ALL TIMES STATED IN ALL COURSE MATERIAL ARE CENTRAL STANDARD TIME

Western Illinois University College of Business & Technology Accredited by the AACSB - The International Association of Management Education Department of Management and Marketing Spring 2012 BCOM 320: BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS Catalog Description: Business Communications (BCOM 320). (3 credits) Conceptual and practical aspects of effective communication through reports, letters, and memorandums. Writing Instruction in the Disciplines (WID) course. Instructor: Cecil Tarrant Office: Stipes Hall, 418E Office Phone: (309) 298-1535 E-mail: Western Online email ONLY Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday (11 a.m. to 12:25 p.m.); Wednesday (8:30 to 10 a.m.); and by appointment Prerequisite: Eng 280 Course Timeframe: January 17, 2012 to May 11, 2012 University-required links: a. ADA: If you have a disabling condition that will require an accommodation in tests or class structure, please advise the instructor. Refer to the following link for a more complete explanation of this policy: http://dss.wiu.edu/ b. Student Rights and Responsibilities: http://www.wiu.edu/provost/students.php ALL TIMES STATED IN ALL COURSE MATERIAL ARE CENTRAL STANDARD TIME

TEXTBOOK AND REQUIRED MATERIALS 1. BCOM 3, by Carol Lehman and Debbie DuFrene, 2011 edition, South-Western (Cengage Learning). (ISBN: 978-1111-527-778) (The publisher of the BCOM 3 text sent an email stating that when the hardcopy version of the text is purchased, it comes with an access code for free e-book usage and additional online activities to help you master course material.) 2. THE GREGG REFERENCE MANUAL, by William A. Sabin, Tribute (11 th ) Edition, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2011. (ISBN: 978-0-07-339710-8) 3. An original and a backup copy of all written documents created by you in the course. (In the past, students have found it helpful to purchase a jump/flash drive (512 MB or larger is sufficient size) for this purpose.) 4. Access to Microsoft Office 2003 or later. (See Welcome Letter or Western Online for all technological requirements.) 5. High-speed Internet Connection. (See Welcome Letter or Western Online for all technological requirements) PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES: After completing this course, students should be able to: a. Utilize communication techniques to adapt messages in culturally diverse work environments. b. Analyze business situations and write effective correspondence using acceptable mechanics and formats. c. Prepare for job interviews by writing a résumé, writing a letter of application, and discussing proper techniques and current trends in the job market.

LEARNING MODULES: (In Western Online, click on the Content tab, Select Module Guides and Online Lessons, and scroll down to locate the module guide for each of the following learning modules): 1. INTRODUCTORY Social Networking Electronic Communication Collaboration 2. LETTER WRITING Principles of business writing Good news letters Bad news letters 3. REPORT WRITING Memorandum reports Formal report Business proposals 4. JOB SEARCH STRATEGY Résumé writing Cover letters Interviewing techniques and trends

LEARNING ACTIVITIES/COURSE REQUIREMENTS 1. Students are required to be knowledgeable of the material in the basic textbook and the reference manual. They are required to write emails, business letters, reports, and other documents as announced. Each of these documents must: Reflect purpose Use audience-appropriate vocabulary and tone Properly apply the 8 C qualities of business writing Contain appropriate tone and diction Contain appropriate depth and breadth of information Be well organized Meet all standards set forth by the instructor An online writing center is available at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ should you desire additional assistance for successful course completion. WIU also offers onsite university writing centers at the Macomb and at the Quad Cities campus. Click on http://www.wiu.edu/uwc (for Macomb) or http://www.wiu.edu/cas/english_and_journalism/university_writing_center/qcwc.php (for Quad Cities.) Onsite university writing centers are available to both face-to-face and online students. 2. Since this is a business-writing course, grading standards correspond with what would be expected of students or employees in a business setting. Therefore, written documents should be: a. Error free. b. Audience appropriate. Readability, a style and tone adjusted for clarity of expression and suitable to the target audience, will also play a significant role in determining the score on an assignment. c. Purposeful and well supported. Whether they set out to explain, analyze, or persuade, students documents should be well organized and must have a clear purpose, supported with appropriate facts and details. d. Written as if you are on the job in the business world. Although you are in a learning environment, your submissions must be of business quality and will be judged as such when critiqued and evaluated. A critique and an evaluation are different from one another. A critique is done as if you are submitting the document to your boss in final form, and you should expect that only items that stand out as errors may be noted. An evaluation, however, is quite thorough---and all errors will be noted. Never submit a document as a rough draft or in process for it will receive no critique.

Scores (letter grades) on writing assignments will correspond to the following: (taken, in part, from the syllabus of Prof. Lisa Lenoir) an A when an employer would be impressed with the professionalism and clear understanding of purpose, audience, content, expression, style, and mechanics, and so remembers the work. a B when a document is geared toward the audience and is well organized but content could be more specific or if there are stylistic problems. a C when there is any deficiency in content, arrangement, concept of audience, mechanics, or style; and the employer has to take time out to correct the work and send it back for revision. (At minimum, a submission made for critique should fit into this category.) a D when the work is poor and the employer may consider seeking a replacement worker. an F when the document reflects obvious or blatant failure to follow instructions; deplorable, unsatisfactory, unprofessional results; and where the employer will seek a replacement worker. Course Assignment Schedule: (Located in the Module Guides in Western Online) All students are expected to use and follow the course assignment schedule found in the Module Guide (by clicking on the Course Content tab and then clicking on the Online Lessons and Module Guides folder) for each of the following learning modules: a. Introductory b. Letter Writing c. Report Writing d. Job Search Strategy Due dates are listed for each required course learning activity, including assignments. Instructions and/or links, shown inside the learning module s module guide, must be used to access any document needed for each assignment/learning activity. You are expected to print each Module Guide to use for planning and as a checklist as learning activities are completed. In the past, students have found this quite beneficial. In general, DO NOT GO DIRECTLY TO THE ASSIGNMENTS TAB unless you have already started an assignment; for doing so frequently results in missing a submission deadline indicated in the module guide. Any student who fails to submit an assignment for critique/evaluation as indicated in the module guide also forfeits the opportunity for critique/evaluation---unless circumstances dictate otherwise. As the course progresses, class need may necessitate changes to the course assignment schedule listed within each module guide. If this occurs, an announcement will be placed in Western

Online; and you are expected to make the announced changes to your copy of the assignment schedule. Emails to the Instructor: Students must use Western Online email ONLY, unless directed otherwise by the instructor. Additionally, students are expected to write emails using proper sentence structure and mechanics. Furthermore, the instructor is NOT online 24/7, so there may be a delay when responding to an email. When you expect a response to an email, your message must: a. Arrive via Western Online email---unless instructed otherwise. b. Ask a question or specifically state a request. IN BUSINESS, THE AMOUNTS OF TIME AND EFFORT PUT INTO ANY TASK ARE IRRELEVANT. RESULTS ARE WHAT COUNT!

GRADING OF WRITING ASSIGNMENTS From the points possible on each assignment, a deduction of 1-5 points will be made for major errors such as the following: 1. Deficiency in content. 2. Failure to follow recommended organizational plan for type of letter/report or failure to properly apply C qualities: completeness conciseness clarity concreteness consideration/courtesy correctness coherence (parallelism in) construction 3. Run-on sentence / Comma splice. (5-point deduction per occurrence) 4. Incomplete sentence. 5. Subject-verb agreement. 6. Spelling (no distinction made between spelling and typographical errors). 7. Pronoun-antecedent agreement. 8. FANOBSY. (2-5 point deduction per occurrence) 9. Punctuation error making sentence unacceptable. 10. Awkward wording making sentence unclear. 11. Incorrect letter/report style. 12. Writing that reflects social networking vocabulary. 13. Improper presentation of data in graphical display techniques. One or two points may also be deducted for minor errors such as the following: 1. Minor punctuation error but sentence still acceptable. 2. Capitalization (5-point deduction per occurrence if at beginning of sentence). 3. Omission of courtesy / professional titles, when appropriate. 4. Use of stock words / phrases. 5. Awkward wording, but sentence is clear. 6. Poor word choice or incorrect vocabulary usage. 7. Lack of word variety. 8. Lack of sentence variety. 9. Poor (or negative) tone. The above lists are only examples; they are not all-inclusive.

SUBMISSION OF COURSE WORK Discussion/Reply Posts Students are expected to use proper sentence/paragraph structure when writing to the discussion board and to the private journal. Also, both the discussion board and the private journal entries work the same way. The difference is a posting to the discussion board is available for all class members to view while a posting to the private journal is available only to the instructor and to the student who wrote the private journal entry. Dates and times for posts and replies to the discussion board and private journal entries are listed in the module guides and with the instructions for the discussion or journal entry. Please post and reply only during the specified times if you wish your post(s) to be considered for credit. Up to 10 points will be awarded (discussion board) for an original post and multiple replies; For a substantive private journal entry, up to 10 points may be earned. NEITHER EARLY/LATE POSTS NOR EARLY/LATE REPLIES ARE ACCEPTED FOR CREDIT. However, a student may earn partial credit when either an original post or a reply is made to the discussion board during the timeframes stated. In order to achieve the highest possible score for discussion participation, students should post more than the minimum number of required replies to show active engagement in the discussion. Scores will be awarded based on participation level, timeliness, demonstration of awareness of content/subject knowledge/critical thinking, and of course, diction. Writing Assignments Students must stay current on individual and on group writing assignments. Only assignments submitted by the stated deadline will be considered for full credit. When an assignment is received late, yet within 24 hours of the original deadline, it will be considered for a maximum of 75% credit. All other late submissions will receive no evaluation and no credit. Evaluation of assignments begins AFTER the submission deadline has passed. Thus, if a submission is made early, you must still wait for the deadline to pass before a submission gets evaluated. When making a submission, students must do the following: 1. Properly name and attach (when necessary) the final document with the appropriate file format. Responsibility for attaching, properly naming, and verifying the file format AFTER attaching it lies completely with the student. Documents with an alternate extension (such as.lnk) will not be considered for credit. You must call the help desk (UTECH) at 309.298.2704 if you are having problems with file extensions. (They will tell you how to fix the problem with the.lnk extension.) In addition, you should contact

UTECH when you have any other technical difficulties, such as difficulty attaching a file to a submission---which is often easily solved by switching browsers---from Explorer to Firefox or Vice Versa. Minor technical difficulties (such as slow Internet or slow uploading of a document) may not be used as a reason for late or non-submission of an assignment. 2. After clicking the submit button, you must wait until you see the confirmatory prompt indicating the submission has successfully occurred. 3. Then, you must go to the Assignments folder; and click on the Submitted tab where you will see the assignment you just submitted; Click on it to verify the attached file is the intended one for submission and that the file extension of the attached file is correct. If items 1-3 above occurred successfully, you are done with the submission process. However, if one or more did not occur as indicated, you must go back to the Assignments Inbox, verify the attachment (if one is required for the assignment), and repeat the submission process requirements previously described. No claims that an assignment was submitted on time but is showing as "Late" or "Missed" will be considered! For procrastinators---and those of you who have super busy lives---be sure to plan and to submit assignments at least 3 hours before the stated deadline---in case you experience technological difficulties of any kind. Furthermore, the stated deadline, for example 11:59 p.m., means (to Western Online) 11:59 p.m. and no seconds!!!!! Therefore, you are advised to make and complete submissions at least 10 minutes prior to the stated deadline to avoid a late/missed submission designation by the system. Next, assignments may only be submitted via the regular submission process unless you contact me via Western Online email AND receive approval for a variation in the submission process. Remember, technology fails when you depend on it most; and work done hurriedly is seldom ones best effort. Thus, you must carefully plan so your assignments can be submitted by the stated deadlines---even when you experience minor, temporary difficulties with your computer, the Internet, or Western Online. Occasionally, a glitch occurs between your computer, the Internet, and Western Online when attempting to attach your document to Western Online. Most often, the problem can be fixed by exiting the Internet completely (or performing a cold boot on your computer) and then, going back in to Western Online, using an alternate browser. Thus, you should not wait until the last minute to submit an assignment. Unless Western Online is down (due to a problem with the system) you may not use technology as a reason for not submitting an assignment by the deadline. Additionally, you should submit assignments only through the Western Online assignment submission process unless instructed otherwise. Remember, when you have problems with communication between your computer and Western Online, you do have access to the Internet through your local, public library.

Finally, be sure to check the maintenance schedule for Western Online, for it may be unavailable during certain time frames. It is your responsibility to check the maintenance schedule and plan accordingly. Assessments/Writing Examinations Since most assessments and examinations are available for completion over a period of days, no makeups are permitted. The 24-hour late submission policy DOES NOT APPLY! A score of zero will be recorded when a student fails to complete an objective assessment or writing examination as scheduled. (See Assessments and Assignments tabs for test availability dates.) Objective (multiple choice) writing assessment results will be available immediately following submission while subjective writing examinations will be returned within 7 days of the final date for on-time submission. Each multiple-choice exam (midterm and final) is worth 75 points. Students may use both required texts while completing these exams; no other course materials may be used during these exams. The writing portion of the midterm exam is listed in the Assignments tab. DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS COURSE, YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO STAY CURRENT WITH COURSE MATERIAL; BUT DO NOT WORK AHEAD SINCE FEEDBACK FROM EACH ASSIGNMENT IS IMPORTANT. In addition, all students are responsible for submitting work on time---even in the case of absence from class on a due date---unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor. EXTRA CREDIT----only available to those who have completed and submitted all previously assigned course materials. Pappas Candy Company (UP TO 30 POINTS MAXIMUM) Read the case, found on the assignment list in Western Online. Then, individually, write an analytical report for Pappas Candy Company; and submit it by the due date listed in the module guide and with the bonus assignment found in the Assignments list. Since this is for bonus, no instructor critique is available. However, you may ask specific questions about the assignment until 24 hours before the deadline for submission.

EVALUATION: 1. Components of the final grade: a. Writing Assignments: exercises, letters, reports, and job application materials 340 points b. Assessments: (Letter Writing) 75 points c. Objective tests (Midterm and Final examinations) 150 points d. Participation (Discussions/Journal Entries) 60 points Total possible 625 points 2. Final grades are based on accumulated points as follows: Possible points 625. Points Earned Grade Points Earned Grade 575-625 A 450-486 C 562-574 A- 437-449 C- 550-561 B+ 425-436 D+ 512-549 B 387-424 D 500-511 B- 375-386 D- 487-499 C+ <375 F Bonus/extra credit opportunities reflect points added to your total course points, but the total possible points remains 625---the number of points on which your course grade will be determined. All Of The Above Stated Rules And Policies Are Subject To Change WITH NOTICE TO THE ENTIRE CLASS AND ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AS DEEMED NECESSARY BY THE INSTRUCTOR. The instructor s decision is final on any changes made to this syllabus.