Key messages and message integrity as concepts and metrics in communication evaluation

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 386-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig E. Carroll ◽  
Nell C. Huang-Horowitz ◽  
Brooke Weberling McKeever ◽  
Natalie Williams
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
News Media ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Media Relations ◽  
Social Relevance ◽  
Communication Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Communication Evaluation ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concepts of key messages and key message integrity, and examines their viability for communication management scholars and practitioners in evaluating media relations activities. Key message integrity addresses not only what messages transfer, but also how well. Design/methodology/approach – The authors analyzed 18 nonprofit organizations’ key messages and the messages’ integrity levels using content analysis on one month of their news coverage. In-depth interviews with eight of their media relations practitioners helped validate the concepts and the results. Findings – The authors found five unique categories and functions of key messages: information concerned with dissemination, raison d’être concerned with purpose, categories concerned with positioning, resource management concerned with accounting for resources, and social relevance concerned with legitimacy. Findings also revealed varying levels of transmission and message integrity across the categories. Interviews revealed insights into challenges for communicating organizational key messages to the news media. Originality/value – This study lays the foundation for additional research on key messages and key message integrity as useful metrics for communication management scholars and practitioners.

Communication evaluation and measurement: connecting research to practice

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Buhmann ◽  
Fraser Likely ◽  
David Geddes
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research To Practice ◽  
Communication Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Comprehensive List ◽  
Current State ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Services Evaluation ◽  
Communication Evaluation ◽  
Intervening Variables

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the current state of communication evaluation and measurement (E&M) as a vital field connecting academics and practitioners in communication management. Design/methodology/approach The authors track recent developments in the field, address the ongoing struggle toward E&M standards, and propose six agenda points for the future E&M debate. Findings While the authors see an engaged, international interest community making considerable headway in important E&M issues, the conclusion is that several areas require further work: dynamics of standardization; going beyond the effectiveness-based view; internal services evaluation; addressing intervening variables; closer ties to related fields; and dissemination into the wider practice. Originality/value The paper gives a pointed reflection of the state of the field and also provides a comprehensive list of current resources for those who aim to further the E&M debate.

Beyond the c-suite: corporate communications’ power and influence

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlene S. Neill
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reputation Management ◽  
Corporate Communications ◽  
Senior Executives ◽  
Media Relations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Issues ◽  
Executive Level ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine what formal executive-level committees senior corporate communications executives are members of and what value they contribute. Design/methodology/approach – The researcher conducted in-depth interviews with 30 senior executives at four US companies who discussed corporate communications’ involvement in eight strategic issues. Findings – The focus on the C-Suite is too narrow as strategic issues arise at the division level and in executive-level committees. Corporate communications is often in competition with marketing for influence and coveted seats in the board rooms. Corporate communications is most likely to be included in decision making when issues are perceived as falling within their domain, when the function has support from the CEO, when working in industries with frequent crises or those focussing on reputation management, and in companies that utilize integrated decision teams. Practical implications – Corporate communicators need to enhance their research skills and educate other colleagues about their domain beyond media relations. Originality/value – Study includes the perspectives of executives outside of corporate communications such as marketing, sales, human resources, investor relations, finance, and operations as well as division presidents.

Dialogic communication and media relations in non-governmental organizations

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seow Ting Lee ◽  
Mallika Hemant Desai
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
News Media ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Media Relations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Subsidies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to seek to clarify the conceptual building blocks of relationship building between non-governmental groups (NGOs) and news media, which is essential for the development of civil society where dialogue is a product of ongoing communication and relationships. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on an online survey with a sample size of 296 NGOs from India. The data are analyzed with SPSS to test six hypotheses related to dialogic orientation, media relations, relationship quality and the NGOs’ structural characteristics. Findings – The study found that an organization's dialogic orientation has a positive impact on media relations knowledge and strategy but not on the action dimension that focusses on providing information subsidies to journalists. A stronger dialogic orientation is also associated with better organization-media relationships. A stronger engagement in media relations also has a more positive impact on the quality of organization-media relationship. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Research limitations/implications – The findings of this study are limited to a sample of NGOs from India. Future research should address more diverse samples to better understand the dynamics of media relations in NGOs, and how their patterns of media relations, use of information subsidies, culture and media choice shape news coverage and their impact in developing civil society. Originality/value – By approaching media relations from an organizational perspective to investigate media relations in the NGO sector to address an under-researched area, the study is able to draw out the significant relationships between and among three distinct and yet connected conceptual building blocks of public relations.

scholarly journals Ameliorating time and cost control with project learning and communication management

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 767-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Boon Hui Yap ◽  
Martin Skitmore
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cost Control ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Communication Management ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Depth Interviews

PurposeLegions of projects fail to attain their time and cost objectives due to ineffective coordination. This is often due to a lack of essential learning from projects because of insufficient communication and working experience. One of the key reasons why this occurs is that managers are unaware of what knowledge needs to be retained. In contrast with knowledge management research, which mostly focuses on the systems and processes for capturing, storing, and retrieval of knowledge, this paper investigates the nature of project communication and learning and their role on project time and cost control.Design/methodology/approachA stratified proportional purposive sampling approach was adopted in choosing the interview participants for the study. They are experienced industry practitioners working on building construction projects in Malaysia. Content analysis was then performed on the interview data. The identified variables were further validated by 11 industry experts from the three primary construction stakeholders.FindingsThe results of a series of 12 in-depth interviews with industry practitioners are provided to reveal the effective communication tools for sharing and learning in a project-based environment, the learning inducing situations involved, and the use of reusable project experiences to improve project time and cost control.Research limitations/implicationsA possible limitation of the study is its focus on a small group of Malaysian practitioners delimits the generalizability of the findings.Originality/valueA two-phase model with three-step project management process of input, tools, and output is developed from the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide as an aid for more effective knowledge reuse in project time and cost control in the future.

scholarly journals Media relations in an evolving media landscape

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Augustine Pang ◽  
Vivien H.E. Chiong ◽  
Nasrath Begam Binte Abul Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Media Industry ◽  
Media Relations ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Media ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Viable Model

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the viability of the media relations framework, Mediating the Media model (Pang, 2010), and ascertains its relevance to practitioners in a changing media landscape in Singapore where social media is emerging as an alternative source of information tool. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews with 20 media relations practitioners who were former journalists. Practitioners with journalism experience were chosen as they perform better at media relations (Sallot and Johnson, 2006a; Sinaga and Callison, 2008). Findings – The model posits two sets of influences, i.e. internal (journalist mindset, journalist routines and newsroom routines) and external (extra-media forces and media ideology) in media relations. Internal influences were found to be more prevalent than external influences and journalist mindset was the most pervasive factor influencing media relations. Research limitations/implications – Findings are based solely on interviews and some claims cannot be corroborated. As this is a qualitative study situated in one country, it is also not generalizable. Practical implications – This study will serve useful insights for new practitioners to approach media relations in a holistic and systematic manner and for seasoned practitioners to re-evaluate their current media strategies. Originality/value – This inaugural test found rigor in the model, and affords an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of journalist-practitioner relationships in a changing media landscape. It also presents an intriguing opportunity for the model to be applied to countries where the media industry operates under vastly different environments so as to ensure that the model stands up to scrutiny as it seeks to be positioned as a viable model for media relations.

Share of voices in corporate social responsibility (CSR) news

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-142
Author(s):  
Lisa Tam
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Press Releases ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Press ◽  
Negative Comments ◽  
Building Effects ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Different Sources

Purpose The use of sources in news coverage affects news audience’s perceptions of news events. To extend existing research on inter media agenda-setting and agenda-building effects of CSR-related news, the purpose of this paper is to explore the representation and share of voices in CSR-related news by investigating and comparing the use of sources in press releases and news coverage. Design/methodology/approach This study content-analyzed the 202 CSR-related press releases published by the two electricity providers in Hong Kong and 1,045 news articles related to the press releases over a five-year period. A total of 402 quotes from the press releases and 1,880 quotes from the news coverage were analyzed, including the types of sources cited, the tone of the sources and variations in the use of sources across seven different CSR themes. Findings Although company representatives were quoted the most in both the press releases and news coverage, NGOs, government representatives and industry analysts were the most frequently cited for negative comments in the news coverage. Differences were found between the press releases and news coverage in terms of how frequently different sources were cited, the tone attributed to those sources, and the choice of sources across different CSR themes. Originality/value The findings reflect that corporations are not necessarily the most influential voice in CSR and that other groups also have their views represented in the news media. The representation of these voices differed by CSR themes. Corporations are advised to further explore what and how different voices are represented in the news coverage in relation to their CSR activities and to consider these voices when making decisions about CSR.

How to support consumer-brand relationships

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oriol Iglesias ◽  
Fathima Zahara Saleem
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Brand Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Human Resource Policies ◽  
Communication Evaluation ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Policies And Practices

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the detailed human resource policies and practices that favor the expansion of consumer-brand relationships. Design/methodology/approach – Due to the lack of studies in this specific field, this research leans toward adopting an exploratory and interpretative methodology. The data stems from 53 in-depth interviews spanning three case studies in the hotel industry. Findings – The main contribution of this research is the identification and description of the human resource management (HRM) policies and practices which enable the development of consumer-brand relationships. The six policies and practices which this research considers key are: recruitment, promotion, training, communication, evaluation and compensation. Originality/value – This is the first research that identifies and describes the HRM policies and practices which enable the development of consumer-brand relationships.

Co-workers’ perceptions of and reactions to employee’s involuntary demotion

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 740-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Hennekam ◽  
Subramaniam Ananthram ◽  
Steve McKenna
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Emotional Reaction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Informational Justice ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
Behavioural Reaction ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
The Way

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how individuals perceive and react to the involuntary demotion of a co-worker in their organisation. Design/methodology/approach The authors draw on 46 semi-structured in-depth interviews (23 dyads) with co-workers of demoted individuals. Findings The findings suggest that an individual’s observation of the demotion of a co-worker has three stages: their perception of fairness, their emotional reaction and their behavioural reaction. The perception of fairness concerned issues of distributive, procedural, interpersonal and informational justice. The emotional responses identified were feelings of disappointment/disillusion, uncertainty, vulnerability and anger. Finally, the behavioural reactions triggered by their emotional responses included expressions of voice, loyalty, exit and adaptation. Originality/value Perceptions of (in)justice perpetrated on others stimulate emotional and behavioural responses, which impacts organisational functioning. Managers should therefore pay attention to the way a demotion is perceived, not only by those directly concerned, but also by co-workers as observers.

Consumer value creation through WhatsApp use

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-471
Author(s):  
Jorge Cruz-Cárdenas ◽  
Jorge Guadalupe-Lanas ◽  
Ekaterina Zabelina ◽  
Andrés Palacio-Fierro ◽  
Margarita Velín-Fárez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Role Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Value ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand in-depth how consumers create value in their lives using WhatsApp, the leading mobile instant messaging (MIM) application. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts the perspective of customer-dominant logic (CDL) and uses a qualitative multimethod design involving 3 focus groups and 25 subsequent in-depth interviews. The research setting was Ecuador, a Latin American country. Findings Analysis and interpretation of the participants’ stories made it possible to identify and understand the creation of four types of value: maintaining and strengthening relationships; improving role performance; emotional support; and entertainment and fun. In addition, the present study proposes a conceptual model of consumer value creation as it applies to MIM. Practical implications Understanding the way consumers create value in their lives using MIM is important not only for organizations that offer MIM applications, but also for those companies that develop other applications for mobile phones or for those who wish to use MIM as an electronic word-of-mouth vehicle. Originality/value The current study is one of the first to address the topic of consumer behavior in the use of technologies from the perspective of CDL; this perspective enables an integrated qualitative vision of value creation in which the consumer is the protagonist.

Haunted by the past: transformations and daily challenges of China's prosthetics

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-124
Author(s):  
Chunchun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Institutional Pressures ◽  
Rehabilitation Center ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Daily Experiences ◽  
History Of ◽  
Depth Interviews

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the transformations of prosthetic practices in China, as well as the daily experiences and dilemmas arising from the everchanging practices since 1949. On the basis of materials, this paper explores an everyday perspective to review the history of technology.Design/methodology/approachEthnography was collected with the application of participant observations, informal interviews and in-depth interviews during a 13-months study at a rehabilitation center in Chengdu, China. The literature on prosthetic manufacturing was also reviewed for this paper.FindingsChina's prosthetic technology seems to evolve from traditional to modern. However, this progressive narrative – innovation-based timeline (Edgerton, 2006, xi) – has been challenged by daily practices. Due to institutional pressures, prosthetists are in a dilemma of selectively using their knowledge to create one kind of device for all prosthesis users with a certain kind of disability, thereby regulating the physical and social experiences of prosthesis users. Besides, prosthesis users are accustomed to prostheses made with old techniques, and must correct themselves from old experiences to the daily practices recognized by the selected techniques.Originality/valueThis paper provides a cross-cultural case to reexamine Edgerton's criticism of the progressive and orderly innovation-centric technological narrative. More importantly, it reviews the history and practices of China's prosthetics from daily experiences rather than Edgerton's concentration on technology; therefore, it provides an everyday perspective for future research on technological transformations.

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