Business Communication: Building Critical Skills [Paperback]

Kitty O. Locker (Author), Stephen Kyo Kaczmarek (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0072562196 | ISBN-13: 978-0072562194 | Publication Date: February 2003 | Edition: 2nd

A unique approach to a hands-on course, written by the same author of Business and Administrative Communication, this completely new approach is devised and created with the assistance of a community college colleague. The innovative module structure allows instructors to focus on specific skills and provides greater flexibility for short courses and different teaching approaches. While grounded in solid business communication fundamentals, this paperback takes a strong workplace activity orientation which helps students connect what they learn to what they do or will do on the job.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kitty O. Locker was an Associate Professor of English at The Ohio State University, where she taught courses in workplace discourse and resarch methods. She has also taught at Texas AAndM University and the University of Illinois at Urbana. She received her BA from DePauw University and her MC and PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana.. . She is very well known for her research background and her research in progress includes work on collaborative writing in the classroom and the workplace. She has served as the Interim Editor of the Bulletin of the Association of Business Communication and in 1994-5 as President of the Association for Business Communication. From 1997 - 2000, she edited ABC's Journal of Business Communication. .

Stephen is an Associate Professor at Columbus State Community College and a Lecturer at The Ohio State University. He teaches courses in business and technical communication, composition, creative writing, journalism, public relations, film and literature and freshman experience. He has also taught public relations at Ohio Dominican College. He received an MA in English and BAs in journalism and English from Ohio State. Steve has presented papers at conferences such as the Association for Busienss Communication, Northeast Modern Language Association, College English Association of Ohio, and Conferences on College Composition and Communication. Steve has served on ABC's Two-Year College Committee and on ABC's Diversity Committeee. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Irwin Professional Pub; 2nd edition (February 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072562196
• ISBN-13: 978-0072562194
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,319,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Business Communication--Building Critical Skills, March 23, 2001

By 

Jonathan Harding (Penn State University) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Business Communication: Building Critical Skills (Paperback)

Having taught business communications for years, I've been waiting for a textbook that effectively combines business theory with practical approaches for improving students' writing. Using an innovative modular approach, Locker & Kaczmarek's Business Communication-Building Critical Skills (BCS) succeeds in doing both.

What I like most about BCS the flexibility it affords. Its modular approach enabled me to design a curriculum that complemented my teaching style. For instance, each module contains a "Polishing your Prose" section-a series of exercises that review topics ranging from grammar to parallel structure. Throughout the semester, I've used these sections to help students improve their writing noticeably. Other texts tend to relegate discussions about grammar and the craft of writing to single chapter or a less-than-adequate appendix.

In addition to creating an innovative and flexible text, Locker and Kaczmarek have helped to simplify the instructor's job by providing a wealth of supplementary materials, including an online resource, PowerPoint presentations, transparency masters, a test bank, and a computerized gradebook.

Having already used Business Communication-Building Critical Skills, I cannot recommend the text enough. I expect to use it for many semesters to come. I would encourage you to purchase the book (Published by McGraw-Hill) and see for yourself.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, January 14, 2003

By 

Katherine T. (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Business Communication: Building Critical Skills (Paperback)

Few business writing texts balance salient instruction with an easy-to-read writing style. Business Communication: Building Critical Skills does just that. None of the textbooks I've used scored as highly with the students for effectiveness and easy use as this book. As anyone who teaches writing knows, students frequently complain about the textbook regardless of how good it is. Usually those students are the ones that do poorly in the class. But this book satisfied just about everybody including me. The authors manage to cut all the unnecessary information books of this kind usually are crammed with and get to the point. The exercises are great and have real world application, and the many grammar refreshers helped improve my students' writing. It's especially good for non-native speakers of English. This book seems well designed for teachers and students, and I would recommend it to both groups. The book is also cheaper than many competing books, which makes it even more attractive for students on a tight budget, which is most students today.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Done, April 14, 2002

By 

Little Professor - See all my reviews

This review is from: Business Communication: Building Critical Skills (Paperback)

One of the better business communication texts available. Students find it easier to read than the competitors'. I like the many supplements that come with it. I also like the module approach. I've taught many business communication classes and students almost always complain about the book. Not this one. I wouldn't recommend it if it didn't work. The cost is reasonable and the examples are good. One minor complaint: The web page for the book calls modules "chapters." Not a big deal compared to the many, many things that work in this book.