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Category Archives: Business Communication
Prescription for Ethics: An Antidote to the Worship of Scientific Learning
The university where I teach states its mission as “foster[ing] intellectual inquiry and critical thinking, preparing graduates who will serve as effective, ethical leaders and engaged citizens.” It’s a tall order, and I have read this statement to myself many … Continue reading
Posted in Business Communication, Not Satire, Science and Technology, Uncategorized
Tagged behavioral psychology, cognitive psychology, consequence, ethical, ethics, Kohlberg, liberal arts, moral, oxytocin, Piaget, read, Rest, science, story, student, teacher, university, Zak
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Teaching Composition Courses to Non-English Majors: A Multipronged Approach
As one who teaches English composition to undergraduates who are non-English majors, my first task is to convince the students that being able to write well is important, that being able to persuade others is important, and that the approach … Continue reading
Posted in Business Communication, Uncategorized
Tagged college, composition, discipline, educator, English, group work, non-English major, science, student, teacher, writing
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Tipping Towards a Living Wage
I phone an order into my favorite neighborhood pizza joint and stop on my way home to pick up the pies. At the counter where I pay, I’m greeted by a chipper young woman, high voice, curly hair, and a smile … Continue reading
Posted in Business Communication, Food and Drink, Satire, Uncategorized
Tagged Baltimore, business, Chowhound.com, credit card, Drew Brees, Home Depot, living wage, low-wage, Steven Schultz, takeout, tip, tippinig, waiter, waitress, Wal-Mart
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Of Straight Men and Comics
“Talk low, talk slow, and don’t talk too much,” John Wayne famously said, eliminating the “big stick” that Teddy Roosevelt so fondly carried, although Wayne implicitly replaces the stick with a rifle. As a youth I was a Wayne fan, … Continue reading
How I Rate on ratemyprofessors.com
I teach writing to college students, and I’m always searching for ways to improve my teaching technique. I go out of my way to read articles about pedagogy, watch movies about good and bad teachers, and listen to my fellow … Continue reading
Pidgins Take Flight: Campaign against Plain Language
The British Empire has been decaying for decades, but in 1979, English woman Chrissie Maher attempted to rally the troops and lead a resurgence. In that year, Maher stood in London’s Parliament Square and shredded hundreds of public documents in … Continue reading
Posted in Business Communication, Politics, Satire, Uncategorized
Tagged bureaucratese, Chrissie Maher, circumlocution, cliché, Esperanto, gobbledygook, jargon, Klingon, laissez-faire, legalese, lingua franca, pidgin, plain English, synergy, utilize, value-added
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The Absolutely Unbiased Algorithmic Job Interview
Some large enterprises like Fannie Mae, Bank of America, General Motors, or A.I.G. might occasionally be lax in their hiring processes. With such unwieldy organizations, a mistake or two in hiring can happen and isn’t always of much concern, especially … Continue reading
The Undercover Cover Letter
Like so many things related to the job search, cover letters are inconvenient formalities that should be done away with. I predict that someday, a business with enough clout will have the courage to stop asking for them and other … Continue reading
Lobby Observances: The Pre-Interview Job Search Process
l have yet to meet any sane person who wants to work a generic office job, wear taught ties and suit jackets for eight hours a day, sit in broken adjustable chairs, and sniff paper stacks inside gray partitions. Most … Continue reading
Reading Between the Resume Lines
Although I have never hired anyone for a job, I have been very close to a few people who have, and I have witnessed the torments that these employers put themselves through when choosing someone to help build the company … Continue reading
Charney's Life of Charney 