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The purpose of this paper is to gain understanding of how young consumers with varying cultural and linguistic backgrounds experience and perceive humorous Business English lingua franca (BELF) mediated communication used in transit contexts.

For the collection of qualitative data, the present study relies on focus group discussions in three European countries. The data were analyzed by the authors by applying the phenomenographic approach as a method.

Young European consumers expressed a preference for humor and playfulness in BELF-mediated communication, yet they can be a challenging group to be informed and entertained with humorous BELF communication, as they differ in their taste of humor due to varying language- and culture-based identities. However, BELF as a communication tool was seen as functional and unproblematic by the informants. These informants perceive the role of resonant – wit type of humor in BELF – messages with noncultural references as fulfilling some of the aims of the messages. Yet, the role of comic – wit humor in BELF – messages with cultural references is more challenging to interpret.

The present results bring original viewpoints on the use of humor in cross-cultural corporate communication via a unique perspective of how young consumers' perceive and value humor in BELF-mediated communication.

China around 1900 was an enormous domain with approximately 400 million people, almost all of them desperately poor. Most were farmers, working intensively on small tracts of land using relatively primitive technology. It was in many respects a Malthusian economy, with high death and birth rates and many residents living close to the subsistence level.

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) on communication systems of unban rail transit can hardly be clarified because of complicated factors around railways. This paper aims to target this issue and extend experimental and theoretical analysis.

This paper take the Nanjing Dashengguan Bridge as an example, because it carries the most tracks in the world and bears three kinds of trains running through, providing a perfect complex environment. First, it investigates the three communication systems, terrestrial trunked radio, communications-based train control (CBTC) and passenger information system (PIS) that Nanjing Metro uses, and select appropriate devices accordingly. Second, it establishes a system level platform and conduct three tests to analyze their respective operating principles and performance difference under common electromagnetic environments. Third, it adopts theoretical formula to verify test results.

The experiment results and theoretical analysis mutually corroborate each other and present practical recommendations: an 8 m or more distance between two tracks will ensure no obvious EMI created by a passing train on communication systems; two certain communication systems should not share the same frequency band; interference level is more related to field strength than weathers and building materials; and CBTC DSSS waveguide mode as well as PIS LTE mode are preferred.

This research also provides a practical method of investigating EMI for other complex situations.

Complementing the importance of adequate relief supplies and transportation capacity in the first two weeks of post-disaster logistics, efficient communication, information sharing, and informed decision making play a crucial yet often underestimated role in reducing wasted material resources and loss of human life. The purpose of this paper is to provide a method of quantifying these effects.

A mathematical discrete dynamical system is used to model transportation of different commodities from multiple relief suppliers to disaster sites across a network of limited capacity. The physical network is overlaid with the communication network to model information delays and communication breakdowns between agents. The cost in human lives and the monetary cost are measured separately.

Simulations results highlight quantitatively how communication deficiencies and indiscriminate shipping of resources result in material convergence and shortage of urgent supplies observed in actual emergencies.

The model provides an example of a simple, objective, quantitative tool for decision making and training volunteer managers in the importance of a smart response protocol.

Briefly reviews previous literature by the author before presenting an original 12 step system integration protocol designed to ensure the success of companies or countries in their efforts to develop and market new products. Looks at the issues from different strategic levels such as corporate, international, military and economic. Presents 31 case studies, including the success of Japan in microchips to the failure of Xerox to sell its invention of the Alto personal computer 3 years before Apple: from the success in DNA and Superconductor research to the success of Sunbeam in inventing and marketing food processors: and from the daring invention and production of atomic energy for survival to the successes of sewing machine inventor Howe in co‐operating on patents to compete in markets. Includes 306 questions and answers in order to qualify concepts introduced.

A clear definition is only one requirement in understanding and measuring a concept. A system of notations is also required. The crudest channel notational form is the familiar one of a line connecting two or more channel levels with an indication of the level type. For example: M‐W‐R‐C is a three level channel made up of a manu‐facturer (usually one, in the manner befitting normal manufacturer oriented channel concepts), and an unspecified number of wholesalers, retailers and consumers. No indication is provided of such dimensions as the number at each level, the nature of the flow (though the assumption is it is all going in one direction in which the manu‐facturer is the origin and the consumer is the destination), the volume and value of product involved, the time period concerned, and the characteristics of the involved middlemen (both wholesalers and retailers) in terms of their operating methods, product assortments, size distribution, geographic location and dispersion, ownership and control, etc.

There appears to be a growing concern over the lack of scales for measuring internal crisis communication (ICC) in the course of an organizational crisis. Noting this compelling evidence, an analysis of results from earlier exploratory studies demonstrated a strong need for a sound scale with adequate psychometric properties. On that account, the purpose of this paper is to develop a valid scale for ICC.

This study examined the conceptualization and operationalization of ICC based on a comprehensive literature search. The in-depth interviews consist of 12 key informants with a sample size of 251 respondents for scale development and testing wherein all data items were evaluated and validated by 13 expert reviewers.

The results were measured during a crisis situation and provided rationale and initial psychometric properties of ICC. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses have provided evidence that ICC scale has achieved a valid and reliable factor structure.

Therefore, practitioners such as policy makers, government, researchers and crisis managers can adopt this scale of assessment to enhance a more accurate ICC; in this regard, provide useful implications to help minimize risks as they happen, thereupon find a better way to manage crisis situations.

This study contributes to the subject area and builds the existing literature by developing 11 items for ICC. The research provides a starting point for empirical investigation on important factors of influence on organizational internal stakeholders.

The feasibility of publishing an electronic journal which will be accepted by the scientific community has always been hampered by factors such as a lack of standardisation of data transmission codes, limitations regarding the incorporation of graphics and photographs, as well as the absence of special columns, book reviews, letters to the editor, product reviews and advertisements. Standardised communication protocols such as TCP/IP have brought this dream one step closer to reality. The final step could be an electronic journal published through the World Wide Web (WWW), currently one of the frequently used Internet navigators. Three WWW specifications provide the ideal arena for electronic journal publishing: URL (uniform resource locator), HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol), and HTML (hypertext markup language). These specifications provide a standardised structure for storing, accessing and sending data, including multimedia (even sound and video) files. The possibilities of such a structure for electronic journal publishing are remarkable: full‐text retrieval could not only be by keyword but also by following hypertext links across articles — even to nodes in other computer systems. In this article the possibilities of publishing via the Web will be addressed and some hints for setting up and maintaining a multimedia scholarly journal will be provided.

This chapter examines elements of the regulatory framework in effect in the Brazilian Border Region and neighboring countries as they interact with elements of the culture industry. Located in what is referred to as the Southern Arc, the first city we examine, Foz do Iguaçu-PR, lies on the border between Paraguay and Argentina. The second city is Tabatinga-AM, part of the conurbation region made up by a Colombian city and including the Peruvian border, coming to be known as the Northern Arc.

Our research was produced through the triangulation of primary data obtained in two trips into the field, carried out in 2013 and 2014, secondary data (official and semi-official) and academic bibliography.

Although projects relating to border integration, citizenship and economic development do exist, they do not question or challenge a nationalistic and politicized regime of representation portraying border areas primarily as routes for cocaine traffic or home to terrorist cells. The representation regime disseminated by mainstream media thus reduces the rich color and dynamics of the region to impoverished tones of gray recognizable in terms of “the name of the other.”

This chapter provides a relevant contribution to our understanding of communication processes carried out in two different regions of Brazil, both of them located far from the spotlights of mainstream Brazilian media. We employ a theoretical framework that combines geography of communication with perspectives on communication in borderland regions.

As the world continues to urbanise, cities face increasing pressure to become more sustainable, efficient and livable. Sustainable smart cities are emerging as a promising solution to this challenge, leveraging technology and data to improve urban systems and services while reducing environmental impact. This chapter provides an overview of the concept of sustainable smart cities and its implications for urban development. It explores the key features of sustainable smart cities, including their focus on technology, data and citizen engagement and the challenges they are facing in terms of infrastructure, data management, social equity, environmental sustainability, governance and regulations. The chapter also highlights the implications of sustainable smart cities for urban planners, policymakers and other stakeholders, emphasising the need for collaborative approaches that engage citizens and stakeholders in the design and implementation of smart city initiatives.