This text emphasizes real-life business situations, employing a conversational style to capture the dynamics of business communication. It teaches business communication skills and examines communication techniques. Its chapter openers feature real companies, and its real-world examples, real-company cases and involved writing style all bring the subject to life. In this fourth edition the technology and intercultural chapters have been revised and brought forward to the start of the book, two-thirds of the chapter opening vignettes are new, and greater emphasis is placed on the writing process and audience-centred messages. Half of the memo- and letter-writing cases are new, and each is now categorized by academic discipline (e.g. finance, management, accounting, etc) and by the focus of the exercise to emphasize writing across the curriculum.