informal Reports	Chapters 18 and 19	Lecture/Peer Review workshop Instructions, Feasibility Study due Fri: email individual memos to instructor
7	Elements of reports	Chapters 12 and 20	Lecture, sign up for conferences, schedule presentations, proposals due NLT Friday that week,
8	Conferences Classes will not meet		Individual meetings to discuss proposals Fri: presentation outlines are due by email,
9	Presentations	Chapter 20	Mon: presentation outlines returned Presentations , proposals due
10	Presentations		Presentations/course evaluations