MGMT2100 Communication for Business
The Complete Exam Bible · S2 2026MGMT2100 Overview
- Semester 2, 2026
- Level 2 management course
- Two-hour closed book final exam
- Four individual assessment tasks
- Handwritten in-class case report
Communication for Business at the Australian National University teaches communication as something a manager can diagnose and repair.
- Assessed by Tutorial communication, a two-minute presentation, a handwritten case report and a closed book exam.
- Hardest step Applying a named theory to the facts of a case instead of only defining it.
- How to prepare Rehearse issue, evidence, theory, analysis and recommendation by hand, without notes, under time.
What you get in the full MGMT2100 Exam Bible
- 12 chapters, 55 pages — every examinable topic, week by week
- 30 original practice questions, each with a model answer in the Final Exam format
- 12 worked examples, solved the way MGMT2100 marks
- 18 computed figures, redrawn from the course’s own numbers
- Exam-morning plan for the Final Exam (40%) — what to revise last, where marks are lost
Free on this page: assessment table, chapter map, one worked example, key terms, FAQ. The rest is in the full exam bible.
How MGMT2100 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| In Class Communication | 10% | Tutorial communication activities across Weeks 2 to 10 and Week 12, equally weighted; marked on participation and contribution, not attendance |
| Presentation | 20% | A presentation of two minutes at most in your Week 9 or 10 tutorial, marked on presentation skills; slides uploaded to Canvas by the Friday of Week 8; no extensions |
| In Class Report | 30% | A handwritten business report on an allocated case study in the Week 11 tutorial, invigilated, without notes or smart devices |
| Final Exam | 40% | A two-hour closed book exam held on campus during the formal examination period |
The four weights come from the Week 1 assessment slides and the Canvas assessment pages and total 100%. The Canvas page on strategies for success states that attendance at the final exam is compulsory. Further exam format details were scheduled for the Week 10 lecture.
What other students are asking about MGMT2100
- Where can I find lecture notes or study guides for MGMT2100 at anu?
- The MGMT2100 study guide in AskSia Library covers Communication for Business in 12 chapters, with the assessment table, a chapter-by-chapter topic map, key terms and a worked example, free to read on this page.
- Is there a final exam in MGMT2100, and how much is it worth?
- Yes. In the offering this AskSia Library guide is built from, Final Exam carries 40% of the MGMT2100 mark; the full split is In Class Communication 10%, Presentation 20%, In Class Report 30%, Final Exam 40%.
- What does MGMT2100 cover on critical thinking and evidence-based management?
- In AskSia Library's MGMT2100 guide, the Critical Thinking and Evidence-Based Management chapter explains critical thinking, evidence-based management, assumptions, correlation versus causality, benchmarking and the attitude of wisdom.
- What does MGMT2100 cover on job applications: fit, resumes and cover letters?
- In AskSia Library's MGMT2100 guide, the Job Applications: Fit, Resumes and Cover Letters chapter explains person-job and person-organisation fit, attraction-selection-attrition, resume evidence, AIDA cover letters and STAR.
- What does MGMT2100 cover on job interviews from both sides of the table?
- In AskSia Library's MGMT2100 guide, the Job Interviews from Both Sides of the Table chapter explains interview purposes and question types, behavioural answers, interview guides, interviewer biases and weighted scoring.
Current MGMT2100 dates
| Date | Item | Control |
|---|---|---|
| October 2, 2026 | Presentation slides due | Upload to Canvas by 11.59 pm. |
| November 12, 2026 | Final exam (scheduled) | 2 pm; check your timetable, because the exam can be rescheduled. |
Dates are as published in the Semester 2, 2026 lecture slides. Confirm exact deadlines and submission settings in the live LMS.
What MGMT2100 covers
Twelve chapters follow the lecture sequence from communication models and evidence through job applications, interviews, presentations, listening, meetings, power, conflict, bad news, business writing, visual communication, emotions and public relations.
Communication Models and Nonverbal Channels
Transfer and understanding of meaning, the transaction model, noise and feedback, types of communication, nonverbal channelsThis chapter builds the vocabulary the rest of the course relies on. Communication is defined as the transfer and understanding of meaning, so a message that is sent but misread has not been communicated.
- Communication as the transfer and understanding of meaning
- Shannon and Weaver and the transaction model
- Noise, feedback and who is responsible
- Intrapersonal, interpersonal, public and mass communication
- Kinesics, proxemics, haptics and chronemics
- Artefacts, appearance and paralanguage
Critical Thinking and Evidence-Based Management
Critical thinking, evidence-based management, assumptions, correlation versus causality, benchmarking and the attitude of wisdomWeek 1 sets two habits of mind beside communication theory, and both shape how every later answer is marked. Critical thinking weighs viewpoints and evaluates evidence and the conclusions drawn from it.
- Critical thinking as evaluation of evidence and conclusions
- Pfeffer and Sutton's definition of evidence-based management
- Assumptions: hidden, taken for granted, influential
- Correlation versus causality
- Three conditions for establishing causality
- Reverse causality and rival explanations
Job Applications: Fit, Resumes and Cover Letters
Person-job and person-organisation fit, attraction-selection-attrition, resume evidence, AIDA cover letters and STARA job application is the first formal business communication between you and an employer, and both sides read it for cues of fit.
- Person-job fit and person-organisation fit
- Attraction-selection-attrition and the outcomes of fit
- Resumes versus curricula vitae
- Resume parts, order, length and format
- Quantified achievements and power words
- Cover letters and the AIDA formula
Job Interviews from Both Sides of the Table
Interview purposes and question types, behavioural answers, interview guides, interviewer biases and weighted scoringInterviews are studied from two positions.
- Why organisations interview
- Interview formats and question families
- Answering with stories, data and results
- Video interviews and five red flags
- Preparation, execution and review
- Confirmation bias, affective heuristic, anchoring, intuition
Persuasive Presentations and Impromptu Speaking
Presentation versus speech, planning and timing, introduction, body and conclusion, PREP, nonverbal confidence and questionsThe lecture opens with a rule that also governs the assessed presentation: a presentation is not a speech.
- A presentation is not a speech
- Planning, timing and practice
- Introduction, body and conclusion
- First impressions and nonverbal confidence
- Managing nervousness
- Audience interaction and difficult questions
Listening and Effective Meetings
Hearing versus listening, Dwyer's listening process, active listening, listener orientations, spiral of silence and agendasListening and meetings share a lecture because poor listening is one of the main reasons meetings fail.
- Hearing versus listening
- Dwyer's five stages of listening
- Active listening behaviours
- Task, analytical, relational and critical listeners
- The spiral of silence in meetings
- Agendas, chairing and Parkinson's law
Leadership Language, Power and Influence
Leadership styles, situational leadership, framing, Yukl and Falbe power bases, influence tactics and organisational politicsLeadership and power are taught together because both are exercised through communication.
- Leadership definition and characteristics
- Behavioural and transformational leadership
- Situational leadership: telling, selling, participating, delegating
- Framing and rhetorical crafting
- Power as a function of dependency
- Formal and personal power bases
Conflict Management and Negotiation
Views and types of conflict, handling modes, diagnosing disagreements, bargaining ranges, BATNA and integrative bargainingConflict starts once one party sees that another has harmed, or is about to harm, something it cares about.
- Traditional and interactionist views of conflict
- Task, relationship and process conflict
- Five conflict-handling modes
- Nature, factors and stages of a disagreement
- Bargaining ranges and BATNA
- Distributive versus integrative bargaining
Delivering Bad News, Apologies and Service Recovery
Difficult conversations, attribution errors, negative messages, rejection explanations, service recovery and apologiesWeek 7 deals with the messages people least want to send.
- Types of difficult conversation
- Framing errors and the fundamental attribution error
- Crafting and closing a negative message
- Would, should and could explanations
- The service recovery paradox
- Six steps of service recovery
Business Writing and the In-Class Report
Report conditions and marking, BLUF and the Minto pyramid, report components, executive summaries, memos and emailsThis chapter prepares you for the In-Class Report, worth 30 percent, and for any written answer in the exam. It sets out the report's conditions: a case allocated at random in the Week 11 tutorial, 45 minutes, handwritten, without notes or devices.
- In-Class Report conditions and marking table
- Executive summary and introduction
- Issues, analysis and recommendations
- Bottom line up front and the Minto pyramid
- Report types and components
- Findings, conclusions and recommendations
Visual Communication and Emotions at Work
Data and chart types, errors in graphical construction, display rules, emotional labour, emotional intelligence and SCREAMWeek 9 pairs two kinds of communication that work below the level of words.
- Categorical and continuous data
- Bar, pie, line and histogram choices
- Five errors in graphical construction
- Display rules and what shapes them
- Emotional labour, surface acting and deep acting
- Emotional intelligence and emotions as information
Strategic Communication and Public Relations
Public relations roles and objectives, models of public relations, media releases and interviews, issues and social mediaWeek 10 widens the lens from conversations to an organisation's relationship with its publics.
- Public relations and strategic communication
- Roles and objectives of PR
- Four models of public relations
- Six functions and the 3x3 writing process
- News value and media releases
- Media interviews and must-say messages
The course defines communication as the transfer and understanding of meaning, then spends the semester on the situations where meaning most often fails at work: applying for a job and being interviewed, presenting to a group or speaking without warning, listening, running meetings, leading and influencing people, handling conflict and negotiating, delivering bad news, writing reports, reading charts and emotions, and managing an organisation's public reputation.
Each lecture pairs a practical skill with named theory: Shannon and Weaver's model of the communication process, Pfeffer and Sutton on evidence-based management, person-job and person-organisation fit, Noelle-Neumann's spiral of silence, Yukl and Falbe's power bases, the five conflict-handling modes, the service recovery paradox, emotional labour and the four models of public relations.
The assessment rewards using those theories rather than reciting them. Tutorial communication activities run through most weeks, a two-minute presentation is given in Week 9 or 10, a handwritten business report on an allocated case is written in the Week 11 tutorial without notes, and a two-hour closed book exam on campus carries the largest weight. This guide follows the lecture order in twelve chapters.
Each chapter names the models exactly, works an original example from issue to recommendation, and ends with practice written for closed-book, handwritten answers.
Worked example · free
Find the bargaining range and plan an opening offer
- 2Identify each resistance point from the BATNA: the designer will not accept less than $4,200, and the client will not pay more than $5,400.
- 2The ranges overlap from $4,200 to $5,400, so a positive bargaining range of $1,200 exists and an agreement is possible.
- 1Distributive advice: open first and high at $6,000, guard the $4,200 walk-away figure, and aim to settle near the client's limit, for example about $5,200.
- 1Integrative advice: explore interests such as maintenance after launch, which can add value for both sides instead of splitting the difference.
Key terms
- Transaction model
- A model of communication in which a sender encodes meaning, a receiver decodes it and returns feedback, while noise can distort the message.
- Nonverbal communication
- Communicating without words through channels such as kinesics, proxemics, haptics, chronemics, artefacts, appearance and paralanguage.
- Evidence-based management
- Making decisions through the careful, explicit and well-judged use of the best evidence currently available.
- Person-job fit
- The match between a job and a person's knowledge, skills and abilities, and between the job and the person's needs.
- Person-organisation fit
- The congruence between the values of an individual and the values of the organisation.
- STAR model
- A way of presenting evidence as situation, task, actions and results, used for selection criteria and interview answers.
- Confirmation bias
- An interviewer's tendency to seek information that supports a belief about an applicant formed before the interview.
- Spiral of silence
- Noelle-Neumann's theory that people who think their opinion is unshared stay silent while those in the apparent majority speak.
- Referent power
- Personal power based on others' wish to identify with someone, including charisma and persuasiveness.
- BATNA
- The best alternative to a negotiated agreement, which sets a negotiator's walk-away point and bargaining power.
- Service recovery paradox
- Satisfaction after a service failure that ends higher than before it, because the recovery performance was high.
- Emotional labour
- Showing the emotions an organisation wants from its employees while they deal with other people at work.
- Two-way symmetrical model
- A public relations model that uses dialogue with the public to reach mutual understanding and resolve conflict.
MGMT2100 FAQ
How is the course assessed?
There are four individual tasks. In Class Communication is worth 10%, the Presentation 20%, the In Class Report 30% and the Final Exam 40%, totalling 100%. The first three happen in tutorials during the semester: weekly communication activities, a two-minute presentation in Week 9 or 10, and a handwritten case report in Week 11. The exam is sat in the formal examination period.
What is the final exam format?
The final exam lasts two hours, is closed book and is held on campus during the formal examination period. The lecture slides give the scheduled time as 12 November at 2 pm, but warn that the exam can be rescheduled, so keep checking your timetable. Attendance at the final exam is compulsory, and further format details were announced in the Week 10 lecture.
What happens in the In-Class Report?
Four case studies are released in advance and each student is randomly allocated one in the Week 11 tutorial. You write a business report by hand in 45 minutes, without notes or devices, acting as an internal management adviser. The marking table gives 10 marks to the summary and introduction, 35 to issues and analysis, 25 to recommendations, 10 to the conclusion and 20 to language.
How is the presentation marked?
The presentation lasts two minutes at most and is given in your registered tutorial in Week 9 or 10. You are marked on presentation skills rather than content, and notes are not recommended because a presentation is not a speech. Four slides are suggested, uploaded to Canvas by the Friday of Week 8, and there are no extensions for this task.
Is the tutorial communication mark just for attendance?
No. The course states plainly that attending a tutorial earns no marks by itself; you are assessed on your participation and contribution to activities and discussion, and you may be called on to answer questions. During the presentation weeks, the mark rewards active listening and being a respectful audience. A missed weekly activity scores zero because late submission is not possible.
Which textbook does the course use?
The assigned text is the seventh edition of Judith Dwyer's Communication for Business and the Professions. The course schedule lists the textbook chapters and page numbers assigned for each week, and the Week 12 review covers all of them. Many of the definitions used in lectures, such as the five-stage listening process, are credited to Dwyer.
Which theories matter most for the closed book exam?
The course treats every week as examinable, and the Week 12 lecture reviews all assigned chapters. Prioritise the models the lectures name with authors: the transaction model, evidence-based management, fit theory, interviewer biases, Dwyer's listening stages, the spiral of silence, the Yukl and Falbe power bases, conflict modes and BATNA, service recovery, emotional labour and the four public relations models.
Questions students ask in each MGMT2100 chapter
- What does the course mean by communication?
- It uses the definition 'the transfer and understanding of meaning', credited on the slides to Robbins and Judge. The second half matters: a message that was delivered but misunderstood fails the definition, which is why feedback is part of every model the course uses. Chapter 01 · Communication Models and Nonverbal Channels
- What is the difference between correlation and causality?
- Correlation is an association between two variables that move together. Causality means one variable produces a change in the other. The course requires three conditions before a causal claim: covariation, the cause preceding the effect, and no plausible alternative explanation for what was observed. Chapter 02 · Critical Thinking and Evidence-Based Management
- How long should my resume be?
- The lecture cites a study in which Big Four recruiters rated similarly qualified graduates with two-page resumes more favourably than those with one page, and advises keeping a resume within three pages. The tutorial checklist treats two to three pages as appropriate, while a cover letter should fit on one page. Chapter 03 · Job Applications: Fit, Resumes and Cover Letters
- How should I answer a behavioural interview question?
- Employers want concrete examples. Tell a short story in STAR order, use numbers such as volume or percentages, emphasise the result of your effort, and finish by linking the skill to how you would help this employer in the job. Avoid self-descriptions with no example behind them. Chapter 04 · Job Interviews from Both Sides of the Table
- How is the Week 9 and 10 presentation marked?
- It is marked on presentation skills, not on content. It lasts two minutes at most, is given in your registered tutorial, and notes are not recommended. Four slides are suggested, slides are uploaded to Canvas by the Friday of Week 8, and there are no extensions because the task is presented live. Chapter 05 · Persuasive Presentations and Impromptu Speaking
- What is the difference between hearing and listening?
- Hearing is the auditory faculty, basic acoustic detection of sound. Listening is hearing attentively with conscious comprehension, and Dwyer divides it into five stages: receiving the message, understanding it, remembering it, evaluating it and responding. You can hear every word of a message without listening to it. Chapter 06 · Listening and Effective Meetings
- Which power bases are most effective according to the course?
- Staff of supervisors who rely on expert and referent power tend to report more satisfaction with supervision, stronger organisational commitment and better performance. Reward and legitimate power show no clear link to those outcomes, and coercive power usually backfires. Personal sources of power therefore tend to be more effective than formal ones. Chapter 07 · Leadership Language, Power and Influence
- What is a BATNA and why does it matter?
- BATNA stands for best alternative to a negotiated agreement. It gives a negotiator the power to walk away: with an attractive alternative you can set higher goals and make fewer concessions, while without one your bargaining power is far weaker. It also fixes your resistance point. Chapter 08 · Conflict Management and Negotiation
- How should a negative message be structured?
- Consider your purpose, gather what the reader needs, then state the bad news clearly in a calm, professional and respectful tone, using positive words. Close without doubt or insincere cliches, invite further contact only if you will discuss the decision, and be optimistic where things may improve. Chapter 09 · Delivering Bad News, Apologies and Service Recovery
- What are the conditions for the In-Class Report?
- It is worth 30 percent and held in your Week 11 tutorial. Four cases are released beforehand and each student is randomly allocated one. You write by hand on paper provided, without notes or smart devices, in 45 minutes, and references are not required. The slides estimate about 1,000 words. Chapter 10 · Business Writing and the In-Class Report
- Which chart should I use for which purpose?
- Use a bar graph to compare categorical values, a pie chart to show the proportions of one set of data, a line graph to show trends over time, and a histogram to show how cases fall within defined intervals. Choose the chart from the question the reader needs answered. Chapter 11 · Visual Communication and Emotions at Work
- What are the four models of public relations?
- Press agentry or publicity is one-way and persuasive. Public information is one-way but values truth and accuracy. Two-way asymmetrical gathers feedback to persuade the public toward the organisation's view. Two-way symmetrical uses dialogue to reach mutual understanding and resolve conflict between the organisation and its public. Chapter 12 · Strategic Communication and Public Relations
How to study for the exam
Study each week as one theory paired with one kind of workplace situation, and practise the move from the first to the second. After each lecture, write a single handwritten page: the models with the authors the slides credit, two terms you can define in one sentence, and one situation the model explains. Twelve pages by Week 12 is a realistic closed book revision set.
Because the In Class Report and the final exam are both completed without notes, practise retrieval rather than rereading: close the guide, write the model from memory, then check it. Use the tutorial chain of issue, evidence, theory, analysis and recommendation on every practice case, and make each recommendation specific enough that a manager could act on it.
Prepare the report by understanding when each concept applies rather than memorising four reports, and use that preparation as exam revision too, because the same theories answer both. In the final fortnight, time yourself on mixed questions and keep checking your exam timetable.
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