For the post-graduate management diploma, a "mini MBA," at the University of Cape Town, Terri Grant collaborated with faculty from other business courses to develop assignments that would cross disciplinary boundaries. With their diverse backgrounds, students found this integrative approach particularly successful. (Editor)

Terri Grant, University of Cape Town

The Professional Communication Unit (PCU) originated in the commerce faculty over three decades ago with the aim of preparing students for the communicative demands of their professions in business and industry. Terri Grant, one of the original team of founder members of the PCU, heads up the unit and convenes a host of short and core courses to both under- and post-graduate students.

POST–GRADUATE DIPLOMA COLLABORATIVE ASSIGNMENT

"The good thing about this course, you learn so many new things and it also introduces you to the business world."

"Especially it was good for me as a foreigner to work with locals—we have a nice relationship in our workshop and the more you do, the more comfortable you feel."

"Daunting and stressful at first but very helpful and inspiring in the end."

"Powerful, relevant, supportive course—I think the structure was perfect. The lectures provided the theory and the smaller sessions actually explored these ideas practically and in context."

"The program is excellent, it allows graduates to easily find out about various companies and future prospects at these companies."

These are just a few of the course assessment comments about our Business Communication and Career Development Program. The Commerce faculty at the University of Cape Town (UCT) offers a one–year, post–graduate management diploma that is regarded as a mini MBA. This diploma appeals to students from all over the country, our African neighbors, and a few international students from Europe who elect to study at UCT for a semester or two.

The make–up of the program thus comprises a disparate group of students, most of whom are graduates from fields other than commerce (e.g. humanities, social studies, education, and science). Most of these students have also come from other tertiary institutions to "finish off" at UCT, the oldest and arguably most prestigious institution in South Africa.

The demographic student profile ranges across all the historical and ethnic groups within South (and southern) Africa and is a good mix of both male and female students, generally in their early twenties. In last semester's class, there were 16 home languages other than English. Therefore, ESL teaching experience is a prerequisite!

PCU Course Background

The Professional Communication Unit (PCU) has been involved in teaching with this program for a number of years. The course includes guest lecturers from UCT's Graduate School of Business and the Careers Office, as well as private consultants. It comprises a mix of theoretical input lectures and experiential small group workshops that focus on job literacy and workplace oral, written, and group communication skills development.

In the past, core course diploma lecturers "did their own thing" with very little consultation or collaboration with other distinct sections of the diploma. The PCU course, in particular, was seen as an "extra" and a soft option. With pressure of work mounting, our assignments bore the brunt. At first, we allowed students to choose their own proposal or report topics, but because their content knowledge was so superficial at the start of the course, these documents were poor. After discussions with core course conveners in marketing, enterprise management, tourism and leisure, and human resources, we then attempted to provide our own list of topics within each specialization. This was more promising. However, in 2006 we took the process a few steps further.

Before the start of the academic year, I approached two of the core course lecturers whose courses I knew would be running at the same time as PCU. I first asked one for a list of report or case study topics of interest that he wanted covered in his course, Entrepreneurial Strategies (ES). Using these, I devised PCU business proposal topics to match each one of his topics. I then passed this list on to a third lecturer, Business in Context (BIC), and he devised a third set of essay topics for his course.

Each topic area thus included three separate yet complementary questions that differed in genre, purpose, and target audience. Thirty topic areas with an "a," "b," and "c" for each were posted on the notice board and the Intranet covering various specializations including sport management, which was introduced in 2006. (See Appendix for three examples.)

Once the list went up, 16 pre–selected mixed groups were given the chance to select their first and second choices. Excitement was heightened by this "first–come, first–served" ruling and a decision was made that no two groups would be allowed to select the same topic unless the topic was broad enough for groups to negotiate different focus areas. Once decisions were finalized, groups met to fine fine-tune their topics, which were vetted by their prospective conveners. The various assignments were due over a 3–week period. For PCU, each group delivered a group oral presentation based on its written proposal. Three examiners, two internal from PCU and commerce faculty and one external from business and industry, examined each group. Each group also put a package together of short documents or marketing products that the examiners could consult before and during the presentation. These included presentation agenda, programs, proposal synopses, PowerPoint slides (paper–based or on CD), and balance sheets, as well as other marketing paraphernalia.

Their PCU formal written proposals—based on their earlier topic instructions—were then also handed in, and together these formed the bulk of our course mark. Similarly, their "matched" essays, reports, or case studies were handed in to their other course conveners to contribute to their respective core course mark allocations.

Feedback

This collaborative assignment fostered a collegial relationship between conveners that not only enhanced their knowledge of each others' courses and their overall "fit" within the diploma but also created less work (after the initial burst of mutual topic decision–making). There were far fewer delegations of students visiting conveners to complain about workload, the sometimes contradictory demands of other conveners, or mixed messages.

Student feedback, as noted earlier, was overwhelmingly positive. They felt supported by the joint and carefully negotiated approach. This was crucial for the ESL students in particular. It was noteworthy that mark disparities were not nearly as great as in past years and there were no failures. PCU, formerly viewed as an "add–on," was regarded as an integrated tier within the diploma curriculum. Groups were satisfied with having a "say" in topic choice without having to decide everything from scratch. They had the time to research one particular area in depth and the opportunity to "re–engineer" their communication products depending on planned outcomes. Many grasped the real–life benefits and workplace demands of having to transform theoretical knowledge into practical deliverables and to determine appropriate formats, contexts, and products relevant to purpose and target market.

In summary, the intercultural group makeup, cooperative work ethic, clear delineation of task and outcomes, alignment of course objectives, overall improvement in marks, and positive course assessments have created a win–win formula that we are happily repeating this semester.

Appendix: Topic Examples

1a. Entrepreneurial Strategies (ES): Brand South Africa: Has this served to promote us better? Compare and contrast this with similar initiatives for other countries, including, for example, Australia.

1b. Professional Communication Unit (PCU): The South African Tourist industry wishes to build South Africa's brand by analysing what other countries, for example, Australia, have done. What are our existing shortcomings and what initiatives could you suggest? Select a strategy and devise a proposal that you believe will promote us better.

1c. Business in Context (BIC): Selling countries as "brands" has become the new strategy to increase both tourism and investment into developing markets. But is it right that countries, peoples, and cultures should in fact be "branded" to lure foreign capital? Can a culture be labelled and packaged? What are the benefits and downfalls of "branding" places, cultures, and peoples?

2a. Entrepreneurial Strategies (ES): Using Porter's 5 Forces model, conduct an analysis of entrepreneurship on the main UCT campus. Conclude with recommendations to (a) Senate and (b) would–be start–ups.

2b. Professional Communication Unit (PCU): A would–be start–up wishes to open a particular business on campus and has approached you to draw up a business proposal to present to Senate outlining the initiative, marketing plan, benefits, costs, feasibility, and likelihood of success. (Choose the business.)

2c: Business in Context (BIC): From an ethical point of view, the invasion of private businesses into the educational domain is sometimes very frightening. Brands are simply invading every aspect of our life, and even when we are at school we are exposed to them. Is there a moral or ethical problem related to opening private enterprise in a place of learning?

3a. Entrepreneurial Strategies (ES): Analyse the extent of economic development from 2 major recent sporting events (e.g. Olympic Games, Soccer World Cup). What can we learn from these two cases and how can lessons be applied to the 2010 South Africa World Cup?

3b. Professional Communication Unit (PCU): The advent of the World Cup in South Africa brings with it a myriad of business challenges and opportunities. As a South African entrepreneur, how could you take advantage of this sports event? Design a business proposal outlining your concept, product, or service to the organisers and include how your proposal will contribute to the success of such an international event.

3c. Business in Context (BIC): The World Cup is meant to uplift the poor in South Africa while at the same time serving the needs of wealthy foreign sports fans. How have major sports events brought poverty alleviation in the past to other countries, and how have they also failed in this mission? How can a South African company ethically benefit from the World Cup?