Implementation of total quality management and continuous process improvement require validation of competencies by an institution's customers. This study was designed to determine if business faculty and business professionals perceive (a) business writing skills, (b) oral/interpersonal skills, (c) basic English skills, and (d) other business communication abilities with the same degree of importance. Four one-way analyses of variance revealed no significant difference between 35 business professionals and 30 business faculty concerning the four areas. However, when the 50 competencies within the four areas were ranked, some visible differences occurred in using the telephone and intercom, asking questions, and applying confidentiality. he increased emphasis toward total quality education, student and faculty accountability, and outcome-based education require evaluation and validation of the content of the undergraduate business communication course. During the past six years, Central Missouri State University (Central), a midsized regional institution, has adopted a new educational paradigm, Continuous Process Improvement (CPI). This paradigm espouses many of the principles of the total quality management (TQM) movement which is currently prevalent in business and industry. Two of several principles common to CPI and TQM include (a) explicitly stated outcomes (b) that have been validated by the organization's customers. Prospective employers and faculty members who are part of this study are some of the university's customers; others include students and alumni. The implementation of CPI and the total quality education process mandates that curriculum be validated by internal and external customers (faculty members and employers), hence the need for this study.Research emphasizes the need for excellent communication skills in the workplace (Barton & Kirsch,

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Writing comments on student papers takes tremendous effort, and this study attempted to determine how students use these comments, the importance of the comments, and methods to encourage students to use comments. The results revealed that students' course grades did not correlate with their use of comments; however, students were likely to review comments if they had to rewrite assignments. Significant differences existed between course grades and these variables: (a) how well students read comments, (b) how useful com ments were, (c) how well students understood comments, and (d) how likely students were to get help in understanding comments.

Research on leadership and teams suggests that men and women exhibit different leadership and interpersonal communication styles. A review of literature and a survey of students in upper-level business communication courses at Central Mis souri State University provide evidence for five strategies to assist students in deal ing with team-interaction situations: 1. Instruct students in techniques to avoid groupthink and to promote and handle competition 2. Offer students ideas on and methods for reaching agreement in a timely manner 3. Vary the subject of group writing assignments to allow each student to be per ceived as an expert 4. Encourage all students to be active participants in the group process 5. Emphasize the importance of good writing skills to both males and females Finally, further research is needed regarding the "natural leader" role, the role of competition in groups, and the effect of perceptions of tasks as either "feminine" or "masculine."