Content of the Business Communication Course: An Analysis of Coverage

Abstract

This study examined 229 responses from members of the Association for Business Communication (United States) who rated the importance of 30 business commu nication concepts. The concepts were divided into six categories: communication theory, written communication, oral communication, employment communica tion, technology, and current business communication issues. Respondents also reported the amount of class coverage they provided for each topic. Of the 30 con cepts, 23 were rated as moderately or greatly important. Gaps occurred in some categories between their perceived importance and their actual class coverage. The five most important concepts centered on written communication and were ranked as follows ( from highest to lowest ): Use correct grammar and sentence structure, write memoranda, write persuasive news, write good news/positive message let ters, and write reports.

Business Communication Curricula Today

“…However, stand-alone courses with a written focus significantly outnumber those with an oral focus. This aligns with the survey finding by Wardrope and Bayless (1999) that written communication received more attention in business communication courses than oral communication.…”

“…The survey had approximately a 20% response rate with 229 responses and collected data regarding instructor coverage of the following areas: communication theory, written communication, oral communication, technology issues, employment communication, and current issues. Wardrope and Bayless (1999) found that the majority of business communication courses were taught within business colleges rather than by other Although these studies based on survey methodology are not directly comparable to Knight's study of exemplary programs or to the study we report here, some similar findings are suggestive of patterns in business communication curricula. First, all of the studies indicate that business communication courses tend to be taught within the business college; this finding also aligns with a 1998 study conducted by Kleen and Gros (as cited in Ryan, 1999), who surveyed deans at 335 AACSB accredited schools.…”

“…This coverage is insufficient to give students the foundation they need to succeed in the 21st-century workplace. Wardrope and Bayless (1999) stressed the need for a greater emphasis on technology in business communication courses we add to that our own call for greater attention, not only to technology but also to intercultural communication, visual communication, and ethics. Ethics, which was the least represented in the course descriptions, seems especially important given the numerous instances of corporate misconduct over the past several years.…”

Regional Business Education Issues: South Texas Employers And Faculty Rate Communication And Technology Skills

“…Figure 2 charts the percent of respondents for the composite written skill items. Specifically, for each group of respondents the total good rating responses for the four survey items under the written skills category was divided by the number of respondents; the same calculation was made by group for the acceptable and poor ratings of written communication skills.. (Wardrope & Bayless, 1999). Although both employers and faculty rated written grammar and punctuation skills the lowest of the twelve items (Table 1), only 11 % of employers indicated the skill level of poor; 44 % of employers indicated written grammar and punctuation skills as good for a combined total of 89 % rated employees as acceptable to good.…”

Working in Groups: identification and Treatment of Students' Perceived Weaknesses

“…-' Due to widespread public speaking anxiety and the importance of oral communication ability (Wardrope & Bayless, 1999), two approaches were used to address these problems. First, an inexpensive supplementary text (Motley, 1997) specifically directed to public speaking anxiety was required.…”