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The current global economy is extremely competitive and it requires an efficient funding of public projects, especially when it comes to research and development. Project Management (PM) practices are intended to increase such an efficiency. The objective of this work is to explore the usage of PM methodologies and practices in projects funded by the European Union as part of the "Horizon2020" research framework program from 2014 to 2020. To this end, this research uses of a survey-based data retrieval to investigate the level of perceived PM maturity in Horizon 2020 projects. The results show that Project Managers involved in Horizon 2020 projects hold a high level of PM maturity, especially in the areas of cost management, communication and stakeholders management thus confirming that PM standards, which are imposed by the EU commission as a binding process, are effectively enforced. In conclusion, this work extends the results to provide useful feedback, suggestions, and opportunities for improvement to be implemented in future programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media controlled by stakeholder communities and groups, or "stakeholder media," can exercise powerful influence on the strategic agendas of firms. Stakeholder media can be different and in some ways stronger than the influence of traditional news media. This article identifies strategies through which stakeholder groups use their own media to achieve desired outcomes, as support for or extensions of strategies known from the literature on social movements. These strategies rely on specific characteristics of stakeholder media that differ from mainstream media. These communication tools have altered the dynamics of stakeholder influence: on the one hand, allowing them greater independence from and influential collaboration with mainstream media as well as with other stakeholders; and on the other, augmenting the scope and momentum of their adversarial campaigns. There are important risks and opportunities posed to organizations by stakeholder media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effects of intragroup and cross-subgroup communications in an experimental field study on demographic faultlines. The results indicated that faultlines explained more variance in perceptions of team learning, psychological safety, satisfaction, and expected performance than single-attribute heterogeneity indexes. In addition, cross-subgroup work communications were effective for groups with weak faultlines but not for groups with strong faultlines. Overall, this study extends the original faultline model, documents the utility of the concept of faultlines, and identifies some of their effects on work group outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By mid-1998, approximately 200 different controlled experiments had been published in 230 articles in refereed journals or major conference proceedings, which examined processes and outcomes in computer-supported group decision making. This paper is a concise overview of what has been studied and how: the systems, independent, intervening, adaptation, and dependent variables, manipulated or measured, and experimental procedures employed. Part I categorizes the contextual and intervening factors. Part II analyzes 1,582 hypotheses resulting from pairings of independent and dependent variables. The results show that the modal outcome for group support systems (GSS) compared with face-to-face (FtF) methods is "no difference," while the overall percentage of positive effects for hypotheses that compare GSS with FtF is a disappointing 16.6 percent. Experiments with seven to ten groups per treatment condition working on idea-generation tasks and using GSS technology show an improvement up to 29.0 percent. These results are moderated by technology, process structure, communication mode, group factors, task type, the number of experimental groups per treatment condition, and the type of dependent variable measured. The purpose of this paper is to aid the GSS researcher by presenting detailed results of what has been studied and found in previous experiments, along with a discussion of what needs to be studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Aims - According to the present research concerning organizational training, managers' communication are often seen as a critical training management issue that may help to maintain and enhance organizational competitiveness and performance in a borderless world and era of globalization. In this study, the relationship between managers' communication, motivation to learn and training application was evaluated at military hospitals in Peninsular Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach - The SmartPLS path model analysis was utilized to examine the research hypotheses and evaluate the validity and reliability of instrument used. Research Findings - The results demonstrate that the capability of managers to communicate the training courses information will strongly invoke employees' motivation to learn. Theoretical Contribution/Originality - As a result, this motivation may lead to an improved training application in a military health context. Managerial Implication in the South East Asian context - Managers play a critical role in dissemination of the organisation's aspiration to the rank and file. Research limitation & Implications - The conclusion of this study should be taken carefully with some methodological and conceptual limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to develop and test an integrated conceptual model of microcomputer usage. This study used the technology acceptance model and sought to extend it by investigating the impact of the external factors (i.e., individual, organizational, and system characteristics) on the user acceptance of microcomputer technology. The paper reports the results of a field study investigating the determinants of microcomputer usage. The analyses of the measurement model confirm the existence of two distinct constructs of (1) beliefs-perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use; (2) organizational support-management support and end-user computing (EUC) support; and (3) microcomputer usage-perceived usage and variety of use. The tested conceptual model confirms the effects of individual, organizational, and system characteristics on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. The model also confirms the influence of perceived ease of use on perceived usefulness, and the effects of perceived usefulness on perceived usage and variety of use. Results confirm several previously proposed notions, including the effects of individual, organizational, and system characteristics on ease of use and usefulness; the influence of ease of use on usefulness, and the effects of perceived usefulness on usage and variety of use. The results demonstrate the utility of investigating factors contributing to microcomputer usage and the external factors affecting endogenous variables such as system usefulness. The importance of EUC support and management support is corroborated, as well as the need for designing mechanisms such as training programs and newsletters to improve user perceptions of microcomputers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reports on the place in which a chief executive officer (CEO) has with communicating to a company's employees. The author feels that it is through communicating concerns and values executives are able to gain the necessary employee cooperation. According to the article, it is through communication that executives share their vision for an organization by expressing the company's ideals and policies. Examples are given of companies in which an open relationship exists between employees and management.

Previous research on selection of source and medium has tailed to consider the dynamic, temporal aspects of information acquisition. In this paper a model that integrates the decision-making and communication literatures is developed. Media selection is viewed beyond an immediate incident to the range of media and sources used throughout the entire decision-making process. Propositions are derived from the model and future empirical research and implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linguistic conceptions regarding what Reddy (1979) calls the "conduit metaphor" are applied to the teaching and practice of organizational communication. The argument is advanced that in "everyday" discourse and even current management textbooks, organizational communication frequently is explicated in terms of the conduit metaphor. Furthermore, it is suggested that the conduit metaphor implicitly engenders the assumption that successful communication is easy and requires little effort. The practical and research implications of this argument are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Language is very important in comprehending a subject as complex as business policy. Unfortunately, the lack of a widely shared and understood language is a liability that business policy has yet to overcome. In this paper some proposals are made that, it is hoped, will promote a consensus on the meaning of the bask concepts and terms in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to draw explicit attention to the use of similies, analogies, and metaphors in administrative science, many of which originate in other disciplines. We argue that the application of these tropes to the science-making processes of the field may be misleading because they are not easily eliminable by ordinary scientific means. As a consequence, the advancement of a useful body of knowledge that can serve administrative problems may be impeded. We offer a number of probable explanations for the heavy reliance on metaphors in the discipline, as well as suggestions for constraining continued reliance on figures of speech from outside the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People frame and make sense of their worlds through the use of cognitive categories, which researchers can only indirectly access. Public corporate statements are easily accessible and comparable across companies and over time, but it is unclear to what extent such statements reflect organization members' cognitive categorizations. This study is the first to directly compare executives' public and private statements to explore whether and along what dimensions public statements reflect internal company communications. Comparisons of internal and external documents generated by the forest products industry over ten years revealed no significant correlations in the two sets of documents between executives' positive or negative evaluations of events and situations; however, the correlations between their perceptions of control were positive and significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the impact of agency risks and task uncertainty on venture capitalist-chief executive officer (VC-CEO) interaction. Results from 51 VC-CEO dyads indicate that the frequency of interaction depends on the extent of VC-CEO goal congruence, the degree of the CEO's new venture experience, the venture's stage of development, and the degree of technical innovation it is pursuing. However, contrary to conventional expectations, the degree of management ownership had no impact on the frequency of interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This field study investigates the characteristics of internal communication stars, the characteristics of boundary spanning individuals, and the extent to which boundary spanning individuals span multiple communication boundaries. The characteristics of boundary spanning individuals were found to be contingent on their subunit's work and on the information boundary they span. There is substantial boundary role overlap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the value of communication in a setting in which the owner and the manager of a firm differentially share the costs and benefits of information acquisition. Absent communication, the optimal contract induces allocative distortions to enhance the information content (about whether the manager expended effort in searching for additional information pertinent to the allocation decision) of the observed output. Communication has value because it reduces the value of the information externality in the observed output and, thus, reduces allocative distortions. Hence, the results lend support to the use of accounting reports (e.g., budgets) and ex post monitoring of decisions (e.g., an internal audit) in managerial performance evaluation. However, unless the manager's search is observable, it is optimal to use the information in the observed outcomes in compensating the manager. This finding highlights that the optimality of observed resource allocation practices cannot be evaluated independently of the larger problem of motivating the manager to acquire pertinent information because the information acquisition and resource allocation problems cannot be decomposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using research in social psychology, the authors illustrate how two key routes to improve communication between marketing and engineering are dependent on the strength. of managers' psychological connection to their functional area compared to the firm as a whole (i.e., relative functional identification). In particular, they argue that relative functional identification moderates the relationship between strategies traditionally used to affect interfunctional relationships (information-sharing norms and integrated goals) and the frequency, bidirectionality, and coerciveness of interfunctional communication behaviors. In turn, these communication behaviors are linked to information use and perceived relationship effectiveness. The authors empirically test predictions of the framework in two studies. Study 1 results suggest that (1) the efficacy of the traditional strategies depends on marketing managers' relative functional identification and (2) the traditional strategies can have negative and unintended effects on communication behaviors. In Study 2, the authors replicate and extend Study 1 by illustrating that bidirectional communication is as important as frequency in increasing both information use by engineering personnel and the perceived effectiveness of interfunctional relationships. The authors conclude with implications for theory building and managerial practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on recognizing the implications of costly communication for optimal organizational design. Delegation is commonly observed in organizations and accepted by organizational theorists as valuable. By contrast, previous work in optimal organizational design had shown the weak superiority of communication-based centralization mechanisms, i.e., revelation mechanisms, over direct delegation mechanisms. Such comparisons, however, had been based only on the benefits or gross performance of the two forms of organization and did not recognize the costs of making or receiving communications, as evidenced by the existence of limited channels of communication and the limited ability of humans to process information. Recognizing that incorporation of these costs would move preferences away from communication-based centralized organizations and toward delegation mechanisms, management researchers Nahum D. Melumad and Stefan Reichelstein chose to investigate the conditions under which any positive such cost would guarantee a strict preference.

With the development of globalization, companies will need worldwide resources for R&D. Multinational corporations (MNCs) will rely on their subunits located in different countries for R&D. As a result, knowledge transfer between headquarters and subunits or among subunits will be crucial for MNCs to operate their R&D activities. This study explores the relationship between knowledge transfer and R&D operations, using a qualitative research approach including four multinational companies. We conducted a cross-case analysis connecting four R&D configurations and two knowledge transfer mechanisms: expatriate management policy and communication frequency. Results show that both transfer mechanisms are very important for MNCs for the management of knowledge transfer in global R&D operations. However, each of these mechanisms will need a different focus depending on R&D strategy and configuration. The paper summarizes recommendations for managers as drawn from these insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even as English is a necessity for businesses, trades, diplomacy, etc. around the world, one notices continuing growth of miscommunication through English. Various factors are responsible for this: individual traits, business demands, inadequate preparation, etc. Various factors govern work place communication which includes mastery of soft skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews several articles on technical communication including "Communicating Corporate Brands Through Social Media: An Exploratory Study" by M. Vernuccio in the 2014 issue of the "International Journal of Business Communication," "Coordinating Constant Invention: Social Media's Role in Distributed Work" by S. Pigg in the 2014 issue of "Technical Communication Quarterly," and "Improving Icon Design" by M. Zender and G. M. Mejia in the 2013 issue of "Visible Language."

Purpose: Previous literature focuses on what practitioners should be doing to demonstrate the value of technical communication, rather than what they actually do. This study addresses the gap by asking managers about the extent to which they track two measures of value--productivity and effectiveness--as well as the expectations of sponsors for receiving reports on these issues. Method: A survey of corporate communication, training, and technical communication groups was conducted. Participants were recruited through local chapters of the STC and the American Medical Writers Association. Ninety technical communication managers responded. Results: The evidence suggests that activities for tracking productivity by technical communication managers are limited. Technical communication groups rarely solicit feedback and perceptions on individual communication products and employ usability testing on a limited basis. Technical communicators rarely track return on investment (ROI). Technical communication managers feel limited pressure to report productivity and effectiveness. The most significant criteria against which the productivity and effectiveness of technical communication groups is assessed is word of mouth. The evidence only partially supports this entering belief: Customer surveys play an important role in assessing general impressions of technical communication products. Conclusions: These results are consistent with earlier studies and suggest that despite a discussion about means of assessing the productivity and effectiveness of technical communicators that has spanned over a quarter of a century, none of the methods of assessment has reached wide use. The study also suggests that perceptions are the most significant factor in assessing the value of technical communication products and services, and should be given more focus in future research and writing on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article gives a simpler about human condition, that it has an in-depth understanding of our concerns most hidden. We'll try to put in view of the importance for improving the effectiveness of personal to be successful. It is important to know that to win in business is quite impossible, in the same way as a lost. Among the most modern methods of identification of the risks within the framework of firms is method of classification of risks, carried out by stages and grading of card risks. Business Management exemplifies influences study company, the method by which they are structured and administered, the manner in which it operates, the study of nature and management roles, but with an emphasis on key tasks of planning, control and decisionmaking, as well as the study importance of information and communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite evidence of a positive relationship, vision's effects on performance are not fully understood, particularly in small professional service settings. This study advances prior research using a multi-stakeholder, multi-measure approach. It reports a positive relationship between vision-communication and -sharing on performance in Australian retail pharmacies using five measures-financial assessments, employee and customer satisfaction, productivity, and staff retention. Organizations whose managers communicate the vision to staff and whose employees share this vision outperform their peers across all business indicators and retain their employees longer. Financial performance and productivity were higher with long-term staff and managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The automotive industry is a trendsetter in communications, as it employs the latest technologies and communications techniques in order to adapt to the clients' needs. During 2006 to 2012 I implemented an innovative direct active communication system within a local Romanian Toyota dealership; the system called Comunicom (registered mark) aims to streamline the organization's communication processes with the dealership's target groups. Comunicom is a matrix-based system adding communications applications to marketing. By combining data research & storing technologies and communications technologies with analyses and dynamic management matrices based on the organization's relations with clients, the system proves to be an efficient technology application for marketing communications. The implementation was successful, leading to significant improvements in the company's marketing communications mix and its commercial results. Once implemented, Comunicom was updated continuously and used over more than 5 years, leading to the same excellent commercial results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at the flow of communication in several manners. They include horizontal communication that is generated among the people of the same rank in any organization. Other modes of communication include downward communication, upward communication and diagonal communication. The need to employ all the modes of communication is explained. In addition, the article addresses the use of reporting as a form of business communication.

The modern times that we all are living, asks us to relate and communicate more and better. The technological boom that helps us communicate faster and easier but the ability to communicate is held only by few. In the business world, communication has become one of the most powerful progress instruments through which charismatic managers raise their business trajectory and through which they send constructive ideas towards the coworkers. The modern manager has to improve constantly their communicative proficiency in order to maintain and improve his company position. The markets evolution, globalization and the prolonged crisis make the managers ' adaptation process to more be accelerated and those who can't keep up to risk losing the competition and bankruptcy. All these can be easily avoided if the manager has good communicative competence and preoccupations towards perfecting the communication process in the firm he manages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the work of researchers primarily interested in the investigation of written communication in business settings. The author regards 'business discourse' as a field of study with distinct features in the domain of discourse analysis. Thus, the paper overviews the most important contributions to the development of written business discourse with a number of landmark studies. To gain a greater understanding of the written business discourse, the author also investigates some principles and practices of politeness strategies used in written business communication. In order to highlight different ways of expressing politeness in business correspondence, the author will consider examples of requests made in business letters and point out what linguistic forms are used to carry out the proposed strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genre studies on intercultural aspects of business languages traditionally focus on established genres, such as print advertisements or annual reports. Despite the growing importance of Web-based business communication, only a few publications have engaged in contrastive Web genre analysis. This article develops a methodology for carrying out cross-cultural research on Web genres by giving ideas for designing a corpus and for choosing parameters of analysis. It also discusses the potential benefits of intercultural Web genre approaches for researchers, students, and business professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the importance of communication between companies within the supply chain has been well established in the literature, a number of gaps remain pertaining to how individual-level employee relationships influence firm-to-firm communications. One such gap in the literature represents the focus of the current study; little research has addressed the role of nonwork focused personal relationships (i.e., friendships) formed between employees of supply chain partner firms, and specifically how such relationships impact business-related communication processes. Because research in this area is limited, and qualitative methods are considered most appropriate to assess emergent research phenomena, grounded theory building () via semi-structured interviews was undertaken. The results reveal that interpersonal relationships facilitate business communications through four emergent process themes. Our analysis thus allows us to develop initial theory related to how two different personal social network layers - personal relationships and interorganizational communications - relate within supply chain settings. Implications for future research are also considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of an extensive survey study conducted among business professionals engaging in global communication, this paper discusses communicative competence. Rapid changes in work environments, particularly advancing globalization and new technology, have highlighted the need for expanding our knowledge of the elements that constitute communicative competence in global encounters. Competence has been investigated by several researchers; however, the language perspective, particularly the language used for international communication, that is, English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), has largely been ignored. Our findings indicate that global communicative competence (GCC) consists of three layers: multicultural competence, competence in English as a Business Lingua Franca (BELF) and the communicator's business know-how. Based on our findings, we present a model for GCC, which includes language as a key component. Implications for theory, practice, and education include the need for a multidisciplinary approach and the acknowledgement of ELF/BELF as the language of global interaction. ELF/BELF assumes a shared “core” of the English language, but focuses on interactional skills, rapport building, and the ability to ask for and provide clarifications. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of small business managers' objectives and preferred methods of communicating on the communications aspect of accountants' advisory relationship with small business. Through exploring and reporting on these issues, the paper seeks to contribute to understanding of accounting's capacity to satisfy the communication needs of its users. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a mixed methodology, comprising a questionnaire to access evidence from small business managers and semi-structured interviews with accountants, which provide a complementary perspective to accountant/small business communications. The analysis of the findings is informed by media richness theory. Findings – Small business managers prefer direct forms of contact with their accountants and the richness of verbal communications. This is demonstrated in accountants' use of visual and audio cues, including reinforcing and adjusting techniques, which enhance the appeal and utility of verbal communications. Accountants' documents have been relegated to a supplementary reinforcing function in the profession's communications with small business. Small firm managers' objectives influence their interest in and use of accounting information and the communications approach that their accountant implements. The findings indicate that accountants adopt communications approaches with small business managers, which satisfy the communication needs of the economically significant small business sector, a significant user of accounting information and services. Originality/value – The paper contributes to redressing a gap in the accounting discipline's literature regarding accountants' communications with small business, while offering insights that may be useful to practitioners in their advisory relationships with small business managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In each issue we ask an academic to explain the big question their research hopes to shed light on. Yiorgos Mylonadis looks at how people define and solve problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the conflict that can occur in a merger due to firms' use of specialized language, or “code,” and whether participants accurately forecast this difficulty. After creating a shared code to describe different pictures accurately, subjects bid for extra payments to join a merged group. The two lowest bidders are placed in the merged group. Values inferred from two different bidding procedures indicate fairly accurate general appraisals of the cost of the merger, but the values of those subjects who bid the least, and choose to join the merged group, are too optimistic, reflecting an “organizational winner's curse.” ( JEL D23, D83, G34, L21, M14) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This paper seeks to explore the effects of communicative interaction on integration and coordination of a commercial aerospace supply chain. Design/methodology/approach -- A perspective of supply chains as complex activity networks is used for data analysis based on in-depth interviews in a global setting. Themes for interviews were identified through literature research. Findings -- The paper finds that integration through risk-sharing partnerships is chosen for co-developing expertise and innovative capacity. Practices of integration and coordination through communicative interaction are emerging while they are producing innovative solutions and competitive advantage. The multi-voiced interaction between partners in the supply chain is assisting in moving the product beyond what the airframe manufacturer could have created alone. Originality/value -- The paper provides evidence of changing interactive practices in commercial aerospace supply chains. By applying concepts of supply chains as he interaction of multiple work activities this assists in comprehending the forces of change. Communicative interaction within the supply chain is used for co-construction of meaning to enhance change and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the role of language in effective managerial communication. The author believes that the new spirit of business must be marked by efficient managerial communication and that managers need to have the ability to communicate efficiently. The author emphasizes the importance of developing managerial communication abilities through the use of modern communication and psychological techniques that enable harmonizing interpersonal communication relations in business.

Work-related cultural differences, which were familiarized by scholars such as Hall and Hofstede, offer important concepts to help us understand various forms of cooperation and communication. However, the predominant focus of cultural analysis on collectivistic harmony prevents us from gaining an understanding of strategy and conflict. In an attempt to grasp how conflicts are handled, a political analysis can provide new insights. This is illustrated by a comparative study of two CEOs who gave public statements concerning management failure: Shouhei Nozawa of Yamaichi and Paul Smits of KPN. Their statements were strikingly different in several ways, but the classical insights of cross-cultural analysis can only partly explain the differences. This is where political analysis comes in, focusing on interest relationships, responsibilities and virtues, tactics and strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Executives are challenged every day to make important decisions that affect the performance of their business enterprises and, as a result, the success of their own careers. Based on that scenario, one cannot expect that only the rational approach works like a panacea for all managerial problems. This paper aims to propose that the best solution tends to embrace a complementary or integrated decision-making approach. Design/methodology/approach - The paper seeks to demonstrate that the convergence between rational and non-rational decision-making processes can be optimized by integrating several religious tenets. Findings - The paper finds strong evidence that a religion-based framework might enrich the sensitive topic of decision-making processes in organizations. Practical implications - Overall, the paper strives to show that intuition and prayer are two faces of the same coin, and argues that both forms of decision processes (e.g. rational and non-rational analysis) might coexist perfectly in an integrative frame. Originality/value - The article proposes prayer as a transcendent coping mechanism whereby executives might refine their intuition flux. As a result, it depicts a conceptual framework encapsulating all those constructs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Outsourcing has been promoted as one of the most powerful trends in the modernization of marketing operations. The rationale for such an undertaking includes a variety of factors but is generally predicated on fiduciary considerations. The purpose of this article is to examine the issues with, and the empirical consequences of, outsourcing within the intercollegiate marketing context. Design/methodology/approach - This is an exploratory mixed-methods study incorporating qualitative and quantitative data to investigate outsourcing specifically related to the communication-employee commitment relationship. Findings - Results from study 1 reveal that marketing directors perceive outsourcing as critical but also experience dissatisfaction with the level, frequency, and direction of communication. Results from study 2 indicate that an explicit and positive relationship exists between employee satisfaction with communication and their resultant commitment to the organization. Research limitations/implications - Owing to the exploratory nature of the study and a relatively small sample, the conclusions are tempered until subsequent studies have been performed. As well, specific moderating variables (e.g. size, culture, budget) were not included in this initial inquiry and as such may add considerable variance explained to the proposed relationship. Practical implications - First, the authors suggest that managing the "right commitment" is essential for marketing departments when working with an outsourcing agency. Second, the authors call attention to the importance of certain contextual factors (e.g. shared knowledge, mutual dependency, and organizational linkage) that may serve to improve the outsourcing partnership. Originality/value - Few papers have explored the communication-commitment relationship, particularly with regards to outsourcing. Consequently, this study adds to the research by examining how intercollegiate marketing employees perceive and react to an outsourcing partnership. Building on additional work in this area, the research focuses on several aspects of the communication-commitment framework not previously examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political support is an important environmental factor in public management, and over the past few decades, the implementation of results-oriented reforms has become highly influential as well. However, few studies have examined the impact of these two factors on employee attitudes and behaviors. This articleproposes that the extent of results-oriented reforms and political support from elected officials-as perceived by managers-has a significant influence on managerial practice and normative commitment to the organization. Using data from a national survey of state-level human service managers, we test and find support for a model positing that managerial perceptions of political support have a direct influence on the implementation of results-oriented reforms, organizational structure, and internal communication. We also find that more extensive results-oriented reform efforts are positively associated with goal clarity, communication adequacy, and flexible structures and that normative commitment is affected positively by goal clarity and negatively by bureaucratic structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication is a complex process of transmitting messages, according to which the emitter encodes the information transmitted through a specific channel to a receiver who ultimately is going to decode it. At an ordinary level, communication as a message exchange between individuals is understood as a verbal or written transmission of information. The success of any communication is dependent on several factors that exert their influence both upon the emitter and the receiver. Business communication obeys the general rules of communication being influenced by certain factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of this communication is to analyze points of similarities of using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Shared Time Work (STW), for a special category of firms, whose place seems to be more and more important: Small and Middle sized Enterprises (SMEs). After several particularities (apart from the size), we will remind their difficulties in Human Resources Management, especially about ICT, then the opportunity in the using of STW, for research teachers, professionals and media. We will present different legal shapes, then precise points of similarities between TIC and STW, and finally, results among different kinds of players in this one, in an exploring research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internal communication is a very important step in the enterprises' and organizations' life. This permits the facilitation of their functioning. Everyone has to know to whom she/he has to address to, for the needed information acquirement. The internal communication has to contribute to the collaborators' motivation improvement assembling them around values and commitment. Moreover, the internal communication has to make the enterprise attractive for the interested potential candidates and students. Three types of techniques can be used to conceive an internal communication plan: oral techniques, direct and media communication techniques. Among them, the enterprise journal, printed, audio-video or electronic one, is a fundamental and essential tool of all the internal communication strategy. The internal communication responsible, in general, the human resources headmaster has to determine a calendar for putting into practice the entire communication actions and follow the budget to avoid any deviation from the engaged costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts about communication including the relationship between business communication and employee satisfaction, creating better sales letters, and the integration of technology into college classes.

This study investigates business-to-business interpersonal trust formation (trust that develops between boundary spanning individuals from different organizations) during the price determination stage of the supplier selection process. We first investigate whether trust can form at this stage. Then we examine two factors that may affect trust formation: the communication channel employed by the buyer and the amount of complexity involved in the purchase. Hypotheses are tested with a behavioral experiment ( N=117) comparing three communication media (face-to-face, email, and Internet reverse auctions) and two levels of procurement complexity. Results show that trust formation does occur at the price determination stage; however, the degree to which trust grows depends on the communication channel employed and on the level of procurement complexity. Our study enhances managerial understanding of the possibility of developing (or eroding) trust early in the buyer-seller relationship, and it sheds light on the appropriateness of various supplier selection tools under various conditions. In addition, this research contributes to the supply chain management field by complementing the existing trust literature which typically focuses on interorganizational trust that is formed or eroded later in the supply relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how two factors, the agents' perceptions regarding the fairness of the principal and inter-agent communication, affect agents' behaviors under a peer reporting system. Analytical models show that when agents can observe each other's actions and local signals, a peer reporting system with a verification mechanism (using one agent's information to verify the other's) and a reward for truthful whistleblowing can induce agents to report honestly and thereby help the principal achieve the first-best outcome. However, behavioral research suggests that the agents' perception regarding the fairness of the principal, as well as communication among agents, may affect how honestly agents report. The results of my experiment show that, under a peer reporting system with a high reward for whistleblowing, the agents' perception regarding the fairness of the principal positively affects the agents' reporting honesty and negatively affects their explicit attempts at collusion. Communication between agents decreases their reporting honesty when the principal is perceived as unfair, but not when the principal is perceived as fair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the statistical distributions of interarrival and response times for construction-site correspondence. Data from a number of construction projects are analyzed and hypotheses are proposed and tested to link the probability distribution to the type of correspondence. Although the commonly assumed exponential distribution of interarrival times is found to be accurate for all types of correspondence, the response times for different types of correspondence follow different distributions depending on the type of correspondence. In particular, a power law relationship is observed between incidence frequency and response time for requests for information. Knowing the statistical distributions for a class of events helps managers forecast future work and manage risk. Simulation models used by practitioners and researchers for various project management goals are also improved by incorporating appropriate statistical distributions for generating various events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper outlines an approach to the formal representation of signalling conventions, emphasising the prominent role played therein by a particular type of normative modality. It is then argued that, in terms of inferencing related to this modality, a solution can be given to the task J.L. Austin set but failed to resolve: finding a criterion for distinguishing between what Austin called constatives and performatives. The remainder of the paper indicates the importance of the normative modality in understanding a closely related issue: reasoning about trust in communication scenarios; this, in turn, facilitates a clear formal articulation of the role of a Trusted Third Party in trade communication. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper investigates how the history of interaction between organizations and between organizational boundary spanners contributes to the formation of trust between firms. Our findings, using data on the supplier–buyer relationships of two major US auto manufacturers, suggest that history affects trust formation in a complex non-linear fashion, involving a period of ambivalence early in a relationship. We show that certain kinds of exchange partners can systematically reap differential returns from a common history of interaction. Organizational similarity significantly enhances the ability of exchange partners to translate the benefits of the joint history of interaction into a stock of trust. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study manager--employee interactions in experiments set in a corporate environment where payoffs depend on employees coordinating at high effort levels; the underlying game being played repeatedly by employees is a weak-link game. In the absence of managerial intervention subjects invariably slip into coordination failure. To overcome a history of coordination failure, managers have two instruments at their disposal: increasing employees' financial incentives to coordinate and communication with employees. Synthesizing methods drawn from psychology and economics, we quantify the impact of specific types of communication on workers" effort levels and manager's profits. This methodology allows us to rigorously compare the efficacy of communication and direct incentives in an environment where both are available. We find that communication is a more effective tool than incentive changes for leading organizations out of performance traps. Examining the content of managers' communication, the most effective communication strategy is quite simple: specifically request a high effort, point out the mutual benefits of high effort, and imply that employees are being paid well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]