CQUniversity Unit Profile
BUSN20017 Effective Business Communications
Effective Business Communications
All details in this unit profile for BUSN20017 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
General Information

Overview

The unit aims to develop your skills and abilities to communicate effectively in business environments. The unit recognises employer and graduate needs to improve communication in different contexts. You will be introduced to different communication concepts including, but not limited to, models, competence, culture, media choice, channels and climate. You will also be introduced to the elements of effective communication for participation in business meetings, presentations, interpersonal and group interaction.

Details

Career Level: Postgraduate
Unit Level: Level 8
Credit Points: 6
Student Contribution Band: 10
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

There are no requisites for this unit.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Offerings For Term 3 - 2019

Brisbane
Melbourne
Online
Sydney

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. On-campus Activity
Weighting: 45%
2. Group Work
Weighting: 55%

Assessment Grading

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.

Previous Student Feedback

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Feedback from Qualitative feedback

Feedback

"More assessment detail should be provided".

Recommendation

All members of the teaching team must be clear about the requirement for the assessments. The Unit Coordinator needs to hold more teams meetings specifically covering these requirements

Feedback from Qualitative feedback

Feedback

"The feedback needs to [be] provided especially for assessment which involve speaking such as presenation[s], so that the students like me can learn, improve and not make the same mistakes again.

Recommendation

The teaching team must undertake and provide instructive and supportive feedback to the students. Attention to both the quality and quantity of the feedback is required. The Unit Coordinator will articulate the expectations and provide examples to the markers.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Recognize advanced knowledge and skills required in written, oral, and interpersonal communication to address complex business problems
  2. Apply professional business writing and oral communication skills to effectively inform or persuade a target audience
  3. Deliver effective presentations to transmit knowledge, skills and ideas to both specialist and non-specialist audiences and achieve business objectives
  4. Critically analyse communication challenges faced by organisations by applying established theories to develop innovative strategies to address them
  5. Apply autonomous thinking to reflect on good practices in workplace communication in different organizational contexts
  6. Engage and collaborate with team members to demonstrate oral, written, and interpersonal communication.

Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - On-campus Activity - 45%
2 - Group Work - 55%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Knowledge
2 - Communication
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills
4 - Research
5 - Self-management
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility
7 - Leadership
8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes

Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 - On-campus Activity - 45%
2 - Group Work - 55%
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

Prescribed

Work Communication: Mediated and Face-to-Face Practices

(2015)
Authors: Guirdham, M.
Palgrave
London London , UK
ISBN: 987-1-137-35144-9
Binding: eBook

Additional Textbook Information

The text is available in paperback or as an eBook. Both are available at the CQUni Bookshop here: http://bookshop/cqu.edu.au (search on the Unit code),

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Jan Lewis Unit Coordinator
m.lewis@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Week 1 Begin Date: 11 Nov 2019

Module/Topic

Introduction to BUSN20017 and the Communication Process

Chapter

Assigned Textbook Chapter:
Guirdham, M (2015). Chapter 1 Introduction. In Work communication: Mediated and face-to-face practices.(pp. 3-26). London: PALGRAVE.
Guirdham, M (2015). Chapter 4 Contributing to communication, selfpresentation and impression management. In M. Guirdham Work
Communication: Mediated and face-toface practices. (pp. 92-93). London:
PALGRAVE.
Textbook Chapter:
Hartley, P., & Chatterton, P. (2015). Developing your communication:
Deciding where to start. In Business communication: Rethinking your
professional practice for the postdigital age. (pp. 13-35). (2nd ed.).
London: Routledge.
Other articles that you need to read are on your Unit Moodle website.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 2 Begin Date: 18 Nov 2019

Module/Topic

Foundation Communication Concepts

Chapter

Assigned Textbook Chapter:
Guirdham, M (2015) Chapter 3 Social cognition and impression formation. Work communication: Mediated and face-to-face practices. (pp. 27-47). London: PALGRAVE.
Other articles that you need to read are on your Unit Moodle website.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 3 Begin Date: 25 Nov 2019

Module/Topic

Oral Genres of Professional Communication

Chapter

Textbook Chapter:
Dwyer, J. (2012). Chapter 5 Deliver presentations and speeches. In The
Business communication handbook (9th ed.). (pp. 118-140). Melbourne, VIC: Pearson Australia
Proquest Ebook:
Summers, J., & Smith, B. (2014). Chapter 6 Oral presentations. In Writing communications skills handbook, (4th ed.). (pp. 79-100). Milton, QLD: Wiley.
Other articles that you need to read are on your Unit Moodle website.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 4 Begin Date: 02 Dec 2019

Module/Topic

Interpersonal Business Communication

Chapter

Journal article to be released in Moodle for Assessment 1.

Assigned Textbook Chapter:
Guirdham, M (2015). Chapter 5 Interaction. In Work communication: Mediated and face-to-face practices. (pp. 105-113). London:
PALGRAVE.
Textbook Chapter:
Dunn, D. M., & Goodnight, L. J. (2014). Creating a positive communication
climate. In Communication embracing difference. (pp. 123-142). (4th ed.).
London: Routledge.
Other articles that you need to read are on your Unit Moodle website.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Vacation Week Begin Date: 09 Dec 2019

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 5 Begin Date: 16 Dec 2019

Module/Topic

Genres of Academic Written Communication

Chapter

Textbook Chapter:
Dwyer (2016). Chapter 24 Academic writing. In Communication for business and the professions:Strategies and skills (6ed.). (pp.610-626). Melbourne, VIC: Pearson Australia.
Proquest Ebook:
Summers, J., & Smith, B. (2014). Chapter 3 Report writing. In Writing
communications skills handbook, (4th ed.). (pp. 43-52). Milton, QLD: Wiley.
Summers, J., & Smith, B. (2014). Chapter 4 The case study. In Writing
communications skills handbook, (4th ed.). (pp. 53-68). Milton, QLD: Wiley.
Summers, J., & Smith, B. (2014). Chapter 5 Essay writing. In Writing
communications skills handbook, (4th ed.). (pp. 69-78). Milton, QLD: Wiley.
Other articles that you need to read are on your Unit Moodle website.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Please note that Assessment 1 will occur during your Lecture for on-campus students or Zoom session for online students.


On-campus or online activity Due: Week 5 Friday (20 Dec 2019) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 6 Begin Date: 23 Dec 2019

Module/Topic

Written Genres of Professional Communication

Chapter

Textbook Chapter:
Cenere, P., Gill, R., Lawson, C., & Lewis, M. Correspondence: Letters,
memos, emails. In Communication skills for business professionals. (pp.
277-306). Port Melbourne, VIC: Cambridge University Press.
Other articles that you need to read are on your Unit Moodle website.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 7 Begin Date: 06 Jan 2020

Module/Topic

Intercultural Business Communication

Chapter

Assigned Textbook Chapter:
Guirdham, M (2015). Chapter 6 Demography, culture, situation and mode as influencers on communication. In Work communication: Mediated and face-to face practices. (pp. 137-142). London: PALGRAVE.
Textbook Chapter:
Tuleja, E. A. (2017). Culture and context in communication. In Intercultural communication for global business: How leaders communicate for success (pp. 156-187). London: Routledge.
Other articles that you need to read are on your Unit Moodle website.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 8 Begin Date: 13 Jan 2020

Module/Topic

Communication and Media Choice within the Workplace

Chapter

Assigned Textbook Chapter and excerpts;
Guirdham, M (2015). Chapter 2 Work communication modes. In Work communication: Mediated and face-tof ace practices. (pp. 27-50). London:
PALGRAVE. Guirdham, M (2015). Chapter 6 Demography, culture, situation and mode as influences on communication. In Work communication: Mediated and face-to face practices. (pp. 145-154). London: PALGRAVE.
Guirdham, M (2015). Chapter 9 Cooperation, work relations and knowledge sharing. In Work communication: Mediated and face-to facepractices. (pp. 227-229). London: PALGRAVE.

Assigned Textbook Chapter:
Guirdham, M (2015). Chapter 2 Work communication modes. In Work communication: Mediated and face-tof ace practices. (pp. 27-50). London:
PALGRAVE.

Other articles that you need to read are on your Unit Moodle website.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 9 Begin Date: 20 Jan 2020

Module/Topic

Organisational Communication

Chapter

Assigned Textbook Chapter:
Guirdham, M (2015). Chapter 12 Organizational structures and cultures.
In Work communication: Mediated and face-to-face practices. (pp. 312-316).
London: PALGRAVE.
Textbook:
Lawson, C., Gill, R., Feekery, A., & Witsel, M. Organisation: Structure
and culture.In Communication skills for business professionals. ( 2nd
ed.).(pp. 24-55). Port Melbourne, VIC: Cambridge University Press.
Other articles that you need to read are on your Unit Moodle website.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 10 Begin Date: 27 Jan 2020

Module/Topic

Communicating within Organisational Teams and Groups

Chapter

Assigned Textbook Chapter:
Guirdham, M (2015). Chapter 10 Working in groups and teams. In Work
communication: Mediated and face-to face practices. (pp. 244-274). London:
PALGRAVE.
Other articles that you need to read are on your Unit Moodle website.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 11 Begin Date: 03 Feb 2020

Module/Topic

Critical Thinking and Persuasive and Influential Communication within the Workplace

Chapter

Assigned Textbook Chapter:
Girdham, M (2015). Chapter 8 Influencing, handling conflict, and negotiation. In Work communication: Mediated and face-to-face practices.
(pp. 193-205). London: PALGRAVE.
Textbook Chapter:
Mautner, G. (2016). Chapter 7 Might is right: Language and power. In Discourse and management. (pp. 172-205). London: PALGRAVE
Other articles that you need to read are on your Unit Moodle website.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 12 Begin Date: 10 Feb 2020

Module/Topic

Management and Leadership Communication

Chapter

Assigned Textbook Chapter:
Guirdham, M (2015). Chapter 11 Management and Leadership. In Work communication: Mediated and face-to face practices. (pp. 277-300). London: PALGRAVE.
Other articles that you need to read are on your Unit Moodle website.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Report and presentation Due: Week 12 Monday (10 Feb 2020) 5:00 pm AEST
Exam Week Begin Date: 17 Feb 2020

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment Tasks

1 On-campus Activity

Assessment Title
On-campus or online activity

Task Description

Exam rules apply to the completion of this activity. There is to be no speaking, no use of materials except the provided journal article, blank paper that you are to provide, and a pen. If you have a question, please raise your hand and wait for the lecturer to acknowledge you, and to come to you. You will not be allowed to leave the room/Zoom session before the time expires and if you need to do so, your assessment and question sheet must be handed in before you leave. You will not be allowed to return to the session to complete the activity.

This is a closed book activity. You may not access any online (re)sources while completing the activity and can only look at the journal article given out in Week 4.

Exam conditions:

Online students can use their laptops for the activity but must share their screen with the Unit Coordinator at any time that this is requested.

Content: The activity will be based upon teaching and learning materials and activities from weeks one to four. In Week 4 you will be given a journal article to read and analyse. Please bring this to your Week 5 Lecture/Zoom session as it will be the only source you are allowed to use for your activity. Please also bring some blank paper in which to write your answers and a pen.

Format: The activity consists of

1. Reading an article before the activity,

2. watching a video in class and

3. completing the three assessment questions in class/during the Zoom session.

Time allowed to complete activity: 90 minutes. You need to be at your lecture or in the Zoom session to receive marks for this assessment.

Weighting: This assessment is 45% of your overall grade.

Date and Time: The activity will be administered in week five during your lecture time or for online students, during your Zoom session. You have only one attempt at the activity and must be present in the lecture or the Zoom session to receive a mark and to complete the activity. You will not be allowed to leave the room/session and if you need to do so, your assessment and question sheet must be handed in before you leave the room and you will not be allowed to return to the room/session.


Assessment Due Date

Week 5 Friday (20 Dec 2019) 11:45 pm AEST

Submit in class or during Zoom session for online students


Return Date to Students

Week 7 Friday (10 Jan 2020)

Marks and feedback will be uploaded in Moodle.


Weighting
45%

Assessment Criteria

Question 1 - 12 marks

Question 2 - 6 marks

Question 3 - 6 marks

Mark out of 24 will be converted to a mark out of 45.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Apply autonomous thinking to reflect on good practices in workplace communication in different organizational contexts


Graduate Attributes
  • Knowledge
  • Communication
  • Cognitive, technical and creative skills
  • Self-management
  • Ethical and Professional Responsibility

2 Group Work

Assessment Title
Report and presentation

Task Description

Groups:

During the week three tutorial you will be able to sign up to be one member of a group of three. You may only present with those individuals enrolled within your tutorial and there are to be no exceptions. Failure to sign up for a group will result in your final mark being delayed. Only one student per group should upload the presentation.

Report and presentation: Within a workplace there are many modes that can be used to communicate with colleagues and supervisors. Choose three different communication modes (refer to Figure .1, p. 28 in your text), each student chooses and researches one mode. Explain, backing up your claims with journal refences, the contexts in which each communication mode is best suited to be used in a workplace.


Your report has two parts in the body:

1. An overview of academic literature relating to communication practices/styles/recent research about business communication in Australia.

2. Recommendations of the situation/s in which your researched mode is the most appropriate and justify your choice, backing it up with the relevant academic literature.

Format:

There are two parts to this assessment. These are:

Part 1. Individual report.

A maximum of 1,500 words business report on your chosen recommendation based on the literature. Each student only includes the section he/she has written, with a very brief introduction and conclusion

Your report should follow the format below:

1. Cover or title page including student name and ID, campus, name of Lecturer/tutor and group number.

2.
Executive Summary

3. Table of Contents: using numbered headings and sub-headings

4. Introduction

5.
Body (Literature review & Recommendations) or your section of the presentation

6. Conclusion

7. References.

The report is worth 10% of the marks. Your individual submission must be uploaded in Moodle as a .doc or .docx file.
The content of the report must not simply be a re-articulation of the information presented in the weekly teaching and learning materials. You may focus on communication modes covered in this unit, but you must do so in a manner that extends the information beyond what was presented during the term.
References: The assessment must include 5 academic references and you must use the APA referencing style.

Part 2. A recorded group presentation.

The recording of the presentation must include power points slides and a 'live' image of each of the speakers for the entire presentation. This is an extemporaneous presentation. I would recommend using Zoom to record your presentation as that way staff can see your PowerPoint slides and yourselves during the presentation. You should save your presentation on either Google Drive or One Drive. Under no circumstances are you to use Sharepoint.

All you need to upload into Moodle is a cover/title page and at the bottom add the active link to your presentation on Google Drive. This is a group submission so only one group member needs to upload your presentation in Moodle.

Instructions on how to use Google Drive can be found at: https://www.dummies.com/education/internet-basics/use-google-drive/ and more information is available in Moodle. Make sure that you have shared the link with your lecturer/tutor otherwise it will not be marked. The content of the presentation must not simply be a re-articulation of the information presented in the weekly teaching and learning materials. You may focus on communication modes covered in this unit, but you must do so in a manner that extends the information beyond what was presented during the term.


Your presentation is worth 45% of your mark and it will be a maximum of 15 minutes in length. This allows each student three minutes to present their section. If a student goes over three minutes, his/her marks will stop at the three minute mark and no further marks will be awarded for that student for that section. Your overall mark for this assessment is calculated based upon the group presentation and all students will receive the same mark.

Academic Misconduct will be monitored to ensure that your submitted work is original and not purchased or copied from other students. Where assessments are found to be similar or purchased, penalties will be applied in accord with University policy.


Assessment Due Date

Week 12 Monday (10 Feb 2020) 5:00 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Marks and feedback will only be released after Certification of Grades.


Weighting
55%

Assessment Criteria

Individual Report 1,500 words 10%

Group 15 minute presentation 45%

Rubrics are available in Moodle


Referencing Style

Submission
Online Group

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Recognize advanced knowledge and skills required in written, oral, and interpersonal communication to address complex business problems
  • Apply professional business writing and oral communication skills to effectively inform or persuade a target audience
  • Deliver effective presentations to transmit knowledge, skills and ideas to both specialist and non-specialist audiences and achieve business objectives
  • Critically analyse communication challenges faced by organisations by applying established theories to develop innovative strategies to address them
  • Apply autonomous thinking to reflect on good practices in workplace communication in different organizational contexts
  • Engage and collaborate with team members to demonstrate oral, written, and interpersonal communication.


Graduate Attributes
  • Knowledge
  • Communication
  • Cognitive, technical and creative skills
  • Research
  • Self-management
  • Ethical and Professional Responsibility
  • Leadership

Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.

What can you do to act with integrity?