Single Sourcing and the Return to Positivism: The Threat of Plain-Style, Arhetorical Technical Communication Practices Jeffrey Bacha

University business incubators (UBIs) are uniquely positioned to foster transnational entrepreneurship and the evolution of business and technical communication practices on a worldwide basis. UBIs facilitate the launch of start-ups by professors, students, researchers, and local entrepreneurs. This study uses assemblage theory to profile four UBIs. Its findings concern their process of exporting incubation models and training transnational entrepreneurs, the roles of alumni and students, and the genres and conventions of entrepreneurship.

Download Full-text

Content Analysis as a Best Practice in Technical Communication Research

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication ◽

10.2190/tw.37.3.c ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

pp. 267-279 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Alexander Thayer ◽

Mary Evans ◽

Alicia McBride ◽

Matt Queen ◽

Jan Spyridakis

Keyword(s):

Content Analysis ◽

Technical Communication ◽

Best Practice ◽

Empirical Method ◽

Communication Research ◽

Analysis Methodology ◽

Technical Communicators ◽

Decision Making Processes ◽

Communication Practices

Content analysis is a powerful empirical method for analyzing text, a method that technical communicators can use on the job and in their research. Content analysis can expose hidden connections among concepts, reveal relationships among ideas that initially seem unconnected, and inform the decision-making processes associated with many technical communication practices. In this article, we explain the basics of content analysis methodology and dispel common misconceptions, report on a content analysis case study, reveal the most important objectives associated with conducting high quality content analyses, and summarize the implications of content analysis as a tool for technical communicators and researchers.

Download Full-text

Lean Data Visualization: Considering Actionable Metrics for Technical Communication

Journal of Business and Technical Communication ◽

10.1177/1050651920958500 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

pp. 57-64

Author(s):

Gustav Verhulsdonck ◽

Vishal Shah

Keyword(s):

Data Visualization ◽

Technical Communication ◽

Economic Impacts ◽

Specific Situation ◽

Future Projections ◽

The Social ◽

New Business ◽

Communication Practices ◽

Data Visualizations

Analyzing data gathered around COVID-19 can increase our understanding of its spread and the social and economic impacts. Data visualizations can help various stakeholders understand the outbreak. To this end, this article seeks to understand how COVID-19 data dashboards utilized actionable metrics to inform various stakeholders. Used in lean methodology, actionable metrics specifically tie data visualization to actions to improve a specific situation. The authors discuss how actionable metrics were used in COVID-19 data dashboards to inspire actions of various stakeholders by modeling different outcomes through future projections. In turn, the authors explore how actionable metrics in data dashboards can inform new business and technical communication practices for data visualization.

Download Full-text

Technical communication practices in the collaborative mediascape

Communication Design Quarterly ◽

10.1145/3071078.3071082 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 20-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jonas Löwgren

Keyword(s):

Technical Communication ◽

Communication Practices

Download Full-text

Strategies for Managing Cultural Conflict: Models Review and Their Applications in Business and Technical Communication

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication ◽

10.1177/0047281617696985 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 281-294 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Junhua Wang

Keyword(s):

Technical Communication ◽

The United States ◽

Cultural Conflict ◽

Cultural Conflicts ◽

Research And Teaching ◽

Strategy Model ◽

Long Time ◽

Current Article ◽

Diversity Issues ◽

Communication Practices

In the field of business and technical communication, scholars have called for research on dealing with cultural conflict for a long time. But the limited study on dealing with cultural conflicts, along with the current political context in the United States, calls for efforts to systematically address diversity issues and cultural conflict in our research and teaching practices. One obstacle to advance effective communication strategies on cultural conflict in business and technical communication is the lack of communication with other disciplines. Through an interdisciplinary perspective, the current article introduces the concept of cultural conflict, examines strategy models to address cultural conflict in different fields, and provides an example on how to identify a strategy model to resolve cultural conflict in business and technical communication practices. This article concludes by emphasizing that there is not a best model that can be applied to handle cultural conflict in all circumstances and calling for research on exploring and identifying effective strategy models to resolve cultural conflict in business and technical communication practices.

Download Full-text

An Online Approach to Teaching International Outsourcing in Technical Communication Classes

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication ◽

10.2190/h7mp-gjjh-1mhg-kph6 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 35 (2) ◽

pp. 191-201 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Kirk St. Amant

Keyword(s):

Technical Communication ◽

Production Method ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

International Outsourcing ◽

New Production ◽

Web Based ◽

Online Interactions ◽

Cross Cultural Communication ◽

Approach To Teaching ◽

Communication Practices

The growth of international online access has given rise to a new production method—international outsourcing—that has important implications for technical communication practices. Successful interactions within international outsourcing require individuals to understand how cultural factors could affect online interactions. Today's technical communication students therefore need to understand how factors of culture and media could affect the success with which they operate in international outsourcing activities. This article provides technical communication instructors with a series of Web-based exercises they can use to familiarize students with different aspects that can affect intercultural online interactions. It also provides a series of online resources students can use to enhance their understanding of cross-cultural communication in cyberspace.

Download Full-text