MBAB/MPAC 5N86 – Business News Discussion

August 2023

Guidelines
You will participate in a variety of in-class activities throughout the course for instructor evaluation. One of the activities
will be a business news discussion, for which you will be asked to review websites of Canadian/North American news
sources to find a current article to bring to class. The group discussion will require you to summarize the content of the
article to your peers and instructor, and also express your opinion about the topic. A debate/discussion may follow.
For this activity you will be working in small groups, and you will be expected to demonstrate your presentation skills.

Date: Sunday, Aug. 20th (slides due in Brightspace), with in-class presentation Tuesday, Aug. 2nd, 2023
Group: Your instructor will assign you to a group (~3)
Time: 10 minutes including discussion time (each group member should have an equal part in the presentation).
How: Present live in the class session.
Materials: PowerPoint (must submit to Brightspace before the presentation).

Structure:
Introduction – hook, introduction, any background information necessary for the audience to understand
Summary – Summarize the main information of the article, paying attention to the needs of the
audience. Make sure you give the audience enough context that they understand the article and can
discuss it.
Opinion/Discussion – Share your opinions, insights, and critical thinking with the audience as well as
elicit a discussion. You are responsible for the quality of the discussion and encouraging students to
participate. Creating critical thinking/open-ended questions over yes/no or simple answer questions are
better for creating a discussion.
Conclusion – Summarize key discussion insights and relevance/purpose of presentation. Thank audience for listening
and participating.

Examples of North American Business news sources:

• BNN – Business News Network: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

• Business Week: https://www.bloomberg.com/businessweek
• Canadian Business: http://www.canadianbusiness.com/business-news/
• Financial Post: http://business.financialpost.com/
• Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/
• Financial Times Canada: https://www.ft.com/canada
• Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/business/
• Fortune: http://fortune.com/
• The Economist: https://www.economist.com/
• The Globe and Mail: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/
• The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/business
• The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/news/business
• Wired: https://www.wired.com/category/business/
 MBAB/MPAC 5N86 – Business News Discussion Rubric
4 - Outstanding
Source and Article taken from a credible
slides business publication. Article is
on a current topic and of
relevance/interest to business
students.
Professional, clear, visually
appealing slides that add value
to presentation.
Content Comprehensively summarizes
development and presents the essence of
the article. The discussion and
context are appropriately set
up to allow further discussion.
Includes a variety of types
of supporting
materials (explanations,
examples, illustrations,
statistics, analogies, etc.) to
enhance the discussion.
Delivery The speaker appears polished
and confident and does not
appear to have memorized a
script. Successfully uses
delivery techniques (posture,
gesture, eye contact, and vocal
expressiveness
– no eer/uhms/inappropriate
pauses) and
wears casual business attire.
Engagement Consistently maintains
with audience
engagement. Demonstrates
audience, ability to address all questions
Q&A professionally and in a manner
that demonstrates a thorough
command of the article. Uses
appropriate conventions
for leading class discussion.
Language Language choices are
consistently grammatically
correct and business
appropriate and enhance the
effectiveness of the
presentation. Language in
presentation is appropriate to
audience.
August 2023
3 - Good 2 - Barely satisfactory 1 - Poor 0 - No
points
Article taken from a credible Article is not from a very Article taken from a No evidence of
publication. Article is credible publication and is questionable effort or
relevant and of interest to not about a current topic. publication. General understanding
business students, but not The topic is general and not topic, that is neither of the
very current. particularly relevant to particularly relevant nor assignment.
Slides are quite professional business students. Slides current for business
and visually appealing. are somewhat professional students.
and visually appealing. Slides do not seem
professional.
Summarizes and presents Summarizes the article well The article has not been No evidence of
the essence of the article but does not establish summarized or effort or
sufficiently. The discussion context effectively to allow presented effectively. understanding
and context are set up to further discussion. Some Insufficient supporting of the
allow further discussion. supporting materials have been assignment.
Includes different types of materials are used. used.
supporting materials
(explanations, examples,
illustrations, statistics,
analogies, etc.) to enhance
the discussion.
The speaker appears mostly Speaker appears tentative Speaker reads from a No evidence of
polished and confident and and seems to be speaking script and lacks effort or
does not appear to have from a memorized script. confidence. Delivery understanding
memorized a script. Some Delivery techniques techniques (posture, of the
delivery techniques (posture, gesture, eye gesture, eye contact, assignment.
(posture, gesture, eye contact, and vocal and vocal
contact, and vocal expressiveness – expressiveness) detract
expressiveness – minimal many eer/uhms/inappropri from the
but present ate pauses) make the understandability of
eer/uhms/inappropriate presentation the presentation. Attire
pauses) are used successfully understandable, but lack is inappropriate for the
and wears casual business business professional presentation (i.e. too
attire. approach. Slightly too casual or too formal).
casual or too formal
business attire.
Maintains audience Maintains audience Maintains the audience No evidence of
engagement most of the engagement somewhat. engagement effort or
time. Demonstrates ability Demonstrates some ability inconsistently. understanding
to address most questions in to address questions in a Demonstrates limited of the
a professional and effective professional and effective ability to address basic assignment.
manner that demonstrates a manner that demonstrates questions about
strong command of a moderate command of the article.
the article. Mainly uses the article. Inconsistent use Addresses questions in
appropriate conventions for of appropriate conventions a superficial and/or
leading class discussion. for leading class unprofessional manner,
discussion. and lacks use of
appropriate
conventions for leading
class discussion..
Most language choices are Language choices are Language choices are No evidence of
grammatically correct and commonplace and lack unclear or effort or
business appropriate and business appropriateness, incorrect and do understanding
mostly enhance the grammatical not support the of the
effectiveness of the accuracy, and/or effectiveness of the assignment.
presentation. Language in only minimally support the presentation. Language
presentation is mostly effectiveness of the in presentation is
appropriate to audience. presentation. Language is inappropriate to
audience.
somewhat appropriate to
audience.