CCOM 6001  CORPORATE COMMUNICATION

Over  the last 150 years, the corporation has risen from relative obscurity to become the world’s dominant economic institution.  Today, corporations govern our lives.  They determine what we eat, what we watch, what we wear, where we work, and what we do.  We inescapably surrounded by their culture, iconography, and ideology.  This course introduces students to the nature and study of communication in the corporate and organizational context and how the corporation communicates with its various publics, including consumers, investors, employees, the media, and government.

CCOM 6002  ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

Organizations affect us as individuals, as well as at the group, community, national, and international levels.  For example, definitions of self and human identity are shaped by the kinds of work people do and the roles they assume within organizations.  To understand inequality among members of society, one must look at the ways in which organizations reward people in terms of income, prestige, and authority.  To understand the dynamics of power, it is impossible to ignore organizations.  Power stems from positions held within organizations and/or from the ownership and control of organizations.  People who seek political power use organizations and mobilize organizational resources.  In short, everywhere we look, organizations play some role in shaping social structures and influencing social change.

CCOM 6020  COMMUNICATION THEORY

The Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein wrote “What a Copernicus or a Darwin really achieved was not the discovery of a true theory but of a fertile new point of view.” This course takes as its theme Wittgenstein’s claim that the development of a true theory is the development of a fertile point of view. In particular we will examine the theories and the contexts of their development that make up fertile points of view in the study of corporate and organizational communication.  We will examine the process of theory construction in modern communication studies through a multi-disciplinary survey that have historical and contemporary value to the corporate communication scholars and practitioners. Conceptions of knowledge, theory development, and scientific method are used to critically examine the production and uses of modern corporate communication theories.

CCOM 6021  COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE

The course analyzes the implications of communication from and within corporations and institutions. Discussions and lectures include: definitions and types of organizational culture, methods for the study of corporate cultures, the essence and functions of organizational culture, diagnosis of corporate culture, managing and auditing communication and culture, perpetuating or reshaping cultures.

CCOM 6022  LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION

The course will apply recent theories of language to study narratives within and about corporations that concern advertising, management, and issues of corporate responsibility.  These stories will be read against each other in a dialogic relationship in order to understand what they reveal about corporate power, knowledge, and relations to local and global communities.  The theorists that we will study are Focault (on power), Chomsky (corporatism and globalization), and Deetz, Mumby, and Bakhtin (on narratives).

CCOM 6030  COMMUNICATION AND THE MARKETING PROCESS

A study of the strategies employed in and the application of the marketing process to achieve the goals of informing, influencing and persuading through advertising, personal selling, direct marketing, sales promotion, and public relations.  Both traditional and emerging methods (such as the use of the Internet as a promotional channel) will be discussed.

CCOM 6040  MANAGERIAL WRITING

Writing as a management tool. How effective writing - in plain English –can shape corporate culture, motivate people, solve problems, boost productivity and enhance your role as a communicator.  Covers audience analysis and the process of outlining, writing and editing your document.  Explains how to apply these concepts to produce concise, call-to-action letters, memos and e-mails; compelling newsletter articles; engaging PowerPoint presentations; and press releases and pitch letters that entice the media.

CCOM 6041  PRESENTING TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Emphasizes the written and oral presentation of information to technical and non-technical professionals.  Uses discussion, case analysis, situational simulations, and lecture to investigate and demonstrate effective strategies, methods, and approaches to communicating technical information.  Discussion focuses on technical writing styles, communication of goals and objectives, audience analysis, and graphics.  Topics and applications include the communications process, techniques, organization, revision, and presentation.  A term project is required.

CCOM 6042  PROFESSIONAL WRITING AND EDITING

Research is often defined as systematic inquiry into a subject. The key word in this definition, systematic, points to the need to examine topics methodically rather than to plunge haphazardly into sources.  As such, the two major goals of this course are to acquaint students with this step-by-step procedure of inquiry and to provide students with an opportunity to develop and polish their professional and scholarly writing skills. Time will be spent exploring both the on-line and published options that are available for archival research. Students will also learn how to select and refine a topic, identify core concepts, locate and read background information, decide what types of sources you will need to support your argument, evaluate the credibility and usefulness of differing sources, and finally, prepare a standard literature review that demonstrates mastery of a chosen content area. 

CCOM 6043  ORAL PRESENTATION

Emphasizes the design and delivery of oral presentations by and for members of the corporate community.  Focuses on the preparing and presenting of oral reports, summaries, analyses, studies, and statements that seek to inform and persuade.  Lectures, discussions, and workshop sessions will consider such topics as brainstorming, audience analysis, gathering and organizing data, writing or preparing notes for a talk, and presentation techniques.

CCOM 6044  PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR THE MODERN ORGANIZATION

This course explores in depth an area of concern to public relations practitioners--the growing need for organizations to keep abreast of changes in their environment and communicate with diverse publics, all of which can have a significant impact on the organizations' ability to achieve their goals. Emphasis will be placed on the impact of the environment and the publics within it and on organizational goals and practices. Students will gain substantial research experience and will interact with various community and corporate institutions.

CCOM 6045  CORPORATE RELATIONS

This course addresses the means by which a corporation creates and maintains relationships with its various publics through a focus on planning and setting objectives, dealing effectively with the media, and organizing a media relations program.  The course will investigate, through case studies, the role of communicating during a crisis, being a good corporate neighbor, dealing with the investment community, corporate responsibility, government relations, special events, and corporate philanthropy.

CCOM 6046  STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS

Investor Relations is an increasingly important function at publicly traded companies around the world.  With the need for more timely information, effective communication with key stakeholders has become essential.  Investor Relations has become an integral part of the company strategy for increased shareholder value, as well as the development of new sources of investment capital.  Company size, corporate culture, and industry tradition all influence the process of Investor Relations.

CCOM 6047  CORPORATE ADVERTISING

Provides an overview of current corporate advertising practices.  Historical examples and specific case studies are used to reveal effective and not so effective strategies and techniques.  Proper integration of corporate advertising into existing communication efforts is stressed.  Individual term projects consisting of a strategy and proposal for a specific or hypothetical company are required.

CCOM 6048  SCHERING PLOUGH EXECUTIVE LECTURES IN CORPORATE COMMUNICATION

The Schering-Plough Executive Lecture Series offers a forum in which national and international leaders in corporate communication, business, and media speak to students in the MA in Corporate and Organizational Communication. The series is sponsored by an endowment given to Fairleigh Dickinson University from the Schering-Plough Corporation. Speakers have been selected and invited by the MA in Corporate and Organizational Communication’s Board of Corporate Advisors. During the course of the lectures, students are given a unique opportunity to listen to and interact with some of the leading figures in our field.

CCOM 6049   ISSUES IN MEDIA AND ADVERTISING

This course introduces graduate students to the growing realm of traditional and new media technologies in advertising.  The course addresses the strategies and tactics involved in the design of advertising messages through different media.  The course will also focus on the impact of advertising on self-image, and current social and cultural trends.

CCOM 6050  WRITING FOR CREATIVE COMMUNICATION

A workshop to demonstrate the relevance of literary techniques to professional writing.  A course in writing genres that will develop students' verbal powers, their imaginative facility and their ability to use literary techniques to enhance real-world writing.  Practice in narrative, dramatic, and lyric writing.  Course materials will include fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and advertising.

CCOM 6051 STRATEGIC PLANNING AND MESSAGE DESIGN

Strategic planning and the design of the message are two extremely important facets of communications and public relations that will be explored in this class.  Students will get hands on experience by creating a strategic campaign plan for an organization, as well as to design the messages and choose the implementation tools within the campaign.  Faculty and guest lecturers, case studies, published materials, peer presentations, and a final campaign project will be the basis for instruction in this class.

CCOM 6052  INTERVIEWING FOR MEDIA RELATIONS

This course will concentrate of media interviews from the standpoint of how to secure interview opportunities through effective media relations, how to give a good interview, and how to best interview a subject.  The course will teach how to create and manage messages; participate in simulated print, radio, and television interviews; understand the different tactics inherent in each medium of the press, including interviews for live and taped broadcast; and how to effectively convey pre-approved messages to an audience.

CCOM 6053  CRISIS COMMUNICATION IN THE PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTEXT

This course specifically examines the dynamic practice of crisis communication on the organizational level. It seems that we live in a culture of crisis--organizations must be proactive and reactive in their public relations practices. Topics discussed will include image repair strategies, options available to organizations facing crises, crisis management teams, crisis management as a form of public relations, and examinations of case studies.

CCOM 6054  COMMUNICATION ETHICS

This course is designed to help students become aware of the theoretical approaches that underlie ethics, apply ethical decision-making strategies to actual and proposed cases, analyze cases from an ethical standpoint, develop ethical guidelines for personal and professional behavior, and evaluate cases given ethical codes and offer recommendations for ethical communication.

CCOM 6060  COMMUNICATION IN THE ELECTRONIC MEDIUM

This course will enable students to use contenporary models of communication to articulate and understand the nature of communication processes inherent in electronic media such as email, instant messaging, the internet, blogs, discussion boards, and distance learning.

CCOM 6064  CORPORATE WEB DESIGN

This course is an introduction to Web page creation and design using HTML commands.  Theoretical discussion of the steps involved in implementation of a multimedia web site is reinforced with hands-on experience in a computer laboratory setting.  Practical tools and concepts for creating individual web pages and complete internet sites are discussed.  A term group project is required in which students  plan, design, and implement a complete, sophisticated web site. 

CCOM 7025  COMMUNICATION & CHANGE

Explores the role of communication in the contemporary corporation as it experiences rapid change.  Topics include the impact of such forces as crises and globalization on the communication policy, process, and culture in corporations.  Understanding the process of change and of managing change is central to the course.  The seminar also explores the impact of corporate wide ethics and quality programs and initiatives. 

CCOM 7026  SEMIOTICS FOR CORPORATE MEDIA

Semiotics is the study of the system of signs, using the rules and conventions that govern the way they are interpreted.  For example, a semiotician might read the way you dress or arrange your office as signs which send a specific message about your approach and attitudes to work.  Within a corporate context, signs, codes, and symbols of the business environment can be employed to create culture and to project specific images.  Using myth, psychological archetypes, media, and advertising, we will investigate the semiotics of the corporate world to learn how to design and code appropriate messages and images.

CCOM 7028  CREATIVE ADVERTISING

The process and practice of advertising: theoretical background and practical application to provide participants with the ability to pan campaigns and execute advertising strategies.  Topics include: the consumer and the mass market; writing for print and broadcast media; planning and writing the corporate campaign; business to business advertising; crisis communication.,  Weekly writing assignments, two advertising campaigns and a final paper.

CCOM 7030  RESEARCH METHODS AND MATERIALS

Research Methods and Materials is survey course examining both quantitative and qualitative approaches to investigating problems in communication.  The course provides students with an introduction to a diverse range of research principles and methods appropriate for understanding issues in corporate and organizational communication.  In addition, the course offers students interested in pursuing the thesis option the opportunity to explore the full range of perspectives and methods in which to ground their own individual research projects.

CCOM 7035  DYNAMICS OF PROBLEM SOLVING

The focus of Dynamics of Problem Solving is on practical applications of problem solving techniques in business settings.  The seminar uses discussion, case analysis, situational simulations, and lecture to investigate and demonstrate effective strategies, methods, and approaches to problem solving and decision making.  Special emphasis is placed on the role of communications and language in the identification of problems, analysis of situations and information, and the resolution process. 

CCOM 7048  STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION AND INVESTOR RELATIONS

With the changing landscape on Wall Street, corporate communications and investor relations professionals will be challenged as never before. They are on the front lines of assuring corporate reputation and corporate responsibility, as well as the integrity of a company's relations with and perception by the capital markets. In this course, we will focus on the rigors and realities of today's capital markets and what a corporate communications and investor relations professional must do to gain recognition among all investor constituencies. The emphasis will be on dealing with real world challenges in real time, with both an international and domestic perspective.

In this course, you will be in the role of a Senior Communications and Investor Relations Manager of a public company reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Board of Directors. For every assignment, you will be presented with a challenge by your CEO. You will need to address the stated challenge and ascertain the actual challenge facing the company. Then you will need to devise a corporate communications and investor relations strategy and subsequent course of action to meet the challenge. Then, you will need to present your recommendation to the CEO in a written document.

CCOM 7051  TECHNICAL EDITING

In this course, the student will learn how the experts proofread, copyedit, and do substantive edits of memos, technical papers, instructional materials, graphics and articles.  The classes will consist of hands-on proofreading, copyediting, writing and visual literacy exercises.  Professional editors and designers will be invited to share their experiences with members of the class.

CCOM 7053  PROPOSALS

As one of the main marketing tools of complex goods and services, the written proposal is a document essential to the future of numerous businesses, agencies, institutions, and corporations.  This seminar uses several simulations and case studies to demonstrate the proposal process.  Other topics include the techniques and power of group writing using storyboards, the common evaluation practices of customers, and strategies for writing a winning proposal.  Special journal issues devoted to proposals and texts by Holtz and by Goodman form the core readings for the course.  A term project is required.

CCOM 7065  DIGITAL MEDIA AND PUBLISHING

This course focuses on the increasingly prominent role digital media play across the current landscapre of business communication.  Topics include the cost and impat of key technologies, the consequences of suing digital media to communicate with colleagues and customers, versioning, interactivity, the power of online networks, and intellectual property.  Students will examine case studies, and the class will create digital communication plans to solve business challenges.

CCOM 7070  INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE

Intensive two-week seminar includes lectures with international perspectives on corporate communication and culture.  It provides a first hand experience in the conduct of business in another part of the world.  Recognized experts from business, academia, politics, and media discuss the influences on business of the law, politics, social order, and culture.  Topics include: the changing face of Europe, international print media, advertising and video in the U.K., political climate, implications of multinational communications, terrorism, global corporate identity.  Field trips.  Excursions to Stratford, Oxford, and London.

CCOM 7080  SPECIAL TOPICS: COMMUNICATION AND GENDER

A great deal of research has been done that explores the differences between men and women in terms of communication.  Not only is it valuable to explore this research for its personal value, but it holds professional value as well.  Starting with a more general exploration of gender and communication, and moving into media and workplace-specific applications, this course seeks to blend theory and practice into a solid understanding of what it means to be a woman in today’s society, and as a strong and growing part of today’s workforce.

CCOM 7080:  SPECIAL TOPICS: TALK AT WORK

This course explores how communication constitutes people’s work in a variety of professional contexts, including medical care, emergency service, legal interrogation, broadcasting, public hearings, and political press conferences. Students study talk in these contexts to discern how its organization helps to accomplish certain tasks; what constitutes procedures and best practices; and how talk can serve multiple functions — from getting help to getting information, from getting along to getting the job done.

CCOM 7098  THESIS SEMINAR

Reserved for students who have successfully completed CCOM 7030 Research Material and Methods.  During the semester, students will be advised concerning (a) selection of thesis topics, (b) formulation of thesis proposals, (c) development of research plans, and (d) early drafts of the thesis document.  Students are expected to contribute work to the seminar for collective discussion and criticism.  Students completing this course may move on to CCOM 7099: Thesis Project upon the advisement of the Instructor and Program Director.  Students will earn 3 credits upon completion of the seminar regardless of whether or not they move on to CCOM 7099.  Prerequisite: CCOM 7030 Research Materials and Methods. 

CCOM 7099   THESIS PROJECT

Reserved for students in the second semester of work on the master’s thesis.  Students will continue to research and write their theses under faculty direction.  Students are required to present their thesis in a public departmental colloquium. Prerequisite CCOM 7098

This page last updated February 24, 2007, by Gary P. Radford