Syllabus

Title
2172 Internal Business Communication
Instructors
Mag. Milena Nagengast, PhD, BSc
Contact details
Type
PI
Weekly hours
2
Language of instruction
Englisch
Registration
11/23/21 to 11/25/21
Registration via LPIS
Notes to the course
Dates
Day Date Time Room
Monday 11/29/21 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM Online-Einheit
Wednesday 12/01/21 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 12/06/21 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 12/13/21 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM Online-Einheit
Wednesday 12/15/21 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 12/20/21 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM Online-Einheit
Wednesday 12/22/21 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 01/10/22 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM TC.4.18
Wednesday 01/12/22 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 01/17/22 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM Online-Einheit
Contents

The course introduces students to a range of topics, concepts and methods relevant to understanding internal communication within organisations. It explores key concepts in organisational studies from the perspective of language and communication and shows how these shape and constitute workplace processes, practices and decision-making. It takes a practice-oriented approach to familiarising students with a variety of communication channels, processes and formats used in spoken and written interactions between people in a range of organisational roles: between managers and subordinates as well as between co-workers.

The course covers key topics which are central to successful communication in any organisation in today’s business environment, including leadership, recruitment, change management, decision-making and conflict management. While students may be familiar with some of these topics from other courses, the communication focus of the course will illuminate these from a new perspective. Research from business and management is combined with research from linguistics in order to provide a rich account of the communicative processes and strategies that are relevant to each of these topics.

Learning outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • understand and critically evaluate key concepts in internal communication, including corporate culture, leadership, diversity and the management of change, language and conflict,
  • understand the role played by language in internal communication, with a focus on key written and spoken “genres" (communicative events and texts) such as emails and other forms of digital communication, letters of application, internal meetings and negotiations,
  • apply a range of methods in order to analyse internal genres, including genre analysis, conversation analysis, politeness theory and metaphor analysis,
  • describe and critically discuss the key concepts in internal communication with reference to relevant academic literature and apply the theories and methods dealt with in the course to specific business and workplace situations, events and texts.
Attendance requirements

Attendance is a requirement to pass the course. As a special concession, you may miss up to two (2) meetings.

Teaching/learning method(s)

Up front lecture, combined with class discussion, group work and group presentation.

Assessment

1) Written Analysis task (40%)

2) Group project presented orally (20%)

3) Written project report (40%)

Prerequisites for participation and waiting lists

For information on the specialization in "International Business Communicaiton" - including organizational aspects regarding admission - please see here.

Readings
1 Author: Darics, E. und Koller, V.
Title:

Language in Business, Language at Work


Publisher: London: Palgrave
Year: 2018
Content relevant for class examination: Yes
Recommendation: Essential reading for all students
Type: Book
2 Author: Lesk. S., Lavric, E. and Stegu, M.
Title:

"Multilingualism in Business: Language policies and practices"

!!!!!! Dieser Buchbeitrag ist enthalten in: G. Mautner & F. Rainer (Eds), Business Communication: Linguistic Approaches, Berlin: De Gruyter, 269-317.


Year: 2017
Content relevant for class examination: Yes
Recommendation: Essential reading for all students
3 Author: Koester, Almut
Title:

The Language of Work


Publisher: London: Routledge
Year: 2004
Recommendation: Strongly recommended (but no absolute necessity for purchase)
Type: Book
4 Author: Darics, Erika
Title:

Writing Online: A Guide to Effective Digital Communication at Work


Publisher: New York, NY Business Expert Press
Year: 2016
Recommendation: Reference literature
Type: Book
5 Author: Schnurr, Stephanie
Title:

Exploring Professional Communication


Publisher: London: Routledge
Year: 2013
Recommendation: Reference literature
Type: Book
6 Author: Lavric, Eva, Lesk, Susanne and Stegu, Martin
Title:

"Multilingualism in Business: Language needs"

!!!!!! Dieser Buchbeitrag ist enthalten in: G. Mautner & F. Rainer (Eds), Business Communication: Linguistic Approaches, Berlin: De Gruyter, 249-268


Publisher: Berlin: De Gruyter
Year: 2017
Recommendation: Reference literature
Type: Book
7 Author: Mautner, Gerlinde
Title:

Discourse and Management


Publisher: London: Palgrave
Year: 2016
Recommendation: Reference literature
Type: Book
Availability of lecturer(s)

Please refer to the homepage of the Institute for English Business Communication: https://www.wu.ac.at/en/ebc/contact/

Unit details
Unit Date Contents
1

Introduction to Internal Business Communication; Organisational Culture and Communication

Reading:

  1. Darics & Koller, 2018: Chapters 1 and 13C
  2. Koester, 2004: Unit One
  3. Schnurr, 2013: Chapter 3
2

Internal Business Genres: 1) Email and Digital Communication 2) Financial Genres

Reading:

  1. Darics & Koller, 2018: Chapter 14A and 7C
  2. Darics, 2016
3

Language and Leadership

  • Leadership Styles and Discursive leadership
  • Female leadership

Reading:

  1. Darics & Koller 2018, Chapters 7A and 5B
  2. Schnurr 2013, Chapter 7
4

The Discourse of Change Management

Reading:

Darics and Koller, Chapter 8

5

The Language of Decision-making, Problem-solving and Negotiation

Reading:

Koester 2004, Chapter 4, pp.57 – 66

6

Conflict Management: The Language of Disagreement and Conflict

Reading:

Darics and Koller, Chapter 9

7

The Language of Recruitment

Reading:

Darics and Koller, Chapter 11

8

Language Management

Reading:

Lesk, S., Lavric, E. and Stegu, M. (2017). Multilingualism in Business: Language policies and practices, In M. Mautner & F. Rainer (Eds.): Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, Chapter 13

 

9

Student Group presentations

 

Last edited: 2021-04-30



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