Stealing thunder as a crisis communication strategy in the digital age

The proliferation of social media and information communication technologies (ICTs) has transformed the crisis communication landscape. We are increasingly seeing new crisis development patterns and stakeholder communication processes that overwhelm traditional crisis communication protocols. Crisis communication theories and best practices, however, remain largely reactive and may not provide practical implications for effective communication strategies in the digital age. Crisis communication must advance to proactive strategies with stakeholder-focused communication. This article provides research-based evidence with real-world examples to illustrate why stealing thunder must be considered a strategic crisis communication option in the digital age. Managers must understand how social media and ICTs influence the current crisis communication ecosystem and how stealing thunder can help them navigate crises.     

Dynamics of communication protocol diffusion: the case of multipath TCP

During the last decade the Internet has faced an architectural stagnation due to lack of wide scale adoption of new communication protocols. A significant reason for non-adoption is that the conflicting interests of networked stakeholders involved in the diffusion process are not understood or taken into account during the protocol development. This paper increases understanding of the dynamics of communication protocol diffusion and provides feedback to protocol development by studying the case of Multipath TCP (MPTCP). Firstly, we introduce a protocol development process which builds on the existing diffusion of innovation theories. Secondly, a quantitative analysis using system dynamics is provided to evaluate the criticality of the factors affecting the MPTCP diffusion. The diffusion of communication protocols is found to follow three adoption models differentiated by the basis of adoption decision. The key finding is that unintentional adoption, alongside device acquisitions or operating system updates, adds a new dimension to the diffusion of innovations theory and may have a significant impact on protocol diffusion. The cross-side network effects between different adopter groups play also an important role and may lead to either market pull or technology push type of diffusion depending on which stakeholder starts to adopt first. Although MPTCP is used as an example protocol, the findings can be also applied to the diffusion studies of other communication protocols.     

Building relationships through dialogic communication: organizations,stakeholders, and computer-mediated communication

Online media are integral to daily life, and while many organizations use them to reach broad audiences, others still appear to be uncomfortable with online media because they do not understand how to maximize their potential to interact effectively with stakeholders. Numerous organizations use online media for one-way communication to disseminate information, despite the affordances of the media platforms for two-way, dialogic communication. This article draws on two dominant interpersonal theories of computer-mediated communication—social information processing theory and the hyperpersonal model—to propose dialogic strategies that organizations can use to improve their online communication with their stakeholders. We illustrate the application of these principles through three stages of relationship building: initiating/experimenting, intensifying, and integrating/bonding. The article integrates the applications within an overall dialogic communication strategy, and provides organizations and practitioners with a model with which they can engage stakeholders with dialogic methods via social media.     

非正弦波通信的发展与关键技术

为了正确把握非正弦波通信的发展方向,从脉冲无线电技术和正交函数两个角度分 析了非正弦波通信的发展历程,并对研究现状、待解决难点问题进行深入剖析;从信号设计 、谐振理论、辐射理论和信号产生4个方面分析了非正弦波通信的关键技术,以此探索发展 高能效、高频谱利用率的非正弦波通信体制的有效途径。     

低信噪比下突发通信的同步检测

针对低信噪比下突发通信系统的同步检测问题,提出了一种利用接收信号平均信噪比和瞬时信噪比设置动态检测门限的同步方法,实现了信号检测门限的设置与信号脉冲出现时刻噪声能量的自适应匹配,提高了低信噪比下同步检测概率。计算机仿真表明在同步序列长度为63时,信号的有效检测工作信噪比可以降低到-5 dB。该方法适合于低信噪比下运动平台间的突发通信系统。     

Developing effective intercultural relationships: The importance of communication strategies

As global competition intensifies, it is becoming necessary for organizations to establish strong intercultural relationships with a culturally diverse set of employees, interorganizational partners as well as customers. In order to manage these relationships effectively, organizations need a means to understand and improve global intercultural communications. The complexity of intercultural communications requires management to understand the nature of domains of global relationships and the level of complexity when attempting to communicate with multiple partners having unique national and organizational cultures. In this article, a decision process for developing effective intercultural communication strategies is developed, illustrating the steps necessary for managing a myriad of intercultural relationships. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Industry and agency views of social media: Issues implementing dialogic communication

The technologies and culture of social media present issues for organisations implementing dialogic communication. The ubiquity of social media and the dialogic nature of communications in the digital age are raising awareness of the necessity of a total stakeholder approach to integrated communications. Yet, while the Marketing discipline argues that dialogic communication represent communication par excellence, this research finds that implementing a total stakeholder approach to dialogic communication is proving to be extremely elusive for many organisations exploring social media applications. The empirical findings of this research explore how marketing and communications professionals from a diverse range of industry and agency role contexts view social media, and presents issues that organisations face in implementing dialogic communication. It is suggested that these implementation issues inhibit the ability of organisations to move beyond ‘control’ and implement a total stakeholder approach to social media for dialogic communication that can engage with an organisation's stakeholders to gain their support.     

Chinese Cultural Values and Personal Referral Sources in International Education Choice

China offers the greatest growth potential for international education across the global markets. To better understand the motivations of students, a survey of 420 university students was conducted and results revealed that students who rated abasement and personal activity orientation as important values were more likely to find personal referral sources influential. Students who rated situation orientation and interdependence as important values were less likely to find personal referral sources more influential. However, there is no significant difference in authority, face, and group orientation. This suggests the complex role of Chinese cultural values in the process of globalization and industrialization.     

Politeness and the clash of interaction orders in cross‐cultural communication

This conceptual article suggests that crosscultural variation in politeness behaviors, that is, differential culture‐specific norms for treatment of face, comprises an important dimension of crosscultural organizational behavior. The gentle and respectful handling of others' face is a vital social behavior in any cultural context. However, research shows that cultures have evolved differential norms for treating face. These differential norms are at the heart of many crosscultural communication problems. This article provides a conceptual framework explicating the above, reviews empirical literature on crosscultural variation of politeness norms, and suggests important implications for organizational theorists and for managers interested in crosscultural communication. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Corporate association strategies and consumer responses: The relative effectiveness of CA versus CSR communication strategy by industry type

Given the importance of communication in the realm of corporate associations, this study analyzes the roles that communication strategies play in the formation of corporate associations. The study examines (1) whether particular types of associations (corporate ability or corporate social responsibility associations) can be developed through CA- or CSR-based communication strategies, and (2) the relative effectiveness of these two association types at amplifying favorable consumer responses across three different industries (consumable goods, durable goods, and stigmatized goods). An experiment was conducted to test the proposed model with six Fortune 500 companies. The results demonstrate that communication strategies can effectively facilitate a particular type of association. Differing levels of association effectiveness were found within each industry. For the consumable goods industry, CA associations are found to be more effective than CSR associations. For the durable goods industry, CSR associations are more influential at enhancing consumer attitudes and purchase intent than CA associations, while CA associations have a larger impact on supportive communication intent. In the case of the stigmatized industry, CSR associations play a determinant role in fostering positive consumer responses. This study provides managers and communication specialists with more concrete guidance for choosing a particular corporate positioning and communication strategy.     

信道化发射机在通信对抗中的应用

瞄准式多频点干扰样式可以解决对宽通信频段的干扰问题,该干扰样式可以通过 实信号信道化发射机来实现,该发射机可作为通信干扰机应用于移动通信对抗中。以CDMA扩 频系统为例,可用该发射机对其实施瞄准式干扰,也可将这种发射机应用于对多个通信系统 的干扰中,实现对宽通信频段的有效干扰。     

The pedagogical side of entrepreneurship theory

This is the second article in a set of two in this issue that deals with challenges in entrepreneurship education related to theory building and pedagogy. The first article argued that educators must increase the theoretical content in their courses if they hope to develop in students the cognitive skills to make better entrepreneurial decisions. This second article discusses a strategy for teaching entrepreneurship theory.The difficulty with teaching theory to entrepreneurship students is that they are likely to complain that “theory is boring! Lectures are boring! School is boring!” All three of these—theory, lecture, and school can also be irrelevant. We as teachers can also be boring and irrelevant! Students may not understand that learning theory can be highly interesting. Unfortunately, the process used to teach theory could be boring.We become boring as teachers when our classroom style becomes predictable because students are never surprised. We become irrelevant as teachers when we fail to apply theory as a tool to answer student questions. Good theory can always pass the test of applicability. If we fail to teach our students how to apply it in surprising ways, it is we who are at fault, not the theory.An effective strategy for teaching theory to students must be approved by them and monitored by teachers to be effective. If our purpose is to assist students to become skilled in theory-based competencies, the most effective method is to establish a student-approved system for class meetings that requires students to practice specific skills. Obtaining student approval is important because almost any system will work better if students feel good about it. In other words, students acquire competencies through their practice with theory-based activities.A theory-based activity approach is based on the assumption that to the extent that a teacher is the initiator of knowledge transfer, students tend to practice less and acquire fewer competencies. This occurs because it is the teacher who is the most engaged, not the students, which is the reverse of what is optimal.One way to evaluate our involvement in the classroom is to ask ourselves if our goal is to have students leaving class talking about how great we are as a teacher, rather than about how wonderful it would be to be an entrepreneur. If our students leave talking about being entrepreneurs instead of about us, we have probably figured out how to involve them in activities that help them to develop personal competencies.The teacher's primary role is to achieve student approval of the learning contract and to identify the theory-based competencies to be mastered. The question for educators faced with ensuring student mastery is not, “What an I going to teach today?” but “What am I going to have my students do today?” The teacher's task can be made easier by delegating part of the responsibility for the second question to students. Delegation of learning activities to students can introduce more variety and surprises into the classroom, each of which can aleviate boredom. It also provides teachers an opportunity to work more closely with students as they attempt to understand theory in anticipation of their classroom assignment to lead the learning activity.The remainder of this article discusses how to implement a theory-based activity approach, obstacles to its success and advantages of its use. The greatest advantage of its use is that students will be learning theory that can improve their odds of being successful as entrepreneurs. Of course their success depends upon us as scholars having gone before them and discovered the rules (theory) according to which events occur (c.f., Whitehead, 1917).     

The role of communication competencies in international business relationship development

Effective communication between international business partners is critical for global success. Underlying national and organizational cultural differences in international business relationships creates hurdles to effective communication, hindering performance. To assist managers in understanding this issue, a model of communication effectiveness for international relationship development, derived from industry examples, theory, and a dataset consisting of 123 qualitative interviews conducted with American, Canadian, Chinese, and Japanese managers is presented. Further, in order to assist managers in the task of developing more effective communications, a six-step process aimed in directing managerial action is presented. By proactively managing its communications, a firm can develop stronger international business relationships facilitating the rapid response to market opportunities and challenges.     

Improving organizational performance using survey-driven databases

Empowering employees to do a good job is made easier when employees respect their co-workers, have opportunities to continuously learn, are fairly evaluated by supervisors, and have fun. Using the example of a Las Vegas casino—hotel, this article describes a four-phase, ten-step process that uses survey data to establish organizational peak performance. Key components of those ten steps include: (1) knowing how employee guest-relations expertise is learned and transferred from department to department and activity to activity, (2) empowering employees to take care of guest needs and encouraging workers to be creative and enthusiastic, (3) training managers to be responsible for employee commitment, teamwork, and communication, (4) using effective performance-feedback tools that invite employees' trust, (5) ensuring that managers understand the demands and importance of front-line jobs and know what resources are needed to perform those jobs, (6) facilitating effective communication at all levels, (7) emphasizing effective teamwork and group problem solving, and (8) ensuring senior managers focus on teamwork, initiative, group problem solving, and organization-wide alignment with corporate goals.     

‘Tweet dreams are made of this,who are we to disagree?’ Adventures in a #Brave New World of #tweets, #Twitter, #student engagement and #excitement with #learning

ABSTRACT

The paper contributes to the current debate for the need to develop creative assessment strategies designed to enhance greater collaboration and levels of engagement amongst diverse student groups lending itself to deeper learning in postgraduate marketing courses. Through an innovative use of social media (Twitter), students are encouraged to engage and comment on communication and advertising in their lived world. The paper provides a qualitative analysis of student reflections on a Twitter-based assessment activity. Reflective accounts are analysed on the basis of the Technology Acceptance Model by addressing students’ perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of Twitter as an effective tool in creating learning and engagement opportunities as well as debate and discussion within formal and informal learning environments.     

A multi-sector comparison of relational learning and information and communication technologies adoption

This paper analyses the nature of the impact of relational learning on the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) and vice versa. The authors investigate the implementation of ICT through a relational learning process by means of an empirical investigation of 203 small- and medium-sized enterprises in the Spanish telecommunication and the Spanish construction industries (107 firms from the telecommunications sector and 96 from the construction sector). In the analysis, it is proposed that the relational learning process can be structured into three phases (transfer, transformation, and harvesting of knowledge). Structural equation modelling reveals that, in order to implement these relational learning phases, companies need to provide and support ICT as prior steps and this is most significant for those in the telecommunications sector. These results have implications for managers when they come to formulating policies and making a choice as to the organisational capabilities to target in order to ensure the effective adoption of ICT.     

高职电子商务综合技能实训设计研究

由于电子商务具有高度的商业实践性和专业的综合性,因此需要高职电子商务专业加强实践性教学环节,使学生能够直接感受电子商务知识的商业化应用过程,并通过知识的运用深入理解电子商务原理和过程,提高学生专业能力和适应商业活动的综合素质。设计一个符合培养目标的综合技能实训方案是培养学生综合素质及专业能力的重要保障。     

Effects of teleconferencing technologies: An exploration of comprehension,feedback, satisfaction and role-related differences

Several theoretical approaches have been put forth to predict and explain the effects of teleconferencing technologies. One approach is to examine the functions of nonverbal signals and to make predictions based on the fact that different teleconferencing technologies allow nonverbal communication to different extents. One of the functions of nonverbal signals is to allow the listener to provide feedback to the speaker in a communication. Prior research has shown that such feedback enhances listener comprehension. In this study, it was hypothesized that different teleconferencing technologies would allow different levels of feedback based on their ability to accommodate nonverbal signals, and this in turn would affect comprehension. An experimental study was conducted to compare comprehension, feedback, and satisfaction in telephone and computer conferencing. The study confirmed that comprehension and speaker satisfaction are related to feedback, but failed to show a relationship between listener satisfaction and feedback. No difference in comprehension, listener, or speaker satisfaction was observed across teleconferencing technologies. Role-related differences were observed between the speaker and the listener. It is suggested that the effects of teleconferencing technologies can be mapped systematically by examining each of the functions of nonverbal signals, one at a time.     

利用地理信息构建应急微波通信链路

针对应急微波通信链路不能快速构建的问题，采用了一种多属性综合评价决策链路的方法。该方法结合已有的地理海拔和坐标数据，先对微波通信设备之间的视距传播情况进行判断，再在一定范围内进行中继站寻址，通过衰减预测、距离计算和角度估计后使用优劣解距离法对所有备选中继站综合排序从而得到最优中继站，最后完成所有设备间的链路构建。对此方法进行了功率适用性评估，结果表明该方法可在随机地区构建链路并且通信设备的接收功率均大于接收机灵敏度-120 dBm，证明了方法的有效性和适用性。     

Face-to-face communication: Is it really necessary in a digitizing world?

Many predictions regarding the extinction of face-to-face communication have themselves begun to disappear. While emerging information technologies are substantially altering the face of business communication, close-quarter discussion and debate remain important, as evidenced in the productivity of the medium and what we have recently learned about social behavior. Still, the possibility of dramatic change cannot be completely discounted. If technology ever manages to deliver what it has promised, there could be a significant shift toward digital communication. Although this will not likely occur over the next decade or two, beyond that, it should not be excluded from the realm of possibility.