Some Influences of Greek and Roman Rhetoric on Early Letter Writing1

Letter writing, known as dictamen in the Medieval and Renaissance periods, was formatively dependent upon the theory of oral rhetoric of the ancient world, some reflections of which are still apparent today. Three oral rhetoric precepts were applied by letter writers: inventio, locating material for three kinds of letters; dispositio, organizing letters into an introduction, body, and conclusion; and style, applying ornateness along with clarity and correctness to prose. Representative English, Italian, and German letter writing practi tioners carried the oral tradition along.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68843/2/10.1177_002194368802500302.pd

Aristotelian Views of the 20th Century

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68448/2/10.1177_002194368402100205.pd

Business Communication Consulting and Research in Multinational Companies

Communication research knows no geographic boundaries. Yet, when an American wishes to do communication research or consulting in a foreign country there arise a series of issues that can impede solid investigation. To understand some of the issues along with suggestions on meeting those issues is the purpose of the following article.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68517/2/10.1177_002194367801500303.pd

Cultural Communication Problems of Foreign Business Personnel in the United States

This paper discusses the communication problems of the German expatriate em ployee in the United States, and notes some differences in oral and written means of communication as seen by the expatriate. Interviews with both Germans and Ameri cans, in Germany and the United States, lead to the conclusion that technical com petence outweighs cultural awareness; that Americans are often unaware of cultural differences between themselves and foreign employees; that language incompetence is more an American problem; and that cultural variances do affect oral and written modes of communication.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68387/2/10.1177_002194367501300102.pd

Business Communication in the People's Republic of China

This is a seminal statement on the pre-eminent position held by business communication in China's largest business school—specializing in interna tional trade—the Beijing Institute of Foreign Trade. The authors provide some historical background, review three courses in business communica tion in China, summarize the method of instruction, and end with con cludions and opportunities for closer academic ties with China in making business communication a truly international discipline.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68578/2/10.1177_002194368302000103.pd

Stovall Home Products: Practicing Prudence to Avoid Liability

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67304/2/10.1177_108056999806100114.pd

The Pollyanna Hypothesis in Business Writing: Initial Results, Suggestions for Research

This paper looks at three hypotheses: that regardless of the financially good or bad years of a corporation, the communication in the annual let ters to the stockholders will be predominantly positive; that negative words are less frequent in a financially good year than a bad year; and that German readers also tend to accept the same preferred, positive words as Americans. All hypotheses were sustained after viewing 12 annual letters to stockholders in 1975 and 12 letters in 1977. The Pollyanna Hypothesis provides a fertile area for further research: into business letters, business speeches, or other areas which fall into the genre of written or oral business communication.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68397/2/10.1177_002194368101800102.pd

An Executive Appraisal of Courses Which Best Prepare One for General Management

This ongoing study summarizes 1980-81 data from 1158 newly promoted executives in the United States who answered this question: "Assuming the study of business administration best prepares a young person for a career in general management, how important are the following courses as a part of that preparation?" Business Communication-oral and written- was the course selected as Very Important more often than any of thirteen courses.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68655/2/10.1177_002194368201900102.pd

A Competing Values Framework for Analyzing Presentational Communication in Management Contexts

Communication specialists have long been interested in analyzing messages. More recently, they have stressed the need for evaluative tools that account for situational ex pectations and constraints. Drawing from the literature on organizational and managerial effectiveness, we constructed an empirical model applicable to presenta tional communication. Over 100 communication professors evaluated the relevance of descriptors for six different types of business presentations: three oral and three writ ten. Their judgments were used to create similarity scores, which were submitted to multidimensional scaling. A three-dimensional model emerged. This "competing values model" illustrates the dynamic interplay between the highly contrasting charac teristics of four general types of presentational communication: relational, information al, instructional, and transformational. In conclusion, we discuss the benefits of the model and suggest its usefulness as an evaluative tool, particularly for the training of managers.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68906/2/10.1177_002194369102800303.pd