Barbara D. Davis

Job Preparation for the 21st Century: A Group Project Learning Model to Teach Basic Workplace Skills

Abstract Todays workplace is undergoing a tremendous metamorphosis. Trends in restructuring, downsizing, reengineering, workforce diversity, and teamwork, while appearing new, still encompass the prevalent demands of employers—basic workplace skills. This article presents a practical, group-project learning model for teaching these skills and preparing students for successful future employment. Two critical categories of workplace skills, communication and group effectiveness, as well as the other basic workplace skills, can be effectively taught within the current framework of the business curricula with the group project method.

African American women: Surviving breast cancer mortality against the highest odds

Among the country’s 25 largest cities, the breast cancer mortality disparity is highest in Memphis, Tennessee, where African American women are twice as likely to die from breast cancer as White women. This qualitative study of African-American breast cancer survivors explores experiences during and post treatment that contributed to their beating the high odds of mortality. Using a semi-structured interview guide, a focus group session was held in 2012 with 10 breast cancer survivors. Thematic analysis and a deductive a priori template of codes were used to analyze the data. Five main themes were identified: family history, breast/body awareness and preparedness to manage a breast cancer event, diagnosis experience and reaction to the diagnosis, family reactions, and impact on life. Prayer and family support were central to coping, and survivors voiced a cultural acceptance of racial disparities in health outcomes. They reported lack of provider sensitivity regarding pain, financial difficulties, negative responses from family/friends, and resiliency strategies for coping with physical and mental limitations. Our research suggested that a patient-centered approach of demystifying breast cancer (both in patient-provider communication and in community settings) would impact how women cope with breast cancer and respond to information about its diagnosis.

A Comparison Of The Top Six Journals Selected As Top Journals For Publication By Business Communication Educators

This study compares the top six journals selected in an earlier survey of Association for Business Communication members as the top journals in which to publish for professional advancement. Those journals include Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of Business and Technical Communication, Journal of Business Communication, and Management Communication Quarterly. Using variables found in other disciplines’ journal assessment articles, comparisons were made with the following: length of articles published, disciplines of authors, statistical methodology included, major discipline of article focus, number of references included, and research methods used with sample size where appropriate. The analysis indicated significant differences among many of these journals. In selecting where to publish BMOC (business, management, organizational communication) articles, prospective authors in the area will find the information on these six journals informative and beneficial.

Communication Training in Two Companies.

COMMUNICATION EDUCATORS strive to learn what colleagues are doing in the classroom and what businesses say they need in order to improve teaching skills and to insure students are provided the skills necessary for success after graduation. In today’s economy with low unemployment, companies are coi-npeting for competent employees-our college graduates. Firms provide training when employees lack specific skills. By improving students’ communication competencies, we can increase their job readiness skills. In a study analyzing the Bureau of Labor Statistics database reporting training results from selected companies with over 50 employees, Franzis, Gittleman, and Joyce (2000) reported 4% of work time and

The Use of Source Notations by Organizations.

16 billion in direct costs were directed toward

Resume Writing and the Minority Student

or artistic piece, the developer of a concept or model, or the originator of a quotation, and thereby avoid plagiarism, a primary ethical consideration (Haas, 1995). Business writing class instructors generally assign reports that require source notations in a specific format. However, current guidelines or examples of what businesspeople use to document sources is needed. To determine what type of material might be referenced and what publication methods organizations use, if any, to indicate the source of information, members of the Business Practices Commit-