This article presents the results of a year-long study of the business- and
technical-communication market in Boston, Massachusetts. The study iden
tifies the abundance of professional titles, duties, attitudes, responsibilities,
aptitudes, and skills in business and technical communication included in six
large categories ofpractice: technical communication, publishing, public rela
tions, marketing, development, and training. Based on the Boston
communication-market research and on occupational data from the U.S. De
partment of Labor, this study suggests that, in the decade ahead, communica
tion practitioners can expect healthy growth in the profession.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Anderson, Paul V. "What Technical and Scientific Communicators Do: A Comprehensive Model for Developing Academic Programs." IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication PC-27.3 (1984): 161-67.
2.
Antoine, Valerie. "The Software Documenter: A New Specialist." Technical Communication32.3 (1985): 16-18.
3.
Baskin, Otis, and Craig Aronoff.Public Relations: The Profession and the Practice. 2nd ed. Dubuque: William C. Brown, 1988.
4.
Bataille, Robert R. "Writing in the World of Work: What Our Graduates Report." College Composition and Communication33.3 (1982): 276-80.
5.
Bennett, James, and Robert Olney. "Executive Priorities for Effective Communication in an Information Society." The Journal of Business Communication23.2 (1986): 13-22.
6.
Bradford, David. "The New Role of Technical Communicators." Technical Communication32.1 (1985): 13-15.
Coggin, William. "Academic Technical Communication Programs: Meeting Changing Demands ." Proceedings of the 30th International Technical Communication ConferenceWashington: Society for Technical Communication, 1983. RET 21-23.
9.
Cutlip, Scott M., Allen H. Center, and Glen M. Broom.Effective Public Relations. 6th ed. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall , 1985.
10.
Daniel, Carter A. "Remembering Our Charter: Business Communication at the Crossroads ." The Journal of Business Communication20.3 (1983): 3-11.
11.
Darrow, Richard W., and Dan J. Forrestal .The Dartnell Public Relations Handbook. 3rd ed. Chicago: Dartnell , 1987.
12.
DiSalvo, Vincent, and Janet Larsen. "A Contingency Approach to Communication Skill Importance: The Impact of Occupation, Direction, and Position." The Journal of Business Communication24.3 ( 1987): 3-22.
13.
Dorrell, Jean, and Betty Johnson. "A Comparative Analysis of Topics Covered in Twenty College-Level Textbooks." The ABCA Bulletin45.3 (1982): 11-16.
14.
Faigley, Lester, and Thomas Miller. "What We Learn from Writing on the Job." College English44.6 (1982): 557-69.
15.
Flatley, Marie. "A Comparative Analysis of the Written Communication of Managers at Various Organization Levels in the Private Business Sector." The Journal of Business Communication19.3 (1982): 35-49.
16.
Fry, Ronald W., ed. Public Relations Career Directory. Hawthorne: Career, 1987.
17.
Gilsdorf, Jeanette. "Executives' and Academics' Perceptions on the Need for Instruction in Written Persuasion." The Journal of Business Communication23.4 (1986): 55-68.
18.
Gould, Jay, and Wayne Losano.Opportunities in Technical Communication. Lincolnwood: VGM Career Horizons-National Textbook , 1984.
19.
Green, Marcus, and Timothy Nolan. "A Systematic Analysis of the Technical Communicator's Job: A Guide for Educators." Technical Communication31.4 (1984): 9-12.
20.
Guiley, Rosemary.Career Opportunitiesfor Writers. New York: Facts on File Publications, 1985.
21.
Harris, Thomas E., and Jennings Bryant . "The Corporate Communication." The Journal of Business Communication23.3 (1986): 19-29.
22.
Kalmbach, James, Jack Jobst, and George Meese. "Education and Practice: A Survey of Graduates of a Technical Communication Program." Technical Communication33.1 (1986): 21-26.
23.
Leipzig, John S., and Elizabeth More. "Organizational Communication: A Review and Analysis of Three Current Approaches to the Field." The Journal of Business Communication19:4 (1983): 77-92.
Locker, Kitty O. "What do Writers in Industry Write?" The Technical Writing Teacher9.3 (1982): 122-27.
26.
Lusterman, Seymour.The Organization & Staffing of Corporate Public Affairs. New York: The Conference Board, 1987.
27.
Meese, George, and Billie Wahlstrom . "Designing Graduate Programs to Prepare Communication Leaders of 2000 +." JBTC2.1 (1988): 21-35.
28.
Newsom, Doug, and Alan Scott.This is PR/The Realities of Public Relations. 3rd ed. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1985.
29.
Ober, Scott. "The Status of Postsecondary Business Communication Instruction—1986 vs. 1982." The Journal of Business Communication24.3 (1987): 49-60.
30.
O'Dwyer's Directory of Corporate Communications: 1988. New York: Jack O'Dwyer Co., Inc., 1988.
31.
O'Dwyer's Directory of Public Relations Firms: 1988. New York: Jack O'Dwyer Co., Inc., 1988 .
32.
Pearsall, Thomas. "Beyond the Basic Course: Building a Program in Technical Communication ." The Technical Writing Teacher8.1 (1980): 39-42.
33.
Public Relations Career Directory. New York: Career Publishing, 1985.
34.
Rader, Martha, and Alan Wunsch. "A Survey of Communication Practices of Business Graduates by Job Category and Undergraduate Major." The Journal of Business Communication17.4 (1980): 33-41.
35.
Ridgway, Lee. "The Writer as Market Researcher." Technical Communication32.1 (1985): 19-22.
36.
Rotman, Morris.Opportunities in Public Relations. Lincolnwood: VGM Career Horizons-National Textbook, 1983.
37.
Smeltzer, Larry R., Janice Blab, and Steven Golen. "Managerial Communication : The Merging of Business Communication, Organizational Communication, and Management." The Journal of Business Communication20.4 ( 1983): 71-78.
38.
Stevenson, Dwight. "Mapping the Unexplored Area: Developing New Courses and Coherent Programs in Technical Communication." Journal of Technical Writing and Communication8.3 (1978 ): 193-206.
39.
Stine, Donna, and Donald Skarzenski . "Priorities for the Business Communication Classroom: A Survey of Business and Academe." The Journal of Business Communication16.3 (1979): 15-30.
40.
Storms, C. Gilbert. "What Business School Graduates Say About the Writing They Do at Work: Implications for the Business Communication Course." TheABCA Bulletin46.4 (1983): 13-18.
41.
Tebeaux, Elizabeth. "Redesigning Professional Writing Courses to Meet the Communication Needs of Writers in Business and Industry." College Composition and Communication36.4 (1985 ): 419-28.
42.
United States. Dept. of Labor.Occupational Outlook Handbook: 1988-89 Edition. Bulletin 2300. Washington : GPO, April 1988.
43.
___. Dept. of Labor.Occupational Projections and Training Data: 1986 Edition. Bulletin 2251. Washington : GPO, April 1986.
44.
Weeks, Francis. "Types of Writing Listed in Job Descriptions." The ABCA Bulletin34.4 (1971): 2-6.
45.
Weinstein, Bob.Your Career in Public Relations. New York: ARCO, 1983.
