William Christopher Brown
2017 ABC MLA CFP
“Issues in Intergenerational Business Communication in the Workplace”
Conference: Modern Language Association Convention
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Dates: 05–08 January 2017
Full name of organization: Association for Business Communication
Contact: William Christopher Brown
Due date for abstracts: 15 March 2016
Call for papers/abstracts: In this panel for the 05-08 January 2017 Modern Language Association (MLA) Convention in Philadelphia, PA, the Association for Business Communication (ABC) invites interested participants to submit abstracts for a panel on “Issues in Intergenerational Business Communication in the Workplace.”
Scholars have turned to intergenerational conflict as an object of study because interpersonal communication in workplaces is growing more complicated as Baby Boomers work beyond traditional retirement age and young employees enter the workforce.
Generational identifications are inevitable, and Business Communication scholars have recently analyzed intergenerational workplace relationships. For instance, in 2015, one Business and Professional Communication Quarterly contributor examined the effect of stereotypes among Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Generation Y (i.e., Millennials) coworkers (Rentz, 2015). The New York Times reports that Generation Z (born c.1995-present) is now coming of age and is further complicating these workplace relationships (Williams, 2015). Individuals often hold false assumptions and unrealistic expectations about older or younger generations, which can result in misunderstandings that may disrupt or challenge communication in workplaces.
We welcome faculty and graduate students to submit their latest research on “Issues in Intergenerational Business Communication in the Workplace.”
Submission: Submit a 300-word abstract for a 20-minute presentation to William Christopher Brown by 15 March 2016. Selections will be made through blind review. All identifying information should be removed from submissions.
Required memberships: To participate in this panel, all participants must be members of both the Association for Business Communication and the Modern Language Association by 07 April 2016.
Works Cited
Rentz, K. C. (2015). Beyond the generational stereotypes: A study of U.S. Generation Y
employees in context. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly,
78(2), 136-166. DOI: 10.1177/2329490615576183
Williams, A. (2015, September 18). Move over, millennials, here comes Generation
Z. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/fashion/move-over-millennials-here-comes-generation-z.html?_r=0
