Corporate Social Responsibility Requires Strong Collaboration Between HR and Internal Communicators

There are ongoing debates about the reporting and working relationship between HR and internal communication, but one thing is certain: When it comes to systemic change, the kind required for effective corporate social responsibility (CSR) implementation, the two must work together in an inextricably-linked collaboration.

Mees, Adine. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Workplace>Public Relations

Corporate Social Responsibility: Communicators Wanted

Communication practitioners understand how to use a range of tools—formal, informal, traditional and online—and two-way symmetrical communication. They need to know that, through the energetic use of these skills, they can advance the economic, social and environmental well-being of society.

Berardocco, Diana. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Business Communication>Management

Corporatespeak: Deconstructing the New Language of Business

Business has a language all its own that changes almost daily. It is a language that is limiting, that denies possibility, and that excludes creative thinking. It is also the language with which industry players must grapple in their struggle to make money from new technology.

Leiper, Jeff. Writer's Block (2002). Articles>Business Communication>Rhetoric

The Council for the Advancement of Science Writing

The Council for the Advancement of Science Writing is a group of distinguished journalists and scientists committed to improving the quality of science news reaching the general public. The CASW develops and funds programs to help newspaper, magazine and television reporters and editors, universities and corporations present accurate, reliable and informative news stories to the lay public about developments in science and medicine.

CASW. Organizations>Scientific Communication>Journalism

Council of Science Editors: Reference Links

Links to thousands of reference sites, most of which relate to science writing.

CSE (2004). Reference>Writing>Scientific Communication>HTML

Course Design and Content Organization: A Psychological Perspective

While a lot of effort is spent on designing an effective structure of the course, individual memory is seemingly the more untouched and somehow neglected aspect of our efforts to develop effective learning solutions. There is a need to add a psychological perspective of memory and retention/recollection to the way we design learning solutions.

Singh, Atul. KeyContent.org (2006). Articles>Communication>Technical Writing

Review: The Craft of Scientific Presentations: Critical Steps to Succeed and Critical Errors to Avoid  

As the word craft in the title of the book suggests, the ability to give good presentations is not a genetically linked trait but a craft that can be learned.

Armbruster, David L. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Reviews>Presentations>Scientific Communication

Crafting a Crisis Communication Plan

In the wake of the tragic Virginia Tech shootings, it is time to ask a few serious and potentially life-saving questions about crisis communication and the plans that either exist, or don't exist, where we work.

Braud, Gerard. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Risk Communication>Crisis Communication

Creating a Culture of Accountability

Most of those who write about corporate social responsibility focus first and foremost on external stakeholders—responsibility-focused investors, workers in the supply chain, local communities, the press, governments or NGOs—and understandably so. These groups can undermine corporate reputations by publicizing perceived instances of social irresponsibility. Reputations may be intangible, but damage to them can cost real dollars.

Mike, Barry and Jeff Grimshaw. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations>Workplace

Creating an Effective Business Plan  

A business plan describes your business’s future, including your vision for your organization, your competition, your products and services, markets you’ll compete in, how you’ll sell yourself, and your financial prospective. A successful plan conveys an organization’s exciting prospects and growth potential. Its overall purpose is to “sell” the business to management and possible backers.

Hansen, Lauren Y. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Business Communication>Planning

Creating an Orientation Package for Your Organization  

You can create an orientation package to acclimate new personnel and ensure that they receive all the items and information they need in a timely manner. The orientation package can consist of six sections: introduction, maps, organization overview, skills list, other information sources, and checklists. Such an orientation package is currently being used at the IBM(R) Corporation in Cary, North Carolina. Businesses constantly grow and change. People join organizations, transfer between departments and sites, and return after extended absences. The sooner new personnel become skilled in their new positions, the sooner they will be productive and contributing members of the organization.

Flaherty, Erin E. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Business Communication>Workplace

Creating Corporate Histories

Every company has a story to tell, a story about people and passion, about vision and hard work. A corporate history tells these stories—but it is also a sophisticated marketing tool that presents your message and history in a professional, concise format. These historical "portfolios" are designed to attract and impress prospective customers and stockholders, and to create loyalty and a feeling of camaraderie among past and present employees.

Tyline King, Heidi. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Business Communication>History

Creating the Right Image Doesn't End with the Signing of a Contract

Helpful hints on how writers can create a positive first impression with clients.

Holland, Anton. Writer's Block (1996). Careers>Consulting>Communication

Credibility and Corporate Scandals: Put Your Mouth Where Your Money Is

It doesn't matter whether a company is communicating through its balance sheet, prospectus, or Web site. The recent corporate accounting scandals have shattered much of the basic trust that enables business and investment to function. Unfortunately, this affects not only those companies whose shifty finances have recently been exposed. Today, all businesses face the need to demonstrate their credibility to customers, investors, partners, regulators, and the public.

Gahran, Amy. Contentious (2002). Articles>Business Communication>Communication

Crisis Management—Don’t Forget the People

In the past, business continuity and crisis management focused on tangible assets, especially post-crisis recovery of systems and data and reestablishment of facilities and services. This all changed in the aftermath of 9/11, when it became obvious that the human factor was as critical as the technology and the buildings. Watching the suffering of the people affected by the Madrid bombings has reinforced the need to ensure your contingency plans address the people involved.

Perl, David. Communication World Bulletin (2004). Articles>Business Communication>Risk Communication>Crisis Communication

Critical Internet Studies

The Internet has become an immensely pervasive and powerful form of communication, one that despite its quick rise has yet to reach most of the world's population. This class is a survey that will trace the Internet's history, reception, audience, industries, rhetorics, fictional and filmic narratives, and potential as a purveyor and transmitter of culture and values. We will focus on the intersections between Internet and old media culture, popular culture, and critical theories of identity.

Nakamura, Lisa. University of Wisconsin (2005). Academic>Courses>Communication

A Critical Look at E-mail  

E-mail usage is so common and popular now that we hardly think about it. Because of its prevalence, many people have written critically about it, compelling us to look at our own usage.

Crawley, Charles R. STC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Communication>Online>Email

A Critique of Grammatical Coverage in Business-Communication Textbooks  

Business English (BE) and business communication (BC) overlap. English handles linguistic mechanics and style, whereas communication holistically discusses the movement of a message from one person to another. The BC discipline, unfortunately, allows language basics into its pedagogy like a statistics course teaching fundamental mathematics. From the other side, some English courses teach BC before their students are able to handle that material. A subject teaches prepared students. If they are deficient, they are either kept out or the subject matter suffers.

Kenman, Leon F. Association for Business Communication (2004). Articles>Education>Grammar>Business Communication

Cross Current: Proficient Enough?

A recent Conference Board survey of human resource officials revealed that only 25% of today's college graduates enter the world of work with well-developed speaking skills.

Mottet, Timothy P. Communication Currents (2006). Articles>Communication>Business Communication>Education

Crossing Borders: Tips For Preparing Your Writing For Subsequent Translation  

'Going Global' is more than a buzzword -- it is the way to do business. What you write may wind up being read by someone who does not speak English. To create documentation for an international audience, we must learn to overcome the challenges faced when communicating with people who speak languages other than our own.

Rimalower, George P. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Business Communication

CSR Communication: A SME-Oriented Approach  

A case study of Danish SME managers’ understanding of CSR and CSR communication conducted in the beginning of 2007 concluded that CSR communication in SMEs is a practice rather than a corporate strategy.

Nielsen, Anne Ellerup and Christa Thomsen. Association for Business Communication (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Collaboration>SMEs

Cultural Barriers to Internal Communication

Twenty years ago, I sat in the London offices of an American oil services company taking the conference brief for a CEO’s script. He was an oilman of the old school—no nonsense and pretty brutal in his management style. When his personal assistant came in with the coffee, she all but threw it over the guy and left the room with her nose in the air. “The natives are revolting,” he explained. “I made some redundancies this morning: everyone who arrived more than five minutes late.” It was my first experience of culture shock. For the Texan it was the most natural behavior; for the Brits, he represented a form of barbarism not seen since the Dark Ages. So how does a multinational firm communicate to audiences who have fundamentally different cultural values?

Wright, Marc. Communication World Bulletin (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Cultural Theory