This study examines how information workers perceive charismatic communication in Finnish knowledge-intensive organizations. Based on 10 semi-structured interviews across IT firms, government agencies, and financial institutions conducted in 2014–2015, it identifies six dimensions of charismatic communication that emerged inductively through thematic analysis: authority, approachability, character, aspiration, integrity, and intelligence. Findings suggest that charismatic leaders combine confidence with warmth, emotionally engage followers, and adjust their style to different contexts. The research contributes to leadership studies by offering a perception-based understanding of charisma as a multidimensional and situational phenomenon in a Nordic cultural context. While the small, purposefully selected sample limits generalizability, the study provides rich qualitative insights into how charismatic communication manifests in flat, egalitarian organizational cultures that differ markedly from the Anglo-American contexts dominating existing research.

This article is a case study dealing with virtual communication experiences of the Indian executives engaged in remote work using online media during the pandemic phase. The author employs qualitative research methodology of ethnography by using a questionnaire circulated online to garner descriptive data regarding virtual communication from Indian executives in various corporate roles who had to take recourse to full-time virtual communication channels to continue their work. The data obtained from a longitudinal study of 12 months spanning from March 2021 to March 2022 was coded with an objective to plot the experiential spectrum of corporate managers using media richness theory and a psychobiological model, as online communication became a singular medium to process all kinds of conversations ranging from routine to negative and persuasive. It became the only tool for leadership execution as well as leadership enhancement compelling corporate heads to improvise media customization methods expeditiously to overcome the limiting constraints of its intrinsic lean outlet. After analyzing the data, the author concludes that virtual communication has now become an integral part of contemporary corporate communication ecosystem owing to the ‘best practices’ that managers invented during their ‘remote work only’ period when they were thrown into the virtual space with its insular gamut of applicability. Remote work also coerced executives to discover the latent potential of this communication channel, which was not apparent when this medium existed only as an elective channel in the ‘plurally channelled’ pre-pandemic work environments. The study provides a comprehensive repository of virtual communication techniques not just for the consumption of management classroom embedding industry inputs into the theoretical curriculum but also for corporate executives who began their careers in an environment of ‘channel sovereignty’ in the post-pandemic setups. The case study, thus, acts as a communication lab presenting online communication pathology and its incubation in industry environments. The author posits that the communication experimentation done during the remote work phase of the pandemic has changed the status of this medium in the realm of management communication from debilitating to dynamic irreversibly.

This grounded theory study, informed by Communication Accommodation Theory, explores how frontline managers ( n  = 11) support early-career employees’ communication development. Findings identify three support strategies—structured scaffolding, adaptive leadership, and onboarding for cultural fit—and suggest colleges emphasize verbal and intercultural communication, applied learning, and professional presence. These insights reframe communication readiness as a relational process shaped by emotion, power, and organizational norms. The study calls for stronger collaboration between higher education and employers.

In today’s digitally advanced, AI-driven workplace, effective communication is more critical than ever. Business communication scholarship empathizes competencies such as professionalism, clarity, conciseness, persuasiveness, and evidence-driven messaging, yet applying these systematically in complex decisions remains a challenge. This article introduces the Evaporating Cloud tool—part of the Theory of Constraints Thinking Processes—as a structured communication aid. Through a fictional case study, we show how EC clarifies objectives, uncovers underlying needs and hidden assumptions, and supports ethical, collaborative decision making. The article highlights EC’s value in enhancing core communication competencies in business and professional contexts.

This qualitative study explores how mindful leadership communication fosters organizational mattering in East Asian workplaces shaped by Confucian values and collectivist traditions. Drawing on interviews with mid-level managers, the findings identifies culturally embedded communication strategies such as formal and informal recognition, mutual respect, and nonverbal cues that build trust, enhance belonging, and promote empowerment. These practices contribute to collective workplace cohesion and employees’ sense of relatedness. Mindful leadership communication functions both as a psychological enabler and a strategic tool, reinforcing relationships and engagement. It emerges as a core component of mattering in high-context East Asian organizational cultures, supporting sustainable organizational development.

This study utilizes a communication accommodation framework to explore how entrepreneurs shape positive social identities through initiated intra- and intergroup (non)accommodation with other entrepreneurs, and non-entrepreneurs. Thematic analysis of semistructured interviews with 43 women and men in several U.S. cities revealed nine themes that represent ways in which participants’ verbal and nonverbal intra- and intergroup communicative convergence and divergence enhanced the development of this identity. The results offer insights into motivation for engaging in entrepreneurial ventures. Discussed are the findings’ implications for educators, corporate consultants, and managers who seek to encourage individuals’ entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial mindsets through training program development.

English professional communication competence is crucial for fresh graduates to succeed in the workplace and has been identified as a national priority in Malaysia to enhance employability. This study explores key attributes of that competence based on interviews with 12 employers and 9 graduates. Using a basic interpretive qualitative approach, 26 attributes were identified across four areas: linguistic, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic competence. The findings highlight the importance of aligning educational outcomes with workplace demands and offer insights that support curriculum development, targeted instruction, and assessment—informing policy and future research to enhance graduate readiness.

This article argues that action research and action learning are qualitative methods that can bridge the research and practice gap. Grounded in realist perspective, action and reflection are its dominant features. Action research enables research participants to build capacity and work collaboratively to solve the complex problems and build knowledge. It brings everyone to the same place to understand each other’s experiences and values in the world they live. Then we discussed one specific context of action learning for leadership development in small and medium businesses. We made this preposition that conducting qualitative research in the form of action learning can build transformational leadership development skills in them. Transformational leadership is vital to the sustainability of the organization, especially in small and medium businesses. It is the combination of action learning and transformational leadership that can help businesses reach their optimal potential in productivity. Leaders in the company have significant influence on an organization, where poor management and leadership can have irreparable consequences. It is not only important to have the infrastructure in place, but the right personnel, especially management, which is vital to the organization.

At first glance, humor and the weighty issues that social entrepreneurs aim to address might seem like unlikely companions. However, studies have illuminated humor’s potent ability to shift attitudes and catalyze change. This research examines the incorporation of humor by social entrepreneurs in their TED Talks, analyzing its use across a sample of 114 presentations. Of these, 69 humor-inclusive talks were scrutinized to identify the target, methods, and underlying intentions of humor. From this thematic analysis, six primary themes emerged: self-disparaging , cause of the social problem , problem-specific , solution-oriented , beneficiary-focused , and other .

This study examines translation accuracy, challenges, and improvement strategies in Indonesian-to-English translations by university students, specifically analyzing Goenawan Muhammad’s essay “Nama.” A descriptive mixed-methods design was employed, combining qualitative thematic analysis with quantitative statistical methods. The study involved a sample of 406 students, with translations evaluated based on accuracy, readability, and cultural competence. Statistical analyses, including correlation and logistic regression, revealed significant positive relationships between cultural references, cultural competence, and translation accuracy. Key findings show that cultural competence training improves translation accuracy (coefficient of 0.75), acceptability (average rating of 4.0), and readability (average rating of 4.1). The analysis also found that students with higher cultural competence demonstrated better handling of cultural references in the text, resulting in more accurate and contextually appropriate translations. The novelty of this study lies in its emphasis on the interplay between cultural references and competence in translation accuracy, filling a gap in existing research. The findings contribute to the development of translation training programs by highlighting the critical role of cultural awareness in enhancing translation quality. This study provides practical recommendations for improving translator training through focused cultural competence development, ensuring more accurate and readable translations in both academic and professional contexts.

This article features a grounded theory study that explored communication in online Master of Business Administration (MBA) group work, with an emphasis on skills transferable to remote professional collaboration after graduation. Data were collected from nine online MBA students through individual reflection documents and a focus group discussion. These data were analyzed and revealed themes about the importance of agreeing on not just norms and resources but also normative actions to facilitate online collaboration. Findings led to recommendations for designing online group assignments that enhance communication skills during online collaboration—skills that are becoming increasingly integral to professional success.

This study examines the use of persuasive language by male and female entrepreneurs in high-stakes negotiation settings, focusing on gendered communication strategies. With a particular emphasis on Aristotle’s modes of persuasion (Ethos, Pathos, and Logos), the research analyzes 44 negotiation conversations from Shark Tank US , Season 11, using a quantitative approach. Data were processed with SPSS to assess gender differences in persuasive strategies. The findings reveal significant gendered patterns: male entrepreneurs predominantly used Logos as a way to emphasize on logical reasoning and evidence to persuade investors, while female entrepreneurs more often employed Pathos, sparking emotional appeals to build empathy and engagement. These differences are discussed in light of social constructivist theories of language, which suggest that gendered communication reflects broader societal power dynamics. The study highlights the challenges women face in balancing authority with warmth in negotiations, a double bind identified in earlier research. This research contributes to our understanding of how gender influences persuasive strategies in entrepreneurial contexts and offers implications for promoting more equitable communication in business settings. It also suggests that future research should further explore how these findings can be applied to support female entrepreneurs in overcoming communication barriers and achieving greater success in negotiation and leadership roles.

A lack of cultural intelligence (CQ) creates a lack of trust in global virtual teams (GVTs). Study findings examine how leaders demonstrate CQ, trust in GVTs, and provide strategies for organizations. This qualitative single-case study explores how leaders of US-based GVTs in the financial industry demonstrate CQ and trust and strategies to develop trust. This study applies the social interaction theory, uncovering group identity and behaviors. Participants included GVT members and leaders having at least 1 year of experience on a GVT. The emerging themes were demonstrating CQ, demonstrating trust, and strategies to build trust.

This ethnographic case study provides authentic insights into the intertextual negotiation processes for a particular merger-and-acquisition (M&A) transaction in the context of international legal practice, involving interdisciplinary legal and business professionals. Using genre and discourse analytical methodology, this study focuses on the interactional discourse practices and textual products used for negotiation of the primary sale and purchase agreement. By providing sociolinguistic insights into the M&A negotiation process, these research findings can promote a better understanding of the professional discourse activities and interactional role behaviors for this very important area of international business law practice.

As part of the Association for Business Communication Student Case Competition, this article features a case study written by ABC member Rachel Dolechek. The case was blind reviewed and selected by the ABC Student Competition Committee. ABC membership utilized the case in their classrooms throughout 2024 and submitted top student examples for the 2024 Case Writing Competition. A submission from Addie Hileman, sponsored by Kelley O’Brien, was selected as the top student case writer after evaluation by the ABC Student Competition Committee and a marketing business professional. The student’s message serves as a teaching example within this article.

This case study tries to diagnose the intercultural communication challenges besetting the Indian IT industry, which has become a major IT hub globally, so as to map the relevance of the theories proposed by prominent interculturalists in the contemporary work settings. The article explores answers to the research questions formulated on the basis of intercultural theories by analyzing the responses of 178 IT managers collected over a period of 38 months of rigorous field work. The article closes with implications of this case study for the executive training needs of the Indian engineers requiring an ethno-relative focus in intercultural communications.

In the globalized labor market, skills gaps between industry expectations and university preparation are becoming more prevalent. English communication skills (ECS) are vital soft skills in all workplaces, particularly in international business, where English is commonly used as a lingua franca. This case study examined the nexus between academia and industry regarding the instruction of ECS and their applicability to meet the requirements of the globalized business landscape by collecting data from 43 personnel in the international ready-made garment (RMG) industry in Bangladesh. The research reveals that English courses in higher education do not adequately address the communication needs of the international RMG business, which requires practical experience in the workplace, trade-specific vocabulary, intelligibility, and clarity rather than a high level of fluency. The study recommends promoting the teaching of English for general business purposes in Bangladesh by integrating theoretical and practical learning in the classroom and workplace as part of the curriculum.

Organizations use social networking sites (SNSs) to create collaborative communication channels among employees, consumers, and clients. Organizations expect future employees to be well trained in using SNSs. However, students do not accept SNSs as a professional channel of communication since they use SNSs for fun and socializing. A hypothetical case study was developed to explain the consequences of the unmindful use of SNSs in a professional context. The article discusses the need to use a case study in this context. The effectiveness of the case is assessed through a survey questionnaire. Recommendations for BPC faculty for using the case are also discussed.

In a case study involving three asynchronous online professional writing courses, this research investigates students’ abilities to establish a social presence and build team cohesion via collaborative, team-based writing projects. Using the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework, this study is situated in the understanding that teaching and learning in higher education are not about the mere transmission of knowledge but that “teaching and learning are inherently interactive” as the terms of “community” and “inquiry” used in the framework suggest. Prior researchers have also established a clear connection between one element of the COI framework— social presence and student satisfaction in online courses. Findings from this study indicate participation in collaborative team assignments contributes to team cohesion and positively affects students’ ability to establish their social presence within online environments as well as transfer their knowledge to other contexts.

This article discusses the limitations of language proficiency tests in predicting academic performance among business students at the University of Sharjah. It focuses on EFL students who had been instructed in Arabic before joining the university. Using a regression analysis model, the article demonstrates that students’ weakness in writing proficiency cannot be predicted by standardized tests such as the TOEFL and the IELTS. The proposed method uses several alternative variables that can more resourcefully investigate such weakness. The study ended with germane recommendations to EFL teachers and syllabus designers for the enhancement of writing proficiency among this category of students.

This study examined student perceptions of an online case study development experience where students wrote their own case studies about workplace communication processes and created accompanying pedagogical materials. Students then shared their cases in small groups and engaged in dialogue. Students from organizational communication classes at four universities completed preevaluations ( n = 77) and postevaluations ( n = 67), providing quantitative and qualitative data. Analyses suggested that students perceived that the experience enhanced their understanding of course materials, aided them in connecting course materials to the real world, and enabled them to reflect on their own and their classmates’ organizational experiences.

This article presents an observational case study of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Resource Manager working with community members through a contested project. Using the Aristotelian concepts of ethos, credibility, and character development, I examine ethos appeals the Resource Manager used to align Corps’s sustainability values with the community’s values. Transcribed interviews with community members reveal this alignment evolved through a coconstructed ethos negotiation process between the Resource Manager and the community. The article concludes with rhetorical and pedagogical insights gained from the case study that apply to conflict resolution in organizational communication.

Because few studies of disciplinary business writing have examined whether language features play a role in instructor assessment of student writing, this study explored the relationship between student language use and instructor essay scores. Undergraduate business students wrote a case study critique as part of their final exam, and their critiques were evaluated by their instructors for theory integration and essay structure. Student language use was analyzed in terms of error rate, lexical sophistication, lexical diversity, and phrasal complexity. Whereas lexical sophistication positively predicted instructor scores, error rate was a negative predictor of their assessment of business student writing.

Thematic analysis of interviews with 22 managers highlight their perspectives on exemplary and unacceptable workplace communication skills. Exemplary skills were perceived to be relatability, documentation, and audience awareness/adaptation, while unacceptable skills were verbal aggression, deception, and defensive communication behaviors. The findings contribute to closing-the-gap research by identifying highly notable skills—both positive and negative—on typical lists of business and professional communication skills. This study also enriches anticipatory socialization scholarship by its application to vocational preparation. Business and professional communication instructors can use the findings here when deciding what topics to emphasize in a course.

Business remains a popular major for international students in the United States. Little is known, however, about how these students fare in business communication (BCOM) classes. This qualitative study evaluates the challenges and needs of English as an additional language (EAL) students in BCOM courses at a private university in the United States. We surveyed and interviewed 15 BCOM instructors and 30 students previously enrolled in BCOM. Results reveal faculty are aware of some, but not all, of the linguistic, cultural, emotional, time, and accommodation challenges EAL students face. We discuss suggestions for accommodating EAL students’ unique needs in BCOM courses.

This case study explores corporate social responsibility (CSR) through the perspective of communication professionals at a large financial services firm. These employees rely on both external communication through formal reporting as well as informal internal communication to understand CSR activities, and tend to describe CSR by what it means within their organization. We find that communication employees perceive that CSR is obligatory, rarely questioned or explained, labeled as “voluntold,” and mainly employed for good press due to its philanthropic focus. We offer theoretical and practical implications that center on making CSR operational, not additive, and ideas for educators teaching CSR.

Nearly every business communication textbook includes an explanation of “hard” and “soft” skills. Indeed, most business professionals understand the importance of honing interpersonal competencies as well as technical proficiencies. However, measuring the importance of soft skills and how they are used in an organization is often a difficult task. Therefore, the focus of this article is on rethinking the conversation by applying front-stage and back-stage communication theory to the genres in the case study example of Samsung surrounding its Galaxy Note 7 recall.

Mentoring of graduate students is essential to the professional development of business and professional communication (BPC) scholars; it also helps advance the field of BPC and its disciplinary identity. In this article, a professor and graduate student use a case-study approach incorporating historical/archival data collection and grounded in critical reflection to describe and characterize their own long-term, cross-institutional mentoring relationship. They analyze artifacts from their mentoring experience; discuss benefits and challenges to mentoring in BPC; offer implications for mentees, mentors, and academic programs in creating formal mentoring plans; and suggest topics for further research.

This qualitative study reviewed student application of self-regulated learning (SRL) processes in self-paced graduate business communication courses. It was preceded by a quantitative analysis of the same courses. In both studies, researchers sought to understand student experience in a self-paced learning environment, and how this experience demonstrated SRL and increased student performance. Neither study established a clear connection between a self-paced learning environment, SRL, and student performance. However, both studies confirmed the importance of student predisposition for the cyclical phases of preparation, performance, and appraisal and highlighted the critical role of support in readying students for learning strategy changes.

Employers provide their interpretation of the meaning of communication skills in this qualitative study of 22 managers. Employers understand written communication to be types of documents, a way to write, and a mode of communication. Oral communication skills mean a style of interacting, presenting, and conducting meetings. Visual communication skills were understood to be data visualization or nonverbal communication. Electronic communication was interpreted as email. The findings contribute to closing-the-gap research by highlighting areas where meaning converges for employers and instructors. Faculty members in communication disciplines can incorporate these findings into their course design and learning outcome discussions.

This study examined the perceptions and expressions of learning of 18 undergraduate students who participated in case study competitions through qualitative inquiry. The participants articulated learning outcomes based on their participation in a case competition, including enhanced communication, critical thinking, and analytical skills; viewing diversity as an educational benefit; and gaining a deeper understanding of business fields such as consulting. These findings suggest case study competitions are a viable tool for business educators to aid students in preparing for competitive work environments.

The Internet is a critical eHealth/eGovernment information source, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs operates the United States’ largest integrated health care system. This case study used machine-based accessibility testing to assess accessibility for 116 VA Medical Center websites, based on U.S. Section 508 standards and international WCAG 2.0 guidelines. While we found accessibility issues on each website analyzed, problems were generally limited. Notable exceptions included PDF accessibility and fixed-text sizes. The study’s results offer implications for practitioners (accessibility problems likely overlooked and ways to check accessibility) and educators, particularly the need to better integrate accessibility into the curriculum.

Effective writing is a soft skill that is highly in demand in today’s workforce. This qualitative study examines student perceptions of a revise and resubmit policy aimed at increasing student engagement with an instructor’s writing feedback and ultimately improving students’ writing skills. Students across three business communication courses were offered bonus points if they made revisions and documented those revisions. The findings suggest that students were willing to complete a revision even if given only a small grade incentive. While some expressed negativity toward the extensive feedback, others viewed the revision option as a rare but valuable opportunity.

Social media are an ubiquitous, technological phenomenon, permeating both personal and professional lives. Increasingly, business professionals use social media at work, yet it is often omitted from the business curriculum. This qualitative study investigated business communication faculty members’ perceptions and usage of social media in classroom and business contexts. Data were collected via interviews and course syllabi review. Interviews were transcribed and coded using an adapted technology acceptance model. Overall, participants accepted social media’s importance as a business tool but did not reach a consensus about its inclusion in the curriculum. Guidelines for addressing social media in the business communication classroom are presented.

Despite the excellent work by scholars who invite us to consider disability, social justice, and business and professional communication pedagogy, little attention has been given to what a disability- and social-justice-centered business and professional communication course might look like in design and implementation. This case study offers an example of a simulation based within the Harry Potter universe that emphasizes the ways disability advocacy and civic engagement manifest themselves in foundational business writing theories and practices. This simulation enabled students to engage with social justice issues by understanding access as an essential part of business and professional communication.

Expectancy violations theory, a communicative framework, is applied in this study to understand how recent college graduates form, evaluate, and respond to violated job-searching expectations. In-depth interviews of college seniors ( N = 20) who were currently job searching helped answer the three research questions posed. Using a thematic analysis, the findings indicate that young job seekers evaluate some negative information positively because it reduces their uncertainty and that expectations and responses to expectancy violations change over time and are not stagnant, as the theory originally predicted. Other contributions, limitations, and teaching implications are discussed.

The purpose of this research is to examine specific examples of how business communication courses are delivered in large, face-to-face university classes to discover implications of these large courses. This case study reviewed four classes from two different midsized universities whose classes range from 48 to 300 students. Findings suggest that, when faced with the possibility of teaching more students, it is important to understand that pedagogical strategies may need to be adjusted to maintain student learning. These strategies include modifying the course to the lecture/lab structure, limiting the amount of writing, or allowing the instructor to teach fewer courses.

Business communication evolves and adapts to suit the times, and today’s workplace documents are increasingly multimodal. Therefore, business and professional communication specialists need to adapt to a new media workplace ecology—one that requires proficiencies with technologies such as video production, digital animation, and sound. Business and professional writing teachers, in turn, need to adopt teaching methods that include working with evolving technologies and be willing to teach multimodal skills to students. In this article I offer a case study of a flipped learning pedagogy to teach multimodal skills in the professional writing classroom.

This article argues for a flipped learning approach to business and professional communication composing processes. Flipped learning sequences can scaffold more robust engagement with prewriting activities and support opportunities for in-class collaborative and facilitated drafting exercises. These types of learning experiences offer numerous pedagogical benefits, including more conscious control of messaging strategies and the development of more creative, rhetorically informed communication products. The effectiveness of this approach is explored through a case study of a flipped learning sequence and collaborative drafting workshop designed for an employment communication and résumé-writing assignment.

This case study examined the extent to which expected Gen Y traits surfaced in a well-managed U.S. company. The results indicate that certain Gen Y traits typically regarded as undesirable in the workplace are especially persistent, even in an optimal organizational setting, but others are not. The findings also reveal both expected and unexpected attitudes on the part of the Gen X and Boomer employees and managers. Such studies can help us move beyond generational stereotyping to more accurate, context-sensitive advice about cross-generational communication.

This article examines the development and implementation of a strategic cultural change program from a case study perspective. Initially, the article describes how the program was developed, including an explanation as to how a communication component was integrated into the program from inception. This integration helped reduce the anxiety that change programs traditionally initiate. Additionally, the article examines preliminary findings captured during the program’s implementation. These findings provide generalized insights about ways communication, strategy, and cultural change programs interact. As such, the findings provide real-world support that communication facilitates organizational change.

The intercultural divides in values, perceptions, and interpretations of concepts have been studied extensively by international business and intercultural communication scholars. Consequentially, much effort in university classrooms is spent on focusing on the differences between groups and on finding ways to “manage” cultural diversity. What is often missed is the common ground among cultural groups and the differences within what are presumed to be homogenous groups of students. To negotiate this complexity of diversity, we describe an initiative to foster collaborative student-led analyses of a case study to open up meaningful discussions around diversity.

This case study, an example of scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) research, explores student motivations to collaborate with both peer teams and community partners in a service-learning course. Written by one instructor and three undergraduates, the article draws on personal narratives, student reflections, and a postcourse student survey. Our experiences and findings suggest that in courses like these positive extrinsic factors motivate students to collaborate in ways that the extrinsic motivators in typical assignments do not, helping to foster trust and shared goals. We also share our work as an example of how to include student voices in SoTL work.

Business educators recognize the importance of developing teamwork as an employability skill. However, current methods used to teach teamwork have been met with mixed results from both students and educators. This article integrates research on the importance of teamwork, team development processes, and coteaching through examining a case study wherein coteaching was used as a means of conveying teamwork concepts to students. Coteaching is an alternate approach to teaching teamwork skills. In this case, the core competencies of shared values, complementary expertise, and the willingness to experiment were critical to forming and developing a functional teaching partnership.