Solution Manual For
Business Communication Today, Global Edition, 15th edition
Chapters 1-19
Chapter Guides
This section provides information about the chapters in the textbook and suggested solutions and answers
for the activities. Each Chapter Guide includes the following items:
Chapter outline
Lecture notes, with the Learning Objective included for each major section in the chapter
Answers to highlight box questions
Answers to Test Your Knowledge questions
Answers to Apply Your Knowledge questions
Answers to Practice Your Skills activities
Example solutions to cases (complete example solutions for short-message cases; solution
guidelines for long-message cases)
Part 1: Understanding the Foundations of Business Communication
The first three chapters give students a general understanding of why good communication skills are
important in business, how today‘s communication is enhanced through technology, why effective
interpersonal communication can be difficult, how communication is used in teams, and how it can
overcome intercultural barriers. As you present this material, try to stimulate students to personalize basic
concepts. Encourage them to think about their own careers and the communication skills they‘ll need to
be successful. Ask members of the class who have work experience to comment on the communication
requirements and challenges they have encountered.
,Chapter 1: Professional Communication in a Digital, Social, Mobile World
Chapter 1 emphasizes the importance of effective communication, explains what it means to
communicate in a professional context, describes the communication process model and the ways social
media are changing the nature of business communication, outlines the effects of the mobile revolution,
advises students on how to use communication technology effectively, and offers guidance for making
ethical choices as a business communicator.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Understanding Why Communication Matters
Communication Is Important to Your Career
Communication Is Important to Your Company
What Makes Business Communication Effective?
Communicating as a Professional
Understanding What Employers Expect from You
Communicating in an Organizational Context
Adopting an Audience-Centered Approach
Exploring the Communication Process
The Conventional Communication Model
Barriers in the Communication Environment
Inside the Mind of Your Audience
How Audiences Receive Messages
How Audiences Decode Messages
How Audiences Respond to Messages
The Social Communication Model
Using Technology to Improve Communication
The Potential Benefits of Communication Technology
The Spectrum of Contemporary Communication Technology
Social and Workgroup Communication Systems
Mobile Communication
Intelligent Communication Technology
Committing to Ethical and Legal Communication
Forms of Unethical Communication
Withholding Information
Distorting Information
Plagiarizing
Distinguishing Ethical Dilemmas from Ethical Lapses
Ensuring Ethical Communication
Ensuring Legal Communication
Developing Skills for Your Career
Learning Catalytics is a ―bring your own device‖ student engagement, assessment, and classroom
intelligence system. It allows instructors to engage students in class with real-time diagnostics. Students
can use any modern, web-enabled device (smartphone, tablet, or laptop) to access it. For more
information on using Learning Catalytics in your course, contact your Pearson representative.
,LECTURE NOTES
Section 1: Understanding Why Communication Matters
Learning Objective 1: Explain the importance of effective communication to your career and to the
companies where you will work.
Communication is the process of transferring information and meaning between senders and receivers,
using one or more forms of media.
For communication to be considered successful, it also must transfer understanding.
Communication can happen in a variety of ways, including
Successful transfers of information and understanding
Negotiations in which the sender and receiver arrive at an agreed-on meaning
Unsuccessful attempts in which the receiver assembles a different message than the one the
sender intended
Communication Is Important to Your Career
Improving your communication skills may be the most important step you can take in your career.
Even great ideas won‘t go anywhere without great communication.
As you take on leadership and management roles, communication becomes even more important.
The changing nature of employment is putting new pressure on communication skills, because you
must take responsibility for managing your own career.
Chances are you could spend part of your career as one of these independent freelancers, working
without the support network that an established company environment provides.
If you learn to write well, speak well, listen well, and recognize the appropriate way to communicate
in any situation, you‘ll gain a major advantage that will serve you throughout your career.
Communication Is Important to Your Company
Communication is important to your company in three essentials ways:
Operations. Every company needs fast, effective communication between managers and staff,
within departments, between departments, and between the company and its external business
partners.
Intelligence. Companies need to keep a constant ―ear to ground‖ to be alerted to new
opportunities, risks, and impending problems—both internally and externally.
Relationships. Just as in personal and social relationships, business relationships depend on
communication.
, Effective communication strengthens the connections between a company and all its stakeholders,
which are any persons or organizations significantly affected by the company‘s business decisions
and operations.
What Makes Business Communication Effective?
To make your communication efforts as effective as possible, focus on making them practical,
factual, concise, clear, and persuasive.
Section 2: Communicating as a Professional
Learning Objective 2: Explain what it means to communicate as a professional in a business context.
If you don‘t have a lot of work experience yet, meeting the expectations of a professional environment
might require some adjustment.
Professionalism is the quality of performing at a high level and conducting oneself with purpose and
pride.
Professionalism can be broken down into six distinct traits:
Striving to excel
Being dependable and accountable
Being a team player
Demonstrating a sense of etiquette
Making ethical decisions
Maintaining a positive outlook
Understanding What Employers Expect from You
Today‘s employers expect you to be competent at a wide range of communication tasks:
Acquiring, processing, and sharing information; key skills include
Digital information fluency—recognizing information needs, using efficient search
techniques to locate reliable sources of information, and using gathered information
appropriately and ethically
Critical thinking—the ability to evaluate evidence completely and objectively in order to
form logical conclusions and make sound recommendations
Using communication to foster positive working relationships; key skills include
Listening
Practicing good etiquette
Resolving conflicts respectfully
Communicating with people from diverse backgrounds
Efficiently using the tools at your disposal
Business Communication Today, Global Edition, 15th edition
Chapters 1-19
Chapter Guides
This section provides information about the chapters in the textbook and suggested solutions and answers
for the activities. Each Chapter Guide includes the following items:
Chapter outline
Lecture notes, with the Learning Objective included for each major section in the chapter
Answers to highlight box questions
Answers to Test Your Knowledge questions
Answers to Apply Your Knowledge questions
Answers to Practice Your Skills activities
Example solutions to cases (complete example solutions for short-message cases; solution
guidelines for long-message cases)
Part 1: Understanding the Foundations of Business Communication
The first three chapters give students a general understanding of why good communication skills are
important in business, how today‘s communication is enhanced through technology, why effective
interpersonal communication can be difficult, how communication is used in teams, and how it can
overcome intercultural barriers. As you present this material, try to stimulate students to personalize basic
concepts. Encourage them to think about their own careers and the communication skills they‘ll need to
be successful. Ask members of the class who have work experience to comment on the communication
requirements and challenges they have encountered.
,Chapter 1: Professional Communication in a Digital, Social, Mobile World
Chapter 1 emphasizes the importance of effective communication, explains what it means to
communicate in a professional context, describes the communication process model and the ways social
media are changing the nature of business communication, outlines the effects of the mobile revolution,
advises students on how to use communication technology effectively, and offers guidance for making
ethical choices as a business communicator.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Understanding Why Communication Matters
Communication Is Important to Your Career
Communication Is Important to Your Company
What Makes Business Communication Effective?
Communicating as a Professional
Understanding What Employers Expect from You
Communicating in an Organizational Context
Adopting an Audience-Centered Approach
Exploring the Communication Process
The Conventional Communication Model
Barriers in the Communication Environment
Inside the Mind of Your Audience
How Audiences Receive Messages
How Audiences Decode Messages
How Audiences Respond to Messages
The Social Communication Model
Using Technology to Improve Communication
The Potential Benefits of Communication Technology
The Spectrum of Contemporary Communication Technology
Social and Workgroup Communication Systems
Mobile Communication
Intelligent Communication Technology
Committing to Ethical and Legal Communication
Forms of Unethical Communication
Withholding Information
Distorting Information
Plagiarizing
Distinguishing Ethical Dilemmas from Ethical Lapses
Ensuring Ethical Communication
Ensuring Legal Communication
Developing Skills for Your Career
Learning Catalytics is a ―bring your own device‖ student engagement, assessment, and classroom
intelligence system. It allows instructors to engage students in class with real-time diagnostics. Students
can use any modern, web-enabled device (smartphone, tablet, or laptop) to access it. For more
information on using Learning Catalytics in your course, contact your Pearson representative.
,LECTURE NOTES
Section 1: Understanding Why Communication Matters
Learning Objective 1: Explain the importance of effective communication to your career and to the
companies where you will work.
Communication is the process of transferring information and meaning between senders and receivers,
using one or more forms of media.
For communication to be considered successful, it also must transfer understanding.
Communication can happen in a variety of ways, including
Successful transfers of information and understanding
Negotiations in which the sender and receiver arrive at an agreed-on meaning
Unsuccessful attempts in which the receiver assembles a different message than the one the
sender intended
Communication Is Important to Your Career
Improving your communication skills may be the most important step you can take in your career.
Even great ideas won‘t go anywhere without great communication.
As you take on leadership and management roles, communication becomes even more important.
The changing nature of employment is putting new pressure on communication skills, because you
must take responsibility for managing your own career.
Chances are you could spend part of your career as one of these independent freelancers, working
without the support network that an established company environment provides.
If you learn to write well, speak well, listen well, and recognize the appropriate way to communicate
in any situation, you‘ll gain a major advantage that will serve you throughout your career.
Communication Is Important to Your Company
Communication is important to your company in three essentials ways:
Operations. Every company needs fast, effective communication between managers and staff,
within departments, between departments, and between the company and its external business
partners.
Intelligence. Companies need to keep a constant ―ear to ground‖ to be alerted to new
opportunities, risks, and impending problems—both internally and externally.
Relationships. Just as in personal and social relationships, business relationships depend on
communication.
, Effective communication strengthens the connections between a company and all its stakeholders,
which are any persons or organizations significantly affected by the company‘s business decisions
and operations.
What Makes Business Communication Effective?
To make your communication efforts as effective as possible, focus on making them practical,
factual, concise, clear, and persuasive.
Section 2: Communicating as a Professional
Learning Objective 2: Explain what it means to communicate as a professional in a business context.
If you don‘t have a lot of work experience yet, meeting the expectations of a professional environment
might require some adjustment.
Professionalism is the quality of performing at a high level and conducting oneself with purpose and
pride.
Professionalism can be broken down into six distinct traits:
Striving to excel
Being dependable and accountable
Being a team player
Demonstrating a sense of etiquette
Making ethical decisions
Maintaining a positive outlook
Understanding What Employers Expect from You
Today‘s employers expect you to be competent at a wide range of communication tasks:
Acquiring, processing, and sharing information; key skills include
Digital information fluency—recognizing information needs, using efficient search
techniques to locate reliable sources of information, and using gathered information
appropriately and ethically
Critical thinking—the ability to evaluate evidence completely and objectively in order to
form logical conclusions and make sound recommendations
Using communication to foster positive working relationships; key skills include
Listening
Practicing good etiquette
Resolving conflicts respectfully
Communicating with people from diverse backgrounds
Efficiently using the tools at your disposal
