Professor Dean Blumberg

Office: 700 building room 703/Conway Campus
Office Hours: MW: 11-12; 1-2; TR: 1230-130; F 930-1130
Email: dean [dot] blumberg [at] hgtc [dot] edu
Phone: 843-349-5335

Rationale: Executives from all levels and types of professional establishments list the ability to communicate as the most important factor in job success.  By teaching the forms of oral and written communications demanded by modern businesses and technologies, this course will help prepare the student for the work force.

Course Description: Business Communication is an introduction to the principles of business and professional writing and speaking through practice and development of communication skills.

Prerequisites: A score of 70 on the COMPASS – or – a verbal score of 400 on the SAT or satisfactory completion of the LSC programs in Reading and English.

Materials: Thill & Bovee. Excellence in Business Communication. Ninth Edition.

Course Policies and Grading Procedures

Academic Integrity: Plagiarism is as serious an offense as exists within an academic environment. Plagiarism, cheating, collusion, falsification of information, or any other form of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result in discipline including, at the very least, a zero on the assignment in question, and up to failure in the entire course and possible probation or expulsion from the College. Anyone guilty of plagiarism, cheating, collusion, or falsification of information will be reported to the Vice President of Student Affairs, Greg Thompson, for possible further penalties beyond that which is levied within this class. This is your warning.

Attendance: Regular attendance is essential in all writing and communication courses. The maximum number of absences a student may accumulate without being withdrawn from this course is five, beginning with the first class period.  There is no distinction made between an excused or unexcused absence. Roll will be taken daily within the first minutes of class.  Being more than 10 minutes late to class constitutes an absence.  Being late three times constitutes an absence.

Late Work: Work is due by class time on the indicated date. Late work is worth 1/2 credit and must be submitted within 48 hours of the original due date. Assignment turned in after 48 hours will not be worth any credit. Missed presentations, tests, interviews, or speeches may not be made up without written documentation explaining an extenuating circumstance (death in the family, severe illness, etc).

Class Decorum: Keep in mind that college is a place to think, to consider, and to debate, and to this end, we will have many class discussions regarding the content of pieces that we read and relevant topics.  I hope that each student thinks of class as an open forum, a place where you may share opinions without feeling intimidated. However, it is very important that we respect and consider the feelings of others as well.  Therefore, please treat your classmates and me the same way you wish to be treated: pleasantly and respectfully, regardless of the topic being discussed.

Additionally, in order to help maintain the appropriate learning environment please observe the following:

• No technologies out and/or in use not related to class (cell phones, mp3 players, etc.)
• Please do not bring children to class
• Sit near a door if you need to leave early
• Take a seat closest to the door if arriving late if possible.

Technology Requirements: This class will be mostly paperless. Nearly everythign you need will be posted on www.deanblumberg.com under our course section. While some class time may be provided for computer literacy instruction, if you need additional support you may use the SSTC in the 1100 building. Additionally, the instructor will frequently make use of and additional online resources like wikis, so access to internet is imperative.

It is strongly suggested for students to have a flash drive on which to create, transport, and save their work, or to use an online repository like Dropbox.  Always keep electronic copies of all work you produce for this class.  Some assignments may require revision and re-submission; therefore, premature deletion of files can be harmful.

Grading Policy: All written assignments will be evaluated according to the following criteria: Organization, Content, and Grammar, Spelling and Mechanics (GSP).

Standard Grammar: English 155 is a college course. Significant problems with grammar and standard usage should not occur at this level. Extensive tutoring to rectify grammatical weaknesses will be needed if substantial errors are present. Work in the Writing Center will be recommended.  Excellence in Business Communication also covers grammar and mechanical issues that we may not review as a class whole. Significant errors in sentence structure, punctuation, or standard grammar will prohibit a formal assignment from receiving a passing grade.

Evaluation Standards: Business writing should be clear, concise, accurate, correct, coherent and diplomatic. If any or all of these qualities are lacking, the reader may be misled, offended and/or misinformed. In this case, a poor decision could be the end result, and a poor decision in business or industry could and often does cost money.

The writer in business and technological fields is responsible for what he or she produces, and inevitably reflects upon the company. Most people who have not entered the work force themselves believe that an administrative assistant exists to correct all errors in spelling or grammar; however, this is not always the case. Once an employee signs or initials a piece of writing, a form of approval has been granted, and the writer has indicated that everything in the piece is acceptable.

In English 155 students will be evaluated from a professional perspective; this is to say that the teacher will act as a manager or a supervisor would. In regard to grades, the following criteria will apply:

A         The manager would be very impressed with the exceptional quality of the work and remember the work when a promotion is discussed.

B         The manager would be satisfied with the work but not necessarily impressed.

C         The manager would ask the employee to revise and/or edit particular sections before allowing those outside the department to see it.

D         The manager would be troubled by the poor quality of the work.

F          The manager would start looking for someone to replace the employee.

Assignment Breakdown:

• Application Portfolio (10%)
• Mock Job Interview (10%)
• Group Assignment Audience Analysis/Project (10%)
• Routine and Positive Letter (5%)
• Negative News Letter (5%)
• Persuasive Letter (10%)
• Career Report and Presentation (20%)
• Test #1 (10%)
• Test #2 (10%)
• Other/Class Participation (5%)*
• Business Culture Summary (5%)

HGTC uses a ten-point percentage scale for grade calculation: 90-100= A; 80-89=B; 70-79=C; 60-69=D; 59 or below=F.

Extra Credit: Don’t ask. Won’t happen.