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1 – 10 of over 170000Sow Hup Joanne Chan, Moez Ben Yedder and Krisee Vipulakom
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between work values (WV) and expectations in terms of job quality (JQ) and workplace communication environment (WCE…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between work values (WV) and expectations in terms of job quality (JQ) and workplace communication environment (WCE) of undergraduate students. Whether there are significant differences in terms of WV, JQ and WCE among cultural and demographic variables was also assessed.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey of 795 undergraduate students in China, Thailand and United Arab Emirates was conducted. Structural equation modeling and a series of one-way analysis of variance tests was carried out.
Findings
WV have significant effects on JQ expectations and WCE. This study identifies extrinsic values as the most important WV of the future job market entrants. There are differences in culture, gender and work experience between the three samples in the variables under investigation.
Research limitations/implications
The study relied on the self-reported responses in one university in each site. Data on the undergraduate students’ major and academic performance was not collected.
Practical implications
Job seekers are more likely to choose jobs and WCE that are similar to their personal work value orientation. The study underscores the importance of WV as important motivators in the workplace.
Originality/value
This study is the first to compare the WV, JQ and WCE across multiple nations. The study underscores the importance of JQ and WCE as important motivators in the workplace.
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The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry exists in a dynamic environment and requires several stakeholders to communicate regularly. However, evidence…
Abstract
Purpose
The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry exists in a dynamic environment and requires several stakeholders to communicate regularly. However, evidence indicates current communication practices fail to meet the requirements of increasingly complex projects. With the advent of Industry 4.0, a trend is noted to create a digital communication environment between stakeholders. Identified as a central technology in Industry 4.0, virtual reality (VR) has the potential to supplement current communication and facilitate the digitization of the AEC industry. This paper aims to explore how VR has been applied and future research directions for communication purpose.
Design/methodology/approach
This research follows a systematic literature assessment methodology to summarize the results of 41 research articles in the last 15 years and outlines the applications of VR in facilitating communication in the AEC domain.
Findings
Relevant VR applications are mainly found in building inspection, facility management, safety training, construction education and design and review. Communication tools and affordance are provided or built in several forms: text-based tools, voice chat tool, visual sharing affordance and avatars. Objective and subjective communication assessments are observed from those publications.
Originality/value
This review contributes to identifying the recent employment areas and future research directions of VR to facilitate communication in the AEC domain. The outcome can be a practical resource to guide both industry professionals and researchers to recognize the potentials of VR and will ultimately facilitate the creation of digital construction environments.
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Wilson Ozuem, Kerry E. Howell and Geoff Lancaster
The proliferation of the internet and world wide web (WWW) in recent years has resulted in the creation of new social and marketing spaces, and a new form of interaction and…
Abstract
Purpose
The proliferation of the internet and world wide web (WWW) in recent years has resulted in the creation of new social and marketing spaces, and a new form of interaction and identity formation. This paper aims to investigate this phenomenon.
Design/methodology/approach
Whilst cost benefits and profit derivation from the internet and other hypermedia mediated communication environments have been the focus of much research, the majority of these assessments have left many assumptions unarticulated. Questions of how contemporary communication content and interactivity is different from the singular “one‐to‐many” communication models have been avoided in this research. This paper investigates these deficiencies and goes on to suggest how academics and practitioners can realign their thinking in the light of these findings.
Findings
Computer mediated marketing environments provide organisations with a medium that can be used to deliver content in a variety of ways to consumers. This capability highlights the distinction between the information in marketing communication and the vehicle used to deliver the information: that is, content differs from communication.
Originality/value
The paper highlights how versatility of the internet as an instrument for mediated communication means that organisations can integrate different modalities of marketing communications into a strategy that combines on‐line and off‐line tactics to meet strategic objectives.
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Jochen Wirtz, Chiara Orsingher and Hichang Cho
This paper aims to examine the psychological consequences of a customer engagement initiative through referral reward programs (RRPs) in online versus offline environments.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the psychological consequences of a customer engagement initiative through referral reward programs (RRPs) in online versus offline environments.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a qualitative study followed by a scenario-based experimental study.
Findings
The authors show that recommenders’ concern about how they are viewed by recommendation recipients (i.e. their metaperception) mediates the effects of incentives on referral likelihood in both offline and online environments. However, metaperception has a stronger effect offline where recommenders show higher impression management concerns compared to online. Furthermore, tie-strength and communication environment moderate the effect of incentives on metaperception. When referrals are made to weak-ties, incentives decrease metaperception favorability offline more than online. For strong-ties, this effect is lower, and it is similar in offline and online environments.
Research limitations/implications
The study focused on an online versus offline dyadic communication and did not consider the differences among social media. Furthermore, the authors did not consider how other forms of positive metaperception, like being seen as helpful or knowledgeable, could be increased in an online incentivized referral context. It is possible that a recommender thinks others see him as more helpful or knowledgeable online because a lot more useful information and other resources could be offered here compared to offline communications.
Practical implications
The authors recommend managers to design both online and offline RRPs that minimize metaperception concerns; target strong ties in any communication environment as metaperception concerns are low; and target weak ties online where metaperception concerns are muted.
Originality/value
This work is the first to examine how recommenders’ psychological responses differ offline and online.
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Torsten Reimer, Kirstin Dolick, Hayden Barber and Jeonghyun Oh
A proposal in favor of a meta-theoretical approach to the study of group communication is advanced, which offers novel questions on group communication scholarship: the study of…
Abstract
A proposal in favor of a meta-theoretical approach to the study of group communication is advanced, which offers novel questions on group communication scholarship: the study of the bounded rationality of groups and teams. The chapter focuses on methodological implications of the bounded rationality perspective for group communication research. The notion of bounded rationality comes with an invitation to analyze group communication from the vantage point of an adaptation process that involves the communication processes that are employed by groups along with characteristics of the environments in which groups are situated. The general concept of bounded rationality is introduced and several promises that this meta-theoretical lens offers to group communication scholarship are described. Three methodological signature characteristics are highlighted: the development and test of process models, the analysis and description of the ecological and social environments of groups, and the development of representative designs in the study of groups.
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As an important group of internal stakeholders, communication professionals carry the responsibilities to communicate with multiple groups of audience and foster trusted and…
Abstract
Purpose
As an important group of internal stakeholders, communication professionals carry the responsibilities to communicate with multiple groups of audience and foster trusted and satisfied relationships, both internally and externally. However, while busy with taking care of various stakeholders, the trust–satisfaction perception of communication professionals is underrated. Therefore, this paper aims to shift the investigation of the trust–satisfaction relationship from general employees to this unique group of communicators. By incorporating three key factors in an institutional environment (i.e. job engagement, leadership performance and organizational culture and support), the authors further investigate the moderated mediating effects of those factors on the trust–satisfaction relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
A national online survey of communication professionals working and living in the USA was designed to test the trust–satisfaction relationship. Surveyed communication professionals were asked to evaluate their own perceptions on various institutional factors. A conceptual moderated multiple-mediation structural model was proposed and tested to identify the impact of a complicated institutional environment on the perceived trust–satisfaction relationship.
Findings
Results confirmed a strong positive impact of trust in organization on communication professionals' perceived job satisfaction. Results also confirmed the mediating effects of job engagement and communication leaders' performance on such a trust–satisfaction relationship. The authors' moderated mediation analysis indicated the important role of organizational culture in this complicated institutional environment and its indirect impact on the trust–satisfaction relationship.
Originality/value
The research explored several important factors within a complicated institutional environment and their potential impact on trust–satisfaction relationship. More significantly, the authors focused on one unique group of internal stakeholders, communication professionals, by analyzing how these institutional factors affect their very own perceptions. Even though communication professionals carry the responsibilities of acting as the communication and strategy facilitators on behalf of their organization, their perceptions on trust and satisfaction are equally important and deserve more attention. Results of our research promote the understanding of the complicated mechanisms within corporate communication for an enhanced trust–satisfaction relationship between communication professionals and their organization.
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The purpose of this paper is to identify factors influencing an organization’s predisposition to bridging strategy, and tests relationships between those factors and bridging…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify factors influencing an organization’s predisposition to bridging strategy, and tests relationships between those factors and bridging strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
Online survey was conducted in South Korea. Hierarchical regression was used.
Findings
Identified factors are environmental complexity, top management attitude toward stakeholders, analysis orientation, and authoritarian culture.
Research limitations/implications
By adopting the concept and measures of bridging as an organization’s public-engagement strategy, this study was able to capture an organization’s strategic approach for problem-solving in communication management.
Practical implications
Strong analysis orientation allows organizations to look into problems in their complex environments affecting their performance and their key stakeholders before deciding on strategies; resultantly, they are more likely to reduce problems and to improve their performance. In contrast, authoritarian culture discourages an organization’s adoption of bridging strategy.
Originality/value
This study is the first empirical study investigating the dynamics of factors influencing organizations’ strategic predisposition in communication management.
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The purpose of this paper is to debate the complexities of intervening with adults with learning disabilities and support staff in the natural environment and challenges of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to debate the complexities of intervening with adults with learning disabilities and support staff in the natural environment and challenges of evaluating change.
Design/methodology/approach
A critical review of the relevance and amenability of communication partnerships for interventions that promote communication growth in context was carried out. Particular consideration was given to the mechanism for change and implications for research design.
Findings
The communication partnership is a reasonable focus for interventions aiming to promote the communication of adults with learning disabilities. Combining instructional training with in situ coaching appears to provide the most effective approach. Bringing about change within the dynamic context of communication is challenging and may benefit from an open, investigative design.
Originality/value
This paper synthesises the available evidence on intervening in the communication environment and debates the potential of realist evaluation as a context-focused research design.
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Social systems theory (Luhmann, 1984, 1995) closely embraces the concept of autopoiesis which, originally, describes the recursive (self)-production of living systems (Maturana &…
Abstract
Social systems theory (Luhmann, 1984, 1995) closely embraces the concept of autopoiesis which, originally, describes the recursive (self)-production of living systems (Maturana & Varela, 1980). Following this, autopoietic organization theory (Bakken & Hernes, 2003; Seidl & Becker, 2006) establishes a more specialized understanding of autopoiesis in terms of organization studies. The transition from the biological to the social realm, however, draws frequent critique. Some scholar suspiciously regard social systems theory as antihumanistic (Blühdorn, 2000; Viskovatoff, 1999), for it neglects individuals in favor of interactions, organizations, and societies. Others deconstruct autopoietic organization theory with the argument that its definition of communication is “flawed with an unavoidable mental dimension, namely the component of understanding” (Thyssen, 2003, p. 213).
Yixiang Zhang, Yulin Fang, Kwok‐Kee Wei and Zhaohua Wang
Online forums are increasingly deployed as important e‐learning tools for facilitating student learning in classrooms. However, building an online forum does not guarantee…
Abstract
Purpose
Online forums are increasingly deployed as important e‐learning tools for facilitating student learning in classrooms. However, building an online forum does not guarantee participation by students. The purpose of this paper is to advance our knowledge of facilitating student participation in this context by studying the role of communication environment.
Design/methodology/approach
The model was tested using data collected from a survey administered in a university in Hong Kong.
Findings
Results revealed that psychological safety communication climate influenced the intention of students to continue their participation both directly and indirectly through perceived responsiveness and self‐efficacy.
Originality/value
This study builds on social cognitive theory and extends the existing understanding of participation in e‐learning by highlighting the roles of psychological safety communication climate and perceived responsiveness, two communication environment factors critical to student learning but not yet addressed seriously in the e‐learning context.
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