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The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of e‐mail interruptions on tasks and to explore the concept of e‐mail addiction within the workplace.

Data were collected from a large car rental company in the UK. The first collection method involved observing the effects of simulated e‐mail interruptions on seven employees by measuring the interrupt handling time, the interrupt recovery time, and the additional time required to complete the task given the number of interruptions. The second part of the study involved a questionnaire sent to 100 employees to capture addictive characteristics in employees' e‐mail communication behaviour.

E‐mail interruptions have a negative time impact upon employees and show that both interrupt handling and recovery time exist. A typical task takes one third longer than undertaking a task with no e‐mail interruptions. The questionnaire data show clinical characteristics classify 12 per cent of e‐mail addicts, and behavioural characteristics classify 15 per cent of e‐mail addicts in the workplace.

Observation was constrained by the timeframes and availability of the participating organisation. Measuring an employee receiving e‐mail interruptions over a greater time period might achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the impact.

The small study is the first to determine the impact of e‐mail interruptions on work tasks by observing employees, and to present a method to determine e‐mail addiction. By understanding these factors, organisations can manage workflow strategies to improve employee efficiency and effectiveness.

The aim of this study was to develop a theoretical model of email advertising effectiveness and to investigate differences between permission‐based email and spamming. By examining different types of email (i.e. permission‐based email and spamming), the present study empirically tested the theoretical linkage between email advertising values, perceived instrusiveness, and the attitudinal‐behavioural dispositions towards email advertising.

A survey was conducted using 221 respondents from Taiwan. Two scenarios were designed for the present study. The questionnaires were equally divided into two sets, with the first half containing a scenario depicting permission‐based email, and the other half containing a scenario describing a spamming email. Each respondent only received one set of the survey.

Results from a survey of 221 Internet users in Taiwan indicate that values and attitudes toward, and the perceived intrusiveness of, email advertising significantly affect consumers’ behavioral dispositions toward email advertising. The results suggest that permission‐based email is more effective as compared to spam email advertising. For solicited email, consumers perceived less intrusiveness if the email advertisement offered them financial incentives.

The authors acknowledge four limitations in this study. These limitations however provide further direction for future studies in the discipline. The discussion of these limitations is provided.

Importantly, this study yields significant theoretical and managerial implications. Concerned with the context of email advertising, the authors’ work provides theoretical support for both constructs of advertising values and perceived intrusiveness as important. Concerned with the advertisers, this study renders important implications for better planning of marketing mix strategy using email.

This study provides new theoretical insights into factors influencing consumers’ acceptance of email advertising by incorporating perceived intrusiveness as a mediator in the relationship between advertising values and attitudinal‐behavioral dispositions. By empirically comparing the different types of email advertisements of permission‐based email and spamming, the present study also offers better understanding and extending of the current literature on email advertising research.

The purpose of this paper is to clarify why, when and how e-mail marketing can be used to empower consumers and to give ideas for future scholarly research.

Systematic literature review studies 41 e-mail marketing and 54 consumer empowerment articles published in variety of academic journals between 1998 and 2014.

E-mail allows an active, interactive and personalized communication fulfilling the preferences of an empowered consumer. E-mail marketing can be used to empower consumers by sending e-mails based on permission, by making consumers active participants in the communication process and by making e-mails relevant for the recipients. However, current e-mail marketing strategies need to be updated to get the maximum benefit out of the channel.

The limitation of the study is the broad domain of research, which hampered the in-depth analysis. However, the study was able to synthesize the scattered literature and create an overall picture of the topic as planned.

The paper encourages managers to use empowering e-mail marketing strategies and presents several suggestions for future e-mail marketing research.

The paper uses a new perspective, consumer empowerment as a lens for understanding e-mail marketing. Because e-mail marketing is currently very popular among marketers but is threatened by its negative image among consumers, it is important to understand how e-mail marketing can be developed so that it can also survive in the future.

The paper aims to present a historical overview of the use of information communications technology (ICT) tools and platforms, particularly e‐mail and the internet, as tools of cyber‐activism by the labour movement in South Africa. The paper also aims to give some consideration to constraints and challenges facing unions in the South Africa in the effective deployment of such cyber tools.

The paper is based on the experience of a participant observer, incorporating analysis of historical examples of the application of the key ICT tools, and supported by reference to relevant documentation and related literature. The use by unions in South Africa of e‐mail and the internet as tools of organisation and mobilisation is examined against the background of both access barriers and organisation constraints, and in relation to union strategies to address such challenges.

Despite recognition by the South Africa labour movement of the possibilities of e‐mail, the internet and other tools of cyber‐activism, the ability of unions to exploit these tools has been limited, characterised by both successes and failures.

The paper has a relatively narrow focus on the experiences of specific unions in a single country, leading to conclusions which are not necessarily susceptible to generalisation. The lack of availability of both relevant primary documentation and secondary analysis makes it difficult to assess the accuracy of observations and conclusions.

The paper suggests the possibilities and opportunities for unions in similar environments to exploit ICT tools, as well as the barriers and constraints facing their deployment.

The paper presents the analysis and reflections of a uniquely placed participant observer regarding how unions in South Africa have been able to exploit e‐mail and the internet as tools of cyber‐activism. The analysis reveals both possibilities and limitations of cyber‐activism in South Africa.

Administrative personnel working at the Selcuk University were divided into two groups: hand‐out group and e‐mail group. The aim of the study was to compare the results between the two groups before and after the food safety education.

A 34 item questionnaire was used to measure the five behavioral constructs. The data was entered into the software program SPSS 12.0. To determine change a paired t‐test was conducted for e‐mail and hand‐out groups separately.

The e‐mail group improved significantly between beginning and at the end of the education for 11 of the 25 concerns and practices.

The findings support continued development of online food safety education.

Respondents completing the education via e‐mail were more satisfied with their delivery method.

The thirtieth anniversary of the first e‐mail was celebrated recently, but no one knows the exact date or what the original message was. This lack of certainty is typical of research on e‐mail – there is now a substantial body of knowledge, but little attempt has been made to co‐ordinate it. This article looks at the origins and features of e‐mail and brings together findings on such issues as information overload, aggression and unsolicited commercial e‐mail (“spam”). Information storage and retrieval issues are covered, as are the results of user‐impact studies. The article identifies scope for further research on human‐computer interaction.

The use of electronic mail has grown exponentially in the last five years. When used effectively, it is a very effective messaging and information medium. However, abuse of e‐mail can be a significant risk to a company: increasingly e‐mail figures in defamation and libel cases, and it is often the company, not just the individual sender of the e‐mail, that is held to be responsible and liable. Establishing and ensuring adherence to a policy on the proper use of e‐mail can minimise such risks – and can yield financial savings. This paper sets out the case for establishing an e‐mail policy and presents sample policies and guidelines for the effective use of e‐mail services.

Making writers of e‐mail messages aware of appropriate “netiquette” will enhance today’s instant communication process. Researchers determined what the literature recommends as being appropriate “netiquette”, surveyed a university business faculty to determine their knowledge of appropriate “netiquette”, and compared the faculty members’ knowledge with guidelines from the literature.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual overview of the process of unsolicited commercial e‐mail (UCE), propose a typology of UCE, and delineate key stakeholders of UCE, their roles and potential responses through a stakeholder analysis.

Based on the extant literature, this paper provides a conceptualization of the UCE process, delineating specific types of UCE. It uses stakeholder analysis to identify key members in the UCE process and the potential roles to be played by them in combating UCE.

This paper proposes a four‐way typology of the UCE process, identifies key stakeholders, and also mechanisms for tackling UCE.

Given the limited empirical research on this topic, this paper is exploratory in nature, integrating concepts from marketing and e‐commerce research streams. It will provide a solid conceptual foundation for future empirical research on UCE.

This paper will be a useful resource for customers, Internet merchants, policy makers, direct marketing associations, agencies and consumer awareness groups that are working on Internet security, privacy and anti‐spam issues.

This paper addresses an important and timely issue, filling an important gap in current research on e‐mail marketing. It provides conceptual foundations on UCE, and deploys stakeholder analysis to suggest useful guidelines for practice.

In previous studies it remains unclear whether the internet is an effective mechanism for developing a symmetrical and interactive communications process that is initiated by the investor rather than the company. The purpose of this paper is to study the effectiveness of the internet to act as a mechanism to achieve a more interactive communication between companies and investors.

A “mystery investor” approach is used to test whether companies reply to e‐mails from investors. Content analysis was used to study the responsiveness, timeliness and relevance of the answers.

The quality of symmetrical communication (in terms of responsiveness and relevance) appears relatively low. Companies with high‐quality investor relations (IR) web sites do not handle e‐mails more effectively. Therefore, high‐quality asymmetrical communication between company and their investors not automatically associated with a high‐quality symmetrical type of communication.

Companies that provide e‐mail facilities for investors create the impression that they welcome communications with investors. However, if companies fail to handle incoming e‐mails from investors quickly and correctly, they create feelings of dissatisfaction. As a result e‐mail facilities on web sites are counter‐productive and hamper the creation of good relationships with investors. These results emphasize the need for better internal routing, better instructions and specific training programmes for IR staff.

The paper provides original evidence on the potential of the internet to enhance symmetrical communication between companies and their investors. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the way the internet can be used by IR departments to enhance the communications with investors.