[.ca] Barron's ESL Guide to American Business English (ISBN 0764105949)

Literacy for the Workplace:
Great book to use for English language learners that have been in the country for many years but lack the literacy skills needed for a business environment. The letter samples give great ideas for phrases and tone. The section on usage is an excellent overview to clear up any questions on grammar. I have recommended this book for my students at BusinesSpeak to keep on their desks as a reference guide.

Chp 19. Culture and Customs, Work:
As an American citizen, I take strong exception to Ms. Geffner's statement which follows and apparently is meant to be interpreted as representative of the opinions of all Americans. Also, what is her authority for making the enclosed statement: P.279 "Therefore, whether the idle rich or the welfare poor, the ill or the retired, those who do not work are considered of no use to society."

An Excellent ESL Source But...:
As a teacher of ESL at the private college, I found Barron's ESL Guide to American Business English an excellent source for newcomers to American business practices. Unfortunately while the book targets the ESL population, it still requires significant English literacy skills to read and understand. Given the complexity of the subject matter, it's probably as simplified as possible. Includes eighty different documents covering a wide range of correspondence with concise instructions; "Words to Watch For", a vocabulary word listing provides definitions for key words at the beginning of many chapters; extensive table of contents and index, makes it relatively easy to locate particular areas of interest.