A book that addresses the need for skills-building in today’s competitive business environment, Business Communication Today has been completely revised and reworked to provide the most cutting-edge information available on the market. Combining a solid foundation of communication fundamentals with practical advice and insights, readers will be effectively prepared for the challenges they’ll face when entering the job market. Thorough coverage and thoughtful integration of business communication technology sets this book apart from the competition. Every essential technology is covered, successfully demonstrating the importance of business etiquette, teamwork, proper short communication (memos, email, instant messaging, etc.), and effective business reports and proposals. An especially useful tool for those entering the job market, this book is also a must-read for corporate trainers, office managers, and others that need to utilize effective communications on a day-to-day basis.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Learn How tie Leading Text Blends with Technology to Create a Total Teaching and Learning Solution
Technology now plays a central role in business communication, and technology plays a central role in Business Communication Today, too—as both content and pedagogy. The eighth edition builds on 20 years of success with an extensive revision that integrates every vital form of technology that students will be expected to use on the job.
Technology is part of this book's mission to provide students with a solid background in communication fundamentals, a realistic look at the challenges of working in today's demanding business environment, and the skills they need to compete and succeed. From the opening chapter on communication concepts to the closing discussion of employment interviewing, Business Communication Today helps students use technology wisely, work quickly under time and budget constraints, and communicate with close attention to ethics and etiquette.
Moreover, only Business Communication Today helps instructors and students take full advantage of new advances in technology that can have a highly positive effect on learning. The blending of this textbook with technology, such as its "Document Makeovers" that are presented in an engaging multimedia environment, OneKey learning modules, and interactive website, make the text the most effective teaching and learning tool you'll find for a business communication course.
Because of its vivid insights into real-world communication situations and lively, conversational writing style, this text holds the interest of students and teachers alike. In the two decades since the first edition was published, millions of students have learned about business communication from Business Communication Today. The text has been awarded the prestigious Award of Excellence by the Text and Academic Authors Association and is the leading text in the field.
This textbook offers an extraordinary number of devices to simplify teaching, promote active learning, stimulate critical thinking, and develop career skills. As you'll see on the pages that follow, this edition of the text with its high-tech supplements make classes livelier, more relevant, and more enjoyable.
NEW CONTENT IN THIS EDITION
Integrated Approach to Technology
Technology is woven into the fabric of this book in every chapter to illustrate the changing ways people are communicating with each other. Students are introduced to the pervasive role of communication technology in a special four-page photo essay in Chapter 1, "Powerful Tools for Communicating Effectively." These cutting-edge topics throughout the book include the following:
- computer animation
- corporate blogs
- digital rights
- electronic documents
- electronic forms
- electronic presentations
- electronic resume production
- e-portfolios
- extranets
- graphic design software
- groupware and shared online workspaces
- idea-generation and document-planning software
- image processing tools
- instant messaging
- interactive media
- Internet telephony (VoIP)
- Intranets
- linked and embedded documents
- multimedia documents
- multimedia presentations
- online chat systems for sales and customer support
- online research techniques
- online survey tools
- proposal-writing software
- resume scanning systems
- RSS newsfeeds
- search and metasearch engines
- security and privacy concerns in electronic media (including e-mail hygiene)
- social networking applications
- streaming media templates and stylesheets
- translation software
- videoconferencing and telepresence
- virtual agents and bots
- virtual private networks (VPNs)
- web directories
- web publishing systems
- web-based virtual meetings
- webcasts
- website accessibility
OneKey Document Makeovers
In each chapter of the book, an assignment overview directs students to the OneKey website, where interactive exercises help them apply chapter concepts to an actual business document. "Document Makeovers" offer students an appealing opportunity to refine and reinforce their writing skills in a dynamic multimedia environment.
Peak Performance Grammar and Mechanics
In each chapter, students are directed to the OneKey website to improve their skills with mechanics and specific parts of speech by using the "Peak Performance Grammar and Mechanics" module. Students can take the pretest to determine whether they have any weak areas; then they can review those areas in the module's refresher course. Students can also take a follow-up test. For an extra challenge or advanced practice, students can take the advanced test.
Communication Close-Up
These Communication Close-Ups offer a chapter-framing communication situation. This situation dramatizes the connection between the chapter's contents and life on the job. Reviewers were unanimous in their praise of the rich, engaging real-company examples used to illustrate the book to make communication concepts come alive. To give students the most current picture of business communication possible, all 18 Communication CloseUps are new in this edition and highlight such intriguing organizations as Mark Burnett Productions (creators of Survivor and The Apprentice), Toyota Scion, Google, Rolling Stone magazine, and the Complete Idiot's Guides series.
Communication Solutions
Each chapter also contains one or more of these special margin notes that are adjacent to the principles in the text to which the solution relates and points to how the person featured in the vignette solved the problem described in the vignette.
Communication Challenges
These projects conclude each chapter and are related to the situation described in the Communication Close-Up. Each chapter has one individual challenge and one team challenge.
Special Feature Sidebars
Strategically placed within each chapter, special-feature sidebars extend the chapter material and center on four well-integrated themes: Ethics Detective, Communication Miscues, Communication Across Cultures, and Connecting with Technology. The sidebars are seamlessly integrated in the text and are an integral part of the learning experience. The Ethics Detective and Communication Miscues themes are both new, and a total of 29 sidebars in this edition are new.
Increased Coverage of Listening and Teams
To help students strengthen their communication skills, material on listening and working effectively in teams has been expanded and updated to include the latest information. Improved coverage provides students with skills they'll need to gain a competitive edge in today's workplace, including overcoming the tendency to prejudge, listening across cultural and language barriers, and using short-term memorization techniques that boost retention and reduce misinterpretation.
Increased Coverage of Business Etiquette
To obtain employment and succeed on the job, students need to understand and practice workplace etiquette in areas such as personal appearance, teamwork, face-to-face interactions, written correspondence (including maintaining etiquette in both negative and persuasive messages), research (such as respecting the privacy of interview subjects), instant messaging and e-mail, telephone interactions (receiving calls, making calls, reducing cell phone disruptions, and using voice mail), and job search and interviewing.
Business Communication Videos with Exercises
Entirely new, professionally produced videos cover topics such as ethics, technology, globalization, and intercultural communication. The videos feature real-world examples and are designed to effect a deeper understanding of the concepts and issues covered in the text. Each video is introduced with a synopsis, and exercises ask students to react to the videos by responding to questions, making decisions, and taking the initiative to solve real business communication problems. The following video case teaching guides for instructors are located at www.prenhall.com/bovee and in the instructor's manual:
- Ethical Communication, 2003, 11:40 minutes
- Second City: Communication, Innovation, and Creativity, 2005, 11:13 minutes
- Communicating in the Global Workplace, 2003, 11:12 minutes
- Impact of Culture on Business, 2004, 18:26 minutes
- Technology and the Tools of Communication, 2003, 5:13 minutes
TRADEMARK FEATURES All UPDATED FOR THIS EDITION
Emphasis on Process and Product
To help students write business messages quickly, easily, and effectively, chapters are organized into a series of three easy-to-follow steps (planning, writing, and completing business messages). In this eighth edition, the process has been further improved to present steps in a more logical order. A "Three-Step Writing Process" graphic not only illustrates the general process but is also applied to specific examples throughout the book.
Checklists
Useful during the course and even years after completion, checklists help students organize their thinking when they begin a project, make decisions as they write, and check their own work. Serving as reminders rather than "recipes," these checklists provide useful guidelines without limiting creativity. In the eighth edition, we've improved the checklists by making them more concise, action oriented, and tightly correlated with the wording of the text.
Sample Documents with Annotated Comments
Students can examine numerous sample documents, many collecte...
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best business communication textbook on the market,
This review is from: Business Communication Today (9th Edition) (Hardcover)
I've been teaching this course for 20 years, and I've used various editions of this text for the past 15 years. The book is now in its 9th edition, which is the best edition yet.
The book is beautifully written, concise, and has a strong scholarly foundation. A look at the reference section at the end of the book shows more than a 1,000 sources the authors used in writing the book. In terms of overall length, however, the book is about the same as other texts in the field. I've reviewed virtually all of the leading business communication texts, and this book is miles ahead of the competition. For example, while other textbooks for this course are still emphasizing paper documents, this book is the only business communication textbook that gives extensive coverage of electronic documents. Students will see actual examples of blogs, instant messages, RSS newsfeeds, wikis, and podcasts (actual podcasts for students to analyze are on the authors' website). Amazingly, examples of these electronic documents aren't contained in any of the competing books. Semester after semester, my students have rated this book very highly. The authors are to be commended for their outstanding work!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful source for keeping up-to-date with latest trends of communication,
By
This review is from: Business Communication Today (9th Edition) (Hardcover)
Well, what can I say, I simply love the book. It has reminded me that when it comes to communication, we are all human beings not machines. We have feelings and different situations at every moment of our lives; we need to remember all this when deciding to play the communication game.
To some, the elements of communication mentioned in the book are taken for granted basics but, for some others, it is a guideline to learn how to communicate better. Simply put, not every one is born with the give of "gap-ping". Let it be face-to-face conversations, emails, letters, blogs, IM and/or all other ways of communications, we must have some guidelines. This text provides the reader with the guidance of learning basic to professional techniques of communication; not only do we learn how to use clarity, conciseness, etiquette when writing to others, but also teach us to learn to recognize the audience which, in a era of globalization, is of most importance. The authors of the books point out our cultural diversities and remind us to treat each other with respect, patience and understanding. I could say much more of the text, but as you probably figured out, I am a student and have only read up to Chapter 7. So much to read, so much to learn! I am so thrilled to have come across this book and be able to keep up with the trends of communication and the reminder, that unfortunately, we all need once in a while when it comes to communicate with each other. This book not only applies to professional life but every day life as well. I could go on and on with the thoughts this book has provoked in me but, maybe, I will get back with more to say once I finish reading the book. Do not miss the chance to read it!
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
How Did This Book Make It To The 8th Edition?,
By John Zabroski "Friendly Neighbor" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Business Communication Today (8th Edition) (Hardcover)
If you are a college professor or instructor, please do not use this book. A far more accessible and technically correct book for your students would be Dale Carnegie's The Leader In You (How To Win Friends and Influence People). While Carnegie's book does not have "reading exercises" like a traditional textbook might, your students will get far more out of reading his book than Bovee's.
I am a senior in college and my Communication for Business Professionals course is using this textbook as the primary learning resource. I feel this book was a waste of my money due to the number of content faults in the 8th Edition. I have not reviewed nor read previous editions. A major gripe I have with this book is incorrect statements, a polite way of saying the author did not fact-check and proof-read their work. Again, this book is in its 8th Edition and the current layout of this book is discouraging considering the book is supposed to be about communication. I accumulated a list of content faults regarding this book, and will try to share some of them with you to help dissaude you from wasting your money on this book: (1) Indirectly referring to the United States as a high-context culture, stating that high-context cultures prefer very strict schedules. A few pages earlier, the book contradicts this statement by directly detailing how the United States is a low-context culture. (2) The book constantly mixes up its point-of-view on what the best way to approach others is. Earlier on, it suggests its important to consider your own feelings first. A few chapters later, it scalds you for putting yourself before others and on several occasions reminds you that "earlier" in the text it referred to how important talking in terms of others desires is. What is the better way? Well, having read Dale Carnegie's book on leadership, I can tell you the best approach is always to "bait the hook to suit the fish" as Carnegie would say. In other words, address your audiences needs before you take into account your own feelings. Overall, the book tries to be all-encompassing and fails. To cover communication in detail, you cannot be general and all-encompassing. You have to be specific and follow a model for communication. This book also does not appropriately address large issues in communication, such as PERCEPTION. In business, perception is everything and can lead to you trying to negotiate too hard and costing your company dollars. There is a famous anecdote of Japanese and American businessman sitting across the table from one another negotiating a business deal. After the American finishes discussing his business proposal, he is unnerved by the silence of the Japanese negotiators to the point where he believes something is wrong. The end result, and conclusion of this anecdote, is the American perceived the need to devoid the silence by talking more. In the process, the American lowered his demands and the Japanese negotiators then agreed once the American backed himself into a corner.
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