BUS-32 & CAOT-32 Business Communications Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) Business Administration Department Professor Kevin Sanford email: sanforkr@lavc.edu (Office Hours and Course Section Number see class schedule) REQUIRED TEXTBOOK(s): 1. Business Communications: Process & Product (8th Edition), Guffey & Loewy ISBN: 9781305302723 REQUIRED MATERIALS: USB drive (to save work and for presentations) 3 Scantrons (882-E, green one w/50 questions on each side) Business Appropriate e-mail address (ex: Jon.Smith@gmail.com) Please note that you are responsible for dropping the class before the deadline. Failure to do so may result in receiving an F grade. COURSE OVERVIEW (Course Description): This course provides students with the opportunity to develop the ability to write effective business memorandums, letters, e-mail messages, employment documents, and short reports. The problem-solving approach to creating messages that inform, persuade, and convey negative news is stressed. Emphasis is on the concepts of effective writing style such as organization, coherence, and unity as well as principles of grammar and punctuation of written business documents. The course also includes instruction in oral communication, speaking skills, and oral presentations. Communication technology, communication across cultures, listening skills, nonverbal communication, and workplace ethics are included. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOME (SLO): Create a business letter, memo, or other business document with 90% accuracy using correct writing style, punctuation, spelling, and grammar. PREREQUISITES: None (Students may not earn credit for both Business 32 and CAOT 32) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED COURSES (prior to Bus32): Business English (Bus-31 or CAOT-31), English-28, or English-363, or placement into English-101 IMPORTANT: This is a class that deals with participation and involvement from all students. Therefore, I reserve the right to suspend any student who is absent from the class more than three times, consistently fails to show-up on time, and/or leaves early (this will also be considered an absence), or who does not take an active part in the class as required. Additionally, the syllabus may be revised at any time during the semester. UP TO GRADING POINTS PERCENTAGE GRADE Homework 100 90-100% A Business Presentation (Project) 60 80-89% B Resume 40 70-79% C Quiz 15 60-69% D Midterm 50 0-59% F Final 50 Participation 25 TOTAL 340 1
WRITTEN DOCUMENTS: (save all work on USB) When working as part of a team, please make sure each team member saves the original and/or updated document onto a flash drive, NOT the DESKTOP! Save all of your work for the duration of the term. Your work will be deleted. (Work-Based Method. This parallels how writing might be done on the job). EXAMS: Tests are closed book exams limited to the materials reviewed in class; however, study aids will be provided for all exams. You will be allowed to print the study aids and take hand written (strictly enforced) notes on all sides of the study aid sheet and have it with you during the exam. Tests will include true/false and multiple choice questions as well as, questions that are brief/point specific and require very short answers that show your comprehension of concepts, definitions, and approaches to the information covered. The midterm and final exams are not cumulative. It is your responsibility to ascertain the information provided to you both in class as well as within the text book for any exam questions. If you miss an exam, you need to provide written documentation that justifies your absence. Your score on the missed exam will be proportional to your score on the second exam. If you do not provide written documentation, your test score is zero. If you miss an exam without documentation and fail to complete it, your test score is zero. PROJECT: Projects give you a chance to put your internal and external skills to the test. The assigned project(s) in the course can enable you the opportunity to engage in problem solving and master the techniques of research and presentation. In the project, you will get to develop a clear presentation, and engage in the fundamentals of effective communication. I will provide guidance as needed and a lot of the work takes place in class. PARTICIPATION: It is essential that you are prepared to come to class and be ready to participate and discuss each week s assigned reading and other work. In class, project work means participation. HOMEWORK: Homework grades are part of your total points. Late assignments are not accepted under any circumstances!!! Please refrain from asking. Agreements of effective class behavior No phones, laptops or computers should be in use without professor s consent. Please turn off and put away your cell phones. Recording of the class or cell phone pictures are not permitted under any circumstances We start and end the class on time. We refrain from side discussions. We abide by the LAVC standards of student conduct. If late, please see me at the end of the class. Stay positive in your communication in class. Please participate and enjoy our learning environment. It is our class. STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS: Students requiring classroom accommodations should identify their situation to me in private by the completion of the first day of class. They can contact the SSD office at (818) 947-2681, to meet with a counselor right away. The SSD will send a memo that confirms the exact accommodations required by the student. ADD/DROP/WITHDRAWAL: Please adhere to the timelines prescribed in the schedule of classes for dropping/withdrawing. Failure to do so may result in receiving an F grade in the class. 2
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY/CONDUCT/DISCIPLINE: Cheating is the act or attempted act of deception and will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is the use of other s words and/or ideas without clearly acknowledging their source. When you use those words or ideas into your work, you must give the appropriate credit to the originator of the work and/or ideas. Plagiarism, intentional or unintentional, is considered academic dishonesty and is not tolerated. Any student found to be plagiarizing or cheating on assignments (e.g., copying or giving answers, using crib sheets, cheat sheets, etc.) will (1) receive a zero (fail) on the assignment, and (2) be referred to the Vice President of Student Services for further disciplinary action. The Business and CAOT Departments adhere to the College's policies and procedures governing academic integrity, student conduct, and disciplinary action. Please refer to STANDARDS OF STUDENT CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINARY ACTION in the current Schedule of Classes and Catalog. FINANCIAL AID is available! Please go to the financial aid office located in the Student Services Annex or call them at (818) 947-2412. EXTRA! EXTRA! GREAT NEWS! This class is transferable and applies to many of our Certificates of Achievement and AA degrees. Completing a Certificate or an AA degree gives you a competitive advantage in applying for jobs and boosting their earning potential! It shows potential employers that you have completed a series of courses in a field of study and fulfilled rigorous academic requirements! WHY complete Certificates and AA degrees? Certificates of Achievement and Associate Degrees give you the knowledge and training you need to enter a specialized career or enhance your skills for advancement in your job or professional field of interest. Coursework completed (with a grade of C or higher) while earning Certificates of Achievement can also be applied to an Associate Degree to further increase your employability and contribute to your future educational goals. 3
Prof. Kevin Sanford SanforKR@lavc.edu Spring 2017 Office Hours (BJ102): Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu (8:30am to 9:40am) and Tue (12:45pm to 1:45pm) (4/11 5/30) Class 1/April 11/Tue -Class overview -Business Communication in the Digital Age -Communication Assessment BUS-32 (5020) & CAOT-32 (5019) Business Communications Tue/Thu: 6:50 pm to 10:00 pm BJ109 Syllabus ch1 homework #1--5pts (IN CLASS) Class 2/April 13/Thur -Professionalism (Phases of Team Development) ch2 -Business Letter homework #2--25pts (Due 4/18) Class 3/April 18/Tue -Intercultural Communication ch3 -Set up professional email account Go to www.gmail.com ( create an account ) -Professional Email homework #3 5pts (Due 4/20) Class 4/April 20/Thur -Quiz 1 (weeks 1 through 3) (ch1,2,3) -Business Presentations -First Project discussed Examples -Project 1 Punctuality and Good Audience Class 5/April 25/Tue -Revising Business Messages -Project 1 Research Company Scantron & #2 Pencil ch14 ch6 (work on Project 1 in class) Class 6/April 27/Thur -Planning Business Messages ch4 -Organizing & Drafting Business Messages ch5 -BusComm assignment homework#4 25pts (Due 5/9) Class 7/May 2/Tue -Study aid for second test provided -Review (7 chapters) ch1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 14 Class 8/May 4/Thur -Midterm (weeks 1 through 7) -Short Workplace Messages and Digital Media -Project 1 in class review Class 9/May 9/Tue -Positive Messages -Negative Messages -Project 1 in class work Class 10/May 11/Thur -Project 1 Business Presentations Scantron & #2 Pencil ch7 ch8 ch9 project #1 (3-4 min each) 4
Class 11/May 16/Tue -The Job Search and Resumes in the Digital Age -Resumes Samples ch15 Class 12/May 18/Thur -Interviewing and Following Up ch16 -Resume workshop -BusComm assignment homework #5 40pts (Due 5/30) Class 13/May 23/Tue -Professional Resume (Due 5/23) -Informal Business Reports ch12 -Proposals, Business Plans, and Formal Business Reports ch13 Class 14/May25/Thur -Persuasive and Sales Messages ch10 -Review (8 chapters) ch7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16 Class 15/May30/Tue FINAL EXAM Scantron & #2 Pencil 7pm-9pm (If there are any conflicts with other final exams, please let me know, as soon as possible.) Prof. Kevin Sanford SanforKR@lavc.edu Spring 2017 Office Hours (BJ102): Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu (8:30am to 9:40am) and Tue (12:45pm to 1:45pm) (4/11 5/30) BUS-32 (5020) & CAOT-32 (5019) Business Communications Tue/Thu: 6:50 pm to 10:00 pm BJ109 Please note that the syllabus may be revised during the semester! 5