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 (communication) studies and shows how communication shapes and constitutes workplace processes, practices, culture 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 various organisational settings, not only corporates, but also small family businesses, political institutions, NGOs, movements, museums, or sports clubs. In small group settings, inside-outside teaching environments and creative learning practices, we will analyse and learn about various communicative processes and strategies that are relevant for your future work life.

Students will be able to:

• understand and critically evaluate key concepts in internal communication, including corporate culture, leadership, change and sustainability  management,
• 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,
• 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 is a requirement to pass the course. As a special concession, you may miss up to two (2) meetings.

Lecture elements, combined with class discussion, group work and group presentation as well as creative elements and inside-outside teaching.

1) Interview / podcast (40%)

2) Group project presented orally (30%)

3) Interview analysis / reflection (30 %)

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

Please log in with your WU account to use all functionalities of read!t. For off-campus access to our licensed electronic resources, remember to activate your VPN connection connection. In case you encounter any technical problems or have questions regarding read!t, please feel free to contact the library at readinglists@wu.ac.at.