The purpose of this study was to determine the business communication needs and problems of women in entry-level, middle, and upper management positions in Texas. A questionnaire was completed by sixty-eight female managers (twenty-one entry-level; forty middle; and seven upper). Female managers were asked to indicate the frequency of use and the importance of fourteen types of written and seven types of oral business communication, the importance of twenty-seven skills or knowledge, and the frequency with which they consider thirty-two skills or knowledge as problem areas. Data were also collected for the same number of male managers and were used to further interpret and complement the data on female managers. Results for female managers as a total group and male managers as a total group were evaluated by performing chi-square tests.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The real-life problem in strategy communication is generally defined as that strategic plans are not generally well communicated to the workforce and therefore not executed to their full potential. This leads to subordinate problems such as that the strategic plan is not bought into by the employees, which leads to a lack of commitment and involvement. When not well understood, the strategic plan loses its motivational power because employees do not know what their role is. The strategy thus is not likely to have the desired effect on the market. Isolated cases of successful communication and implementation of company strategic plans do exist, which raises the question of what is required from an internal strategy communication plan, and what makes it successful. The research report attempts to answer this question and hence contribute to this knowledge field to benefit future implementers. The literature was reviewed on current approaches to establish criteria for successfully communicating a strategic plan, and a successful communication strategy used at Sishen Iron Ore Mine was documented as a case study and critically analysed. Recommendations for future implementations as well as further research were made. This report identified five main groups of requirements for a successful implementation communication strategy. These areas include the need to engage in two-way dialogue, the need to repeat the message, the need to plan the communication rollout, the important role of the middle manager and the need to show the bigger picture. The methodology is more important than the medium (visual, auditory) used. It is further concluded that, if the skill levels of the workforce differ significantly. it may be necessary to have two or more different communication strategies. Simply delegating the responsibility of communication to subordinates creates the risk of failure. It is recommended that middle managers be trained for this purpose and that the progress in each department be appropriately monitored. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die praktiese probleem in strategie kommunikasie is dat strategiese planne nie gekommunikeer word nie en dus nie tot die volle potentiaal uitegvoer word nie. Dit lei tot ondergeskikte probleme soos dat daar nie inkoop is in die strategiese plan of intensie nie wat beteken daar is 'n tekort aan toewyding en betrokkendheid. Die strategiese plan word ook nie goed verstaan nie en verloor sy motiverings krag omdat werknemers nie weet wat hulle rol is nie. Die hele strategie het nie die verlangde effek op die mark nie. Geïsoleerde gevalle van suksesvolle kommunikasie en implimentering word gevind, wat die vraag laat ontstaan; wat word verlang van 'n interne strategiese kommuniksie plan en wat maak dit dus suksesvol. Die navorsingsverslag probeer die vraag beantwoord en sodoende bydrae tot die kennis veld om toekomstige implementeerders te bevoordeel. 'n Literatuur studie is voltooi op die huidige benaderings om kriteria vas te stel vir die suksesvolle kommunikasie van 'n strategiese plan. 'n Suksesvolle kommunikasie strategie wat gevolg is by Sishen Ystererts Myn is gedokumenteer as 'n gevalle studie en krities geevalueer. Aanbevelings is gemaak vir sowel toekomstige implementerings as ook verdere navorsing. Die verslag het vyf hoof groepe van vereistes geïdentifiseer vir die suksesvolle implementerings kommunikasie strategie. Hierdie areas bestaan uit die noodsaaklikheid vir twee rigting gesprek, die vereiste om die boodskap te herhaal, die belangrikheid om die kommunikasie strategie goed te beplan, die rol van die middel bestuurder en die noodsaaklikheid om die groter prentjie te wys. Die metodologie is belangriker as die medium (visueel, auditer) wat gebruik word. Dit word verder aanbeveel dat, indien die vaardigheidsvlak van die organisasie baie verskil, dit nodig mag wees om twee verskillende kommunikasie strategieë te ontwikkel. Om eenvoudig die verantwoordelikheid van kommunikasie na ondergeskiktes te delegeer skep die risiko van faaling. Dit word voorgestel dat middel bestuurders opgelei word vir die doel en dat die vordering in elke departement dienooreenkomstig gemonitor word.

A recent series of scandals hitting the UK financial industry has had a negative impact on consumer confidence in UK insurance companies. After assuming its powers and responsibility under the Financial Services and Market Act 2000, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) becomes the single statutory regulator directly responsible for the regulation of deposit taking, insurance and investment business. Strong legislation was introduced to maintain IFAs' independence, prohibiting insurance companies from exerting or persuading more IFAs to promote their products. Fighting to survive in an increasingly competitive market, several insurance companies have adopted the extranet to improve their communication and relationships with IFAs. Whilst channel relationship literature insists on the important role of communication in the supplier-distributor relationship, the emerging role of the extranet and how it reshapes IFA-insurer communication and relationships has hardly been explored. Accordingly, the research problem investigated in this thesis is: How has the extranet impacted on communication and relationships between the insurer and independent financial advisors (IE4s) in the UK? The research problem was investigated in two stages. In Stage 1, face-to-face interviews were carried out to help identify 5 research issues. RI 1: How does the extranet facilitate insurer-IFA communication? RI 2: How does the extranet impact on the use of other communication media? RI 3: How does the extranet facilitate the insurer-IFA relationship? RI 4: Impact of the extranet on communication, trust, commitment, cooperation, and conflict - How does this facilitate the quality of relationship between insurers and IFAs? RI 5: Does the perceived impact of the extranet on commitment have the strongest impact on the quality of the insurer-IFA relationship? in Stage2 , a mail survey of UK independent financial advisors was conducted to explore the research issues. In answering the research issues,this thesis' findings make the following contributions. Firstly, this research found that the extranet has a positive impact on insurer- IFA communication in general. However, it is still not conclusive that the extranet increases two-way communication between them. Secondly, this research found that it is highly likely that the extranet will decrease the use of certain modes of communication especially, the facsimile and the telephone. Thirdly, this research found that the extranet improves certain aspects of trust. In terms of commitment, although the extranet increases the IFAs' willingness to maintain their relationship with the insurer, it does not have a strong impact on the IFAs' commitment to the insurer. Concerning the co-operation construct, it is still inconclusive whether the communication enhanced by the extranet leads to better co-operation between the insurer and IFAs. Likewise, it is still not conclusive if the extranet-enhanced communication results in less conflict between the insurer and IFAs. Nevertheless, it is clear that the extranet does not intensify existing disagreements between them. Overall, the IFAs felt that the extranet-enhanced communication increased the quality of their relationship with the insurer. Next, this research found that the perceived impact of the extranet on relationship quality is positively related to the perceived impact of the extranet on trust, commitment, and co-operation and negatively related to the perceived impact of the extranet on conflict and, disagreement. Indeed, insurers need to be aware that to enhance the quality of their relationship with the IFA, they need to maintain and increase the IFAs' trust in, and commitment to them. At the same time, they should also try to facilitate co-operation and effectively solve conflicts between them and the IFAs. This research found that the extranet has the potential to help the insurer achieve these goals if it is implemented appropriately and effectively. Finally, the findings also suggest that commitment has the strongest effect on the perceived quality of relationship.

The purpose of this study was to show support that certain cultural characteristics of an individual could be identified based on the region where that individual was born and raised. These cultural characteristics were identified and defined, and strategies on understanding these cultural characteristics were reviewed. This study revealed that by focusing on this understanding, trust can be established quickly and it is this trust that is the basis of building any type of relationship. Several different macrocultural systems were examined in this study. These included the United States, Asia, Central and South America, India, the Middle East, and the European Union cultures. These are the largest and the fastest growing regions of the world as well as the locations where most of the newly established business relationships are being formed. / The study examined each macrocultural system individually by giving some background information on the culture and reasons for their recent explosive economic growth. Upon review of this study, any individual should be able to approach others with the realization that, with some degree of confidence, cultural characteristics of the individual being pursued can be predetermined based on a number of factors. The ability to recognize these factors facilitates a cultural competency that includes the skills and qualities that enable successful outcomes to happen in business contexts where different cultures are interacting. This predetermination will provide a type of blueprint to an individual's thoughts, tendencies, and even buying patterns. / These strategies will reveal ways of sidestepping everyone's natural tendency to say "no." By providing this insight into predisposed behavior patterns, most individuals will tend to lower their natural defense barriers and a smooth and effective conversation will follow. Personality types are recognized during or after a conversation, but cultural characteristics can be determined prior to the start of any conversation. Oftentimes, it is too late to try and figure out a personality type to adjust your sales approach or strategy in the middle of a conversation. There are ways to recognize cultural characteristics and incorporate certain strategies simply by knowing where a prospect was born and raised, as well as knowing their ethnicity. / by Walter N. Burton III. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web. FboU

by Ling Ho-Ming, Desmond, Yeung Yuk-Lam. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 73-75). / Questionnaire also in Chinese. / ABSTRACT --- p.i / ACKNOWLEDGMENTS --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / LIST OF FIGURES & TABLES --- p.vi / Chapter CHAPTER I --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Problem Statement --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2 --- Purpose of the study --- p.4 / Chapter 1.3 --- Hypotheses of the Study --- p.5 / Chapter 1.3.1 --- Hypothesis 1 --- p.5 / Chapter 1.3.2 --- Hypothesis 2 --- p.5 / Chapter 1.3.3 --- Hypothesis 3 --- p.6 / Chapter 1.3.4 --- Hypothesis 4 --- p.6 / Chapter 1.3.5 --- Hypothesis 5 --- p.6 / Chapter 1.3.6 --- Hypothesis 6 --- p.7 / Chapter 1.3.7 --- Hypothesis 7 --- p.7 / Chapter CHATPER II --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.8 / Chapter 2.1 --- Development of Videoconferencing --- p.8 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Type of Videoconferencing System --- p.10 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Application of Videoconferencing System --- p.12 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- Benefits and Costs of Using Videoconferencing --- p.15 / Chapter 2.2 --- Videoconferencing in China --- p.24 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Background --- p.24 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Market Situation --- p.26 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Industry Players --- p.26 / Chapter CHAPTER III --- METHODOLOGY --- p.29 / Chapter 3.1 --- Scope of Study --- p.29 / Chapter 3.2 --- Research Design --- p.33 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Mail survey --- p.34 / Chapter 3.3 --- Sampling Plan --- p.34 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Target population --- p.34 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Sampling method --- p.35 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Judgment sampling --- p.55 / Chapter 3.3.4 --- Sample size --- p.35 / Chapter 3.4 --- Instrument --- p.36 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Questionnaire --- p.36 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Pilot test --- p.37 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- Data Collection --- p.37 / Chapter 3.5 --- Data analysis --- p.38 / Chapter CHAPTER IV --- RESULTS --- p.40 / Chapter 4.1 --- Exploratory Research --- p.40 / Chapter 4.2 --- Descriptive Research --- p.40 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Respondents' Background Characteristics --- p.41 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Perceived Degree of Agreement on Benefits of VC --- p.45 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Perceived Importance of Selection Criteria --- p.46 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- Factor Groupings of Benefits --- p.47 / Chapter 4.2.5 --- Factor Groupings of Criteria --- p.49 / Chapter 4.2.6 --- Relationship Between Overall Employee Size and Office(s) Using VC Equipment --- p.51 / Chapter 4.2.7 --- Relationship Between Average Annual Sales Revenue and Office(s) Using VC Equipment --- p.52 / Chapter 4.2.8 --- Difference in Perceptions Between VC Using Companies and Non-VC Using Companies --- p.52 / Chapter 4.2.9 --- Difference in Perceptions Between Companies Planning to Purchase VC and Companies Not Planning to Purchase VC --- p.52 / Chapter 4.2.10 --- Comparison of Mean Scores for Different Years of Establishment of Shanghai Office --- p.53 / Chapter 4.2.11 --- Comparison of Mean Scores for Different Sized Companies --- p.53 / Chapter 4.2.12 --- Comparison of Mean Scores for Companies with Different Average Annual Sales Revenue --- p.54 / Chapter CHAPTER V --- "DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS" --- p.55 / Chapter 5.1 --- Discussion of Survey Findings --- p.55 / Chapter 5.1.1 --- Respondents' Background Characteristics --- p.55 / Chapter 5.1.2 --- Discussion of Benefit Factors --- p.57 / Chapter 5.1.3 --- Discussion of Criteria Factors --- p.58 / Chapter 5.1.4 --- Relationship Between Overall Employee Size and Offtce(s) Using VC Equipment --- p.61 / Chapter 5.1.5 --- Relationship Between Average Annual Sales Revenue and Office(s) Using VC Equipment --- p.61 / Chapter 5.1.6 --- Difference in Perception Among Various Respondents' Characteristics --- p.62 / Chapter 5.2 --- Conclusions --- p.63 / Chapter 5.3 --- Recommendations --- p.65 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Attractiveness of VC Industry in China --- p.65 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Suggested Market Positioning --- p.66 / Chapter 5.3.3 --- Suggestions for Future Research Studies --- p.71 / REFERENCES --- p.73 / APPENDIX 1 --- p.76 / APPENDIX 2 --- p.77 / APPENDIX 3 --- p.79 / APPENDIX 4 --- p.83 / APPENDIX 5 --- p.84 / APPENDIX --- p.85 / APPENDIX 7 --- p.86 / APPENDIX 8 --- p.87 / APPENDIX 9 --- p.88 / APPENDIX 10 --- p.89

Managing and transferring knowledge within a corporation becomes the ultimate key for survival in the Knowledge Age. Internal knowledge is often unique and lays the foundation for a company’s competitiveness. Effective and fast knowledge transfer (KT) is particularly critical to KIFs such as IT consultancies, R&D based companies or firms in the software industry. Intrafirm KT is a complex undertaking though and a number of initiatives fail. Therefore, achieving optimal KT is a compelling need. The aim of this thesis is to explore what kind of process-oriented framework helps create optimal KT practices in a KIF by applying and adapting the Scrum management and control practices. Scrum was initially formalised for the development of software and can be used to manage complex projects. Enhancing Scrum to enable intra-firm KT represents a novel approach, involving diverse roles across a team of employees and making use of their respective capabilities. The work makes a contribution to knowledge by introducing clearly defined KT process steps and documentation tools - underpinned by motivational practices, transparency and accountability of individual employees to find ways for them to impart their knowledge. It proffers an extension to existing frameworks and models. The study could be highly relevant for practitioners concerned with intra-firm KT for two reasons. Employing the newly developed approach helps investigate appropriate organisational contexts and, more importantly, provides a practical set of tools to assist with the task of enabling KT. The form of a case study within a KIF, a consultancy firm focussed on digital business transformation, has been chosen as the foundation for the inquiry. The research strategy is rooted in a participatory paradigm. Qualitative data captured in the company were specifically developed through participatory action research (PAR). Documentary analysis, non-participant observation, and open-ended interviews ahead of iterative action-reflection cycles contributed to providing new learning for a team of highly qualified Knowledge Workers (KWs). Overall the team of consultants that was the focus of this case study believes that knowledge in the firm will be transferred faster and sustainably by employing practices of interaction and adaptation within a knowledge-friendly and motivational environment. The time required to phase new consultants into existing projects, where KT was indispensable, was reduced significantly by 50% from four to two weeks. The research suggests that the newly developed process-oriented framework can greatly improve KT practices in a KIF by applying practices of gathering data and information (Aggregating), prioritising them (Featuring), reviewing KT progress (Reviewing), and utilising newly acquired knowledge (Doing). The key findings of this work, the AFRD-process and the AFRD-framework, were subject to an audit by an expert panel from the Fresenius University of Applied Science in Munich, Germany, and practitioners in a machine engineering company in Augsburg, Germany.

Organizations are continuously confronted with decision-making in their daily business practice. Information technology plays a key role, supporting and automating decision-making processes, enabling the flow and distribution of information and knowledge and enhancing collaboration and exchange across the entire organization. Both, decision-making and information technology combine social and technological aspects of collaboration and collective action within a socio-economic system. Social media technologies such as corporate social networks, collaborative projects, instant messengers, content sharing platforms, blogs, micro-blogs, rating and voting systems, influence how human beings collaborate, build communities, exchange information, and jointly create content. This thesis combines aspects of social and behavioural science, collective decision-making and information technology into a qualitative research project. The main objective of this thesis was to explore and to gain a deep understanding of the implications of the integration of social media technologies to enhance collective judgement and the complex decision-making processes within corporate and less formal contexts. Therefore, this research identified real, potential and perceived benefits, disadvantages and barriers of social media integration in collective decision-making processes. The outcome focusses on evidence to establish whether social media technologies are capable of advancing the collective decision-making process. This study applied an exploratory qualitative research approach, which incorporated semi-structured interviews, multiple case studies and documentary data. Three case studies built the foundation of the field research conducted over a period of nine months, resulting in thirty semi-structured interviews. For each investigated site, ten individuals from various departments and different roles participated in thirty to forty minutes, semi-structured interviews recorded at their premises. Documents shared by the interviewees such as internal presentations, videos, meeting minutes and communication notes added to the overall data set. The key findings can be divided into three focus areas, (a) social media within a business environment and organizational readiness, (b) social media and collective action in business such as mass collaboration and problem solving and (c) social media integrated in collective decision-making derived from the benefits, disadvantages and barriers identified. Real benefits surfaced in the area of communication, interaction, involvement, reproducibility, aggregation and the independence of physical presence. From a communication perspective, the decision-making process benefits from utilizing different channels to convey and present information. These communication channels facilitate synchronous and asynchronous interaction, engaging different parties such as stakeholders, committees, experts, management and other participants in the process. Since the information created is continuously captured and stored, social media adds the benefit of reproducibility to the collective decision-making process. Rating and voting functions aggregate thoughts, opinions, and monitor, at an early stage of the process, tendencies and reflective developments in the group. Finally, rating and voting mechanisms build a collective choice acknowledged by a majority of a business collective. Social media relieves the requirement of physical presence in a collective decision-making process utilizing the corporate Intranet and the Internet. This adds flexibility to the selection of the participants and provides a basis of employee engagement from small to large-scale endeavours. Potential benefits relate to some extent to the explored real benefits. They focus on motivation of social interaction and collaboration, building relationships, enhancing the flow of information and fostering a reflective culture capable of collectively solving problems. From an organizational behaviour perspective, these benefits are capable of stimulating employees to engage in organizational topics, and utilizing organizational intelligence by sharing knowledge and experience to support collective decision-making. Perceived benefits include enhanced communication, interaction, involvement, and acceptance, variety of opinions, engaging employees in collective actions and integrating experts. Perceived disadvantages concentrated around social interaction. They manifested as distraction, losing focus on objectives, biased information, and loss of control, opinion manipulation, information overload and a less formal nature of the process. Barriers were identified in the area of abuse of personal information, additional workload in the daily business, unclear benefits, refusal to share knowledge, lack of trust about the information created and presented, manipulation of opinions, and continuous availability. The results of the thesis provided the evidence that utilization and integration of social media in the collective decision-making process depend on organizational readiness, which relates to the context. Social media application differs from the application in the Internet since social conformity, cohesion and internal competition influence participation and outcome. This means, the ability to integrate employees in collective action and the utilization of social media requires, besides acceptance of the new technology, a culture of openness, and willingness to share, engage and contribute. Therefore, this research suggests, from a managerial perspective, focussing on collective action capabilities, utilizing social media as an enabler to connect employees, to stimulate interaction, participation, and capture and support the information flow during a decision-making process. Recommendations for future research suggest analysing organizations in longitudinal studies to explore how they gain advantage of collective action concerning aggregation of knowledge using social media as a platform.

This diploma thesis is dedicated to research and understanding of business communication strategies and tools used in Russia. It studies strengths and weaknesses of the local business communication tools with respect to the specifics of the Russian market, while providing detailed analysis of business communication strategy of a large Russian company.

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on December 21, 2009). Thesis advisor: Dr. Dae-Young Kim. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Saint Mary's University, 2009. / Includes abstract. Supervisor: Kevin Kelloway. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-75).