Syllabus for MAN-3730

Managerial Communications

Course Description

Managerial Communications is an upper-level undergraduate course that explores key theories and strategies of contemporary organizational communications. It recognizes that challenges exist for creating and implementing effective communication both inside organizations—between individuals and groups—and outside organizations—with markets, partners, and influential third parties.

The course is structured around four fundamental beliefs:

1. Individuals within organizations continue to experience change in their relationships with their own colleagues and with people in other organizations.
2. Technology has an increasingly significant impact on the content and methods of organizational communications, particularly at the managerial level.
3. Managers' roles continue to evolve away from dictatorial and authoritarian models to those emphasizing negotiation, coaching, collaboration, and consensus building.
4. Managerial communicators have to rely on situational analysis and planning in order to achieve ongoing effectiveness in communication.

Course Objectives

Managerial Communications has two overall objectives: (1) to introduce key concepts of communication theory, strategy, and implementation within organizational settings and (2) to develop students' skills in applying these concepts to realistic situations in a variety of workplace environments.

After completing this course, you should be able to:

CO 1        Explain the historical development of communication as an organizational process affecting internal processes and external relationships.

CO 2        Describe managerial communication as a component of organizational communication.

CO 3        Apply concepts for problem solving, conflict management, and negotiation.

CO 4        Explain the key strategies for effective written and oral communication internally and externally.

CO 5        Identify the characteristics of technology that impact and interact with organizational and managerial communication.

Study Materials

You will need the following materials to complete your coursework. Some course materials may be free, open source, or available from other providers. You can access free or open-source materials by clicking the links provided below or in the module details documents. Please visit the following website to purchase course materials: University's textbook supplier.

Required Textbook

• Veltsos, J. R., & Hynes, G. E. (2022). Managerial communication: Strategies and applications (8th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US).

ISBN: 9781544393285.

Additional Reading

You are required to venture beyond the purchased course materials for additional readings. Additional readings are listed in the modules. These articles may be accessed through the databases available to you as a student of Thomas Edison State University. Links to the databases can be found in the myEdison portal under the Educational tab in the My Resources block.

Software

Submit all assignments as Microsoft Word documents unless you have obtained permission from your mentor to submit them with another program. PowerPoint is required to develop one of the written assignments as well as part of the final project.

Course Structure

Managerial Communications is a 3-credit, online course consisting of 6 modules. Modules include an overview, topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.

• Module 1: Managerial Communication: Characteristics, the Managerial Dynamic, and the Impact of Technology.
  Course objectives covered in this module: CO 1, CO 2, CO 7.
• Module 2: Writing Effective Managerial Reports.
  Course objectives covered in this module: CO 2, CO 3, CO 5.
• Module 3: Verbal and Nonverbal Communication.
  Course objectives covered in this module: CO 3, CO 4.
• Module 4: Conflict Management and Intercultural Communication.
  Course objectives covered in this module: CO 3, CO 6.
• Module 5: Interviews and Meetings.
  Course objectives covered in this module: CO 2, CO 4, CO 5, CO 6
  .
• Module 6: Emerging Issues.
  Course objectives covered in this module: CO 2, CO 4, CO 5, CO 6.

Assessment Methods

You are required to participate in the following for formal work in the course:

• Write online discussion forum posts.
• Complete written assignments.
• Take a proctored midterm exam.
• Finish a final project.

See below for details.

Consult the Course Calendar for due dates.

Promoting Originality

One or more of your course activities may utilize a tool designed to promote original work and evaluate your submissions for plagiarism. More information about this tool is available in this Plagiarism Detection Tool Google document.

Discussion Forums

Managerial Communications requires you to participate in periodic online class discussions. In addition to an ungraded introduction forum in Module 1, you are required to participate in 5 graded online discussions.

Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted question (discussion thread) and at least two subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

Important: As discussions are dynamic (i.e., ongoing during a specific window of opportunity), they close on a deadline date. After a discussion forum closes, contributions are welcome but will not be taken into account for grading purposes.

Written Assignments

You are required to complete 6 written assignments. The written assignments are on a variety of topics associated with the course modules. The assignments are the primary means for you to express yourself verbally, controlling content and meaning and demonstrating the ability to analyze, assess, and integrate concepts and situations. Your assignments should be professionally presented in APA format using clear syntax and correct grammar and spelling.

Note the following guidelines for preparing assignments:

1. Please note that if an assignment directs you to use research resources, you are expected to demonstrate that you have conducted research beyond your text. (In addition, you are expected to properly cite this research as part of the assignment.) An assignment that is well written but fails to indicate that you have done outside research is incomplete.
2. Carefully proofread your document and make any revisions to grammar, content, and style. With the exception of correspondence, professional reporting is prepared objectively in the third person to limit any possible author bias. Eliminate any vague pronouns from the composition (i.e., pronouns that lack concrete antecedents). Check tense, since most reports are written in the literary present to provide a sense of timeliness for the reader. Past tense is best saved for historical reporting, and future tense is appropriate when a report’s subject centers on a prediction.
3. Ensure that any ideas that are not your original work (ideas you have taken from the work of others) are correctly referenced using APA citation format for both in-text and bibliographic entries.
4. Evaluate the document to affirm that the topic of the submission directly relates to the subject of the course (i.e., managerial communications). An essay must clearly demonstrate competency of a lesson learned by including appropriate theory, concepts, and vocabulary. The object of the report—that is, the scenario, situation, or event—must serve as an example that shows the mentor that a lesson can be applied to the workplace.
5. Self-check your work by methodically relating the grading rubric to completed work.  

Midterm Examination

Managerial Communications has a proctored midterm examination during Week 7.

See the Course Calendar for details.

For a list of key concepts that may appear on your exam, refer to the study guide available in the Examinations section of the course website.

You are required to use the University's Online Proctor Service (OPS). Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook (see Student Handbooks in the General Information area of the course website) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures.

You are strongly advised to schedule your exam within the first week of the semester.

Statement About Cheating

You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:

• Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.

• Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.

• Plagiarizing answers.

• Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.

• Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.

• Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.

The exam will be made invalid and you will fail the course if there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam.

Final Project (Outline, Report, and PowerPoint)

You are required at the end of the semester to submit a final project in the form of a case analysis report in APA format along with a PowerPoint presentation with voiceover of that report. You are also required to submit an outline for this project. The final project is worth 26 percent of your final grade for the course. (The outline is ungraded but required; the written report is worth 16 percent; and the PowerPoint is worth 10 percent). Your grade on the report is based on how well you fulfill the assignment requirements, perform and present results of your research, present concepts, and draw conclusions. Writing mechanics and APA formatting are also considered in grading. The PowerPoint will be evaluated based on its presentation of content, design, continuity, and use of images. You will be able to view the rubrics that will be used to evaluate each of the parts of your final project.

Before you can complete your report, you must master the course material presented in the course activities. You should not, however, leave the preparation of your project until the end of the semester. You should choose your topic by the end of Week 8, and you are required to submit the outline during Week 9. Be sure that you take the time to read about the final project when you start the course so that you know what is required.

For details of the outline, final report, and PowerPoint, see the Final Project area of the course. For details regarding the due dates, see the Course Calendar.

Grading and Evaluation

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

• 5 online discussions are worth 10% of your final grade.
• 6 written assignments are worth 45% of your final grade.
• A proctored Midterm exam is worth 19% of your final grade.
• The final project is worth 26% of your final grade.

• Part 1: outline is worth 0% of your final grade.
• Part 2: report is worth 16% of your final grade.  
• Part 3: PowerPoint is worth 10% of your final grade.

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

• A is 93 to 100. 
• A minus is 90 to 92.
• B plus is 88 to 89. 
• B is 83 to 87. 
• B minus is 80 to 82. 
• C plus is 78 to 79. 
• C is 73 to 77. 
• C minus is 70 to 72. 
• D is 60 to 69. 
• F is any grade below a 60. 

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a course not in your area of study), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings).

Strategies for Success

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

• Read carefully the entire syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.

• Take time to read the entire Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State University.

• Arrange to take your examination(s) by following the instructions in this Syllabus and the Student Handbook.

• Familiarize yourself with the learning management systems environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.

• If you are not familiar with web-based learning, be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

• To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the Course Calendar. The Course Calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and submitting the final project.

• Check Announcements regularly for new course information.

Using AI Ethically: A Guide for TESU Students

TESU's Academic Code of Conduct permits student AI use in support of their writing and research process—not as a replacement for original writing.

Document AI use with an acknowledgment statement at the end of each assignment, noting the tools and prompts used. Cite any AI-generated content on the References page.

Please review Using AI Ethically: A Guide for TESU Students for more detailed information.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Thomas Edison State University recognizes, values, and relies upon the diversity of our community. We strive to provide equitable, inclusive learning experiences that embrace our students’ backgrounds, identities, experiences, abilities, and expertise.

Accessibility and Accomodations

Thomas Edison State University adheres to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990 and ADAAA, 2008) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  

The Office of Student Accessibility Services (OSAS) oversees requests for academic accommodations related to disabilities, including:

• A student who is pregnant, postpartum, or parenting a newborn who is not the birth parent [as covered under NJSA18A].
• Students requesting academic accommodation for a short-term or temporary illness.
• TESU students requesting academic accommodation for an injury.

Information can be found on the Office of Student Accessibility Services webpage.

Questions can be sent to ADA@tesu.edu. 

Academic Policies

Familiarize yourself with all administrative and academic policies, including those related to the following list, to ensure success in all your academic endeavors and coursework at Thomas Edison State University:

• Academic integrity.
• Course late submissions. 
• Extensions for the course.
• Grading policies.

For more, see:

• University-wide policies.
• Undergraduate academic policies.
• Undergraduate course policies.
• Graduate academic policies.
• Graduate course policies.
• Nursing student policies.
• Nursing graduate student policies.
• International student policies.
• Academic code of conduct.