The Indian Call Center Experience: A Case Study in Changing Discourses of Identity, Identification, and Career in a Global Context    

This study examines the processes by which workers in a particular Indian call center located in Kolkata expanded on, negotiated, and chose among an array of possible, especially new, identities and identifications and the ways that these choices affected changing social discourses. Our case study depicted a workplace that was simultaneously casual and urgent, temporal and spatially free and constrained, situated in both Indian and U.S. cultures, and oriented toward business and night-club ambiances. Within this particular workplace, call center employees (re)constructed and negotiated among an array of discourses that bracketed opportunities for particular identities and identifications. Through these negotiation processes, they (a) engaged in strategic identity(ies) invocations and (b) reframed work, career, and family discourses and practices.

Pal, Mahuya and Patrice Buzzanell. JBC (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Workplace>India

The Influence of the Purpose of a Business Document on Its Syntax and Rhetorical Schemes    

This study attempts to show how the purpose of three types of business and technical documents (instructions, annual reports, and sales promotional letters) affects the syntactical and rhetorical choices authors make in writing these documents. While the results of the examination rendered some predictable results, there were some surprises in the absence of many rhetorical schemes in sales promotional letters. Another value of this study is that it provides partial syntactical and rhetorical "fingerprints" of three important documents in business and technical writing to offer students norms they can go by in constructing such documents.

Myers, Marshall. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (1999). Articles>Business Communication>Rhetoric

Information Technology and Organizational Change    

The profession of technical communication is in transition. While a few might argue that we are in danger of being swallowed up by large, institutional realignments, it seems more likely that the future workplace (as characterized by Senge, among others) will put communication, culture, and collaboration at the center of work. However, in order for the profession to exploit these opportunities, we must understand the impact of integrated information technology (IT) on organizations. I summarize the interaction of corporate culture, leadership/management, human resources, and advanced networking and web-based applications (more commonly called an Intranet) for the successful integration of new IT products into an established and well-defined organization. Background research for this paper was conducted as part of an Army Summer Faculty Research and Engineering grant.

Carlson, Patricia A. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2001). Careers>Business Communication>Technology>Collaboration

The Ingredients of Leadership

There are crucial behaviors important people, successful executives, and true leaders use to move processes and people forward. These behaviors are the key ingredients of leadership. The more of these ingredients leaders take to heart, teach, and expect of others, the more power they will have to achieve their objectives.

Lukaszewski, James E. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Careers>Management>Business Communication

Inspiring Change Through Research

Organizational communication is centered on inspiring and managing change, so it makes sense that communication professionals are seeing a more critical role for research in understanding and reaching their most important stakeholder relationships (employees, customers, suppliers, dealers, etc.). When a company is undergoing significant changes (i.e., a merger, acquisition, slumping sales, a product launch), research can pinpoint exactly where the issues and communication needs are. Oftentimes, such information is considered and then only used in limited ways. So how does a company proceed in bringing research results to life? It’s important to review how the research and tactical elements of communication vehicles are matched up.

Powell, Nancy. Communication World Bulletin (2004). Articles>Business Communication>Organizational Communication>Research

Institutionally Mapping Professional Writing  

We think it is critically important-especially in a time of declining budgets-for professional writing programs to position themselves in a vital and robust location in the university, and probably outside it as well. What institutional location(s) can best guarantee that professional writing thrive, and also provide it an opportunity to have significant impact?

Grabill, Jeffrey T. and James E. Porter. CPTSC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Education>Business Communication

Integrated Strategic Communication: More than the Sum of Its Parts  

Adopting a hybrid organizational structure over 30 years ago has permitted the Communications Department of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control-Orlando to evolve new capabilities and undertake new missions. The result has been an independent organization that proactively responds to business opportunities, strategically applies numerous resources, and adds new skill sets that help Missiles and Fire Control capture and retain military contracts.

Voss, Daniel W. and William C. Wiese. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Business Communication

Integrating Business Core Knowledge Through Upper Division Report Composition    

The most ambitious project of many undergraduate business communication courses is the formal report. This assignment typically requires the use of many writing skills nurtured throughout the course. Skills such as proper style, tone, organization, flow, and mechanics are enhanced through the writing of memos and various types of letters (persuasive, bad news, etc.). While these skills are all evident in a report, it is a much different kind of document. This synthesis of writing skills can be complemented by the integration of fundamental business subject knowledge. Both skill sets can be concurrently developed through business simulation report assignments, particularly in upper division business communication courses. Such courses are often required in business programs where students have already completed courses in business law, management, basic business statistics, and computer applications. Choosing an appropriate topic and scope for such a report writing assignment can be challenging. As offered in Business Communication Quarterly, many good assignments lend themselves to adoption, each with varying degrees of flexibility, coverage of current topics, and data analysis requirements. The following formal report assignment provides the opportunity to present a wide enough scope to integrate several business disciplines.

Roach, Joy, Daniel Tracy and Kay Durden. Business Communication Quarterly (2007). Articles>Education>Business Communication>Reports

Integrating Writing Skills and Ethics Training in Business Communication Pedagogy: a Résumé Case Study Exemplar    

An integrated approach to teaching résumé construction in the business communication classroom focuses on simultaneously (a) emphasizing writing-related proficiencies and (b) encouraging ethical and moral orientations to this task. This article provides a résumé construction exemplar that operationalizes these two pedagogical goals. The techniques and exercises used in the exemplar are presented as a way to make ethics education accessible for both business communication instructors and students.

Conn, Cynthia E. Business Communication Quarterly (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Education>Resumes

Intergenerational Communication Made Simple

In my office is a large box full of articles pertaining to the complex issue of intergenerational communication. Since my life's work is exploring communication and how it affects the workplace, part of my job is to diligently research and design ways to communicate these issues to you, the reader. In this article I've provided some basic profiles of the generations working in the U.S. today and what communicators' concerns for the future should be.

Condon, Kathy. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Business Communication

The Intermingling of Aesthetic Sensibilities and Instrumental Rationalities in a Collaborative Arts Studio    

This article argues for the theoretical and practical incorporation of aesthetic sensibilities into the communicative management of hybrid organizing. Using Dewey's Art as Experience as a conceptual framework, it explores imaginative and aesthetic practices as knowledge-producing resources for organizing and social change. The analysis centers on the complex and contradictory ways that artful capacities and instrumental rationalities interweave to achieve the organizational order of a collaborative art studio. Using discourses from multiple stakeholders, this article examines in detail three themes: art as creation and vocation, art as ephemeral integration, and art as survival and social change. Findings are discussed in the context of other scholarship committed to recovering and fostering alternative logics for organizing.

Harter, Lynn M., Mark Leeman, Stephanie Norander, Stephanie L. Young and William K. Rawlins. Management Communication Quarterly (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Organizational Communication>Collaboration

Internal and External Brand: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Internal branding is alive and well, and continues to evolve as more people realize how powerful it is as a business tool. You may hear it called by different names, such as employer branding, employee branding or employee value propositioning, but whatever the term, it is an important and useful concept.

Covill, Simon. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Marketing>Workplace

Internal Blogging and the Rules of Disclosure: An IR-Reconciliable Difference?

We are hearing and reading a lot these days about the new age of transparency, in which organizations must go beyond traditional, tightly controlled communication and engage in a "naked conversation" with their customers, communities, employees and other stakeholders.

Shewchuk, Ron. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Workplace>Blogging

Internal Branding: Communicating and Measuring the Impact

A recent Gallup poll showed that 69 percent of employees are disengaged at work. A survey of human resources managers by PricewaterhouseCoopers in the U.K. found that only 26 percent of employees demonstrated brand values in their day-to-day behavior. These figures suggest that internal branding efforts are perhaps not producing the desired effect. "Living the brand" initiatives cannot work when the majority of employees are not tuned in at work. Great brands are built by consistently delivering on the brand promise, which requires employee engagement with that brand.

Venkat, Ramesh. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Marketing>Workplace

Internal Communication: Let's Be Clear

Internal communication isn't generally seen as a direct, short-term contributor to the bottom line, and therefore it is not considered "hot." More to the point though, people's understanding of what communication is and how it can work is extremely varied and often plain wrong. It seems that what makes internal communication "hot" is still mainly understood only in professional communication circles.

Bogaard, Lindsay. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Rhetoric

Internal Marketing vs. Internal Branding: It's All About Connections

Employee engagement, getting employees to "live the brand," gaining employee buy-in—today's managers are trying to wrap their minds around these critical practices through internal marketing and internal branding. But not everyone understands these concepts. You even hear people use the terms interchangeably, even though there are a number of differences between these concepts.

Stershic, Sybil F. and Debra Semans. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Marketing>Workplace

International Association of Business Communicators

As a 13,700-member not-for-profit association, IABC is a learning community for professionals committed to improving the effectiveness of organizations through strategic communication. IABC members practice the disciplines of corporate communication, employee/internal communication, marketing communication, public relations/external communication, media relations, community relations, public affairs, investor relations and government relations.

IABC. Organizations>Business Communication

Internet Public Relations and Messaging Can Drive Visibility and Sales

Today it’s harder than ever for companies to get above the noise and get their messages heard. Many consumers are so overwhelmed with advertisements about new products and marginally improved releases that they automatically tune out anything that sounds promotional. While it may seem like there’s no time to learn new tools and technologies, there are many sites that offer useful guides, quick tips and case studies on how to achieve measurable results.

Woods McNamara, Julie. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations>Online

Internet Resources for Business and Technical Writers

A collection of links to academic technical writing websites.

University of Illinois. Resources>Directories>Technical Writing>Business Communication

Review: Internet-Based Workplace Communications: Industry and Academic Applications    

Internet-Based Workplace Communications: Industry and Academic Applications, edited by Kirk St.Amant and Pavel Zemliansky, is a collection of essays that aims to bridge a gap between academic and industry understandings of the role of digital technologies in business and technical communication. The essays consider the implications of new online communication technologies for classroom and workplace practices. Although the essays are geared toward an academic audience and do not offer a comprehensive look at Internet-based workplace practices, the collection can serve as a starting point for educators who would like to discuss in their technical communication courses the implications of integrating Internet technologies into contemporary communication practices.

Jablonski, Jeffrey and Jessica Reyman. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2007). Articles>Reviews>Business Communication>Online

Interpreting Ethics as a Daily Mandate

There is much discussion in today’s corporate environment about accountability and responsibility. This rich debate has led me to consider at length the subject of applied or “operationalized” ethics. As lead counselors of senior management, and as the primary liaison to the public, we are in a position of great influence. Our behavior must be credible for our organizations to foster a positive image and reputation.

Silver, Gillian. Communication World Bulletin (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Ethics

The Interview Project: Reinforcing Business Communication Competence    

As business communication instructors, we understand the value of helping students learn, discuss, apply, and manipulate communication strategies on the basis of purpose and audience. This rhetorical bent encourages active learning through activities and multipurpose projects, but active learning often works best when students believe they are engaging concepts that will be useful to them in the future. I learned two very important facts early in my first business communication courses, taught at Iowa State University: First, the majority of my students were required by their majors to take the course, and second, many dreaded or resented taking what they thought of as another boring, impractical, useless 'English' class. To help my students believe that communicating professionally is vital to success, I developed an interview project, completed early in the semester, that encourages students to see beyond their preconceptions while practicing a variety of communication skills with professionals in different workplaces. A Multiphase Interview Project Interview projects are not new in business communication courses but can be extremely effective in actively engaging students. In the multiphase assignment I've developed, students plan, coordinate, conduct, transcribe, and synthesize interviews with three acquaintances or family members who work in different organizations.

Pope-Ruark, Rebecca. Business Communication Quarterly (2008). Articles>Education>Business Communication

Interviewing Techniques: An Art You Need to Practice

Although some communicators have a background in journalism, interviewing may not be the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of business communication. Of course, many of us interview managers and employees for our company's newsletter articles, annual reports, promotional materials, white papers, advertorials, speeches and more. But the need for good interview techniques goes a lot further even than that.

Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Interviewing>Business Communication

Introduction to Professional Writing

This course is designed to be an introduction to professional/technical communication as a profession and academic discipline. We will examine current issues, theories and practices, career opportunities, professional development, significant tools, and UNI's curriculum.

Williamson, William J. University of Northern Iowa (2003). Academic>Courses>Writing>Business Communication

Introduction to the Forum on Meaning/ful Work Studies in Organizational Communication    

On the first day of Nikki's undergraduate seminar, Organizing Work, she Oasks students to list the idioms and phrases commonly used to make sense of the 'work' experience. She shares the example of her father repeat- edly using the phrase 'daily grind' when she was growing up (important to note, he was not referring to the ubiquitous Starbucks of today). Slowly but surely, the chalkboard fills with an array of idiomatic expressions: 'on the clock,' 'work like a dog,' 'all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,' 'work your fingers to the bone,' 'all in a day's work,' and a host of others, including the Marxian favorite, 'a fair day's pay for a fair day's work.' Students are asked to reflect on the meanings embedded within the list and how language constitutes cultural meanings and values of work. As such an exercise should make abundantly clear, work and meaning would seem to be central to our study of organizational communication. Our talk about work both embodies and structures individual and social under- standings, attitudes, and actions. Yet, the meanings associated with work and the notion of work as meaningful have not been foci of study within our dis- cipline. Indeed, the term work is not even indexed in the New Handbook of Organizational Communication (Jablin and Putnam, 2001), and a search of the EBSCO database found not a single article with work and either meaning or meaningful in the title in a communication journal. Given contemporary devel- opments that make work more central to people's lives as well as less secure, the question of what work means to people and how such meanings contribute to or detract from a sense of purpose or dignity in people's lives is important to consider.

Zorn, Theodore E. and Nikki Townsley. Management Communication Quarterly (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Organizational Communication>Rhetoric