Samsup Jo

The Effect of Web Characteristics on Relationship Building

The purpose of this article is to examine the relationship between Web characteristics and perceptions toward relational components. A 2 (low interactivity and high interactivity) x 2 (text-oriented and multimedia-oriented) between-group experiment was designed with 197 participants to investigate this question. The outcomes showed that interactivity has significant effects on relationship building. However, the interaction effects between interactivity and medium arrangement suggest that nonessential arrangement of interactivity and multimedia did not enhance positive perceptions of relationships with the organizations. Interactivity, however, showed that the main effect, multimedia orientation, did not. The application of interactivity on the Web was discussed for better relationship building.

Organisation‐public relationships: Measurement validation in a university setting

Given the link between quality relationships and supportive behaviours among organisations and publics, it is not surprising that public relations scholars and practitioners have turned their attention to trying to measure public relationships and understanding their value for organisations and publics. As part of the development of a diagnostic tool for measuring relationships, the present study attempted to test a measurement scale for the organisation‐public relationship. This research effort was designed to test empirically Hon and Grunig’s proposed organisation‐public relationship instrument. Although each of the two data sets displayed slightly different operationalised items, the two groups of subjects similarly perceived the six‐factor (trust, satisfaction, control mutuality, commitment, exchange relationship, communal relationship) measures as a valid and reliable instrument for measuring their relationship with the university.

Media or Personal Relations? Exploring Media Relations Dimensions in South Korea

This study examined the dimensions of media relations and their impact on how public relations is valued. The results showed that three factors determine media relations in South Korea. The first principal factor demonstrated existence of informal relationships in media relations. The results also affirm the personal influence model of public relations. Establishing personal relationships with journalists is a critical task among public relations practitioners. If public relations practitioners do not possess personal relationships with appropriate journalists, they often have difficulty getting media coverage. In particular, personal relationships play a critical role in the event of minimizing unfavorable media coverage.

A cross‐cultural study of the world wide web and public relations

Purpose – The purpose of this study was to compare major corporations’ web sites both in the USA and in South Korea to identify the differences in features posted on their home pages and to examine the relationship between the features and the theoretical public relations model.Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis of two countries’ 30 corporate web sites based on Grunigs public relations model.Findings – The two countries’ corporations predominantly practised press agentry and a public information model from the perspective of a public relations theoretical model. In general, US corporations post more promotional and informative information related to products or services than South Korean corporations.Research limitations/implications – Future studies of the world wide web should be extended to public relations practitioners, who are making and maintaining the web sites.Practical implications – It appears that many corporate home pages, in both countries, have not made use of the powerful tool...

Does culture matter?: a cross-national investigation of women's responses to cancer prevention campaigns.

We examined how culture influences the persuasive effects of health campaigns that promote early screening for cancers that occur in women. Two message dimensions were included: individualistic vs. collectivistic appeal and gain vs. loss frame. A total of 955 females from three countries—the United States, South Korea, and Japan—participated in the experiment. From the results, we found that message framing alone did not significantly influence the effectiveness of public campaigns for womens cancer prevention; and this tendency was similar across the three countries. Gain-framed messages are likely to be more persuasive when combined with a collectivistic appeal, however, whereas loss-framed messages tend to be more effective when combined with an individualistic appeal in both the United States and South Korea; but this result was not the case for Japan. Based on the findings, we suggested theoretical and managerial implications as well as several directions for future research.

Magazine Reading Experience and Advertising Engagement: A Uses and Gratifications Perspective

Guided by the uses and gratifications theory, this study examines the structural relationships between a number of magazine reader experience factors and advertising engagement. The results from a survey of 507 female college students in South Korea suggest that personal experience, a second-order factor consisting of information, personal identification, and entertainment experiences, significantly influences advertising engagement, whereas the other factor, social experience, has no effect on advertising engagement. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

In search of a causal model of the organization–public relationship in public relations

I explored the underlying linkage structure between relational indicators in the organization–public relationship setting to establish which dimension takes precedence over the others, and whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship among the various dimensions. The results showed that control mutuality was the primary relationship indicator, affecting trust and satisfaction. As predicted, satisfaction affected trust. Finally, trust significantly affected commitment. In the university–student relationship setting, the results showed that trust and satisfaction played a mediating role among the dimensions. If it is accepted that the operative effect of relationship management is to initiate, maintain, and enhance the organization’s relationship with the strategic public, then control mutuality might play an antecedent role in the development of satisfaction and trust. Thus, sharing the decision-making process with the public is more likely to increase the level of trust and satisfaction.

How does the corporate sector perceive non-profit organizations? Evidence from South Korea

Purpose – While non-profit organization (NPO)-corporate alliances have proliferated in recent years, study has yet to examine on the perception of corporations toward NPOs. The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that shape corporate perceptions of NPOs. What does the corporation consider when evaluating the activities of an NPO? Which factors are accorded the most importance when the corporate sector observes the NPO sector? Design/methodology/approach – Corporate respondents generally held negative attitudes toward NPOs in terms of general activism functions. In contrast, they held neutral perceptions on trustworthiness. In factor analysis, the four factors that directed how corporate executives perceived activist groups were “positive functions of activists,” “negative aspects of organizational culture,” “trustworthy characteristics,” and “expected ethical management practices.” Findings – While the participating corporate executives expressed positive attitudes toward activists and the rol...