Business and Professional Communication Quarterly

This article examines the often-overlooked role played by classical dialectics in managerial discourse, highlighting its enduring relevance in business communication instruction. Through comparative analysis, the article shows how Peter F. Drucker’s management theories draw on classical dialectics and how an applied liberal arts approach can inform interpersonal workplace dialogue and strengthen managerial effectiveness. The analysis suggests that, through the Druckerian lens, classical dialectic effectively bridges practical wisdom (phronesis) and action (praxis) in management. The article concludes that incorporating classical dialectics into business communication curricula and training can enhance modern management education.

Accent bias, a type of linguistic bias that is based on a speaker’s pronunciation, is a source of partiality in hiring and retention decisions. This study sought to understand perspectives on linguistic diversity and accent bias among university instructors and students in undergraduate human resource management programs. Results point to a lack of coverage alongside stereotypical views about accents and accent bias among instructors and a desire for accent bias training among all participants. The discussion addresses misconceptions that arose, argues for greater focus on accent bias in business communication, and provides guidance for the development of accent bias training.

Business and professional communication courses hold special opportunities to contribute to students’ development of entrepreneurial mindsets through the use and extension of classical rhetorical theory and praxis. We situate pedagogical activities within the context of the entrepreneurial venture pitch by using Rhetorical Canons of invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery to develop oral discourse while recognizing and developing entrepreneurial mindsets. We utilize elements of entrepreneurial mindset development presented by Kuratko et al. and Daspit et al. to introduce business and professional communication instructors to cognitive, behavioral, and emotional aspects contributing to the establishment of entrepreneurial mindsets.

This essay discusses the need and the value of explicitly integrating rhetoric within the business classroom setting; introduces basic rhetorical structures that enhance the workplace skill set; identifies the significance of topoi in the business and professional communication classroom pedagogy; and provides an example of the practical application of using topoi as a pedagogical construct in the business and professional communication classroom.

This research examines the role of idiomatic expressions (IEs) in international business (IB) communication and non-native speakers’ (NNEs’) English proficiency. It investigates how IE affect IB communication’s effectiveness and whether IEs should be taught to NNE. We collected feedback from academics who confirmed the importance of IE and relevant business idioms from professional websites. We also assessed IE usage benefits for different cohorts working in IB settings. The results indicate that IE can enhance communication efficiency, cross-cultural social skills, monetary rewards, and satisfaction in IB. The findings support the need for teaching IE to NNE and justify inclusion in curricula.

This study captured the perspectives of 887 working adults to explore views of professionalism, authenticity, and effectiveness of AI-generated messages. With a 3 (message type) × 2 (disclosed vs. undisclosed) × 2 (ChatGPT-generated vs. Google-generated AI messages) design, professionals generally view AI-generated content favorably in all conditions. Across all messages, professionals consistently rated the AI-generated messages as professional, effective, efficient, confident, and direct. They rate sincerity and caring slightly lower in some disclosed conditions, particularly for ChatGPT-generated messages, suggesting the importance of tool selection when using generative AI for workplace writing. Those professionals who use AI more frequently for work are more likely to view AI-assisted writing as authentic, effective, and confidence-building. Implications for teaching business communication, including the need to address AI literacy, and suggestions for future research are provided.

This study undertakes a cross-cultural examination of corporate risk reporting to test for convergence and divergence perspectives on risk communication. It asks whether the frequencies of risk topics communicated by globalizing organizations from different national cultures become isomorphic or remain culturally distinct. It analyzed longitudinal data on risk factors reported by Japanese and U.S. corporations in their annual reports. It focused on the effects of time and national culture on the frequencies of risk topics. The results provided evidence to support the convergence perspective for the risk topics and the divergence perspective for one of the topics, respectively.

We describe an experimental curriculum innovation that creates a safe space for students to engage in courageous conversations—to openly share diverse thoughts and opinions as well as vigorously debate politically charged issues of critical business importance. Course evaluations and online surveys of student experiences and reactions strongly suggest that the courageous conversation model is an excellent way to prepare the next generation of successful business leaders. In a world where politically polarizing issues embedded in America’s culture wars increasingly impact business viability, profitability, and competitiveness, such leaders are both highly coveted and key to organizational success.

This study examines the effect of company field trips on Vietnamese university students’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) awareness and their intentions to share CSR-related content. Utilizing pre- and postvisit surveys among 136 students, the research reveals that these trips significantly enhance students’ understanding of CSR, particularly its ethical dimensions, and encourage them to share CSR information through social media and word-of-mouth. The research also finds that the perceived image of the company representative plays a critical role in shaping students’ intentions to disseminate CSR information, with complex interactions affecting their overall CSR perceptions. These findings underscore the importance of field trips in CSR education and suggest that both companies and educational institutions should focus on ethical and legal aspects of CSR communication to maximize its impact.

First-aid personnel who engage in initial dialogues with injured combatants on the front lines become participants in interprofessional communication and need training courses that address their requirements for effective communication and dialogic interaction in combat environments. The primary objective of this research is to integrate emotional co-construction strategies into the training curriculum for First Aid Services (FAS). The study explores various emotional language devices and communication strategies that impact the trauma resolution process. The practical aim of this research is to offer insights for the development of workplace communication courses for FAS, fostering dialogues that contribute to personal stabilization, resilience, resistance, and relief for the combatant.

Supervisor credibility was used to predict employee well-being indices in two separate studies (total N = 675). In Study 1, perceptions of supervisor credibility (competence, goodwill, and trustworthiness) were all positively related to job satisfaction, motivation, and organizational commitment. Regression analyses indicated that goodwill was the strongest predictor of all three employee well-being outcomes. In Study 2, all three dimensions of supervisor credibility were positively related to empowerment and personal accomplishment, and negatively related to burnout. Regression analyses indicated that goodwill was the strongest predictor of empowerment and both dimensions of burnout, whereas competence was the best predictor of accomplishment.

This article discusses the limitations of language proficiency tests in predicting academic performance among business students at the University of Sharjah. It focuses on EFL students who had been instructed in Arabic before joining the university. Using a regression analysis model, the article demonstrates that students’ weakness in writing proficiency cannot be predicted by standardized tests such as the TOEFL and the IELTS. The proposed method uses several alternative variables that can more resourcefully investigate such weakness. The study ended with germane recommendations to EFL teachers and syllabus designers for the enhancement of writing proficiency among this category of students.

This feature article delves into the experiences and insights from the interdisciplinary faculty team at Miami University’s Farmer School of Business to explore the practical application of four digital gaming platforms in the context of business communication courses. Grounded in self-determination theory, this article showcases the transformative potential of digital gamification in equipping students with a heightened sense of agency (autonomy), increased confidence (competence), and a profound sense of belonging (relatedness).

This article aims to serve as a valuable resource for educators seeking innovative strategies to curate learning experiences that not only impart essential business communication skills but also cultivate agentic engagement and facilitate social learning activities.

This article presents a curated collection of six teaching innovations presented at the Association for Business Communication 90th conference in Long Beach, California, as well as online, in October 2025. These MFA presenters demonstrated activities in helping students understand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and social media in business communication. This My Favorite Assignment 34th edition introduces readers to a variety of classroom-ready ideas that integrate tasks involving social media and AI. Teaching support materials—instructions to students, stimulus materials, slides, rubrics, frequently asked questions, links, and sample student projects—are downloadable from the Association for Business Communication website.