University of California Riverside

School of Business Administration

Business 100
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

CLASS SYLLABUS – Spring 2011-2011

INSTRUCTOR
BILL DONOHOO

Office: Olmsted 2329

Office Hours: MWF 8:40-9:30 AM or by arrangement

Cell Phone: (714) 964-5319 (My preferred number)

Home Phone: (909) 337-7985

My Personal E-Mail wgdonohoo@aol.com

C O U R S E M AT E R I A L S

Writing That Works by Oliu, Brusaw and Alred

SoBA Mission Statement

Our mission is to develop diverse leaders, propel research-based innovation and promote
the sustainable growth of Inland Southern California within the global economy. We harness
the powerful resources of UC and our location at the nexus of commerce to create a laboratory
for education, research, and productive partnerships across economic enterprises.

The strategic activities that propel our mission include:

• Conducting basic and applied research in management that explores and informs the
creation, development and management of growth;
• Providing degree programs that prepare our students to be effective managers and
responsible community leaders with a deep understanding of the dynamics of growth
in both a regional and global context;
• Partnering with business and community leaders through a shared commitment to
exemplary growth; and
• Delivering educational programs to executives and the public at large that respond
to
 the needs of our local, state, national, and international communities.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES

A consistent complaint by the business community is that universities are graduating
students who do not know how to communicate effectively in writing or through verbal
communication techniques and do not know how to think critically.
The objective of this course is to teach you how to overcome the communication
problem. In the process we will also have an opportunity to use written communication to
solve business problems through critical thinking.
• Specifically you will be shown how to:
• Organize, write and correctly revise a report
• Work on a group project including how to present your work with a Power Point
presentation
• Do effective primary and secondary research and how to take usable notes as a
result of that research
• Write both formal and informal reports
• Choose the appropriate media and how to write effective business
communications
• How to write an effective resume and cover letter and the basics of how to
conduct a job search

GRADING SCALE
Your letter grade is determined using the scale below:
Letter A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- F
Grade
Points >=95 [91.5, [88, [84.5, [81, [77.5, [74, [70.5, [67, [63.5, [60, <60
95) 91.5) 88) 84.5) 81) 77.5) 74) 70.5) 67) 63.5)
Grades will be posted throughout the term on iLearn. If you find any problem with
your score, you must inform the instructor within one week from the time this score is posted.
After one week, scores will not be reviewed.
In the case of score dispute, the entire exam or assignment will be reviewed, not just
the question(s) in dispute. The score could go up, down, or remain the same.
A (Excellent): Meeting course requirements with a superior level of performance. A is
recognized to be an honors evaluation. A is a sacred grade. An “A” represents about the
top 10% of the student body. An A grade at UCR should put you on a par with students
from any university in the country.

B (Good): Meeting course requirements with a high level of performance. This is a very
acceptable grade and by earning it you will have demonstrated a high and competitive
level of achievement.

B-: Since this is a core course. B- is the minimum grade to have your course grade
counted toward graduation.
 C (Satisfactory): A grade of C represents average university level work. Doing the
quantity of work described in the syllabus at usual quality and accuracy level yields a C.
Meets the course requirements with an acceptable level of performance.

D (Passing): Meeting course requirements with minimally adequate performance.

F (Failing): Inadequate performance or not meeting course requirements.

GRADING:
50% based on Discussions sessions, work in discussion sessions and class participation in discussion
sessions.
25% will be based on two midterm exams (12.5% on each)
25% on the final exam

Note that University policy requires that grades be “curved” so that the class average is a B (85%)

S TAT E M E N T O F A C A D E M I C E X P E C TAT I O N S A N D
GRADING
The teaching-learning relationship is most productive when it is viewed as a true
partnership between student and instructor. As with any partnership, it only achieves real success
when each partner exerts maximum effort. Failure of students to follow this principle will
greatly increase the probability of being unable to take full advantage of your university
experience and to do well in class.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
UCR’s policy on Academic Integrity

“Academic Integrity relates to being honest in the completion of your academic

coursework. Trust is the central principle underlying academic integrity. AGSM needs to trust that
ideas are your own. This means that all your work should come solely from your effort. For example,
you need to complete your tests without external assistance. In addition, you may not present another
students work as your own. Moreover, you should not plagiarize, which is an uncredited use of
someone else's words or ideas. Overall, then, academic integrity means that AGSM students will
display honest scholarship.”

IMPORTANT NOTE!!

DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK QUESTIONS IN OR OUT OF CLASS

REGARDING ASSIGNMENTS AND PROJECTS, COURSE EXPECTATIONS,
GRADING CRITERIA, OR ANYTHING ELSE RELATED TO THE COURSE.
MY EXPECTATION IS THAT YOU WILL MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO
CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE CLASS. I AM AVAILABLE TO
ASSIST YOU AND GIVE YOU FEEDBACK ANYTIME DURING THE COURSE.

Tentative Class Schedule

Cla Dat Topic for Lecture Correspond
ss e ing Book
# Chapter
1 3/28 Introduction to the course
2 3/30 Word selection, sentence structure and 4 (p 107-114)
paragraph construction
3 4/1 Audience and Purpose 1
4 4/4 Organizing before writing 2
5 4/6 Writing a draft 3
6 4/8 Writing a draft 3
7 4/11 Revising for content and organization 4
8 4/13 Revising for coherence 4
9 4/15 Revising for emphasis; proofing 4
10 4/18 Presentation skills; Collaborative writing 14 (p 499-
515), 5
11 4/20 Test
12 4/22 No Class
13 4/25 Taking notes
14 4/27 Primary research, Plagiarism, APA, MLA 6
15 4/29 Secondary research 6
16 5/2 Visuals 7
17 5/4 Finding a job 16
18 5/6 Outside speaker on job search
19 5/9 Selecting medium, style and tone, emails and 8
memos
20 5/11 Business letters 8
21 5/13 Test
22 5/16 Routine and positive messages 9
23 5/18 Sensitive and negative messages 9
24 5/20 Informal reports 10
25 5/23 Formal reports 11
26 5/25 Instructions 12
27 5/27 Listening, Conducting meetings 13, 14
28 5/30 Memorial Day holiday
29 6/1 Writing for the web 15
30 6/3 Review for the final