How Male, Female, and Mixed-Gender Groups Regard Interaction and Leadership Differences in the Business Communication Course

2001 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 43-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet K. Winter ◽  
Joan C. Neal ◽  
Karen K. Waner

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."

1996 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraldine E. Hynes ◽  
Vinita Bhatia

The purpose of this study was to determine graduate business students' pref erences for the business communication course curriculum. Two hundred fifty- five graduate business students who had taken a core course in managerial communication were surveyed, 86% of whom are employed. The most highly rated course topics were making presentations, writing memos and letters, lis tening and interpersonal communication, impromptu speaking, and business report formats. The topics rated least important were international business communication, using technology, and managing diversity. The most fre quently suggested additional topics were job interviews, team building, writing manuals/policies/procedures, and ethics.


1998 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 48-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Allen ◽  
Pam Rooney

As the population of students speaking English as a second language increases, our business communication courses have required changes in both content and pedagogical approach. We have taught writing, speaking, and lis teningfrom a problem-solving perspective for many years and now find its emphasis on critical thinking poses different challenges for the ESL students in our courses. Consequently, we have designed a problem-based course struc ture for an upper-level business communication course that allows both ESL and native English-speaking students the opportunity to improve communica tion abilities in cross-cultural work groups.


2002 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 60-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Wardrope

The purpose of this investigation was to determine business department chairs' rat ings of topics typically covered in the business communication course. A sample of 280 chairs provided administrative information about the business communication courses at their institutions, rated the importance of 34 topics typically covered in the course, and assessed the need for the course in their programs. Results indicate that department chairs perceive writing skills to be more important to business communication courses than other communication skills, such as speaking, tech nology-mediated communication, interpersonal communication, team/group com munication, listening, and cultural literacy skills. Implications for business com munication curriculum and research are offered.


1997 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Liu ◽  
Linda Beamer

The two authors created a multimedia intercultural business communication program. Multimedia is an effective instructional tool because of its ability to capture the attention of the learner and offer interactivity so the learner con trols the learning process. An appeal is made to the learner's imagination. Two constraints are the computer requirements to operate it and the length of time required to learn a multimedia software design program. The course content is described and the seven steps in developing the multimedia hypertext are detailed. The authors recommend the process with advice about what charac teristics the authors of multimedia programs need to develop.


2017 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-129
Author(s):  
Carol Wright

The purpose of this research is to examine specific examples of how business communication courses are delivered in large, face-to-face university classes to discover implications of these large courses. This case study reviewed four classes from two different midsized universities whose classes range from 48 to 300 students. Findings suggest that, when faced with the possibility of teaching more students, it is important to understand that pedagogical strategies may need to be adjusted to maintain student learning. These strategies include modifying the course to the lecture/lab structure, limiting the amount of writing, or allowing the instructor to teach fewer courses.


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