Desktop multimedia conferencing: IBMs person to person in organizational context

A trend in cooperative systems is the emergence of multimedia systems that aim to support synchronous cooperation in a manner which unifies both remote and co‐located users. These systems combine information‐sharing facilities provided in real time with video‐ and audiocommunication services. This review of IBM's desktop multimedia conferencing system Person to Person (P2P) presents the characteristics of its utilities. Further, it discusses some organizational impacts and implementation issues within an organizational context.     

Virtual organizations: Computer conferencing and organizational design

Computer conferencing systems link groups of users who “meet”; in the virtual space of a computer and interact around a common purpose or topic. These electronically constituted and mediated groups can mirror, cross‐cut, or hive off from existing organizational structures. This article reports a study of organizational structuring processes that accompany the introduction of a computer conferencing system in six industrial organizations. The relationships among technological capabilities and constraints, existing organization structures, managerial intent, and the unanticipated consequences of implementation for structural change are discussed. Employing the same software system in each case, organizational outcomes are radically different.

Earlier analysts have focused on a contingency model of the organization‐to‐technology relationship. Computer conferencing systems, however, confound the distinction between technical and organizational systems; they exist in an overlapping border domain between their two parent systems. This article explores the character of this overlapping domain and proposes the terms “virtual group”; and “virtual organization”; to evoke the special status of groups created through computer conferencing. Virtual organizations are semiotic entities in Weick's [1] sense of equivoque and their essentially ambiguous, interpretable character is important in shaping organizational outcomes. Virtual groups become part of the ongoing process of structuration [2], while also providing a new tool for organizational design.     

现代智能小区的卫星接收与有线电视系统初探

现代智能小区中的一个重要通讯与多媒体服务就是卫星接收与有线电视系统,该系统是利用高频微波、电缆等传输媒体进行传输,并在一定用户之间进行交换和分配图像、声音和数字等信息。本文就有线电视系统与卫星电视系统的发展状况进行分析,然后就现代智能小区引入卫星电视系统与有线电视系统进行了探讨。     

The Future of Privacy: A Consumer‐Oriented Approach to Managing Personal Data Online

Beginning with Facebook's recent controversial “tweaks” to its privacy policy and its promise to support users against employers and others who attempt to compel users to divulge passwords, we critically review European Union (EU) and US digital privacy initiatives. Whereas the EU proposal relies on legislative regulation, the United States proposes industry self‐regulation partially enforceable by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). We conclude that not only do the sharply differing EU and US approaches present significant problems of global digital interoperability, but neither proposal promises to result in practical and feasible consumer protection, at least not in the near term. Moreover, the EU proposal poses serious threats to the profitability of digital commerce. As an alternative, we propose a “third approach,” empowering the individual digital consumer/user through a personal online strategy we call “wide‐open privacy,” which provides security without sacrificing the transformative economic, cultural, and personal benefits of the Internet. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Financial Vulnerability,Financial Literacy,and the Use of Digital Payment Technologies

The purpose of this study is to test the notion that the use of digital payment methods, such as paying with a mobile phone, increases the risk of financial vulnerability. Research from the USA indicates such a relationship, and we study whether this finding can be generalized to other countries. Motivated by recent changes in EU legislation related to financial transactions, we also examine willingness to use social media companies for money transfers along with sharing bank account information with third-party financial services. Exploiting data collected from a representative sample of the Norwegian adult population (n?=?2202), we identify differences in financial behaviour and characteristics between users and nonusers of different digital payment methods. In contrast to US studies, we find that mobile payment users were less financially vulnerable than nonusers and those women were more likely users of digital payment technologies than men. Younger generations and those with low financial literacy were more financially vulnerable than others, although we did not find this to be related to the use of mobile payment or other digital payment methods. The results show that there is a need for more research from different countries outside of the USA to obtain an understanding of the consequences of increased digitalization of financial services. In addition, as COVID-19 has shifted a vast amount of spending online and these newer payment technologies have become more available, we need to gain a better understanding of how they influence financial behaviour.

     

网络新闻专题探析

网络新闻专题是网络媒体独特的新闻体裁,是最具网络媒体特色、最能发挥网络媒体新闻报道优势的表现形式。网络专题新闻的主要特征是多媒体和超容量性、即时远程化性、集成性、双向交互性。网络新闻专题的主要类型似可分为事件类、主题类、拓展类、栏目类四大类。作为网络上的一种新的深度报道形式,还有许多问题有待进一步探讨。     

Global Social Media Usage: Insights Into Reaching Consumers Worldwide

This study documents global social media usage patterns based on a large‐scale survey of 4,630 social media users around the world. The study provides insights into how users in the European Union, United States, and BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) regions use social media for business and personal use. It analyzes variability in global social media platforms being used in these different world regions. The study also presents insights into usage of multilingual content for global social media consumption and the global user propensity to translate social media. Finally, the paper showcases an innovative technology solution to help companies leverage machine and human translation to enable users to translate social media content. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Trust and the don't‐want‐to‐complain bias in peer‐to‐peer platform markets

This paper addresses peer‐to‐peer (P2P) digital platform markets, often associated with the “sharing economy” or the “collaborative economy”. Such digital platforms, facilitating new purchasing channels for consumers by matching P2P supply and demand, can be considered new market places challenging the conventional markets. How are P2P platform markets evaluated by the consumers? Based on a comprehensive survey‐data material, five different P2P service markets are considered by peer buyers and the results compared to consumers’ evaluations from similar conventional service markets according to trust, comparability and consumers’ satisfaction with the transactions. Comparability seems to be one advantage for the platform markets, while trust could become a problem. Conditions for trust in P2P platform markets is particularly interesting to study because contrary to conventional markets P2P transactions cannot rely on governmental laws, regulations and security net. This trust problem has been solved by a trust‐generating rate and review system. Our data material, however, distinguishes a mechanism that we have coined as the don't‐want‐to‐complain bias. More precisely, people do not like to complain, hence buyers of P2P services often hesitate to give negative ratings when they are discontent with a service or a supplier. Therefore, positive ratings become overestimated. If consumers recognize this bias, ratings and reviews will lose credibility and no longer be considered trustworthy. Eventually, this may threaten the well‐functioning of P2P markets.     

The Informal Organization of Korean Companies: Implications for Korean MNCs

Many Korean multinational corporations (MNCs) try to adapt locally by introducing hybrid international human resource management (IHRM); however, in‐depth case studies indicate a gap between espoused and actual IHRM. To resolve this challenge, and taking into account country‐of‐origin effects and institutional practices, we argue that Korean MNCs must become aware of the embeddedness of informal processes in Korean organizations. These informal organization processes complement paternalistic leadership and hierarchical communication, and without them the formal management systems of Korean MNCs are left with authoritarian centralized decision‐making processes where local employees may not feel able to participate. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Between adoption and rejection: attitudes of adult educators toward digitization in Germany

The use of digital media in adult education is very heterogeneous. To date, there are no empirical studies that have examined the possibility that media‐related differences in media usage of adult educators could be in part due to differential media pedagogical attitudes of adult educators. Moreover, there is a lack of empirical evidence to support the understanding of what factors modulate differences in media pedagogical competencies of adult educators. In order to examine different theoretical potentialities, in the present study, an online survey of adult educators (n = 626) was conducted to investigate the attitudes of adult educators in Germany toward their use of digital media. The results of the study indicate that there are influencing factors such as educational level or employment context on attitudes toward digital media.     

Consumer workers as immaterial labour in the converging media markets: three value‐creation practices

This paper takes a practice‐based approach to consumer studies and focuses on the strategic and productive roles that consumers play as immaterial labour or consumer workers in the converging media markets. Based on a case study of a print media organization and its customers, the aim is to discuss the collaborative practices through which value is created in the market. By means of a textual analysis of online and interview data, three value‐creation practices are abstracted and illustrated: constructing a sense of belonging and collective identity, mutual helping and peer support, and building pride and self‐respect. Overall, the paper suggests that in global media environments, consumer‐customers are playing increasingly significant strategic roles in the practices and processes through which value is co‐created in the market. It is therefore concluded that the idea of consumers, and media audiences in particular, as recipients of communication and targets of marketing activities needs to be problematized and the dynamic strategic roles that consumers currently play in the market need to be acknowledged and actively incorporated into the business praxis of media corporations.     

Knowledge Flows Between Advertising and Other Disciplines: A Social Exchange Perspective

Knowledge flows between advertising and other academic disciplines are examined to identify the structure of scientific knowledge, the extent of social exchange and the scientific status of the field. Bibliometric analysis is used to identify who is citing our research and who we cited. Cocitation patterns for the leading advertising journals (Journal of Advertising [JA], Journal of Advertising Research [JAR], International Journal of Advertising [IJA], Journal of Interactive Advertising [JIA], and Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising [JCIRA]) and the top 50 citing and cited journals with citation relationships from 2005 to 2014 were examined. Findings revealed that advertising is citing advertising scholarship the most, followed by marketing, consumer research, psychology, and communication. This suggests a “maturing field” where scholars look within the discipline's body of knowledge. In turn, advertising research is cited by advertising, marketing, business (general), communication, and psychology. The overall citing-to-cited ratio suggests that advertising is more a “receiver” than “provider” of knowledge to other disciplines; however, there is variation across the advertising journals. The positioning of advertising journals in the larger disciplinary framework shows close relationships to consumer research and interactive communication. The most common focus among the top-cited articles is digital media, with few articles focusing on traditional advertising. The implications of our findings for the field of advertising are discussed.     

The economics of the super‐multiplier: A comprehensive treatment with labor markets

This paper links the super‐multiplier to Keynesian macroeconomics, showing it to be the most Keynesian of growth perspectives. Next, the paper shows that the super‐multiplier is a micro‐economically coherent theory of investment and capital accumulation. Firms’ decisions regarding capital accumulation coordinate demand and supply growth in goods markets. The paper then explores the implications of incorporating the super‐multiplier in the neo‐Kaleckian and Cambridge growth models. Lastly, it shows how labor markets and unemployment can be added into super‐multiplier models to provide a comprehensive growth model that addresses Solow's (1956, Journal of Economics, 70, 65–94) labor market knife‐edge problem. Incorporating labor markets does not change the fundamental super‐multiplier result that growth is determined by the growth of autonomous demand.     

LIQUIDITY IN A BINOMIAL MARKET

We study the binomial version of the illiquid market model introduced by Çetin, Jarrow, and Protter for continuous time and develop efficient numerical methods for its analysis. In particular, we characterize the liquidity premium that results from the model. In Çetin, Jarrow, and Protter, the arbitrage free price of a European option traded in this illiquid market is equal to the classical value. However, the corresponding hedge does not exist and the price is obtained only in L² ‐approximating sense. Çetin, Soner, and Touzi investigated the super‐replication problem using the same supply curve model but under some restrictions on the trading strategies. They showed that the super‐replicating cost differs from the Black–Scholes value of the claim, thus proving the existence of liquidity premium. In this paper, we study the super‐replication problem in discrete time but with no assumptions on the portfolio process. We recover the same liquidity premium as in the continuous‐time limit. This is an independent justification of the restrictions introduced in Çetin, Soner, and Touzi. Moreover, we also propose an algorithm to calculate the option’s price for a binomial market.     

Emoji rhetoric: a social media influencer perspective

ABSTRACT

Social media require a marketing rhetoric that embraces emerging language use and shifting communication norms. Emojis have become quintessential elements of social media communication; yet, their role in supporting persuasion attempts has not been systematically analysed. Drawing on general rhetoric literature, this paper dissects, portrays and labels social media influencers’ persuasive attempts to initiate engagement through emojis. The focus on influencers is justified because of their dual roles as marketers and active social media users. 600 Weibo posts by the top 200 Weibo influencers were collected to develop a taxonomy of emoji-based verbal moves aimed at encouraging responses in followers. The resulting taxonomy demonstrates that emoji use by social media influencers is complex and strategic and serves multiple persuasive and communicative purposes.     

Systems for finding people

Finding a previously unknown person with the skills and knowledge to answer a question or perhaps to collaborate with is an effective use of a computer‐mediated communication (CMC) system. This article discusses two aspects of systems for finding people, system architectures, and organizational implications.

The architectures considered are special interest groups, centralized servers, and decentralized systems. The organizational implications are the value to organizations of people‐finding systems, management incentives for individuals to participate in them, and participation in the absence of apparent incentives.

The deployment and improvement of people‐finding and other CMC systems will bestow a marginal advantage upon cooperative individuals and organizations with cooperative cultures. As a result, CMC may marginally alter organizational and human nature, nudging us in the direction of a time when nice guys finish first.     

The Internationalization of Chinese Firms and Negative Media Coverage: The Case of Geely's Acquisition of Volvo Cars

Chinese firms are internationalizing at an unprecedented speed. One profound phenomenon linked to this active Chinese firms internationalization process is that the process tends to be confronted with negative media coverage of China and Chinese firms in Western countries. How to understand and cope with the negative image of China and Chinese firms, as they are often seen in the Western media, emerges as a relevant and timely research topic in the study of the internationalization of Chinese firms. The purpose of this article is to stimulate ideas for further research on the relations between the internationalization of Chinese firms and the media coverage. We use the case of Geely's acquisition of Volvo Cars, which was to a large extent negatively reported in the Swedish media during 2008–2013, as inspiration to identify the interesting research themes and questions. Given the increasing anti‐globalization trend, we hypothesize that Chinese firms will have to face up to the reality of negative media coverage in many Western countries for the foreseeable future, at least in the firms’ initial establishment phases. We end our paper with the managerial implications. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A study of Japanese consumers' cognitive hierarchies in formal and informal gift‐giving situations

In recent years, academicians have shown an increasing interest in Asian gift‐giving behavior. Yet studies investigating Asians' cognitive hierarchical structures in the gift‐giving context have been limited. Additionally, the literature suggests that Asian consumers' cognitive structures are particularly affected by situational contingencies. Thus, this study examines Japanese consumers' cognitive hierarchies, in a gift‐giving context, in formal and informal situations utilizing a most‐abstract to least‐abstract cognitive hierarchical framework. Data were collected through a mail survey of Japanese consumers in the greater Tokyo area and six other major metropolitan cities. As hypothesized, structural‐equation modeling results revealed that the Japanese consumer's cognitive hierarchical flow from most‐ to least‐abstract cognitions remained intact regardless of the situation. In contrast, as expected, differing situations were found to influence intercognitive dimensional relationships. Implications of these findings are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Super‐Connectors: A New Model of Internationalization from the MENA Region

The main purpose of this case‐based research is to investigate and analyze three fast‐growing airlines (Emirates/Dubai, Qatar Airways/Qatar, and Etihad Airways/Abu Dhabi) and their internationalization from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The three carriers that are commonly known as “super‐connectors” in the airline industry continue to excel in their business models and internationalization. Based on secondary data, surveys, and company‐specific information, the article uses a longitudinal case‐based research approach to discuss the three airlines. Findings of the work reveal that the three super‐connectors have aggressively expanded in the MENA region and beyond by seeking multiple alliances, joint ventures, long‐term collaborative agreements (code sharing), and foreign direct investment (FDI). These activities represent innovative business models and operational efficiencies in the global airline industry. We believe that non‐MENA airlines may not have the same dynamism, strategic clout, corporate‐related efficiencies, and financial prowess that we witness among the three super‐connectors. In international business (IB) and multinational corporation (MNC)‐related areas, researchers, industry analysts, and policymakers need to pay attention to the MENA region's super‐connectors and their emerging internationalization models. The article also provides useful trends and implications that can be benchmarked by practitioners, researchers, and airlines regarding the issues of internationalization, growth, and new business models. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.