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Research Question/Issue: This paper investigates whether the communication between managers and corporate site visitors facilitates managerial learning in improving management forecast accuracy. Research Findings/Insights: Using corporate site visit (CSV) data from 2009 to 2016, we find that the frequency of corporate site visits is positively related to management forecast accuracy. The positive relationship between corporate site visits and forecast accuracy is stronger when visitors have greater expertise and advanced industry knowledge and when firms are visited during a period of high business uncertainty and are subject to high sensitivity to industry shocks. These findings are consistent with the managerial learning hypothesis. Our results are robust to endogeneity concerns and alternative CSV measures. Theoretical/Academic Implications: Previous literature on voluntary disclosure assumes that managers are endowed with a private set of information and decide how much of that to reveal. In this paper, we find that corporate site visits serve as a communication channel through which managers learn from investors. Overall, we provide evidence that private communication is a two‐way channel through which visitors learn useful information from managers and vice versa. Practitioner/Policy Implications: We provide evidence that the private information acquisition process is also a channel of information sharing that increases management forecast accuracy. Our results could be useful to policymakers who may care about the information acquisition cost of investors when evaluating the benefit of corporate site visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a study of 133 Irish organizations implementing Quality Initiatives (QIs,), focusing particularly on the impact of these initiatives on internal communications processes and the role played by the human resource (HR) function in these changes. The present research describes the communications strategies adopted by Irish organizations implementing quality programs and critically evaluates the role played by the human resource function in the construction and implementation of these strategies. The results also revealed that employees do not perceive the attainment of quality as having fully satisfied their expectations for improved communications. In recent decades, the evolution of modern human resource management philosophy has been guided by the perception that employees are most satisfied and productive when they have some input and control over the work that they perform in the workplace. This description of the evolution and practices of the "soft" variant approach to HRM is at the very least linguistically analogous to the aspirations of the quality movement of recent decades.

Total Quality Management (TQM) is having its day as an approach embraced by practitioners to improve human and technical relationships within organizations. Providing a theoretical framework for their study, the authors look at the relation among concepts of intraorganizational communication, attitudes of organizational commitment and perceptions of organizational support. The role of communication within TQM organizations is defined and clarified through a survey of the existing literature. The study compares two organizations that identify themselves as implementing a TQM approach with one non-TQM organization, a university. This article provides a cautionary tale to even the best of managers who seek to be open and receptive to feedback from employees. The importance of internal marketing in the everyday life of a company, not just in moments of crisis, is emphasized in a recent survey conducted by Yankelovich Partners Inc. The authors used the triangulation method to study employee attitudes to e-mail and e-mail policies at a major university library.

To perform requirements elicitation and analysis, effective communication and collaboration between stakeholders are necessary. Global Software Development (GSD), where software teams are located in different parts of the world, has become increasingly popular. However, geographical distance, cultural diversity, differences in time zones, and language barriers create difficulties for GSD stakeholders in engaging in effective communication. Taking into consideration the factors involved in GSD, previous research showed that the ways by which requirements are gathered and analyzed for collocated software development cannot be used effectively for GSD. Thus, in this paper, we present a method of requirements elicitation and analysis for GSD. The method consists of 4 stages: (1) data collection; (2) educating stakeholders about GSD issues; (3) post-education assessment; and (4) requirements elicitation and analysis. Past researchers used student groups in a university environment to play the roles of stakeholders in experiments in GSD studies. Likewise, we preliminarily validate our method by applying it to a case study of an online shopping system, where the roles of client, requirements engineer, project analyst, and designers were played by a group of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The life-blood of most organizations is knowledge. Too often, the very mechanisms set up to facilitate knowledge flow militate against it. This is because they are instituted in a top-down way, they are cumbersome to manage and the bridges of trust fail to get built. In their thirst for innovation, the tendency is for firms to set up elaborate transmission channels and governance systems. As a result, staff are drowned in a deluge of mundane intranet messages and bewildered by matrix structures, while off-the-wall ideas and mould-breaking insights are routinely missed. Added to this is the challenge of operating across professional, cultural, regional and linguistic boundaries, where ways of sharing knowledge differ markedly, even within the same project team. Drawing upon extensive research with scientists in the ATLAS collaboration (a high-energy particle physics experiment comprising 3,500 scientists from 38 countries), we explore five paradoxes associated with knowledge exchange in global networks. Each paradox leads to a proposition which takes the theory and practice of knowledge management in a fresh direction. We conclude by outlining a number of HRM priorities for international knowledge-intensive organizations. [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.

In an increasingly globalized and interconnected world, it is no longer unusual to find several different languages being used in companies and other organizations. It is natural for researchers to pay attention to and explore these multilingual situations. Although equally important, analyses of monolingual situations are less frequent, however, probably because the perceived risk of misunderstanding and conflict is less obvious. In monolingual situations, everybody is supposed to understand everybody else because everybody is speaking the same language. This, however, is not the always the case. Even when people speak the same language, it does not mean that they understand everything that is said. Although 'company-speak''-the internal corporate language of an organization-can act as a bridge, it also can act as a barrier-not only within the company, but also between the company and its customers. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process safety literature it is often claimed that the analysis of near-miss incidents can improve process safety performance. However, empirical research has demonstrated that near miss events are interpreted as marginally successful, leading to riskier behavior due to lower perceived risk analyses. In other words, experiencing a near-miss incident can result in the false conclusion that the original risk was over-estimated. To be effective, the analysis of near-misses must be grounded in an objective evaluation of the event, the outcome, and the severity of the alternative outcome's consequences. In this article, several examples are presented where a near-miss incident preceded a serious incident with significant human injury or property damage. If the near-miss had been investigated, properly evaluated, and appropriate corrective actions been implemented, the more severe incident would not have occurred. A recurring theme in these examples is the underestimation of consequence severity, that is, the misinterpretation of the near-miss as a high probability, low-consequence severity scenario rather than a narrowly averted low-probability, high-consequence severity scenario. A deliberate consideration of the lower probability, more severe consequence scenario would have facilitated a more thoughtful evaluation of corrective actions. A methodology based on game theory is presented for evaluating the impact of near-misses on risk perception. A game-theoretical model is used to demonstrate the need for shifting payoffs away from lagging process safety indicators and toward leading indicators. An equally important outcome of this analysis is the effective communication of the risk at operational and managerial levels of the organization. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 32: 322-327, 2013 [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]

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]

Global virtual teams have the deck stacked against them: long distances, cultural differences, lack of social cues to help gauge each other's trustworthiness—and leaders unprepared to deal with these challenges. What such teams need for success are special leadership, consistent work practices, and keen attention to communication and building trust through a focus on member commitment and competency. TRW Automotive trains its continuous improvement leaders on how to apply the Goals, Roles, Processes, and Interpersonal Relationships (GRPI) Model with their far-flung virtual project members to create the all-important interdependent relationships and team cohesion in the absence of face-to-face interactions. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 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]

This paper is concerned with communication within a team of players trying to coordinate in response to information dispersed among them. The problem is nontrivial because they cannot communicate all information instantaneously but have to send longer or shorter sequences of messages, using coarse codes. We focus on the design of these codes and show that members may gain compatibility advantages by using identical codes and that this can support the existence of several, more or less efficient, symmetric equilibria. Asymmetric equilibria may exist only if coordination across different sets of members is of sufficiently different importance. The results are consistent with the stylized fact that firms differ even within industries and that coordination between divisions is harder than coordination inside divisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of communicating and interpreting the meaning of metaphors in business writing is deeply unreliable. This stems from the structure of metaphors in which some of the characteristics of a source domain are transferred to a target domain. The precise selection of characteristics is made by the reader rather than the author of the metaphor, thus creating uncertainty of meaning. Although there are some benefits stemming from the inherent ambiguity of metaphor, the unreliability of the trope not only makes it impossible to choose between competing metaphors, but may distort our view of reality and thus lead to poor management decision-making. Moreover, the unreliability of the interpretation process is so pronounced that some authors have attempted to reject the use of metaphor entirely. However, this paper argues that although it is impossible to avoid employing metaphor, contrary to the conventional wisdom in this subject area, it is possible to improve meaning reliability. Drawing on linguistic theory to explain the recommendations, and illustrative examples from business literature and practice, the papers offers several recommendations for so doing that may be applied throughout the Business and Management field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on creation of knowledge-sharing culture among diverse business units. Process of knowledge sharing among business units; Tips on monitoring and directing the process of knowledge-sharing; Impact of knowledge-sharing environment on the product strategy and overall attainment of goals.

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Verbal communication (VC) is a major work activity of managers, but managers' reactions to the properties of this activity are rarely investigated and are poorly understood. A description and explanation of managers' reactions to VC is needed to further present understanding of managerial behavior. This exploratory study draws on past research to include seven properties of VC that potentially are related to managers' reactions. A procedure was used whereby managers recorded the properties of their VC activities and their reactions to these activities as they occurred during the workday. Results indicate that the VC properties included are related to some reactions. Explanations are provided for managers' reactions and the results are linked to other research on managerial behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated main and interaction effects of memo quality, attributed author sex and organizational position, and rater sex on evaluation of business memos. Alternative questionnaire versions of four memos to be rated anonymously were mailed to about 500 members of a professional personnel association; 48% were returned. A 2⊗2⊗2⊗2 analysis of variance yielded a large main effect for memo quality; an interaction effect of attributed author sex and position and rater sex for two memos; and other interaction effects for single memos. The results are discusssed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various theories and management policies suggest that there should be a positive relationship between communication and commitment to the organization. However, support for that relationship remains equivocal. We report the results of a questionnaire on communication and commitment filled out by 376 employees of a mid-sized city government. They were asked about the mode and frequency of their communications within the organization and about their commitment to the city government. Consistent with our hypotheses about the nature of computer-mediated communication, use of computer mail and bulletin boards predicted organizational commitment, but use of the telephone and paper modes of communication did not. In addition, those most likely to benefit from the immediacy and memory of computer communication-shift workers-evidenced a stronger relationship between computer mail use and commitment than did regular employees. Two mechanisms for mediating the relationship between communication and commitment were evaluated. Evidence supports active participation in communication as a mediating mechanism in the relationship between communication and commitment. The informational value of communication does not appear to be important in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the special in-house employee or management communications mechanism called the ombudsman program. The author mentioned that the ombudsman program was meant to help negotiate positive outcomes. The corporate employees would benefit from its third-party resource and authorized confidential process for reviewing and acting on complaints or concerns in operational deficiencies while the employers would gain the trust of the employees. A discussion about how this program work is also presented.

This article discusses the contributions of Australian accountant Raymond John Chambers to accounting communication. Arguably, accounting is as much about communication as it is to do with measurement. No matter how effective the process of accounting quantification, its resultant data will be less than useful unless they are communicated adequately. Hence, Chambers has recognized these points consistently and continuously in his writings, typically identifying accounting as a form of communication between organizational entities and interested parties and accounting communication as a basis for accounting theory. Indeed, he has linked accounting positively with communication theory. Chambers reveals his thinking on the communication aspect of accounting, that it is concerned with the transmission of messages about economic events and effects. As well, accounting can be seen as a function concerned with transmitting a series of signals about economic events and effects with the intention of modifying the behavior of their recipients. This contrasts with the traditional view of accounting as a series of procedural techniques designed to compute required quantifications of economic transactions and it reveals the need to educate accountants in the nature of communication systems.

This paper examines the restructuring of the former Soviet economy provoked by the break-up of the USSR and the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Particular attention is devoted to the changes taking place in the former All-Union enterprises that have now essentially become new multinationals. The pressures influencing the two parallel developments of internalization and divestment are examined and illustrated using two case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two of the most widely adopted models of human resource management are the hard and soft versions. These are based on opposing views of human nature and managerial control strategies. The hard model is based on notions of fight strategic control, and an economic model of man according to Theory X, while the soft model is based on control through commitment and Theory Y. We argue that because these assumptions are so divergent, they cannot both properly be incorporated within a single model of human resource management. Eight in-depth case studies were carried out, involving questionnaires, interviews and focus groups in order to find out whether organizations were practising either form of HRM. We found that no pure examples of either form existed. The paper concludes that the rhetoric adopted by the companies frequently embraces the tenets of the soft, commitment model, while the reality experienced by employees is more concerned with strategic control, similar to the hard model. This distinction between rhetoric and reality needs to be taken into account in conceptualizations of human resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizational feedback is identified as an attribute of organizations and as a form of macroscopic communication behaviour. Previous organizational theory is used to generate propositions linking organizational feedback (horizontal and vertical) to organizational effectiveness in order to evaluate the construct validity of feedback. Reliable measures of feedback are devised and the posited relationships are empirically examined using federated nonprofit organizations. Horizontal feedback is observed to be positively related to three forms of organizational effectiveness (goal attainment, super-ordinate approval and lateral approval). Vertical feedback is found to be positively related only to goal attainment. Organizational feedback is concluded to be a viable concept worthy of further investigation and additional research on communication as a property of organizational collectivities is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which compares the communication effectiveness between superior-subordinate and management pairs wherein the superior had the job of his or her subordinates and was promoted from different position. The study involves an individual interview of the 58 subordinate and superior pairs. The study employs two independent set of ratings based on the job responsibilities of the subordinate, the job requirements, and the changes in the job. The results reveal that managers who had the job of his or her subordinates has no better communication with her or his subordinates, as compared to those managers who did not held the jobs of her or his subordinates.

This paper presents the findings of a number of studies which were carried out by members of the Churchill College Management Course as part of their 'field work' between formal sessions of the course. In many cases, those who did them found difficulty in using the method — as the more academic users have done — but they also found it useful in providing insights and an approach to systematic observation which they did not previously possess. (We have also found that the employment of this method with post-graduate Diploma students engaged on project work in industry provides them with a great deal of 'practical insight'). But can the results also be used to advance our general understanding of the management process ? I think they can: the findings offer broad support for many of the propositions which have been advanced, for example by Dubin, but they also provide additional hypotheses of a more detailed kind. The quality of these findings does not seem to differ markedly from that of investigations already published. They may therefore be advanced in a tentative fashion to provide further illumination of what is after all an extremely complex piece of social reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, communications activities have been more frequently housed within the human resource function since human resources deals with the policies and practices that affect how employees think and behave and since communications is such a critical part of shaping employee perceptions and actions. While managers have heard about and can even repeat communications proverbs with gusto, employees continue to report that they experience poor communications. The overall domain of communications is complex and requires understanding of questions about: Why communications matters, who receives communications and what are the tools of communications. Communications activities may serve three purposes. First, a host of communications tools and techniques may be used to help managers implement initiatives. Second, communications with employees may focus less on a particular initiative and more on building employee bonds with the firm and with managers of the firm. Third, communications may increase commitment from those outside the firm by way of shareholder updates, customer information and other public relations efforts.