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A book that's popular here is Business Communication--Process and Product by
Guffey, Rhodes and Rogin. You couldn't really call it a handbook--it's more
like a way of life. It has lots of full-colour illustrations, as well as an
instructor's manual, a set of full colour transparencies, lecture notes,
sample exams, instructional video, and a web-site from which to down-load
prepared PowerPoint slides. The book itself covers the writing process,
grammar, ethics, listening skills, organizational communication, and social
and
cultural issues, in addition to letters, memos, reports and presentations.
It even comes with a CD-ROM containing grammar exercises. It's 5 pounds of
glossy paper, about 600 pages including appendices and costs just barely
under $100.

It covers far too much material for a one-semester course and yet only
touches on many of the topics in a superficial way. But one of the features
I really like about it is the generous use of annotated examples, both
"poor" and "improved." Despite all its flaws, I would use it just for this
reason.

What I would find useful instead, but haven't run across, is a series of
well-illustrated handbooks on different topics--letters and memos, reports
and proposals, graphics,
presentations, electronic communication, even grammar. That way I could pick
and choose among them depending on the course I had in mind. I'd rather
assign supplemental readings of my choice on ethics, society, culture, and
language.


Cheers
Sandra Dueck
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