We are pleased to bring you this joint issue of Technical communication and IEEE transactions on professional communication on communication in cross-functional teams. This special issue is a result of a collaborative effort between two leading organizations in the field of technical communication—the Society for Technical Communication and the IEEE Professional Communication Society. The topic of the special issue seems particularly appropriate given the nature of this joint venture.

Documentation is generally viewed in a secondary or support role to the sale and function of primary products. The study discusses the relationship between secondary and primary product characteristics and provides the results of a customer survey of computer hardware end users. Over 500 respondents (or customers) were surveyed regarding the impact of documentation on customers' perception of product quality. The results of a logistic regression showed that the level of satisfaction with documentation plays a critical role in explaining customer satisfaction with primary product quality. Consequently, before organizations make decisions regarding cuts in documentation, they should carefully evaluate documentation's effects on company performance. Implications for practice and research are also provided, with follow up and complementary studies suggested.

Although the use of e-mail is prevalent, few articles address the legal and ethical implications of e-mail monitoring. The paper argues that managerial monitoring of e-mail is ethically questionable because of its potential to violate privacy rights. After examining the legal guidelines related to e-mail monitoring, the article explores the ethical considerations surrounding this type of monitoring. Privacy issues and implications for management are addressed. The paper also offers suggestions for organizations that choose to monitor employees' e-mail.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>