#27771
Writing When You Are NOT the Expert
Have you ever been asked to write a white paper about a topic that is completely foreign to you? If not, you most certainly will. This article will help you set your foot down the right path.
Stelzner, Michael A. WhitePaperSource (2006). Articles>Writing>Business Communication>White Papers
#23160
Writing your Business Plan in Plain English 
Plain English is clear English. It is simple and direct but not simplistic or patronising. Using plain English doesn’t mean everyone's writing must sound the same. There is no one ‘right’ way to express an idea. There's plenty of room for your own style—but it will only blossom once you have got rid of the poor writing habits that are typical of most business writing.
Business Letter Writing. Articles>Writing>Correspondence>Business Communication
#31859
XBRL: The Language of Finance and Accounting
The eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) is a language for capturing financial information throughout a business' information processes that will eventually be reported to shareholders, banks, regulators, and other parties. The goal of XBRL is to make the analysis and exchange of corporate information more reliable and easier to facilitate.
Waldt, Dale. XML.com (2004). Articles>Business Communication>Financial>XBRL
#29749
"You're a Guaranteed Winner": Composing "You" in a Consumer Culture 
This article explores the functional elegance of direct mail as it constructs its target audience. More specifically, it examines direct mailings included in a nationally publicized court case involving Publishers' Clearing House and articulates how the use of particular genre-based, rhetorical and linguistic strategies in these mailings construct reader identity. It argues that the documents use you-attitude to construct the identity of the reader as winner, implied reader devices to reinforce the reader's identity as winner and to establish the reader's identity as the writer's friend, and linguistic politeness strategies to build feelings of solidarity of the reader toward the writer. It concludes with the observation that the direct mail in our study, rather than being "junk," is really a skillfully written set of documents, successfully interweaving various discourse strategies and raising both ethical and professional issues in the process.
Ewald, Helen Rothschild and Roberta Vann. JBC (2003). Articles>Business Communication>Marketing>Rhetoric
#31218
Your Seven-Step Online Reputation Crisis Plan
When you first discover an attack on your online reputation, it can be an unnerving event. If you’ve previously been oblivious to the online discussions about your brand, it can feel like a kick to the ribs to see someone wage an attack on your good name. When it happens, it’s important not to hit the panic button. If great companies such as Target and JetBlue can come under fire, then it can happen to anyone.
Beal, Andy. Communication World Bulletin (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations>Online
#28073
During a recent move, the author not only acquired and sold many items via Craigslist (www.craigslist.com), but gained insights about herself as well as running her business.
Frick, Elizabeth G. 'Bette'. Intercom (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Marketing>Online
#31620
Построить идеальныи каскад информации удается далеко не всегда 
Каковы, на Ваш взгляд, наиболее эффективные каналы передачи информации в современных компаниях?
Sinickas, Angela D. Sinickas Communications (2006). (Russian) Articles>Interviews>Business Communication
#20811
文章には大きく分けて、実務文章と楽しみの文章があります。実務文章と楽しみの文章とでは、目的や役割、読み手の姿勢が異なりますので、その書き方もおのずと異なります。この２つの文章を、あたかも同じであるかのようにとらえている本がありますが、そのような本はビジネスの現場では使えませんので注意してください。
Technical Writing World. (Japanese) Articles>Business Communication>Education>Writing
#32163
When West Meets East: Teaching a Managerial Communication Course in Hong Kong
Although considerable previous research has focused on Chinese students' expectations and experiences while studying in English-speaking cultures, little research to date has focused on how the instructor's cultural background affects the learning process within a managerial communication classroom Using qualitative and quantitative approaches, this exploratory case study involves two U.S. instructors teaching a managerial communication course to 106 Chinese students in Hong Kong. The findings from this study provide implications for managerial communication pedagogy and further research.
Roberts, Elizabeth. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2008). Articles>Education>Business Communication>China
#32178
Turning Web 2.0 Into Business As Usual
Web 2.0 is hip, trendy, and reminiscent of catch-phrases from the Dot-com boom when just about anything related to binary was so “Now.” Experts are frantically pushing non-digital natives to get on board with Web 2.0 absolutely yesterday, if not sooner. The good news is if you’re reading this article online, there’s a good chance you have already been onboard with Web 2.0 principals for quite some time. The question is, have you been using them effectively?
Harris, Kerri. TechCom Manager (2008). Articles>Web Design>Business Communication>Social Networking
#32205
Why You Should Hire Professional Writers to do the Writing
Who is writing all the documents that organizations produce? The typical answer: Anyone who has a keyboard. But not everyone with a keyboard has the skills required to create the quality documents that ultimately fall into the hands of customers and regulators. Nor does everyone who is asked to write these important documents have the desire—or time—to perform such tasks.
Wieland, Diane. TechCom Manager (2006). Articles>Management>Business Communication>Organizational Communication
#32208
Lone writers are found across all industries, as junior- and senior-level employees, contract workers and direct employees. Sometimes, they’re not even the only writers in their company, but rather are the only writers in their division with either little to no contact — or little to nothing in common — with the other writers in other company divisions.
Potsus, Whitney Beth. TechCom Manager (2006). Articles>Writing>Business Communication>Workplace
#32286
Premium Rate Culture: The New Business of Mobile Interactivity
This article considers a neglected but crucial aspect of the new business of mobile interactivity: the premium rate data services industry. It provides an international anatomy of this industry model and the ways in which it has been used to capitalize upon the surprising success of short message service (SMS) to provide a basis for the development of consumer markets for mobile data services. It situates this analysis within a wider consideration of the role of premium rate culture in the social shaping of interactivity in convergent media. Specifically, it looks at how premium rate services are being constructed in relation to telecommunications, television and the internet. The article concludes that although premium rate culture has rejuvenated innovation in broadcast television, potentially it may constrain the interactive potential of the mobile internet.
Goggin, Gerard and Christina Spurgeon. New Media and Society (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Wireless Web>Interaction Design
#32290
Generation Gaps in Attitudes Toward Sexist/Nonsexist Language
This study of attitudes toward sexist/nonsexist language reveals generation gaps in a sample of 18- to 87-year-olds (N = 370). On average, participants are undecided about the merits of inclusive language, but older participants are more supportive than 18- to 22-year-olds. Attitudes toward women are a significant predictor of attitudes toward sexist/nonsexist language in all age—gender groups. Education is a stronger predictor than age; perspective-taking ability and gender self-esteem are each significant predictors for one age—gender group.
Parks, Janet B. and Mary Ann Robertson. Journal of Language and Social Psychology (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Discrimination>Gender
#32298
Social Software: Fun and Games, or Business Tools?
This is the era of social networking, collective intelligence, participation, collaborative creation, and borderless distribution. Every day we are bombarded with more publicity about collaborative environments, news feeds, blogs, wikis, podcasting, webcasting, folksonomies, social bookmarking, social citations, collaborative filtering, recommender systems, media sharing, massive multiplayer online games, virtual worlds, and mash-ups. This sort of anarchic environment appeals to the digital natives, but which of these so-called `Web 2.0' technologies are going to have a real business impact? This paper addresses the impact that issues such as quality control, security, privacy and bandwidth may have on the implementation of social networking in hide-bound, large organizations.
Warr, Wendy A. Journal of Information Science (2008). Articles>Software>Business Communication>Social Networking
#32311
LinkedIn: A User's Perspective: Using New Channels for Effective Business Networking
Blogs, mailing lists and networking sites are much in the news, but how effective are they for business users? David Thew is Joint MD of an executive search and recruitment consultancy with an active need to identify and contact people on a targeted basis. In this article he profiles LinkedIn, the business networking membership site that has become a key channel for him and his staff. David looks at key features and benefits and also discusses areas where he feels there is room for improvement.
Thew, David. Business Information Review (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Online>Social Networking
#32315
Demystifying Chinese Guanxi Networks: Cultivating and Sharing of Knowledge for Business Benefit
Guanxi referrals help identify potential business partners. Through guanxi networks, businesses can establish favourable and mutually beneficial relationships vital to business success. Guanxi carries assumed knowledge of trust and facilitates business references. It is the construct of `face' that underpins this trust. The high degree of trust in guanxi networks facilitates the flow of strategic information and knowledge, further adding value to business. This article illustrates through case studies how guanxi relationships are formed and how knowledge in guanxi networks can benefit business. The case studies are drawn from experiences of three Europe-based Chinese business directors.
Chan, Ben. Business Information Review (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Knowledge Management>Collaboration
#32316
Information Management Challenges for the Professional Accountant in Business
Information professionals have fundamental skills that -- if harnessed optimally -- have the potential to be of significant value to professional accountants working in business. The accounting profession is grappling with issues emerging from a changing external environment. The roles, responsibilities and priorities of those with a finance function -- especially those in business -- are evolving, bringing about shifts in information needs. The opportunity for information professionals is to assert and demonstrate the relevance and value of their skill set to the emerging, more strategic finance function. This article provides an overview of the developments impacting accountants in business to highlight potential opportunities for information professionals.
Oades, Caroline. Business Information Review (2008). Articles>Management>Financial>Business Communication
#32371
This handout will help you solve your memo-writing problems by discussing what a memo is, describing the parts of memos, and providing examples and explanations that will make your memos more effective.
Purdue University (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence>Genre
#32492
Here’s a complaint I’ve heard from most of the technical writers I’ve met: “I never get to meet my users.” User input helps us decide what content to include and in what form, and can confirm whether our books are effective. But getting user input can be difficult—at least I thought so, until I discovered a fun way to meet hundreds of users each year.
Heninger, Barbara L. Indus (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Community Building>Audience Analysis
#32566
Best Practices for Facebook Fan Pages: User Types
The average Facebook user doesn’t want content pushed to them, particularly contests or other promotional programs that don’t speak to their overall enthusiasm for a brand. These types of promotions can be supported on the Facebook Fan Page, but should not be the primary focus and should be housed in other digital arenas. Successful communities on Facebook offer an attitude of openness, transparency and enthusiasm - not a technology platform for advertising.
Douma, Collin. Social Media Today (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Marketing>Social Networking
#32637
Designers are, as a rule, a fussy bunch, and when it comes to their own business communications they’re even more so. Designing a website for an award-winning design firm verges on the impossible. A design firm’s web presence primarily serves as a tool to attract new business from a global community—and, secondarily, as a means to show off. Designers are by far their own worst critics, and their websites have to tread a fine line between being cutting-edge so as to attract young new business, and more traditional so as to appeal to established or more conservative businesses.
Elam, Kimberly. Digital Web Magazine (2008). Articles>Web Design>Business Communication>Assessment
#32656
Ten Tips For Your First Email Campaign
I’ve seen too many web designers dive into their first email marketing project before doing the proper planning. There are some basic things you need to square away before you send your first email newsletter.
Chestnut, Ben. Digital Web Magazine (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Email
#32795
The Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) has formed a new committee for encouraging the use of DITA in all areas of business. Readers can learn how to work with their organization to make the sharing of DITA content possible.
Manning, Steve. Intercom (2008). Articles>Business Communication>XML>DITA
#33174
Critical Reviews of Corporate Websites
Let's start with a single, seemingly simple premise: A website's main page should allow users to find the answers to basic questions. Amazingly, this fairly obvious rule is often ignored.
Rosenfeld, Louis. CIO Magazine (2000). Articles>Web Design>Business Communication
