Peter W. Cardon

Does Sample Size Matter in Qualitative Research?: A Review of Qualitative Interviews in is Research

This study examines 83 IS qualitative studies in leading IS journals for the following purposes: (a) identifying the extent to which IS qualitative studies employ best practices of justifying sample size; (b) identifying optimal ranges of interviews for various types of qualitative research; and (c) identifying the extent to which cultural factors (such as journal of publication, number of authors, world region) impact sample size of interviews. Little or no rigor for justifying sample size was shown for virtually all of the IS studies in this dataset. Furthermore, the number of interviews conducted for qualitative studies is correlated with cultural factors, implying the subjective nature of sample size in qualitative IS studies. Recommendations are provided for minimally acceptable practices of justifying sample size of interviews in qualitative IS studies.

A Critique of Hall's Contexting Model A Meta-Analysis of Literature on Intercultural Business and Technical Communication

Edward Halls model of low-context and high-context cultures is one of the dominant theoretical frameworks for interpreting intercultural communication. This article reports a meta-analysis of 224 articles in business and technical communication journals between 1990 and 2006 and addresses two primary issues: (a) the degree to which contexting is embedded in intercultural communication theory and (b) the degree to which the contexting model has been empirically validated. Contexting is the most cited theoretical framework in articles about intercultural communication in business and technical communication journals and in intercultural communication textbooks. An extensive set of contexting propositions has emerged in the literature; however, few of these propositions have been examined empirically. Furthermore, those propositions tested most frequently have failed to support many contexting propositions, particularly those related to directness. This article provides several recommendations for those researchers who seek to address this popular and appealing yet unsubstantiated and underdeveloped communication theory.

Chinese Business Face: Communication Behaviors and Teaching Approaches

Chinese businesspersons are extremely sensitive to protecting and enhancing face. The Chinese sensitivity to face is a result of their emphasis on enduring relation ships and social networks. The hundreds of phrases in the Chinese language describing face demonstrate the sophistication of the Chinese conceptualization of face and related behaviors. For the businessperson, saving face and giving face are the most important face-related skills. Chinese businesspersons use various com munication strategies in order to save face and give face, including indirectness, intermediaries, praising, requests, and shaming. Western businesspersons can pre pare to operate effectively in the Chinese business environment by learning about the Chinese conceptualization of face and related communication strategies.

The Hype and Reality of Social Media Use for Work Collaboration and Team Communication

This article describes the growing adoption of enterprise social networking platforms by organizations in an attempt to foster better team communication and collaboration. To examine current views of these social networking tools, survey results from 227 business professionals are presented that address three areas: frequency of use of social networking for team communication compared to other communication channels, perceived effectiveness of social networking tools for team communication compared to other communication channels, and attitudes toward social networking for team communication. Generally, the results show that traditional communication channels are used more frequently and considered more effective for team communication. However, the results also indicate that Gen X and Gen Y business professionals are quite likely to consider that social networking tools will be the primary tools for team communication in the future. The article concludes with recommendations for how business communication scholars can advance, define, and set apart the field by focusing on business communication via enterprise social networking platforms.

Eportfolios in Business Communication Courses as Tools for Employment.

Eportfolios are a powerful tool for business students to gain self-awareness and take control of their learning experiences. Ideally, they can be used as online profiles in the job application process, allowing more authenticity, personalization, and completeness than traditional résumés. In our colleges, eportfolios help students reflect on their strengths and weaknesses and form goals for professional development. Overall, however, our students’ eportfolios lack the professional touch of their résumés. We believe extensive coordination within a college is required to help business students create eportfolios that they can use to market themselves for professional positions.

Using Films to Learn About the Nature of Cross-Cultural Stereotypes in Intercultural Business Communication Courses

INSTRUCTORS OF INTERCULTURAL business communication courses inevitably face the challenge of providing cross-cultural experiences in the classroom, and students are eager to have real exposure to other cultures. One way of simulating the feel of entering another culture is through films. This article provides a way of teaching about the recent award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. It shows how this film can be used in direct reference to concepts related to stereotypes— concepts that are discussed in most prominent intercultural communication textbooks. It also illustrates how survey results of Indians about their attitudes toward the movie can enrich the class discussion and preserve the voice of the culture of interest.

A Measured Approach to Adopting New Media in the Business Communication Classroom.

introduces students to the functionality of this virtual world. For the second, she morphs a traditional assignment into a new media one, the job interview. Using Second Life as well, Kendra Carmichael, with the assistance of her colleagues, developed the fictional company AxeCorp that could more closely simulate the exigencies of a “real-world” corporate office than the two-dimensional website they had used previously. Students were assigned various roles as employees and “real” executives were enlisted to fill supervisory positions. In the final article of the column, authors Jennifer and Christophe Veltsos provide a cautionary note. Although technology-mediated communication certainly provides a wealth of options for teaching and learning, it can also infringe on a student’s right to privacy, violate the fair use of intellectual property, or breach the regulations of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. They provide excellent advice and resources for instructors who plan to incorporate new media in their courses.

The State of Business Communication Classes: A National Survey

This nationwide study of 169 business communication instructors examines the following issues: (a) ideal and actual class sizes in business communication courses, (b) delivery modes of business communication courses, (c) types of written and oral assignments, and (d) topics covered and depth of coverage. Findings suggest that business communication course offerings are growing on the national stage. The vast majority of class sizes have stayed the same or gotten smaller. One significant change over the past 5 years is the increased focus on interpersonal communication and teamwork. While some courses offer significant coverage of social media, the majority does not.

Using Typologies to Interpret Study Abroad Preferences of American Business Students: Applying a Tourism Framework to International Education.

The authors describe research that applies a tourist framework to study abroad attitudes and preferences. A total of 371 university business students in the Southern region of the United States completed a survey that included the International Tourist Role scale and study abroad attitudes and preferences. These students were grouped into one of 4 international tourist typologies: familiarity seekers, controlled exposure seekers, spontaneous dissimilarity seekers, and cultural dissimilarity seekers. Identifying the combination of travel preferences held by members of these 4 typologies can help business educators and study abroad professionals design, develop, and market study abroad programs for business students.

Perceptions of Civility for Mobile Phone Use in Formal and Informal Meetings

We report our survey research about what American business professionals consider appropriate or civil mobile phone behavior during formal and informal meetings. The findings come from two of our recent research studies: an open-ended survey of 204 employees at a beverage distributor on the East Coast and a nationwide, random-sample survey of 350 business professionals in the United States. There were significant differences by age, group, gender, region, and income level. The differences between women and men were quite striking, with men nearly twice as likely to consider various mobile phone behaviors as acceptable in informal meetings.