A “New Approach” to Standards and Consumer Protection

As consumer use of information and communication technology (ICT) products grows, the importance of ICT standards in consumer markets also grows. While standards for manufactured products were once developed at the national level in formal standards bodies, standards for ICT products today are more likely to be developed by informal standards bodies that target global markets, creating new challenges for national consumer protection laws. As part of the process of creating a single market, the EU developed an innovative and successful form of “coregulation” known as the “New Approach” that coordinated the work of legislators and standards developers to reduce technical barriers to trade in the internal market. In order to protect consumer interests in markets for ICT products effectively, another “New Approach” is needed to coordinate the work of global ICT standard-developing organizations with the goals of national and regional consumer protection laws, but the institutional challenges facing such a strategy are daunting. The French DADVSI legislation represents progress in this direction; further progress may be possible by adopting “better regulation” strategies.

跨文化商务谈判中应该注意的一些问题

随着中国对外合作关系的深入发展，中国公司面临的跨国谈判也在日益增加。由于跨国谈判的谈判方都是由来自不同国家和化背景的人组成的，在谈判过程中谈判各利益方就会不可避免地遇到许多单化谈判中不会遇到的挑战。这篇论从7个方面探讨了在跨国谈判中谈判利益方应该注意的一些问题．以推动谈判过程中双赢协议的达成。这7个方面包括谈判前的准备工作、谈判中的化问题以及谈判时的一些细节问题。     

OFDM系统中的资源调度

资源调度可以显著地改善通信系统的频谱效率和吞吐量。文中给出了OFDM下行链路中3种不同的时隙调度策略,这些策略都是以CDMA／HDR中比例公平算法(Proportional Fair)为基础。比较和分析了3种子带分配的方案。首先将OFDM的子载波划分为若干个子带,目的是减少系统的反馈量。所有的用户同时竞争所有的子带。仿真表明,子带的划分以16～32个比较合适,而调度可以将系统的吞吐量提高0．4～1倍,调度方案3实现了性能和复杂度的折衷,是一种好的选择。     

一种基于EM算法的MIMO-OFDM系统信道估计技术

从提高多输入多输出正交频分复用（MIMO—OFDM）系统频谱利用率的目的出发，提出了一种改进型的基于EM（Expectation Maximization）算法的信道估计技术。仿真结果表明，改进后的算法可以显著提高频谱利用率，同时保持原算法的精度。     

一类无碰撞区跳频序列集的构造

基于完备序列，提出了一类无碰撞区跳频序列集的构造方法，分析了跳频序列集的性能，证明了该跳频序列集达到了理论限。在此基础上，提出了一类非重复无碰撞区跳频序列集的构造方法，并给予了证明。     

Satisfaction with Online Commercial Group Chat: The Influence of Perceived Technology Attributes, Chat Group Characteristics, and Advisor Communication Style

This study examines online commercial group chat from a structuration theory perspective. The findings support the influence of perceived technology attributes (control, enjoyment, reliability, speed, and ease of use) and chat group characteristics (group involvement, similarity, and receptivity) on customer satisfaction and the moderating role of advisor communication style on these influences. Furthermore, our results show that chat group characteristics influence customer satisfaction directly as well as indirectly via perceived technology attributes. Online chat satisfaction in turn influences behavioral intentions. Finally, group-level perceptions are found to add considerably to perceptions at the individual level. Our study illustrates that structuration theory provides a sound foundation for theoretical development and empirical investigation of online group chat. Also it shows that retailers need to carefully manage the intricate interplay between technology, chat groups, and online advisors to foster a satisfying experience for customers.     

Significant Choice and Crisis Decision Making: MeritCare’s Public Communication in the Fen–Phen Case

This study examines the communication strategies employed by MeritCare’s public relations staff during the fen–phen case. The ethic of significant choice was the primary lens for the study. The study revealed that MeritCare’s public relations staff members believed they did, in fact, follow the ethic of significant choice. Specifically, they perceived that the biases held by staff helped maintain the public’s safety as the primary issue during the fen–phen events. They also believed that their communication strategies allowed them to avoid ambiguity and emotionalized language. Finally, the staff members felt that teaming with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota enabled them to influence the marketplace of ideas by capitalizing on the credible standing of Mayo Clinic.Renae A. Streifel (M.A., North Dakota State University) is a public relations specialist for the MeritCare Hospital group in Fargo, North Dakota. She studied the MeritCare case for her Master’s thesis.Bethany L. Beebe (M.A., Purdue University) studies crisis communication from an organizational perspective. Shari R. Veil (Ph.D., North Dakota State University) is an assistant professor in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma. She studies crisis communication from a public relations perspective.Timothy L. Sellnow (Ph.D., Wayne State University) is professor of communication, North Dakota State University. Along with an extensive publication record, he has worked with several US government grants which provide some of the context for his study of crisis communication from an organizational perspective.     

A Model of Interorganizational Networking Antecedents,Consequences and Business Performance

Purpose: This quantitative study intended to examine the communication interactions that develop within a business network among various actors (i.e., customers, providers, cooperators, etc.), together with their effects upon business networking and performance. To these ends, we developed a conceptual model of dyadic marketing-oriented and network-oriented communication exchanges (i.e., interorganizational antecedents), interorganizational networking consequences, and business performance. Specifically, interorganizational networking consequences were examined in terms of tactical and strategic cooperation, whereas business performance was examined in terms of adaptability, productivity and efficiency.

Methodology/approach: To set the hypotheses of the study we delved into the wide stream of marketing literature pertaining to interorganizational networks and business-to-business relationships, and specifically to the marketing orientation theory, the social network theory, and the IMP approach. These research hypotheses were tested using advanced statistical analysis and causal modeling. The research sample comprised 1,000 business-to-business international companies, which were mostly U.S., and European and were randomly selected from the yahoo.com business-to-business companies’ subdirectory. The data collection involved a two-wave e-mail survey, in which the quantitative research instrument was emailed to the respective marketing directors’ personal accounts. Totally 249 high ranking marketing executives responded, thus yielding a 24.9% response rate. The selected data were, then, subjected to rigorous advanced statistical analysis of structural equation modeling, using the AMOS21 statistical package, to test reliability and stability of selected measures and validity of the research model, as a whole.

Findings: Overall, the research findings provided sufficient evidence that the proposed model was robust. Moreover, the findings supported that communication exchanges that deploy within a wide array of participants (i.e., within a network of organizational members, customers, partners, and other interacting partners within a market), may have stronger explanatory powers upon a company’s networking effects and business performance, than communication exchanges that evolve merely at a dyadic company-customer level.

Originality/value/contribution: This research is original; that is, it deals with empirical, quantitative data and makes an attempt to combine marketing concepts mainly from 3 marketing streams studying the long-term business-to-business relationships. Our approach is based on existing marketing literature, suggesting that networks, apart from being embedded in previous relationships and interactions, they may also be based on more loosely coupling between organizations. Thus, we use the IMP approach to formulate the measures of our study; however, we don’t discriminate between strong and weak ties in relationship bonding. In this research we focus on specific communication behaviors that may nurture interorganizational networking and look for effects upon cooperation and business performance. The research findings imply that marketing executives would worthwhile expand their communication exchanges beyond their narrow customers’, or providers’ network, to the wider array of trustworthy business circle, as such a behavior may largely favor their companies’ adaptability to environmental changes, flourish innovation, and lead to synergies in efficiency and productivity gains.     

Coordination Structures and System Restrictiveness in Distributed Group Support Systems

Most GSS research has studied the impact of restricting group interaction to GSS-prescribed coordination structures with face-to-face groups, while Distributed GSS (DGSS) has been largely ignored. Due to the nature of mediated communication in asynchronous interaction, it is relatively difficult to coordinate distributed groups, and a special coordination structure must be arranged to overcome these difficulties. This study examines the effect of system restrictiveness of coordination structures in an asynchronous environment. A 2 × 2 factorial experiment was designed with two independent variables – sequential vs. parallel coordination mode, and with vs. without a leader – to construct coordination structures with varying degrees of restrictiveness. The study finds that less restrictive coordination structures are more appropriate to support asynchronously interacting distributed groups. Objective decision quality is equal for both parallel and sequential coordination mode, but is significantly better with a group leader. Groups with parallel coordination mode have a stronger belief that the decisions they made are of higher quality than those of groups with sequential coordination mode. In groups with a leader, communication effectiveness is better. Satisfaction with a decision process is higher in parallel coordination groups and in groups with a leader. There is also a significant interaction effect. Satisfaction with the decision process is higher in sequential coordination groups with a leader than sequential coordination groups without a leader.     

CSR Information Disclosure on the Web: A Context-Based Approach Analysing the Influence of Country of Origin and Industry Sector

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a much-discussed subject in the business world. The Internet has become one of the main tools for CSR information disclosure, allowing companies to publicise more information less expensively and faster than ever before. As a result, corporations are increasingly concerned with communicating ethically and responsibly to the diversity of stakeholders through the web. This paper addresses the main question as whether CSR information disclosure on corporate websites is influenced by country of origin and/or industry sector. Analysing the websites of 127 corporations from emerging countries, such as Brazil, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand and South Africa, it becomes evident that both country of origin and industry sector have a significant influence over CSR information disclosure on the web (CSRIDOW). Based on the data studied, country of origin has a stronger influence over CSRIDOW than industry sector.