Problem-Based Learning in an Intercultural Business Communication Course    

Teachers of intercultural business communication may want to consider using problem-based learning (PBL), an instructional approach that places learners in problem-solving situations, that is, students are presented with messy and complex real-life problems that provide a context for learning concepts and developing skills. This article describes how ill-structured communication problems that emerge in intercultural business relationships in internationalizing small- or medium-sized enterprises are used to provide a context for learning. It explains how these problems are tackled by learners through the implementation of PBL in four stages: problem identification, information acquisition, information analysis, and problem resolution. Finally, it discusses the reactions of the students, external participants, and instructors to the PBL approach.

Saatci, Elizabeth. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2008). Articles>Education>Business Communication

Professionalizing Knowledge Sharing and Communications: Changing Roles for a Changing Profession    

Web 2.0 technologies are becoming increasingly ubiquitous among younger generations of IT users and this is creating a new set of expectations about accessing quality information for business, research and academic purposes. The article looks at how this situation has impacted on the expectations of users of library and information services. Although there are solid reasons for standing by professional standards, there is little doubt that the next generation has a greater expectation around being participants in, rather than recipients of, knowledge sharing. How will this impact the status of the professional librarian and information manager, and to what extent should they change with this paradigm shift looming?

Cullen, John T. Business Information Review (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Collaboration>Online

Promoting Access to Public Research Data for Scientific, Economic, and Social Development    

Access to and sharing of data are essential for the conduct and advancement of science. This article argues that publicly funded research data should be openly available to the maximum extent possible. To seize upon advancements of cyberinfrastructure and the explosion of data in a range of scientific disciplines, this access to and sharing of publicly funded data must be advanced within an international framework, beyond technological solutions. The authors, members of an OECD Follow-up Group, present their research findings, based closely on their report to OECD, on key issues in data access, as well as operating principles and management aspects necessary to successful data access regimes.

Arzberger, P., P. Schroeder, A. Beaulieu, G. Bowker, K. Casey, L. Laaksonen, D. Moorman, P. Uhlir and P. Wouters. Data Science Journal (2004). Articles>Publishing>Research>Scientific Communication

Proposals: Effective Executive Summary

What are the essential elements of an executive summary? This has been a common question in all the interviews I have appeared for the position of a Proposal Writer. I have a readymade list to answer this question.

Tripathy, Priyadarshi. WordPress (2007). Articles>Communication>Proposals

Protecting the User's Mailbox

Email is a powerful way to reach customers, but overdoing it is risky. Let users know up front that you'll respect their mailboxes. Otherwise, they won't give their email addresses, and you'll lose a unique channel for marketing and customer service.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2002). Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence>Email

A Psychiatrist Using DSM-III: The Influence of a Charter Document in Psychiatry    

Explores the influence of DSM-III in the limited sphere of a single child psychiatrist.

McCarthy, Lucille Parkinson. WAC Clearinghouse (1991). Articles>Scientific Communication>Standards

Public Key Infrastructure Digital Signatures and Systematic Risk  

The last few years have seen very considerable developments in the networks and technologies of electronic commerce, matched by the promotional and regulatory initiatives of international and national government towards electronic commerce. Of particular note have been the technological and regulatory developments in relation to public key cryptography and digital signatures. These regulatory developments arguably represent a promotion of an emerging Public Key Infrastructure as an international open network infrastructure for digital signature authorisation in electronic commerce. However, over the same period concerns have been growing in other international open network infrastructures, such as banking and finance, that such strongly inter-connected and inter-dependent infrastructures may be subject to systematic risk. Indeed, it appears that vulnerability to systematic risk is a characteristic of any complex open network. Therefore, the question can be posed whether the emerging Public Key Infrastructure is also vulnerable to systematic risk.

Murray, Jamie. JILT (2003). Articles>Communication>Open Source>Security

The Public Relations of the European Union: New Challenges in a More Integrated Europe  

Communication between citizens and public officers is a fundamental aspect of public institutions’ planning. It is through an open and clear dialogue that positive public opinion is shaped. Furthermore it is a tool for creating a good reputation and stronger support. Currently the European Union is facing a period of low reputation, scrawny image and poor trust, which have direct influences in EU’s decision making. Different scholars impute this problem to the poor EU communication planning, the so called communication deficit. This paper seeks to examine whether public relations can help to solve the communication deficit of the European Union or not and which challenges public relations profession can open within the European context. Specifically the European societal approach of public relations is considered the essential bond to the European institutions. This study draws on theories and discussion in the fields of European public relations; reflective and educational approaches; a critical analysis of EU information and communication policies; and interviews with EU officers. It is followed by a discussion of the link between public relations’ reflective approach and public organizations, and suggests new interpretations and considerations of this profession within the European institutions.

Valentini, Chiara. Chiara Valentini Communication Management (2006). Articles>Communication>Community Building>Government

Public Rhetoric and Public Safety at the Chicago Transit Authority: Three Approaches to Accident Analysis    

This article compares three rhetorical approaches to accident analysis: materialist, classical,and constructivist. The focal points for comparison are the two accident reportsissued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)—reports that attempted(and failed) to persuade the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to change a problematicpolicy about rail communication alongside its technology for rail communication. Thecentral question the article asks is, How can rhetorical theory help explain the CTA'sinaction, which ultimately led to property damage, injury, and death? Classical andconstructivist approaches, emphasizing rational deliberation between equals, on onehand, and the social construction of technical knowledge between professionals, on theother, offer plausible explanations for what went wrong. But only the materialistapproach appears capable of discerning the ideological nature of the CTA's resistance tothe NTSB's recommendations.

Coogan, David. STC Proceedings (2002). Articles>Risk Communication>Policies and Procedures>Government

Publishing Online-Only Peer-Reviewed Biomedical Literature  

Pediatrics is the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Published continuously since 1948, the journal has achieved a circulation of 62,500, with broad additional distribution via international translations, proprietary computer systems, and online services. Pediatrics has an impact factor of 3.487, the highest ranked clinical journal (as opposed to research journal) in the specialty. In 1996, the editors were facing a growing backlog of quality articles, longer times to publication, and prohibitive and increasing print publication costs. They needed a viable publishing option that avoided the high variable costs and capacity constraints of print, and the Web beckoned.

Anderson, Kent, John Sack, Lisa Krauss and Lori O'Keefe. Journal of Electronic Publishing (2001). Articles>Scientific Communication>Online

Putting Limits on Subject Matter Expertise

At nearly every conference I attend someone is talking about the need for Subject Matter Expertise for Business Analysts. The rationale is that someone versed in the language, ideas, and systems of a given organization or product will ask better questions and elicit better requirements from stakeholders.

Vincent, Cameron. BA Collective (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Workplace>SMEs

Quantifying the Impact of Communication on Your Organization’s Bottom Line

Consider this scenario: You’re making a pitch to the CEO that calls for more focus and resources on internal communication, citing recent studies that demonstrate that organizations with more effective communication have higher performance. And you get this response: “Great, I’m sold on the importance of communication. Tell me which communication channels have the greatest impact on our bottom line, and put together a strategic plan that will lead to increased revenues.” Did you get a little more than you bargained for? While the CEO’s request certainly sounds challenging, rest assured that it can be done.

Williams, John A. Communication World Bulletin (2004). Articles>Business Communication>Assessment

Rational Management: Medical Authority and Ideological Conflict in Ruth Lawrence's Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession      

This article presents a close reading of one chapter of the only guidebook written for physicians about the clinical management of breastfeeding. The medical discussion of the psychological aspects of breastfeeding articulates conflicting ideological views of women and their place in society, demonstrating how medicine reflects and contributes to a cultural context that is ambivalent about women's changing roles and the transformation of their practices as mothers. At stake is medicine's role in regulating maternal behavior.

Hausman, Bernice L. Technical Communication Quarterly (2000). Articles>Scientific Communication>Biomedical

(Re)disciplining Organizational Communication Studies: A Response to Broadfoot and Munshi    

If one of the principal goals of critical organization studies writ large is the increased democratization of organizing processes, and if communication is key to that democratization, how does postcolonial theory enable us to rethink the relationship between communication and democracy?

Mumby, Dennis K. and Cynthia Stohl. Management Communication Quarterly (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Organizational Communication>Ethnographies

The Readers and Writers Behind Electronic Mail

As electronic mail replaces face-to-face communication in many work environments, a thorough analysis of this evolving medium and its impact on communication is necessary. In many workplaces, telephone calls and knocks on doors have dramatically decreased in frequency, but the number of emails that circulate through one’s inbox is continuing to increase. Yet, our understanding of this new medium and how it is being used is limited. Some scholars argue that email has many of the characteristics of speech; some argue that it has the same characteristics as writing, while others argue that it is a completely new genre of communication.

Abolrous, Sally. University of Washington-Seattle (2002). Articles>Communication>Online>Email

Reading Darwin, Reading Nature; or, On the Ethos of Historical Science  

Darwin must be read and reread, interpreted and reinterpreted. We find this attention to a body of work that is well over a hundred years old to be highly unusual and worth investigating.

Miller, Carolyn R. and S. Michael Halloran. North Carolina State University (1993). Articles>Scientific Communication>History>Rhetoric

Realising the Full Potential of the Web    

The inventor of the World Wide Web argues that the first phase of the Web is human communication though shared knowledge and predicts that the second side to the Web, yet to emerge, is that of machine-understandable information, with humans providing the inspiration and the intuition.

Berners-Lee, Tim. Technical Communication Online (1999). Articles>Communication>Web Design

Rebranding at a Deeper Level

Too often companies perceive rebranding as a shallow cosmetic exercise. New PMS colour here, tweak of the logo there and throw in some nice TV ads. Done deal. Not so. In order to compete, be differentiated and sustain a competitive advantage, organisations need to push the brand much deeper to their internal core: their people.

Craner, John. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Business Communication>Marketing

Records Required by ISO 9000

ISO 9000 requires that records be kept of critical operations. Record keeping is the fourth tier of required documentation in ISO 9000, following the Quality Policy Manual, Procedures, and Work Instructions.

Kurtus, Ron. School for Champions (2001). Articles>Business Communication>Standards>ISO 9000

Rediscovering Communication

Today we have more ways of communicating than ever. The challenge? If businesses aren't careful, what they're trying to say--and what their customers are trying to say--can get lost in the complexity.

Jones, Colleen. UXmatters (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Communication

The Relevance of Feenberg's Critical Theory of Technology to Critical Visual Literacy: The Case of Scientific and Technical Illustrations    

Andrew Feenberg's critical theory of technology is an underutilized, relatively unknown resource in technical communication which could be exploited not only for its potential clarification of large social issues that involve our discipline, but also specifically toward the development of a critical theory of illustrations. Applications of critical theory help strengthen our discipline by forcing us to delineate extant approaches and consider whether democratic goals are being achieved through those approaches. If a critical theory of illustrations can be built from Feenberg's critical theory of technology, it should be useful for classroom instructors and researchers as well as theorists.

Northcut, Kathryn M. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2007). Articles>Scientific Communication>Visual Rhetoric>Technical Illustration

Researching and Planning For SGML: The Communicator’s Role  

More and more publication departments are moving to Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) to develop and produce their publications. Implementing SGML is definitely not a trivial task. It requires a great deal of planning and research before the actual implementation can even begin. Communicators are key contributors to make the transition smooth and successful. After all, they are the ones that know the department 5 publications most intimately. What can communicators do to prepare and plan for SGML? This paper addresses the answer to that question.

Dimick, Sharlyn A. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Communication>SGML

Resistance, Gender, and Bourdieu's Notion of Field

Recent conceptualizations of resistance have tended to privilege intentional and conscious acts of resistance and forms of resistance manifested within relations of power that researchers typically define as asymmetrical, such as the labor-management relation. The author argues that these tendencies lead us to overlook forms of resistance manifest in other relations of power that exist in organizations, as well as set ourselves up as arbitrators of what is to be considered 'effective' resistance. Using Bourdieu's concepts of capital and field, the author examines how we can read resistance both to the idea of sex discrimination and to patriarchal power relations from the accounts of female career police officers and offers a more perspectival, relativistic account of resistance.

Penny, Dick. Management Communication Quarterly (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Management>Theory