The course will develop written and spoken skills. Students will enhance their writing by learning about and applying skills of paragraph development, 'Plain English' style, and the syntactic structure of clauses and phrases. Students will apply these skills in business contexts (for example: reports, proposals, letters) and academic contexts (the research paper and case study). Speaking skills will be enhanced by understanding and applying oral communication in impromptu and formal speaking (the 5 minute 'pitch').
Communication is important in the workplace and at University. It builds knowledge and coordinates action. It helps us to perform our roles appropriately and relate with one another.
This course will help you understand business and academic contexts, and think about how you communicate in those contexts. It will introduce you to key written and spoken genres used in the workplace. It will also help you produce academic genres for the UQ Business School.
During this course, you will also consider corporate social responsibility, focusing on human rights and environmental sustainability.
This is a "hands-on" course:
The course will be delivered each week through
You must attend a lecture and/or complete the OLM BEFORE your tutorial.
Course staff will post weekly announcements on Blackboard.
Please post any questions about this course to
NOTE:
Sustainable Development Goals - UQ Business School is a proud supporter and Advanced Signatory of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (UN PRME). As part of the largest global collaboration between business schools and the UN, the school emphasises its role in empowering students to drive societal transformation through the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs highlight that a thriving economy relies on a healthy environment, aiming to balance economic growth, social well-being, and environmental protection for a sustainable future.
UQ Business School assumes all students have the English language competency needed to complete this course. However, if you speak English as an Additional Language, you might benefit from additional support.
English for Academic Communication (EAC) is a free course, designed to fit around your UQ degree. Completing an EAC workshop series can also contribute towards the UQ Employability Award.
You can sign up for EAC with The University of Queensland College.
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You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
MGTS7602
Please use the course email address for all correspondence about this course: mgts7610@business.uq.edu.au
BUT for questions about your enrolment / tutorial allocation, please contact business.mytimetable@uq.edu.au
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Course staff do NOT have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation.
Please do NOT write to the course email address or course staff about your enrolment.
If you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please email business.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details:
This course aims to equip students for effective business and academic management communication.
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Express your opinions clearly by using words and sentence structures efficiently.
LO2.
Communicate with colleagues and customers in a polite and effective way.
LO3.
Make a convincing argument by structuring your ideas coherently and persuasively.
LO4.
Speak confidently and persuasively to an audience.
LO5.
Use visual aids and digital technology to engage the audience.
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio, Reflection | Business writing portfolio | 40% |
2/04/2025 4:00 pm |
| Presentation, Reflection | Conference Presentation | 30% |
14/05/2025 4:00 pm |
| Examination |
Final exam
|
30% |
End of Semester Exam Period 7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025 |
2/04/2025 4:00 pm
In this assessment task, you will create a portfolio of written documents suited to different business situations (email, letter, media release) AND a Critical Reflection on your own writing).
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
1. You MAY use Artificial Intelligence (AI) - including Grammarly, DEEPL, ChatGPT, etc. - when preparing this assignment.
2. BUT
3. IF YOU DON'T complete ALL of the steps (a) - (c) above, the maximum grade you can receive for this assignment will be 4 out of 7.
4. Do NOT change the set question. Assignments that do not answer the set question(s) will receive a grade of zero (0) for the whole assignment.
1. You will submit this assessment via Turnitin (on Blackboard).
2. Before submitting your assignment, make sure you have:
3. IF YOU DON'T complete ALL of the steps (a) - (c) above, the maximum grade you can receive for this assignment will be 4/7.
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Please note:
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Please note:
14/05/2025 4:00 pm
In this assessment task, you will create a 5-minute video presentation recommending a solution to a problem caused by businesses in a specific industry, and write a Critical Reflection on your video. Please see the Assignment Instructions posted on Blackboard for more detail.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
1. You MAY use Artificial Intelligence (AI) - including Grammarly, DEEPL, ChatGPT, etc. - when preparing this assignment.
2. BUT
3. IF YOU DON'T complete ALL of the steps (a) - (c) above, the maximum grade you can receive for this assignment will be 4/7.
4. Do NOT change the set question. Assignments that do not answer the set question(s) will receive a grade of zero (0) for the whole assignment.
1. You will submit this assessment via Turnitin (on Blackboard).
2. Before submitting your assignment, make sure you have:
3. IF YOU DON'T complete ALL of the steps (a) - (c) above, the maximum grade you can receive for this assignment will be 4/7.
You may be able to apply for an extension.
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
End of Semester Exam Period
7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025
The final exam is a closed-book, handwritten exam. It will be held in-person, on-campus at a time schedule by the university.
The exam will assess
Course staff will guide you about the types of questions on the exam BUT you will have to do your own independent study.
Please see the Assignment Instructions posted on Blackboard for more detail.
AI Statement:
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Calculator options | No calculators permitted |
| Open/closed book | Closed Book examination - specified written materials permitted |
| Materials | One A4 sheet of handwritten or typed notes, double sided, is permitted One unmarked, hard copy English or bilingual dictionary. |
| Exam platform | Paper based |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
You may be able to defer this exam.
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 29 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30 - 46 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Grades will be allocated according to university-wide standards of criterion-based assessment.
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Students enrolled in this course will have free access to two UQ MOOCs:
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 6 |
Not Timetabled |
ACE101x Modules 1 & 3 ACE10x Modules 1 & 3 are REQUIRED READING, and will be assessed in the final exam. Please
Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Not Timetabled |
WRITE101x Modules Specific Write101x modules are RECOMMENDED READING for this course. Although these modules will not be assessed directly, they will help you complete all three asessment tasks in this course. Please see Blackboard for more information. Learning outcomes: L01 |
Week 1 |
Lecture |
Introduction Introduction to the course: introduction to communication theory. Please see the Online Learning Module for more information. Learning outcomes: L01 |
Week 2 |
Lecture |
Business correspondence Introduction to business correspondence. Please see the Online Learning Module for more information. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Tutorial |
Business correspondence Business letters and emails. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Week 3 |
Lecture |
Clear writing for Business Audience, relevance theory and clear writing for business. Please see the Online Learning Module for more information. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Tutorial |
Clear writing for Business Clear writing, effective sentences, projection and academic integrity. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Week 4 |
Lecture |
Communicating through the media Journalistic writing, media releases and assessment. Please see the Online Learning Module for more information. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Tutorial |
Communicating through the media Media release structure, animating sources and assignment review. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Week 5 |
Lecture |
Rapport management Rapport management, modality, persuasive language and critical reflections. Please see the Online Learning Module for more information. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Tutorial |
Rapport management: Hedges and boosters, modal verbs, persuasive language and critical reflections. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
Week 6 |
Lecture |
Academic writing for business #1 (Academic genres) Shared repertoire and genre, conferences, academic genres, IMRD articles and argumentative essays. Please see the Online Learning Module for more information. Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
Tutorial |
Academic writing for business #1 (Academic genres) Academic genres: purposes and stages. Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
|
Multiple weeks From Week 7 To Week 11 |
Not Timetabled |
ACE101x Modules 4 & 5 ACE10x Modules 4 & 5 are REQUIRED READING, and will be assessed in the final exam. Please
Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
Week 7 |
Lecture |
Academic writing for business #2 (Problem-solving) Problem-solving papers, amplification subtypes and using sources. Please see the Online Learning Module for more information. Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
Tutorial |
Academic writing for business #2 (Problem-solving) The structure of problem-solving papers. Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
|
Week 8 |
Lecture |
Multimodal business communication #1: Multimodal communication, reading images and the appeal genre. Learning outcomes: L05 |
Tutorial |
Multimodal business communication #1 Good Friday Public Holiday - Friday 18 April 2025 - Check Blackboard for announcements about affected classes. Multimodal communication: organising information, positioning the viewer and organisational identity. Learning outcomes: L05 |
|
Mid-sem break |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
In-Semester Break |
Week 9 |
Lecture |
Multimodal business communication #2 Webpages as multimodal communication and PPT slide design. Please see the Online Learning Module for more information. Learning outcomes: L02, L05 |
Tutorial |
Multimodal business communication #2 Elements of effective PPT slide design. Learning outcomes: L02, L05 |
|
Week 10 |
Lecture |
Multimodal business communication #3 Labour Day Public Holiday - Monday 5 May 2025 - Check Blackboard for announcements about affected classes. Spoken presentations and gestures. Please see the Online Learning Module for more information. Learning outcomes: L02, L04 |
Tutorial |
Multimodal business communication #3 Labour Day Public Holiday - Monday 5 May 2025 - Check Blackboard for announcements about affected classes. Presentations and body language. Learning outcomes: L02, L04 |
|
Week 11 |
Lecture |
Academic writing for business #3 (Academic tone) Lexical bundles, academic vocabulary and assessment overview. Please see the Online Learning Module for more information. Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
Tutorial |
Academic writing for business #3 (Academic tone) Academic writing for business: referencing, paraphrasing and summarising. Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
|
Week 12 |
Lecture |
Ethics & business communication CSR reporting, CEO statements & cohesion. Please see the Online Learning Module for more information. Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L05 |
Tutorial |
Ethics & business communication Analysing CEO statements and cohesion. Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L05 |
|
Week 13 |
Lecture |
Crisis communication Crisis communication, corporate apologies and workplace conversations. Please see the Online Learning Module for more information. Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
Tutorial |
Crisis communication Corporate apologies. Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
Sustainable Development Goal
This course integrates the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through course content and assessment.
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.