BUS 100 W Section 01

Management Communication & Writing

Instructor Paul Beehler, Ph.D.
Office: 2331 Olmsted Hall
Phone: (951) 827-1964
Course Website: http://ilearn.ucr.edu/
E-mail pbeehler@hotmail.com

Quarter: Fall 2015

Lecture time: 8:10 9:30 A.M
Classroom: Bourns Hall B118
Office Hours: T/R 7:30 a.m. - 8 a.m.
And 9:30 a.m. -11 a.m..

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
This course will teach writing for businesses and the theory beyond business communication and
its practice in the work place. Additionally, this course will place a strong emphasis on writing
in numerous genres, satisfying the expectations of a business communications course as well as
an academic writing course. Likewise, careful and thoughtful reading grounded in varied genres
that lends itself to discussion will be an integral component of the course. Topics include written
and oral presentations, current business practices in communication, and forms of non-verbal
communication. Furthermore, the current business trends which are pointing out the increasing
significance of cross-cultural communication, team work and technology are covered in depth
both in praxis and theory.

Students will receive detailed feedback on their written and oral assignments and will be able to
use seminars the University Writing Program (UWP) offers to improve their skills. Discussion
of writing strategies will be provided in lecture, discussion sections, and UWP writing seminars.
This course is heavily weighted towards writing, a skill that departs from mere rote
memorization. Writing specifically provides a forum for critical thinking and analysis, two
highly sought after skills in the business community. Exercises in writing and drafting will be a
part of the large lecture course.

Course/Learning objective
Specifically, by the end of this class you should be able to:

Understand the importance of effective communications in conducting business and to

your own professional success;

Explore and understand how business writing helps managers achieve their goals;

Gain a general understanding of various forms of business correspondence including

letters, memos, and reports;

Form correct sentences to write clear paragraphs intended for business readers and
written to address business problems;

Write and present short business reports;

Understand the proper use of visuals and their placement within reports;

Learn the appropriate methods of working in a global digitally interconnected, and

culturally diverse work environment;

Exercise critical thought most especially through the medium of evaluation and academic
argument;

Learn some interviewing techniques and job hunting strategies.

Prerequisite
Upper-class standing and satisfaction of the English 1A and 1B requirement. The Analytical Writing
Placement Evaluation (AWPE) should be fully satisfied before enrolling in this writing intensive course.

Course Materials and Seminars

Writing Seminars
The University Writing Program (UWP) will offer four writing seminars
during this course. These seminars are intended to provide you with guidance
about your writing and answer your questions as they pertain to strategy and
preparation. The writing seminars are available as a resource and aid; most

of the work on the papers will require careful thought, an activity that will
take place outside of lecture, discussion, and seminars.
Dates

Location

TBD
University Writing Program (UWP)
TBD
University Writing Program (UWP)
TBD
University Writing Program (UWP)
TBD
University Writing Program (UWP)
Absences at the seminars will be penalized ten points
into the participation grade.

Who should attend

Everyone (mandatory)
Everyone (mandatory)
Everyone (mandatory)
Everyone (mandatory)
per seminar and factored

Textbooks

1) Revising Business Prose. ISBN-10: 0205309445 | ISBN-13: 9780205309443 | 4th Edition by Richard Lanham. This text should be available
both on-line and at the bookstore.
2) Business Communication ISBN-978-0-07-340322-9 (M 3rd edition) by Lentz and
Rentz which is published by McGraw Hill and should be available both at the bookstore and
online.
3) A twelve week subscription (hard copy) to The Economist. As soon as possible, go to
the following link: https://subscriptions.economist.com/SLG/index.php#step1 .
Once you are at the link, you must make certain you select the student subscription tab
for correct pricing. VERY IMPORTANT REMINDER: You will need to cancel your
subscription after twelve weeks, or the subscription will automatically renew.
4) The Prince (Penguin Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli. ISBN 9780140449150.
5) Techniques for College Writing by Moore and Cassell can be ordered from
Cengagebrain.com ( https://www.cengagebrain.com/shop/search/9781413033434 ).
Individual chapters can be purchased for $4.99 each, and you will need chapters two (2
CSC) and four (4 Burdens of Proof). Chapters three (3) and five (5) are recommended.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please note that all citations and references in the Machiavelli
must correspond to the Penguin Classics texts assigned for the course. All quizzes
involving the Machiavelli will be derived from the official texts assigned to the course.
Also, be certain to purchase the correct edition of the Lanham and the Rentz/Lentz.
Again, all quizzes involving these texts will be derived from the edition officially
assigned in the course. You should subscribe to The Economist as soon as possible for
the twelve week period. You will need access to your own hard copy of The Economist,
but (and this suggestion is highly recommended) you may wish to purchase (for an
additional six dollars) digital access. The total purchase, then, should be around thirty
dollars.

Other material

Please make sure that you bring a Scantron (882 Type E) and a pencil to the midterm.
The midterm is closed book and closed note. The exam is multiple choice and true/false.
You will need a large bluebook for the final exam and your hard copy of The Economist.

Grading Policy
First Major Assignment (250-500 words)
Second Major Assignment (1,750-2,000 words)
Third Major Assignment (1,000-1,250 words)
Fourth Major Assignment (2,000-2,250 words)
Quizzes (ten unannounced and in lecture)
Midterm Exam
Discussion Section's Participation
Oral Presentations (two presentations)
Final Exam

50 points
100 points
150 points
300 points
50 points
50 points
50 points
50 points
200 points

Your letter grade is determined using the scale below:

Letter
Grade
Points

A-

B+

B-

C+

C-

D+

D-

>930

900930

880899

830879

800829

780799

730779

700729

680699

630680

600629

F
<600

Grades for assigned material will be handed back by your T.A.s throughout the term and may be
posted on iLearn. If you find any problem with your score, you must inform the instructor within one
week from the time this score is handed to you. If you would like to contest the grade of a paper, you
may do so by sending an email to pbeehler@hotmail.com. The email should have your name, the
name of your discussion TA, and the section number of your discussion. Also, you should identify
which assignment you are appealing. Once the request is made, the paper will be read holistically,
and a final grade will be issued. The original grade could go up, down, or remain the same. The
result of a grade appeal will be sent to the student and the TA. No reviews of paper four or the final
exam will take place. If a week passes after a score has been handed back, no review of the material
will be possible.

Assignments and due dates:

A) Papers
You will submit four papers between one and nine pages in length each to your TAs on a
designated day through SafeAssign. The SafeAssign draft is the final and official draft, so no
other changes are permitted once the draft is submitted. Your TA may require a hard copy of the
assignment as well, and this hard copy must be identical to the copy submitted to SafeAssign.
The first paper can be as short as one page and informally formatted as an email. The subsequent
papers will increase in length and complexity. The formatting for paper two will be discussed in
lecture, and the format for paper three will be up to the discretion of your TA. Please keep in
mind that all word count expectations EXCLUDE title pages, references, appendixes, and visual

aids. Papers must be free from grammatical errors, MLA formatted for the final paper, and fully
presented in a professional manner. The use of cover page (does not count towards the required
pages) is recommended (and may be required) with the exception of the final paper.
Papers two, three and four must have at least three outside sources in addition to any material
cited from the textbooks. These sources must be cited (in text citations) using the MLA style, and
a reference page (works cited) must be provided at the end of the paper.
Use of headings and sub-sections, where appropriate, is strongly recommended for all papers
with the exception of paper one.
Each paper will discuss and/or apply a managerial communication topic or concept with the
exception of the final paper. The final paper will be academic and interpretive in nature, one that
will require the extensive application of critical reading skills and analysis to provide an
explication and consideration of a philosophy as it relates to the world of business. Papers one
through three will use the models presented in the texts (Rentz and Lanham), material that will
be addressed in discussion sections as well as lecture and the UWP writing seminars.
The following rubric gleaned (and slightly modified for Business 100W) from the University
Writing Program will be used to grade your papers:
Grade
Percent
A
93-100%
A90-93%

B+
B
B-

87-90%
83-87%
80-83%

C+
C

77-80%
73-77%

General Score
Excellent/
Outstanding

Good/
Competent

Adequate/
Satisfactory/
Acceptable

Paper Description
A Paper: An A paper fulfills all the requirements for the assignment and may do so
in an interesting and creative way that commands attention. The paper will be clearly
and interestingly organized, demonstrate the ability to use transitions, and will include
effective support. An A paper will not only employ excellent word choice, and use
sophisticated sentences effectively, but also it will contain stylistic devices which
illuminate the material. An A paper looks professional but at the same time displays
an authorial voice.
B Paper: A B paper is clearly competent and has moved beyond the basics of the
assignment requirements presenting a thoughtful and insightful response. A B paper
is usually less fluent and complex in style than an A paper. The paper will be well
organized and have good transitions between paragraphs, and the ideas within those
paragraphs will be explained fully and clearly. Sentences are structurally complex
enough to enhance meaning and are usually free of grammar, usage, or punctuation
problems, though there may be occasional awkward phrases or errors. The vocabulary
employed in the essay will generally be accurate and clear, but may not be the most
effective. There is often some sense of the voice or personality of the writer and some
sense of a cohesive style, but this may be occasionally disrupted. Overall, the reader
can sense that the writer is engaged with the topic and has something important to say
about it.
C Paper: A C paper generally fulfills its goal. A C paper will ordinarily have
weaknesses but should not have deficiencies. This paper will have a central idea and
recognizable organization. Paragraphs will contain sufficient information for the ideas
to be clear, and sentences may contain only isolated errors in grammar and mechanics.
Weaknesses often include a focus that is too general, too narrow, too shallow, or too
predictable to allow the student any real engagement with the material leaving the
paper void of any sense of the writers voice or personality. Also, this paper may lack
necessary transitions and connections leaving the reader with questions. In general,
however, this paper constitutes a satisfactory response within the context and
parameters of the assignment.

C-

70-73%

Unsatisfactory
/
Needs
Improvement

C- Paper: A C- paper will be unsatisfactory for one or more reasons. It may be

appropriate to the assignment at times, but lack overall focus or coherence. Usually it
will neglect or fail to respond to at least one essential requirement of the assignment.
It may have several major grammatical errors that inhibit the readers ability to follow
or understand portions of the essay or have repeated minor errors that demonstrate an
inability to regularly observe the conventions of written English. Although it is not a
passing grade, a C- paper shows some potential and gestures toward fulfilling the
assignment.

D+
D
D-

67-70%
63-67%
60-63%

Significant
Problems/
Does Not
Meet
Requirements

D Paper: A D paper demonstrates a lack of control over both content and grammar,
or a very serious deficiency in one of those areas. It may be inappropriately brief, may
disregard the assignments demands, may have serious structural problems and may
frequently drift from the topic. It may have significant and frequent mechanical errors,
and transitions will be sporadic and marginally effective. A D paper employs
simplistic or inaccurate word choice, monotonous or fragmented sentence structure,
and repeated major and minor errors in grammar and usage that cause confusion or
even render portions of the essay incomprehensible. Additionally, a D paper often
looks unprofessional and may seem as if no care went into its production.

60%<

Unacceptable

F Paper: An F paper critically fails to meet the basic requirements of the

assignment. It will generally also display fundamental deficiencies in both grammar
and structure. It may be completely off topic or incomprehensible.

Late work: Essays turned in late that is anytime after the essays are due into SafeAssign -- will
be penalized five percent for each academic day. For example, if a paper is due on a Wednesday
in week three but is turned in on Thursday during week three, the essay will be penalized five
percent of the points. Quizzes, because they are unannounced, cannot be made up for any
reason. Any other late work, such as presentations, will be penalized five percent per academic
day.
Typing: All take home essays are to be typed and formatted according to lecture specifications.
Essays not typed will be penalized ten percent. Essays not adhering to formatting specifications
will be penalized ten points. Where appropriate (essays two, three, and four), essays are
expected to have a works cited page.
Plagiarism: The final draft of an assignment is to be submitted to SafeAssign through
Blackboard. Your TA may also require a hard copy of the material. Work not submitted to
SafeAssign will not be evaluated. Any student who turns in an assignment that was submitted
for another course or was even partially written by someone else will receive a failing grade
(either in the course or on the assignment this, or any other penalty, is determined at the
instructors discretion) and be referred to the Student Conduct and Academic Integrity Program
(SCAIP) for disciplinary action. Please note that proper in text citations are required on all
assignments in addition to a works cited page. Plagiarism can occur in any number of ways:
directly quoting published authors (print or digital) without proper citation, paraphrasing without
proper citation, and cutting and pasting from electronic sites without proper citation. You can
plagiarize yourself, so any material lifted from previous papers you wrote must be quoted and
properly cited in a works cited page. Additionally, using material from unpublished sources
without proper citation constitutes plagiarism. Purchasing papers or relying extensively on peer
editors is also considered plagiarism.
Attendance of Writing Seminars: You are required to attend all writing seminars offered through
the University Writing Program. Failure to attend a writing seminar will result in a ten point
penalty per missed writing seminar and be assessed through the participation grade.

W Designation: This course has a W designation, so significant attention will be paid to

writing and the quality of writing. This class must satisfy the expectations of a Business
Communication class as well as an English 1C course. Successful completion of the course with
a C grade or higher will fulfill the expectation of English 1C.
Note on final assignment: if you would like essay four returned with commentary, you must
submit it to SafeAssign by Tuesday, December 1st and email your TA as well as the professor
(pbeehler@hotmail.com) to let us know that you submitted your work for grading and
commentary.
B) Oral Presentations
You must make an electronic presentation once you submit assignment three. A second oral
presentation will be required evaluating one article from The Economist that your TA will assign
to you and several students. This second presentation will be a group presentation, and you will
deliver this presentation in class. One of the oral presentations, the presentation for assignment
three, will be delivered over an electronic medium (and submitted through the lecture link on
ilearn); the other presentation will take place in person during one of your discussion sections.
Your presentations should be between three to five minutes. It is recommended that you dress
professionally for both presentations and use appropriate visuals (e.g.PowerPoint or Prezi).
C) Exams
In addition to the written and oral assignments, you will have a midterm and a final. The final
exam will be an essay exam that focuses on the concept of evaluation in The Economist. The
fifty point midterm will consider all material addressed in lecture and the texts. The midterm
will be multiple choice/true-false and will take place on Thursday, November 12th. Your final
exam is on December 5th from 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. and will count for 200 points.
Make up exams (not quizzes) are only allowed for documented cases of medical and/or legal
(military, court summons and the like) hardship. If you have a personal reason to miss the exam
such as a wedding or a funeral or other non-school related reasons, you may take a makeup exam
after the instructors approval with a 10% automatic penalty applied to your exam grade. You
will be expected to have your hard copy of The Economist for the final exam as well as
discussion sections.
C) Class Participation
Your TAs will assign up to fifty points based on your attendance and class participation. The
assignment of these points is entirely up to the judgment of your TA. However, attendance in the
discussion sections, lecture, and the writing seminars is mandatory.

Course Schedule
Outline and Purpose of Lectures
Lectures will cover the textbook closely. Outside material and the instructor's own experience
will be used to enhance and complement the text. Doing the homework, writing the papers,
participating in the discussions, and attending lectures are all necessary components for passing

the course. The reading schedule is consistent throughout the course, though Richard Lanhams
book, Revising Business Prose, will be considered in its entirety early in the course and basically
consists of examples of poorly written text which are then revised. It is therefore important for
you to finish that book fairly soon. The Economist will be used exclusively in discussion
sections where a more intimate environment is appropriate, and your TA will assign specific
readings from the magazine for discussion and critical thought. This material will be particularly
important as you prepare for the final exam. The seminars will teach you writing techniques, and
your discussion sections will discuss both the readings and the writing techniques as well as any
other material your TA feels is appropriate.
Week Zero
All discussion sections meet once classes officially begin at UCR
Thursday, September 24th: Introduction, Paramedic Method, Diction
Homework: Chapters one and two in Revising Business Prose
Week One
Tuesday, September 29th: Coordination and the You Approach
Homework: read chapter one in Rentz
Thursday, October 1st: Subordination, Email, and Communication Networks
Homework: Read chapter three in Revising Business Prose, read chapter two in Rentz
Week Two
Tuesday, October 6th: Communication in the Workplace, Semicolons, Logical Fallacies,
Evaluation
Homework: Read chapter four in Revising Business Prose
Thursday, October 8th: Writing Short Reports (Introduction) and Evaluation
Homework: Review the appendices in Revising Business Prose, read chapter eight in Rentz, and
begin essay one
Week Three
Tuesday, October 13th: Writing Reports and Evaluation
Homework: Review chapter eight in Rentz and read chapter three in Rentz; work on essay two
ESSAY ONE SUBMITTED TO SAFEASSIGN BEFORE CLASS ON TUESDAY,
OCTOBER 13TH (hard copy may be required by TAS)
Thursday, October 15th: Using Visuals in Oral and Written Communication
Homework: Work on essay two and read chapter nine in Rentz
Week Four
Tuesday, October 20th: Writing Short Reports
Homework: Work on essay two
Thursday, October 22nd: Communicating Orally; (Bad/Fair Presentation YouTube in class)
Homework: Work on essay two and read chapter ten
Week Five
Tuesday, October 27th: Communicating Orally; (Fair/Strong Presentation YouTube in class)
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27TH DUE DATE: ESSAY TWO MUST BE SUBMITTED TO
SAFEASSIGN BEFORE CLASS (TAS may require hard copies turned in during
discussion)
Homework: begin essay three and read chapter seven in Rentz
Thursday, October 29th: Writing Proposals, Yes Letters, Sales Messages

Homework: Work on essay three; read chapter five in Rentz

Saturday, October 31st: Happy Halloween!
Week Six
Tuesday, November 3rd: Good News Messages and Modifiers; guest lecturer
Homework: work on essay three; review chapter five in Rentz
Thursday, November 5th: Writing Good News Messages and Bad News Messages
Homework: Work on essay three
Week Seven
Tuesday, November 10th: Bad News Messages, Denial of Credit, Negative Announcements
ESSAY THREE DUE TO SAFEASSIGN BEFORE CLASS ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER
10TH (TAS may require a hard copy to be turned in during lecture)
Homework: Read chapter six in Rentz
Thursday, November 12th: Midterm and Introduction to Machiavelli
Homework: Work on essay four; read chapters one to seven in Machiavelli
Week Eight
Tuesday, November 17th: Machiavelli and Chick-Fil-A example
Homework: Work on essay four, read chapters seven to twenty in Machiavelli
Thursday, November 19th: Machiavelli and Netflix example
Homework: Finish Machiavelli, read chapter four in Rentz, and work on essay four
Week Nine
Tuesday, November 24th: Style (Gender Communication, Passive Voice, Colons)
Homework: Read chapter eleven in Rentz, and work on essay four
Thursday, November 26th: Thanksgiving Holiday No class/No Homework assigned!
Week Ten
Tuesday, December 1st: General Style
Homework: Work on essay four and review for final exam
Thursday, December 3rd: Overview and review; Guest Lecturer from Career Services for Job
Search Communication
Homework: Review for final and work on essay four
FINAL PAPER DUE BY 11:59 P.M. ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5TH
Final Exam: Saturday, December 5th, 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Place: TBD

Integrity Statement:
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 your 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 student's

work as your own. Moreover, you should not plagiarize, which is an un-credited use of someone
else's words or ideas. Overall, then, academic integrity means that AGSM students will display
honest scholarship.