Previously Verboten Topic Enters the Workplace: Sex Talk
Discuss the pros and cons of talking about matters formerly considered off limits at work using our synopsis of the situation and prepared questions. Read more.

Employers Say New-Hires Need Better Interpersonal Skills
The pandemic affected the newest workers by preventing development of interpersonal skills, and hirers are picking up the slack. Read more.

AI Writing Tools—Executive Time Saver or Poor Leadership?
Does using generative AI in the C-suite show weakness? Discuss AI in the workplace using our prepared questions. Read more.

Has TikTok Become the New Office Watercooler?
TikTok has become the go-to platform to complain about work. Discuss this newsworthy topic using our prepared questions. Read more.

Are Carbon Offsets Working?
Read about the current controversy so you can discuss this timely topic using prepared critical-thinking questions. Read more.

Likeability as Important as Skills in Interviews
Learn what to avoid to come off as likeable during an interview. Read more.

Complicity Can Lead to Bad Business
Allowing misdeeds to occur makes one complicit. That’s not good business. Discuss this ethical conundrum with your students. Read more.

Work Dress Codes Continue to Evolve—or Devolve
From casual Fridays to halter tops in the office. What’s going on with work wardrobes? Read more.

Employers Are Tracking Remote Workers to Gauge Productivity. Have They Crossed a Line? 
Students need to understand just how invasive organizations have become with their surveillance of employees. Discuss the timely topic using our prepared questions. Read more.

Should Executives Take Political and Social Stands? 
A Harvard Business School study focuses on Apple CEO Tim Cook’s noteworthy stands and the risks they pose to the organization. Discussion questions included. Read more.

Hybrid Competence, the New Career Builder 
Highlighting skills needed for success in hybrid or remote positions helps job seekers.  Read more.

Should Job Seekers Add Vaccination Status to Résumés?
Employers seem to like knowing job candidates’ Covid-19 vaccine status. Encourage critical thinking with our discussion questions on this timely topic. Read more.

What to Do If You’ve Been Ghosted After an Interview 
When and how to contact the hiring manager after an interview. Read more.

Business’s Role in Combating Climate Change
Experts weigh in on what private industry should do to protect the world (and their business interests) from climate change impacts. Read more.

The New Rules of Office Etiquette
Work behavior has changed. Discuss the new rules of etiquette for in-office and remote work with your classes. Read more.

Is Facebook Responsible for Instagram’s Impact on Girls?
A new report finds that Instagram use can cause serious psychological harm. Discuss this timely issue with your students. Read more.

Embracing Effective Altruism to Gain Career Satisfaction
The philosophy of Effective Altruism combines with new NGO 80,000 Hours to help idealists make the most impact with their careers. Read more.

Remote Work and Mentorship during the Pandemic
Mentors may be more challenging to find while we are working remotely, but they are worth the effort. Use our questions to provoke critical thinking on this important topic. Read more.

Doing Good is Good Business
Discuss how businesses are responding to consumer and investor demands to be better corporate citizens using our synopsis of the news and prepared discussion questions. Read more.

Career Planning—The Key to Success
Students who plan careers avoid haphazard job jumping and poor work/life satisfaction. Discuss the issue using our prepared questions. Read more.

Identify Strengths, Be a Better Employee
Recognizing strengths is the first step toward a rewarding career. We provide the steps for students to define what they’re good at.  Read more.

How Much Free Speech Do Employees Have?
Workers who want to exercise their Constitutional right to free speech might want to think before they opine in the workplace. Discuss the issue using engaging critical-thinking questions. Read more.

Eyes Are on Corporate Responses to Current Events
Investors, employees, and the public are expecting American companies to act for the larger good—or suffer the financial consequences. Discuss the situation using our critical-thinking questions. Read more.

New Rules for Landing Jobs in the Covid-19 Era
Over half of small and midsize companies plan to hire full-time workers this year. However, job hunters need to be aware of the new rules for landing a position. Read more.

Communication Tops Employers’ Wants in New-Hires
New research finds communication is considered the top “resilient” skill, meaning it is the durable, future-proof skill for business students. Discuss the importance of what we teach using our prepared questions. Read more.

Take Breaks to Improve Learning
Cram sessions have been part of the college experience for decades. However, new research suggests that for real learning to occur, students should take breaks instead of working for long blocks of time.  Read more.

Does Dressing Down Affect Work Output?
While robes and slippers have become best-selling items touted by celebrities, experts say dressing down while working from home can hamper performance. Discuss this timely news item with students. Read more.

Bad Behavior Anytime Can Get You Fired
Use our prepared questions and situation explanation to discuss how the prevalence of smartphone videos capturing bad behavior leads to firing. Read more.

How to (and not to) Cope with Covid’s Impact
Making plans and finding distractions are good—venting is bad. Discuss this timely post with students. Read more.

COVID-19 Alters E-Mail Language
Showing humanity in correspondence is key. The pandemic has made reliance on digital communication the norm, and consequently, the rules of good online etiquette have become more critical than ever. Read more.

Young Workers’ Loneliness Affects Companies
Millennial and Gen Z communication styles lead to isolation in the workplace. Discuss this relevant situation with your students using our prepared questions. Read more.

Why Company Culture Is Important to Job Seekers
Fitting in is good for employers and employees alike. Discuss this important issue with students. Read more.

Has a New Corporate Ethos Arrived?
Top CEOs say profit should no longer be the sole guiding principle of business. A synopsis of this timely issue contains discussion questions to promote critical thinking. Read more.

Improving the Connection Between College and Career
Discuss the importance of melding hands-on experience with theory-based learning using our helpful summary of a panel discussion sponsored by The Chronicle and prepared discussion questions. Read more.

Smooth Speaking is #1 Employer Want
This post explains the rationale behind employers’ need for new-hires to possess conversational skills. Use our prepared questions to discuss this important topic with your classes. Read more.

Retailers Are Watching Us Shop—Should We Care?
Should lawmakers stop businesses from using our faces and track us without our permission as we shop? Read more.

Brands Courting Eco-Conscious Consumers
Why are major brands like P&G and Nestlé suddenly conscious about wasteful packaging? Discuss the motive behind the move to court green consumers. Read more.

Workers Smoking Mad at Vapers
As e-cigarettes become more popular, people in the workplace are steamed about having to unwillingly smell the scented vapors the devices emit. Read more.

Employers Want New-Hires Who Can Chitchat
 It’s well and good for a new-hire to be a whiz at coding or analyzing data, but possessing social skills is becoming just as important. Read more.

AI Is Here, Like it or Not
Will artificial intelligence save humanity or destroy our existence… or a little of both? Discuss this timely issue with your students. Read more.

Is Music Piracy Stealing?
Illegal downloads continue to plague the music industry. Some say that’s not a bad thing. Discuss this ongoing ethical issue with your students. Read more.

Influencer Marketing: Cool or Not So Much?
What should advertisers do when they realize their influencer personalities are using bots instead of people to beef up their numbers? Discuss this ethical issue with your students. Read more.

Yay or Nay: Using Personal Social Media at Work
 Should employers allow workers to access personal social media while at work? Talk with your students about this dicey dilemma facing organizations. Read more.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: Women Can’t Win
While women are closing the pay gap, research from Georgetown University explains why—and what women can do. Read more.

Ta-ta Cubicle, Hello WeWork
Can sharing office space break down cultural divisiveness? The success of an eight-year-old company suggests that it just might. Read more.

Listen Up: The Right-Ear Advantage Is A Thing
Awareness about how the brain takes in information can make the difference between being a valued addition to an organization or a clueless new-hire. Read more.

Emojis Cause Confusion in the Workplace
Using digital images is causing many a 😰in HR departments across America. Read more.

The Zen of Interviewing
Experts offer advice about how to answer some of the most common interview questions you’re likely to encounter. Read more.

Businesses Scurry to Address Sexual Harassment
The tsunami of sexual harassment claims since media mogul Harvey Weinstein’s fall from grace has prompted many businesses to examine workplace misconduct. Read more.

Pro Bono: Doing Good on Company Time
Businesses allow employees to donate their expertise to non-profits… what’s in it for them? Read more.

The Sexist Remark Heard Around the World
When a Googler circulated a 10-page memo about why women are biologically unsuited for working in the tech world, a maelstrom ensued. Discuss this timely situation with your students. Read more.

The F-bomb in the Office?
Casual profanity has permeated our language, even at the office, leaving some confused about what’s okay to say. Read more.

Job Outlook News Is Good and Bad
First, the good news: For the eighth year in a row, employers are hiring more college graduates. The bad news? Many new grads are not measuring up to employers’ expectations. Read more.

Millennials Learn Business Etiquette – at the Plaza Hotel!
Many millennials may know the Plaza Hotel from reading the beloved children’s book Eloise. Now the New York City establishment offers the new generation of workers lessons in business etiquette. Read more.

Hit Hard in Interviews by Stressing Soft Skills
LinkedIn VP advises how job seekers should demonstrate important soft skills employers look for during interviews. Read more.

Emissionsgate: VW Scandal Repercussions Reverberate
After blatantly lying to governments about its autos passing emissions’ tests, VW is paying a heavy price. Share this case study and discussion questions with your business communication students. Read more.

Building Rapport—Key to a Great Interview
Job applicants who make small talk or find a commonality with the interviewer during the first few minutes of the meeting are more successful than those who don’t. Read more

To Social or Not to Social? That is the Question
The pros and cons of social media for professional purposes. Read more.

Hands Off the Hair?
Recently the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a firm could deny a job applicant employment unless she changed her hair style. Discuss this fascinating case. Read more.

New Rules to Maximize Hirability
Today’s job seekers need a dynamic online presence to be considered for many positions. That means constant monitoring of their social media presence. Read more.

Relaxing Dress Codes Cause Confusion, Demonstrate Double Standard
It’s becoming more and more difficult to determine the proper look at work. How can employees know what to wear? Read more.

Disney World: Not the Happiest Place on Earth
After a two-year-old boy was drowned by an alligator at Disney World, a public relations nightmare ensued. Discuss the business ethics of the situation with your students. Read more.

Takata Airbag Scandal – Plenty of Blame to Spread Around
One of the most massive recalls in history provides a lot of issues to discuss with your students. We summarize the Takata airbag scandal, provide a link to a timeline of events, and list discussion questions designed to stimulate your students. Read more.

Former Yelper Talia Jane—Whiner or Winner?
Your students will likely have lots to say about this millennial employee who complained to the CEO of Yelp and published it for the world to see. Use the links in the post to direct your students to the original and then discuss the situation. We’ve included some questions to get the conversation started. Read more.

10 Interview Blunders to Avoid
Treating staff with disrespect and low energy are just two of the taboos to avoid when interviewing. Read more.

Jury Weighs in on the Case of Screen vs. Paper
While paper-based texts have not quite gone the way of the dodo, there is little doubt that we read on screens more than ever. A new rash of research is examining the pros and cons of both methods. Read more.

The Key to Success: Staying Motivated
Instructors: Try discussing these tips for staying motivated with your new students at the beginning of the semester, during a mid-term lull, or even toward the end of the course to stoke students’ momentum. Read more.

The Firm 40—A Radical Workplace Idea
In a world where 60- or even 80-hour workweeks are not uncommon, some firms are returning to the good old days of “nine to five.” Instructors–Kick off a class session with this thought-provoking news summary and discussion questions. Read more.

Social Skills Key Now and in the Future
Will robots (or more accurately, automation) replace human workers? Probably not… at least not yet. Still, plenty of machines continue to perform tasks once reserved for humankind. But they still cannot do one thing that people can: work well with others. Read more.

Critical Thinking Case Study: Is Amazon.com a Jungle?
A recent article in The New York Times exposed harsh working conditions for white-collar employees at global e-retailer Amazon.com. Current and former “Amazonians” called the company’s pace relentless … Read more.

6 Tips for Writing Social Media Business Messages
Writing well for any medium requires understanding its conventions and using language that achieves the text’s purpose. This can be especially challenging when writing for social media. Read more.

Hang in There! Tips to Survive an Entry-Level Job
Entry-level jobs can be a big letdown, especially for millennials, who are used to getting what they want immediately. Share these tips about getting the most out of a first job with your students. Read more.

Ten Taboos at Work
Revealing the wrong kinds of information to a fellow worker can be a career killer. Show your professionalism in the workplace by not committing any of these ten taboo. Read more.

First Impressions Count When Starting a New Job
When starting a new job, expect new colleagues to assess you as soon as you walk in the door. Making a good first impression sets the scene for a successful experience at a new job. Read more.

Personal Brand—Emphasizing the Best You
In today’s competitive business environment, young workers must successfully market themselves to stand out from the pack. Read more.

College Students Addicted to Cell Phones
Any college teacher knows that students are attached to their cell phones. A new study measures just how attached they are. Read more.

Is Sensitivity Training Insensitive?
Although it seems counterintuitive, organizations seeking to teach “cultural sensitivity” are being insensitive. Read more.

Hey–Listen Up!
One of the best ways to derail a career is by failing to listen—after all, if we don’t listen, we can’t respond in a thoughtful, considered way. Read more.

Are You Mad? How to Handle Boss’s Cryptic E-mails
Conciseness in writing is a virtue appreciated by anyone whose inbox is clogged with bloated messages. But how does an employee deal with an e-mail response from a boss that is so short … Read more.

Millennials…Not as Tech Savvy as We Thought
The common notion that millennials are all “digital natives” is a myth, according to research conducted by Eszter Hargittai of Northwestern University. Read more.

Should You Send Anyone a LinkedIn Request to Connect?
If you’re unsure about the etiquette of sending LinkedIn requests to connect, you’re not alone. It’s confusing at best. Read more.

Shake off First-Day-on-the-Job Jitters
You nailed the interview, landed a job offer, and are set to start in a few days. But you’re queasy with anxiety. It’s natural to feel nervous about the first day of a new job. However, Read more.

Burning the Midnight Oil….Yes or No?
When the boss works late, does that mean staff has to follow suit? Read more.

Email Etiquette: “Strategic Sloppiness” vs Bad Form
It’s probably possible to calculate the number of emails sent each day, but I sure can’t do it. I’m just assuming that figure is very, very high. But does each one of the gazillion e-mails sent each day need to be perfectly written and use proper etiquette? Read more.

Fauxpology Doesn’t Ring True
We’ve heard a lot of apologies lately. President Obama said he was sorry people lost their health insurance as a result of assurances he had made. Read more.

How to Handle a Picky Boss
Micromanagers—those nitpicky individuals who have to check every little detail and find problems with everything—can make a job stressful and demoralize employees. So how to cope? Read more.

The Next Job Search Frontier—Video
We all know that a paper résumé is old school. Social media sites have long replaced want ads as the way to look for a position. But are videos becoming part of the job hunter’s arsenal? Read more.

It’s Nothing Profersonal…
When ABC reporter Shea Allen posted unprofessional comments on her personal blog, she crossed a line…and was fired. Read more.

Beef Up Résumé While in College
Students who leave college with a résumé that shows experience and accomplishments stand a much better chance of impressing a potential employer. Read more.