Business Communication Today (6th Edition) - Hardcover

Bovee, Courtland L.; Thill, John V.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0130845132 ISBN 13: 9780130845139

Publisher: Prentice Hall, 1999

Synopsis

This is a "must have" for anyone whose job requires writing clear, professional reports, memos, e-mail, or letters. Helps readers refine their existing communications skills while learning how to communicate effectively via various mediums, including the Internet and other technologies. Listening, working in teams, and understanding nonverbal communication are also covered and a handy appendix includes grammar and usage fundamentals. For readers in all levels of business interested in improving their communications skills.

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Learn How tie Leading Text Blends with Technology to Create a Total Teaching and Learning Solution

Technology now plays a central role in business communication, and technology plays a central role in Business Communication Today, too—as both content and pedagogy. The eighth edition builds on 20 years of success with an extensive revision that integrates every vital form of technology that students will be expected to use on the job.

Technology is part of this book's mission to provide students with a solid background in communication fundamentals, a realistic look at the challenges of working in today's demanding business environment, and the skills they need to compete and succeed. From the opening chapter on communication concepts to the closing discussion of employment interviewing, Business Communication Today helps students use technology wisely, work quickly under time and budget constraints, and communicate with close attention to ethics and etiquette.

Moreover, only Business Communication Today helps instructors and students take full advantage of new advances in technology that can have a highly positive effect on learning. The blending of this textbook with technology, such as its "Document Makeovers" that are presented in an engaging multimedia environment, OneKey learning modules, and interactive website, make the text the most effective teaching and learning tool you'll find for a business communication course.

Because of its vivid insights into real-world communication situations and lively, conversational writing style, this text holds the interest of students and teachers alike. In the two decades since the first edition was published, millions of students have learned about business communication from Business Communication Today. The text has been awarded the prestigious Award of Excellence by the Text and Academic Authors Association and is the leading text in the field.

This textbook offers an extraordinary number of devices to simplify teaching, promote active learning, stimulate critical thinking, and develop career skills. As you'll see on the pages that follow, this edition of the text with its high-tech supplements make classes livelier, more relevant, and more enjoyable.

NEW CONTENT IN THIS EDITION

Integrated Approach to Technology

Technology is woven into the fabric of this book in every chapter to illustrate the changing ways people are communicating with each other. Students are introduced to the pervasive role of communication technology in a special four-page photo essay in Chapter 1, "Powerful Tools for Communicating Effectively." These cutting-edge topics throughout the book include the following:

• computer animation
• corporate blogs
• digital rights
• electronic documents
• electronic forms
• electronic presentations
• electronic resume production
• e-mail
• e-portfolios
• extranets
• graphic design software
• groupware and shared online workspaces
• idea-generation and document-planning software
• image processing tools
• instant messaging
• interactive media
• Internet telephony (VoIP)
• Intranets
• linked and embedded documents
• multimedia documents
• multimedia presentations
• online chat systems for sales and customer support
• online research techniques
• online survey tools
• proposal-writing software
• resume scanning systems
• RSS newsfeeds
• search and metasearch engines
• security and privacy concerns in electronic media (including e-mail hygiene)
• social networking applications
• streaming media templates and stylesheets
• translation software
• videoconferencing and telepresence
• virtual agents and bots
• virtual private networks (VPNs)
• web directories
• web publishing systems
• web-based virtual meetings
• webcasts
• website accessibility

OneKey Document Makeovers

In each chapter of the book, an assignment overview directs students to the OneKey website, where interactive exercises help them apply chapter concepts to an actual business document. "Document Makeovers" offer students an appealing opportunity to refine and reinforce their writing skills in a dynamic multimedia environment.

Peak Performance Grammar and Mechanics

In each chapter, students are directed to the OneKey website to improve their skills with mechanics and specific parts of speech by using the "Peak Performance Grammar and Mechanics" module. Students can take the pretest to determine whether they have any weak areas; then they can review those areas in the module's refresher course. Students can also take a follow-up test. For an extra challenge or advanced practice, students can take the advanced test.

Communication Close-Up

These Communication Close-Ups offer a chapter-framing communication situation. This situation dramatizes the connection between the chapter's contents and life on the job. Reviewers were unanimous in their praise of the rich, engaging real-company examples used to illustrate the book to make communication concepts come alive. To give students the most current picture of business communication possible, all 18 Communication CloseUps are new in this edition and highlight such intriguing organizations as Mark Burnett Productions (creators of Survivor and The Apprentice), Toyota Scion, Google, Rolling Stone magazine, and the Complete Idiot's Guides series.

Communication Solutions

Each chapter also contains one or more of these special margin notes that are adjacent to the principles in the text to which the solution relates and points to how the person featured in the vignette solved the problem described in the vignette.

Communication Challenges

These projects conclude each chapter and are related to the situation described in the Communication Close-Up. Each chapter has one individual challenge and one team challenge.

Special Feature Sidebars

Strategically placed within each chapter, special-feature sidebars extend the chapter material and center on four well-integrated themes: Ethics Detective, Communication Miscues, Communication Across Cultures, and Connecting with Technology. The sidebars are seamlessly integrated in the text and are an integral part of the learning experience. The Ethics Detective and Communication Miscues themes are both new, and a total of 29 sidebars in this edition are new.

Increased Coverage of Listening and Teams

To help students strengthen their communication skills, material on listening and working effectively in teams has been expanded and updated to include the latest information. Improved coverage provides students with skills they'll need to gain a competitive edge in today's workplace, including overcoming the tendency to prejudge, listening across cultural and language barriers, and using short-term memorization techniques that boost retention and reduce misinterpretation.

Increased Coverage of Business Etiquette

To obtain employment and succeed on the job, students need to understand and practice workplace etiquette in areas such as personal appearance, teamwork, face-to-face interactions, written correspondence (including maintaining etiquette in both negative and persuasive messages), research (such as respecting the privacy of interview subjects), instant messaging and e-mail, telephone interactions (receiving calls, making calls, reducing cell phone disruptions, and using voice mail), and job search and interviewing.

Business Communication Videos with Exercises

Entirely new, professionally produced videos cover topics such as ethics, technology, globalization, and intercultural communication. The videos feature real-world examples and are designed to effect a deeper understanding of the concepts and issues covered in the text. Each video is introduced with a synopsis, and exercises ask students to react to the videos by responding to questions, making decisions, and taking the initiative to solve real business communication problems. The following video case teaching guides for instructors are located at www.prenhall.com/bovee and in the instructor's manual:

• Ethical Communication, 2003, 11:40 minutes
• Second City: Communication, Innovation, and Creativity, 2005, 11:13 minutes
• Communicating in the Global Workplace, 2003, 11:12 minutes
• Impact of Culture on Business, 2004, 18:26 minutes
• Technology and the Tools of Communication, 2003, 5:13 minutes

TRADEMARK FEATURES All UPDATED FOR THIS EDITION

Emphasis on Process and Product

To help students write business messages quickly, easily, and effectively, chapters are organized into a series of three easy-to-follow steps (planning, writing, and completing business messages). In this eighth edition, the process has been further improved to present steps in a more logical order. A "Three-Step Writing Process" graphic not only illustrates the general process but is also applied to specific examples throughout the book.

Checklists

Useful during the course and even years after completion, checklists help students organize their thinking when they begin a project, make decisions as they write, and check their own work. Serving as reminders rather than "recipes," these checklists provide useful guidelines without limiting creativity. In the eighth edition, we've improved the checklists by making them more concise, action oriented, and tightly correlated with the wording of the text.

Sample Documents with Annotated Comments

Students can examine numerous sample documents, many collecte...

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

With its vivid insights into real-world communication situations and lively, conversational writing style, this text holds the interest of students and teachers alike. In the 17 years since the first edition was published, millions of students have learned about business communication from Business Communication Today. In 2000 the text was awarded the prestigious Award for Excellence by the Text and Academic Authors Association.

We welcome our new co-author, Barbara Schatzman, to the seventh edition of this text. With over 20 years of managerial and consulting experience and outstanding academic credentials, Barbara brings new insights and real-world perspectives to this text that will help keep it at the forefront of its field.

This seventh edition of Business Communication Today is the centerpiece of a comprehensive teaching and learning package. The text covers all the basic principles and goals as recommended by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs and the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the International Association for Management Education. Moreover, it fully integrates issues critical to successful business communication. Take this opportunity to explore the new edition of Business Communication Today, Seventh Edition.

New CONTENTS, New FEATURES IN THIS EDITION

Part 1: Understanding the Foundations of Business Communication
Chapter 1: Achieving Success Through Effective Business Communication
Chapter 2: Communicating in Teams and Mastering Listening and Nonverbal Communication Skills
Chapter 3: Communicating Interculturally

Part 2: Applying the Three-Step Writing Process
Chapter 4: Planning Business Messages
Chapter 5: Writing Business Messages
Chapter 6: Completing Business Messages
Component Chapter A: Writing for the Web

Part 3: Writing Letters, Memos, E-Mail, and Other Brief Messages
Chapter 7: Writing Routine, Good-News, and Goodwill Messages
Chapter 8: Writing Bad-News Messages
Chapter 9: Writing Persuasive Messages

Part 4: Finding and Communicating Information
Chapter 10: Finding, Evaluating, and Processing Information
Chapter 11: Communicating Information Through Charts information and Other Visuals
Component Chapter B: Communicating Through the Internet technology and Other Technologies

Part 5: Planning, Writing, and Completing Reports and Proposals
Chapter 12: Planning Business Reports and Proposals
Chapter 13: Writing Business Reports and Proposals
Chapter 14: Completing Formal Business Reports and Proposals

Part 6: Designing and Delivering Oral Presentations
Chapter 15: Planning, Writing, and Completing Oral Presentations
Chapter 16: Enhancing Your Oral Presentations with Electronic Slides and Overhead Transparencies

Part 7: Writing Employment Messages and Interviewing for Jobs
Chapter 17: Writing Resumes and Application Letters
Chapter 18: Interviewing for Employment and Following Up

Appendix I. Format and Layout of Business Documents
Appendix II. Documentation of Report Sources
Appendix III. Fundamentals of Grammar and Usage
Appendix IV. Tips for Effective E-Mail
Appendix V: Correction Symbols

EMPHASIS ON TEAMS

Communicating effectively through teamwork is covered extensively in Chapter 2. Throughout the text, teamwork exercises are included in the "Communication Challenges" feature at the conclusion of each chapter and in the "Practice Your Knowledge" section in the end-of-chapter exercises. Topics include characteristics of effective teams, collaborative writing, cultural diversity in teams, group dynamics, groupthink, role playing, group decision making, use of technology to enhance decisions made in groups, conflict resolution in groups, and group interviewing.

GREATER EMPHASIS ON PROCESS AND PRODUCT

We reorganized the text material into a series of three easy-to-follow steps to offer students a practical strategy to solve communication problems. The three-step process includes:

• planning business messages
• writing business messages
• completing business messages

The process is thoroughly integrated and applied throughout the text.

INTEGRATED APPROACH TO TECHNOLOGY

Business Communication Today reinforces the importance of using technology effectively in business communication throughout the text.

Full-chapter coverage. See the annotated Contents in this preface for more details.

In-text discussion. The text includes extensive coverage of e-mail, voice mail, faxes, communication software, the Internet, chat, instant messaging, multimedia, and more.

"Keeping Pace with Technology" boxes. Special boxes highlight how to use technology in business communication to achieve a competitive advantage.

Focus on e-business. Chapter vignettes, In-Depth Critiques, photos, and letter-, memo-, and report-writing and e-mail cases feature communication challenges students are likely to encounter in the world of e-business.

Internet resources.

• Internet exercises tied to the book. Students become acquainted with the wealth of business communication information on the web by visiting the text's "Best of the Web" websites and by completing the "Exploring the Best of the Web" end-of-chapter Internet exercises.
• Grammar diagnostic tests. Students can reinforce their grammar and language skills by taking four online diagnostic tests offered at this text's website, www.prenhall.com/bovee. The tests cover a variety of topics, including spelling, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, capitalization, punctuation, word choice, sentence structure, clarity, style, proofreading, and more. Once a test is submitted, it's automatically scored, the correct answers are provided, and students can improve areas where they are weak.
• "My Companion Website." This powerful website offers chapter-specific current events articles called "In the News," Internet exercises, and an interactive study guide. The study guide includes multiple-choice, true/false, and essay questions. For faculty, downloadable supplements are included.

Online course resources. The 60 Keys to Mastering Effective Business Communication is a first-of-its-kind instructional tool, available as an online course on the web or on a CD-ROM. We personally introduce each chapter with a video presentation. Students learn about three key concepts and practice applying them with interactive exercises.

HALLMARK FEATURES UPDATED FOR THIS EDITION COMMUNICATION CLOSE-UPS

Each chapter begins with an instructive "Communication Close-Up" featuring a communication expert who, in his or her own words, applies the chapter's concepts to common business situations. That expert reappears from time to time throughout the chapter to dramatize the connection between the chapter's contents and life on the job.

COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES

Projects called "Communication Challenges" conclude each chapter and are related to the situations described in the Communication CloseUps. Each chapter has one individual challenge and one team challenge. These challenges are exclusive to Business Communication Today, providing a dimension of reality unmatched by any other textbook in the field.

All internal company information was gathered through personal interviews with our business associates, friends, and contacts, and it gives Business Communication Today the real-world applications for which students are so eager.

COMMUNICATION ACROSS CULTURES

Tested techniques help students communicate successfully in the global arena and in the culturally diverse business world at home. Some examples include

• Communicating with a Global Audience on the Web
• Actions Speak Louder Than Words All Around the World
• Test Your Intercultural Knowledge

FOCUSING ON ETHICS

By examining critical ethical issues that face business communicators in today's workplace, students gain insight into how to identify areas of ethical vulnerability, how to steer clear of ethical perils, and when to seek ethical advice. The wide range of topics include

• Should Employers Use E-Mail to Deliver Negative Employment Messages?
• Spin Cycle: Deciphering Corporate Doublespeak
• Resume Deception: Risky or Fatal?

SHARPENING YOUR CAREER SKILLS

Practical pointers and confidence-building guidelines help students improve their writing and speaking skills. This feature helps students strengthen their career skills by exploring such topics as

• Ordinary or Extraordinary? Using the Web to Produce Better PowerPoint Presentations
• Beating Writer's Block: Nine Ideas to Get Words Flowing
• Interview Strategies: Answering the 16 Toughest Questions

KEEPING PACE WITH TECHNOLOGY

Specific techniques offer students guidance for using technological applications to improve business communication. Some examples include

• Beware of the Mischievous Webmaster
• Caution: E-Mail Can Bite
• Netting a Job on the Web

SCANS — Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills

Like no other business communication text, this edition emphasizes the skills and competencies necessary for students to make the transition from school to the workplace. As described in the SCANS report from the Department of Labor, it is essential that students meet national standards of academic and occupational skill. To help accomplish the SCANS goal, this text offers a wide variety of interactive pedagogy (much of which is grounded in real-world situations).

CHECKLISTS

To help students organize their thinking when they begin a communication project, make decisions as they write, and check their own work, we've included checklists throughout the book. In the seventh edition, we've streamlined these checklists to increase their usefulness. These checklists are reminders, not "recipes." They provide useful guidelines for writing, without limiting creativity.

IN-DEPTH CRITIQUES

You will find a variety of up-to-date sample documents, many collected by us in our consulting work, that focus on real companies. All In-Depth Critiques are introduced in the text (identifying the particular business situation being illustrated) and are accompanied by focused comments that point to specific sections to help students see precisely how to apply the principles being discussed. Many samples are also accompanied by a three-step-writing-process graphic that gives students important insights into planning, writing, and completing the specific document shown. Additional documents are displayed within the text, many including poor and improved examples, to illustrate common errors and effective techniques for correcting them.

DOCUMENTS FOR ANALYSIS

This textbook provides a wide selection of documents that students can critique and revise. Documents include letters, memos, e-mail messages, a letter of application, and a resume. Hands-on experience in analyzing and improving sample documents will help students revise their own business messages.

EXERCISES

With the dozens of new exercises and cases (almost all companies featured are real), we have placed an even greater emphasis in this edition on providing practical assignments like those that students will most often face at work. Many of them are memo-writing and e-mail tasks. New in the seventh edition, each exercise is labeled as to its type, such as "Team," "Ethical Choices," "Self-Assessment," or "Internet."

CASES

The cases are yet another tool for demonstrating the role of communication in the real business world. Examples include:

• Got It Covered? Letter from American Express about SUV rentals
• Betting the Company: Letter from Boeing replying to questions about new aircraft plans
• Boomerang Back to Us: E-Mail from EDS to clot-corn deserters
• More Layoffs: Memo to Motorola employees
• No Choking Matter: Persuasive letter from the Consumer Product Safety Commission about fast-food giveaways

Both the exercises and cases deal with all types and sizes of organizations, both domestic and international. Each chapter also includes exercises and cases that require access to the World Wide Web, giving students practice with this fast-growing communication technology.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Chapter-opening learning objectives are clearly stated to signal important concepts that students are expected to master. In addition, the numbered objectives reappear in the text margins, close to the relevant material. Finally, the end-of chapter "Summary of Learning Objectives" reinforces basic concepts by capsulizing chapter highlights for students.

END-OF-CHAPTER QUESTIONS

The end-of-chapter questions are divided into two types.

• Test Your Knowledge (review questions)
• Apply Your Knowledge (application questions)

The end-of-chapter questions are designed to get students thinking about the concepts introduced in each chapter. The questions may also prompt students to stretch their learning beyond the chapter content. Not only will students find the questions useful in studying for examinations, but the instructor may also draw on them to promote classroom discussion of issues that have no easy answers

MARGIN NOTES

To reinforce learning, the book's margins contain short summary statements that highlight key points in the text. These notes are no substitute for reading the chapters, but they can help students quickly get the gist of a section, review a chapter, and locate areas of greatest concern.

REAL-WORLD ISSUES

The boundaries of business communication are always expanding. So in addition to covering all the traditional subjects, Business Communication Today, Seventh Edition, provides material to help students manage these important current issues in business communication:

• Ethics. Taking an ethical position in the face of pressures and temptations requires more than courage-it requires strong communication skills.
• Communication Barriers. The shift toward a service economy means that more and more careers will depend on interpersonal skills, making it vital for people to overcome communication barriers.
• Cultural Diversity. The changing nature of the domestic workforce requires strong communication skills to relate to workers of various ages, genders, socioeconomic status, ethnic backgrounds, and so on. Also, strong skills are needed to communicate effectively with people from other countries.
• Communication Technology. More and more face-to-face interactions are giving way to interactions with and through computers. And this trend will continue. To survive in today's business world, students must master high-tech communication skills.
• Law. The increasing tendency of people to sue makes it important to understand the legal implications of written and oral communication.
• Employment Search. More and more people are making radi

About this edition

• Publisher: Prentice Hall
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0130845132
• ISBN 13: 9780130845139
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 6
• Number of pages: 784