• MindTap for Business Communication provides an interactive eBook, customizable learning path, assignments, LMS integration and more.
• It allows you to assess students’ understanding and application of concepts, boosting pre- and post-class engagement. Use MindTap as a course foundation to prepare your students for the workplace by improving their writing, oral communication, and collaboration skills.
• The Cengage mobile app enables students to learn anywhere, anytime with interactive eTextbook, 24/7 course access, study tools and more. 

• UNIT 1. COMMUNICATION FOUNDATIONS
• CHAPTER 1. Business Communication in the Digital Age
• Communicating in the Digital World
• Communication Skills: Your Pass to Success
• Writing in the Digital Age
• It's Up to You: Communication Skills Can Be Learned
• The Digital Revolution and You: Tools for Success in the 21st-Century Workplace
• Why Should You Care?
• Thinking Critically in the Digital Age
• Managing Your Career Well: Guarding Your Credibility
• Succeeding in an Improving but Competitive Job Market
• How Your Education Drives Your Income
• Trends and Challenges in the Information Age Workplace
• Social Media and Changing Communication Technologies
• Anytime, Anywhere: 24/7/365 Availability
• The Global Marketplace and Competition
• Shrinking Management Layers
• Collaborative Environments and Teaming
• Growing Workforce Diversity
• Virtual and Nonterritorial Offices
• Information Flow and Media Choices in Today's Workplace
• The Networked Workplace in a Hyperconnected World
• Internal and External Communication
• Media Richness and Social Presence
• Formal Communication Channels
• Informal Communication Channels
• Ethics in the Workplace Needed More Than Ever
• Defining Ethics
• Doing What Ethical Communicators Do
• Choosing Tools for Doing the Right Thing
• Summary of Learning Outcomes
• Critical Thinking
• Activities
• Test Your Etiquette IQ
• Chat About It
• Grammar and Mechanics | Review 1
• CHAPTER 2. Professionalism: Team, Meeting, Listening, Nonverbal, and Etiquette Skills
• Adding Value to Professional Teams
• Impressing Digital-Age Employers
• Excelling in Teams
• Collaborating in Virtual Teams
• Understanding the Four Phases of Team Development
• Identifying Positive and Negative Team Behavior
• Combating Groupthink
• Reaching Group Decisions
• Defining Successful Teams
• Planning and Participating in Face-to-Face and Virtual Meetings
• Making Face-to-Face Meetings Productive
• Determining the Purpose of a Meeting
• Managing the Meeting
• Preparing for Virtual Meetings
• Listening in the Workplace
• Poor Listening Habits
• Types of Workplace Listening
• Improving Workplace Listening
• Ten Keys to Building Powerful Listening Skills
• Communicating Nonverbally
• Your Body Sends Silent Messages
• Time, Space, and Territory Send Silent Messages
• Appearance Sends Silent Messages
• Developing Professionalism and Business Etiquette Skills at the Office and Online
• Understanding Professionalism and the Cost of Incivility
• Gaining an Etiquette Edge in a Networked World
• Summary of Learning Outcomes
• Critical Thinking
• Activities
• Test Your Etiquette IQ
• Chat About It
• Grammar and Mechanics | Review 2
• CHAPTER 3. Intercultural Communication
• The Growing Importance of Intercultural Communication
• Markets Go Global
• Major Trends Fuel Globalization
• Domestic Workforce Is Becoming Increasingly Diverse
• Culture and Communication
• Characteristics of Culture
• Dimensions of Culture
• Becoming Interculturally Proficient
• Strategies for Improving Intercultural Effectiveness
• Successful Nonverbal Intercultural Communication
• How Technology and Social Media Affect Intercultural Communication
• Improving Conversations in Intercultural Environments
• An Intercultural E-Mail Message That Misses the Mark
• Culture and Ethical Business Practices
• Doing Business Abroad
• Antibribery Laws
• Deciding Whose Ethics to Follow
• Ethical Decision Making Across Borders
• Workforce Diversity: Benefits and Challenges
• Diversity and Its Advantages
• Diversity and Discord
• Improving Communication Among Diverse Workplace Audiences
• Summary of Learning Outcomes
• Critical Thinking
• Activities
• Test Your Etiquette IQ 
• Chat About It
• Grammar and Mechanics | Review 3
• UNIT 2. THE WRITING PROCESS IN THE DIGITAL ERA
• CHAPTER 4. Planning Business Messages
• Understanding the Communication Process
• Sender Has Idea
• Sender Encodes Idea
• Sender Selects Channel and Transmits Message
• Receiver Decodes Message
• Feedback Returns to Sender
• Barriers That Create Misunderstanding
• Overcoming Communication Obstacles
• Using the 3-x-3 Writing Process as a Guide
• Defining Your Business Writing Goals
• Introducing the 3-x-3 Writing Process
• Pacing the Writing Process
• Analyzing and Anticipating the Audience
• Determining Your Purpose
• Anticipating and Profiling the Audience
• Making Choices Based on the Audience Profile
• Selecting the Best Channel
• Using Expert Writing Techniques to Adapt to Your Audience
• Spotlighting Audience Benefits
• Developing the “You” View
• Sounding Conversational but Professional
• Being Positive Rather Than Negative
• Expressing Courtesy
• Employing Bias-Free Language
• Preferring Plain Language and Familiar Words
• Using Precise, Vigorous Words
• Sharing the Writing in Teams
• When Is Team Writing Necessary?
• Why Are Team-Written Documents Better?
• How Are Team-Written Documents Divided?
• What Digital Collaboration Tools Support Team Writing?
• How to Edit Team Writing Without Making Enemies
• Summary of Learning Outcomes
• Critical Thinking
• Activities
• Test Your Etiquette IQ
• Chat About It
• Grammar and Mechanics | Review 4
• CHAPTER 5. Organizing and Drafting Business Messages
• Beginning With Research
• What Are Informal Research Methods?
• What Are Formal Research Methods?
• Generating Ideas and Organizing Information
• Brainstorming and Brainwriting
• Crowdsourcing, Crowdstorming, and Crowdfunding
• Grouping Ideas to Show Relationships
• Organizing Ideas Into Strategies
• Composing the First Draft With Effective Sentences
• Achieving Variety With Four Sentence Types
• Avoiding Three Common Sentence Faults
• Favoring Short Sentences
• Developing Business Writing Techniques
• Emphasizing Important Ideas
• Using the Active and Passive Voice Effectively
• Developing Parallelism
• Avoiding Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers
• Building Well-Organized Paragraphs
• Using the Direct Paragraph Plan to Define, Classify, Illustrate, or Describe
• Using the Pivoting Paragraph Plan to Compare and Contrast
• Using the Indirect Paragraph Plan to Explain and Persuade
• Developing Paragraph Coherence
• Controlling Paragraph Length
• Summary of Learning Outcomes
• Critical Thinking
• Writing Improvement Exercises
• Activities
• Test Your Etiquette IQ
• Chat About It
• Grammar and Mechanics | Review 5
• CHAPTER 6. Revising Business Messages
• Stopping to Revise: Applying Phase 3 of the Writing Process
• Polishing Your Messages by Revising for Conciseness
• Cutting Flabby Expressions
• Ditching Long Lead-Ins
• Purging there is/are and it is/was Fillers
• Rejecting Redundancies
• Editing Empty Words
• Microblogging and Conciseness
• Improving Message Clarity
• Keep It Short and Simple
• Slashing Trite Business Phrases
• Cutting Clichés
• Scrapping Slang and Buzzwords
• Rescuing Buried Verbs
• Restraining Exuberance
• Applying Document Design to Enhance Readability
• Employing White Space
• Understanding Margins and Text Alignment
• Choosing Appropriate Typefaces
• Understanding Type Fonts, Sizes, and Listing Techniques
• Numbering and Bulleting Lists for Quick Comprehension
• Adding Headings for Visual Impact
• Proofreading to Catch Errors
• What to Watch for in Proofreading
• How to Proofread Routine Documents
• How to Proofread Complex Documents
• Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Message
• Summary of Learning Outcomes
• Critical Thinking
• Writing Improvement Exercises
• Activities
• Test Your Etiquette IQ
• Chat About It
• Grammar and Mechanics | Review 6
• UNIT 3. WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION
• CHAPTER 7. Short Workplace Messages and Digital Media
• Writing Digital Age E-Mail Messages and Memos
• E-Mail: Love It or Hate It—But It's Here to Stay
• Why People Complain About E-Mail
• Knowing When E-Mail Is Appropriate
• Composing Professional E-Mails
• Controlling Your Inbox
• Replying Efficiently With Down-Editing
• Writing Interoffice Memos
• Workplace Messaging and Texting
• The Technology Behind Instant Messaging and Texting
• Impact of Instant Messaging and Texting
• Best Practices for Instant Messaging and Texting
• Text Messaging and Business Etiquette
• Making Podcasts and Wikis Work for Business
• Business Podcasts or Webcasts
• Collaborating With Wikis
• Blogging for Business
• How Companies Blog
• Blogging Best Practices: Seven Tips for Master Bloggers 
• Social Networking for Business
• Tapping Into Social Media
• Using Social Networking and Keeping Your Job
• Summary of Learning Outcomes
• Critical Thinking
• Activities
• Test Your Etiquette IQ
• Chat About It
• Grammar and Mechanics | Review 7
• CHAPTER 8. Positive Messages
• Neutral and Positive Messages: The Writing Process
• Phase 1: Analyzing, Anticipating, and Adapting
• Phase 2: Researching, Organizing, and Drafting
• Phase 3: Editing, Proofreading, and Evaluating
• Routine Request, Response, and Instruction Messages
• Writing Requests
• Responding to Requests
• Reacting to Customer Comments Online
• Composing Instruction Messages
• Direct Claims and Complaints
• Stating a Clear Claim in the Opening
• Explaining and Supporting a Claim
• Concluding With an Action Request
• Completing the Message and Revising
• Posting Complaints and Reviews Online
• Adjustment Messages
• Revealing Good News Up Front
• Explaining Compliance in the Body of an Adjustment Message
• Deciding Whether to Apologize
• Using Sensitive Language
• Showing Confidence in the Closing
• Goodwill Messages
• Saying Thank You
• Replying to Goodwill Messages
• Expressing Sympathy and Sending Condolences
• Using E-Mail for Goodwill Messages
• Summary of Learning Outcomes
• Critical Thinking
• Writing Improvement Exercises
• Activities
• Test Your Etiquette IQ
• Chat About It
• Grammar and Mechanics | Review 8
• CHAPTER 9. Negative Messages
• Communicating Negative News Effectively
• Articulating Goals in Communicating Negative News
• Applying the 3-x-3 Writing Process
• Conveying Negative News Without Incurring Legal Liability
• Analyzing Negative-News Strategies
• When to Use the Direct Strategy
• When to Use the Indirect Strategy
• Keeping the Indirect Strategy Ethical
• Composing Effective Negative Messages
• Opening Indirect Messages With a Buffer
• Apologizing
• Showing Empathy
• Presenting the Reasons
• Cushioning the Bad News
• Closing Pleasantly
• Refusing Typical Requests and Claims
• Rejecting Requests for Favors, Money, Information, and Action
• Declining Invitations
• Dealing With Disappointed Customers in Print and Online
• Handling Problems With Orders
• Announcing Rate Increases and Price Hikes 
• Denying Claims
• Refusing Credit
• Managing Bad News Within Organizations
• Delivering Bad News in Person
• Refusing Workplace Requests
• Announcing Bad News to Employees and the Public
• Saying No to Job Applicants
• Summary of Learning Outcomes
• Critical Thinking
• Writing Improvement Exercises
• Activities
• Test Your Etiquette IQ
• Chat About It
• Grammar and Mechanics | Review 9
• CHAPTER 10. Persuasive and Sales Messages
• Persuading Effectively and Ethically in the Contemporary Workplace
• What Is Persuasion?
• How Has Persuasion Changed in the Digital Age?
• Applying the 3-x-3 Writing Process to Persuasive Messages
• Blending Four Major Elements in Successful Persuasive Messages
• Gaining Attention in Persuasive Messages
• Building Interest in Persuasive Messages
• Eliciting Desire and Reducing Resistance in Persuasive Requests
• Prompting Action in Persuasive Messages
• Being an Ethical Persuader
• Writing Persuasive Requests, Making Claims, and Delivering Complaints
• Writing Persuasive Requests
• Writing Persuasive Claims
• Composing Effective Complaints
• Writing Persuasive Messages in Digital Age Organizations
• Persuading Employees: Messages Flowing Downward
• Persuading the Boss: Messages Flowing Upward
• Creating Effective Sales Messages in Print and Online
• Applying the 3-x-3 Writing Process to Sales Messages
• Crafting Successful Sales Messages
• Betting on Highly Targeted, Relevant Direct Mail
• Considering the Value of Sales Letters
• Writing Successful E-Mail Sales Messages
• Writing Short Persuasive Messages Online
• Developing Persuasive Press Releases
• Summary of Learning Outcomes
• Critical Thinking
• Activities
• Test Your Etiquette IQ
• Chat About It
• Grammar and Mechanics | Review 10
• UNIT 4. REPORTS, PROPOSALS, AND PRESENTATIONS
• CHAPTER 11. Reporting in the Digital Age Workplace
• Reporting in the Digital Age Workplace
• Basic Report Functions
• Organizational Strategies
• Informal and Formal Writing Styles
• Typical Report Formats
• Applying the 3-x-3 Writing Process to Contemporary Reports
• Analyzing the Problem and Purpose
• Anticipating the Audience and Issues
• Preparing a Work Plan
• Identifying Secondary Sources and Conducting Primary Research
• Locating Secondary Sources
• The Web
• Conducting Primary Research
• Documenting Information
• The Purposes of Documentation
• Intellectual Theft: Plagiarism
• Academic Documentation and Business Practices 
• What to Document
• Good Research Habits
• The Fine Art of Paraphrasing
• When and How to Quote
• Copyright Information
• Citation Formats
• Creating Effective Graphics
• Matching Graphics and Objectives
• Incorporating Graphics in Reports
• Summary of Learning Outcomes
• Critical Thinking
• Activities
• Test Your Etiquette IQ
• Chat About It
• Grammar and Mechanics | Review 11
• CHAPTER 12. Informal Business Reports
• Analyzing Digital Age Data
• Tabulating and Analyzing Data
• Drawing Conclusions and Making Recommendations
• Analyzing Data to Arrive at Conclusions
• Preparing Report Recommendations
• Moving From Findings to Recommendations
• Organizing Data
• Ordering Information Logically
• Providing Reader Cues
• Writing Short Informational Reports
• Summaries
• Effective Document Design
• Periodic (Activity) Reports
• Trip, Convention, and Conference Reports
• Progress and Interim Reports
• Investigative Reports
• Preparing Short Analytical Reports
• Justification/Recommendation Reports
• Feasibility Reports
• Yardstick Reports
• Summary of Learning Outcomes
• Critical Thinking
• Activities
• Self-Contained Report Activities
• Test Your Etiquette IQ
• Grammar and Mechanics | Review 12
• CHAPTER 13. Proposals, Business Plans, and Formal Business Reports
• Writing Informal Proposals
• Components of Informal Proposals
• Preparing Formal Proposals
• Components of Formal Proposals
• Grant Proposals
• Creating Effective Business Plans
• Components of Typical Business Plans
• Sample Business Plans on the Web
• Writing Formal Business Reports
• Front Matter Components of Formal Business Reports
• Body and Back Matter Components of Formal Business Reports
• Final Writing Tips
• Putting It All Together
• Summary of Learning Outcomes
• Critical Thinking
• Activities
• Test Your Etiquette IQ
• Chat About It
• Grammar and Mechanics | Review 13
• CHAPTER 14. Business Presentations
• Creating Effective Business Presentations
• Speaking Skills and Your Career 
• Understanding Presentation Types
• Knowing Your Purpose
• Knowing Your Audience
• Connecting With Audiences by Organizing Content and Using Visual Aids
• Capturing Attention in the Introduction
• Organizing the Body of the Presentation
• Summarizing in the Conclusion
• Establishing Audience Rapport
• Understanding Contemporary Visual Aids
• Preparing Engaging Multimedia Presentations
• Applying the 3-x-3 Writing Process to Multimedia Presentations
• Analyzing the Situation and Purpose
• Adjusting Slide Design to Your Audience
• Building Your Business Presentation
• Preparing and Anticipating
• Seven Steps to a Powerful Multimedia Presentation
• Polishing Your Delivery and Following Up
• Choosing a Delivery Method
• Combating Stage Fright
• Before Your Presentation
• During Your Presentation
• After Your Presentation
• Developing Intercultural and Team Presentations
• Adapting Presentations to Intercultural Audiences
• Preparing Collaborative Presentations With Teams
• Improving Speaking Skills for Effective Phone Calls
• Making Telephone Calls Professionally
• Receiving Telephone Calls Professionally
• Using Smartphones for Business
• Making the Best Use of Voice Mail
• Summary of Learning Outcomes
• Critical Thinking
• Activities
• Test Your Etiquette IQ
• Chat About It
• Grammar and Mechanics | Review 14
• UNIT 5. EMPLOYMENT COMMUNICATION
• CHAPTER 15. The Job Search, Résumés, and Cover Letters in the Digital Age
• Job Searching in the Digital Age
• Using Technology to Aid Your Job Search
• Launching Your Job Search With Self-Analysis
• Evaluating Your Qualifications
• Investigating Career Opportunities
• Developing a Job-Search Strategy Focused on the Open Job Market
• Searching the Open Job Market
• Unlocking the Hidden Job Market With Networking
• Building a Personal Network
• Targeting Social Media in a Job Search
• Creating Your Personal Brand
• Customizing Your Résumé
• Choosing a Résumé Style
• Organizing Your Information Into Effective Résumé Categories
• Preparing a LinkedIn Résumé
• Résumé Gallery
• Polishing Your Résumé and Keeping It Honest
• Proofreading Your Résumé
• Enhancing Your Job Search With Today's Digital Tools
• Maximizing the Rank of Your Résumé
• Showcasing Your Qualifications in a Career E-Portfolio
• Expanding Your Employment Chances With a Video Résumé
• How Many Résumés and What Format?
• Submitting Your Résumé
• Cover Messages–Do They Still Matter?
• Creating a Customized Cover Message
• Gaining Attention in the Opening 
• Promoting Your Strengths in the Message Body
• Motivating Action in the Closing
• Sending Your Résumé and Cover Message
• Final Tips for Successful Cover Messages
• Summary of Learning Outcomes
• Critical Thinking
• Activities
• Test Your Etiquette IQ
• Chat About It
• Grammar and Mechanics | Review 15
• Chapter 16. Interviewing and Following Up
• Interviewing Effectively in Today's Competitive Job Market
• Purposes and Sequencing of Employment Interviews
• Screening Interviews
• Hiring/Placement Interviews
• Before the Interview
• Ensuring Professional Phone Techniques
• Making the First Conversation Impressive
• Researching the Target Company
• Rehearsing Success Stories
• Cleaning Up Digital Dirt
• Dressing for, Traveling to, and Arriving at Your Interview
• Fighting Fear
• During the Interview
• Sending Positive Nonverbal Messages and Acting Professionally
• Preparing to Answer Interview Questions
• Questions to Get Acquainted
• Questions to Gauge Your Interest
• Questions About Your Experience and Accomplishments
• Questions About the Future
• Challenging Questions
• Questions About Salary
• Situational Questions
• Behavioral Questions
• Illegal and Inappropriate Questions
• Asking Your Own Questions
• Ending Positively
• After the Interview
• Sending a Thank-You Message
• Contacting Your References
• Following Up
• Preparing Additional Employment Documents
• Application Form
• Application or Résumé Follow-Up Message
• Rejection Follow-Up Message
• Job Acceptance and Rejection Message
• Resignation Letter
• Summary of Learning Outcomes
• Critical Thinking
• Activities
• Test Your Etiquette IQ
• Chat About It
• Grammar and Mechanics | Review 16
• APPENDIX A. DOCUMENT FORMAT GUIDE
• APPENDIX B. DOCUMENTATION FORMATS
• APPENDIX C. CORRECTION SYMBOLS AND PROOFREADING MARKS
• APPENDIX D. GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS GUIDE

Mary Ellen Guffey

A dedicated professional, Mary Ellen Guffey has taught business communication and business English topics for over 35 years. She received a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Bowling Green State University, a master’s degree from the University of Illinois, and a doctorate in business and economic education from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She has taught at the University of Illinois, Santa Monica College, and Los Angeles Pierce College. Now recognized as the world’s leading business communication author, Dr. Guffey corresponds with instructors around the globe who are using her books. She is the founding author of the award-winning Business Communication: Process and Product, the leading business communication textbook in this country. She also wrote Business English, which serves more students than any other book in its field; Essentials of College English; and Essentials of Business Communication, the leading text/workbook in its market. Dr. Guffey is active professionally, serving on the review boards of Business and Professional Communication Quarterly and the Journal of Business Communication, publications of the Association for Business Communication. She participates in national meetings, sponsors business communication awards, and is committed to promoting excellence in business communication pedagogy and the development of student writing skills.
 

Dana Loewy

Dana Loewy has been teaching business communication at California State University, Fullerton since 1996. She enjoys introducing undergraduates to business writing and honing the skills of graduate students in managerial communication. Most recently, she has also taught various German courses and is a regular guest lecturer at Fachhochschule Nürtingen, Germany. In addition to completing numerous brand-name consulting assignments, she is a certified business etiquette consultant. Dr. Loewy has collaborated with Dr. Guffey on recent editions of Business Communication: Process and Product as well as on Essentials of Business Communication. Dr. Loewy holds a master’s degree from Bonn University, Germany, and earned a PhD in English from the University of Southern California. Fluent in several languages, among them German and Czech, her two native languages, Dr. Loewy has authored critical articles in many areas of interest―literary criticism, translation, business communication, and business ethics. Before teaming up with Dr. Guffey, Dr. Loewy published various poetry and prose translations, most notably The Early Poetry of Jaroslav Seifert and On the Waves of TSF. Active in the Association for Business Communication, Dr. Loewy focuses on creating effective teaching and learning materials for undergraduate and graduate business communication students.