Welcome to Comm 210: ContemporaryWelcome to Comm 210: Contemporary Business Thinking

Your guide: Cheryl Gladu

E‐mail: cgladu@jmsb.concordia.cag @j

Office: MB 14‐353

Office hours: Thursday 4pm‐5pm (or byOffice hours: Thursday 4pm 5pm (or by appointment)

Telephone: 848‐2424 #4134

Objectives for todayObjectives for today

• IntroductionsIntroductions

C i l l i• Course overview: goals, content, evaluation 

• A first look at critical thinking about business

• Preparation for week 2

Who are You?Who are You?  

And …who am I?

And …why are we here, anyway?

COMM 210: Learning Outcomes

• Improve your thinking skills, especially yourImprove your thinking skills, especially your ability to perform critical analysis of business texts

• Expand your knowledge of the language of business

• Stimulate interest in current business news & your own business‐related experiences

• Improve your writing skills & ability to work in teams

Comm 210: Required readingsq g

• BooksBooks– Mandel‐Campbell, 2008 “Why Mexicans don’t drink Molson”don t drink Molson

– Dyer, 2006 “Critical thinking for business students”students

– Burlingham, 2005 “Small Giants”

• Articles on Reserve at Webster Library• Articles on Reserve at Webster Library– Business classics: Management “gurus”

Other articles on electronic reserve– Other articles on electronic reserve

Our toolkitOur toolkit…

• foundational management theories– Chandler, – Collins & Porras, Greiner– Greiner, 

– Handy, – Herzberg, g– Kaplan & Norton, – Mintzberg, P t– Porter

– Tannenbaum & SchmidtSchmidt

Comm 210: EvaluationComm 210: Evaluation

• Examinations– Midterm 20%– Final 40%

• Team project & progress reports– Term paper – research & apply knowledge to new p p pp y gbusiness information 30%

• Classwork– Discussion, capacity‐building exercises, homework 10%

• Details available on FirstClass

Team ProjectTeam Project

• Teams of 4ish studentsTeams of 4ish students

• Project requirements: Get engaged in a contemporary business issue collect datacontemporary business issue, collect data, analyze information critically, and write an interesting & persuasive reportinteresting & persuasive report

• Project reportD i W k 12 (20%)– Due in Week 12 (20%)

• Peer assessment at end of term

Exercise Excerpt from Fortunemagazine

• Which phrases catch your attention & seemWhich phrases catch your attention & seem worthy of discussion?

• Do you agree or disagree with the author?• Do you agree or disagree with the author?

• Do you think that the writing style is i ? Wh h ?persuasive? Why or why not?

Excerpt from Fortune magazine article

CONGRATULATIONS, COLLEGE GRADS! Now begins your so‐called real life. But here's a bummer: If you took your parents' well‐meaning advice and majored in a seemingly useful discipline like accounting or marketing, you may be headed for the unemployment line. 

According to a new study by Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York most parents (75%) and college‐age kids (85%)Geneva, New York most parents (75%) and college age kids (85%) believe the point of college is to get a practical education and land a decent job right out of school. 

But CEOs queried for the survey were thinking instead of long termBut CEOs queried for the survey were thinking instead of long‐term career development: only 37% of them said the purpose of a sheepskin is to acquire work skills. While the parents and kids took a dim view of liberal arts business leaders called the humanities essential toliberal arts, business leaders called the humanities essential to developing critical thinking (90%) and problem‐solving skills (77%). 

What if the CEOs are right, and your techie degree lands you in N h ill ? Th ' l d h lNowheresville? There's always grad school.

Topic: GLOBALIZATIONTopic: GLOBALIZATIONIt’s great – bring it on!

Where do you stand?

g gOh sweet, luscious global prosperity/profitability through trade!

No way! Makes the rich, richer and the poor, poorer.Allows no room for local culture or economy nor any concern foror economy, nor any concern for the planet’s sustainability.

Underlying assumptionsUnderlying assumptions

•How have cultural norms informed your view? 

•What about the way you have been educated might have caused you to think this way? What are the unspoken assumptions underlying your education system and specific disciplineeducation system and specific discipline

•Do you share the perspectives of parents, family, and/or peers on this issue? 

•If you were brought up in a religion, what are the underlying assumptions of your religious beliefs that may affect how you think about the issue? 

•How might your social and economic status in society/the world g y y/influence your thinking? 

•How have particular experiences in your life informed your view on the issue?issue? 

Preparation for next weekPreparation for next week

• Considering your initial reaction, do you think that g y , yglobalization is predominantly good or predominantly problematic?

• Readings for next week– Chandler’s article about business successChandler s article about business success

• On reserve in Webster library

– “Why Mexicans don’t drink Molson,” Intro, ch. 1– Critical thinking about Claims

• Don’t forget to check FirstClass

And don’t forget to bring your texts to class!• Don t forget to check FirstClass class!