communications final

University at Albany

Department of Communication

COM 369

Theories of Organizational Communication

July 7 – August 15

Dr. Alan Belasen

[email protected]

Description & Focus

This course draws on research and theories of communication within complex organizations. Topics include theories of communication, organizational identity and culture, understanding the relationship between formal and informal structures of communication, models of management communication, image, media relations, stakeholder analysis, communication audits, and crisis communication.

Course Objectives

Reading the text, participating in threaded discussions, preparing and analyzing cases, and conducting a research project should enable you to do the following:

1. Understand and use principles, analytical tools, and theories of communication.

1. Describe how contextual factors affect organizational communication.

1. Apply concepts and practice skills of communication that may be useful in improving the effectiveness of corporate communication.

1. Analyze critically the strengths and weaknesses of a strategic communication system and make recommendations about how to improve organizational communication.

1. Identify several career paths available to corporate communication students.

Text

Belasen, A. T. (2008). The Theory and Practice of Corporate Communication: A Competing Values Perspective. California: Sage Publications

Student Evaluation -- Grade Distribution

The completion of the required readings and assignments is essential for understanding course material and developing knowledge in the subject area. It is expected that students will participate in the threaded discussion regularly and in a manner that reflects familiarity with the required readings.

Participation in threaded discussion…...………………..…300

Two Cases for analysis …….…………………..…..………200

Application Paper………..……………..……….………….200

Final…………....………….………………………………..300

Participation in threaded discussion – I expect that you will contribute to class discussion by initiating relevant comments or insights and/or by responding to peers’ entries. Expectation: Each student should enter 4-6 comments per week.

Case analysis – Two cases: Satellite Systems (p. 25) DUE July 19, 2014 by 6pm and Hanover Software (p. 119) DUE July 26, 2014 by 6pm. Format: 3-4 pages, TNR 12, double spaced.

Application Paper – Choose any chapter in the book and summarize its key concepts and ideas. Then identify an organizational story, relevant movie, TV show, video case, TV news report, and so on that supports the main ideas of the chapter. Explain why you think the two pieces (chapter’s main ideas and evidence that you identify) relate. Format: 4-5 pages, TNR 12, double spaced. DUE August 2, 2014 by 6pm.

Final – You will answer 2-3 questions based on the readings. Due: 8/15, 2015 by 6:00pm.

ONLINE COURSE POLICIES:

Online Etiquette:  All your online communications need to be composed with fairness, honesty and tact. Your online writings will be graded. NOTE: If you disagree with a point in someone's comment in the on-line discussion, please be sensitive in presenting your opposing point of view. It is important to be careful about how your words might be interpreted by other students especially when the submission is problematic, irreversible, and remains public. Boundaries need to be maintained about not attacking the person but evaluating or reflecting on the focal point. Disagreements are welcome as we continue to learn from everything. Be polite and respectful of others’ ideas and viewpoints. It is important to stay focused on the specific idea you disagree with and provide supporting information from texts or other internet resources that validate your point of view. It is also not acceptable to say that you disagree and leave it at that.

Courtesy Code: I expect you to follow rules of common courtesy in all your e-mail messages and your critiques. If I deem any of them to be inappropriate or offensive, I will forward the message to the appropriate university official and the online administrators for follow up purposes.

PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism—the appropriation or imitation of the language or ideas of another person and presenting them as one’s original work—is a serious offence and is not permitted. While I recognize that it can at times occur through carelessness or ignorance, UA policy on this matter is severe. It is not permissible simply to reword what someone else has written. Always place direct quotes in quotation marks and use appropriate citations. Students who are uncertain about proper documentation of sources should consult me. Here is the university language on the subject (url provided below)

It is every student’s responsibility to become familiar with the standards of academic integrity at the University. Claims of ignorance, of unintentional error, or of academic or personal pressures are not sufficient reasons for violations of academic integrity. The following information, supplied by University Libraries ,provides additional information. For a list of the types of behaviors that are defined as examples of academic dishonesty and are therefore unacceptable please consult:

http://www.albany.edu/undergraduate_bulletin/regulations.html

Participation in Online Discussion

The discussion is an integral part of the learning activities.  A threaded discussion allows students to post comments to a discussion topic, respond to other students' comments, reflect on ideas from the readings, and ask questions to clarify issues or arguments. I expect that you will contribute to class discussion by initiating relevant comments or insights and by responding to peers’ entries. When we (course instructors) read your comments and insights we typically look at the relevance, substance, depth, and quality of your entries as well as  originality and your ability to respond to peers' comments and ideas. Thus, your responses in the discussions need to be developed thoughtfully and carefully articulated. Your responses should address issues and concepts from the readings that you find particularly useful. Proper documentation of sources used to support or corroborate your arguments, points, etc., is an important academic requirement. So make sure to reference all the sources used in your discussion points.

Your responses are evaluated and graded for relevance, quality, and substance using the following criteria:

Is your response timely? [Are you active throughout the discussion period?] Is your response complete? [Is it meaningful?] Is your response relevant? [Does it relate to the topic under discussion?] Is your response coherent? [Are the parts well connected?] Is your response creative? [Does your response contain new insights that advance the overall argument?]

The best contributions are relevant and timely. They build on previous comments and advance the discussion with value-add contributions (as opposed to "cliché' type" comments such as... "Yes, I agree").

To receive the maximum points - Each student should enter 5 comments per discussion period.

Avoid clustering your comments in a single day or towards the end of the discussion period. Instead, make sure to space out your responses throughout the discussion period. .

Please note: Failure to follow these instructions will result in the loss of points!

ASYNCHRONOUS DISCUSSION POSTING & GRADING RUBRIC

5 comments per discussion topic should give you up to 50(!) points subject to the above guidelines

 

Frequency and timeliness of participation
5 times per topic	4 times per topic	2-3 per topic	0-1 per topic
Quality of participation:
Overall depth and integration of readings with other discussion contributions
Excellent	Good	Satisfactory	Weak
Originates comments in addition to responding to others
Excellent	Good	Satisfactory	Weak

LATE SUBMISSION OF COURSE MATERIALS: Written assignments are submitted electronically (via course drop box) by the specified due date. Any assignment submitted after the due date will be penalized at the rate of 5 points per day. Avoid submitting work via e-mail.

Students are expected to adhere to the following standards for all submissions:

1. Standards of academic honesty are expected; violations will not be tolerated.

1. All papers must be submitted using WORD, double-spaced, written in TNR, (Times New Roman) typeface, 12-point, and with 1.0” margins.

1. Papers must be proof-read for typos and grammatical errors prior to submission.

1. Use proper format for citations and footnotes, as well as quotation marks. APA style is preferable.

1. Be sure that the organization of your paper clearly follows the assignment. The instructor should not have to figure out what item in the assignment you are addressing.

1. Put the Unit # and assignment at the top of each essay, along with your name and the date. Pages need to be numbered.

1. All work must be submitted via the course dropbox ”. DO NOT PASTE YOUR WORK DIRECTLY INTO THE DROPBOX! Do not submit your work via e-mail.

Criteria for evaluating written assignments:

RATINGS/CRITERIA	EXL	VG	GD	FAIR	POOR
	93-99 A	90-92 A-	87-89 B+	83-86 B	78-82 B-/C+
Knowledge of course material
Understanding of CVFCC
Integration of concepts from the readings
Analysis
Conclusion
Clarity of presentation
Writing style & references

Schedule & Topics

Week One 7/7 – 7/13 chapters 1-2

· Models of organizations

· The role of internal and external communications

· CVFCC

Week Two 7/14 – 7/20 chapters 3-4

· Strategic View of Corporate Communication

· Identity, Image, Reputation

Case—Satellite Systems DUE 7/19 by 6pm

Week Three 7/21 – 7/27 chapters 5-8

· Media Relations

· Investor Relations

1. Government Relations

· Employee Relations

Case—Hanover Software DUE 7/26 by 6pm

Week Four 7/28 – 8/3 chapters 9-10

· Marketing Communication and Corporate Advertising

· Financial Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility

Week Five 8/4 – 8/10 chapters 11-12

1. Organizational and Management Communication

1. Stakeholder Analysis

Application Paper DUE 8/2 by 6pm

Week Six 8/11 – 8/15 chapters 14-15

1. Crisis Communication and Message Strategies

1. Strategic Corporate Communication

August 15 – FINAL DUE by 6pm