Key Terms
Chapter 1:
Ad hoc teams: Nontraditional project-based teams that disband after they accomplish
their objectives; the opposite of standing teams.
Collectivist: Emphasizes membership in organizations, groups, and teams; it encourages
acceptance of group values, duties, and decisions.
Cultural convergence: A lessening of group differences and a trend toward greater global
similarity particularly in higher individualism and lower power distance.
Culture: The complex system of values, traits, morals, and customs shared by a society.
Context: The stimuli, environment, or ambience surrounding an event.
Emotional intelligence (EQ): A concept from a bestselling book by Daniel Coleman
arguing that EQ is just as important as the intelligence quotient (IQ) for success; the ability
to understand and manage our own emotions as well as the ability to understand and
influence the emotions and behavior of others.
Empathetic listening: Listening in an effort to see the world through another’s eyes, be
less judgmental, and seek common ground.
Gig economy: A sector of the labor market that relies on free agents hired on a project
basis or doing short-term independent work.
Individualism: An attitude of independence and freedom from control.
Interpersonal skills or professional skills: A combination of communication, logical
reasoning, critical-thinking, teamwork, and management skills.
Mindful: Being fully present in an effort to build trust and gain respect.
Nonverbal communication: Includes eye contact, facial expression, body movements,
time, space, territory, and appearance and affects how a receiver interprets, or decodes, a
message.
People skills or soft skills: Powerful social skills employers expect.
Professional skills or interpersonal skills: A combination of communication, logical
reasoning, critical-thinking, teamwork, and management skills..
Sharing economy: An economic model in which individuals rent or borrow assets owned
by others through disrupting services such as Uber, Lyft, Bird, Lime, Spin, and Airbnb.
Smartphone apps: Software applications designed to work on mobile devices.
Soft skills or people skills: Powerful social skills employers expect.
Speech-thought differential: The difference between our rate of speaking and our rate of
listening/thinking.
Chapter 2: Planning Business Messeges
Channel: The medium (such as a computer, wireless network, smartphone, social network,
letter, memorandum, report, announcement, picture, spoken word, fax, or web page) over
which a message travels.
Communication: The transmission of information and meaning from a sender to a
receiver.
Decoding: Translating a message from its symbol form into meaning.
Empathy: Trying to see the world through another’s eyes, being nonjudgmental and eager
to seek common ground.
Encoding: Converting the idea of a sender into words or gestures that will convey meaning.
Feedback: Verbal and nonverbal responses of the receiver to a transmitted message.
Informational messages: Messages that merely explain procedures, announce meetings,
answer questions, or transmit findings.
Jargon: Technical or specialized terms within a field.
Meaning: The idea, as the sender intended it.
Noise: Anything that interrupts or disturbs the transmission of a message in the
communication process.
Persuasive messages: Messages that use argument or reasoning to sell products,
convince managers, motivate employees, and win over customers; usually organized
indirectly.
Receiver: The individual for whom a message is intended.
Richness: Involves the extent to which a channel or medium recreates or represents all the
information available in the original message.
Chapter 3
Active voice: Sentences in which the subject is the doer of the action (such as Shawn
posted the message).
Brainstorming: The spontaneous contribution of ideas from members of a group; a
popular method for generating ideas.
Coherent: Ideas are coherent when the ideas cohere—that is, when the ideas stick
together and when one idea logically leads to the next.
Comma splice: A sentence error that results when a writer joins two independent clauses
with a comma.
Dangling modifier: A modifier dangles when the word or phrase it describes is missing
from its sentence (e.g., pressing the wrong key, the document suddenly disappeared).
Direct strategy: An organizational strategy that describes an order in which the main idea
comes first, followed by details, an explanation, or evidence; used when the writer expects
the reader to be pleased, mildly interested, or neutral.
Dovetailed: A technique consisting of an idea at the end of one sentence that connects
with an idea at the beginning of the next.
Frontloading: Another name for the direct method, which places the main idea first.
Indirect strategy: An organizational strategy that describes placing the main idea later in a
message, after the details, explanation, or evidence; used when the writer expects the
reader to be uninterested, unwilling, displeased, or hostile.
Mind mapping: A brainstorming process to generate and sort ideas using visual concepts
such as a tree with branches illustrating connected ideas.
Misplaced modifier: A modifier is misplaced when the word or phrase it describes is not
close enough to be clear; for example, A wart appeared on my left hand that I want
removed.
Paragraph: A group of sentences about one idea.
Parallelism: A writing technique that uses similar construction, such as researching,
organizing, and writing to create balanced writing.
Passive voice: Sentences in which the subject is acted upon, such as The message was
posted by Shawn.
Primary data: Data that comes from firsthand experience.
Research: Collecting relevant information about a topic before beginning to write a
message.
Run-on (fused) sentence: A sentence error that results when two independent clauses are
incorrectly joined (fused) together without a conjunction or a semicolon; also called a fused
sentence.
Secondary Data: Data that comes from reading what others have experienced or
observed and written about.
Supporting sentences: Sentences that illustrate, explain, or strengthen the topic sentence.
Topic sentence: A sentence that tells readers what to expect and helps them understand
the paragraph’s central thought immediately.
Transitional expressions: Words (such as meanwhile, although, furthermore, and for
example) that show connections and indicate where a message is headed to help readers
anticipate what is coming.
Chapter 5:
Blog: A website or social media platform with journal entries usually written by one person
with comments added by others.
Brand ambassador: Influential online opinion-leaders who are powerful product
champions.
Cloud: The storing and accessing of data along with software applications in remote
networks (the cloud).
Crowdsourcing: Asking the public or employees to share their feedback in order to solve
business problems.
Cyberbullying: A form of bullying committed with digital devices aimed at scaring,
angering, or shaming victims.
Dark web: The black market of the Internet, a mostly illicit network of websites that cannot
be accessed by standard search engines and browsers.
Deepfakes: Doctored video footage that makes people seem to say or do something they
did not do.
Discovery: Disclosure of records that can become evidence in lawsuits.
Disinformation: False news stories, doctored narratives, and propaganda spread on social
media to confuse and incite the public.
Down-editing: Inserting your responses to parts of an incoming e-mail message to which
you are responding.
Doxxing: A form of bullying committed with digital devices aimed at scaring, angering, or
shaming victims.
Echo chambers: Online communities of like-minded people who embrace narratives
confirming their existing views.
Evangelize: To advocate for brands and services in exchange for compensation and perks.
Fake news: News stories that have no factual basis but are presented as facts; in partisan
politics, unwelcome evidence that some find uncomfortable because it clashes with their
convictions.
Influencers: Influential plugged-in opinion leaders who boast large online audiences and
followers.
Instant messaging (IM): Enables two or more individual to use the Internet or an intranet
to chat in real time by exchanging brief text-based messages.
Malware: Malicious software designed to disrupt the operation of a network or computer.
Misinformation: Accidental untruth, as opposed to intentional untruth or deception
described as disinformation.
Phishing: The fraudulent use of e-mail, instant messaging, and texting to persuade
recipients to disclose personal information.
Podcast: A digital audio file that is distributed over the Internet and usually downloaded on
smart electronic devices; formed from the words broadcasting and iPod.
Post-truth era: Circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public
opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.
Presence functionality: A benefit of instant and text messaging that enables coworkers to
locate each other online, thus avoiding wild goose chases hunting someone who is out of
the office.
Propaganda: Untruths often planted by bots and fake accounts to divide Americans,
disrupt public discourse, and even interfere in democratic elections.
Rich communication services (RCS): A new system offering advanced features such as
multi-media enhanced texting.
Salutation: A greeting at the beginning of a message that helps recipients recognize
whether they are the primary or secondary receivers.
Short message service (SMS): A service provided by a cell phone service provider or a
voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) service that makes texting possible.
Text messaging/texting: Exchanging brief messages in real time, usually delivered from a
smartphone; also called texting.
Troll: Social media users who fake their identity, provoke arguments, and disrupt
discussions.
Think critically: Voicing opinions that are backed by solid reasons and factual evidence.
Viral marketing: The rapid spread of messages online, much like the spread of infectious
diseases that pass from person to person.
Virtual private network (VPN): Secure access to an organization’s information from any
location in the world that provides an Internet connection.
Wearable devices (wearables): Wearable technology such as heart rate monitors, fitness
trackers, smartwatches, and skin response sensors that enables companies to monitor
worker productivity and lifestyles.
Chapter 9: Informal Reports
Analytical reports: Reports that analyze data, draw conclusions, and typically try to
persuade the reader to accept the conclusions and act on the recommendations.
Business reports: Varying greatly in length, content, form, and formality level, they all have
one or more of the following purposes: to convey information, answer questions, and solve
problems.
Conference reports: Also referred to as trip reports, they often inform management about
business trends, new procedures, innovative equipment, legal requirements, or other
information that would affect their products, operations, and service.
Executive summary: A condensed version of a long report, proposal, or business plan,
concentrating on what management needs to know from a longer report.
Feasibility reports: Examines the practicality and advisability of following a course of
action.
Formal writing style: Characterized by objectivity, authority, and impartiality, it is
appropriate for proposals and long research reports.
Functional headings: One- or two-word labels that show the outline of a report but
provide little insight about the contents.
Infographics: Visual representations of data or information.
Informal writing style: Characterized by a friendly tone, first-person pronouns, and
shorter sentences, it is often used to send short internal business reports to familiar
audiences on noncontroversial topics.
Informational reports: Present data without analysis or recommendations.
Internal proposals: Reports distributed within a company that justify or recommend
something, such as buying equipment, changing a procedure, hiring an employee,
consolidating departments, or investing funds; also called justification/recommendation
reports.
Interim reports: Also known as project reports, they describe the status of continuing
projects.
Justification reports: Reports that justify or recommend actions, such as buying
equipment, changing a procedure, filling a position, consolidating departments, or
investing funds; also called recommendation reports or internal proposals.
Letter format: Contains a date, inside address, salutation, and complimentary close and
usually longer and more carefully organized than typical letters.
Manuscript format: Usually printed on plain paper without letterhead or memo header,
they begin with a title followed by systematically displayed headings and subheadings.
Meeting minutes: Summarize the proceedings of meetings.
Memo format: Reports that begin with essential background information, using standard
headings: Date, To, From, and Subject and differing from regular memos in length, use of
headings, and deliberate organization.
Portable document format (PDF): A file type, invented by Adobe, that condenses
documents while preserving the formatting and graphics.
Primary data: Results from firsthand experience and observation.
Problem statement: Helps clarify the task and defines the report’s purpose and scope.
Progress reports: Also known as interim reports, they describe the status of continuing
projects.
Purpose statement: Defines the focus of a report and provides a standard that keeps the
project on target.
Recommendation reports: Reports that justify or recommend actions, such as buying
equipment, changing a procedure, filling a position, consolidating departments, or
investing funds; also called justification reports or internal proposals.
Secondary data: Comes from reading what others have experienced or observed and
recorded.
Slide deck: A digital slideshow.
Summary: Compresses the main points from a book, report, article, website, meeting, or
convention.
Talking headings: Designed to provide information and spark interest.
Templates: Digital forms usually made available on the company intranet or the Internet
and suitable for repetitive data, such as monthly sales reports, performance appraisals,
merchandise inventories, and personnel and financial reports.
Trip reports: Also referred to as conference reports, they often inform management about
business trends, new procedures, innovative equipment, legal requirements, or other
information that would affect their products, operations, and service.
Yardstick reports: Examines problems with two or more solutions to determine the best
solution.
Chapter 10: Proposals and Formal Reports
Key Terms
APA Style: American Psychological Association, an organization determining the format of
using and listing sources of research in the social sciences.
Appendixes: Part of proposal, business plan, or formal business report that contains
ancillary material of interest only to some readers.
Area charts: (also called segmented line charts) Illustrate how the components of a
whole change over time.
Back matter: Includes a reference section and one or more appendixes; the reference
section includes a list of sources, and the appendix contains supplemental information or
source documents.
Bar charts: Enable writers to make emphatic visual comparisons by using horizontal or
vertical bars of varying lengths.
Browser: A software application that connects to servers and displays their webpages.
Budget: The section of a proposal that lists the proposed project costs; can also be called a
statement of costs.
Citation formats: A way to direct readers to your sources with parenthetical notes
inserted into the text and with bibliographies.
Contract cheating: Buying essays and other papers on demand on the Internet.
Database: A collection of searchable information stored digitally so that it is accessible by
computer or mobile devices.
Deliverables: Tangible items produced by a proposal project for the customer.
Documentation: Giving credit to information sources.
Executive summary: A time-saving device that summarizes a proposal, business plan, or
formal business report and concisely addresses all its sections or chapters.
Experimentation: Producing data that suggests causes and effects.
Flowchart: A simplified and clarified way of diagramming procedures.
Front matter: Refers to the preliminary sections before the body section.
Formal report: A document in which a writer analyzes findings, draws conclusions, and
makes recommendations intended to solve a problem; is the product of thorough
investigation or analysis; and presents organized information to decision makers in
business, industry, government, and education.
Grant proposal: A formal document submitted to a government or private organization
that explains a project, outlines its budget, and requests money in the form of a grant.
Infographic: Visual representation of complex information in a format that is easy to
understand.
Interview: The questioning of subject experts to generate information, particularly on
topics about which little has been written.
Letter proposal: A proposal presented in manuscript format (usually no more than ten
pages) or in a short (two- to four-page) letter; sometimes called informal proposal.
Limitations: As part of the scope statement, these further narrow the subject by focusing
on constraints or exclusions.
Line charts: Show changes over time, thus indicating trends.
Memorandum of transmittal: A memo written to the recipient of an internal formal
business report and delivered with the document; announces the topic of the report, tells
how it was authorized, briefly describes the project, highlights the report’s findings,
conclusions, and recommendations, and expresses appreciation.
MLA Style: Modern Language Association, an organization determining the format of using
and listing sources of research in the humanities.
Observation: A way of gathering primary data by viewing individuals and/or organizations
firsthand.
Organization charts: Provide such information as who reports to whom, how many
subordinates work for each manager (the span of control), and what channels of official
communication exist.
Outline: A way of organizing your ideas by arranging your main topics and subtopics.
Paraphrasing: Restating an original passage in your own words and in your own style.
Periodicals: Publications that are produced on a set schedule.
Pie charts: Enable readers to see a whole and the proportion of its components, or
wedges.
Plagiarism: The unethical, and in some cases illegal, act of using others’ ideas without
proper documentation.
Primary research: The act of generating or gathering firsthand data by conducting
interviews, surveys, or systematic observation.
Primary sources: Information and data authors gather themselves from firsthand
experience. Interviews, observations, surveys, questionnaires, and meetings.
Problem statement: Helps clarify the task and defines the report’s purpose and scope.
Proposal: A written offer to solve a problem, provide a service, or sell equipment.
Purpose statement: Defines the focus of a report and provides a standard that keeps the
project on target.
Request for proposal (RFP): Prepared by firms and governmental agencies when they
know exactly what they want; the RFP specifies their requirements and solicits competitive
bids from vendors.
References: Lists all sources consulted in the research project; called References if using
APA style.
Research: The methodical search for information relevant to the report topic.
Scope statement: Prepares the audience by clearly defining which problem or problems
will be researched and analyzed.
Search engine: Scans hundreds of millions of webpages to locate the desired content.
Secondary research: The use of existing data that result from reading what others have
published, experienced, or observed.
Secondary sources: Information that has been previously compiled, analyzed, and, in
most cases, published.
Segmented line charts: (also called area charts) Illustrate how the components of a
whole change over time.
Solicited proposal: The response to a request for proposal (RFP).
Survey: A method of gathering information from a sample of people, usually with the goal
of generalizing the results to a larger audience.
Table: Presents quantitative or verbal information in systematic columns and rows.
Table of contents: The part of a proposal, business plan, or formal business report that
shows all headings and their beginning page numbers.
Unsolicited proposal: Bids that have not been explicitly requested.
Work plan: A tentative schedule that guides the investigation.
Works Cited: Lists all sources consulted in the research project; called Works Cited if using
MLA style.