Business for Communicators The Essential Guide to Success in Corporate and Public Affairs

Business for Communicators provides future and current professional communicators with a hands-on, working knowledge of how businesses profit, grow, and adapt in their competitive environments.

Corporate communicators aspire to sit at the decision-making table but too often fall short because of an inability to speak the language of business or effectively apply a business mindset to communication strategy. Business for Communicators provides the in-depth business literacy these professionals need, beyond just building the case for business intelligence or explaining business basics. The text delves into the details of corporate finance, accounting, marketing, strategy, operations, and economics to provide a theoretical grounding and a working knowledge that business communicators can apply to every decision they make. Real world applications illustrate concepts covered, focus on the communication implications of business outcomes, and provide opportunities for extended learning and discussion.

This book is an essential resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, as well as professional corporate communicators ready to enhance their influence and advance their careers with business acumen.

An accompanying website, blog, email, and social media platforms provide additional resources, interaction, commentary, and responses to questions from educators and practitioners, as well as teaching materials for educators, at www.thecommunicatorsmba.com.

Introduction to Business for Communicators 1. Why You Need to Speak the Language of Business 2. Capitalism: Its Benefits and Discontents 3. A Micro and Macro View of the Economy 4. The Art and Science of Financial Statements 5. How and Why Finance Rules the Business World 6. Marketing Envy and Other Observations 7. Getting Comfortable with the Quants 8. Why You Cannot Ignore Operations Management 9. The Care and Feeding of Human Capital 10. What is Strategy? 11. And Here Comes Legal 12. Last but Not Least: Business Ethics Concluding Thoughts

Sandra Duhé is Associate Professor and Chair of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs at Southern Methodist University, USA.