Cover: The Business Writer's Companion, 8th Edition by Gerald J. Alred; Charles T. Brusaw; Walter E. Oliu
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The Business Writer's Companion

Eighth Edition ©2017 Gerald J. Alred; Charles T. Brusaw; Walter E. Oliu

The Business Writers Companion is the best guide to the business writing essentials that help students land, navigate, and stand out on the job. Affordable and concise, it’s a comprehensive reference that covers the writing process and features more than 60 real-world sample documents. The...

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ISBN:9781319102821

ISBN:9781319292690

Cover: The Business Writer's Companion, 8th Edition by Gerald J. Alred; Charles T. Brusaw; Walter E. Oliu

The Business Writers Companion is the best guide to the business writing essentials that help students land, navigate, and stand out on the job. Affordable and concise, it’s a comprehensive reference that covers the writing process and features more than 60 real-world sample documents. The eighth edition retains the books intuitive, easy-to-use organization while adding new coverage of social media, and LaunchPad Solo for Professional Writing takes advantage of what the Web can do with useful digital tips and sample documents. Anticipating the needs of today’s business writers, this is a reference with real-world value, usefully building skills that students carry into their professional careers.

Features

Concise, comprehensive discussion of the writing process and in-depth treatment of grammar and usage cover the essentials of writing well in the classroom and on the job. Students find help at every stage, from research and audience analysis to revising and proofreading.  

Real-world sample documents offer students authentic, effective models of correspondence and presentations drawn from a wide range of professional situations, including reports, proposals, letters, memos, professional e-mails, and résumés.  

A popular quick-reference design makes information easy to find. Entries on business writing topics are arranged alphabetically within twelve thematic units. Cross-references throughout the book help students find related entries, while the Complete List of Model Documents provides easy access to sample documents. Tips and checklists help students tackle complex tasks such as proofreading and revising, communicating with international audiences, and evaluating sources.  

Emphasis on the latest workplace technologies stresses the importance of tailoring every document, post, and message to its purpose and medium. In addition to coverage on writing for the Web, conducting Internet research, and approaching new software.

New to This Edition

Expanded coverage of “social media” discusses the growing importance of composing, collaborating, and constructing a professional identity in digital environments. Updates include:
          ● Discussion of how a strong social media presence on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and -              LinkedIn can be seen as a boon to employers.
          ● A new sample résumé emphasizing social media fluency.
          ● An updated Writer’s Checklist for “Judicious Use of Social Media.”  

Tab 9: Job Search and Application has been heavily revised to account for the role social media plays in the job search:
          ● A revised entry for “interviewing for a job” takes into account how businesses use social-             media in the interviewing and screening process.
          ● An updated entry for “job search” gives new strategies for finding jobs, including using-              social media channels to yield more fruitful results.

Improved entries for “global communication” and “international correspondence” include two new letters per entry modeling effective and ineffective techniques and emphasize the importance of recognizing, respecting, and adapting to the expectations of global audiences in the workplace. A new entry for “instant messaging” gives guidance on communicating effectively via messaging programs.  

A new entry for “infographics” explains how the combination of text and visuals can be used to clarify information.  

Now available with LaunchPad Solo for Professional Writing which offers online tutorials on today’s most relevant digital writing topics, from content management to personal branding.

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Table of Contents

Five Steps to Successful Writing   Tab 1. The Writing Process
audience
collaborative writing
conclusions
context
defining terms
description
ethics in writing
global communication
introductions
organization
outlining
paragraphs
persuasion
point of view
preparation
process explanation
promotional writing
proofreading
purpose
readers
revision
scope
writing a draft   Tab 2. Workplace Technology
adapting to new technologies
blogs and forums
e-mail
FAQs (frequently asked questions)
instant messaging
repurposing
selecting the medium
social media
text messaging
writing for the Web   Tab 3. Correspondence
acknowledgments
adjustments
complaints
correspondence
cover letters
inquiries and responses
*instant messaging
international correspondence
letters
memos
refusals
sales letters   Tab 4. Business Writing Documents and Elements
feasibility reports
incident reports
investigative reports
progress and activity reports
proposals
reports
titles
trip reports
trouble reports (see incident reports)Tab 6. Formal Reports
Tab 5. Research and Documentation
bibliographies
copyright
documenting sources
interviewing for information
note-taking
paraphrasing
plagiarism
quotations
research   Tab 6. Formal Reports
abstracts
appendixes
executive summaries
formal reports
glossaries
tables of contents   Tab 7. Design and Visuals
drawings
flowcharts
global graphics
graphs
headings
*infographics
layout and design
lists
organizational charts
tables
visuals   Tab 8. Presentations and Meetings
listening
meetings
minutes of meetings
presentations   Tab 9. Job Search and Application
acceptance / refusals (for employment)
application cover letters
interviewing for a job
job search
résumés   Tab 10. Style and Clarity
abstract / concrete words
affectation
awkwardness
biased language
business writing style
buzzwords
clichés
coherence
compound words
conciseness
connotation / denotation
emphasis
euphemisms
expletives
figures of speech
garbled sentences
idioms
intensifiers
jargon
logic errors
nominalizations
parallel structure
plain language
positive writing
repetition
sentence variety
subordination
telegraphic style
tone
transition
unity
vague words
word choice
"you" viewpoint   Tab 11. Grammar   Tab 12. Punctuation and Mechanics   Appendix: Usage   *= new to this edition
Headshot of Gerald J. Alred

Gerald J. Alred

Gerald J. Alred is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Wisconsin– Milwaukee, where he is a teaching-award recipient and an adviser to the Professional Writing Program. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and several standard bibliographies on business and technical communication, and he is a founding member of the editorial board of the Journal of Business and Technical Communication. He is a recipient of the prestigious Jay R. Gould Award for “profound scholarly and textbook contributions to the teaching of business and technical writing.” He developed and manages the Web site InlandChorus.comTM.

Headshot of Charles T. Brusaw

Charles T. Brusaw

Charles T. Brusaw served as a faculty member at NCR Corporation’s Management College, where he developed and taught courses in professional writing, editing, and presentation skills for the corporation worldwide. Previously, he worked in advertising, technical writing, public relations, and curriculum development. He was also a communications consultant, an invited speaker at academic conferences, and a teacher of business writing at Sinclair Community College. He passed away in 2015.

Headshot of Walter E. Oliu

Walter E. Oliu

Walter E. Oliu served as Chief of the Publishing Services Branch at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where he managed the agency’s printing, graphics, editing, and publishing programs, as well as the daily operations of the agency’s public Web site. He is the recipient of the agency’s Meritorious Service Award. He has also taught at Miami University of Ohio, Slippery Rock State University, Montgomery College, and George Mason University.