Business Communication
Overview
Business Communication Framework
- purpose
- audience
- context
- message
Writing Skills
- employ effective organizational strategies (e.g., direct or indirect approaches)
- craft coherent, unified paragraphs and longer passages
- write clear, correct sentences
- demonstrate clarity, concision and readability
- use word choice and tone appropriate to the situation
- use appropriate formats (e.g., headings, bullet lists, layout)
- ensure correct and/or conventional spelling, grammar and punctuation
- present visual material (e.g., graphics, tables) effectively
- summarize primary and/or secondary research
Writing Tasks
Instructors select from a variety of writing tasks such as
- email (internal and external)
- summaries
- memoranda
- business letters
- informal reports
- formal reports (approximately 1,500 words and requiring basic research and analysis)
- job application package (e.g., cover letter, resume and writing samples)
- social media posts
This course emphasizes learning through doing. Working individually and in groups, students will participate in discussion and analysis of various business communication documents, activities and case studies. Under the instructor's guidance, students integrate the results of basic primary and/or secondary research with plain language principles in a variety of business communication forms (email, summaries, memoranda, letters, resumes and reports). Other methods of instruction include lectures, group discussions, peer review, library research orientations, online activities and possibly field trips.
Evaluation is in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy and will be based on this general outline:
| Formal research report | 20-30% |
| Job application materials | 10-20% |
| Additional writing tasks (at least 4 evaluations) | 40-60% |
| Participation/professionalism | 10% |
| 100% |
Students will gain an understanding of the value of clear and concise writing as an indispensable tool in business communication.
By the end of the course, successful students will be able to
- articulate the key concepts of business communication: purpose, audience, context and message
- apply these concepts in the analysis of business documents and in the production of their own documents
- use plain language principles and correct fundamentals in written assignments
- use appropriate word choice and tone in written assignments to ensure readability and accessibility
- interpret and summarize assigned readings
- prepare short business documents (e.g., email, memoranda, letters and resumes) consistent with professional standards, practices and conventions
- prepare a formal report on a business or business-related issue using basic primary and/or secondary research
- use appropriate procedures to conduct basic primary and/or secondary research and analyze it
- use a documentation method and style (e.g., APA) for primary and/or secondary sources
- accept, provide and learn from courteous and objective criticism, including peer editing
A required, current Canadian business communication text chosen by the instructor. For example, a current edition of
- Business Communication Essentials (Bovée and others)
- Communicating for Results (Meyer)
Supplementary texts may also be required or recommended.
Requisites
Prerequisites
Any College entrance Language Proficiency Requirement with the exceptions of the Douglas College Course Options in ELLA or ENGU and the assessments listed below. These require the specified higher standard for entry into CMNS, CRWR and ENGL courses.
• a minimum grade of C- in ELLA 0460, or a minimum grade of C- in both ELLA 0465 and 0475, OR
• a minimum grade of C- in ENGU 0450 or ENGU 0455 or ENGU 0490, OR
• Mastery in ELLA 0330 and any two of ELLA 0310, 0320, or 0340, OR
• TOEFL overall score of 83 with a minimum of 21 in Writing, OR
• IELTS overall score of 6.5 with no band below 6.0; for individual bands below 6.0:
• if in Speaking, ELLA 0210 required
• if in Reading or Listening, ELLA 0220 required
• if in Writing, ELLA 0230 and ELLA 0240 required
OR
• CLB score of 8, OR
• CEFR level B2+, OR
• CAEL minimum overall and essay score of 70 (computer or paper based), OR
• recognized equivalent or exemption.
Corequisites
No corequisite courses.
Equivalencies
No equivalent courses.
Course Guidelines
Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.
Course Transfers
These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca
| Institution | Transfer details for CMNS 1115 |
|---|---|
| Acsenda School of Management (ASM) | ASM BADM 110 (3) |
| Athabasca University (AU) | AU ADMN 233 (3) |
| BC Institute of Technology (BCIT) | BCIT COMM 1100 (3) or BCIT COMM 1116 (4) or BCIT COMM 1135 (3) or BCIT COMM 1140 (3) or BCIT COMM 1141 (3) or BCIT COMM 1143 (3) or BCIT COMM 1144 (3) or BCIT COMM 1145 (4) or BCIT COMM 1164 (3) or BCIT COMM 1169 (3) or BCIT COMM 1178 (3) or BCIT COMM 1180 (4) or BCIT COMM 1184 (3) or BCIT COMM 1188 (3) |
| Camosun College (CAMO) | CAMO ENGL 170 (3) |
| Capilano University (CAPU) | CAPU CMNS 220 (3) |
| College of the Rockies (COTR) | COTR COMC 102 (3) |
| Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) | KPU CMNS 1140 (3) |
| Langara College (LANG) | LANG CMNS 1118 (3) |
| Okanagan College (OC) | OC CMNS 112 (3) |
| Simon Fraser University (SFU) | SFU PUB 210 (3) |
| Thompson Rivers University (TRU) | TRU CMNS 1291 (3) |
| Thompson Rivers University (TRU) | TRU CMNS 1290 (3) |
| Trinity Western University (TWU) | TWU MCOM 2XX (3) |
| University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) | No credit |
| University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) | UBCV ARTS_V 1st (3) |
| University of Northern BC (UNBC) | No credit |
| University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) | UFV CMNS 125 (3) |
| University of Victoria (UVIC) | UVIC ENSH 202 (1.5) |
| Vancouver Community College (VCC) | VCC MGMT 1004 (3) |
| Vancouver Island University (VIU) | VIU ENGL 204 (3) |
Course Offerings
Winter 2025
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
12230
|
Mon | Instructor last name
Clayton
Instructor first name
Peter
|
Course status
Waitlist
|
Additional seats (increase to 25) and a waitlist will be added to this section on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
12231
|
Mon | Instructor last name
Clayton
Instructor first name
Peter
|
Course status
Full
|
Additional seats (increase to 25) and a waitlist will be added to this section on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
12285
|
Tue Thu | Instructor last name
Gotovac
Instructor first name
Ivana
|
Course status
Waitlist
|
Additional seats (increase to 25) and a waitlist will be added to this section on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
12656
|
Tue Thu | Instructor last name
Alcock
Instructor first name
Kimberley
|
Course status
Open
|
Additional seats (increase to 25) and a waitlist will be added to this section on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
12657
|
Wed | Instructor last name
McDonald
Instructor first name
Alison
|
Course status
Waitlist
|
This course will include some synchronous online activities. The first week of class is held in-person.
Additional seats (increase to 25) and a waitlist will be added to this section on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
12715
|
Mon | Instructor last name
Sestan
Instructor first name
Janice
|
Course status
Waitlist
|
Additional seats (increase to 25) and a waitlist will be added to this section on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
12811
|
Tue | Instructor last name
Clayton
Instructor first name
Peter
|
Course status
Waitlist
|
Additional seats (increase to 25) and a waitlist will be added to this section on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
13029
|
Tue Thu | Instructor last name
Gotovac
Instructor first name
Ivana
|
Course status
Full
|
Additional seats (increase to 25) and a waitlist will be added to this section on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
13125
|
Tue Thu | Instructor last name
Alcock
Instructor first name
Kimberley
|
Course status
Full
|
Additional seats (increase to 25) and a waitlist will be added to this section on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
13126
|
Fri | Instructor last name
McDonald
Instructor first name
Alison
|
Course status
Waitlist
|
This course will include some synchronous online activities. The first week of class is held in-person.
Additional seats (increase to 25) and a waitlist will be added to this section on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
13127
|
Wed | Instructor last name
Alcock
Instructor first name
Kimberley
|
Course status
Waitlist
|
Additional seats (increase to 25) and a waitlist will be added to this section on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
13350
|
Fri | Instructor last name
Alcock
Instructor first name
Kimberley
|
Course status
Waitlist
|
Additional seats (increase to 25) and a waitlist will be added to this section on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
13806
|
Wed | Instructor last name
Clayton
Instructor first name
Peter
|
Course status
Full
|
Additional seats (increase to 25) and a waitlist will be added to this section on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
16513
|
Instructor last name
McDonald
Instructor first name
Alison
|
Course status
Waitlist
|
All course activities will be asynchronous. Students will not be required to be online at specific scheduled time.
Additional seats (increase to 25) and a waitlist will be added to this section on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
16567
|
Instructor last name
Gotovac
Instructor first name
Ivana
|
Course status
Waitlist
|
All course activities will be asynchronous. Students will not be required to be online at specific scheduled time.
Additional seats (increase to 25) and a waitlist will be added to this section on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
16568
|
Instructor last name
Sestan
Instructor first name
Janice
|
Course status
Waitlist
|
All course activities will be asynchronous. Students will not be required to be online at specific scheduled time.
Additional seats (increase to 25) and a waitlist will be added to this section on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
| CRN | Days | Instructor | Status | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CRN
16569
|
Instructor last name
Schechter
Instructor first name
Sam
|
Course status
Waitlist
|
All course activities will be asynchronous. Students will not be required to be online at specific scheduled time.