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Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Only One Text Gives Students Experience "On the Job" Each chapter opens with an exclusive feature, "On the job: FACING A COMMUNICATION DILEMMA." This slice-of-life vignette summarizes a communication problem being faced by an actual company, such as American Express, Home Depot, the U.S. Mint, Patagonia, and Dell Computer. The solution to the dilemma is found in the concepts presented in the chapter, and the featured company reappears from time to time throughout the chapter to dramatize the connection between chapter principles and life on the job. But we don't stop there. Each chapter ends with another exclusive feature, "On the job: SOLVING A COMMUNICATION DILEMMA." These simulations expand on the chapter-opening dilemma and are set within the featured company. Students are asked to solve situational problems by applying the principles discussed in the text, by making decisions about the communication process, and by selecting the best alternatives from the choices offered. Not only do these simulations give students the opportunity to practice real-world decision making, they also tie the textual information to real-life examples, providing a concrete basis for analyzing the chapter principles. This feature provides a dimension of reality unmatched by other textbooks in the field. New Features in This EditionA Greater Emphasis on Process and Product We have reorganized the material in many of the text's chapters into a series of three easy-to-follow steps: planning, writing, and completing business messages. Students will `appreciate this practical strategy for solving 'communication problems and creating well-crafted communication products. The three-step process is explained in detail (Chapters 4-6) before it is applied to specific types of business messages: letters, memos, and e-mail messages (Chapters 7-9); reports and proposals (Chapters 10-12), and speeches and oral presentations (Chapter 13). The three-step writing process even serves as the framework for writing employment messages (Chapters 14-15). Writing for the Web Writing for the Web is quite different from writing for print, so anyone who wants to be an effective Web writer must learn new skills. Discussed briefly in Chapters 1 and 4, writing for the Web is covered more fully in Chapter 5, which also includes a checklist. In addition, an "Effective E-Business Communication" feature is included in each chapter of the text. Using real company Web pages as examples, these features present important Web-writing guidelines and include two discussion questions. Topics include: Get to the Point–Quickly (Southwest Airlines)Calling a Meeting in Cyberspace (WebEx)Putting the World in the Web (REI)Design Messages for Easy Navigation (UPS)Annual Reports in Cyberspace (Compaq)Speeches That Live On and On (Sears)Special Feature Sidebars Boxed and strategically placed within each chapter, special-feature sidebars extend the chapter material. We've included discussion questions at the end of each special feature to give students numerous opportunities to analyze business communication principles and practices. These special features center on four well-integrated themes: Achieving Intercultural Communication: Tested techniques help students communicate successfully in the global arena and in the culturally diverse business world at home. Cultural issues are well explored in special features such as: Test Your Intercultural KnowledgeCommunicating with a Global Audience on the WebGood Ways to End Bad News Around the WorldPromoting Workplace Ethics: By examining critical ethical issues that face business communicators in today's workplace, students gain instruction on how to identify areas of ethical vulnerability, how to steer clear of ethical perils, and when to seek ethical advice. Special features include a wide range of topics such as: Spin Cycle: Deciphering Corporate DoublespeakRecommendation Letters: What'