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PowerPoint is a dominant communication tool in business and education. It allows for creating professional-looking presentations easily, but without understanding its constraining qualities it can be used inappropriately. Therefore we conducted a systematic literature review structuring the literature on PowerPoint in three chronological phases ("Early Criticism," "Heated Debate," and "Scientific Take-Off") and identifying 18 constraining qualities classified into three categories: cognitive, emotional, and social. This article provides implications for educators' and practitioners' use (and nonuse) of PowerPoint through synthesis and description of such constraining qualities. Directions for future research are developed by identifying theoretical gaps in literature on PowerPoint.

Managing and communicating risks have become crucial tasks in today's economy and society. Visualization – through its numerous cognitive and communicative advantages – can play an important role in assessing and conveying risks. This article, thus, examines how (interactive) graphic representations, such as maps, charts, diagrams and visual metaphors, can be applied to risk management by reviewing current approaches and by providing a conceptual framework that is illustrated with several application examples. The article also provides a concise set of guidelines that can be used when visualizing risk to avoid the dangers inherent in graphic representations (such as distortion or manipulation), and concludes with an outlook on future developments in this field. The article's main implication for practice is to understand visualization, not as a static rendering of risk assessments or aggregations but as an important catalyst, for better risk communication to multiple stakeholders along the entire risk management cycle.Risk Management (2009) 11, 67–89. doi:10.1057/rm.2009.4 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes two areas of research in the field of communication within the context of organizations: corporate communication and knowledge communication. In the first part of the article it is argued that there is a clear distinction between strategic and tactical communication and it is shown that very often these two domains are confused. Then the theoretical backgrounds of each domain are discussed. The second part of the article introduces knowledge communication as an instrumental activity for effective organizational action in today's business environment. Several examples of business constellations in which knowledge communication is crucial are offered. A definition is proposed as well as a description of the different modes of knowledge communication. In order to understand what happens in the 'black-box' of knowledge communication, the problems characterizing communication between experts and decision makers are presented. In discussing the conceptual and theoretical background of the two fields, links to other disciplines are made -- e.g. sociology, organizational sciences, cognitive and behavioral psychology and engineering sciences --, highlighting the multidisciplinary approach that characterizes corporate communication and knowledge communication. In the conclusion it is claimed that both fields contribute to the strategy development processes and that concepts in knowledge communication provide useful insights to the field of corporate communication, both on the strategic and tactical levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coproduction offerings, in which customers engage in the production of goods and services, are ubiquitous (e.g., ready-to-assemble products, self-service technologies). However, although previous research has predominantly identified beneficial aspects of coproduction in contrast to traditional firm production, the pivotal role of coproduction intensity within coproduction processes has largely been neglected. Furthermore, little is known about strategies that firms can employ to positively influence customers' perceptions of coproduction processes. Drawing on a large field experiment with 803 customers engaging in actual coproduction processes, the current study makes a first attempt to address these research voids. The results show that coproduction intensity negatively affects customers' satisfaction with the coproduction process. Furthermore, the study offers first insights into how firms can mitigate these negative effects by employing corporate communication strategies that either emphasize specific coproduction value propositions (value-enhancing communication strategies) or highlight additional coproduction service supplements (intensity-reducing communication strategies). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]