WRITING 340: ADVANCED WRITING FOR BUSINESS



GSBA 523 T

Communication for Accounting and Tax Professionals

SYLLABUS Fall 2011

Section # 15701 and # 15702 Tues & Thurs JKP

Professor: Sandra J. Chrystal, Ph.D.

Office: ACC 405

Office Hours: Tues, Thurs 2:30-3:30 and by appointment

E-Mail: Chrystal@marshall.usc.edu

Telephone: 213 740-5011

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND GOALS

GSBA 523 T offers instruction in communication for various audiences on topics related to an accountant’s or businessperson’s interests.

It is designed not only to help you write and present effectively in a business environment, but also to improve your general ability to research and analyze complex ideas, to appreciate and develop the skill of effective argumentation, and to write and present clear, grammatical, well-structured communications. With emphasis on e-mail, memos, letters to clients and governmental authorities, and oral and written reports, coursework is designed to increase your capacity to analyze audiences and tailor content and style to produce documents and oral presentations that communicate with confidence.

This class explores specific business writing and presentation techniques and strategies through in-class lectures and exercises, individual writing and presentation assignments, and tutorial sessions. The topics covered range from word-, sentence-, and paragraph-level issues of correctness, conciseness, coherence, and clarity to more global considerations of critical thinking for audit communication requirements.

Throughout the semester, emphasis is placed on developing systematic ways of identifying relevant from non-essential information and then effectively and appropriately communicating your message to a wide variety of audiences in a professional communication medium. You will learn to regard presentations and effective business writing in terms of a series of strategic choices. You will improve your editing and critiquing skills, so that you can distinguish effective from ineffective writing and oral messages and help not just yourself but also your colleagues to become better communicators in a business context.

You will begin using or improving many writing skills immediately—it’s up to you to learn, practice, modify, polish, or strengthen your skills. That part of the course is up to you.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

This course focuses on improving your skills in gathering, analyzing, and organizing information, and in communicating that information in effective and persuasive business media. You will learn what is needed to:

• Communicate effectively to different audiences

• Evaluate options and make effective choices about the tone, style, and form the communication should take

• Conduct tax and business research using a broad range of sources, synthesizing and judging the quality of collected information

• Prepare a variety of tax and business documents—including memos, letters, e-mail, and reports—using appropriate headings, layout, and typography

• Recognize and implement the qualities associated with effective professional writing, particularly the hallmarks of correctness, conciseness, coherence, and clarity

• Collaborate productively with others in completing writing and editing tasks

• Support your oral and written claims with logical and persuasive reasoning, and evaluate the reasoning in the arguments of others

• Use electronic channels for global teamwork

• Present professional informative and persuasive presentations

This class, like a business, is a collaborative effort; we learn together in a team environment. It will integrate your writing and team skills with electronic communication. We shall use the Blackboard course management system for posting assignments, grades, threaded discussions, and chat rooms. We will use synchronous and asynchronous technology rather than meeting in our traditional campus classroom for some classes. It is important, therefore, that you familiarize yourself with Blackboard navigation, observe netiquette, and check the Bb course calendar and announcements before every class. .

Your papers and presentations may be used for this class and for later class work and publications. Your classroom activities will be videotaped and shared with other audiences.

We shall also meet in the Experiential Learning Center for three classes.

Email: You can forward the university email to your other accounts, but be sure that you check for email using your USC address before every class. When you email me, type your section # and the specific topic on the subject line when you email me EXAMPLE: 15700 question re. memo. Your email may not be read if it is not filtered into the appropriate class mail section, or if it’s automatically sent to my spam file because of an unfamiliar email name or subject line.

If you use a Mac, you may need to use the University’s computers if you want to post a document in Blackboard. You can access E-learning’s computer rooms on the lower level of Hoffman Hall. The Help Desk is located in HOH 300.

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TEXTS

May, Claire B. and Gordon S. May. Effective Writing: A handbook for Accountants. 8th ed, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2009.

Materials Needed:

• Electronic storage device with your name and class section on the label with you for every class (USB). Always keep a copy of every assignment that you write on your email, storage device, and your hard drive. Losing your work does not constitute an excuse.

• Microsoft Word Office 2007 or 2010 software

GRADING

• Professionalism * 100

• IN-CLASS and ELC ASSIGNMENTS 300

• ORAL PRESENTATIONS 150

• Memo # 1 50

• Memo # 2 75

• Client letter 75

• Exam 100

• Team presentation & report 150

1,000

Grades will not be posted nor sent by email. They will be posted to Blackboard. In addition, final grades will be mailed if you submit an addressed stamped envelope at the end of the semester.

Any assignment turned in late will receive a grade deduction. All assignments must be made up within a week of the due date. You must complete all required assignments to pass this course.

Retention of Graded Papers – Returned paperwork, unclaimed by a student, may be discarded four weeks after grades are posted by the University and, hence, will not be available should a grade appeal be pursued by a student following receipt of his/her course grade.

ONE-ON-ONE WRITING CONFERENCES

These sessions will offer you an opportunity to discuss your presentation and writing strengths and specific difficulties you may have in the communication process; they are not intended to be discussions about your grades. Bring your last graded assignment and your in-progress task so we have something to work with.

Failure to attend a scheduled conference, or showing up late to one, counts the same as an absence or lateness in a regular class session (see below).

*PROFESSIONALISM: POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

While you are in class you are expected to conduct yourself professionally. This includes being focused exclusively on GSBA 523 T, not on extraneous matters. Punctuality, teamwork, conferences, collaboration evaluations, and participation in class contribute to the professionalism grade. Classroom activities are generally worth ten points and cannot be made up for full credit if you are absent. Use of electronic devices, eating food, and disruptive conversation will decrease your professionalism grade.

Preparation. You are expected to come to class fully prepared, with all required assignments and reading completed. This includes being fully prepared even if you were unable to attend a previous class meeting. Check the Blackboard announcements and the calendar the evening before every class.

Participation and classroom demeanor. Part of your grade is based on your positive participation, verbal and written. This means you are expected to be an active contributor to the class, not a passive listener. Volunteer relevant comments, ask questions yourself; request clarification if something isn’t clear; challenge others in a professional manner if you disagree with something presented; Your active participation can help determine whether our class atmosphere will be dull and pedantic or energetic and engaging. Also respond to peers’ comments on the threaded discussion.

NOTE: Documents will frequently be publicly posted and revised. An important part of this course is a series of writing workshops, in which students critique each others’ drafts of major assignments. You are expected to have a polished (not a rough) draft of the required assignment completed for peer evaluation. Failure to have a polished draft that meets the assignment’s requirements on the due date will result in a 50 % grade penalty for that assignment.

Electronic submissions will not be saved for more than a week. Be sure that you have made copies of any submissions.

ELC. Dress professionally for ELC activities. Each missed ELC activity reduces your points by 50 points.

Document FORMAT

Business documents, memos, letters, and reports: See May for sample documents.

Type format: 10-12 point, New Times Roman font single-space, one inch margins, pages 2-x numbered.

Works Cited page and in-text citations should adhere to MLA or APA standards.

ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS

Research results should not be shared for individual assignments. Please consult with me if you have any questions.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the unacknowledged and inappropriate use of the ideas or wording of another individual . . . [It] is considered a grave violation of academic integrity and the sanctions against it are correspondingly severe (sanctions recommended by the university range from a grade of F in the course to suspension from the university. Most simply, plagiarism can be characterized as ‘academic theft.’

As defined in the University Student Conduct Code (published in the current SCampus), plagiarism includes:

• ‘The submission of material authored by another person but represented as the student’s own work, whether that material is paraphrased or copied in verbatim or near verbatim form;

• ‘The submission of material subjected to editorial revision by another person that results in substantive changes in content or major alteration of writing style;

• ‘Improper acknowledgment of sources in essays or papers.’

The Student Conduct Code applies these standards to any written work submitted by a student, whether a draft or a final version . . .

Because of the serious penalties for plagiarism, you should insure that any writing you submit represents your own assertions and abilities and incorporates other texts in an open and honest manner . . . In academic assignments, writing is assumed to be the original words and thoughts of the student unless [the reader is] told otherwise (i.e.: material from other sources is clearly and properly cited).

From Trojan Integrity: Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism

(USC Office for Student Conduct, rev. Fall 2000, pp. 2-3)

Assistance with Papers

In this course we encourage peer review, since it’s almost always helpful to have “another set of eyes” take a look at your paper and offer comments and suggestions. But where exactly is the boundary between helpful advice and illegitimate collaboration? Where should you draw the line?

The following guidelines from the Writing Program answer this question explicitly:

The Writing Program encourages collaboration with your instructor, with Writing Center consultants, and with your classmates; such interactions constitute one of the most important and effective means by which writing is taught. In undertaking collaborative interactions, however, remember that you are finally responsible for guaranteeing that the resulting text represents your abilities and authority and not those of the persons assisting you, however well-meaning they may be. A simple guideline may help: Never allow someone else to construct a section of your text longer than one or two sentences that you would not be able to produce on your own, and never allow anyone to copy-edit more than the first page of your paper.

Students with Disabilities

Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. You can obtain a letter of verification for approved accommodations from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.

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Calendar

|Date |Complete before class |Class activity & |

| | |Deliverables |

| | | |

|Class One | |Introductions, Review course goals, syllabus |

| | | |

|Aug 24 | |Submit: Diagnostic writing (ethics speaker) |

| | | |

| | |Review writing process |

| | | |

| | |Discuss the communication that accountants need |

| | | |

| | |Elements of a successful memo |

| | | |

| | |Assign interview internal memo, Assign field trip |

| | |assignment |

| | | |

| | |Discuss professional e-mail |

| | |E-mail |

|Class Two |Read Larsen. “Technical Writing in the Financial Industry” |Discuss May and Larsen readings, |

| | |collaborative writing process & coaching. |

|Aug 26 |Read: May and May | |

| |Chapter 1 “Accountants as Communicators” |Review field trip assignment |

| | | |

| |Chapter 2 “The Writing Process” |Discuss interpersonal communication, EQ |

| | | |

| |See: Importance of communication coaching “Impactful communication” |Critical thinking skills, organization |

| |Or | |

| |Coaching relationships | |

|Class Three | | |

| |Read May and May. |Experiential Field Trip—Meet the Firms 7:30 am. |

|Aug 31 |Chapter 7 “Critical Thinking” | |

| | | |

| |Chapter 3 “The Flow of Thought: Organizing for Coherence” | |

| | | |

| |See: Non-verbal communication | |

| | | |

| |See YouTube training examples: Listening without bias | |

|Class Four |Read May and May. | |

| |Chapter 10 “memos and Email” |Submit Field Trip memo |

|Sept 2 | | |

| |Chapter 4 “A Sense of Style: Writing with conciseness and Clarity” |Discuss unity, organization & format; |

|Online. See Blackboard | | |

| |Social Media & CEOs |Complete unity exercise |

| | | |

| | |Discuss Plain language & |

| | |professional writing style |

| | | |

| | |Team revision of experiential memos |

| | | |

| | |Introduce Client letter assignment |

|Class Five |Read May & May. | |

| |Chapter 9 “Letters” |Guest lecture: Todd LaBelle, Tax Partner |

|Sept 7 | |Deloitte LLP |

| |Chapter 6 “Format for Clarity: Document Design” | |

| | |Interview internal memo due (two copies-hardcopy. 50 |

| |Writing Proposals |pts) |

| | | |

| |Value of Collaboration |Teams comment on memos |

| | | |

| | |Discuss Team presentation skills |

| | | |

| | |Writing negative messages- Contrast Lay-off memos (see |

| | |BB) |

| | | |

| | |Discuss the value of collaboration |

|Class Six | | |

| | |Examine formatting decisions: corporations and firms’ |

|Sept 9 | |annual report, memo, press release, articles |

| | | |

|(Rosh Hashanah, Ramadan) | |Introduce informative presentation activity |

| | |Use of PPT |

| | | |

| | |Discuss stage fright |

| | | |

|Class Seven |“Writing for a Global Audience? Be Careful How you Say it.” | |

| | |Client letter due (75 pts) |

|Sept 14 | | |

| | |Introduce ELC activity (next class) |

| | | |

|Class Eight |Read May & May |Meta-4 (no prep) |

| |Chapter 8 “Accounting Research” | |

|Sept 16 | | |

|ELC | | |

|JKP 301 A_F | | |

|Class Nine | |Informative presentations (75 pts) & peer evaluations |

| |Prepare Informative presentation | |

|Sept 21 | | |

|Class Ten | |Informative presentations |

| | |& peer evaluations |

|Sept 23 | | |

| | |Introduce Persuasive presentation assignment, |

|(Sukkot) | |--persuading diverse audiences |

|Class Eleven |conferences |Conferences re. informative presentations |

|Sept 28 | | |

|Class Twelve |Persuasive presentations |Persuasive presentations (100 pts) |

| | | |

|Sept 30 | | |

|ELC | | |

|JKP 301 ABC, GJK | | |

|Class Thirteen |conferences |conferences |

| | | |

|Oct 5 | | |

|Class Fourteen | | |

|Oct 7 | |“Dangerous business” (no prep-Ethics & business |

| | |communication) ELC activity |

|ELC | | |

|JKP 301 A_F | | |

|Class Fifteen | | Guest speakers-career opportunities |

| | | |

|Oct 12 | | |

|Class Sixteen |See: |Research writing |

| | | |

|Oct 14 | |

| |nting_sustainability/email | |

|Class Seventeen |Writing conferences to plan the research projects. |Team meetings- Teams meet with Professor Chrystal at |

| | |pre-assigned times. |

|Oct 19 | | |

|Class Eighteen | |Skype video conference (no prep) |

|Oct 21 | | |

| | |Case study |

|ELC | | |

|JKP 301 A_F | | |

|Class Nineteen |Firm expansion memo in-class writing |In-class memo |

| | | |

|Oct 26 | | |

|Class Twenty |On-line writing assignment |Google apps. Be sure that you can access Google Apps |

| | |before class. |

|Oct 28 | | |

|Class Twenty-one |Class assessment of memo two | Memo ( two hardcopies. 75 pts) |

| | | |

|Nov 2 | | |

|Class Twenty-two | |“Cutting the Budget” |

|Nov 4 | |(no prep) |

| | | |

|ELC | | |

|JKP 301 A_F | | |

|Class Twenty-three |Read “Tax Hell: Our Accountant’s Mistake Almost Ruined Our Business” |In-class writing |

| | | |

|Nov 9 | | |

|Class twenty-four | |Discuss Social Media and accountants |

| | | |

|Nov 11 | | |

|Class twenty-five |Video team presentations |Video- rehearse team projects |

| | | |

|Nov 16 | | |

|Class twenty-six | |Team presentations (75 pts) |

|Nov 18 | | |

| | | |

|ELC | | |

|JKP 301 A_F | | |

|Class twenty-seven | |Final report (75 pts) assessments |

| | | |

|Nov 30 | | |

|Class twenty-eight | | |

| | | |

|Dec 2 | | |

Final EXAM schedule –

|8:00 class Tuesday, Dec. 15 |4:30-6:30 p.m. |

|9:30 | |

|Thursday, Dec. 10 | |

|11-1 p.m. | |

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