Effective Human Relations : Personal and Organizational Applications

This comprehensive text, ideal for both two- and four-year programs, covers key human relations skills from an organizational perspective to help students who plan to become managers understand the disparate factors that influence employee behavior. Effective Human Relations balances proven fundamentals with new practices, preparing students for success in an unpredictable business environment.

The Ninth Edition features the authors' popular Total Person approach, highlighting seven major themes that affect human relations throughout the text: communication, self-awareness, self-acceptance, motivation, trust, self-disclosure, and conflict resolution. Real-world examples and practical applications engage students' interest and facilitate learning.

• Topics covered in the Ninth Edition now include the root causes of negative attitudes; an introduction to the Reiss Profile, an instrument used to classify people's basic desires; and how "branding" can be used to achieve greater visibility in a crowded job market.
• The authors have completely revamped the text to cover the latest developments concerning diversity in the workplace. Reece and Brandt look at diversity as a broad concept encompassing age, income level, education, and communication styles in addition to race, ethnicity, and nationality.

Barry L. Reece is professor emeritus at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Prior to this, he was on the faculty at the University of Northern Iowa. He received his Ed.D. from the University of Nebraska. Dr. Reece has been actively involved in teaching, research, consulting, and designing training programs throughout his career. He has conducted more than 500 workshops and seminars devoted to leadership, human relations, communications, sales, customer service, and small business operations. He received the Excellence in Teaching Award for classroom teaching at Virginia Tech and the Trainer of the Year Award presented by the Valleys of Virginia Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development. Dr. Reece has contributed to numerous journals and is author or co-author of six college textbooks that have been through a total of 41 editions. He has served as a consultant to Lowe's Companies, Inc., Wachovia Corporation, WLR Foods, Kinney Shoe Corporation, and numerous other profit and not-for-profit organizations.

Professor Rhonda Brandt combined a wealth of knowledge about human relations in the corporate world with an extensive teaching background to bring exceptional balance to this text. Professor Brandt taught interpersonal and business communications, human resources management, and various related courses in the Business and Marketing Division of Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, Missouri. She received her B.A. in business education with vocational certification from the University of Northern Iowa and M.A. in Practical Arts and Vocational/Technical Education from the University of Missouri. She served as a faculty member at Hawkeye Community College and Administrative Support Department Chair at Springfield College. Professor Brandt conducted workshops and seminars for teachers, small businesses, and large corporations throughout the nation for more than twenty-five years before passing away in 2008.