...| Course Syllabus School of Business XBCOM/275 Version 3 Business Communications and Critical Thinking | Copyright © 2013, 2012, 2011 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course introduces students to the foundations of communication in a business setting. Students will develop skills in critical thinking and decision making through the forms of written communication, including memos, e-mails, business letters, and reports. Other topics include communication ethics and cross-cultural communications, personal communication styles, solving organizational problems, and the evaluation of an organization’s strategic direction. Policies Students will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials Moore, B. N., & Parker, R. (2012). Critical thinking (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Quintanilla, K., & Wahl, S. (2014). Business and professional communication: Keys for workplace...
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...What is the relationship between ethics and critical thinking? Did ethics play a part in the example of critical thinking you discussed in Week Four? If so, how? If not, how could it have? Critical thinking plays a large part in ethics because it helps us determine for ourselves if something is wrong or right. When in a critical thinking project so many times even when we don’t realize we are incorporating ethics into are thinking process. By doing so we have the ability to effectively make decisions based upon truths and verified information rather than unknowns. When the unknowns are eliminated it brings you the plain truths which exist and make a decision based on that. Ethics plays a large part in my critical thinking from last week. My decision to quit smoking is not only based on facts but as well as having ethical points that were addressed. In a developing a decision, as important as quitting smoking, it is important to use ethics with your critical thinking. Even when you’re not considering ethics, somewhere in the process ethics are either consciously or subconsciously used or woven into our critical thinking. Why are ethics a concern in an academic environment? Use the University Library to locate a specific example of an ethical violation in an academic environment. Provide a brief summary of the example, along with an explanation of why you chose this example. Ethics are a concern in the academic environment because students should do the right thing...
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...STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY Business School ASSIGNMENT FRONTSHEET Module Code Number BLB10057-2 Module Title Critical Thinking in Management Site Stafford/Stoke/franchises Semester Module Leader John Ramsay (Stafford and Stoke) Assessment Tutor John Ramsay Assessment Type: Assignment Assessment Title: Critical Thinking and Management Issues Weighting: 80% Written by: John Ramsay Moderated by: Internal External Additional attachments: Assignment Briefing Document Date of issue: Week commencing: Submission Date, Time, Place & Arrangements: One copy of your assignment should to be submitted to the Business School Reception at Blackheath Lane, Stafford or Brindley Business School Reception before Assignments must be submitted by the due date. The only circumstance in which assignments can be submitted late is if an extenuating circumstances form is submitted at the same time. In these circumstances work may be submitted up to 2 weeks late only. If the extenuating circumstances are upheld, the assignment will be graded, otherwise a ‘0’ will be awarded. Maximum word length: State the number of words used at the end of the assignment. You may include diagrams, figures, appendices etc. without word penalty. A sliding scale of penalties for excess length will be imposed. The penalties will be as follows: 1-10% excess no penalty 11-20% excess 10% reduction in the mark 21-30% excess 20% reduction...
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...achieve and who you want to become. Going back to school after a long time can be frightening and intimidating however we are all capable of success by utilizing our strengths and being aware of our weaknesses. We have many skills that we can use to aid in learning that we have developed though everyday life. There are methods to learning that if used correctly can greatly increase the chances for success such as making future goals. The ability to think critically is essential to becoming a good student. By having good critical thinking skills you will produce great schoolwork and make better choices. The University of Phoenix has a vast amount of resources to aid in student learning. There are strategies to learning and tools to be explored at the university library and writing center. While everyone has different learning styles, establishing educational goals, exploring university resources, employing academic integrity, and developing excellent critical thinking skills leads to academic success. In order to be successful educational goals must be established. Koch and Nafziger (2011) believed that goals affect people’s perceptions of the future. Having goals keeps you on track and makes it clear what it takes to achieve them. According to Koch and Nafziger (2011), “We show that setting a challenging goal for future performance makes future selves strive harder: they become motivated by the fear of falling short of the goal. An increase in the goal level set today allows an...
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...Students will learn about the relationships and connections among leaders, individuals, and organizations. Topics include strategy, communication, motivation, power, organizational change, and workplace conflict. Additionally this course relates leadership skill to those skills needed to be a successful lifelong and online learner. Course Learning Outcomes 1. Describe social problems, the various perspectives on problems, and possible solutions. 2. Apply knowledge of a particular major or discipline to pressing contemporary problems. 3. Create empowering environments by inspiring others, building coalitions, and developing a shared vision. 4. Integrate leadership and critical thinking skills through completion of a final project. 5. Analyze and solve problems using strategic thinking, planning, communication, and writing skills in a practical, applied setting. 6....
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...Continuing Academic Success Mehgan Matherne GEN/200 April 27, 2015 Rick Guliuzza Continuing Academic Success In order for one to fully achieve greatness and success, they must understand how to apply different strategies throughout their life that they learned during their academic career. One must take personal responsibility for their success in their education and career because you are your biggest contributor to your success. You can attain success by understanding who you are, how you learn, and how to utilize the many resources available to you. One of the most necessary tools to conquer is the process of setting goals. It’s not just necessary to set goals, but you must also understand why you are setting them. I want to earn my Bachelor’s Degree in Health Administration by November 2017. I have worked in the healthcare industry since I was 18 years old; however, I never enjoyed the clinical side of the business. As for my career, I want to work in Healthcare Administration at Ochsner Pediatrics Office. My husband had brain surgery in February 2012 at Ochsner, and the entire staff was fantastic. I want to work in the Pediatrics' department because I became a Certified Medical Administrative Assistant in February 2015 and completed my internship at a local pediatrician’s office. I found much self-gratification in working with children because I was able to assist financially strained families by finding them affordable insurance. Setting goals maps out...
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...Educational Goals Martha Edsotne GEN/2E0 (BDDK1FUB46) March 16, 2015 Kellu Smidden Educational Goals Even though there are many other important areas of concerns, besides setting goals for academic success, the benefit of creating educational goals is that you have created a solid road map to lead you there. The writing process is this map, and all you need to do is follow it. The benefit of creating educational goals and how to follow them. Once you have set your educational goals, you will then need to find out what your strengths are. Upon discovering those, you can then capitalize upon them. In the writing process, my strength is in Doing. In Doing I have at my side feeling, with them blended, I like to take what I have practiced, and put that to work. I will always seek ways to apply any newly gained skills. One good thing is that my goals are changeable; I can adjust them at any time because they are not set in stone. In Doing, According to Dalton (2009)” Our priorities change at different times in our lives. Thus, once your goals are set, remind yourself that they are not set in stone. It is absolutely essential to reevaluate your goals periodically to assure that they are consistent with your current situation and priorities” The writing process is a roadmap to success. All you need to do is follow it. Along this road map, you may need some extra help, and a great place to find this is at the University library. This is one of the...
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...and Positioning strategies. General Requirement: You are required to write your assignment in an essay format to discuss one of the three topics above. In order to complete this assignment, you are expected to conduct a primary and/or a secondary research and critically apply marketing theories in analysing real-life examples. Extra mark is given for critical thinking and primary research. Please also include the evidence for your primary research in the appendix. It should be the transcript of your interviews, interview questions and related materials. The length of the individual assignment should be 1000 words (± 10%) excluding appendices. All assignments should be typed and set 1.5 line spacing with 10-point Arial font. You must submit both a hard copy and an electronic copy of your assignment. Due date: Slot 17. A deduction of 10% of the assignment mark will be applied for each day of late submission. Reference: Plagiarism is considered academic misconduct and, as such, will be severely penalised. Plagiarism involves using the work of another person and presenting it as one’s own. Acts of plagiarism include copying parts of a document without acknowledging and providing the source for each quotation or piece of borrowed...
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...Cheating and plagiarism are contrary to the purpose of any educational institution and must be dealt with most severely if students’ work is to have any validity. An instructor who determines that a student has cheated on a test or assignment will at a minimum give a zero for that item and may give a failure for the course. Normally the matter is dealt with by the instructor and the student, but the division chairperson may be consulted by either party to ensure fairness. Plagiarism, which is the appropriation of words or ideas of another without recognition of the source, is another form of cheating. An instructor who determines that a student has plagiarized will give a zero for the paper or project and may give a failure for the course. Both cheating and plagiarism are grounds for dismissal from the College. Any action taken regarding cheating or plagiarism is subject to the Academic Grievance policy outlined in the Undergraduate Catalogue and in the Student Handbook. The two tests will be available toward the end of the 5th week and the 10th week. Look in Blackboard for time available for access and length of test time. The two short papers are 1 to 2 pages in length with two references (do not use the text as a reference). Please access the cases from Appendix B and write three of them. Use the pages to answer the questions and add to your answer with the 2 references. Cite the references in your answer. One chapter will be covered each week, for a...
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...learning about time management, critical thinking and setting goals. By me completing my degree I will have gained new experience, different point of views and a better chance to get a new job. By taking the tools I have learned I will be able to accomplish my degree in management. By setting goals throughout these past nine weeks I have had the chance to see how things work well. I started the course off without setting any goals on when class work needed to be done by or turned in. Throughout the course I set goals for myself to have things done at a certain time. Even though I set the goals for a certain time I did another change. This time I looked at my time management as well. By changing my time on when I did my work helped me improve my goals. My work use to be done from Thursday to Sunday. This was not a successful time use for me. Granted there are things that dictate on how much time and when I got something’s done. By taking a look back and seeing that half way through this was not going to work. It was time to make a change. This change came in the format of doing some work during the week. Rather than waiting until the last half of the week. This change also affected the goal settings. Goals changed to completing a certain assignment on this day and this assignment the next. Critical thinking went on the entire time. Believe it or not when I looked at the fellow students responses I started to use critical thinking. I can understand there view...
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...of time. | Work | 6 | Allows me to make money. | The category that I believe that I resemble closest is “Giving”. Some of the attributes associated with the “Giving” category are; contributing, cooperative, appreciative, forgiving, friendly, compassionate, considerate, respectful, nurturing and helpful. Although at times I don’t think I’m very dedicated, accepting and generous. But overall I have more checks in this category then all the others. The category I feel I least resemble is the “open” category. I feel that I am not as joyous as I should be. I need to work on that. I am not very “open minded” and “unbiased” with a lot of different religions and maybe I need to work on that also. Also I wish I was more “patient”. Critical Thinking 1. Knowledge 2. Comprehension 3. Application 4. Analysis 5. Synthesis 6. Evaluation Step One: Evaluate Sources of Information Level of Competence | Skills Demonstrated | 1. Knowledge | Observation and recall of information Knowledge of dates, eventsAble to: list, define, tell, describe, identify, show, label, collect, examine, quote, name | 2. Comprehension | Grasp meaningTranslate knowledge into new contextInterpret factsPredict consequencesAble to: summarize, describe, interpret, contrast,...
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...evaluate the source. Source: Davies M 2009, „Computer assisted argument mapping: a rationale approach‟, Higher Education, vol. 58, no. 6, pp. 799-820. Full citation of the source, according to RMIT referencing guide for “Reference Lists” Topic Evaluation Authority (50 words) Is that author an expert? What evidence is there to support this? Martin Davies is an expert in this field. I Googled his name and found that he has 2 doctorates and is presently a Senior Lecturer in Higher Education in the Teaching and Learning Unit and an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Economics at Melbourne University. His page on the Melb. Uni. website lists all his publications (about 70), many of which are concerned with critical thinking in tertiary learning. Validity & Accuracy (50 words) How do you know the information is accurate? Is it from a valid source, e.g. an educational institution? Find out if it is peer reviewed or been passed by an editorial panel, eg is it in a refereed journal? His article includes an appendix in which he has placed all the data from the quantitative study he conducted. Though I can‟t be sure that this data were analysed correctly, I will assume it is accurate. After searching for the journal name, I found out that it‟s considered the leading journal in tertiary teaching and learning. I couldn‟t find out if it is peer reviewed, but I assume that it is, because its webpage lists an editorial panel who—I think—review articles...
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...writing, from the most concise paper to the longest book, follows these basic guidlines. Thesis Historical essay writing is based upon the thesis. A thesis is a statement, an argument which will be presented by the writer. The thesis is in effect, your position, your particular interpretation, your way of seeing a problem. Resist the temptation, which many students have, to think of a thesis as simply "restating" an instructor's question. The writer should demonstrate originality and critical thinking by showing what the question is asking, and why it is important rather than merely repeating it. Your own informed perspective is what matters. Many first-year students ask whether the "thesis" is not just their "opinion" of a historical question. A thesis is indeed a "point of view," or "perspective," but of a particular sort: it is based not only on belief, but on a logical and systematic argument supported by evidence. The truism that we each have "our own" opinions misses the point. A good critical essay acknowledges that many perspectives are possible on any question, yet demonstrates the validity or correctness of the writer's own view. Thesis and Evidence To make a good argument you must have both a strong central thesis and plausible evidence; the two are interdependent and support each other. Some historians have compared the historian's craft to assembling and presenting a case before a jury. A strong statement of thesis needs evidence or it will convince no one. Equally...
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...Creating success in life and with business requires us to move in the direction of the goals we set for ourselves. Without goals we lack focus and direction. Goal setting allows us to take control of our life’s direction, and gives us a guide to determine if we are actually succeeding. To accomplish our goals, we need to know how to set them, it is a process that starts with consideration of what we want to achieve and ends with a lot of hard work to get there. Effective goal setting is the surest path to success. “They used their failures as learning experience and were not deterred from continuing to set goals. Instead each man held to a belief in himself as he continued to pursue goals in which he so strongly believed.” (Wilson & Dobson, 2008, p.16) Everything is a learning experience, the good and the bad, has something to teach us, it’s important that we pay attention to what that is. “On the contrary, you are likely to achieve goals that you align with your values and carefully developed, and that are supported by others.” (Sternberg &Wetzel S.R. 2001, pg. 7)Setting goals that motivate you is the first step to being successful, something that is important, that has value to me, is getting a degree in computers. This degree in computers allows to me to find a career in the computer industry, or I can work for my husband’s production company. The writing process is a crucial component in your education and career. How you write speaks volumes about you as a person...
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...Continuing Academic Success XXX GEN/201 XXX XXX Continuing Academic Success Going back to school can be a very difficult decision. There are many factors that can determine the decision to go back to school such as finances, career growth, looking for a better job, or to fulfill personal goals. That made me think about the reasons why I was going back to school. I think for most students, why one would want to return to school is an easy question to answer. After much thought, the important question is not why I was going back to school but how I was going to finish it. I needed to evaluate the reasons why I did not complete school and narrow down the key factors that will make me successful this time around. The variables for academic success are different from student to student, but some of the key factors for all students are goal setting, time management, and academic integrity. Goal Setting Goals are essential to any type of success. Goals serve as a directive and energizing function. It affects the persistence of participants and affects action by leading to arousal and discovery (Locke & Latham, 2002). Goals will keep someone motivated, focused, and provides a sense of direction necessary for academic success. However, simply creating goals will not lead to academic success. During my early academic career, my lack of goal setting led to academic failure. It was difficult for me to achieve my goals without having a clear understanding of what I was trying...
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