Communication Skills

• BUS–X 104 Business Presentations (3 cr.) Students are introduced to oral communication in business contexts. The course focus is on theory-based skill development that will enable students to deliver audience-centered messages, work in teams, and analyze and develop oral arguments. Students may not receive credit for both X104 and (X106 or CMCL-C 121).

• BUS–X 106 Business Presentations - Honors (3 cr.) P: Students must be admitted to the Hutton Honors College or the Business Honors Program. Students are introduced to oral communication in business contexts. The course focus is on theory-based skill development that will enable students to deliver audience-centered messages, work in teams, and analyze and develop oral arguments. Students are given an additional opportunity to engage in an international or political communication exercise. Students cannot receive credit for both X106 and (X104 or CMCL-C 121).

• BUS–X 204 Business Communication (3 cr.) P: ENG-W 131 or equivalent with a grade of C or better. Business Communication prepares each student to write strategic, effective, and ethical messages and to collaborate in global business environments. Students learn to: apply the complex communication process model to specific contexts; construct and critically analyze arguments; write clear, concise, and audience-centered business documents; collaborate within team environments to deliver effective messages.  X204 satisfies the criteria for the Shared Goal of Intensive Writing criteria in the Indiana University General Education curriculum.  Students may not receive credit for both X204 and X205.

• BUS–X 205 Business Communication - Honors (3 cr.) P: ENG-W 131 or equivalent with a grade of C or better and admission to the Hutton Honors College or the Business Honors Program. The overall goal of this course is to develop an awareness of the complexity involved in the communication process in order to communicate effectively both verbally (orally and in writing) and nonverbally in a business setting. The X205 capstone experience is participation in a team case competition.  X205 satisfies the criteria for the Shared Goal of Intensive Writing criteria in the Indiana University General Education curriculum.  Students may not receive credit for both X205 and X204. 

• BUS-X 301 Communication for Accountants (3 cr.) P: declared Accounting major. Required for all Accounting majors. Students are introduced to effective written and oral communication skills, specifically for use in an accounting career.  The courses's approach is to view accounting-related interactions (accounting interviews with clietns, preparing audit reports, and so on) from a communication perspective.

• BUS–X 330 International Communication Strategies (3 cr.) This course explores communication strategies useful for dealing with the demands of doing business in a foreign culture. Students learn about the similarities and differences of verbal and nonverbal communication styles between multiple cultures and countries.

Professional Skills

• BUS–X 220 Career Perspectives (2 cr.) X220 is an I-Core prerequisite that is required of all business majors. Introduces students to the process of career planning and development through self-assessment, exploration of business options, and early planning and goal setting. Provides weekly individualized feedback to students on oral and written communication skills and on the substance of career-related projects. The course is highly interactive, incorporating many guests per semester including alums and other corporate mentors and speakers, faculty, and senior students.

• BUS–X 420 Business Career Planning and Placement (2 cr.) P: Junior standing. X420, a required course for all business majors, is taken after I-Core. Assists students in obtaining positions consistent with career goals. Covers career planning, career options, organized employment campaigns, interviewing techniques, alternate job search strategies, employment communications, networking, on-the-job success skills, and career management. Involves in-depth work with resumes, electronic mail, and other communication tools. Includes sessions with corporate managers describing work issues and training programs. Juniors or seniors of any major may enroll in X420.

Computer Skills

• BUS–K 201 The Computer in Business (3 cr.) K201 is an I-Core prerequisite that is required of all business majors. It provides an introduction to the role of computers and other information technologies in business. It provides instruction in both functional and conceptual computer literacy. Conceptual computer literacy is the focus of the weekly lecture. After introducing the basic concepts of computer use, these lectures devote special attention to current technological innovation in social and business environments. Topics include technology and organizational change, telecommunications, privacy in the information age, and business security on the Internet. Functional computer literacy is the focus of the weekly discussion section, which meets twice a week in a computer lab. This part of the course presents an introduction to two of the most widely used database and spreadsheet packages: Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel. Students learn, via hands-on examples, many of the powerful tools contained in these two packages, with emphasis on how to analyze a variety of business problems with Access and Excel. The goal is not to teach these packages in an abstract sense, but rather to show how they can be applied to real business problems to help make important decisions.

• BUS–K 204 The Computer in Business - Honors (3 cr.) P: Students must be admitted to the Hutton Honors College or the Business Honors Program. K204 substitutes for K201, an I-Core prerequisite that is required for all business majors. It provides an introduction to the role of computers and other information technologies in business. It provides instruction in both functional and conceptual computer literacy. Conceptual computer literacy is the focus of the weekly lecture. After introducing the basic concepts of computer use, these lectures devote special attention to current technological innovation in social and business environments. Topics include technology and organizational change, telecommunications, privacy in the information age, and business security on the Internet. Functional computer literacy is the focus of the weekly discussion section, which meets twice a week in a computer lab. This part of the course presents an introduction to two of the most widely used database and spreadsheet packages: Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel. Students learn, via hands-on examples, many of the powerful tools contained in these two packages with emphasis on how to analyze a variety of business problems with Access and Excel. The goal is not to teach these packages in an abstract sense, but rather to show how they can be applied to real business problems to help make important decisions. K204 is the honors version of K201, and it shares the same basic course content as K201. However, its in-class applications and its projects and exams are more challenging than those in K201.