University of Missouri-St. Louis

Professional MBA Online

BA 5100 - Managerial Communication
September – December 2008

Instructor: Geraldine E. Hynes, Ph.D. Phone: 936.294.4149

Office: Department of General Business & Finance Email:

College of Business Administration Fax: 936.294.3074

Sam Houston State University

Box 2056

Huntsville, Texas 77341-2056

Course Objectives:

This course presents principles of communication that apply to the needs of today's professionals. It is designed to help students improve the writing and speaking skills that effective managers use in various business contexts. More specifically, students will:

§  Appreciate the importance of good communication skills for business success.

§  Understand the communication process on four levels - interpersonal, group, organizational, and intercultural.

§  Know how to communicate effectively with coworkers, supervisors, subordinates, customers, and other stakeholders.

§  Develop listening habits that enhance interpersonal and organizational communication.

§  Sharpen the oral and written communication skills that are most useful in the workplace and in the UM-St. Louis Graduate Business Program.

Textbooks:

§  Managerial Communication: Strategies and Applications. Geraldine E. Hynes. 4th Ed. McGraw-Hill, 2008.

§  The Business Writer's Handbook. Gerald J. Alred, Charles T. Brusaw, and Walter E. Oliu. 8th Ed. Bedford St. Martin's Press, 2006.


Other Requirements:

§  Regular attendance - you will lose 4 points for every on-campus class meeting missed.

§  Regular participation and active involvement in class discussions and activities, both online and in class meetings. Up to 10 bonus points can be earned through quality and quantity of participation in online discussion forums.

§  Completion of all assignments. Work not submitted by the last class will be recorded as a zero.

§  Timely completion of assignments you will lose 4 points for every day after the deadline that your assignment is submitted or your test is taken.

§  Competency in standard American English. It is not a goal of this graduate course to teach grammar, spelling, punctuation, mechanics, or usage rules. Remedial English and English as a Second Language (ESL) courses are offered through UMSL’s Modern Foreign Languages Department and the Center for Academic Development.

Assignments Summary:

Assignment /

Point Value

Exam 1 / 50
Exam 2 / 50
Exam 3 / 50
Impromptu / 25
Listening Exercise / 25
Interview Role Play / 100
Memo Makeover / 100
Persuasive Presentation / 100

Total Points

/ 500


Final Grade Determination:

Points Final Grade

465-500 = A

450-464 = A- (90%)

434-449 = B+

417-433 = B

400-416 = B- (80%)

384-399 = C+

367-383 = C

350-366 = C- (70%)

less than 350 = F

Note: These categories are firm. Grades will not be curved. The proper time to challenge a score on an assignment is immediately after receiving your score, not at the end of the semester.

Academic Integrity:

The University of Missouri Collected Rules and Regulations, section 200.010 on Standard of Student Conduct states that students are obligated to adhere to high standards of academic honesty in all their work. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, sabotage of the work or intellectual property of another, fabricating information, and disruption of teaching or other University activities.

“In all cases of academic dishonesty, the instructor shall make an academic judgment about the student’s grade on that work and in that course. The instructor shall report the alleged academic dishonesty to the Primary Administrative Officer.” (Sec. 200.010.A.1) Any student who engages in academic dishonesty will fail this course.

Criteria for Evaluating Discussion Board Contributions:

You can earn up to 10 bonus course points for your participation in the Discussion Forums. Here is how your contributions will be evaluated:

·  Quantity – number of posts overall

·  Consistency of participation – number of posts per week

·  Relevance – posts that respond to the topic and/or answer the question

·  Knowledge – posts that demonstrate understanding of assigned reading

·  Depth – posts that display analytical thought

·  Initiative – posts that refer to new sources, start a new thread, or offer a new idea

·  Collegiality – posts that react to other students’ posts in a respectful tone, even

when disagreeing