Idea Competitions under scrutiny: Acquisition,intelligence or public relations mechanism?

Idea Competitions (ICs) are becoming a popular mechanism chosen by firms to perform Open Innovation. They are a way to engage with external sources of knowledge such as individual entrepreneurs and small firms who are asked to submit ideas and compete for a prize. However, little is known about the success of ICs as acquisition mechanisms. The researchers conducted interviews in five multinational companies to evaluate the effects of using ICs as an acquisition mechanism. Although still preliminary, the results of this study show that the success of ICs as an acquisition mechanism remains uncertain because their output (i.e. the number of ideas acquired) is often low compared to the input (i.e. the number of ideas submitted) and effort required to run them (e.g. to vet ideas). Across the cases observed, ICs appear to be more successful at identifying and acquiring early-stage ideas, particularly those outside the current business focus. The study shows that ICs deliver other functional benefits such as improved intelligence and public relations and that these need to be considered as part of the evaluation of the IC's success. The paper concludes by discussing the conditions in which ICs are implemented and the implications for Open Innovation theory.     

The Cosmopolitan Grassroots City as Megaphone: Reconstructing Public Spaces through Urban Activism in Jakarta

Discussions on social movements in Asian cities are inseparable from the abundance of public rallies in the region. In this article, I look at the case of Thamrin‐Sudirman, the main thoroughfare in Jakarta, Indonesia, to uncover how physical urban spaces constituting part of the city as living systems broaden the reach of social movements' agendas. The study involved continuous observation at rallies, interviews with social movement leaders and participants, and a look at simultaneous public rallies in various cities. This article analyzes the sites of public rallies as ‘megaphones’, based on the patterns of issues featured in the rallies, the groups participating, and the nodes and paths that they constructed. Two key dimensions of the megaphone are: (1) the symbolic and historical significance of the sites of rallies; (2) the relationship between the space and the media. Particular sites in cities become places where information is gathered, distributed and transferred through the media, facilitating a network among cities. This article concludes that cities are agents of political actions that amplify ideas and spread them across the globe. The urban centers' megaphonic function results from the synergy between the public space in the built environment and the public sphere, and is reflective of the recentering of the city.     

Identifying the Communication,Behaviors, and Interaction Patterns of Agency-Client Relationships in Development and Decline

Abstract

Leichty and Springston (1993) suggest that “if the relationship management metaphor is to be taken seriously, we need to develop a theory of how relationships between organizations and publics develop, change, and are maintained” (p. 334). The current investigation is a response to that challenge by suggesting a theoretical grounding, drawn from Knapp and Vangelisti's (1996) interaction stages research, for describing how agency-client relationships are initiated, developed, maintained, and deteriorate. The research was conducted with 25 account executives of a medium-sized mid-western public relations agency. The participants provided examples of communication, behaviors, and interaction patterns that are experienced when agencies and clients initiate, develop, maintain, deteriorate, and terminate relationships. A total of five phases of organization-public relationship development and five phases of organization-public relationship decline are reported. The paper concludes with a discussion of the role that relationship management should play in the study and practice of public relations.     

Globalization,employment relations and human resources indicators in ten developed market economies: international data sets

This paper provides statistical information on internationalization, human resources and labour market outcomes in ten important developed market economies (DMEs). Such data are useful for practitioners and academics who are interested in international HRM. The article's aim is to provide easily accessible statistical tables of selected characteristics, which can be used to draw initial comparisons between countries and to test competing accounts of the impact of globalization on national patterns of employment relations. It includes standard sources so readers can elaborate and update these data.     

互动式教学法在高职公共关系课程中的应用研究

本文结合公共关系学科特征及互动式教学法的优点,结合现代高职院校公关教育特征,对互动式教学法在公共关系课程教学中的应用提出了具体建议。     

社交网络与企业人才选拔

企业如果通过社交网络这个关系平台选拔招聘人才,不但能迅速招聘到合适的人才,还能够为企业尽可能多的节约选拔人才的成本,从而提高企业的经济效益。了解社交网络的发展现状、发展趋势、对于企业人才的选拔有着十分重要的意义。     

20年来大陆—香港关系及重大事件对两岸旅游互动的影响分析

1997年香港回归中国是其政体隶属关系的重大转变。依据1990—2007年的有关统计资料,选取入境客流量、环比增长率、占出境游客比率和占入境旅游比率4个指标,定量分析了回归前后7次重大事件及政策变化对旅游双向互动的影响。结果显示:1997年回归之前,香港隶属英国租界,经济发达出游率高,在旅游流互动中处于强势地位;1997年香港回归之后,随着大陆经济实力的不断增强,大陆入境香港旅游则成为旅游互动的核心,庞大的客流量和旅游购买力成为拉动香港经济发展的重要因素。1990—2007年,香港赴大陆旅游客流量由1 653.3万人次增加到7 794.9万人次,占大陆入境旅游比由60.2%下降至59.1%,比例变化不大;而大陆入境香港客流量由75.4万人次增加至1 548.7万人次,占香港入境旅游比由11%增长到55%,依赖性不断增强。     

国有商业银行外部公关现状之分析

大量的公关理论研究和实践表明:银行公关外部活动是否有效,直接影响银行的形象、银行的竞争力乃至银行的生死存亡。然而银行外部公关的理论研究在中国至今还近乎空白,本文就以银行外部公关为研究主题,结合国有商业银行的实际情况,运用银行管理学、公关学、制度经济学的有关理论,系统深入分析银行外部公关,即银行与客户的关系、银行与同业的关系、银行与政府的关系、银行与新闻媒体的关系等状况,针对性地提出银行在解决处理各种关系时应采取的策略措施,建立了银行外部公关的保障体系,强调银行公关组织构建、人才培养以及公关策划,对银行外部公关的特殊作用。     

Community Engagement: Exploring a Relational Approach to Consultation and Collaborative Practice in Australia

Community engagement is increasingly being employed by Australian organizations as a key strategy to incorporate representative community opinions into decision-making. This trend is reflected by Australian local and state governments legislating for community consultation in major infrastructure projects and the increasing role of public relations practitioners to manage these programs. This study explores community engagement founded on relational theory and proposed a typology of engagement employing a relational framework. An exploratory study of 20 Australian infrastructure projects with a mandatory consultation component is analyzed applying this framework. Results indicate little discrimination between the terms engagement, consultation, and participation; however, a range of tactics supported both collaborative and advocacy approaches. The implications for adopting a relational framework for community engagement programs are discussed.     

Stephen J. O'Connor,Vice President,University Relations and Property Staffing,Marriott International

ABSTRACT

Leader-member exchange (LMX) is a multidimensional construct seeking to identify the quality of the relationship between the leader and immediate subordinate. An instrument developed by Schrie-sheim, Neider, Scandura, and Tepper (1992) was utilized to determine the LMX score of 798 non-managerial employees in a casual restaurant chain. The dimensions of perceived contribution, affect, and loyalty were examined. Results demonstrate that LMX quality was high among the surveyed employees of a restaurant chain. The scores of LMX on age, gender and job tenure differed among employees while LMX scores on job status, education, and job type did not differ significantly.