Handling Rumors and Gossip in Business, the Workplace, and Everyday Life: Sociological Perspectives

This book provides some sociological perspectives on how to understand and handle rumors and gossip in business, the workplace and everyday life. It explains the nature and social functions of rumors and gossip in various social settings, particularly in corporate situations, and provides some critical advice on how to analyze and deal with unverified information in social interactions, financial and stock markets, and in the workplace. Rumors and gossip do not only ruin people's lives but can also kill people literally through depression and suicide. Thus, rumors and gossip, especially the persistent ones, when not properly handled and avoided by people, can become "weapons of mass destruction" that destroy relationships, communities, and empires. This book is, therefore, a must read to business managers, teachers, parents, students, and to all people who are affected in one way or another by rumors and gossip in corporate and everyday life.