Business Communications Aventis School of Management Module Leader: David Shanmugam Email: shanugam@yahoo.com.sg MODULE DESCRIPTION The aim of this module is to enable students to explore theoretical aspects of communication and to apply effective communication techniques in practice. Improving communication is a key issue for business organizations and is also an important area of professional development for individuals who need to collaborate in teams and persuade and negotiate with line managers, customers and other stakeholders. During this module, students will be involved in critiquing organizational and individual communication practices and identifying and practicing effective communication strategies, including collecting requirements, negotiating, giving and using feedback. This course will equip students with the skills to produce impactful business documents and deliver engaging messages in various business contexts. Students will be exposed to strategies which will enable them to successfully communicate their solutions to organization problems. Students will learn to draw up a Communication Plan, craft persuasive messages and deliver difficult news. By the end of the course, students will have learnt the foundational skills to communicate their ideas and values in a clear, persuasive and memorable way. Advertising managers; business professionals, operational managers, accountants, senior executives and business executives who need a clearer understanding of marketing’s role in generating profits, will benefit from this module. MODULE LEARNING OUTCOMES On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: • • • • • • • Comprehend the fundamental concepts of business communication; Understand how business communication will help in business growth; Illustrate how business communication play an important role in marketing; Evaluate how business communication is critical in growing modern business and confidence Learn how the ACE process helps to deliver bad messages and the techniques to do so How to create business report, and the methods and processes to be deployed The method of preparing business presentations, and the evaluation process 1 • Synthesize both the business communication techniques and methodology to enhance business communication and the presentation skills MODULE ASSESSMENT COMPONENTS (TOTAL 100%) Formative Assessments Students will be expected to participate actively in small group discussions, minipresentations and questions and answers during the course of the module. Summative Assessment (graded) Assessment Question: You have recently been appointed as an events manager in A Pte Ltd. Prior to your appointment, the previous events manager did not do a good job in handling the clients well. Lack of time management result in delay events held. Overbudgeting left the company with financial issues. Due to the instability of the company, some of the employee has left and being replaced by less experienced staff. These are the problems contributed to the complaints arise in the quality of service rendered by A Pte Ltd. One of the events held outdoor is not possible to run due to bad weather. The customers were very angry and keep complaining to A Pte Ltd. The customer service officer didn’t follow up this matter properly. Poor communication between the customers and A Pte Ltd makes the things worse. When they agreed to meet, the customer service cancelled the meetings last minute and did not proposed new dates. The customer service did not provide solutions, rather firefighting when issues arises. As the things getting worse, the customers threaten to sue A Pte Ltd. At the same time, you need to deal with other complains, such as delay delivery, low quality of service for events held and inefficient budget. A Pte Ltd has lost a few projects and this has caused the management to worry about the future of the company. You have been appointed to handle all the complaints and resolve these issues. You are required to produce a written business proposal for action to solve the problem. You must convince them that this proposal could be implemented to improve A Pte Ltd conditions. The proposal will be read by the management. They will evaluate the proposal presented to them. Your proposal must be professional and formal and must clearly and appropriately persuade the audience. You should use ACE process to prepare an effective proposal. Below are the points that you must address inside your proposal. a) Discuss in detail how you will come up with the strategy of dealing with the complaints. Please come up with solutions to solve the problem and state the reasons why you choose these solutions. (35 Marks) b) If you are facing difficult clients, discuss how you will propose solutions based on the lessons you have learnt in your business communication module. Please state the 2 complains from difficult clients and propose solutions based on the lesson you have learnt in your business communication module. (35 Marks) c) Craft a check list on how you will handle future clients and the areas of improvement you would recommend. A minimum of 5 key points, based on what you have learnt from your module should be discussed. (30 Marks) Your proposal should follow clear organization of report-writing: 1. Cover Page 2. Executive Summary 3. Table of Contents 4. Introduction 5. Body 6. Conclusion 7. References 8. Appendixes Due Date: 21 November 2017, 11.59pm Assessment Requirements: Students are expected to adhere to the following requirements: • • • • • • • Font 12 Times New Roman or Font 10 Arial, 1.5” page margin, Cover page should include the Module Title and IC Number. Please do not include your name. The report needs to consist of Headings and Sub-headings where appropriate, Introduction, body and conclusion is a must, Word limit: 1200 to 1500 words References and citations: All claims must be backed by research and cited according to Harvard Referencing format. This is part of your assessment components. Instructions for Submission: • • • • Please submit your assignment in PDF format (not exceeding 16 MB) under the “Assignment” tab of the relevant module. Only one PDF file is accepted. Name your file to IC_Module Name (E.g S1234567C_Developmentalpsychology) Assignments sent to your lecturer’s email will not be marked. Coursework components Weightage Individual Assignment – Take Home 100% TOTAL 100% 3 MINIMUM AWARD REQUIREMENTS To graduate from the Advanced Diploma in Business Management, a minimal grade of PASS for this module is required. ACADEMIC HONESTY & PLAGIARISM Academic integrity and honesty is essential for the pursuit and acquisition of knowledge. The University and School expect every student to uphold academic integrity & honesty at all times. Academic dishonesty is any misrepresentation with the intent to deceive, or failure to acknowledge the source, or falsification of information, or inaccuracy of statements, or cheating at examinations/tests, or inappropriate use of resources. Plagiarism is ‘the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own' (The New Oxford Dictionary of English). The University and School will not condone plagiarism. Students should adopt this rule - You have the obligation to make clear to the assessor which is your own work, and which is the work of others. Otherwise, your assessor is entitled to assume that everything being presented for assessment is being presented as entirely your own work. This is a minimum standard. In case of any doubts, you should consult your instructor. COLLUSION Where there is a requirement for the submitted work to be solely that of an individual student, collaboration is not permitted. Students who improperly work together in these circumstances are guilty of collusion. IMPERSONATION A student who is substituted by another person in an examination, or who submits by substitution the work of another person as their own, is guilty of deception by impersonation. The offense of impersonation can be applied to the student and to the accomplice. OTHER FORMS OF DECEPTION Any action through which students seek to gain an unfair advantage in assessment constitutes an academic offence, such as, for instance, submitting the same piece of work for separate modules. 4 MODULE LESSON PLAN / TIME TABLE Session Date Details 1 Sat 22 Jul Topic 1: Becoming A Successful Business Communicator Learning Outcomes: • • • • Define what us business communication; Describe why business communication can be challenging The methodology of business communication How we can develop and create good business communication Topic 2: Working with Others Learning Outcomes: • • • • How to be an effective listener and speaker; The art of managing conflict and the strategies; The art of communicating with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds; Learning the skill of communicating effectively in teams Topic 3: Managing the Communication Process Learning Outcomes: • • • • Understand the AEC communication process and objectives Evaluate your mistakes in your written works and how to avoid them Ways of improving your writing skills Master the ways of Using the AEC techniques to achieve your communication process effectively Topic 4: Creating Brand Equity Through Communication Learning Outcomes: • • • • The art of creating questions and requests The way of creating and composing informational messages Know what kind of messages build goodwill in business relationships Learn the art of using social media to build goodwill Topic 5: Communicating Persuasive Messages Learning Outcomes: • Understand how the ACE process help you persuade your audience effectively • Understand the importance of the types of business messages that typically require persuasion • Learn how to use persuasive techniques in social media communication? • How persuasion can improve teamwork and collaboration in business communication? 5 2 Sun 23 Jul Topic 6: Communicating Bad News Learning Outcomes: • Know tips and techniques to use when deciding the most appropriate format to use for agendas and email messages • Know tips and techniques in writing business letters, business proposals, and business reports. • Define peer review and list ways peer review can help improve business writing skills. Topic 7: Finding and Evaluating Business Information Learning Outcomes: • Definition of research • The methodology of conducting on line research effectively • The method of conducting primary research • The technique of conducting research using social media • How to collect the data of the research and use it effectively Topic 8: preparing persuasive Business Proposal Learning Objectives: • Using the ACE to prepare an effective proposal • Learning how to make a proposal persuasive and effective • Learning which business proposals should any prospective write • The art of structuring and preparing a format proposal Topic 9: Preparing Business Reports Learning Outcomes: • How can ACE help you write a business report; • Types of short, routine reports usually found in typical in business; • What guidelines should you follow for writing report and amalgamating it with appropriate business structure; • How should you document your research and its importance? Topic 10: Preparing and Delivering Business Presentations Learning Outcomes: • Composing a business presentation; • The Technique of delivering and evaluating the presentation • The method of handling questions and answers on a presentation • Adapting your approach for online presentation and including question and answers RECOMMENDED READINGS AND WEBSITES You are not required to purchase a textbook for the course. However, these are supplementary articles/readings that can help enhance your understanding of the topics covered. Meenakshi, R. and Sangeeta, S. (2011) Technical Communication: Principles and Practice, 2nd edition. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2011 Hartley, P. and Bruckmann, C.G. (2002) Business Communication, Routledge. 6 Knowledge High Distinction (HD) 80-100% Distinction (D) 70-79% Credit (C) 60-69% Pass (P) 50-59% Fail (F)
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