Communication apprehension, the necessity of well educated communicators in the workplace, and the implications of these factors on the degree completion program at Tabor College Wichita are best addressed through a comprehensive literature review including defining, analyzing, and comparing terms and experiences found in the following selections. .
The literature review will examine the need for effective communicators at the business and corporate levels, the lack of training seen in students and employees, and how the local institutions who have degree completion programs are meeting the above needs. At a later date, there will be research added from surveys completed by Tabor students as well as students from two other peer programs. Hopefully, this research will pinpoint areas at Tabor and peer institutions that could benefit from a comprehensive communication module or supplement class offered at the degree completion level.
As corporate America begins its search for the next crop of the brightest and the best, it is often found that beyond the acute skills acquired in their particular field of study, most college graduates are unable to communicate effectively, in either written or oral forms (Daly, 1992). In fact, as P. Applebome (1995) notes, business schools are being criticized for not applying a broader base of curriculum. He further argues that corporate America is more likely to hire and train a candidate with a liberal arts education, noting that the liberal arts education prepares the student to function instead of simply perform at work.
This type of shift is not exclusive to those just graduating with bachelor's degrees. K.R. Kane noted in Business Horizons (1993), that, satisfied with the knowledge of a candidate's technical skills, recruiters from Fortune 500 companies that interviewed MBA graduates focused on the candidate's communication skills instead.
Communication skills are also at a premium when companies are moving toward implementing TQM programs (total quality management programs).