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This paper addresses the media selection problem, a special form of resource allocation problem. After reviewing characteristics of media decisions and existing analytical approaches, two approaches incorporating the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) are presented. The recommended approach utilizes AHP in conjunction with integer programming while an alternative approach uses goal programming coupled with the AHP. Those specific characteristics of AHP that make it particularly well suited to the media selection problem are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essential part of the media selection process is matching media to the target market. Ideally, this would be done directly, evaluating media vehicles according to the relative concentration of target market members in their audiences. When target market membership and media usage data are obtained from different surveys, however, the matching must be done indirectly, generally using demographics as mediating variables. This study evaluates Sissors' profile-distance approach to indirect media-market matching. The results support the validity of the method, but raise questions regarding its value relative to other approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linear programming models for media selection have limited application because the function describing the aggregate response to additional inputs of advertising effort is generally non-linear. The authors present a general media mix model which assumes linear response and illustrate how the model can be modified to accommodate non-linearity while still using the revised simplex method as a solution algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article enters the international debate on university rankings, observing the visibility premium that institutions gain from their publication. Despite the deep academic skepticism towards the composite indicators used at this aim, rankings are an adaptive solution for individuals to treat information uncertain in nature. Rankings summarize many university quality dimensions into one single number and they fit well the need of media to package information. We have used data from the press review of the Italian VQR 2004–10 to analyze the factors that lead universities to be more frequently cited, under the hypothesis that the visibility of a university is a function of its intrinsic characteristics, such as number of students, prestige, age, or size or density of population in its location. Through a set of regression models, we find that the only variable that matters is the presence in the top positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incremental search heuristics do not identify the optimal solution to the media choice problem. With media discounts, such heuristics may not provide even a good approximation. This article discusses the reasons for this situation and considers several supplementary heuristics for improving the quality of solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the number of online and blended learning courses offered by higher education institutions increase, a predominant issue for instructors is their design. This study focuses on the selection of appropriate media to support online and blended learning (OBL) activities. To this end, we mapped and synthesized in two consecutive systematic review studies the effectiveness of particular media formats on students' learning outcomes. Eleven empirical studies with a quasi-experimental research design and thirteen studies with randomized allocation to treatment conditions were selected for a detailed analysis. The cumulative findings indicate that ten particular media attributes are of paramount importance for effective learning in OBL courses: interactivity, navigability, (asynchronicity, flexibility, media richness, ease of use, individualization, mobility, proximity and responsiveness. Furthermore, while the study affirms the theoretical underpinnings regarding multimedia learning and media richness, it exposed that further scrutiny in the field of media selection for application in natural settings of OBL is necessary. Future directions for research are proposed. The outcomes may be useful to OBL instructors and instructional designers in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a first critical approach to the Livro de Linhagens by Damião de Góis (currently preserved in several manuscript copies). It discusses the problems surrounding the authorship of the work and proposes a dating and sources for some of its sections. The article places the Livro de Linhagens in the public and literary career of Góis (especially the Crónica do Felicíssimo Rei D. Manuel) and situates it within the thriving tradition of books of lineage in late medieval and Renaissance Portugal. The analysis of selected passages of the text (including its prologue) sheds light on whom Góis was addressing in his work and how he perceived the task of the writer of genealogies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research compares the fifty top-rated movies for 2000–2009 recommended by the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) with the holdings of ten medium-sized public libraries. The study shows that there was no relation between a movie's rank in the IMDb listing and the number of copies held. Relationships appeared between number of library holdings and country of production (U.S. productions favored), genre (family, sci-fi, animation, adventure favored), and Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rating (G, PG, PG-13 preferred). Library holdings seem to reflect preferences of IMDb raters aged 30 and older, not popular movie tastes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: This study examines management of microforms at libraries and institutions maintaining an active interest in their own microform collections, defined for the purpose of this study as those not only holding, but still acquiring microforms. Survey results presented here, which identify factors that contribute to retention and discard decisions – including holdings of the same content in different formats – are considered in the context of decision theory. Findings could inform current and future decisions relating to the microforms discussed here as well as to holdings in formats dependent on other technologies that will eventually change. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The recent trend of media convergence poses serious challenges to existing theoretical frameworks, such as uses and gratifications and the agenda-setting theories, for media choice and effects. This study adopts a repertoire approach to news consumption in the complex contemporary media environment. This approach emphasizes patterns of multiple media use, rather than single media selection, for accessing the news. A computer-aided telephone survey with representative samples from three advanced media markets in China shows that a majority of the survey respondents employ multiple media platforms for news consumption. Users' interest in and availability to news affects the size of their repertoires. Their perceptions of news source credibility influence their news media choice that results in different compositions of the repertoires. An exploratory factor analysis identifies both complementary and converging patterns of media use by the respondents. Finally, the difference in the internal architecture of the repertoires occasioned by the choice of media is associated with diverging news agendas among the news audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: One hundred and twenty-three second grade students were asked to choose a video about “scary sharks” or “bunnies.” Two versions of each video were shown, one high in excitement and one low in excitement. Children high in sensation-seeking and boys were more likely to choose the scary video, while those low in sensation-seeking and girls most often chose to see the bunny video. When content was manipulated for high and low excitement, those choosing the scary video liked the exciting versions and somewhat disliked the less exciting versions, while those who had chosen the bunny video liked the less exciting version and disliked the exciting versions. These findings extend to young children previous research showing that sensation-seeking operates in media selection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Two studies examined how adult age and time of measurement influence media preferences. Study 1 (using TV ratings data from 1970s to 1980s) found that the popularity of genres varied over time, but even after controlling for year, age groups differed in (a) genre choices (consistent with socioemotional selectivity theory) and (b) age of characters viewed (consistent with age identity theory). The average age of characters in each program partially mediated age differences in ratings of comedies and news, and suppressed a negative relationship between viewer age and ratings of violent programs. Study 2 (using 2005 survey data) found similar genre and character preferences. In addition, subjective age predicted age of favorite characters beyond the effect of chronological age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A look at the history of academic media collections through the evolution of media formats. It is divided into broad format sections: visual, audio, and audiovisual. It is part literature review, part facts and trivia, and part personal stories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the selection bias of movement publications and how it was framed by the movements. It analyzes the United Steelworker's publication during the 1990s, the "Steelabor," which focuses on strikes and organizing drives, to explore the reporting patterns. It suggests that movements use publications to construct a positive image and call attention to specific events. It notes that movement publications provide opportunity for scholars to examine the dynamics of social movements.

This study presents a signaling model of advertising for horizontally differentiated products. The central ingredients of the model are two important characteristics of advertising—targeting, and noisy information content. The theory yields interesting results about the informational role of targeted advertising, and its consequences. First, targeting can itself serve as a signal on product attributes. Second, the effectiveness of targeting depends not only on firms knowing consumer preferences, but on consumers knowing that firms know this. This creates a distinction between strategies of targeting and personalization. Third, the effectiveness of targeting in equilibrium may (far) exceed the information contained directly in the targeted message. Fourth, information content is not, however, superfluous. Specifically, when ads contain no information, a targeting equilibrium does not exist. Together, these results reveal how advertising conveys information both through the content of the message and the firm’s choice of advertising medium. Furthermore, the model is robust to the various critiques of prior work on ads-as-signals: namely, that ad content is irrelevant, ad exposure is unnecessary, and the choice of ads as signals is inherently arbitrary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to focus on a group of films that were made during a little-known period of Hollywood filmmaking known as the "pre-Code" era. It seeks to provide an overview, historical background, and a general discussion about censorship and the cinema. Design/methodology/approach - This research examines key actors, directors, and films that exemplify the characteristics of "pre-Code". The criteria for inclusion set by this study take into account not only their subject matter, but their availability on home video. Findings - This comprehensive bibliography includes information on some of the actors who appeared in these films as well as summaries of select films. Commercial web sites that distribute and sell pre-Code films are also presented. Key actors, directors, films, and companies that were involved in the production of pre-Code films are identified and discussed. General reference works about film are highlighted as well as web sites, blogs, and other online resources that provide reviews and detailed discussions of pre-Code Hollywood films. Originality/value - The article offers guidelines for building a pre-Code video collection and discusses why its subject matter is of interest to academia, especially in regard to women's and ethnic studies courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The current study evaluates the results of a previously reported method for creating a core medical electronic journal collection for a new medical school library, validates the core collection created specifically to meet the needs of the new school, and identifies strategies for making cost- effective e-journal selection decisions. Methods: Usage data were extracted for four e- journal packages (Blackwell-Synergy, Cell Press, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, and Science Direct). Usage was correlated with weighted point values assigned to a core list of journal titles, and each package was evaluated for relevancy and cost- effectiveness to the Florida State University College of Medicine (FSU COM) population. Results: The results indicated that the development of the core list was a valid method for creating a new twenty-first century, community-based medical school library. Thirty-seven journals are identified for addition to the FSU COM core list based on use by the COM, and areas of overlapping research interests between the university and the COM are identified based on use of specific journals by each population. Conclusions: The collection development approach that evolved at the FSU COM library was useful during the initial stages of identifying and evaluating journal selections and in assessing the relative value of a particular journal package for the FSU COM after the school was established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traceability-the ability of developers to describe and follow the life of an artifact throughout the software development life cycle-is an important process that facilitates acquisition and use of process knowledge. While there has been extensive research focusing on the development of traceability solutions, there is a paucity of research that characterizes the tasks that need to be performed in implementing and using traceability. This research addresses this gap by conceptualizing traceability practice in software development as comprising information processing and communication among developers involved in the process. Accordingly, we present the results of two complementary studies focusing on these two aspects of traceability. Based on Study 1, we develop a process model for information processing in traceability. Through Study 2, we identify important contingency factors that impact the mode of communication among developers and customers. We argue that choice of communication media should be dictated by matching particular media characteristics such as synchronicity, reprocessability, and channel capacity to the situation at hand rather than by using aggregated measures such as media richness or social presence. We integrate the findings from our two studies into a process model that prescribes guidelines for traceability practice in software development. Our prescriptions also help traceability tool developers in delivering traceability support that facilitates appropriate information processing and communication capabilities, taking various project characteristics into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effects of information technology (IT) knowledge and media selection on operational performance, measured by balanced scorecard, in small firms. Small firms generally lag behind medium and large companies in adopting and implementing computerization. This study is based on a survey of 698 small firms. The results show that: (1) individual IT knowledge and both traditional and electronic communication methods significantly contribute to the internal process performance of small firms; (2) internal process performance, organizational IT knowledge, and electronic communication methods affect customer performance; and (3) financial performance is affected by process and customer performance. The findings imply that it is imperative for small firms to adopt computerization to achieve improvements in business performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a press review analysis with an emphasis on the media selection function, the daily schedule and an analysis of selected communication models which seem adequate in a study on the selection of secondary media broadcasts. Moreover, various characteristics of press review as a media form are discussed in relation to intermediation processes, media synergy and formatting the audience. The conclusions are based on a comparative empirical analysis of 200 press reviews between 15.05.2008 - 15.06.2008. An analysis of content was the method used, the most popular one in media studies and mass communication research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — Despite the increasing volume of scholarly work in international advertising, media selection has received very little attention. This study seeks to address three fundamental issues in media selection for non-domestic markets: the relative importance of cultural factors, the relationships between organization structure, and the relative weight that executives place on cultural and non-cultural factors in their media selection, and the relationships between cultural orientations of advertising executives and their perceptions of specific non-domestic factors of media selection. Design/methodology/approach — A mail survey of executives for US consumer durable manufacturers operating internationally was conducted. The sample involved managers responsible for media selection in 106 firms listed in the Fortune directory of the 500 largest industrial multinational corporations (MNCs). Three waves of the same questionnaire were sent. Of the selected executives, 84 returned the questionnaire, making the response rate 79.25 percent. Findings — The findings reveal that advertising executives of US MNCs place more importance on general environmental factors (type of product, target market, budget size, cost efficiency, reach and frequency, and competition) than on specific non- domestic factors (media availability, language diversity, legal constraints, level of economy, literacy and cultural considerations). Furthermore, managers in centralized decision firms and managers in decentralized decision firms do not differ significantly in their assessment of the relative importance of general and specific non-domestic factors. However, non-culturally oriented managers in contrast to their culturally oriented counterparts place greater importance on media availability when determining and executing media-selection decisions. The surveyed executives also tend to be more involved in establishing objectives and setting budgets than in designing creative strategies and selecting specific media for international advertising campaigns. Originality/value — Although localized and globalized marketing campaigns have steadily increased in the last 20 years, very few studies have examined MNC advertising managers' views about media selection. The research adds new insights to the understanding of this critical-decision process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Communication Theory (1050-3293) is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The expansion of Open Access (OA) publishing will require some new collection development decisions. This presentation outlined the strengths and weaknesses of the different OA models, and presented several methods for libraries to discover OA titles. The presentation also highlighted the many decisions libraries must face when adding open access titles to their electronic collections, and reviewed the traditional criteria used to determine the viability of journals. These criteria can also be applied to open access titles as libraries are selecting which OA titles to add. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a behavioral complexity theory for media selection in global virtual teams. This theory captures multiple contingencies into one holistic approach to media selection. Unlike existing linear and mechanistic theories of media selection, this heuristic theory moves away from. the universal models that were previously proposed. The behavioral complexity theory assumes ambiguity and complexity of the media selection process in a nonlinear, organic, and holistic way. Behavioral complexity theory of media selection emphasizes the role of media repertoire, the ability of individuals to differentiate situations according to multiple contingencies, and their flexibility to effectively use multiple media in any particular situation. This theory is examined in the context of an exploratory case study of global virtual teams' media selection in one of the leading Fortune 500 corporations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although videoconferencing technologies perform an important function in organizational communication, many users remain apprehensive about using the medium for routine communication. The study draws on media choice theory to assess the impact of communication apprehension and participation on perceptions of task characteristics and media traits. The results demonstrate that user aversion to videoconferencing has a significant impact on perceptions of task and media. A significant interaction was also revealed between communication apprehension and user participation relating to perceptions of communication richness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY. When faced with yet another subscription cancellation project at Trinity University, a closer look at certain aspects of the budget was decided on by Caraway and Chamberlain as a way to determine price increases and possible cuts. A new way of deciding the amount to cut for non-United States titles was taken in this study, using projected inflation figures. During the project, an even more interesting discovery was made in working and communicating with faculty. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800- HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A procedure for creating efficient reflectance spectra from CIE tristimulus colour values is described using a modified linear model. By fixing certain criteria based on colour difference values, the proposed technique preliminarily selects a series of suitable samples from a main data set containing the reflectance values of a large number of different coloured samples, based on the colour specifications of a given sample. In this way, a series of different databases containing the reflectance values of confirmed samples relating to the particular samples are formed. Then, a well-known principal components linear model is applied using three basis functions. This operation yields higher cumulative variances in comparison with the original database, having the same number of basis vectors. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated using a different collection of samples and the resulting spectra show considerable improvements in terms of root mean square error as well as colour difference values under different illuminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although videoconferencing technologies perform an important function in organizational communication, many users remain apprehensive about using the medium for routine communication. The study draws on media choice theory to assess the impact of communication apprehension and participation on perceptions of task characteristics and media traits. The results demonstrate that user aversion to videoconferencing has a significant impact on perceptions of task and media. A significant interaction was also revealed between communication apprehension and user participation relating to perceptions of communication richness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approval plans are used by many libraries as an adjunct to title-by-title selection, and sometimes as a substitute for it. The author examines this approach to purchasing library materials, considering positive and negative effects approval plans may have on collection balance as well as on acquisitions budgets and workflow. The article also serves as an introduction to approval plans for entry-level acquisitions librarians, library school students, and paraprofessional library staff. Practical concerns in setting up approval plans are discussed, such as approval plan profiling, plan maintenance, and evaluation. Budget and accounting considerations are introduced. Although approval plans are widely used, new librarians may have learned little about them in library science courses. The approval plan is presented as a useful tool for shaping and maintaining library collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media selection and acquisition is highly dependent on a number of variables, perhaps the most important of which is changing technologies. New technology is a wonderful and frightening thing, with a high level of impact on media collection development. New technologies can improve sound and visual quality, but can also play havoc with established collections and budgets. Availability of various media formats and titles is a very fluid phenomenon, which poses a unique set of challenges to media librarians and selectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proposes a highly scalable and accurate database selection method. Features of the method; Review of a framework of performing database selection and collection fusion; Description of a prototype system.

Investigates the role of cultural protocol in choosing media preferences for virtual workplaces in South Korea. Influence of Confucianism in emphasizing respect for social order and communication; Use of electronic mail in managerial and corporate communications; Confirmation of the traditional media richness concept.

Presents a resource guide for Africana Studies students. Criteria used in selecting media sources; Impact of information highway on Africana Studies; Significance of media sources to proponents of Africana Studies; List of media sources on Africana Studies.

This study investigates the media selection behavior of directors (executives) and managers through the use of multiple methods. The findings indicate the directors were more 'self' oriented in their media choices, more often choosing media based on access/ease of use criteria, while the managers were more 'other' oriented, more often making choices based on media richness/social presence criteria. These differences have implications in the interpretation of communication from directors and managers to the rest of the organization and suggest a model for understanding the use of 'rich' and 'lean' communication media. The literature review of the study makes a major contribution by fitting together the multiple theories applied to the area and showing how conflicting results from all the established media selection theories make sense in different circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on a study examining the factors that influence the selection of media by advertisers in smaller markets. Methodology used to conduct the study; Characteristics of the persons interviewed in this study; Information on the effect that different markets have on advertising decisions; Findings of the study.

This paper identifies and evaluates the learning effectiveness of the major features found in media selection models. The 10 different models employed as examples are not described individually, as is done in some previous reviews. Instead, the article focuses on the characteristics noted across models. Features discussed include the physical forms the models take, the ways in which they classify media, and the media selection factors they consider. Selection factors embodied in models affect media choices. Characteristics of learners, setting, and task are identified as factors to be given primary consideration in media selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The media richness model and the symbolic interactionist perspective are the basis for hypotheses about managerial communication patterns. The hypothesized relationships are tested with data from 94 managers. The results indicate that managers tend to select the face-to-face medium for highly equivocal communications and written media for clear, objective communications. This relationship is stronger for managers with higher level positions and higher performance evaluations, and is not significantly affected by managerial educational level, organizational tenure, sender/receiver orientation, or introversion/extraversion. The implications of the findings for organization design, communications, and manager performance are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective manager communication has traditionally been associated with activities such as using the right words to describe something or careful reading and listening. Lengel and Daft argue that choosing the right medium to send or receive a message is also critical in successful communication. The concept of "richness" is used to link media characteristics to message characteristics. Communication patterns show that a rich medium like face-to-face should be matched with nonroutine,difficult-to-understand messages. A lean medium such as the written memo is best used for routine messages. Failure to make these matches leads to communication misunderstanding. Research findings show a relationship between sensitivity to media richness and executive job performance. Six rules are offered to help executives sharpen their media selection skills, as well as a model that can be used in guiding media selection for day- to-day communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In conclusion, we note that the potential importance and/or irrelevance of variables to market segmentation problems depend strongly on individual cases. The simple illustration which was used here is a case in point. Classification of buyers as specialist or nonspecialist within a profession was all that was needed to deal effectively with both media readership and product usage. A large pool of additional socioeconomic variables could contribute little useful new information. In the media market segments which were discussed in the first section of this paper, consumers could be placed in groups which yielded a diffuse set of potentially useful descriptive variables. Some of these have been noted. In general, we would be surprised to find media market segments for consumer goods with very simple structures. More surprising would be segments that were most effectively defined exclusively by socioeconomic variables of the traditional type. Sets of variables that can be related to potential marketing actions are needed. For this purpose, socioeconomic variables hold only modest promise since they are indirectly connected to market motivation and behavior. The arty, fashion-conscious consumer appears in many age and income levels. So do skiing buffs, weight watchers, and sports-car enthusiasts. It is not easy to deny the relevance of these activities and attitudes to selected types of purchase and use patterns and to the marketing strategies designed to influence buying decisions. Starting with thoughtfully developed media market segments, sets of allied descriptive variables should follow naturally from consideration of the product's characteristics and the relevant media exposure patterns. Furthermore, it is natural to assess the effectiveness of media in relation to the consumers in a media market segment. The subjective estimates of effectiveness and media climate will be more realistic, and relatively few estimates are required. The facts underline intuitive appeal and simplicity of the model and the data. In the future, we hope that detailed readership, viewing, and listening data will be gathered in conjunction with market-related attitude, interest, and opinion data (AIO). Also, data on product usage, life-style, and market-connected personality and skill characteristics of consumers should be obtained along with the full range of demographic measures. It seems clear that analysts are now finding ways to process this broad information base in a way which will markedly assist managers in making more thoughtful strategic advertising decisions. The usual measures of media reach, frequency, duplicated audiences, demographic composition of audiences, cost per exposure, etc., disappear as critical dimensions of the allocation problem. Instead, results are expressed, as they should be, in terms of dollars of new sales produced per additional dollar efficiently spent on media purchases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suggests use of instruction in criteria in selecting valid sources, as an explicit and important part of instruction in critical thinking. Importance of teaching criteria for selecting credible sources; Discussion on the role of credibility in critical thinking.