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7170.10 Business Communication Skills Requirement for Master’s Students
As this catalog went to production, changes in the Business Communication Skills Requirements were being considered by the RCB faculty. If changes are approved to become effective in the 2003-2004 year, they will be added to the Updates section of the RCB website: robinson.gsu.edu. (Click on Students then Updates.)
All master’s students except those students in the Master of Taxation program must complete a one-day, noncredit workshop in business communication skills before registering for their fifth 8000-level course taught by the Robinson College of Business. (M.Tx. students satisfy this requirement by taking BCom 8250.) The workshop is not graded and covers both written and spoken communication skills. Specifically, it will teach participants how to:
• Analyze audiences and formulate a conscious communication strategy.
• Write business memos, letters, and reports that are clear, concise, and objective oriented.
• Use headings, white space, and other document design elements to make information more readable.
• Develop and deliver effective oral presentations, including appropriate, high-impact visuals in support of key ideas.
Students may petition for exemption from the business communication skills requirement by calling Business Communication Programs at 404/651-1072 or faxing to 404/651-1073 if any of the following apply:
• Earned a grade of C or higher in BCom 3950, Engl 3130, or Spch 3210 at Georgia State.
• Earned a grade of C or higher in a managerial communication course at another accredited college or university. The course must have included significant practice and instruction in both written and spoken communication.
• Earned a grade of C or higher in both a public speaking course and a business writing course at another accredited college or university.
• Completed communication courses sponsored by their employers.
Students must provide documentation on the content of courses they have completed. Students will not be eligible to enroll in further 8000-level RCB coursework until the requirement has been satisfied.
Additional Instruction in Business Communication
Most experts agree that excellence in communication is becoming a key differentiator in both individual and organizational success. Companies and managers are discovering that a sound communication strategy, combined with competent delivery of messages, can provide the competitive edge essential to thriving in today’s marketplace.
The Robinson College offers two graduate-level business communication courses to provide opportunities for master’s students to improve their communication skills:
BCom 8250 Effective Executive Communication
BCom 8260 Corporate Communication
These courses address both issues of individual and organizational communication and provide students with the tools to excel in both areas. The content of each course is given in the Course Descriptions chapter later in this catalog.
Completion of BCom 8250 with a grade of C or higher in the first term of enrollment can replace the business communication skills workshop described above. The use of these courses for degree credit varies from program to program. Consult the program descriptions that follow and a counselor in the Office of Graduate Student and Alumni Services for additional information. |
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7170.20 Information Technology Access and Skill Requirements
Access Requirements: Because information technology is an integral part of business decision making, courses in the Robinson College of Business frequently incorporate assignments that require computing skills. Consistent with university policy (available at www.gsu.edu/~wwwist/studentUse.html/), the Robinson College requires students to be responsible for providing computer and Internet access for all RCB courses and programs.
Hardware and Software Requirements: Georgia State has standardized on the Microsoft Office Suite in the student computer labs. See www.gsu.edu/~wwwdls/require.htm/ for current information about hardware and software configurations and Internet Service Providers. Students may consult the university’s Office of Student Financial Aid for information about possible funding opportunities for computer and Internet access expenses.
Skill Requirements: Although students can expect to enhance their information technology skills as they work toward their degrees, the college expects all students to have certain basic skills before enrolling in any business course. These skills are defined as Basic Microcomputing Skills, Word Processing and Presentation Skills, and Basic Internet Usage and are described below in the Computing Skill Prerequisites (CSP) 1, 6, and 7 definitions. When courses require additional computing skills, these CSPs are listed by number in the catalog course descriptions.
The CSPs listed in the Course Descriptions chapter of this catalog for a particular course are required for all sections of the course. Students must be proficient at the level indicated in the skills definition (see below) for each CSP listed in the catalog for individual courses. Students found to have insufficient CSP expertise can be disenrolled from the course.
7170.30 Computer Skills Prerequisites (CSPs) Definitions
CSP 1. Basic Microcomputing Skills. Understand the PC and its components; turn on the PC; use command-oriented, windows-based, and LAN operating environments to accomplish tasks such as formatting floppy disks, creating and navigating through directories and subdirectories, creating and deleting files, copying and renaming files, using help screens, loading application software, exiting from application programs and operating environments in an orderly manner, and using appropriate measures to check for and prevent the spread of computer viruses.
CSP 2. Basic Microcomputing Spreadsheet Skills. Load the spreadsheet software; create, organize, and navigate through spreadsheets; format the spreadsheet or a block of cells; enter and edit formulas, values, and text; copy, move, and protect cells; insert and delete columns and rows; save and retrieve files; print spreadsheets; use financial, statistical, and mathematical functions such as totaling and averaging of rows and columns; create and print charts and graphs; create data tables; invoke existing macros; and use help screens.
CSP 3. Advanced Microcomputer Spreadsheet Skills. Use advanced spreadsheet features such as database commands and functions; create macros; create menu systems and develop customized applications.
CSP 4. Basic Microcomputer Database Skills. Load database software, create databases; enter and edit data; add and delete records; list, query, and generate reports using the database; use help screens.
CSP 5. Advanced Microcomputer Database Skills. Link databases through keys; create input screens; develop customized applications.
CSP 6. Word Processing and Presentation Graphic Skills. For word processing: load the word processing software; create, format, edit, and save documents; copy and move text; adjust margins, indents, and line space; and adjust fonts and styles. For presentation graphics: Load the presentation graphics software, choose and modify templates; choose and modify slide layouts; insert slides, handout, and note masters; change color schemes; apply effects, animation, and multimedia to slides; run a slide show. For both: Import tables, clip art, and graphs from other applications; use spell-checking; load additional toolbars; use help screens.
CSP 7. Basic Internet Usage. Send and receive e-mail messages including attachments of files; transfer files with FTP, compress and uncompress files with utility programs; use search engines to locate documents and find information on the Web; navigate the Web with a browser including copying/pasting/saving Web information; download and set up Web browser plug-in programs such as electronic document readers and audio/video players; use Web-based clients such as library catalog systems to find specific information.
CSP 8. Advanced Internet Usage. Create formatted *.html pages with tags including links within and between pages; publish pages to a Web site; create image files and embed them in *.html pages. |
