07 Jan This course utilizes a

Embery ENGL222 Module 1 Discussion

Module 1 Discussion – Tooling Your Career

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When employers advertise a position they’re seeking to fill, they articulate a number of skills they consider necessary to do the job. But beyond the specific technical or core assets are over-arching “soft” skills that drive hiring decisions. The “ shopping list” companies use to hire talent may surprise you. The National Association of College and Employers (NACE) and International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) regularly survey employers on what qualities they seek in prospective employers. Click on the following links to review their findings.

10 Things Employers Want From A New Hire (Links to an external site.)

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Based on a NACE survey.

(00:02:46)

Source: YouTube

Highlights from the Research Foundation/Buck Consultants Employee Engagement Survey (September 2010) (Links to an external site.)

Study the results of the two surveys and answer the following questions:

Why do you believe employers responded the way they did?

Can you cite any changes in the workplace that potentially might contribute to the employers’ position?

Post your responses in this discussion. Be sure to return later this week, read the viewpoints of your classmates and comment on their statements.

Embery ENGL222 Module 2 Discussion

Module 2 Discussion – The New Diversity – A Melding

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For the first time in American history, we have four different generations of employees in the workplace – Veterans, Baby Boomers, Gen X-ers and Gen Y-ers, the latter commonly labeled “The Millennials.” And each group represents different beliefs, values, attitudes, and behavior norms. Call it the “New Diversity.” Potentially, the situation has enormous ramifications. The multi-generational mosaic can affect how members of these groups work in teams, implement new business practices, and perform the job. And the generational differences have performance implications as well in terms of the level of commitment to goals, recognition of authority and understanding work instructions. The mission for business is to harness the energies of each generation and create a synergy that breeds winning interpersonal relationships.

Review the following for further insight into the melding of generations:

Generational Differences Chart (Links to an external site.)

The “Millennials” Are Coming (Links to an external site.) by Morley Safer for 60 Minutes

Millennials — Who are they? The original 60 Minutes interview from 2008 (3:14M) (Links to an external site.)

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Discuss the following questions:

What problems do you foresee occurring with four generations as members of the same work group?

What strategies would you suggest that might minimize the differences and create a cohesive team?

Post your responses in this discussion. Be sure to return to the forum later this week, read the viewpoints of your classmates and comment on their statements.

Embery ENGL222 Module 3 Discussion

Module 3 Discussion – Selecting the Right Medium

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“The medium is the message”is a phrase coined by the late Marshall McLuhan, former professor of Literature at the University of Toronto and a communications-media theorist during the 1960-1980 period. In business communication, we often find that the media channel supersedes the content in importance – or it’s not what is written or said but how it’s conveyed. Certain medium can provide a richness that makes a difference in delivering information.Likewise, certain medium can obstruct and obscure information. The business world provides countless examples of this concept. For instance, a marketing team has completed an important project for management which requires members to report on their findings and recommendations. Typically, members would prepare a written report as required but, due to the delicate and complex nature of the information, they opt to make an oral presentation to the executive staff as well. The oral presentation gives the team feedback on management’s reaction; it allows the group to answer questions not possible with a written report; ultimately, it fulfills the mission.

Each of us has had a “medium is the message” experience. Describe a situation [business or personal] you recall which required the communicator to strategize and select the right medium for the message.

Post your response in this discussion. Be sure to return to the forum later this week, read the viewpoints of your classmates and comment on their statements.

Embery ENGL222 Module 4 Discussion

Module 4 Discussion – Business Romancing Social Networks

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Online Social Networks (OSNs) began with people seeking to connect with friends and family and stream entertainment content, but eventually the business world caught the wave. Review the two articles regarding the application of social networks in the business context and how companies are adapting these media tools to share data, reach out to customers, support employees, and facilitate the exchange of ideas.

How to Use Location-Based Social Networks for Your Business (Links to an external site.) by Lou Dubois

How to Use Internal Collaboration and Social Networking Technology (Links to an external site.) by Tony Byrne

Would you consider OSNs in business a trend with long-term staying power or a karaoke fad that will soon turn into a media that outlives its usefulness? Explain your position.

Post your response in this discussion. Then read the viewpoints of your classmates and comment on their statements.

Embery ENGL222 Module 5 Discussion

Module 5 Discussion – Burdening the Bad News

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One of the challenges in the business sector is addressing adverse situations which are delicate and sensitive. Review the attached scenarios and discuss which one you find the most difficult to handle.

Conveying bad news is always a tough job. Which of the following scenarios do you believe would be the toughest to convey?
– A supervisor who must lay off a dedicated 55-year old veteran employee.
– A business owner who must notify employees the company has mismanaged its finances and will no longer be able to meet the payroll.
– A manager who must advise the president of the company that his department has been covertly engaging in fraudulent activities and its activities are now being investigated by the state attorney general’s office.

Explain your rationale.

Post your response in this discussion. Be sure to return to the forum later this week, read the viewpoints of your classmates and comment on their statements.

Embery ENGL222 Module 6 Discussion

Module 6 Discussion – Correcting a Performance Issue

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Read the following guidelines on How to Conduct an Effective Disciplinary Interview (Links to an external site.) by Ruth Mayhew.

Consider the following case study:

You are the manager of a team of workers, and Drew is one of your employees. Before joining your department three months ago, Drew worked six months in another area. Since assigned to your unit, Drew has been repeatedly late for work or absent. Other employees are complaining they have to pull Drew’s weight. You’ve learned that Drew had a similar problem in the other department.

Company policy states that if an employee is warned of such a problem and it continues, the individual can be given a three-day suspension without pay.

One important item to consider: Drew, when he’s on the job, is a top performer and someone you definitely want to keep on the payroll. He can run circles around the other people. He just has problems getting it together.

You plan to meet with Drew to address the matter to create a strategy for the best approach:

When do you feel is the best time of day and day of week to hold the meeting?

Where is the most appropriate location for the meeting? Drew’s work station? Your office? Other locations?

What do you believe is the best action to handle the problem? Counsel Drew and issue a verbal warning? Write a letter of reprimand? Suspend the employee for three days without pay? Other actions?

Post your response in this discussion. Be sure to return later in the week, read the viewpoints of your classmates and comment on their statements.

Embery ENGL222 Module 7 Discussion

Module 7 Discussion – Motivating Change

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Progress comes at a price. To stay afloat with advancing technology, businesses often must reinvent themselves. Recasting is even more imperative when a spiraling economy forces a business to reorient its direction, restructure its organization and practices. For some companies in impacted industries, motivating change has become as much a core function as marketing, accounting, and similar activities. Change is difficult, costly, and time consuming, no matter the circumstances, requires the persuasive powers because people fear change.

The emergence of General Motors from bankruptcy and a landmark bailout compelled the manufacturer to not only change its business model but to persuade consumers, investors and its own employees that GM had reformed its practices and regained its competitive strength.

Review the following videos that describe GM’s campaign to restore its image and public confidence.

GM Reinvention(00:01:11)

Source: YouTube

General Motors Re:invent(00:01:03)

Source: YouTube

GM Repaid Government Loan Ahead of Schedule(00:01:00)

Source: Brightcove

What central themes and key words do you find that resonate in these videos? For a moment, ignore the script and study the sound and visual content. How do they contribute to the persuasive message?

Post your response in this discussion. Be sure to return to the forum later this week, read the viewpoints of your classmates and comment on their statements.

Embery ENGL222 Module 8 Discussion

Module 8 Discussion – Speaker Gallery

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Speeches can resonate from the platform to the playing field, and the manner will vary according to the occasion and venue. The six videos below reflect a range of styles from the formal, solemn and uplifting panegyric to the informal, stirring pep talk. Select any two of the six speeches and write a 100-word critique of each presentation. Some of the criteria you may want to consider:

Content Delivery

Interesting Audience Contact

Clear Voice Quality

Well-Organized Posture

Engaging Gestures

Tone

Stage Presence

Solis.jpg Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor Brooks.jpg Coach Herb Brooks (played by Kurt Russell)

King.jpg Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (audio) Powell.jpg Retired General & U.S. Statesman Colin Powell

Schwatrzkoph.jpg Retired General Schwarzkopf Obama.jpg President Barack Obama

Embery ENGL222 Module 9 Discussion

Module 9 Discussion – Saga of the Sago Snafu

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Review the following:

Miscommunication Followed Tragedy (Links to an external site.) by the Associated Press

‘Sound of moans’ led rescuers to surviving miner (Links to an external site.) by CNN

Dead WV miners reported alive – WABC-TV Jan 4, 2006 11pm (Links to an external site.)

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(00:03:08)

Source: YouTube Repeater

OutrageVideo.jpg

Sustained Outrage

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Source: PBS Exposé

The miscommunication surrounding the 2006 Sago mine disaster in West Virginia illustrates how even the most reputable news sources can generate erroneous, misleading information. On January 4, 2006, Americans awakened to read in their morning papers that the trapped miners were found alive. This was reported by major news services. Yet when Americans turned on their television sets that same morning to watch the early news, the report was altogether different. Only one miner made it out alive.

What caused the miscommunication? The media is subject to deadlines, and the initial report of a successful recovery ironically hit at the same time editors were putting their news to bed. Yet less than an hour later, the grim facts were confirmed; unfortunately the presses were already rolling.

What might have authorities at the scene done to avoid such a miscommunication and better control the release of information?

Post your response in this discussion. Be sure to return to the forum later this week, read the viewpoints of your classmates and comment on their statements.

Embery ENGL222 Module 1 The Flaming Message Assignment

Read Message for Analysis: Analyzing Communication Effectiveness under Practice Your Skills on page 28, and then:

Analyze whether the message is an example of effective or ineffective communication.

Revise the message consistent with the chapter’s guidelines.

Use standard file type (DOC or DOCX) for your revised message and name the file your surname, module number, and title of the assignment (e.g., surname_M1_FlamingMessage).

Embery ENGL222 Module 2 Multi-Cultural Protocol Assignment

You have been tasked to coordinate a multi-national meeting for your company, Turbine Energy International, with business entities from South Korea and Greece. The purpose of the meeting is to explore creating a partnership with the other two companies – the joint venture would install offshore wind turbines in the Sea of Japan and Mediterranean and supply energy to coastal South Korea and Grecian communities. Under the partnership, Turbine Energy would construct the facilities and the respective South Korean and Greek firms would operate them. The purpose of the meeting, scheduled over a three-day period, is to carve out the details.

A dozen business men and women from each of the three firms [executives and technical staff] will attend. The agenda will include general meetings, breakout sessions as well as a number of social events – luncheons, dinners. As coordinator, your task is to develop protocol guidance for your Turbine Energy representatives when interacting with the foreign guests – such matters as business dress, table manners, general meeting conduct, and negotiation style.

Browse through the information about the two countries and their business practices contained in the following links:

Executive Planet (Links to an external site.)

Culture Crossing (Links to an external site.)

Your assignment is to write a 400-500 word document containing a profile on South Korea and Greece business cultures and practices. Use the information from the sources provided and develop the protocol guidelines you consider important to a successful meeting.

Submit a document containing your profile and protocol guidelines as an attachment. Name the file your surname, module number, and title of the assignment in the document name (e.g., surname_M2_MultiCultural).

Embery ENGL222 Module 3 Team Project Assignment

Group Assignment: Penetrating International Markets – Part 1

Provide the following information in a short report on the progress of the group project:

Identify the country your team has chosen.

Provide a summary of the sources consulted and information found so far.

List the members of the group.

Only one member needs to submit on behalf of the team.

Embery ENGL222 Module 6 Resume Draft Assignment

Write the Resume

Write the Resume

The resume represents the cornerstone of the job search and can become a birth certificate or death certificate to a professional career, either kindling or killing chances for opportunities. In later stages of the hiring process when the employer is deciding whom to choose and what to pay a given employee, the resume wields little influence, but credit a strong résumé for getting the initial interview and shaping the performance that results in an offer. It’s the torch that lights the employer’s fire and lights the way of the job-hunting campaign. It can also be the ballast that keeps the campaign stuck in the mud.

You clearly want a resume that energizes your job search – one that creates impact and delivers results, not wilts in the heat of the fierce competition of today’s dynamic job market. Conducted properly, you want to emerge from the resume development process with a sense of career and market direction, not just a well-written profile. The diagnostic tools described in Creating Career Road Map, Describing Your Achievements and Peeling Back the Onion are designed to help you strategically build a resume and not fall into the trap of jumping into the fray without the proper basics.

Consider the resume your calling card. Develop it effectively and employers will call.

The best resume model follows an organic, holistic process consistent with sales and marketing principles. Socrates said it best: “Know thyself.” Aristotle later added the legendary kicker, “Know your audience.” Together, the two classic thinkers formulated resume-writing doctrine that underlies the process to this very day.

So, the primal task before collecting and assimilating information and putting word to print is first deciding how you want to be perceived by employers.

We’ve established that the resume functions as an ad in the job-hunting equation. Hence, understanding how advertisers construct their materials can be helpful to developing a resume that clearly communicates and persuades. When advertising agencies are contracted to craft a display ad or commercial, their first consideration is “What message do we want to convey?” Firms promoting Starbucks, Walmart, and McDonalds undertake every campaign by first reflecting on the message to be communicated. Delivering a consistent message creates a brand image and acknowledged presence in the marketplace. This is why Starbucks, Walmart, and McDonald’s are household commodities in their respective industries.

Successful public speakers apply the same rule – preparation begins by determining “What do I want to say?”

Develop the initial draft of your resume. Refer to the sample resumesPreview the documentView in a new window provided. Your final resume is not due until Module 8. This draft resume will provide you with an opportunity to receive feedback on your resume and also assist you in writing your Job Application Letter in Module 7.

Submit a document containing your draft resume, achievements inventory, and Skills/Strength activity as an attachment in this activity. Include your surname, module number, and title of the assignment in the document name (e.g., surname_M6_ResumeDraft).

Embery ENGL222 Module 7 Taking Your Product to Market Assignment

Begin the campaign using the 17 ways to find a job, including networking.

Today’s job seeker has 17 different ways to find an appropriate career position and must select the approaches that deliver the best yield. Most gravitate toward the published market [newspaper ads, internet job banks] though statistics prove more candidates find jobs through networking. Before beginning the campaign, you want to review 17 Ways to Find a Job.Preview the documentView in a new window

To market yourself to employers, you will need two products: a resume and a job application letter.

When applying for advertised positions, boilerplate cover letters usually generate minimal results. Using standard, templated text may be expedient, but it typically lacks proper tone, content and presence. Also, a cover letter should never be treated as routine correspondence, nor regarded as a transmittal document, but should focus on the specific skills and experiences required. This is using the resource of the cover letter to full advantage.

Consider your cover letter a mini-resume which aligns your qualifications with the position requirements. Resumes are seldom written specifically to the parameters of a job. The cover letter, however, can bridge that gap when written according to the format and examples detailed in this module.

The format intentionally parrots the key phrases of the job ad and parallels the requirements with the candidate’s qualifications. An important tactic appears in the closing paragraph – an action close – where the candidate indicates he or she will call the employer to discuss the next step. The savvy job hunter wants to be proactive and not wait for the employer to initiate the first move. However, if the employer specifies “No phone calls, please,” respect the request.

This assignment should be completed after your resume has been drafted. Refer to Writing The Job Application LetterPreview the documentView in a new window and example to complete your cover letter.

Submit a document containing your cover letter as an attachment in this activity. Include your surname, module number, and title of the assignment in the document name (e.g., surname_M7_CoverLetter).

Embery ENGL222 Module 8 Resume (Final version) Assignment

In Module 6, you submitted a draft of your resume based upon a Skills Inventory exercise. You now have the opportunity to incorporate the feedback provided by your instructor and resubmit a final version of your resume. If you are happy with your previous submission and grade, you are not required to submit a final resume. There is no penalty for only submitting one resume (the grading is set up to include only the higher score of the Module 6 and Module 8 submissions).

Submit your final resume utilizing this activity. Include your surname, module number, and title of the assignment in the document name (e.g., surname_M8_ResumeFinal)

Embery ENGL222 Module 9 Final Exam Paper Assignment

Embry-Riddle Enterprises, Inc., is searching for a contractor to conduct a Business Communication training program for its group leaders and first-line supervisors. The firm is soliciting bids from prospective organizations with expertise in this area. Here is the company’s Request for Proposal:

Embry-Riddle Enterprises, Inc., is accepting bids/proposals for a Business Communication training program designed for group leaders and first-line supervisors in salaried positions. The training is intended as a five-day, 40-hour program to serve a total of 600 persons with 25 students per class. Embry-Riddle Enterprises, Inc., is a state-of-the-art firm with a progressive work culture, and we envision that this program will embody the latest communication principles, practices and technologies.

The training will prepare attending personnel to function as effective business communicators, developing competencies in the following:

Understanding the fundamentals of business communication as related to written/oral/nonverbal media, listening, teaming in global and intercultural applications.

Planning, writing, and completing business messages and other communications: letters, memos, e-mails, instant messages, business reports, proposals.

Applying strategies to communication situations, especially those critical and sensitive, to achieve expected results.

Collaborating in a team setting on projects in roles as a member or leader.

Communicating to culturally-diverse audiences.

Delivering oral presentations using visual aids.

Knowing what you do about this course, write a 500-750 word proposal that details the training program your company would propose. In developing the training program, read the Final Exam Rubric which highlights what your proposal should reflect. It is important that your proposal demonstrate a depth of understanding about the contents of the ENGL 222 course and present specific references to communication principles, practices and other areas covered. Ideally, rather than paraphrasing the course objectives or passages in the textbook, strive to have your proposal embody innovation and originality by introducing ideas, solutions and benefits not specified in the request but which would contribute further value. So in detailing contents of the training as you envision it, take the option to include other content or features that would add further depth and quality to the program. Regarding the price to be quoted, assume that the amount your firm is requesting is sufficiently reasonable for Embry-Riddle Enterprises, Inc., to award you the contract and, therefore, should not be considered an issue.

Embery ENGL222 Module 9 Major Report Assignment

From the very outset of the course, you have been researching and building your Major ReportPreview the documentView in a new window on an aspect of business communication as outlined in Module 1.

Submit your Major Report assignment in this activity. Include your surname, module number, and title of the assignment in the document (e.g., surname_M9_MajorReport).

This course utilizes a plagiarism prevention service known as Turnitin™. This service checks all submitted papers against the following databases:

Internet – comprehensive index of documents available for public access on the Internet;

ProQuest ABI/Inform database with over 1,100 publication titles and about 2.6 million articles from ’90s to present time, updated weekly (exclusive access);

Institutional document archives containing all papers submitted to Turnitin by users in their respective institutions;

Global Reference Database containing papers that were volunteered by students from Canvas client institutions to help prevent cross-institutional plagiarism.