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This study, informed by the Situational Crisis Communication Theory, aims to suggest two primary response strategies that can be used for effective internal crisis communication during a pandemic situation, such as COVID-19. The effect of base response strategies on employees' perceptions of communication quality, leadership and relational outcomes were investigated.

An online survey of full-time employees in the United States was conducted.

The findings showed that for an instructing information strategy, not all types of information were equally associated with positive employee responses in terms of perceived quality of internal communication related to the COVID-19 pandemic and transformational leadership. Specific information that employees need to know in order to safely perform daily tasks, such as organizational protocols and thorough preparation, seem to be the most needed and desired information. Adjusting information was positively associated with employee perceptions of internal communication quality and perceptions of CEO leadership. Employees' perceived quality of internal communication affected by the base crisis response strategies were positively correlated with perceptions of transformational leadership and relational outcomes (i.e. employee trust in the organization, employee perceptions of the organization's commitment to relationships with employees, employee support for organizational decision-making related to COVID-19).

This study presents important theoretical and practical insights through an interdisciplinary approach that applies the theoretical framework and relationship-oriented outcomes of public relations to public health crisis situations.

This study examines how professional service firms' communication effectiveness (affiliative communications style, social dialogue and information provision), social cognitive capital and rapport established between an auditor and SME client are instrumental in influencing the latter's evaluation of the technical quality of an audit.

The study combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies to create a cross-sectional survey covering four geographic regions in an emerging economy – Thailand. The authors examine the hypotheses by employing social interaction theory.

A study of 744 SME executives plus post-survey interviews with three audit partners revealed that an affiliative communications style and information provision are positively associated with the rapport developed between financial auditor and client, and that rapport, in turn, had a strong association with client perceptions of audit quality. In addition, affiliative communication style, information provision and social cognitive capital had a direct (positive) association with perceptions of audit quality. The effects of communication effectiveness and social cognitive capital varied, depending on whether or not the SME client possessed formal accounting qualifications.

The study contributes to the literature on the business-to-business professional services, and accounting in particular, by explicating the important roles of communication effectiveness, rapport, and social cognitive capital in the relationship between an auditor and a client. Moreover, the paper reveals that the differences in educational background of clients result in differential impacts of communication effectiveness and social cognitive capital on rapport and perceptions of audit quality.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how communication with suppliers influences performance during production ramp-up. Often, time, cost or quality targets are missed in production ramp-ups while the number and frequency of ramp-ups is further increasing. The goal of this paper is thus to contribute a better understanding if and to which extend communication content or communication relationship is affecting ramp-up performance.

The research uses data from a dyadic survey (N = 160) in the German automotive industry. The data set comprises responses from buyers and suppliers. Constructs, namely, information and relationship quality, as well as communication satisfaction, are measured. The effect of communication is evaluated referring to cost, quality and time dimensions of performance. The analysis is applied with structural equation modeling methodology. This research is complemented by a multigroup analysis (MGA) especially comparing buyer and supplier respondent groups.

The results indicate that communication satisfaction positively influences ramp-up performance and that information quality is of higher relevance than relationship quality. Briefly, information exchange (what information to transfer) is more important than relationship management (how to transfer information). This finding contrasts previous literature focusing on relationship factors in communication settings. Furthermore, findings from MGA sustain the findings, because effects are also analyzed from a supplier’s or buyer’s viewpoint. Overall, the findings imply that supplier communication in production ramp-up must of course provide a high level of information quality. However, to optimize ramp-up performance also a high level of relationship quality is required.

This study featured data from the German automotive industry from buyer’s and supplier’s perspective. This limits its generalizability, yet provides opportunities to test the findings through longitudinal studies, potentially gathering data from other sectors.

This research recommends managers deliver high information quality to improve communication satisfaction. Hence, this survey provides support for business communication o enhance ramp-up performance to achieve success in buyer–supplier relations.

Besides the original dyadic database, this research addresses production ramp-up as a very dynamic process. Plans and forecasts change often, thus supplier communication takes place in a stress situation. Then, communicators might overstate information quality and lose sight of relationship quality. The study contributes to this field of research and postulates that (automatic, autonomous) data exchange requires behavioral and relational support. The findings are useful for companies in stress situation (e.g. also a pandemic supply crisis) and will avoid that the optimization of information exchange disregards the relationship aspect.

This study aims to investigate the impact of enterprise social media (ESM) usage on employee agility through communication quality and visibility. Theory of communication visibility is used to explore the moderating role of ESM-related strain in the relationship among communication quality, visibility and employee agility.

The research model is analyzed using data from 240 Chinese employees of different companies. The proposed hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling, hierarchical regression and mediation analysis.

Findings suggest that ESM usage is positively related to communication quality and visibility. Communication visibility mediates the relationship between ESM usage and employee agility. ESM-related strain reduces the relationship between communication visibility and employee agility. However, ESM-related strain has an insignificant moderating effect on the relationship between communication quality and employee agility.

The present study examines how employee agility is associated with ESM usage in the workplace. The mediating effects of communication quality and visibility are explored using a theoretical foundation. This study provides empirical evidence on how the impact of ESM on employee agility is transmitted through communication visibility. Lastly, the current study quantifies the advantages of ESM for organizations and may motivate managers to confidently deploy ESM in the workplace.

This study aims to investigate the effect of communication effectiveness (CE) on service quality (SQ) leading to relationship quality (RQ) in IT service relationships.

CE was decomposed into frequency, bi-directionality and quality of communication while SQ was decomposed into functional and technical qualities, and RQ into trust and relationship commitment. An empirical study is conducted testing the nomological research model consists of these dimensions, using survey method collecting data from 144 subjects.

The findings indicate that good SQ can impact relationship commitment only via the clients' trust, but not directly. Influence of functional quality is stronger on trust but technical quality also maintains significant impact. Detailed findings imply that, while communication is important element influencing perceptions of SQ, quality of bi-directional communication is more critical than simple but frequent communication.

This study explores the direct impact of CE on SQ leading to RQ in IT service context. Previous studies rarely tested the impacts of functional and technical SQ, simultaneously. Findings of this study add values to research on service relations as well as IT services research in terms of differentiating functional and technical service qualities.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the business communication-related variables of reputation, communication quality and information sensitivity are mediated by trust and privacy concern to influence the privacy dyad (i.e. promotion- and prevention-focused privacy behaviors).

Regulatory focus theory (RFT) is used to build a framework to examine antecedents of promotion- and prevention-focused privacy behaviors as well as mediators of these relationships. Hypotheses were tested using a 2 (firm reputation: strong/weak)×3 (communication quality: high/neutral/low)×2 (data sensitivity: high/low) between-subjects factorial design.

The findings support the proposed model. Specifically, high reputation and communication quality increased promotion-focused behaviors and were mediated by trust. In contrast, low communication quality and high data sensitivity increased prevention-focused behaviors and were mediated by privacy concern. Consistent with RFT, higher trust led to promotion-focused behaviors such as willingness to invest in the relationship (e.g., by providing information to the service provider and investing time and energy) and loyalty behaviors. Furthermore, higher privacy concerns led to prevention-focused behaviors such as deflective (e.g., using privacy protection measures such as disguising one’s IP address and disabling cookies) and defensive behaviors (e.g., taking action to have one’s name removed from mailing lists).

This study contributes to the literature on customer relationship management, RFT and trust and privacy in an online context.

Effective internal communication facilitates the transfer of data and information among project parties throughout the execution of construction projects. It minimizes the distortion of data and major cost overruns and delays. The aim of this study was to determine main components of the project characteristics that affect quality of internal communication within owners, designers and contractors in construction projects.

Project characteristics that significantly affect quality of internal communication were identified through existing literature. Forty case studies associated with national and international construction projects were gathered. Since data regarding other aspects of collected case studies, which were not included in the case study data, were required, a structured survey was developed and distributed to the primary stakeholders. The factor analysis method was adopted to determine the key components of effective internal communication.

The results demonstrated that project targets, bureaucracy, location and coordination affect the quality of internal communication among owner entities. Additionally, design and technology, clarity of the project’s scope, resources, delivery, construction management and design management affect quality of internal communication within design entities. Qualified field labor, objectives, restrictions, material quality, equipment quality, availability of qualified project managers and equipment turnovers affect the quality of internal communication within contractors.

The findings of this study help project managers evaluate the effectiveness of internal communication of a construction project during the early stages of the project. Additionally, the outcomes guide project managers to allocate sufficient resources to their projects and adopt proactive strategies which prevent/reduce miscommunications and their unintended consequences.

This study aims to achieve a better understanding of communication quality and how it can be measured in the municipal context. A previously developed instrument for measuring communication in municipalities is tested and evaluated.

The instrument draws on the balanced scorecard of Kaplan and Norton and quality control procedures as utilised by the European Foundation of Quality Measurement (EFQM). For municipalities, communication quality can be defined as the degree to which communication contributes towards the effectiveness of municipal policy and how it strengthens the relationship between citizens and municipal organisations. Three communication functions are given, and for each function seven quality criteria, for example responsiveness, are defined. The latter serve as an umbrella for several indicators that are assessed on a Likert scale. The results for four municipalities in The Netherlands are presented and compared, and the instrument is evaluated.

The corporate communication scores were relatively high, while the policy communication scores were low. Of the quality criteria, accessibility and publicity scored high and responsiveness low. The instrument has mainly been developed on the basis of auditor and self‐assessment, as municipalities have, as yet, few facts and figures with which to support the assessment. The measurement instrument needs to be integrated in the organisation's planning cycle, as reflection on the results can help in implementing improvements in quality. The measurement process stimulates dialogue on communication quality and the priorities to be set for communication policy.

The study is based on four cases. The instrument needs to be tested across a range of governmental‐level organisations.

Municipalities can use this instrument to improve the added value of communication.

A detailed description of the results of applying an instrument, such as this, developed for assessing communication quality, has not until now been published.

Examines the results of a US report exploring communication methods used by companies who have implemented a company‐wide quality programme to improve efficiency. Offers statistics showing the effectiveness or otherwise of various communication tools used among employees, such as company‐wide meetings, and presents a ten‐point quality communications checklist. Concludes that good quality communication can speed up the process of a quality improvement programme and maximise the use of money spent on employee training. Also says that after about three years investment in a TQM programme, enthusiasm may wane so it is important to increase good communication. The result should be a new surge of enthusiasm.

In recent years, issues like untrusted or questionable sources of information are indisputably rampant in the digital era. The quality of information is now found to be challenging with its kind of issues, crisis and also clarity in which it requires to have a strategic scenario and practice to enhance quality assurance in order to creating safe cyber-spaces. The initiative to organise information at the organisational stage has widely emerged on the cyberspace. This paper aims to examine the insights of the element of trust in quality communication and information management to drive key performance indicator to support organisational sustainability. This approach is likely to play a significant role in enhancing critical inquiry in to issue of trust in information to ensure untainted integrity and quality assurance of the source of the information.

The preparation of this paper used a systematic literature review according to four phases, namely, identification, assessment or examination, extraction and interpretation. This approach was selected to advance critical inquiry into the most current topic on the trust for quality of information as way of strategic communication management to achieve safe cyber-organisational sustainability. The process was made through the various sources of peer-reviewed articles including journals, book chapters, books and conference proceedings. The literature review was carried out through the search for keywords such as trust in information, strategic communication and safe cyber-organisational sustainability.

The results revealed that the trust in quality of information with its wide range of initiatives could be enhanced as an initial attempt to embrace comprehensive approach in establishing strategic communication to ensure organisational sustainability and quality assurance of safe cyber space. The result further indicated three points, which follows development of virtual interaction with information management for safe cyberspace, enhancing continued predictability assessment in digital information process and practice and developing trust in information and quality of communication for organisational sustainability.

This paper is expected to give an insightful value in contributing to quality measurement of the strategic communication to promote trust in quality of information. Hence, the design to expand strategic management to support digital social connections in the cyber space. As a result, the profound contribution would also lead to enhancement of organisational sustainability in the digital era, amid technological trends.

The need to develop an approach to strengthen the trust in information in the digital cyberspace should focus on providing insights into the quality of information, authenticity and integrity to develop quality assurance for social connection. The awareness raising process in consolidating the trust in information has to start with exploring early social interaction in the digital age. This approach provides quality assurance to linking digital connection to develop trust in the quality of information. This would enable feedback to ensure accessibility and accuracy of quality of information dealing with critical elements relating to organisational sustainability.

The entire awareness in expanding the trust as information quality indicator has to be started with exploring the early social interaction in the digital age, to achieve quality basis on linking the digital connection as an attempt to build the information quality. This would give a feedback in ensuring the accessibility and accuracy of information quality together with dealing with an ultimate element to lead to the organisational longevity.