Business and Professional Communication Quarterly

Business students must possess the abilities of discovery, problem solving, and collaboration in international and cross-cultural business communication and management when entering a competitive, knowledge-based global econ omy. This paper describes how the case method can be used in business com munication classes to help students develop such important abilities. First, the paper defines the instructional rationale and the case-selection criteria. Then, the paper offers a step-by-step approach using a current international busi ness communication case as an example for case study activities.

Simulations have been shown to be an effective method of providing students with real-life experiences while in the comfortable, secure setting of the class room. This article describes how a news conference simulation involving stu dents from two collegiate units is being used to prepare business students to "think on their feet."

This study of textbooks in business communication focused on the number of times men and women were shown in photographs and the professional roles implied by their appearance and demeanor. While the numbers were in bal ance, the physical appearance and role portrayal perpetuated traditional stereotypes of men and women in the workplace.

This study attempted to determine student perceptions of the value of using a prewriting problem-solving plan and its relationship to their success in writ ing. The business communication students in the study felt that the plan was beneficial, particularly for persuasive messages, individual writing, and small- group writing. In addition, participants seemed to feel that the plan was worth preparing even when not required as part of the assignment. The results sug gest that the problern-solving plan can be a useful tool for complicated assign ments and group work but that it should probably be optional for simple assignments.

Writing comments on student papers takes tremendous effort, and this study attempted to determine how students use these comments, the importance of the comments, and methods to encourage students to use comments. The results revealed that students' course grades did not correlate with their use of comments; however, students were likely to review comments if they had to rewrite assignments. Significant differences existed between course grades and these variables: (a) how well students read comments, (b) how useful com ments were, (c) how well students understood comments, and (d) how likely students were to get help in understanding comments.

Today's student populations comprise more minority students, more students for whom English is a second language, and more older students than in the past. These changes prompted this descriptive study in which business faculty members' perceptions about the business commumcation curriculum are examined. Faculty perceive their students to have problems with basic writing skills as well as with sophisticated writing concepts and techniques. Faculty seem to agree on the content that should be included in a business communi cation course. As a result, guidelines are recommended for those who revise the business communication course.

There is more to successful communication than learning the styles and proce dures often found in the traditional business communication syllabus. In this article, I discuss the benefits of using a critical-thinking approach to helping students to understand the complex social and political environment in which business communication is practiced. I explain how communication consult ing projects can be used to examine the context of organizational communica tion. Finally, I discuss the implications for teaching business and technical communication using a real-world, critical approach.

Faculty, student, delivery, and university issues associated with distance learn ing as well as implementation and monitoring strategies require special atten tion if optimal benefits are to be produced. Communication faculties can play an important role in the success of this approach. This paper addresses the efforts at one school of business in developing an approach for program deliv ery through interactive distance learning.

Groupware is a recent development in the on-going search to improve corpo rate communication and decision-making processes. This study examines a classroom application of groupware for computer-supported cooperative work, consisting of problem solving, decision making, and development of group reports. Survey results indicate that student groupware users are generally sat isfied with member contributions and group output but are less satisfied with software-supported, decision-making processes. The study suggests that group ware is a powerful communication tool for support of work groups but that it may not, in itself, solve the basic problems of getting people to work together effectively and productively.

Accounting educators recently have focused increased attention on the role of the formal curriculum in developing writing skills. Prior research results may be of limited use in curriculum development because these studies rely almost exclusively on the testing of accountants. This article argues that the user of accounting information also is an important party in the communication process. Therefore, the user's input should be considered when evaluating the writing skills of accountants.

Experienced CPAs were surveyed to examine the perception of the written lan guage skills of entry-level accountants. The results suggest that written lan guage fundamentals in word selection and usage, sentence and paragraph construction, and other grammar and mechanics remain a problem for entry- level accountants.