#30380
A Theoretical Approach to Using Electronic Mail or Why Doesn't Anyone Respond to My E-Mail 
The features of time, place, speaker, and audience define the situational context of any communication--face-to-face, paper-based, or electronic. However, they are significantly altered in electronic communication. If participants in electronic communications do not recognize how these features are altered they may not be able to use their electronic mail effectively.
Goubil-Gambrell, Patricia and Rockie Beaman. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence>Email
#31284
They'll Thank You for Sharing: Make Those Reports, Memos and White Papers Clear and Readable
Words, words, words. It seems as if we're being asked to write something every minute for every need and occasion. Your boss wants a report; your colleagues need a memo explaining a procedure; your clients send e-mails that need to be considered and answered; your company's products or services should be described in a descriptive white paper, and on and on. How can you deal with all that? Are there any general writing rules that apply to business writing of all sorts?
Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Rhetoric>Technical Writing
#31502
This Is NOT Your Father's Online Newsroom
When companies first put their corporate and marketing information on the web in the mid to late '90s, it was mostly static content that was painful for journalists to use (horrible navigation, tough to download text and little or no images available). It's lucky for the corporate world that it took time for journalists to warm up to the web. Since we all know how gifted the PR community is in math, science and computers, it was no surprise that the company’s online publicity destiny was left in the hands of its IT staff—which was about as familiar with PR as PR is with the latest software patches that somehow magically appear on our desktops. You need a more effective news and information web site, but what will it include and how will you show the ROI to secure the necessary investment?
Clarke, David. Communication World Bulletin (2004). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations>Online
#30702
This article reports a case study of three multinational companies that work together in a consortium, focusing on intercompany and intracompany variation in writing products and processes. The authors discuss variation in two genres: meeting minutes and internal memos. Adopting a social constructionist, communities of practice (CofP) approach, they argue that the companies form overarching constellations of CofP. Although the participants broadly work with the same genres of written documents, the form of these documents varies according to the local context, audience, and purpose. The authors discuss the implications of their findings, with particular reference to the difficulty writers face when they make the transition from writing for one community of practice to writing for another.
Angouri, Jo and Nigel Harwood. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Collaboration
#26609
This Just In---Managing Corporate Crises in an Electronic Age
Shortly after Martha Stewart was accused by the government of lying to cover up her sale of Imclone stocks, she set up a web site www.marthatalks.com to tell her side of the story Firestone/Bridgestone and Ford took the same step in the wake of their crisis. These corporations and many others use their web sites to tell their own side of the story in a climate where competing news outlets in their rush to be the first to break a story, may sacrifice accuracy. In this paper, we examine the Internet, both as a crisis “activator” as well as an effective tool in crisis management and communication. We use relevant case studies to support the assertion that if used properly, the Internet can be an effective and proactive crisis communication tool.
George, Amiso M. and Matthew Friedman. Association for Business Communication (2004). Articles>Web Design>Business Communication>Civic
#13208
Thought, Behavior and Writing Style in Technical Communication
This presentation clarifies Japanese writers' tendency of written statement from the text-organization and writing-attitude. The result of investigation is the same as the presenter's hypothesis, that is, Japanese writers try to approach the point of argument by a roundabout way of developing a paragraph. 55% of the examinees showed this tendency. The fact that Japanese technical writers are willing to go along with the policy of the native speakers of English was also revealed through the interview and obtaining information by means of questionnaires.
Otsuka, Yoshihiro. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Business Communication
#31530
Tips for Getting to Know Your Audience
Effective communication requires understanding the target population and how it operates. That need to understand runs the gamut: sometimes it's simply information gathering, other times it's copy testing, or it may mean monitoring the effectiveness of a campaign. But before you start any campaign, you need to know your audience.
Reagan, Joey. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Articles>Business Communication>Audience Analysis>Rhetoric
#28080
Total Product Communication: Your Company Is Your Product
Learn how your work as a technical communicator can impact the marketing communication and corporate communication departments of your company. This article provides ways to demonstrate the value that effective technical communication adds across the business.
Wilson, John. Intercom (2006). Articles>Business Communication>TC
#29199
Toward a Post-Techne-Or, Inventing Pedagogies for Professional Writing 
This article examines the concept of techne in relation to situatedness. Techne is conceived as techniques for situating bodies in contexts. Although many theorists and practitioners in technical communication are working from ecological and posthuman perspectives with regard to interface designs, this article argues for extending those perspectives to workplace and classroom situations. Starting from a Heideggerian reading of techne, the article moves toward the concept of post-techne, which remakes pedagogical techniques for writing and inventing in institutional contexts.
Hawk, Byron. Technical Communication Quarterly (2004). Articles>Education>Business Communication>Theory
#32021
Toward a Taxonomy of Corporate Reporting Strategies
Studies of corporate reporting that focus on information disclosure do so primarily from a mandatory, financial perspective owing the decision to the rationality of corporate actors. Yet, social and environmental disclosures"often reported voluntarily"are increasing in importance because of their impact on a firm's performance and perceived value. Likewise, disclosure decisions are made based on managerial choice, often being communicated for a specific strategic purpose. The aim of this article is to illuminate the importance of voluntary disclosures as an aspect of corporate reporting and to integrate the deterministic and behavioral elements of disclosure decisions. A taxonomy of the disclosure process, activities, tasks, forms, types, and strategies is provided to add to our understanding of the additive and corrective nature of proactively disclosing information either to provide context to existing disclosures or to use information in a preventive manner.
Clark Williams, Cynthia. JBC (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Reports
#31806
Scandals, accidents, product problems, criminal activity, deception or fraud, misconduct, harassment, discrimination, financial or regulatory improprieties, malfeasance, misappropriations, or ethical breaches can not only damage the reputation of corporate executives but can reek financial havoc on the value of a company’s brand 'assets.' When companies face these types of crises they are compelled to act quickly and decisively in order to limit their brand and image losses and seek to repair the 'black eye' to their corporate 'face' as effectively as possible. Although companies will attempt a wide range of actions and messages as symbolic appeals to that organization’s constituent publics, there is little certainty about what types of actions and messages are persuasive.
Wallace, J.D., Denise P. Ferguson and Robert C. Chandler. Association for Business Communication (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Rhetoric
#29364
Translate Technology Solutions Into a Strong Business Case
How do you explain highly technical designs in terms that nontechnical managers and executives--who typically have decision-making power over the budget--can understand and appreciate? Unless you know a technical writer who can translate for you, you're going to have to do it yourself.
Talon, Mike. TechRepublic (2003). Careers>Business Communication>Technical Writing>Business Case
#26171
Translating Business Cards: Time and Money Saving Tips
If it is your first time dealing with typesetting foreign language business cards, you may start out thinking it is a simple task. So did we. Later we learned that without proper preparation and accessible information, it can turn out to be a very time consuming job with changes and changes following initial layout and translation. After many trials and errors, we have summarized the lessons we learned here for you.
WTB Language Group (2005). Articles>Business Communication>Professionalism>Localization
#14035
Treating Professional Writing as Social Praxis
To explore how professional communications are shaped by the worlds of work, scholars have drawn on several different ways of thinking about the relationship between texts and contexts--literary theories, sociolinguistics, organizational theory, ethnography, and theories of composition. I would like to draw on classical rhetoric to develop a philosophical justification for stressing the social and ethical dimensions of business and technical writing. I am not specifically interested here in how we can apply the techniques of classical rhetoric to professional writing, but in how we can revitalize classical rhetoric's general emphasis on ethical and political values. While classical rhetoric assumed ethical and political values that need to be questioned, it does provide a context in which to ask questions about values, questions that are too often ignored in professional writing classes. Classical rhetoric is particularly useful in talking about technical and business writing because Aristotle's three-part conceptualization of theoria, proxis, and techne undercuts the dichotomy of theory and practice that often limits instruction in 'practical' writing to the mere techniques of the craft. Classical rhetoric can also help us develop a broader social perspective on practical writing, a perspective that includes not just the social context of the company or profession but the larger public context as well.
Miller, Thomas P. JAC (1991). Articles>Education>Business Communication>Rhetoric
#29036
Trends in Entry-Level Technology, Interpersonal, and Basic Communication Job Skills: 1992-1998
This longitudinal study was conducted to identify trends in entry-level technology, interpersonal, and basic communication competencies and skills using entry-level classified newspaper advertisements from ten standard U.S. metropolitan statistical areas. Two competencies and one skill were selected from the Workplace Know-How's identified by the 1991 U.S. Department of Labor Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS). Specifically, ads including interpersonal competencies increased for the fourth consecutive year; ads including basic communication skills increased for the second consecutive year. Ads including technology competencies decreased slightly; however, the overall trend for technology remains strong. Therefore, the workplace continues seeking the competencies and skills advocated by the SCANS authors.
Bryans North, Alexa and William E. Worth. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2000). Careers>Business Communication>Technology>History
#31264
Trust and Respect Form the Foundation for Mentoring
We are all mentors to someone at some point in our lives. And interestingly, we may not even know it at the time. I was quite surprised one sunny day to be introduced by an IABC colleague as "her mentor" when we encountered one of her co-workers as we left a restaurant.
McCauley, Mary Ann. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Careers>Mentoring>Business Communication
#29699
Turning A Company Newsletter into a Pleasure Trip
Advocates that given a chance, a tech-pubs team should adopt their company's newsletter. The questions that arise about this advocacy are: why should they do it? Will the benefits outweigh the additional workload? How should they balance their regular project-based activity with the voluntary responsibility? This paper answers these questions; charting out procedures and laying down guidelines to publish a successful newsletter, issue after issue.
Dandu, Vijayalakshmi and Shivani Seshadri. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Business Communication>Publishing>Newsletters
#31496
The Twelve Laws of Media Relations
How you treat and respond to reporters, editors and analysts can greatly affect how your company is perceived in its marketplace. The relationship between “you” and “them” is so important it has its own name (media relations), its own experts (PR pros and firms that specialize in media relations) and its own set of rules. Below are 12 laws of media relations. Follow them, and you’re well on your way to gaining for your company the positive visibility you desire. Break them at your own peril.
Buchanan, James. Communication World Bulletin (2004). Articles>Interviewing>Public Relations>Business Communication
#31563
Twelve Strategies to Raise Your CEO's Profile
Some business leaders have a natural panache. How do you raise the profile of a CEO that lacks that kind of flash? The answer is to approach your communication strategically and to use your CEO wisely. This applies whether you represent a Fortune 500 company or a small non-profit group. Media training, presentation skills training and testimony training workshops can devote large amounts of time to defining and seizing strategic communication opportunities. Let's review a dozen techniques designed to secure strategic placements for your CEO and put your organization on the road to out-thinking the competition.
Barks, Edward J. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Articles>Business Communication>Management>Public Relations
#31549
Two Dozen Rules for Responding to Media Queries
All firms with more than one employee should have a clearly written media policy that spells out who in the organization may respond to media inquiries, what kinds of information can or should be released to reporters and what information must be kept confidential. It's important to assure your employees that talking to the media and establishing good relationships with reporters can and should be constructive. Reporters need you as a source of news and background information as much as you need them to give you publicity and clarify your point of view.
Freedman, David M. and Janice E. Purtell. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations
#31315
Whether you're grappling with how to reach out to bloggers discussing your industry or contemplating creating a corporate blog, it's vital for you as a communicator to understand what's being said about your company in cyberspace—and how to play an active role in the dialog.
Taylor, Helen. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations>Blogging
#31804
Uncertainties and Resistance to Change
This paper aims to fill a gap between knowledge and practice about the effectiveness of rhetorical strategies in the communication of change inside large private organizations.
Modena, Ivana. Association for Business Communication (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Rhetoric
#12939
Understanding Business Communication Copyright Laws 
For some reason, there is a common misconception that correspondence and other forms of communication are not subject to protection by U.S. copyright laws; however, generally, that is not true. The U.S. Copyright Act states that protection exists 'in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.' Therefore, letters typically are protected by copyright law.
Isenberg, Doug. TECHWR-L (2000). Articles>Intellectual Property>Correspondence>Business Communication
#28747
Usarchy is een weblog met eigen artikelen over usability (gebruikersvriendelijkheid) en online marketing. Usarchy gaat vaak over gemiste online marketing kansen. Dit is waar usability de degens kruist met online marketing projecten. En dat is waar maar al te vaak usability verliest, de gebruiker verliest, en daardoor de efficiëntie van online marketing verliest.
Timmerman, Ruben. Usarchy. (Dutch) Resources>Business Communication>Marketing>Blogs
#31043
A use case is a detailed description of a user's interaction with a system. That's it. It's pretty simple; somewhat general, rather vague. That's the way it should be. A use case really amounts to nothing more than plain old 'documentation.' It can be applied to a business process, a complex software system, your morning routine, a wedding ceremony, or a historical event. The only requirements are an 'actor' and an object to be acted upon.
Kass, Andrew. BA Collective (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Case Studies
