This book examines the major business communication theories, delving into their relationships and practical applications. Many business communication studies lack a strong theoretical grounding-a deficit that creates difficulties for researching business communication phenomena and building upon previous studies. The book addresses this issue by cataloging and briefly describing the major business communication theories, as well as giving a typology of these theories to better integrate them. This book provides value to business communication researchers (who can use it to build upon and develop their work), experts in practice (who can apply it to improve business communications), and academics (who can use it to enhance their instructional designs). It also offers insights into new developments on the business communication theory horizon.

1. Introduction

2. How We Selected the Theories
3. A Typology of Business Communication Theories
4. Theory Classifications
5. Channels and Barriers
6. Cultural Characteristics and Influences
7. Flows and Patterns
8. Meaning-Making and Discovery
9. Motivation and Persuasion
10. Organizational Structures
11 Reasons and Representations
12. Emerging and Noteworthy Theories
13. Theory Traditions and Influences
14. Why We Need Business Communication Theories
15. Conclusion and Future Development
16. Recommended Readings.