THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION COURSE OUTLINE

THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA
DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
COURSE OUTLINE
GMGT 2010 A01 BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS
SUMMER 2014; May 5 – May 28
Location:
Time:
Drake 140
Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday
Friday
10:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Telephone: 474-8968 Fax: 474-7545
Instructor: Dr. Rakesh Mittoo
Office: 492 Drake Centre
Office Hours: Mon./Wed.: 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
E-mail: [email protected]
Required Texts:
Thill, John V., Courtland L. Bovee, and Ava Cross. Excellence in Business
Communication. 4th Canadian Edition. Toronto: Pearson, 2014.
Nader, Ralph. The Seventeen Traditions. New York: Harper Collins, 2007.
Optional Text:
Hacker, Diana. A Canadian Writer’s Reference. 4th Edition. Boston:
Bedford/St.Martin’s, 2007. Workbook for Hacker’s A Canadian Writer’s Reference is
included with this text. You may use any other grammar book.
Students must download all course materials—handouts on lectures, exercises, cases, etc.—from
Desire2Learn and should bring these handouts to all classes. Stay tuned for announcements
through email when more handouts are posted on D2L. Hard copies will not be provided in classes.
Course Objectives
Business Communications, GMGT 2010, is designed to help you acquire the interpersonal, oral,
and written communication skills you will need at the individual, group, and organizational levels.
Moreover, you will develop analytical, problem-solving, rhetorical, and critical thinking abilities.
To achieve these goals, emphasis will be put on the following:





considering some of the theoretical, philosophical, cultural, and ethical bases of effective
communication
developing proficiency in oral presentations and learning clarity, correctness, and effective
organization in written communication.
learning appropriate formats and strategies for specific business documents: memo, e-mail,
letter, report, and correspondence for job search.
Analyzing and evaluating business texts and enhancing critical thinking ability to produce
persuasive writing.
acquiring communication skills that will be of benefit in interpersonal, intergroup, and
intercultural communications.
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Assigned Readings
Please complete the assigned readings outlined in the syllabus before coming to class.
Periodically, the instructor will ask students to answer questions on the contents of the assigned
portions of the text.
Response-to-Reading Assignment
Each student is responsible for submitting five responses to readings. These short pieces of writing
(250-300 words each) will help you to explore different perspectives on communication issues and
enhance your ability to write effectively with logic and support. For specifics, see the additional
handouts on this assignment. Up to five term marks will be determined by this writing
assignment.
Written Assignments
All written work submitted for grading must be in Times New Roman font. The body of the
document should be printed in standard 12-point font size and double spaced. Indent paragraphs in
all assignments (except in the Research Report) and use double spacing between paragraphs.
Moreover, maintain one-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right) for all assignments. Use either
MLA or APA guidelines for citations and mechanics.
Each written assignment must have a cover sheet which includes the following in this order:
the title of the assignment (one third from the top of the page and centered)
your name (in the middle of the page and centred); student number not required
the course number ( Course No.: GMGT 2010) and the following information at the bottom
of the page
section number (e.g. Section: A01)
your instructor's name (Dr. Rakesh Mittoo)
Date (e.g. Date: January 15, 2014)
Class Participation and Attendance
This course will consist of in-class discussions, workshop activities, written submissions in classes,
grammar exercises, and oral presentations. Since you will be practising communication and
critical thinking skills during class time, attendance is vital to the development of these skills. Up
to five term marks will be determined by your attendance, class participation, and
completion of required assignments.
Language Proficiency Test
We require that all students in Business Communications, GMGT 2010 do the Faculty's Language
Proficiency Test outside of class time. The test is designed to give you feedback on the current
level of your English language skills. The test and the answer key are posted on Desire2Learn. The
LPT will be reviewed before the final exam and students can use it to prepare for the multiplechoice grammar questions (5% of the grade) on the final exam.
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Group Oral Presentations
All group oral presentations on the companies or the organizations chosen for the Research Report
will be delivered in classes. The schedule for these presentations will be circulated one week
before the start date. Students are required to be present in the class on the day of
presentations. (Important Note: failure to present in class with your group members will result in
the loss of 10 marks).
Judges from companies, non-profit organizations, and government departments will be present for
evaluation and question-and-answer sessions.
DATE: Monday, May 26, 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Grammar
All written assignments will be carefully reviewed and graded for correct English usage. Twenty
percent of the grade for each assignment will be allotted to grammar.In order to meet the
standards of competency in English usage—spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure,
and paragraph formation—students will need to do the work required to improve any skills that
are not adequate.
Diana Hacker’s Workbook of grammar exercises is included with A Canadian Writer’s
Reference to assist you in gaining these skills (Please see the list of grammar exercises on pages 9
and 10 of this course outline.). Following each writing assignment, students will be required to
do grammar exercises that familiarize them with the grammar conventions they need to
know to correct their errors in assignments. Alternatively, students may use any other grammar
text for these exercises.
Grading Scale
87+
80 - 86
77 - 79
70 - 76
67 - 69
60 - 66
50 - 59
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
A+
A
B+
B
C+
C
D
Resume and Cover-Letter Writing Workshops
Students may attend one of the resume writing workshops offered by the Career Services Centre.
Sign-up sheets with dates and times of workshops are in the Centre. The Director of the Career
Services Centre may make an in-class presentation on resume writing (TBA).
Assignments
All assignments are to be handed in during classes on the due dates. Assignments submitted by
email will not be accepted and graded. Late penalty will be applied to assignments submitted after
the deadline. Assignments will not be accepted after the last day of classes.
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Revising, Proofreading
Learning the skills for revising and proofreading is an important aspect of becoming a proficient
communicator. On all of your assignments, you will have feedback from your instructor or
markers regarding grammar errors and revision strategies. Review each graded assignments and
carefully edit and revise your next assignment before submitting it.
Marking and Requests for Review
Your instructor and a team of qualified teaching assistants will grade your assignments. If you
have concerns or questions about the grade or about feedback on an assignment, you may request a
review of your paper. All requests must be written in memo format, attached to the assignment in
question, and handed in within one week of the time the graded assignment was returned. Be sure
to be specific regarding the concerns and the action you want taken.
Supplementary Assignment
To gain more writing experience or to attempt to improve a grade, a student may choose to do one
supplementary assignment and have it marked and then averaged with the mark he or she received
on either the Textual Analysis or the Summary assignment. If the average mark is below the
original mark, your grade will not be lowered; if the average mark is higher, your grade will be
adjusted upward.
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR ALL STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY
THEIR FACULTY OFFICE TO HAVE A DEFERRED EXAM:
Effective September 2005, the Department of Business Administration has instituted a policy
which provides ONE DATE ONLY for students who have deferred their final exams.
The deferred final exam date has been pre-set for Friday, August 15, 2014 from 1:00 p.m.4:00 p.m. in Room 122 Drake Centre. This does not apply to take home final exams.
Please refer to University of Manitoba’s Policy 1305 – Exam Regulations
(http://umanitoba.ca/admin/governance/governing_documents/academic/454.htm) or the
Undergraduate Program Office for rules and regulations concerning deferred exams.
UNCLAIMED ASSIGNMENTS
Pursuant to the FIPPA Review Committee’s approved recommendations as of August 15, 2007,
all unclaimed student assignments will become the property of the Faculty and will be subject to
destruction six months after the completion of any given academic term.
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DUE DATES AND ASSESSMENTS
Assignment
•
Responses to readings
(Completion Dates Responses 1-5)
Due
1. Friday, May 9
2. Tuesday, May 13
3. Thursday, May 15
4. Tuesday, May 20
5. Thursday, May 22
Value
5%
b) Hand in all responses to instructor Thursday, May 22
•
•
Writing Assignments
a) Summary Assignment
b) Interview Write-up
c) Textual Analysis
Thursday May 8
Thursday, May 15
Tuesday May 20
10%
10%
10%
Research Report
a) Sign up for area of interest
and group formation
b) Report Proposal
c) Group Oral Presentations
Thursday, May 8
Tuesday, May 13
Monday, May 26, Drake 140
10%
d) Research Report
Wednesday, May 28
15%
•
Attendance and Class Participation
•
Term Work
•
Final Exam
•
TOTAL
From -5% to +5%
60%
Saturday, May 31
9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.; Drake 140
40%
100%
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COURSE SCHEDULE
Monday, May 5
Handouts:
Tuesday, May 6
Readings:
Communication Fundamentals
- the process of communication
- the power of words
- patterns in our language
Thill, Chapter 1, pp. 11-16
Readings:
Handout:
Non-Verbal Communication
Thill, Chapter 2, pp. 54-57
- Response to reading assignment
Readings:
Listening Skills
Thill, Chapter 2, pp. 50-54
Readings:
Handout:
Interviewing skills
Thill, Chapter 2, pp. 369-370
- Interview assignment
Wednesday, May 7
Thursday, May 8
Welcome to Communications
- Getting acquainted exercise
- Information on Course Content
- Summary Writing
- Course Outline
- Article for Summary
- Summary assignment
Pre-writing Considerations
- audience analysis
- you-attitude
- bias-free language
Readings:
Thill, Chapter 4, pp. 92-95; Chapter 5, pp. 124-130
Handout:
- Textual Analysis Assignment
- Research Report Assignment
DUE: - Summary Assignment
Writing Strategies
- SEC technique
- transitions
- active voice
Group Formation for Group Oral Presentations and
Research Reports
Readings:
Thill, Chapter 5, pp. 128-146
Thill, pp. 37-44
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Friday, May 9
Post-Writing Activities
- revising
- editing
- proofreading
Readings:
Thill, Chapter 6, pp. 156-167
DUE: - Response to reading 1
Monday, May 12
Readings:
Cross-cultural Communication
Thill, Chapter 3, pp. 68-73
- gender considerations
Tuesday, May 13
Oral Presentation Skills
- in-class workshop
Readings:
Thill, Chapter 14
DUE: - Response to reading 2
- Report Proposal
Wednesday, May 14
Writing Textual Analysis
Oral Presentation Skills
- in-class workshop
Readings:
Thill, Chapter 14
DUE: - In-Class Discussion on Nader’s The Seventeen Traditions
Thursday, May 15
Strategies for Group Oral Presentations
- Resume Presentation and Cover Letter Writing Strategies
Readings:
Thill Chapter 16, pp. 558-564
DUE: - Response to reading 3
- Interview Write-up
Friday, May 16
Grammar Review
Monday, May 19
Victoria Day, No Classes
Tuesday, May 20
Business Letters
- format and strategies
Readings:
Thill, p. 176, pp. 591-603
DUE: - Textual Analysis
Response to reading 4
Wednesday, May 21
Readings:
Readings:
Direct Strategy
- positive and neutral messages
Thill, Chapter 8
Business Memos/E-Mail Messages
- format and strategies
Thill, Chapter 8, pp. 607-608
Thill, Chapter 9
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Thursday, May 22
Persuasive Messages
Readings:
Thill, Chapter 10
DUE: - Response-to-Reading Assignment
Hand in to Instructor
Readings:
Indirect Strategy
- Negative-News message
Thill, Chapter 9
Friday, May 23
Report Writing
E-mail
Rehearsals for Group Oral Presentations
Monday, May 26
Group Oral Presentations
Tuesday, May 27
Persuasive Sales Messages, continued
Communicating for Employment
Thill, Chapter 10
Résumé Writing
Readings:
Wednesday, May 28
Saturday, May 31
Business Etiquette
Ethical Considerations in Communication
- Exam Strategies
- Evaluations
Farewell!
Readings:
Thill, pp. 24-27
DUE: - Research Report
Final Exam
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m
Drake 140
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Grammar Exercise: Workbook of Diana Hacker’s A Canadian Writer’s Reference
General Instructions

Students who scored less than 65% on the LPT should voluntarily do regular work on grammar
exercises. This work will assist you in gaining increased knowledge of grammar conventions, and,
thus, will enhance your writing proficiency.

After each assignment is returned, students are required to do the exercises that relate to grammar
errors on their written assignments.The required exercises will be indicated on the evaluation
sheet of your marked assignment.

After doing each assigned exercise, check your answers using the solutions at the end of this
Reference.

Hand in the scored exercises as well as a photocopy of your evaluation sheet to me within one
week after the graded assignment has been returned.

Students will receive class participation marks for these grammar corrections and exercises.
Exercises
Sentence Style
- Parallelism
- Needed words
- Misplaced modifiers
- Dangling modifiers
- Shifts: points of view
- Shifts: tense
- Shifts
- Mixed Constructions
- Coordination and subordination
- Faulty subordination
- Non-sexist language
- Wordy sentences
- Active verbs
- Standard idioms
- Jargon and pretentious language
- Slang and level of formality
- Misused words
- Clichés and mixed figures of speech
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- page 1
- page 2
- page 3
- page 4
- page 5
- page 6
- page 7
- page 8
- pages 9-10
- page 11
- page 20
- pages 14-15
- page 16
- page 22
- page 17
- page 19
- page 21
- page 23
Punctuation
- The comma: independent clauses,
- introductory elements
- Commas: in a series and with
coordinate adjectives
- Commas: non-restrictive elements
- Major uses of the comma
- All uses of the comma
- Unnecessary commas
- The semicolon and the comma
- The colon, the semicolon, and the comma
- The apostrophe
- Quotation marks
- The period, the question mark, and the
exclamation point
- Other punctuation marks
- page 49
-
page 50
page 51
page 52
page 53
page 54
page 55-56
page 57
page 58
page 59
- page 60
- page 61
Grammatical Sentences
- Subject-verb agreement
- Subject-verb agreement
- Irregular verbs
- Verb tense and mood
- Pronoun-antecedent agreement
- Pronoun-antecedent agreement
- Pronoun reference
- Pronoun case: personal pronouns
- Pronoun case
- Pronoun case: who and whom
- Adjectives and adverbs
- Sentence fragments
- Sentence fragments
- Run-on sentences
- Run-on sentences
- Run-on sentences
-
page 24
page 25
page 26
page 28
page 29
page 30
page 31
page 32
page 33
page 34
page 35
page 36
page 37
page 38
page 39
page 40
-
page 41
page 42
page 43
page 44
page 46
page 47
page 48
ESL Trouble Spots
-
Articles
Helping verbs and main verbs
Conditional verbs
Verbs followed by gerunds or infinitives
Order of cumulative adjectives
Present versus past participles
Prepositions showing time and place
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Academic Integrity
It is critical to the reputation of the Asper School of Business and of our degrees, that everyone
associated with our faculty behave with the highest academic integrity. As the faculty that helps create business
and government leaders, we have a special obligation to ensure that our ethical standards are beyond reproach.
Any dishonesty in our academic transactions violates this trust. The University of Manitoba General Calendar
addresses the issue of academic dishonesty under the heading “Plagiarism and Cheating.” Specifically, acts of
academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to:
-
using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and without
referencing the source of these words
-
duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source
-
paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas of another
person, whether written or verbal (e.g., personal communications, ideas from a verbal presentation)
without referencing the source
-
copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment
-
providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment
-
taking any unauthorized materials into an examination or term test (crib notes)
-
impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the purpose of
submitting academic work or writing any test or examination
-
stealing or mutilating library materials
-
accessing test prior to the time and date of the sitting
-
changing name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned
-
submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without discussions with
the instructors involved
Group Projects and Group Work
Many courses in the Asper School of Business require group projects. Students should be aware that
group projects are subject to the same rules regarding academic dishonesty. Because of the unique nature of
group projects, all group members should exercise special care to ensure that the group project does not violate
the policy on Academic Integrity. Should a violation occur, group members are jointly accountable unless the
violation can be attributed to a specific individual(s).
Some courses, while not requiring group projects, encourage students to work together in groups (or at
least do not prohibit it) before submitting individual assignments. Students are encouraged to discuss this issue
as it relates to academic integrity with their instructor to avoid violating this policy.
In the Asper School of Business, all suspected cases of academic dishonesty are passed to the Dean's
office in order to ensure consistency of treatment.
/pkt
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University of Manitoba
I.H. ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
MEDICAL ABSENTEEISM FORM
STUDENT IDENTIFICATION: (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY)
_____________________
Last Name
_______________
First Name
___________
Middle Initial
_______________________________
U of M Student Identification Number
_________________________________
Course #
________________________________________
Instructor Name
________________________________
Student’s Signature
_______________________________
Date
TO BE COMPLETED BY THE ATTENDING PHYSICIAN: (after the above section is completed)
(PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY)
___________________________________
Physician’s Last Name
__________________________________
Street Address
________________________
Telephone Number
_________________________________
Physician’s First Name
_________________________________
City, Province
________________________
Fax Number
___________
Middle Initial
___________
Postal Code
To the attention of the physician: Your evaluation of the student’s condition is being used for the
purpose of determining whether or not the student has a valid reason to miss an important exam or
assignment. Your professional evaluation is necessary to ensure that only valid cases are excused.
I certify that the nature of the student’s condition is severe enough to prevent the student from
taking an exam or completing an assignment. If requested, my associates or I will verify for
the above named instructor/administrator that this information is accurate.
The student’s condition will likely span the following dates:
______________________________
(Indicate start date)
until
_______________________________
(Indicate end date)
______________________________
Physician’s Signature
______________________________
Date
NOTES TO PHYSICIAN:
 Please make a note in the student/patient’s file indicating that the student has given the above named
instructor/administrator permission to verify with you, your staff, or your colleagues, that the information contained
on this form is correct. Thank you for your professional evaluation of this student’s condition.
 PLEASE ATTACH THIS FORM TO YOUR REGULAR OFFICE STATIONERY THAT INDICATES THE STUDENT VISITED
YOUR OFFICE.
NOTES TO STUDENT:
 The use of this form is at the option of the student. However, in order to obtain an excused absence for an
assignment or exam the student must obtain a doctor’s certification that the student’s condition is severe enough to
prevent the student from taking the exam or completing the assignment.

It is NOT SUFFICIENT to provide a note that only indicates the student visited the doctor’s office.
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