The primary aim of this course is to provide students with the skills and knowledge of communication in the business environment. These skills will contribute to professional graduate attributes and assist with the transition to, or back to, the workforce. There is a strong focus on the understanding the theory of communication in the business context and it's application to effective business writing at a high level, persuasive and appropriate verbal and non verbal communication, and interpersonal skills across teams and cultures.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Define communication and identify the key aspects of fundamental communication theories
2. Identify business communication issues and find solutions based on communication theory
3. Produce effective professional documents;
4. Apply communication theory in delivering an effective business presentation
5. Implement basic critical thinking and analytical skills
6. Demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate ideas and answer questions verbally in-person to a group

Research-Led Teaching

This course allows students to develop communication skills experientially and to understand communication in useful research-based analytical frameworks. The course introduces students to the latest scholarly research on business communication, and illustrates ways in which evidence- based strategies can be developed to improve business communication.

Field Trips

N/A

Additional Course Costs

There are no additional course costs to complete this course.

 

Examination Material or equipment

Students are responsible for bringing their own pencils to the examination. Multiple-choice question answer sheets will be provided. Dictionaries are not permitted. Examination information will be available closer to the examination period at https://exams.anu.edu.au/timetable/

Required Resources

Robbins, S 2014, Ganegoda, D, Panazzolo, N (compilers), Communication for Business, Pearson Australia (3nd Ed.), Frenchs Forest. ISBN: 9781488624308. Available for 2 day and 2 hour reserve from the Chifley Library.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Evidence-based management and communication theory
2	Finding and applying for a job
3	Interviews and persuasive presentations	Online Quiz due Friday 10 January 2020
4	Communication in leadership	Job Application Assignment due Tuesday 14 January 2020
5	Power and politics
6	Negotiation and conflict management
7	Effective business writing (lecture video online)
8	Delivering bad news: Apologies and service recovery strategies
9	The role of emotions in communication
10	Strategic Communication	Report due Tuesday 28 January 2020 Presentations - Part 1
11	Inter-cultural communication	Presentations - Part 2
12	Review

Tutorial Registration

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Online Quiz	5 %	10/01/2020	13/01/2020	1
Job Application	15 %	14/01/2020	28/01/2020	1,3
Report	30 %	28/01/2020	10/02/2020	1,2,3
Presentation	10 %	28/01/2020	30/01/2020	1,2,5,6
Exam (Closed book)	40 %	05/02/2020	24/02/2020	1,2

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

This is an on-campus course. Attendance at all teaching events, while not compulsory, is expected in line with “Code of Practice for Teaching and Learning”, clause 2 paragraph (b). Participation is expected in all classes and assessments.

Examination(s)

The final examination for the course will be managed by the course convenor. All students will be advised of the final examination details via email and Wattle.

Assessment Task 1

Online Quiz

Details of task: There will be a short online quiz scheduled for you to complete on Wattle anytime during the first week of the course. The quiz will be comprised of a number of multiple choice questions. More details will be given during the first class.

Value: 5%

Due date: Friday 10 January 2020 11:59PM

Estimated return date: Monday 13th January 2020

Assessment Task 2

Job Application

Details of task: This assessment is designed for you to develop the ability to make contact with potential employers, state your interest in a job position clearly, and explain why your skills, qualifications and experience match the position.

To complete this assessment, students are required to (1) refer to the job advert posted on Wattle; (2) assume that you have completed your degree and prepare a resume that is appropriate for the position; (3) draft a cover letter for your job application; and (4) complete the video interview via ANU interview stream and paste the link at the end of the application. The job advert will be posted online at the beginning of the summer session.

Assessment Rubric: See the marking criteria on Wattle

Value: 15%

Submission requirements: Students must submit a softcopy of the assignment via the Turnitin link on Wattle. You must keep a copy of your assignment for your records.

Referencing:  References are not expected in this assignment.

Due date: Tuesday 14th January 2020 - 8:59am

Estimated return date: Tuesday 28th January 2020

Assessment Task 3

Report

Details of task: Students are required to produce a report about business communication based on case and question that will be provided on wattle. The document should be formatted as follows: Times New Roman 12 font double line spacing, and 1 inch margins all around.

Assessment Rubric: See the marking criteria on Wattle

Word limit: 1750 words. Students will lose 10% for every 100 words or part thereof over this limit. Title Page, Table of Contents, List of Figures , Executive Summary and Reference List are not included in word count. All others words will be counted

Value: 30%

Submission requirements: Students must submit a softcopy of the assignment via the Turnitin link on Wattle. You must keep a copy of your assignment for your records.

Referencing: Harvard Referencing system is required

Due date: 9am, Tuesday 28 January 2020

Estimated return date: Monday 10 February 2020

Assessment Task 4

Presentation

Details of task: Students will be asked to give a short presentation on a specified topic. Topics will be uploaded to Wattle and order randomly assigned BEFORE class 4. Presentations will be 2 minutes and 30 seconds long. (20 seconds leeway each way will be allowed) A -1 mark penalty will be incurred for over or under time. Students should use no more than 3 slides of content plus one for referencing and one for the title page (if applicable). As this is a presentation assessment (and not a speech), use of notes is not recommended. Presentations will also be recorded.

Assessment Rubric: See the marking criteria on Wattle

Date: Presentations will occur on the 28 and 29 January 2020 (classes 10 and 11). Dates and order for each student will be assigned on 23 January 2020.

Value:  10%

Estimated return date: Thursday 30 January 2020

Assessment Task 5

Exam (Closed book)

Details of task: There will be a final exam comprising of multiple choice questions at the end of the summer session.

Value: 40%

Date: 5 February 2020 TBC

Estimated return date: After release of final grades for the course.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

No submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date will be permitted. If an assessment task is not submitted by the due date, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

All requests for extensions to assessment in RSM courses must be submitted to the RSM School Office with a completed application form and supporting documentation. The RSM Extension Application Form and further information on this process can be found at https://www.rsm.anu.edu.au/education/education-programs/notices-for-students/extension-application-procedure/

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Assignments will be returned via Wattle 2 weeks from the due date of submission

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Unless specified otherwise in the assignment requirements, re-submissions are permitted up until the due date and time, but not allowed afterwards.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students