ING COMMUNICATION

'

ABSTRACT
Deans of 97 business schools at public and private universities participated in a
survey regarding the importance of various communication skills and the extent
to which recent graduates had acquired these skills. 'The results indicated graduates
need additional proficiency, particularly in the areas of small group communica-
ion, public speaking, and conflict resolution. The results also included deans'
perceptions of the effectiveness of various faculty presentation methods, the skills
students need before enrolling in an online course, and the communication tech
nologies used by their schools

INTRODUCTION
Business school deans influence the evolution of business curricula, including
training in business communication, the selection of pedagogical methods, and
the adoption of communication technologies. Therefore, their views regarding the
importance of students' communication skills and the utility of various technolo-
gies for instruction and communication are particularly significant. To communi-
cate effectively, businesspersons should be proficient in several communication
skills. According to the deans surveyed in this study, some communication skills are
particularly important, and recent graduates' mastery of them is inadequate.

Deans are expected to monitor and improve the quality of their schools' programs.
In addition, deans are responsible for balancing financial resources with financial
requirements, including the number of students enrolled in programs. Deans have
unusual access to information about program quality and factors influencing enroll-
ment, including student surveys and conversations with students, faculty members,
and employees. Therefore, a survey of business deans provides a valuable perspec-
tive of business programs and the way deans will use their power to shape pro-
grams in the future.

Faculty in schools of business employ various presentation methods to help their

undergraduate students learn important concepts. In addition to face-to-face inter-
action with students, instructors may use the Internet, online course software such
as Blackboard or WebCT, distance learning via live video instruction, or prepack-
aged courseware materials from publishers. From the dean's perspective, how effec-
tive are these methods? This study addresses that issue.

Various communication technologies are available to assist faculty instruction,

including several that have become available only recently. To what extent are these
technologies used in business schools? In addition, what is the perceived impor-

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 ' +.$
• •

tance of acquiring certain skills before undergraduate students enroll in online

courses? Business deans' answers to these questions are reported in this study.

[A] BACKGROUND PERSPECTIVES

Effective communication is widely recognized as vital to business success. Today's
workplace is characterized by rapid change, as businesses encounter increasing
demands to produce larger profits from smaller resources. In addition to increased
competitiveness, organizations are challenged to be more accountable, to take opti-
mal advantage of developing technology, and to satisfy the increasing expectations
of diverse stakeholders. In the business world of today and tomorrow, success de-
pends upon skilled communication. Mary Ellen Guffey (2006), a recognized expert
in the field of business communication, noted the importance of communication
effectiveness in a business environment that is increasingly dominated by greater
globalization, flatter managerial hierarchies, and team-based workplace operations

Evolving changes that impact business schools are evidenced in various ways
Educators are challenged to provide relevant educational experiences for stu-
dents through a variety of methodologies. According to McGee and Diaz (2005),
technology has increasingly been used as a communication medium in courses
due to equipment and software improvements and pressures to become more
cost-effective in delivering courses to a variety of learners. In addition, the under-
graduate curricula of schools accredited by AACSB International-the Associa-
tion to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-require learning communication
skills (AACSB, 2006). Professional expectations also influence curricula. Practicing
accountants, for example, need technical accounting skills, but they must also be
capable communicators to interact effectively with clients (Stevens & Stevens, 1994;
Stowers & White, 1999). Young and Murphy (2003) noted the importance of com-
munication skills in business and reported a curriculum initiative to include these
skills throughout a marketing curriculum.

Business schools play an integral role in career preparation of students, and em-
ployer satisfaction is an essential consideration in placement of graduates. Hog-
gatt (2006) reported that numerous studies identify oral communication skills as
being vital, along with analytical, written communication, and teamwork talents. In
Peterson's survey (1997) of personnel interviewers in a Midwestern city, O percent
considered communication skills instrumental components of career success; yet,
only 60 percent believed those who interviewed for jobs were capable communica-
tors. Barker, Gilbreath, and Stone (1998) interviewed executives at 12 Mid-Atlantic
firms and learned that nearly all of the respondents considered newly-hired gradu-
ates deficient in speaking, writing, and interpersonal skills.

34
 •

The importance of communication skills in business is certainly recognized by cor-

porate recruiters, A \Wall Street Journal/Harris survey found that communication
and interpersonal skills (88 percent of respondents) and the ability to work well
within a team structure (87 percent of respondents) were ranked very important by
corporate recruiters (Alsop, 2005). Perrigo (1994) studied workplace expectations
of 1,000 managers, recruiters, and academics, and found that the most important
characteristics of new employees included the abilities to communicate, get along
with others, listen effectively, and work well in teams.

Business communication courses may be taught in either business schools or in

other units of universities. Wardrope and Bayless (1999) surveyed members of
the Association for Business Communication and found that almost 6 percent
of these courses were taught within business schools. This finding was similar to
results from a study conducted by Nelson, Luse, and Dufrene (1992) that involved
instructors who taught introductory business communication courses at various
universities,

Interest in distance learning is a fairly recent educational phenomenon that has

evolved as educators have sought effective ways to serve more students. Milheim
(2001) noted both advantages and disadvantages to this technology, but he antici-
pated increasing support by universities for this type of instruction. Taylor (2002)
noted that development of software options, such as Blackboard and WebCT,
enhanced opportunities for making learning attractive to students.

Learners have various viewpoints concerning the effectiveness of distance learning

technologies. In a survey of graduate students and faculty members at AACSB-ac-
credited business schools, Zaho, Alexander, Perreault, and Waldman (2003) learned
that the top preferences by both groups were Internet two-way video/audio, e-mail,
and Internet one-way video and two-way audio.Maki and Maki (2002) presented
information collected from students enrolled in introductory psychology courses
taught in online and lecture formats. Although students experienced increased
learning with the Web format, they reported less satisfaction with the course.

[A] METHOD
The purpose of this research was to gain insight into business-school deans' opin-
ions of these issues: the importance of various communication skills to the success
of bachelor's degree graduates, the extent to which recent graduates possessed
these communication skills, the effectiveness of various faculty presentation meth-
ods, the types of technology currently in use in business schools, the skills students
should possess before enrolling in an online class, and the academic department(s)
in which undergraduate business communication training should be located.

• • 35
 •

Faculty colleagues and administrators reviewed a questionnaire that was revised in

accordance with their suggestions and sent to the 438 deans of business schools
listed in the August 2005 Membership Directory of AACSB International. To make
participants more comfortable providing candid responses, we collected the data
without using identification numbers or other devices to identify who had com-
pleted the questionnaire, and we emphasized the anonymous nature of the data
collection in the letter that accompanied the questionnaires. Participants were asked
to indicate the following information: the approximate number of undergraduate
business students in their school, whether the school was public or private, whether
its primary mission was teaching or research, and the highest degree (bachelor's,
master's, or doctoral) offered.

[A] RESULTS
Questionnaires were returned by 97 deans, a 22 percent response rate. The largest
institution had 10,000 undergraduate business students; the average undergraduate
business enrollment was 1,595 students. Participants indicated 72 schools were pub.
lic, 2 private, and in two cases, neither public nor private was indicated. Teaching
was the primary mission at 53 universities, research at eight; both teaching and re-
search were said to be equally important at 3l, and five participants did not indicate
their primary mission. At 1l schools, the bachelor's degree was the highest degree
offered; the master's degree at 65, and the Ph.D at 20,
4

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' Small-Group Public Speaking

Communication Skills
persuasive Intercultural
Communication Communication
Conflict
Resolution
Skills Skits Skills Skits

[ importance of Skill to Graduates' Success Ll sit Level of Graduates

Participants were asked to judge how important the following types of communica-
tion skills were for the success of undergraduates, using a scale from I to 4, where
l was "not important" and 4 was "very important": small group communication
skills for working with teams in organizations, public speaking skills, persuasive
communication skills, conflict resolution skills, and intercultural communica-

36
••
tion skills. Participants were asked to rank the communication skill levels of their
last graduating class using a four-point scale ranging from "not skilled" to "very
skilled." Figure I compares judgments of the importance of these skills with the
extent to which recent graduates had mastered them.

909%
80%
70%
Percentage of 60%
Deans Selecting
this Location for 50%
Business
Communication 40%
Training 30%
20%
10%
0%
English Communication Business
Department Department School

Deans were asked to indicate the area within the university where undergraduate
training in business communication should be located. Figure 2 shows the percent-
ages of participants who indicated various preferred locations.

3.8
3
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2.6
2.5
2

1
Face-to-Face Online Distance- Courseware
Presentations Presentations Learning Presentations
Presentations

The questionnaire asked participants to evaluate the effectiveness of the following

presentation methods for undergraduate students, using a four-point scale ranging
from "not effective" to "very effective": face-to-face, online, distance learning, and
courseware. Figure shows participants' average judgments of effectiveness.

' 37
 • OOL DEANS REGARDING COMMUI II

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To learn how business schools are using various communication technologies, in-
cluding recent developments, the questionnaire asked participants to indicate which
of the following were used to support communication in their business school:
online course software, including Blackboard and ebCT; handheld, interactive
classroom performance" units; personal digital assistants (PDAs, e.g, Palm Pilot);
wireless networks (Wi-Fi); smart" classrooms featuring PowerPoint presentations,
etc.; interactive video conferencing; and voice over Internet protocol (i.e., VO[P or
Internet telephone). Figure 4 shows the percentages of participants reporting the
use of these technologies.

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3t 3.4
3 3.2

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1 E-mail Browser Keyboarding Instant

Navigation (Typing) Messaging
of Internet

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acquiring rarrion el beft orallog i a le des. IiAure shones the etage by
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38
 • • • •

Participants were asked to judge the importance of acquiring the following skills
before taking an online class, using a four-point scale ranging from "not important"
to "very important": e-mail (including receiving and sending messages, reading and
printing attachments), Internet navigation using a Web browser, instant messaging
(chat, threaded discussions, etc.), course support software such as Blackboard or
WebCT, and keyboarding (typing). Figure 5 shows the means of these judgments.

To compare the responses between public and private universities, t tests were used
In general, the responses from public and private universities were similar, but there
were statistically significant differences for two items: deans at private universities
rated the importance of persuasive skills higher (3.7) than deans at public universi-
ties (3.4) (p < .05), In addition, deans at public universities rated the effectiveness
of distance learning higher (2.7) than deans at private universities (2.3) (p < .0D.

To compare the responses from schools whose primary mission was research with
the responses from schools whose primary mission was teaching, t tests were used.
Here, too, the responses were generally similar, but there were statistically signifi-
cant differences between teaching and research universities for two items: deans at
teaching schools rated the effectiveness of courseware presentations higher (2.6)
than deans at research schools (20) (p < 05), In addition, deans at research schools
rated the mastery of conflict resolution skills by their last graduating class higher
(3.0) than deans at teaching schools (2.6) (p < 05).

Analysis of variance was used to compare the responses from schools offering dif-
ferent highest degrees (bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees). The differences
were not statistically significant.

[A] DISCUSSION
Communication skills have always been important to business success. Today,
however, new technology is producing a relentlessly turbulent corporate environ-
ment, and businesses depend increasingly upon flatter organizational structures
and cross-functional employee teams that are often self-managed. 'The situation
is compounded by greater workforce diversity and the growth of international
operations. As a result, mastery of a complex repertoire of communication skills
is needed not only at the upper levels of business organizations but at lower levels
as well. In addition to using standard English, graduates should be able to speak
effectively to members of their workgroups and to larger audiences. They should
be able to communicate persuasively with people from different backgrounds and
avoid dysfunctional conflict.

• • 39
 • • %

Business school deans should be expert monitors of this changing business envi-
ronment, and they should have useful insight into how effectively business schools
are preparing students to work in that environment. With this in mind, the present
study surveyed deans of AACSB-accredited business schools to learn their opinions
regarding communication skills, the extent to which recent graduates mastered these
skills, and the preferred location of business communication training within the
university. In addition, we asked deans about the technologies used to support com-
munication and the skills students should have before enrolling in an online course.

The deans' assessment of the relative importance of various communication skills

to bachelor's degree graduates is shown in Figure I, along with their assessment
of the extent to which students had developed those skills. On a four-point scale,
in which represented "important" and 4 represented "very important,' the rat-
ings of these skills were all between and 4, but some skills were judged more
important than others. Figure I also shows the deans' judgment of the extent to
which recent graduates had mastered these skills, using a 4-point scale ranging
from "not skilled" to very skilled." Small group communication skills, essential to
being an effective team member, were judged most important, Unfortunately, the
gap between the deans' estimate of the importance of this ability and the extent
to which students mastered it was larger than the similar gap for any of the other
skills surveyed. 'The authors of this study have observed that students often seem
frustrated with team assignments and complain about students who do not do their
share of the work. Perhaps, this was also a factor in the deans' judgment. It seems
that closing this gap should be a high priority for business communication training,
Public-speaking skills were also judged important, and the participants indicated
that improvement in students' public speaking ability is desired.

The survey asked participants to consider three possible locations for business com-
munication training within the university-the English department, the communica-
tion department, and the business school and indicate their preference. Participants
were allowed to indicate one, two, or all three locations. Figure 2 summarizes the
responses. The English department received the least number of votes, with 19
percent of the participants indicating it is a desirable location. The communication
department was judged a desirable location by 34 percent of the participants, and
the business school was chosen as the most desirable location by 77 percent of the
participants. Respondents were not asked to explain their selections. One wrote in
the margin that the business school developed the objectives for the communica-
tion course, and the communication department designed and delivered the course
to meet those objectives. This suggests a possible reason for deans preferring that
the training be located in the business school: greater control over the content of the
courses. Several participants indicated more than one location for the training was
desirable.

40 • •
In addition to its impact on the corporate world, new technology has been chang-
ing the way business schools deliver training, Classroom instruction often incor-
porates "smart" computer technology to support oral presentations. In addition
to traditional face-to-face communication in a classroom, schools are also using
live video presentations for students at remote locations, courseware provided by
publishers for students to use on personal computers, and online courses in which
students use e-mail and special software such as Blackboard or ebCT to manage
communication between the instructor and the students.

Participants were asked to evaluate the effectiveness of various faculty presentation

methods, including face-to-face classroom presentations, online instruction, live
video presentations to distant locations, and prepackaged materials supplied by pub-
lishers for use on a computer. The results are summarized in Figure 3. Participants
used a four-point scale, where 2 represented "not very effective," represented
"somewhat effective," and 4 represented "very effective." The face-to-face method
was judged most effective, with 79 percent of the participants rating this method
very effective" and I9 percent rating it "somewhat effective." By comparison,
online presentations were judged only "somewhat effective" by 77 percent of the
participants, with the remainder of the votes approximately evenly divided above
and below that rating, Distance learning and prepackaged courseware were in third
place, with approximately 30 percent of the participants rating these methods "not
very effective." Thus, despite the increasing popularity of online education, most
participants believed face-to-face classroom presentations were more effective.

The participants were presented with a list of communication technologies and

asked to indicate which ones were utilized at their school. Figure 4 summarizes
the results. It is not surprising that 97 percent of the participants reported the use
of smart classrooms because this technology has been available for many years. A
large majority of the schools reported the use of Wi-Fi technology to allow easy
connection between portable computers and the schools' computer network. Soft-
ware for online management of instruction-either Blackboard orebCT-was
in use at the majority of schools surveyed. Approximately one third of the schools
reported using hand-held classroom performance systems, and a similar percent-
age reported using interactive video conferencing. Voice-over-Internet telephone
(VoIP) was in use at I6 percent of the schools, and PDAs (such as Palm Pilot)
were reported by five percent of the participants.

New ways of delivering business education require students to use new technol-
ogy. In an online course, computer skills such as keyboarding (typing) and the use
of e-mail software, a Web browser, course-support software, and instant messaging
software are typically required. Participants were asked to indicate which of these
skills should be acquired before enrolling in an online class. The results are sum-

••
 • •

marized in Figure 5. Not surprisingly, the use of e-mail and Web browser software
were judged important to acquire before enrolling, with the use of course support
software receiving slightly less emphasis. Keyboarding skills were judged a bit less
important, presumably because a two-finger typist can survive in an online course,
although less efficiently. Instant-messaging software was also judged somewhat
Important.

In summary, the results indicated a continuing belief in the supremacy of face-

to-face classroom presentations along with the opinion that online instruction is
also worthwhile. Participants seemed committed to using developing technologies
to improve instruction and provide access to it. Preparing students to be effec-
tive team members was seen as both the highest priority and the area in which the
greatest improvement was needed. Business schools were seen as the most desir-
able location within the university for developing business-communication skills,

These are certainly interesting times for business education. Business schools ap-
pear to be embracing new technology as a source of opportunities while retaining
traditional approaches that continue to be valuable.

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