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This chapter summarizes many conceptual, theoretical, and methodological topics related to studying group communication using qualitative research methods. First, it explains five of the most common theoretical frameworks used by group communication scholars (i.e., symbolic convergence theory, bona fide group perspective, unobtrusive control theory, dialectical theory, and structuration theory). Next, it discusses best practices and issues related to different data collection methods including observations, historical case studies, ethnographies, focus groups, and interview studies. Then, the chapter describes two primary data analytic tools, various iterations of constant comparison method, and qualitative content analysis. Finally, the chapter describes several innovative qualitative methods that may lead to new understandings of group communication processes including discourse analysis and discourse tracing, as well as new approaches to collecting qualitative network data and mediated data. The chapter concludes with a discussion of future research suggestions.

This chapter considers the challenges and potentials of using so called big data in communication research. It asks what lessons big data research can learn from digital ethnography, another method of gathering digital data.

The chapter first takes on the task of clearly defining big data in the context of communication and media studies. It then moves on to analyse and critique processes associated with the dealings of big data: datafication and dataism. The challenges of data-driven research are juxtaposed with qualitative perspectives on research regarding data gathering and context. These thoughts are further elaborated in the second part of the chapter where the lessons learned in digital ethnography are linked to challenges of big data research.

It is proposed that by including the materialities of contexts and transitions between material and mediated realms, we can ask more relevant research questions and gain more insights compared to a purely data-driven approach.

This chapter encourages researchers to reflect upon their relations to the object of study and the context in which data was produced through human/human–technical interaction.

This chapter contributes to debates about qualitative and quantitative research methods in communication and media studies. Moreover, it proposes that methods which are in the widest sense used in the never-ending digital field benefit from the mutual consideration of both qualitative and quantitative approaches.

This paper aims to examine social media communication that may consist of a database for online research and may create an online imagined community that follows special language symbols and shares common beliefs in a similar way to Anderson’s imagined communities.

Well-known databases were searched in the available literature for specific keywords which were associated with the imagined community, and methodological tools such as online interviews, content analysis, archival analysis and social media.

The paper discusses the use of multiple measures, such as document and archival analysis, online interviews and content analysis, which may derive from the online imagined community that social media create. Social media may in fact provide useful data that are available for research, yet are relatively understudied and not fully used in communication research, not to mention in archival services. Comparison takes place between online community’s characteristics and traditional communication research. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and social media’s use of special language requirements may categorise discussion of these potential data, based on specific symbols, topical threads, purposeful samples and catering for longitudinal studies.

Social media have not been fully implemented for online communication research yet. Online communication may offer significant implications for marketers, advertisers of a company or for an organisation to do research on or for their target groups. The role of libraries and information professionals can be significant in data gathering and the dissemination of such information using ICTs and renegotiating their role.

The theoretical contribution of this paper is the examination of the creation of belonging in an online community, which may offer data that can be further examined and has all the credentials to do so, towards the enhancement of online communication research. The applications of social media to research and the use by and for information professionals and marketers may in fact contribute to the management of an online community with people sharing similar ideas. The connection of the online imagined community with social media for research has not been studied, and it would further enhance understanding from organisations or marketers.

This paper explores the question of representation within commercial qualitative research in the context of a broader “crisis of representation”. It will be argued that a comparison between academic and commercial qualitative research highlights very different contexts in which to raise and deal with questions of representation. Further, it is suggested that the comparison between commercial and academic qualitative research reveals a tension between virtualism and the iconography of authenticity. The paper ends by arguing that, within commercial qualitative research, virtualism is a key route towards bringing a more pragmatic and insightful approach to research.

The purpose of this research is to investigate the role of management support in a lean implementation. The impact the lean implementation made on communication within the organization is also examined.

Qualitative methods were used to study the relationships between management support, organizational communications, and a lean manufacturing implementation. A case study was conducted in an electronics manufacturing company in the northwestern USA. Data were collected over a three‐month time period. The data were coded using an evolving coding scheme and analysis was performed on the resulting data set.

Evidence was found to support the supposition that management support does play a role in driving a lean manufacturing implementation. Management support impacted the lean manufacturing implementation both negatively and positively. The research also found moderate support for improved communication in the organization attributable to the lean implementation.

The organization studied was in the early stages of implementing lean manufacturing practices and principles. Future research should include multiple organizations with a longer history of lean manufacturing.

The research findings identified management support and communications as important variables in a lean manufacturing implementation. Furthermore, there is evidence that these variables are critical in not only the implementation of lean manufacturing practices and principles, but also in the ongoing planning and deployment efforts of organizational leaders.

This research provided empirical evidence for the role of management support and communication in an organization's lean implementation. The findings highlight the importance of studying organizational phenomenon within real‐world settings. As a result of the methodology used, both positive and negative implications were identified. The research design has enabled the uncovering of a complex set of relationships that existed between two sociocultural variables and an organization's effort to improve performance through the implementation of lean practices.

This paper aims to present a systematic review of tourism articles using qualitative online methods. By focussing on tourism journals, this work explores the paradigmatic beliefs, methodological approaches and methods underpinning tourism qualitative online research.

This review was conducted systematically by following the reporting checklist of the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination.

Overall, this systematic review indicates that the ontological and epistemological beliefs guiding online research are not clearly expressed by tourism scholars. It also shows that the possibility of using the internet for more interactive and participatory forms of research has not been fully explored by tourism scholars.

This paper expands tourism scholars’ awareness of the range of qualitative approaches/methods available by suggesting additional research instruments that could replace or complement the traditional ones. However, by selecting only indexed journal papers, other sources of publications, such as papers published in non-Scopus and non-Web-of-Science journals, books, book chapters and conference papers, were not included in the current review.

This work emphasizes the important role of cyberspace in facilitating virtual interactions between researchers and participants in the co-construction of qualitative empirical material.

本文运用了互联网在线定性管理方法对旅游管理进行了具体及系统的评估。通过关注旅游期刊, 本文探索旅游在线定性管理的规范模式和方法研究。

本文依据评审和传播中心的系统鉴定标准（PRISMA）进行深入的分析和探索。

目前的旅游学术研究并未明确诠释或指导互联网对旅游管理的在线评估, 及其本体论和认知理念。利用互联网进行旅游评估的探索, 提升相关互动性和参与性都将成为旅游管理的潜在发展方向。

在现有定性管理方法的基础上, 本文提出可用于替代或补充传统研究方法的在线虚拟互动评估模式, 并开扩了学术界对旅游定性鉴定的新方法和认识。但是, 本文的研究主体仅为有索引的旅游学术期刊 （如：Scopus indexed journals）, 非索引的研究期刊和发表文献, 如书籍, 探讨会文稿都不包括在本文研究范围内。

本文构建了互联网在线定性管理的模式, 并强调了现代网络在促进管理研究人员和相关参与者之间虚拟互动中所扮演的重要角色

在线方法, 定性方法, 旅游, 自反 性, 互联网人种学

Este artículo presenta una revisión sistemática de artículos de turismo que emplean métodos cualitativos en línea. Al centrarse en las revistas de turismo, este trabajo explora las creencias paradigmáticas, los enfoques metodológicos y los métodos que sustentan la investigación cualitativa en línea del turismo.

Esta revisión se realizó de manera sistemática siguiendo la lista de verificación de informes de los Elementos de informes preferidos para revisiones sistemáticas y metaanálisis por el Centro de Revisiones y Difusión.

En general, esta revisión sistemática indica que los estudiosos del turismo no expresan claramente las creencias ontológicas y epistemológicas que guían la investigación en línea. También muestra que los académicos del turismo no han explorado completamente la posibilidad de utilizar internet para formas de investigación más interactivas y participativas.

Esta revisión amplía la conciencia de los académicos del turismo sobre la gama de enfoques/métodos cualitativos disponibles al sugerir instrumentos de investigación adicionales que podrían reemplazar o complementar los tradicionales. Sin embargo, al seleccionar solo artículos de revistas indexadas, otras fuentes de publicaciones, como artículos publicados en revistas que no son Scopus y que no son de la Web-of-Science, libros, capítulos de libros y documentos de conferencias no se incluyeron en la revisión actual.

Este trabajo enfatiza el importante papel del ciberespacio para facilitar las interacciones virtuales entre investigadores y participantes en la co-construcción de material empírico cualitativo.

Métodos en línea, Métodos cualitativos, Turismo, Reflexividad, Netnografía

The purpose of this paper is to explore what kinds of communication challenges management teams (MTs) experience and to suggest ideas for developing competent communication practices.

Working according to the principles of qualitative research, a total of seven MT members from seven different international companies were interviewed. The thematic in-depth interviews were analyzed by first looking at all references of communication challenges, and then grouping them into six different dimensions.

Most of the communication challenges facing MTs are related to the teams’ meetings, where issues of leadership, decision making and participation may well be intensified. The meetings were experienced as formal communication forums, where MT members do not always express their true opinions either because other team members prevent it or because they are unable to do so. Informal communication plays a pivotal role in facilitating trust and competent communication practices.

MTs need to be mindful of how they communicate and develop a reflective practice in order to develop competent communication practices.

The study illustrates the essential themes that the MT members experience and perceive as central in MT communication and teamwork. Studying MTs from a communication perspective adds a valuable contribution to MT research.

To understand the communication important to social capital development and community engagement in regional communities and its relevance to corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Qualitative approach including focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Case studies of three regional Australian and Canadian communities at different stages of community development.

Communication, both traditional and in new media forms such as social media, was important to social capital development provided that it was diverse, appropriate to community needs and extended its reach to community members to include those who were marginalised. Access and skill issues affected some community members’ engagement when they attempted to use social media, although the increasing use of social media as a connector was observed. These findings have implications for organisations’ CSR, as organisations can be responsive to their communities if they also communicate and engage with them for mutual benefit.

A pilot, exploratory study that highlighted the varied context of community social capital and the diversity of communication that engages and includes community members; ongoing research is in progress to gain understanding of regional communities’ connections and networks, and how to strengthen them and how stakeholders are identified and supported.

The study indicated that it is important to explore all communication avenues and extend the reach and participation of community communication through diverse channels including social media. The research provided some good examples where organisations support and encourage community social capital development – this underpins the success of other programmes such as CSR programmes.

To develop sound networks and relationships where organisations and their communities develop trust, deal with issues and collaboratively problem solve. Social capital develops and supports other forms of capital – without it organisations may be too focused on ‘doing good’ rather than ‘being good’.

This chapter provides insight into communication layering and the context of social capital development for effective communication in regional communities. Social responsiveness is possible when organisations understand their community; this chapter puts forward the notion that organisations are members of their communities so that their social capital is important to all they do, including their planning and delivery of CSR programmes.

This study aims to conceptualize, rethink and systematize methods used for measurement and evaluation (M&E) corporate communication.

The reflection is based on 462 key English-language books and papers devoted to M&E in the fields of corporate communication and public relations from the 1970th to 2023. Keywords in the titles and abstracts found the necessary materials. A critical analysis of the central concepts, models and methods described in the literature was conducted. As a result, a new model that unifies and structures the M&E toolkit is proposed for discussion.

Despite the significant contribution to developing a wide range of M&E models, they are still not perfect and universal. In addition, this system of approaches is continuously self-evolving and changing under the influence of digital innovations, so it requires steady rethinking and updating. On the other hand, most previous studies focused on communication management processes, losing focus on communication aspects. This led to the need for an alternative view based on proven theories to fill this gap. The proposed model combines quantitative and qualitative M&E methods for the five main components of corporate communication (communicator, audience, content, channels and result), covering a wide range of tools, from statistical and sociological research to big data analysis and neuro research.

This work contributes to developing the M&E theory of corporate communication, systematizing existing methods and opening new research perspectives. From a practical point of view, companies can use the presented approach for a more accurate and objective internal evaluation of the main components of corporate communication.