Miriam Meckel

Unternehmenskommunikation 2.0

In Zeiten gravierender Veranderungen lohnt es sich, einmal innezuhalten und die Definitionen zu reflektieren, die bislang gultig waren zur Beschreibung des Themenfeldes, das sich nun verandert. Unternehmenskommunikation verstehen wir immer noch als „the management of communication between an organisation and its publics“ (Grunig/Hunt, 1984, S. 6). Wie viele Definitionen bleibt auch diese allgemein und benennt nur die wesentlichen Faktoren im Feld der Kommunikationsbeziehungen (auch deshalb ist sie eben dauerhaft brauchbar). Schon immer liesen sich einzelne Bestandteile der Definition herausgreifen und ausdifferenzieren bzw. auf veranderte Rahmenbedingungen abklopfen.

Smartphones Enabling Mobile Collaboration

Mobilization of the work-force is demanding new mobile and wireless technologies to facilitate contact between the growing number of mobile eWorkers and organizations. Smartphones incorporating mobile e-mail functionality enable instant access to e-mail boxes and company resources without complex synchronization. A study amongst sixteen German companies was conducted to elicit the influence of mobile e-mail on work-processes and communication. The empirical results indicate that mobile e-mail impacts on performance, whereas attitude towards technology influences perceived performance gains. According to our findings smartphones have the potential to improve and accelerate work processes through timely provision of information, enhanced reachability and the simplification of coordination processes. This study treats a present organizational issue related to increasing the productivity of the mobile workforce. The research expands the mobile e-mail literature by assessing the impact of mobile e-mail on performance and highlights the importance of attitude towards IT as an influencing variable.

Content creation on the Internet: a social cognitive perspective on the participation divide

Sociodemographic variables are held to impact Internet users’ willingness and ability to productively use online media. This effect can create a ‘participation divide’ between distinct user groups. Recently, studies have enhanced our understanding of the participation divide by differentiating types of online content creation. They found that sociodemographics may only affect specific forms of online participation. We suggest that social cognitive theory (SCT) helps explain why and how sociodemographic variables influence different forms of online participation. Based on SCT, we analyze the mediating effect of two cognitive constructs, self-efficacy and privacy concerns, on different types of online content creation. We conduct a survey among German Internet users and apply structural equation modeling to compare three distinct theoretical models. We find that considering the mediating effects of cognitive constructs, based on SCT, improves our understanding of which sociodemographic variables affect which type of online content creation – and why.

Typologies of communicators in Europe

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a quantitative investigation into the major working fields of European communication professionals.Design/methodology/approach – The paper build upon previous work done in roles research, but follow a grounded approach in using an explorative cluster analysis on a sample of 1,410 communicators from 30 different European countries.Findings – The paper identifies five typologies into which the working fields of European communication practitioners can be categorized: negotiators, brand officers, policy advisors, internal communicators, and press agents. These clusters are distinctively different in terms of education, salary, and career, as well as job satisfaction.Research limitations/implications – This paper is focused on the typologies of the European communication profession, whereas differences regarding the cultural or national context of the communication profession as well as the particularities of the respective media systems are no...

Digital Natives or Digital Immigrants? The Impact of User Characteristics on Online Trust

Abstract Previous research suggests that user characteristics such as web experience and demographics may affect online trust. Drawing on social cognitive theory, we explore the moderating effect of user characteristics on online trust. Based on a survey of German Internet users, we differentiate three groups by age, web experience, and education. We term these groups digital natives, digital immigrants, and naturalized digitals. A multiple-group analysis reveals significant differences in trust formation, particularly in the cues considered in the evaluation of online services. Whereas a large user base inspires confidence in digital natives, naturalized digitals are more geared toward familiar brands and recommendations. Digital immigrants most critically weigh the risks of a transaction against its benefits. We argue that specific user characteristics are associated with distinct cognitive schemata, implying distinct interests and evaluations in online transactions. Online services should differentiate their signaling efforts according to the targeted customer group.

Political Power and the Requirements of Accountability in the Age of Wikileaks

Through the massive leaking of classified government documents, WikiLeaks has provoked a debate on the link between transparency and political accountability. The central issues of contention in this debate are the degree to which secrecy is compatible with democratic processes and whether WikiLeaks meets its own standard of transparency. This paper examines a narrower, though related, set of questions. At the conceptual level it explores the link between transparency and accountability. Does an increase in the former necessarily imply an increase in the latter? At the empirical level, it examines whether WikiLeaks contributes to the publics ability to hold governments and organizations accountable by increasing transparency and providing necessary information. That is, do leaks shift the balance of power between publics and governments? If not, can we nevertheless regard internet-based digital leaking a symbolic act of political protest in support of a democratic ideal? The analysis is structured around five parameters, each of which relates to the ability of WikiLeaks to promote accountability via leaking. We find that although WikiLeaks increases the amount of information available to publics, it does not provide for transparency. On the one hand, the mere fact of leaking does not necessarily identify responsible government officials or force them to justify their policies. On the other, the information that is contained in the leaked documents has to be interpreted before it can be acted upon by interested citizens. The analysis leads to the conclusion that the sort of transparency promoted by WikiLeaks is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for political accountability.

Einsatzmöglichkeiten von Blogs in der Unternehmenskommunikation (2007)

Weblogs haben sich in den vergangenen Jahren zu einem wertvollen und wichtigen Instrument innerhalb der Unternehmenskommunikation entwickelt. Eine Vielzahl wissenschaftlicher Disziplinen und zahllose Praktiker setzen sich mit Weblogs auseinander und haben dabei einen verwirrenden und schwer ubersichtlichen Rahmen an Begrifflichkeiten und Bezeichnungen geschaffen. Der Beitrag tragt Typologien verschiedener Forschungsrichtungen zusammen und integriert diese anschliessend in ein mehrdimensionales Modell, das relevante Perspektiven in der Auseinandersetzung und Anwendung von Blogs thematisiert. Zusammengefasst sind die Ergebnisse im St. Galler Blog-Wurfel.

Journalists’ Professional Identity

The internet, and particularly social media, have brought far-reaching change to journalism by calling into question how journalists’ traditional roles are perceived. We introduce social identity theory—specifically the concept of professional identity—as a complementary approach to study journalistic role conceptions from a dynamic perspective. Building on existing findings in both research streams (professional identity and journalistic role conceptions), we undertook a qualitative study to explore the interplay between journalists’ role perceptions, the core values of journalism, and ongoing change in the industry. Our analysis of 26 interviews conducted in a Swiss newsroom provided an affirmative answer to the question whether journalists’ professional identity serves as a resource that helps them to cope with uncertainty. By identifying different identity negotiation mechanisms, we illustrate journalists’ sensemaking of developments in their work environment. We show that journalists who rely on an elitist, traditional role concept construct online journalism as a threat to quality journalism and journalists’ personal status. Another group of journalists with more service-oriented and solutions-oriented role concepts strives to improve a newspapers online journalism. These journalists engage in creating new, adapted role scripts and value definitions.

An inquiry into the transformation of the PR roles’ concept

Purpose – Recent years have seen resurgent interest in professionalism in public relations, with several initiatives to enquire about the state of the communication profession and its part in organizational strategy. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the findings of a quantitative investigation into the work roles of European communication professionals. In particular, the research investigates different professional roles, as developed in previous roles research, while taking a particular look at managerial role enactment. Design/methodology/approach – The authors report the findings of an explorative study among 551 European communication professionals. The measures are used in this study are closely aligned with previous roles research, but modernized. The authors analyzed the data with factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings – The authors unfold four distinct contemporary managerial tasks (“diagnosis,” “coaching,” “liaison,” and “execution”), extending previous research rooted...

Stress 2.0: Social Media Overload among Swiss Teenagers

Technostress and information overload are serious challenges of the information age. An alarming number of people exhibit dangerously intensive media consumption, while Internet and mobile phone addictions are a widespread phenomenon. At the same time, new media overexposure among young people is understudied, even more so when social network sites are concerned. Our study explores how feelings of overexposure and stress relate to the self-expressive needs of teenagers, made explicit through their digital interactions. It presents and discusses the results of a large-scale survey conducted during an exhibition on media overload in Berne, Switzerland. A total of 6989 adolescents provided answers on their media overload and stress. Through a quantitative analysis, significant factors fostering and inhibiting SNS overload are found.