PRL1004 Issues in Organisational Communication

Contents

• Staffing
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Reference materials
• Student workload
• Assessment details
• Important assessment information
• Assessment notes
• Other requirements
• Production date
• PDF version

STAFFING

SYNOPSIS

This course provides students preparing to enter professional contexts with conceptual frameworks for understanding and analysing the practices that shape the structure of communication in organizations. Students will also develop a range of practical and conceptual skills for the strategic management of organisational communication including the areas of organisational culture and communicative climate. This course will also examine the ways in which communicative processes can be used to facilitate strategic planning and policy development for organisations.

OBJECTIVES

On completion of this course students will be able to:

1.

articulate an understanding of conceptual frameworks used to examine and analyse organisational culture and communication;

2.

apply organisational communication structures and processes;

3.

evaluate and justify a range of theoretical frameworks used to examine and analyse organisational culture and communication;

4.

apply a range of practical and conceptual skills for the strategic management of organisational communication, culture and communicative climate;

5.

demonstrate knowledge on a range of ways in which communicative processes can be used to facilitate strategic planning and policy development for organisations;

6.

evaluate a range of organisational communication management approaches and strategies;

7.

demonstrate intermediate level academic and professional literacy skills by explaining, applying and evaluating relevant concepts, theories and theoretical frameworks;

8.

demonstrate ethical research and enquiry skills by finding appropriate sources and adhering to norms of academic integrity and research ethics;

9.

demonstrate written and oral communication skills by preparing and submitting a tutorial presentation, assignment journal and an applied theory project.

TOPICS

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Dwyer, J 2005, Communication in business: strategies and skills, 3rd edn, Pearson Education, Frenchs Forest, NSW.

Harris, T 2002, Applied organizational communication: principles and pragmatics for future practice, 2nd edn, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ.
(Also available online via library catalogue)

Nutting, H & Cielens, M & Strachan, J 1996, The business of communicating, 3rd edn, McGraw-Hill, Sydney.

Pace, R & Faules, D 1994, Organizational communication, 3rd edn, Prentice Hall Inc, Englewood Cliffs.

Rasberry, RW & Lemoine, LF 1994, Effective managerial communication, 2nd edn, Wadsworth, Belmont.

Spangle, M & Moorhead, J 1997, Interpersonal communication in organizational settings: communication skills for business, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, Iowa.

Starkey, K 2004, How organizations learn: managing the search for knowledge, 2nd edn, Routledge, London.

Waddell, D, Cummings, TG & Worley, CG 2000, Organisation development and change, 2nd edn, Nelson Thomson Learning, South Melbourne.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   There are no attendance requirements for this external course. However, it is the student's responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To successfully complete an individual assessment item, a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks or a grade of at least C-. This statement must be read in conjunction with Statement 4 below.
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without extenuating circumstances and without prior approval, then a penalty of a maximum of 5% of the assigned mark may apply for each working day late, up to a maximum of 10 working days, at which time a mark of zero can be recorded for that assignment.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks (or grades) obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   There is no exam for this course.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   Given the details under (6) above, there are no deferred exams for this course. However, if any deferred/makeup work is granted, it would have to be submitted by a date set by the examiner.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm or in the current USQ Handbook.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

1. If assignments in the course require the use of surveys, interviews, etc., students should be aware of the University and Faculty of Arts ethical requirements/guidelines. (The course syllabus distributed to students in the first week of teaching provides this information.)
2. Students can expect that questions in assessment items in this course may draw upon knowledge and skills that they can reasonably be expected to have acquired before enrolling in the course. This includes knowledge contained in pre-requisite courses and appropriate communication, information literacy, analytical, critical thinking, problem solving or numeracy skills. Students who do not possess such knowledge and skills should not expect to achieve the same grades as those students who do possess them.
3. Students will require access to email and have internet access to UConnect for this course.

This version produced 11 Dec 2009.