Allama Iqbal Open University



ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD

(Department of Business Administration)

Business Communications (8410)

CHECKLIST

SEMESTER: SPRING, 2021

This packet comprises the following material:

1. Course Outlines

2. Assignment No. 1 & 2

3. Assignment Forms (2 sets)

In this packet, if you find anything missing out of the above mentioned material, please contact at the address given below:

The Deputy Registrar

Mailing Section, Services Block

Allama Iqbal Open University

H-8, Islamabad

Phone: 051-9057611-12

Ms. Mobashira Alvi

Course Coordinator

ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY ISLAMABAD

(Department of Business Administration)

WARNING

1. PLAGIARISM OR HIRING OF GHOST WRITER(S) FOR SOLVING THE ASSIGNMENT(S) WILL DEBAR THE STUDENT FROM AWARD OF DEGREE/CERTIFICATE, IF FOUND AT ANY STAGE.

2. SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENT(S) BORROWED OR STOLEN FROM OTHER(S) AS ONE’S OWN WILL BE PENALIZED AS DEFINED IN “AIOU PLAGIARISM POLICY”.

Course: Business Communications (8410) Semester: Spring, 2021

Level: BBA (4 Years) Total Marks: 100

Pass Marks: 50

ASSIGNMENT No. 1

Note: Attempt all questions.

Q. 1 Explain the necessity of ethics in writing business messages. (20)

Q. 2 Write short notes on following:

a) Business Letters (10)

b) Electronic Mail (10)

Q. 3 Outline the Five Planning Steps while writing effective business messages, providing examples for each part. (20)

Q. 4 Describe how you would write a Bad News message about negative information about prices and services. (20)

Q. 5 Write a detailed note on effective listening. (20)

ASSIGNMENT No. 2

Total Marks: 100

Pass Marks: 50

This assignment is a research-oriented activity. You are required to obtain information from a banking/financial organization and prepare a report of about 1000 words on the issue allotted to you to be submitted to your teacher for evaluation. Discuss your topic by giving examples of organizations and markets etc. in Pakistan.

You are required to select one of the following issues according to the last digit of your roll number. For example, if your roll number is P-3427182 then you will select issue No.2 (the last digit). All the issues carry equal marks.

List of Issues:

1. Conventions of Attitudes and Opinions

2. Good News Message for Insurance Companies

3. Bad news Messages and Ethics

4. Ethical Issues in Communication

5. Managing Information

6. Electronic Mail

7. Grammar Business Writing

8. Effective Listening Skills

9. Use of Nonverbal Communication

10. Design and Appearance of Messages

The report should follow the following format

1. Title page

2. Acknowledgements

3. An abstract (one page summary of the paper)

4. Table of contents

5. Introduction to the issue (brief history & significance of issue assigned)

6. Practical study of the organization (with respect to the issue)

7. Data collection methods

8. SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats) relevant to the issue assigned

9. Conclusion (one page brief covering important aspects of your report)

10. Recommendations (specific recommendations relevant to issue assigned)

11. References (as per APA format) and Annexes (if any)

GUIDELINES FOR ASSIGNMENT No. 2

▪ 1.5 line spacing

▪ Use headers and subheads throughout all sections

▪ Organization of ideas

▪ Writing skills (spelling, grammar, punctuation)

▪ Professionalism (readability and general appearance)

▪ Do more than repeat the text

▪ Express a point of view and defend it.

WorkshoPS

The workshop presentations provide you opportunity to express your communication skills, knowledge & understanding of concepts learned during practical study assigned in assignment No. 2.

You should use transparencies and any other material for effective presentation. The transparencies are not the presentation, but only a tool; the presentation is the combination of the transparencies and your speech. Workshop presentation transparencies should only be in typed format.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS

COURSE OUTLINE (8410)

UNIT 1: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS IN BUSINESS

▪ Importance and Benefits of Effective Communication

▪ Ancient Heritage for Communication Principles

▪ Life Blood of Every Organization

▪ Benefits of Effective Communication in Your Career

▪ Challenge of Communication in the Global Market

▪ Components of Communication

▪ Contest/Sender-Encoder/Message/Medium/Receiver-Decoder/ Feedback

▪ Concepts and-Problems of communication

▪ Conventions of meaning/Perceptions of Reality/Values, Attitudes, and Opinions

▪ Nonverbal Communication

UNIT 2: BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS IN THE GLOBAL CONTEXT AND ETHICS

▪ Background to Intercultural Communication

▪ A Concept of Culture

▪ An Intercultural Communication Model

▪ National Cultural Variables

▪ Education/Law and Regulations/Economics/Politics/Religion/Social Norms/Language

▪ Individual Cultural Variables

▪ Time(Chromatics)/ Space (Proxemics) / Good Acceptable Dress/ Manners/ Decision Making/Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

▪ Business Communication and the Ethical Context

▪ Background to Ethical Context

▪ Ethical Situations

▪ Ethics As a Communication Issue

UNIT 3: TECHNOLOGY IN BUSINESS COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVE BUSINESS MESSAGES

▪ Business Communication and the Technology

▪ Managing Information within Organizations

▪ History of Technological Developments

▪ Challenges to the Organization Made by New Technologies

▪ E-Mail

▪ Understanding the Internet

▪ Establishing Security

▪ Other Communication Technologies

▪ Managing Information Outside Organizations

▪ Managing Crisis Communication

UNIT 4: EFFECTIVE BUSINESS MESSAGES

▪ The Process of Preparing Effective Business Messages

▪ Five Planning Steps

▪ Indirect (Inductive) Approach

▪ Beginning and Endings

▪ Opening Paragraphs/Closing Paragraphs

▪ Composing the Message

▪ Drafting Your Message

▪ Revising Your message

▪ Editing and Proofreading Your Message

UNIT 5: THE APPEARANCE AND DESIGN OF BUSINESS MESSAGES

▪ Business Letters

▪ Stationery and Envelopes

▪ Standard parts of the Letter

▪ Optional parts of the Letter

▪ Letter Layout

▪ Memorandums

▪ Envelopes and Electronic Mail

▪ Special Time saving Message Media

▪ Electronic Mail

▪ Facsimiles (Faxes)

▪ Telegrams, Mailgrams, Telexes/Teleconferencing

UNIT 6: GOOD-NEWS MESSAGES

▪ Good-News and Neutral Messages

▪ Organizational Plan

▪ Favorable Replies

▪ Answering Inquiries

▪ Granting Requests for Adjustment

▪ Approving Credit/Acknowledging Orders

▪ Granting Favors and Other Requests

▪ Job Acceptance Letters

▪ Goodwill Messages

UNIT 7: BAD-NEWS MESSAGES

▪ The Right Attitude

▪ Plans for Bad-News Messages

▪ Indirect Plan/Direct Plan

▪ Negative Replies to Requests

▪ Answering Non-Sales-Related Inquiries When the Information is undesirable

▪ Refusing Adjustments on Claims and Complaints

▪ Refusing Credit

▪ Acknowledging Orders, You Cannot Fill Now or at All

▪ Declining Invitations and Requests for Favors

▪ Unfavorable Unsolicited Messages

▪ Announcing Bad News About Prices or Services

▪ Penalizing for Nonconformity to Rules or Procedures

▪ Conveying Other Bad news

UNIT 8: NEUTRAL AND PERSUASIVE MESSAGES

▪ Neutral Messages

▪ Announcements/Transmittals

▪ Persuasive Messages

UNIT 9: THE 7 C’s, GRAMMAR AND EFFECTIVE LISTENING

▪ Minding Your Grammar

▪ The 7 C’s of Effective Communication

▪ Effective Listening

Recommended Book:

Murphy A. H. Effective Business Communication

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Final: 15-3-2021

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