NORTH SOUTH UNIVERSITY

Center of Excellence in higher Education

The first private university in Bangladesh
School of Business
Department of Management

Course Name:
Business Communication
Course Code
BUS 251
& Section No:
Semester: Spring 2022

INSTRUCTOR & DEPARTMENT INFORMATION

1. Instructor Name: Hamida Mosharraf Moniea (HMM1)

2. Office NAC 866
3. Virtual Office Hours: TBA
4. Office Phone: TBA
5. Email Address: hamida.mosharraf@northsouth.edu

6. Facebook Group Professional Network

https://www.facebook.com/groups/909221543237149
7. Virtual Office Code and eushvh3
Link
https://meet.google.com/lookup/g4qxyjxx7k?authuser=0&hs=179

8. Department: Management

9. Links: North South University Website: http://www.northsouth.edu

School of Business Website: http://www.northsouth.edu/academic/sob/

COURSE & SECTION INFORMATION

Class Time & Location As registered

Course Prerequisite(s) ENG105

Course Credit Hours 3:0

Course Description Modern Business Management is all about communicating effectively. Evidence of
the importance of communication in business is found in numerous surveys of
executives, managers, and recruiters. Without exception these surveys have found
that communication ranks at or near the top of the business skills needed for
success.
Course Objectives  Understanding the importance of realistic business communication process with
real life business scenarios.
 Adapting writing processes considering different business situations and
selecting appropriate words in those scenarios through examples.
 Helping the students in learning the differences between formal and informal
writing techniques by providing samples of formal and informal emails, letters,
memos and reports.
 The course deals with explanation of why communicating clearly across cultures
is important to business though case studies.
 Helping students constructing their CV and resume through real life samples
and preparing them for job interviews and public speaking.
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 Student Learning Outcomes  Students are expected to learn different methods of communication in an
organization
 They will be able to communicate effectively in oral and written messages to
enhance goodwill of the organization;
 Students will be able to write clearly and convey ideas and decisions
effectively;
 They will be able to present their ideas coherently and effectively through
presentations;
 They will be able to write detailed formal reports with graphics;
 Students will be able to construct proper CV/Resume for job applications.

LEARNING RESOURCES AND TEXTBOOK(S)

Text Books (These two books will be used for this course. Buy them!)

Author Title Edition & Year Publisher ISBN

Courland L. Bovee Business Fourteenth Edition Pearson Global Edition

& John V. Thill Communication (2017)
Today

Author Edition & Year Publisher ISBN

Title
Kathryn Rentz & Lesikar’s Business Thirteenth McGraw-Hill 978-1-259-06080-9
Paula Lentz Communication Edition (2014) Irwin

TEACHING STRATEGY

Instructor will introduce the concepts through class lectures and discuss various aspects of the concept with
examples. Students are strongly advised to go through different chapters of the text book carefully to keep
themselves abreast of the discussions in class. Practical examples of different business communication situations
will be explained and students will be invited to participate.

ASSESSMENT STRATEGY AND GRADING SCHEME (ONLY FOR ONLINE SEMESTER)

Grading tool Points

Midterm Exam 25%
Quiz 10%
Group Report and Presentation/s 20%
Impromptu Speech 5%
Final Exam 30%
Attendance 5%
Everyday Class Quiz/Activity (Online) 5%
Total 100%
The final grade will be a percentage of the accumulation of all points received over the course as follow as per
NSU Grading Policy:

100%-93% = A 79%-77% = C+ 60%-66% =D

92%-90% = A- 76%-73% = C Less than 60% = F
89%-87% = B+ 72%-70% = C-
86%-83% = B 69%-67% = D+
82%-80% = B-

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 0-44% 0 Mark distribution for attendance: Total Mark 5
45-49% 1
50-54% 1.5
55-59% 2
60-64% 2.5
65-69% 3
70-74% 3.5
75-79% 4
80-84% 4.5
85-100% 5

CLASS ROOM RULES OF CONDUCT

1. Cellular phones should be “turned off’/“Silent mode” during the class.

2. Students are advised to frequently refer to the Student Handbook of North South University on the
following link:
http://www.northsouth.edu/student-code-of-conduct.html
3. Academic Integrity Policy:
Academic dishonesty of any type will be punished as per NSU Rules. This includes, but is not limited to,
plagiarism (copying others work -- in part or in total) and copying during exams. In addition, classroom
etiquette is to be maintained at all times. This means that when the Instructor is speaking or when
students are presenting their ideas, the class should listen carefully. Questions from students are always
welcome, but chattering or whispering among class members causing distraction are not allowed.

EXAMS, QUIZ & MAKE UP POLICY

 There will be one Midterm Assignment bearing 25% marks, unless otherwise instructed by the authority.
The Final Assignment will carry 30% marks. The remaining 45% are distributed to assignments and Group
Reports.
 Students will submit written assignments on designated dates. Late submission of assignments will be
penalized.

 NO Make-up assignments will be allowed.

GROUP ASSIGNMENT (GROUP SHOULD HAVE 5/6 MEMBERS)

Class will be divided into groups of 5/6 students at the beginning of the semester. Each group will be
assigned a topic to write a short dissertation/report. This will enable students to interact among themselves
and develop cooperative team work culture, which is essential for the success of an organization. The group
will present the report verbally at the end of the semester. The topics will be drawn from communication
issues in different organizations.

INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION AND INTERVIEW

Students will be given topics in the class and have to present on the spot for individual presentations. They
will also face a real life job interview scenario individually in a designated class which will be announced by
the instructor.

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LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY

Students failing to submit their class assignments or group reports on schedule will be penalized.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

In order to foster a collaborative learning experience where shared student participation is important,
attendance is critical. There may be situations when a student may miss class due to illness or an emergency. In
such cases, students are still responsible to ensure that assignments are submitted on time. Arriving late for class
is a gross violation of discipline and etiquette. Late entrants into class disrupt normal flow of discussion of the
class. Instructor can debar a late student from attending class. North South University stipulates that students
who are absent 25% or more from their classes will be considered “failed”, even if such absences are excusable.

COURSE ADJUSTMENTS

The instructor can make adjustments in the Course, keeping the overall objective of the Course in mind.

Communication Policy

Instructor may use SMS to communicate with students. Students are required to submit their mobile numbers
and email address at the beginning of the semester.

APPROPRIATE USE POLICY

All members of the North South University community must use electronic communications in a responsible
manner. The University may restrict the use of its computers and network systems for electronic
communications subject to violations of university policies/codes or local laws or national laws. Also, the
university reserves the right to limit access to its networks through university-owned or other computers, and to
remove or limit access to material posted on university-owned computers.

Students With Special Needs

North South University will provide special attention to the requirements of students with disabilities. Students
with disabilities are encouraged to contact their instructors to ensure that their needs are met. The University
through its Special Need section will exert all efforts to accommodate special needs.

STUDENTS COMPLAINTS POLICY

Students at North South University have the right to pursue complaints related to faculty, staff, and other
students. The nature of the complaints may be either academic or non-academic. For more information about
the policy and processes related to this policy, students may refer to the students’ handbook.

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 Course Contents

BUS 251
Business Communication for Managers

The following is the outline of Course for the Summer 2020 Semester. Please obtain the textbook as quickly as
possible and read the first chapter before attending the first class. Please note that Course Outline is indicative
and is subject to change as the semester progresses. Students will be informed whenever there are changes.

Course Outline
Topics

1. Professional Communication in a Digital, Social, Mobile World Chapter 1

2. Collaboration, interpersonal communication and business etiquette Chapter 2

3. Planning Business Messages Chapter 4

4. Writing Business Messages Chapter 5

5. Competing Business Messages Chapter 6

First Mid Term Exam (on the above Chapters)

6. Digital Media Chapter 7

7. Social Media Chapter 8

8. Writing Routine and Positive Messages Chapter 10

9. Writing Negative Messages Chapter 11

10. Communication Challenges in a Diverse, Global Marketplace Chapter 3

Second Mid Term Exam (on the above chapters)

11. Writing Persuasive Messages Chapter 12

12. Planning Reports and Proposals Chapter 14

13. Developing Presentations in a Social Media Environment Chapter 16

14. Building Careers and Writing Resumes (Applying and Interviewing Chapter 18 and Parts of Ch. 19
for employment)

Final Exam

The instructor reserves the right to change the above outline at her discretion.

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