Course Descriptions: Management Communication at 32 top-ranked MBA Programs

This course covers a variety of topics in the area of managerial communications. It meets for five weeks in each semester. The fall module is a workshop in the fundamentals of public speaking with a focus on persuasion and advocacy. The spring module, Strategic Business Interactions, is concerned with developing interpersonal and group skills important to managing organizations. In addition, students will receive feedback on writing style and clarity on submitted papers.

Electives:

291A Leading Out Loud, 2 units

Future leaders must be capable of inspiring commitment in their constituencies rather than merely demanding compliance. This course teaches future leaders the elements that are essential to inspire such change. The instructor solicits students' personal convictions, then provides a structure and method for effectively communicating these beliefs. Participants will develop confidence in both the content of their message and in their speaking skills.

291B Topics in Managerial Communications, 1_3 units

Course may be repeated for credit. This course provides the student specialized knowledge in some area of managerial communications. Topics include multimedia business presentations, personal leadership development, diversity management, and making meetings work. Topics vary from semester to semester.

Core:

45-790 Written Management Communication, 6 units

The purpose of this course is to prepare you for the managerial-level writing situations you will meet in the workplace. Managers write proposals to upper level executives to win their approval for new product launches or new technological initiatives. They write project updates and progress reports for members of the Board of Directors. They write to encourage buy-in and cooperation on cross-functional projects among colleagues who may also be competitors for promotions. They write clarifying memos to motivate subordinates and increase productivity. Managers whose proposals, reports, memos, and letters achieve their objectives anticipate and address readers' questions and concerns, organize and format documents so that readers can easily follow and understand them, combine logical and conversational language that speaks directly to readers. You will learn and practice these techniques for effective managerial writing by completing five required individual writing assignments as well as a variety of in-class exercises and projects.

45-795 Oral Management Communication, 6 units

This course provides intensive training and practice in preparing and delivering management-level presentations and responding to audience questions. You will give several short presentations on topics or issues relevant to managerial responsibilities in most organizations, such as persuasive proposals to senior management or clarifying or motivational explanations to subordinates. You will review your own videotaped presentations and receive feedback from your colleagues and the instructor. Evaluation criteria include content items such as clarity, persuasiveness, attention to audience's concerns and potential questions, organization, structure, vocabulary cues to enhance audience comprehension, and graphics to reinforce your spoken words; vocal items such a volume, rate of speed, pitch, fluency, tone; and non-verbal items such as poise and demeanor, eye contact with your audience, and physical energy and gestures.

Electives:

45-946 Interpersonal Management Communication, 6 units

Managers spend 70-80% of their time communicating and much of their communication takes place at the interpersonal level. This theory-into practice course moves beyond the required written and oral communication courses to analyze and develop the interpersonal managerial communications required of successful managers in office, plant, and field situations where they must interact directly with employees, upper management, clients, vendors, distributors, union leaders, government officials, investors, and directors to achieve their managerial objectives. The course provides management-level communication training and practice in running meetings, facilitating productive discussions, coaching and motivating employees, developing effective listening abilities, mediating interpersonal work-place conflict, building selection and counseling interviewing skills, strengthening networking abilities, and delivering meeting presentations. The course operates on the business meeting model (as opposed to a lecture format), and you will have opportunities to manage class meetings and agendas, prepare and lead productive discussions, give meeting presentation, conduct performance appraisal interviews, and participate in simulation exercises as you investigate, apply, and practice the various interpersonal communication skills embodied in the course materials, video demonstrations, and readings. You will review your own videotaped performances and receive feedback from your colleagues and the instructor. Grading based upon degree of interpersonal contribution and participation, meeting presentations, short written exams, and brief reports.

45-950 Executive Communication Skills, 6 units

Executives frequently represent their organizations to non-business audiences. They are interviewed by reporters, they testify before congressional committees or government regulatory agencies, and they appear before citizens groups concerned about pollution or down-sizing or other local issues. Often these encounters involve sensitive social, environmental, or political issues. In addition, as companies become more global, cultural differences also complicate communication. All of these circumstances require executives to represent their organizations in the best possible light.

This course provides you with practical training for responding to these situations. For example, you will work on:

• getting across to an audience the message that you want to convey about your organization or a particular issue your organization is grappling with
• increasing your credibility with an audience by the way you package (the media term is "frame") your answers to questions
• applying physical and vocal techniques that increase your confidence and poise during interviews or question sessions with reporters, legislators, or public interest groups (or even potential employers).

Guest speakers will give you a behind-the-scenes view of how the news media operate. For example, you will learn: what constitutes "newsworthiness" and how a reporter defines a "good interview"; how business executives formulate strategies for making the most of media interactions; how to speak comfortably and effectively using a tele-prompter.

The model for this course is the Media Training Workshop that is an integral part of GSIA’s Program for Executives–the program that The Wall Street Journal recently ranked as the #1 general management program world-wide. The course methodology is a combination of video demonstrations, classroom discussion, guest speakers, readings, and a lot of practice in communicating an organization’s message to critical audiences in difficult situations.

45-951 Consulting and Conflict Resolution, 6 units

Using a complex case-simulation as a base, this course offers you practical training in communication decision-making. In particular, you will learn the following: 1) how to analyze and define rhetorical problems for purposes of communication in "conflict" situations; 2) how to analyze audiences who do not share the same perspectives, values, or functions, in order to reduce their potential antagonism and win their adherence; 3) how to define rhetorical goals, and develop document plans that effectively meet those goals and readers’ expectations. As major course projects, students compose a sequence of at least three memos, and also a consulting report in response to information provided (gradually) from the case. There is no final examination, nor any other tests.

Core:

706 Leadership Exploration and Development (LEAD)

LEAD was created to complement the rigorous, analytical tools that all GSB students acquire with the ability to achieve success and fulfillment in your career of choice. The program gives you an opportunity to establish a network of friends and contacts for the future and helps build your people skills. Both of these are essential for a successful long-term career.

Specifically, we focus on developing key skills to improve your interpersonal effectiveness in business and help you practice those skills with role playing and other interactive exercises. We also help you look hard at your career goals, personal interests, and values. Then we assist you in identifying what career opportunities are out there for you and how to find them.

LEAD is the first course that students take at the GSB. LEAD starts in the Core program and lasts until the end of the fall quarter of a student’s first year. All campus M.B.A. students participate in LEAD. LEAD divides the incoming class into cohorts; students in a cohort participate in all LEAD activities together, including weekly modules in the fall quarter.

LEAD is unique in that specially selected second-year M.B.A. students run the program. These 50 student facilitators have undergone a rigorous training program to develop their depth of understanding of the program material and to master the facilitation, coaching and mentoring skills essential for effective delivery of this program.

Leadership Communication Skills

The Leadership Communication Skills Module will develop students’ ability to communicate effectively in teams and organizations.

Students will learn how to:

• recognize excellent performance in a motivating way
• give improvement feedback that maximizes the probability of improved future performance
• listen effectively to uncover problems and reduce emotions
• confront unacceptable behavior in a way that does not damage the underlying personal relationship
• resolve conflicts effectively to produce high quality, win-win solutions.

You will learn these skills in a group setting, where you have an opportunity to role-play the parts of protagonist, recipient and coach, in a number of challenging situations. These are the kind of situations that are often encountered in the workplace and during your tenure at the GSB. These exercises are designed to help you manage situations in an optimal way, enhance your communication skills and effectively work with others, no matter what career path you choose.

Electives:

583 Advanced Professional Writing

Advanced Professional Writing is an intensive and pragmatic course with the following two objectives: (1) to sharpen each student’s skills by teaching the techniques of clear, coherent, and efficient writing; and (2) to provide students with the tools they need to manage the writing of others. The course meets twice each week–once in lecture and once in seminar group. The lectures explain and demonstrate essential principles of effective writing. Through the weekly seminars and individual critiques, students can take the principles of effective writing and transform them into the habits they can call upon every time they write.

707 and 708 Leadership Exploration and Development (LEAD) Laboratory I and II

Content

This two-quarter course develops students’ (facilitators’) effectiveness at influencing, motivating and developing people. Experiential in nature, the course contains two distinct components: Development (707) and Execution (708).

Development (707): In preparation for the LEAD program in Autumn 2000, LEAD facilitators spend the preceding Spring quarter developing the influencing, presenting, facilitating, coaching and mentoring skills essential to be able to run the program effectively in Autumn. Within their cohort team, facilitators select specialties so that they can spend the Spring mastering the source material to have the expertise necessary to run the program. In addition to time in the Spring, students should anticipate three meetings of the LEAD Lab in Winter quarter 2000 and some additional summer work.

Execution (708): The overarching mission of the course is to deliver an outstanding development program (the LEAD program, Bus 706) in Autumn 2000 for all the incoming first-year students. The LEAD program (as distinct from the two-quarter LEAD Lab) is the only course that all campus incoming students take at the GSB and is run by teams of 10 LEAD facilitators. Each facilitator team is responsible for the learning experience of two cohorts. The Execution phase starts during the CORE program and lasts throughout the fall quarter, ending with the successful recruitment of students to run the following year’s LEAD program.

Students do not bid for this course. Interested students apply during Winter quarter and undergo an extensive application process from which successful applicants are invited to take part. This course requires a significantly greater time commitment than a non-laboratory course.

Grades

The LEAD Lab is graded and can not be taken pass/fail. Two grades are issued, one for Development at the end of the Spring quarter and one for Execution at the end of the Autumn quarter. Students are assessed on both their application to develop the requisite knowledge and skills to run the program and their effectiveness at doing so. A substantial component of the grade comes from feedback that facilitators are expected to give to, and receive from, other facilitators. Class attendance in both Spring and Fall is mandatory.

Electives (noncredit workshops):

These courses are offered through the Office of MBA Career Services.

Introduction to Presentation Skills

Does the idea of speaking in public scare you? Learn how to control nervousness, what to do with your hands, and where to look when making a presentation. Find out how to analyze your audience and how to organize your presentation so your audience pays attention and remembers what you said. Nine in-class hours plus two private meetings with instructors.

Impromptu Speaking

How do you respond if someone asks you to speak off-the-cuff? Learn strategies for handling impromptu speaking situations, challenging questions and difficult audience members. Practice structuring memorable responses. Six in-class hours plus two private meetings with instructor.

Cornell (BW96—18, BW98—8)

Whatever your academic area of concentration or career goal, you will find that communication skills are critical. The Johnson School views the refinement of these skills as a long-term commitment. Our students come from diverse backgrounds and have a range of experiences and instructional needs. Therefore, rather than impose a one-size-fits-all communication requirement, our approach ensures that all students will have (1) diagnostic evaluation in the first semester Core, (2) communication course and workshop options targeted to your needs, and (3) practice and feedback across the curriculum.

Integration with Core:

NCC 503 Marketing Management

The communication faculty participates in reviewing a paper and presentation assignment in the Marketing Core course, providing you with an individualized assessment of your writing and speaking proficiency.

Electives:

NBA 567 Management Writing, 1.5 credits

Students learn to write clearly and effectively by focusing on the writing process as well as the finished product. Course topics include audience perspective, style, organization, strategy and persuasion. There is a writing assignment every week. Students receive instructor and peer feedback. Priority given to MBA students. Open to other graduate students and employee degree candidates if there is room in the section.

NBA 568 Oral Communication, 1.5 credits

NBA568 focuses on improving the presentation skills of management students. The course covers the areas of speaking formats (impromptu, extemporaneous, manuscript), delivery, organization, visual aids, and question/answer. Student speeches constitute the bulk of class time, with each student presenting seven or eight speeches in the seven-week session. The small class size allows for significant individual attention. Students receive feedback from classmates and the instructor, and have the opportunity to review in tutorials the videotapes of most of their presentations. Priority given to MBA students. Open to other graduate students and employee degree candidates if there is room in the section.

Immersions and Workshops:

Paper and presentation assignments are becoming an increasingly important component in a growing number of functional courses. The communication faculty serves as a resource for integrating these skills in the management disciplines.

Both the Career Services Office and the Leadership Skills Program offer specialized instruction in relevant communication topics (e.g., job interviewing, cover letters, listening, group dynamics and collaboration, etc.).

Core:

Management and Corporate Communication

This course teaches students to communicate effectively as managers. It includes the examination and practice of communication theories, techniques, strategies, and skills that are essential for success in business, using a strategic, general-management approach. The course covers communication strategy and analysis, managerial presentations, managerial writing, cross-cultural communication, and the core areas of the modern corporate communication function–including media relations, investor relations, employee relations, and crisis communication.

Electives:

Advanced Management Communication

This course focuses on managerial presentations in a variety of management settings: explanatory (such as technical presentations), persuasive (such as sales presentations), and interactive (such as meetings and brainstorming sessions). Students deliver a series of presentations and facilitate a series of collaborative role plays, receiving extensive individual feedback on each of them from the instructor, peers, video playback, and self-analysis. This feedback covers their communication strategy (speaker style and credibility, audience analysis and motivation, and rhetorical structure) and their communication skills (delivery, organization, and visual aids).

Corporate Communication

This course focuses on the changing environment for business and the corporate communication function. Building on issues introduced in the Management Communication course, Corporate Communication covers, in more detail: the changing environment for business (as viewed through literature and film), media relations, financial communications, corporate advertising and advocacy, image and identity, and crisis communication. Students also work on written and oral communication skills through case analyses, simulations, and presentations.

Fuqua

Core:

BA 395, 396, 397, and 398 Individual Effectiveness, 8 credits total

This year-long sequence of four courses integrates the expertise of the Computer Center, the Management Communication Center, and the Career Services Office to provide both immediate and long term benefits to students. Objectives include: (1) providing timely computer education and support in core courses; providing instruction on software tools to enhance managerial decision making; (2) providing opportunities to develop the personal speaking, writing, and interaction capabilities necessary for success in the Fuqua School and in managerial careers; and (3) acquainting students with the challenges in career planning and development; equipping students with the skills necessary to prosper in the placement process. The first term of this year long course is devoted to computer skills (BA 395); the other three terms focus on management communication: "Informing and Influencing" (2^nd term); "Effective Advocacy" (3^rd term); and "Professional Project Communication" (4^th term). Each course carries 2 credits for a total of 8 credits for the year-long sequence; the three communication courses combined are worth 6 credits.

BA396 Informing and Influencing, 2 credits

This course introduces students to the foundations of effective management communication. It focuses on communicating strategically and persuasively in professional business writing and presentations. It offers students opportunities to speak in front of the class with a variety of informational and persuasive purposes. The course helps students to

• Understand the communication process and the strategic decisions necessary to communicate to diverse audiences produce documents that are purposeful, clear, concise, and suited to business readers.
• Develop the ability to speak effectively and confidently in public situations.
• Build critical thinking abilities by learning to construct sound arguments based on reliable evidence and on audience analysis.
• Understand the elements of a strategic communication campaign.
• Identify their communication strengths and understand areas needing improvement.

BA397 Effective Advocacy, 2 credits

This course builds on the skills and concepts that students learned in BA 396. It focuses on advocacy skills, team skills, collaborative skills, and the ability to communicate strategically as a team in written and oral form. Students refine their ability to construct persuasive arguments and move beyond mere persuasion to advocacy. They learn how to challenge others' viewpoints and positions effectively and strategically. Students master the ability to manage questions and challenges gracefully in highly interactive communication situations. BA 397 helps students to

• Learn the advocacy skills necessary to effectively influence individuals and teams within a global organization.
• Manage strategically the communication typical in meetings and other structured interactions.
• Work effectively and efficiently in a team to construct persuasive written and oral messages.
• Analyze complex communication situations, produce messages and presentations that respond to these situations strategically, and anticipate and answer challenges and counter arguments.

BA398 Professional Project Communication, 2 credits

This course builds on the important advocacy skills that students learned in BA 397. I t focuses on successful communication with executives and managers from outside the school who have agreed to act as project mentors. The communication project culminates in delivery of a fully professional and persuasive seventy-five-minute presentation to these decision-makers. The course tests students' abilities to analyze an audience, align and adapt to the needs of that audience, influence the decision-makers with written documents and oral discussions prior to the final presentation, and adapt to feedback and challenges throughout the term. Students polish the skills they are likely to use during summer internships and throughout their business careers.

Core:

561 Management Communication Workshop, 2 semester hours.

Fall workshop covers the basic model for effective management communication in a global, multicultural workplace. Lecture, discussion, and exercises cover speaking and writing in business situations.

Electives:

562 Corporate Communications, 2 semester hours.

This course covers a range of issues in corporate communication-internal and external, routine and crisis. Each requires analysis of situations and audiences, formulation of communication strategies, design of messages as implementation of action plans, and evaluation of potential feedback.

Through faculty and guest lectures, case studies, readings, group problem-solving and presentations, and individual written assignments, students learn to think creatively, analytically, and strategically about communication as a vital element of effective management.

Georgetown (USN 96)

Proficiency Requirement:

Students who score 4.0 or below on the AWA of the GMAT will be required to take an in-house writing assessment upon entering the program. Depending on the results of that exam, they may be required to take Basic Business Writing (a noncredit course).

Core:

MGMT 555 Management Communication, 1.5 credits

This course examines the role of management communication in organizations. The emphasis is on communication strategy (identifying options, making tactical decisions). The course also assists participants in developing written, oral, interpersonal, and group communication skills.

Electives:

MGMT 575 Corporate Communication, 1.5 credits

This course includes both internal and external communication management, with primary focus on organizational communication within a changing external environment. Attention is given to the various audiences corporation spokespersons must address, the message and the media options available to corporation communicators, and the changing social, political, and economic environments that influence choice.

MGMT 589 Advanced Oral Presentations, 1.5 credits

Effective presentation skills are a key success factor in many areas of business success. In today's competitive business environment, the opportunities to sell an idea, product, or service are expanding. This module helps students capitalize on these opportunities by becoming more effective presenters. We explore impromptu and planned presentations, the importance of audience analysis, and the integration of technology within presentations. This module keeps students on their feet presenting and provides them with constructive feedback.

Basic Business Writing, noncredit

Basic Business Writing is a noncredit course available to all students and required of those who need additional help with writing as determined by the MBA Program on the basis of the AWA scores (GMAT) and a writing test.

Electives:

1918 Corporate Communications

This course is designed for students interested in how companies can communicate effectively about themselves, their viewpoints, and their images with a variety of publics, both directly and via the media. The perspective is typically that of a general manager and/or those in the public affairs/corporate communications functions. The course is also addressed to those with an interest in the media and how and why its coverage happens.

Educational Objectives

The focus of Corporate Communications is on communications programs intended to improve and influence public opinion and public policy on behalf of companies, industries, other organizations, and causes. Among these efforts are media relations and public relations activities, crisis communications, corporate identity and image programs, corporate advertising, investor relations (particularly at times of merger/major company change), and special initiatives in the marketplace of ideas. The course deals with the problems of identifying effective strategies and tactics for communicating about companies/industries to relevant audiences. This encompasses both continuing and crisis situations, and involves an appreciation of how audiences are most likely to react to various communications initiatives (or the absence thereof) and how the media work (including their own agendas) to transmit as well as shape communications about business. Students are expected to be able to take the positions of all parties in the triad of business, media, and the public(s).

Content and Organization

The course is structured around the needs for business (companies, industries, business as a whole) to communicate to a variety of publics (e.g. general public, opinion leaders, financial community, government, employees), typically via the media (general or specialized). Major problem situations include public relations and media relations strategies/philosophies; identifying relevant audiences; dealing with activists, crises, media attacks, etc.; and understanding how perceptions (images) of business are developed and the extent to which they can be changed. Illustrative issues include "fighting back" when attacked, repositioning a company's identity and image, and determining how much of a problem is amenable to being addressed through communications (vs. through substantive change).

Via case discussions, lectures, readings, and guests, students are expected to sharpen their ability to interpret complex communications situations, to consider alternative communications strategies and tactics, to work with and through the media, and to understand how public opinion may be affected. Both communications and underlying corporate behavior are treated, including ethical dimensions. Some material is based on government and not-for-profit organizations. Considerable use is made of video.

Kelly

Electives:

X500 Managerial Communications, 3 credits

Course is designed to improve effective communication as a manager. Analysis and application of communication strategy, oral presentation skills, listening skills, writing skills, corporation communication strategy, and communication with the media.

Sloan

Core:

15.280 Communication for Managers, 4 units

Communication for Managers is a practice-oriented course designed to help students think strategically about communication goals and practice the skills needed to carry out your goals. The class sessions will employ a lecture-discussion format combined with in-class exercises to convey principles for analyzing communication problems and developing strategies to respond to them effectively. Where possible, assignments in 15.280 will build upon materials covered in other core courses or used in job hunting. Restricted to first-year Sloan School of Management graduate students.

Electives:

15.281 Advanced Managerial Communication, 9 units

Builds on managerial communication skills developed in 15.280. Introduces more interactive oral and interpersonal communication skills important to managers, including presenting to a hostile audience, running meetings, listening, and contributing to group decision making. Also addresses new modes of electronic communication. Includes an individual or group written report and a long oral presentation for a business audience, generally in conjunction with a project for another subject.

15.269 Literature, Ethics, and Authority, 9 units

Seminar in management ethics and problems of leadership, examining issues of power and responsibility as questions arise in close study of classic and modern works of literature. Topics include: the sources of authority, the management of consensus of vocation, the ethics of lying, the morality of expediency, the requirements of hierarchy, the virtues and vices of loyalty, the relevance of ethical principles in extreme situations. Readings include: Sophocles, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Shaw, Conrad, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky; excerpts from Plato, Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, Adam Smith; some readings in management ethics.

Core:

BMGT 615 Business Communications, 1.5 credits

Instruction and practical experience in written and oral business communications. Basics of structuring business documents and oral presentations. Fosters practice-based (rather than lecture- or case-discussion-based) learning.

Proficiency Requirement:

Managerial Writing Requirement

All entering students must complete the Managerial Writing Assessment. If the assessment shows weaknesses in several areas, successful completion of two 7-week management writing courses is required during the two-year program. An opportunity to waive out of the second 7-week course will be offered in the form of an "exit writing assessment" offered at the end of the first 7-week course. Students receiving passing rather than high assessment scores are strongly encouraged to complete the writing courses. The Michigan MBA Writing Assessment is a managerial writing test and is different from the GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment, which is an academic writing test. This difference is significant. The Michigan assessment is directly related to the kind of on-the-job writing that Michigan MBAs will encounter in the workplace.

Core:

BA 553 Multidisciplinary Action Projects, 7.5 credits

Multidisciplinary Action Projects provide (MAP) an opportunity for teams of first-year MBA students to analyze a real, complex business process in the context of the institutional functions that support it in a participating company. Each team works under the guidance of a multidisciplinary faculty group with expertise in Computer and Information Systems, Managerial Accounting, Operations Management, Organizational Behavior, Statistics and Management Science, and Management Communication. Each faculty team guides 18 student projects during the second seven weeks of Winter term.

The MAP teams design new processes or make specific recommendations for process improvements, although they usually do not have time during the seven-week program to initiate implementation of their proposals. Upon competition of their analysis, the MAP students prepare a detailed written report and make formal presentations of their recommendations to the Business School faculty and to representatives from the host company.

Three Management Communication faculty are assigned to MAP each year, one to each faculty team. In addition to working with their colleagues to guide and evaluate students, the Communication faculty perform consult with students on management communication issues in the projects assigned to their faculty team; communication issues in the MAP projects include such things as addressing multiple audiences, adapting communication to specific contexts and requirements, identifying existing communication networks, developing effective team communication practices, disseminating information through formal and informal channels, and communicating values and visions. Communication faculty advise students on their final written reports and presentations. They offer a MAP Communication Workshop that includes segments on collaborative communication, written reports, oral presentations, and visual design. They also produce the MAP Communication Handbook, which discusses and illustrates best practices in written and oral dimensions of project reports.

Electives:

LHC 522 Managerial Writing Fundamentals, 1.5 credits

Fundamentals for managerial writing are central to the course. Students review the punctuation, grammar, syntax, organizational approaches, content development and conventional formats necessary for managerial documents. Goals include writing clearly, concisely and correctly, achieved through numerous writing exercises and by composing a variety of business memoranda and letters.

LHC 523 Managerial Writing Strategies, 1.5 credits

Managerial writing strategies for a variety of managerial documents are central to the course. Goals include developing a repertoire of writing strategies for effective management in a variety of business contexts. Students develop competencies in clear and concise writing through numerous writing projects, including abstracts, memoranda, letters, short reports, and a variety of problem-solving documents. Cases are used. Students spend considerable time developing organizational and persuasive skills. Collaborative writing strategies are also introduced. It is assumed that students know the fundamentals of managerial writing.

LHC 524 Persuasion for Managers, 1.5 credits

This course presents persuasive communication strategies that facilitate effective management. Specifically, the course covers fundamental persuasive frameworks (e.g. compliance-gaining, conflict management, credibility control) applied to oral and written messages. These frameworks provide a basis for exploring persuasive communication in a variety of management settings. Special emphasis is placed on differing strategies associated with cultural variation, focusing on those most critical for global business communication.

LHC 526 Business and Media Relations, 1.5 credits

Business and Media Relations explores the dynamic, complex, and often distant relationship between businesses and the media. The idea that one can "manage" the media rather than "react" to it is the basis for the course which covers ways business executives can improve their communication skills and use on-going communications channels and events to build relationships with all kinds of media organizations including print, television, radio, and the internet. Through a variety of exercises, including on-camera interview training, mock press conferences, and case discussions, participants learn techniques for relating to reporters, journalists, and even media moguls, including ways to create a positive corporate image, understand and respond to media attribution, and neutralize negative media coverage that, without intervention, could become a full blown damaging crisis situation.

LHC 527 Collaborative Writing and Speaking, 1.5 credits

Recognizing the importance of efficient, effective collaboration in the contemporary workplace, LHC 527 prepares MBAs for the group writing and speaking component of successful management communication. This experiential course uses varied instructional methods to provide conceptual understandings and practical skills needed to produce outstanding group reports and presentations. These methods include case analysis, group mini-projects, lectures, discussions, problem-solving activities, individual writing and speaking, experience with current collaborative technology, and guest speakers. The backbone of the course is a seven-week group project on communication that illustrates stages in collaborative writing and provides a real context for testing practical strategies for managing the challenges of collaboration; the project culminates in a written report and oral presentation.

HC 560 Communication Management, 3 credits

Focusing on oral and written communications managers use to get work done in organizations, participants in this class respond to cases, complete interpersonal/intergroup scenarios, give individual and team presentations, run meetings, and write a variety of messages using diverse media replicating communications that managers must produce to perform their organizational responsibilities. Participants learn linguistic and rhetorical alternatives for structuring and delivering content, analytical tools for assessing message effectiveness, and frameworks that facilitate decisions involving information timing, media selection, and targeting multiple constituencies. Participants also collect evaluative data on their own communication effectiveness using a survey instrument to gather information from external associates as well as through videotape review of in-class performances and evaluations from the professor and class colleagues. There are two quizzes and every class involves case analyses and communication performances.

LHC561 Management Presentation, 1.5 credits

Management Presentation stresses the concepts and skills needed to give effective oral presentations in professional settings. The course is guided by a theoretical framework that emphasizes strategic communication choices, expansion of communication styles, and adaptation to others within communication contexts. LHC 561 requires students to give professional business presentations in each of the four quadrants of management communication. Inc the course of doing these presentations, students develop outlines, create speaking notes, adapt content, and design supplementary materials. Students also practice questions management and impromptu speaking. By the end of the course, students will be able to design, develop, and deliver management presentations that employ a variety of audience-centered strategies.

IB 559 Global Field Project I, 7.5 credits

The Global Field Projects are seven-week consulting assignments in which teams of first-year MBA students undertake on behalf of global firms such as AMEX England/Spain, BT London, Citibank Brazil, HP China, Israel Incubator Management, Johnson & Johnson Mexico/Argentina, Pitney Bowes Dublin, P& G Japan, Mercedes Engineering Germany, Whirlpool Australia. Two faculty oversee each team, including one from Communication. Throughout the duration of the project, Global Field Project Communication faculty provide guidance on communication issues involved in fieldwork (e.g. communication technology, email decorum; message translation) and feedback on all project deliverables including the task description, correspondence, data analyses, and the presentation of findings via oral and written reports to the company and to the relevant University of Michigan Business School administrators.

Stern

Proficiency Requirement:

Proficiency in Business Writing

Because writing skills are vital to success in business, all students must demonstrate proficiency in business writing. Obtaining a score of 4.0 or higher in the analytical writing component of the GMAT is one way to demonstrate proficiency in writing. Students who are unable to demonstrate this level must satisfactorily complete an eight-week, noncredit course in Business Writing (B00.2099 or B00.2055). These courses are offered every semester, including the sum-mer term. A passing grade in the Business Writing course fulfills the requirement for proficiency in writing.

If your GMAT scores do not include the analytical writing component, you may demonstrate proficiency by taking a writing assessment test conducted by Stern’s management communication faculty. The examination is based on the ability to analyze a business case and communicate the result of the analysis. No special preparation is required for the examination. Business writing proficiency tests are scheduled on a case by case basis in conjunction with the Management Communication Area. Students who do not perform satisfactorily on the writing assessment test must complete the Business Writing course. Full-time block students must fulfill the business writing proficiency requirement at the beginning of the first term, and part-time students must do so within the first full year of study.

The Business Writing Workshops (Business Writing, B00.2099, and Business Writing for International Students, B00.2055) are non-credit, eight-week courses designed for the inexperienced writer or the writer who needs to gain confidence and skill. Assignments emphasize the processes necessary to develop effective writing strategies. Sections for inter-national students also feature idiomatic English and explore the cultural aspects of American business communication. All students who do not achieve a score of 4.0 or above on the writing section of the GMAT are required to take one of the two Business Writing Workshops described below. A passing grade in either course automatically satisfies the requirement to show business writing proficiency.

Core:

Because management communication is crucial to Stern graduates, the School features management communication in the Stern Pre-Term (SPT) and in the second semester’s Multidisciplinary Exercise in Teambuilding (MET). Both functional knowledge and interaction skills are stressed to permit practical application and increased individual competence.

B00.2000 The Stern Pre-Term (SPT), noncredit

The Stern Pre-Term is a critical component of the MBA program. During these two weeks, students will interact with one another, meet faculty and develop a sense of the Stern community. In addition, to be prepared for a challenging core program, all students must have an adequate background in economics, mathematics, statistics and the basic elements of accounting. Academic workshops in these areas, ethics and diversity exercises, case analysis and management communication sessions all introduce students to the multi-disciplinary experience on which they are about to embark. Team-building and social activities help new students get acquainted and become acclimated to the business school environment.

B09.2100 Integrated Strategy Exercise, 1.5 credits

Note: This course was formerly known as The Multidisciplinary Exercise in Teambuilding (MET); the course description is based on the 1998-1999 Graduate Bulletin.

Given the emphasis on teams and team presentations in business, the Management Communication Program, in collaboration with faculty members from other areas, offers a first-year, teambuilding exercise. The Multidisciplinary Exercise in Teambuilding (MET) is an exercise that occurs during the second semester. The MET gives students in their first year the opportunity to integrate course work, real-world information and priorities, communication management, and teamwork techniques. The exercise is specifically planned to reinforce goal-oriented team strategies that will be most helpful to students in summer internships. Finally, as a block project with different study group assignments, this exercise provides continuity with the networking initiatives started in the first semester.

The MET combines in one context practices from a variety of business disciplines: finance, economics, management, marketing, and communication. The exercise also simulates the real-world practice of producing a group product under pressure. In addition, it gives students a chance to meet distinguished alumni and industry specialists who advise project teams. In short, this exercise provides a capstone to first-year work- integrating multidisciplinary work with techniques of communication management. As the basis for the MET, each year a new case will be presented that is topical and based on a company or industry positioned at a crossroad of strategic change. Students work in teams of five or six to analyze the case and eventually present their recommendations to an audience of fellow students, alumni, and faculty as well as representatives of the specific company or industry. In the weeks preceding the final presentation, students attend class sessions with Management Communication Program faculty members who focus on team dynamics, presentation techniques, and creating persuasive strategies.

Electives:

B45.2300 Management Communication, 3 credits

Recommended for all students, this course provides intensive development of communication techniques for all business executives.

Develops the ability to write effectively and to speak persuasively. Stresses strategic implications of communication for managers. Students test theory and practice and examine problems raised by business cases and readings. Students learn how to prepare and deliver effective business presentations; design group and independent projects that develop communication strategies for selected audiences; understand the roles played by effective team leaders; manage communication within a multicultural environment; and work with new communication technologies. Group discussions, workshops, and written and oral assignments develop and refine writing and speaking. Writing receives feedback; oral presentations are videotaped and individually reviewed. Topics include achieving credibility as a speaker, analyzing the audience, exploring leadership styles, and organizing material coherently and persuasively.

B45.3310 Communication for Financial Executives, 3 credits

This course can support a career in investment banking and financial services. It focuses on improving analysis and solution of communication needs related to work in corporate financial management and in investment banks and other financial services companies. Students learn strategies and techniques of communication that are applied in frequent oral presentations that are videotaped for review, in role plays, and in written assignments. Like Management Communication, B45.2300, the course offers extensive opportunities for feedback from the instructor and classmates. The course emphasizes achieving credibility as a speaker, analyzing the audience, organizing material concisely and persuasively, and presenting a compelling message. It differs from Management Communication, B45.2300, in using only finance-oriented assignments and in emphasizing the process of establishing and managing relationships with clients.

B45.2301 Communication as Advocacy, 3 credits

Recommended for students who plan to enter management consulting, human resource management, and training and development. Supports growth of all management and leadership skills. Emphasizes the interpersonal communication required to work effectively in organizations every day.

The success or failure of managers often depends on their ability to work with others in developing options that will create commitment and agreement. Students analyze communication strategies and develop a framework for idea generation, influencing, and mediation. Individual and group oral presentations, coaching employee performance, negotiation, and media interviews.

Topics include persuasion, active listening, group decision making, interpersonal communication, and conflict resolution. Extensive coaching and feedback; videotaped evaluation and review.

B45.2302 Media and Management: A Practical Approach to Public Relations, 3 credits

Recommended for all students interested in media, corporate communication, marketing communication, and public relations. Students devise strategies and test theories of managing internal and external communication. They develop a perspective for communicating with various constituencies, especially employees and investors. The course features frequent guest speakers and explores such topics as international public relations; techniques for examining issues; analyzing the social and political environment of the firm and the industry; and translating the firm’s vision into policy. Readings, case analyses, and oral and written reports. Selected topics include tender offer and proxy contests, issues response, crisis management, and communication audits.

B90.2320 Beyond Total Quality

Quality is essential to positions in management, consulting, financial services, and operations. In this cross-disciplinary course, you will learn to–

• Initiate and sustain quality in an organization,
• Carry out an extensive project as quality "consultants" to the workplace,
• Implement a personal quality project,
• Apply principles in weekly case exercises,
• Gain feedback from students and faculty for continuous learning, and
• Use tools of statistics and communications as levers of change.

The course takes a practical approach. When thoughtfully applied, quality changes the way people view their work and their organizations, and leads to improved productivity and profitability. The quality paradigm is known by other names as well–total quality, quality management, TQM, six-sigma, continuous improvement, and others.

The course draws on cases, team projects, readings, invited speakers, videotapes, and classroom exercises, and is taught by faculty in the Statistics and Operations Research and Management Communication departments. Topics covered include the elements of quality, Deming’s principles, customer value, the causes of variation, communicating the quality message, employee involvement, Malcolm Baldrige Award criteria, quality function deployment, and statistical process control.

Specialized Courses in Business Writing:

B00.2099 Business Writing, noncredit

Helps students improve their writing. Recommended for students who do not pass the writing assessment and for those who wish to refine their skills. Focuses on communication strategy, persuasion techniques, information organization, audience analysis, and the writing process. Other topics include effective style and expression, sentence structure, and business vocabulary. Assignments include letters, memos, reports, and case analyses. The class is conducted as a communication workshop. Students analyze their writing strengths and weaknesses and participate in one-on-one conferences and tutorials. Class size is limited to fifteen students.

B00.2055 Business Writing for International Students, noncredit

Covers the same material as Business Writing B00.2099 but is especially designed for international students. Approaches writing and oral communication through problems of language, and emphasizes how American business culture influences the form and content of writing.

Kenan-Flagler

Electives:

Communication for Tomorrow's Leaders

Explores the increasingly crucial role that communication strategy and performance play in successful leadership and management. Uses multimedia lectures, performance workshops and professional coaching to sharpen individual leadership communication skills.

Kellogg

Electives:

Writing in Organizations, 0.5 credits

This is a five-week mini course for students who want intensive writing experience and feedback to help them think strategically about communication. Weekly writing assignments are based on communication cases: scenarios in which managers must write memos and reports to implement policies, explain strategies, announce changes, and analyze problems. The final grade is based on a writing portfolio of revised memos, written feedback to other students, a report, and a self-assessment memo in which they compare their progress to their original goals.

Management Communications, 1 credit

The objective of this course is advancement of students skills in handling the basic communication and rhetorical problems encountered in efforts to influence the behavior of others. Students apply current knowledge and norms of persuasion, argumentation, and group dynamics to problems and exercises in oral and written presentations. Students present the types of oral presentations that my communication consulting clients say they encounter most often in business. Students will use logic, researched evidence to support their reasoning, and professional style in every presentation.

Wharton

Core:

MGMT 653 Field Application Project, 0.75 course units

The course is intended to help students frame unstructured business problems. Student teams must identify what the central issues are and determine the most appropriate tools and concepts from the core curriculum to apply in order to provide insight into these issues. This approach helps develop a cross-functional approach to business issues. As part of the course, there is also a module to enhance the students' communications skills. There is a mix of traditional class sessions and individual team meetings with faculty. This course is clinical in its orientation. The students are engaged in a project with an outside organization of their own choosing and receive extensive feedback from the faculty as they carry out the project. Requirements include brief interim memos and a written final report. For the communications module, there are two oral presentations. The communications module represents 0.25 units of the total for the course (0.75).

Krannert

Proficiency Requirement:

As of the fall of 1999, entering students whose GMAT/GRE and Analytical Writing assessment scores do not meet a certain minimum standard will be required to take the 690V course described below in order to meet the writing proficiency requirement.

MGMT 690V Managerial Communication Skills, 1 credit

The general objective of MCS V is to enhance your professionalism in managerial contexts by improving your written communication skills. The course is designed to: ·

• Help you analyze management communication problems and formulate strategies for effectively presenting the results.
• Develop your understanding of basic processes, forms, and uses of written communication in management.

In addition, this course has four specific objectives. Upon completing this writing component you should be able to:

• Adapt your communications for different audience levels, including peers, superiors, and subordinates.
• Effectively organize and format your communications.
• Present written information concisely and persuasively.
• Recognize and avoid the most common writing errors in style and grammar.

Core:

MGMT 690S Managerial Communication Skills, 2 credits

The general objective of the MCS oral module is to enhance your professionalism in managerial contexts by improving your oral communications skills. In addition, upon completing the oral component, you should be able to: 1) Develop a good presentation in terms of format, content and organization; 2) Adapt your presentation to varying audience needs and levels; 3) Use visuals effectively and persuasively; 4) Deliver a business presentation with improved confidence and style; 5) Competently evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of other presenters.

Electives:

An elective course in communication is under development for the 1999-2000 academic year.

Simon

Placement:

Placement into the ESL sections will be based on GMAT, TOEFL, and Simon School Writing Assessment scores for MGC 401E and on the recommendation of the MGC 401/401E instructor for MGC 402E.

Core:

Effective oral and written communication skills are critical to a successful business career. To ensure that Simon School graduates possess these requisites for marketability and career progression, successful completion of Management Communication I and II is required of all first-year MBA students.

MGC 401 Management Communication I, 1 credit

MGC 401 will focus on both managerial writing and presentation skills. The purpose of this course is to help students think strategically about the communication process in management situations and develop strategies for solving communication problems effectively and efficiently. Specifically, students will learn how to analyze the audience, organize messages coherently and persuasively, revise and edit documents to meet reader expectations, give and receive feedback, and set objectives for improving performance.

MGC 401E Management Communication I for English-as-a-Second-Language Students, 1 credit

Students placed into MGC 401E will complete all requirements of MGC 401 and will also attend a series of workshops designed specifically to meet the needs of students for whom English is a second language.

MGC 402 Management Communication II, 2 credits

MGC 402 continues the work of MGC 401, with a particular focus on business presentations in a variety of management settings. Class activities will include impromptu and prepared oral presentations, group speaking and writing exercises, and written performance evaluations. Where possible, assignments in MGC 402 will build on materials covered in other core courses. All presentations will be videotaped for discussion and individual review.

MGC 402E Management Communication II for English-as-a-Second-Language Students, 2 credits

Students placed into MGC 402E will complete all requirements of MGC 402 and will also attend a series of workshops designed specifically to meet the needs of students for whom English is a second language

Marshall

Core:

GSBA 502 Communication for Management, 1.5 units

Builds a conceptual understanding of management communication and professional development in business speaking and writing. Small class sessions of 18 students facilitate extensive practice and individualized feedback for increasing logical argument and persuasion skills. The use of current graphics software enhances presentation abilities.

Electives:

BUCO 533 Managing Communication in Organizations, 3 units

Analyze, design, develop, and present theory-based communication solutions and strategies to sophisticated interpersonal, group, organizational, and environmental communication issues and problems.

Cox

Electives:

OBBP 6308 Managerial Communications, 3 semester credit hours

Designed to examine internal and external corporate communications issues: methods of auditing communication, strategies to determine proper communication usage, global influences on the communication process, proper ways of using persuasion, correct planning for crisis situations, and ways to respond to the media. The course will employ advanced written and oral presentations.

Each year, the Management Communication Program offers over 60 free workshops and hundreds of individual consulting and executive coaching sessions to develop students' communication capabilities. You may also arrange a private one-on-one session with an MCP instructor to receive personalized coaching and expert feedback on a communication project or problem that is important to you.

Electives (noncredit workshops):

Topics include:

• Speaking Effectively in Class
• Smart Exams
• Reading Efficiently
• Listening Effectively
• Making the Most of Your Next Presentation
• Effective and Confident Delivery
• How to Present Persuasively
• Media Training
• Impromptu Speaking
• Making Meetings Work
• Cross-Cultural Communication
• Defending Your Point of View
• Working in Teams
• Interviewing Skills
• Team Presentation Coaching
• Improvisation
• Communicating with Senior Management

UCLA (BW96—12, BW98—12)

Anderson

Integration with Core Courses:

The Management Communications Program works in conjunction with the regular curriculum to enhance MBA students' oral and written skills.

Electives:

422 Analysis and Communication, 4 units

Study and practice of oral and written communications, including audience analysis, persuasion, revising and editing, presentation of technical information, and uses of computer technology. Organized around writing and speaking exercises. Personal attention given to students’ written communications and oral presentations.

Owen

Core:

MGT 350 Managerial Problem Solving and Communication, 2 credits

Applies critical thinking, problem solving, and communication strategies to realistic management situations. Focusing on self-assessment, team-building, case analysis, management writing, listening, media relations, and oral and graphic presentations, this course incorporates frequent videotaping, individual coaching, and peer evaluation.

Electives:

MGT 450 Advanced Professional Presentations, 2 credits

A focus on advanced professional speaking, including advocacy, debate, speech writing, speech coaching and critique, and meeting leadership. Students will complete seven presentations.

MGT 451 Integrative Applied Projects, variable credits

Designed to give students hands-on experience with field projects. Skills and concepts acquired in previous course work will be integrated and applied to these projects. Projects are submitted by local organizations. Conclusions and recommendations are presented to top management in a final report and oral presentation. Students work in teams, and enrollment is limited to second-year students and is by consent of instructor only.

MGT 452 Public Relations, 2 credits

A study of internal and external public relations planning, program development, and management; crisis management and communication; news media relations; and developing strategic corporate communication mission and practices. Course includes one client public relations project.

Darden

Core:

First Year Management Communication, 5 credits

Engages the pragmatic topic of communicating effectively in organizations from the individual to the corporate level. Through cases and innovative experiential exercises students analyze the components of effective communication in terms of style, clarity, structure and organization in both oral and written communication as well as in new modes presented by changing technology. From memos and reports to computer graphic generated presentations, e-mail and press conferences, this course illustrates how core concepts of communication strategy inform the various channels of managerial communication.

Electives:

GBUS 802 Corporate Communication, 3 credits

As the twentieth century draws to a close the pace of change in the field of Corporate Communication continues to accelerate. Corporate repositioning, the crafting of corporate image, and corporate advocacy, become increasingly sophisticated as companies attempt to align multiple constituencies. With channels of media and information growing exponentially, corporate communication has become inseparable from today's larger communications revolution. The world wide web, for example, has allowed companies to get their message out in striking new ways while at the same time making corporations more vulnerable to outside pressure. The specialized skills of crisis communication, once only necessary in times of extraordinary pressure, are called upon more and more frequently across the spectrum of the corporate communication function.

The purpose of this course is to identify and examine significant changes in the world of corporate communication. This course is for general managers with an interest in the relationship between business and the media and the ways in which organizations communicate with their stakeholders. Students are responsible for active participation, one group presentation, and one individual or group paper.

GBUS 808 Cross-Cultural Communication and Business, 3 credits

In today’s business environment, managers are not only likely to work in organizations and live in communities that can be characterized as multicultural, multinational, global, or transnational, but success in their careers may depend on taking at least one foreign assignment. By the end of their MBA training, second year students have mastered many technical managerial skills. The purpose of this course is to enhance MBA training and better prepare students for their futures through a substantial examination of cross-cultural communication issues.

As a result of taking Cross-Cultural Communication and Business, future managers will

• learn the fundamentals of cross-cultural communication competence,
• become increasingly aware of how culture and communication shape our understandings and experience of reality,
• learn how cultural rules influence verbal and non-verbal communication, including the basic dos and taboos of communicating in particular cultures,
• study practices, contexts, and institutions that influence cross-cultural communication, such as the family, food, religion, education, health care, and the media and the arts,
• be prepared to adapt their communication strategies, messages, and behaviors to culturally-different audiences, and
• be exposed to management issues related to cross-cultural communication, such as cross-cultural communication training, expatriate selection and training, and managing employees’ cultural conflicts.

Beyond these general objectives, the course is designed to encourage students to pursue their own particular interests in cross-cultural communication and its application in business. Therefore, culture is defined broadly, in terms of age, gender, race, ethnicity, class, nationality, as well as in terms of organizations and functional areas. Most classes will be conducted in seminar format, with students contributing to class content through presentations.

Olin

Electives:

MGT 513. Special Topics in Management: Managerial Communication, 3 credits

This course will help you become a highly skilled communicator in the workplace. The main focus is on oral presentations and business writing: learning how to design and deliver messages that get results. More specifically, the course will help you become a competent, confident, and versatile communicator in the professional arena: (1) by helping you prepare clear and powerful messages–oral presentations, letters, memos, and reports–so that you can perform outstandingly in your communication opportunities; (2) by enabling you to approach communications strategically, so that you accurately determine what your audiences want and need, deliver the information persuasively, and grow and succeed as a professional. The analytical approaches that the course covers will help you to land the job you seek, establish yourself as a new employee, and solve routine and challenging problems as you take on enhanced responsibilities.

These analytical approaches, further, will enable you to achieve greater impact with your oral presentations and reduce your composing time for your written messages. Your oral presentations will improve as you develop poise and self-confidence in public speaking: by overcoming fear, managing non-verbal messages, and designing compelling visuals. Your written messages will improve as you learn to push your thinking and find the most suitable content, structure, style, and visual design for your messages.

Core:

700 Managerial Communication, 2 credits

Focuses on strategic aspects of communication goals for managers and practice in skills needed to carry out writing and speaking objectives.

Electives:

Organizational Communication and Influence

Examines the critical factors involved in communication and influence in organizations. Intended for managers who seek to understand the complexity of conveying strategies and decisions to others.

NOTE: This course is a requirement for the concentration in leadership.

Ohio State (Fisher) (USN 97-98)

Texas at Austin (BW96-20, BW98-18)

Thunderbird University (BW96-25, BW98-NR)

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