David H. Lynch

Peer Evaluation of Writing in Business Communication Classes

Abstract This study was done to determine how selected member teachers of the Association for Business Communication (ABC) employ peer evaluation of writing in their business communication classes. A purposive sample of 78 teachers responded to a questionnaire. The findings indicate that most often the peer evaluation group ranges in size from two students to the entire class and consists of juniors and seniors who most frequently evaluate in- and out-of-class letters. Students usually use a teacher-developed, analytic scale on which they make additional comments, both positive and negative. In general, the process is successful, as revealed by a number of specific instructor comments.

Writing Apprehension in Beginning Accounting Majors

With writing skills receiving increased emphasis in the accounting curriculum, edu cators need to explore the potential barriers to writing that students may experience. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether accounting majors have higher levels of writing apprehension than students in other majors. Also stud ied was whether gender, age, and grades in Freshman Composition were related to the level of writing anxiety. A sample of students responded to items on the Writing Apprehension Test to measure their writing apprehension. The students also identi fied their gender, age, major, and grades in Freshman Composition. Significant differences do exist in level of writing apprehension based on grades in Freshman Composition but not based on a students age or gender choice. Most important, accounting majors did show significantly greater appre hension than non-accounting majors.

Developing a Competency-Based Fundamentals of Management Communication Course

An innovative course in fundamentals of management communication derives from competency-based instruction. Course designers created a list of competen cies and behavioral objectives for each of four modules: business writing funda mentals, formal report writing, informative oral presentations, and persuasive oral presentations. Students receive the list before instructions. Students also gain instruction in class or through self-study or both. They are assessed through multi ple forms of assessment, and those assessments are measured in relation to individ ual demonstration of competencies rather than course norms. In general, the stu dents, faculty, and administration have viewed this course positively.

Competency-Based Instruction in Business and Management Communication Courses Taught by Association for Business Communication Member Faculty

Abstract In this study, the authors surveyed 254 Association for Business Communication members to determine how many used competency-based instruction (CBI) to teach business or management communication. Only 11 % taught such a course at a 4-year institution, primarily to undergraduates. Of those who reported using CBI, most also distributed research-based competencies before assessment, allowed students to test multiple times, provided a grading system encouraging achievement above minimum standards, and used student feedback to improve content and structure of competencies. Significant barriers to CBI included faculty satisfaction with traditional instruction, lack of knowledge about CBI, lack of incentives or resources, difficulty in scheduling physical facilities, and student immaturity in handling the freedom invoved in CBI instruction.

An Empirically Tested Communication Skills Core Module for Mba Students, With Implications for the AACSB

Communication skills have been recognized as an essential part of management since the earliest studies and continue to be a focus of attention. For example, Bond, Hildebrandt, and Miller (1984) using a database of 5,299 executives (board chairs, presidents, or vice-presidents of leading American corporations), and testing among other things the degree of importance of business communication, found that communication has had and continues to play the highest overall significant role in management advancement. About four in five of responding executives cite oral and written communication as the single, most important course in career preparation of a young person today. A more recent study by Bennett and Olney (1986), surveying vicepresidential-level executives of Fortune 500 corporations, indicates 97.7 percent of the respondents believe that communication skills had affected their advancement to top executive positions. While the management-communication relationship has been obvious for more than six decades, two major trends have emerged to place a new focus

MIS: Conceptual Framework, Criticisms, And Major Requirements for Success

Decision-making plays a major role in managerial objectives. Management Information Systems (MIS), a computer-based formal plan which creates, stores, and retrieves information, allows managers to control the amount and quality of information leading to decisions. Presented in this paper are three topics concerning MIS. First, a conceptual framework defines MIS and managerial needs for MIS Then, the impact of such a system is evaluated in a section on frequent criticisms of MIS. Finally, this paper examines several requirements for successful implementation, including the existence of an adequate systems structure source and the identification of individual needs. MIS, as a primary source of information for managers, serves to refine communication, thereby leading to successful managerial decisions.

Phoenix Area Personnel Managers' Perceptions of the Importance of Writing Skills in Their Own Organizations

Phoenix area personnel managers regarded all of a selected list of topics representing different aspects of writing as important; however, physical layout was judged to be the least important relatively. The most important problems in written communication were related to organization, contents, and spelling. Physical layout, typing, and punctuation were rated as least important. Formal procedures for assessing writing skill of potential employees were regarded as only moderately important for the recent college graduate and the experienced manager. The managers suggested that writing skill (or a lack of it) as revealed in the application blank is important in the hiring process, and that the degree of such skill manifested by managers after employment is very significant in the promotion process. Writing skill is assessed during performance appraisal in some companies, and most supervisors encouraged the development of employee writing skill.