The impact of enterprise social networking on knowledge sharing between academic staff in higher education

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonHigher education institutions have always considered knowledge sharing critical for research excellence and finding proper methods for sharing knowledge across academic staff has therefore been a major issue for universities and knowledge management research. Recent evidence shows that many universities have embraced enterprise social networking tools to improve communication, relationships, partnerships, and knowledge sharing. To date, there is little understanding of the critical factors for online knowledge sharing behaviour between academic staff, and the impact of these factors on work benefits for academic staff which differ between consumptive users and contributive users in higher education. This study employed the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) to examine factors affecting knowledge sharing about the consumptive use and contributive use of enterprise social network (ESN) behaviour. The study adopts a critical realism philosophical approach and employed a grounded theory mixed methods. The conceptual model was validated through structural equation modelling based on an online survey of 254 academic staff using enterprise social networking as a part of their work in the United Kingdom. The findings have significant theoretical and practical implications for researchers and policy makers. The research has developed a cohesive ESN use model by extending and modifying the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. The findings indicate significant differences around factors affecting consumptive and contributive usage patterns within ESNs. Due to advances in communication technologies, this research argues that a previous model suggested by Venkatesh et al. (2003) is no longer fit for purpose and the new communication tools can lead to improved knowledge in higher education. This research also makes valuable contributions to universities from a managerial viewpoint, suggesting that universities could help their scholars find a more comprehensive range of funding sources matching scholars' ideas

Community Adoption of Appropriate Technology Through Persuasive Communication Design

This dissertation examines the introduction of a new appropriate technology (AT) into a marginalized community through application of a specific behavior change communication model (BCC). For this research, the soda can solar furnace was introduced into the Hispanic community of the Westwood neighborhood in Denver using a developed BCC strategy. The population of Westwood is predominantly Hispanic and overwhelmingly poor. The majority of its residents live at or below the poverty level. As such, they were in great need of assistance in paying their heating bills in the winter months. This study was born out of both a desire to provide this marginalized community with assistance and to ensure that the support provided would not fail once the active involvement stage had ended. Moreover, the goal of this study was to determine the best way to encourage the community in assimilating the new technology into its daily life. Due to the need for assistance during cold winter months, the soda can solar furnace was selected as the appropriate technology (AT) to introduce to the community. This furnace is built with an array of aluminum cans - which are readily available as recycled material - that act as passages for air. As the air passes through, solar energy heats the air and the warmer air is then circulated into the home. This air supplements the heat provided by the home's existing heating system, resulting in lower heating bills for the user. A successful project does not end with the installation of a technology, however. In order to ensure the ongoing use and maintenance of these soda can solar furnaces beyond their initial installation, the members of the community had to be convinced of the merit and utility of these devices. That is where the BCC plan came in. Behavior change communication (BCC) is the strategic use of psychology to promote positive outcomes, based on proven theories and models of pattern change. The relationship between behavior change communication and appropriate technology selection is a key component of this research. The BCC model used in this study is strongly influenced by the Fogg (1) methodology of persuasive psychology, which relies on three pillars: motivation, accessibility and trigger. The first two pillars align with appropriate technology principles (as described in section 4.3); therefore, in this study the selection of an appropriate technology is a critical part of the BCC model formulation. This study illustrates the effectiveness of the behavioral change communication model specifically applied to a community based on a thorough community appraisal and deliberate selection of the appropriate technology. For this research, the behavioral change communication model is assessed for effectiveness through a mixed methods qualitative collection and analysis. This dissertation report describes the BCC model, the AT selection process, the various attributes of the community appraisal performed and the outcomes measured in the community. The results section illustrates the effectiveness of the BCC plan to implement the soda can solar furnace in the target community

Knowledge Sharing Mechanisms: Characteristics and Roles in Knowledge Sharing

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

La credibilidad del E-word of Mouth en Facebook Colombia

El voz a voz, conocido por sus siglas en inglés como WOM (Word Of Mouth), es un fenómeno comunicacional que se define como la acción o la capacidad de influir sobre la gente para que hablen de una acción o idea que puede ser a su vez difundida de forma natural a otros, asegurando la credibilidad sobre la misma (Sernovitz, Godin, & Kawasaki, 2009). En la actualidad, internet ha diversificado el contexto en que ocurre este fenómeno, el cual se presenta con beneficios particulares como rapidez en la difusión de la información, visibilidad y alcance, dando paso al concepto de e-Word Of Mouth (e-WOM) para describir el fenómeno del voz a voz en el contexto digital, cuya naturaleza tiene un impacto profundo en la forma en que actualmente las personas se comunican e influyen en las actitudes, opiniones y comportamientos de otras personas.Introducción. Estado del arte. Marco teórico. Método. Análisis de resultados. Discusión, conclusiones y recomendaciones. Bibliografía. Figuras. Tablas. Anexos.Magíster en Dirección de Marketing, CESAMaestrí

Managing the Paradox of Growth in Brand Communities Through Social Media

The commercial benefits of online brand communities are an important focus for marketers seeking deeper engagement with increasingly elusive consumers. Managing participation in these socially bound brand conversations challenges practitioners to balance authenticity towards the community against corporate goals. This is important as social media proliferation affords communities the capacity to reach a scale well beyond their offline equivalents and to operate independently of brands. While research has identified the important elements of engagement in brand communities, less is known about how strategies required to maximise relationships in these circumstances must change with growth. Using a case study approach, we examine how a rapidly growing firm and its community have managed the challenges of a maturing relationship. We find that, in time, the community becomes self-sustaining, and a new set of marketing management strategies is required to move engagement to the next level

Managing the Paradox of Growth in Brand Communities Through Social Media

The commercial benefits of online brand communities are an important focus for marketers seeking deeper engagement with increasingly elusive consumers. Managing participation in these socially bound brand conversations challenges practitioners to balance authenticity towards the community against corporate goals. This is important as social media proliferation affords communities the capacity to reach a scale well beyond their offline equivalents and to operate independently of brands. While research has identified the important elements of engagement in brand communities, less is known about how strategies required to maximise relationships in these circumstances must change with growth. Using a case study approach, we examine how a rapidly growing firm and its community have managed the challenges of a maturing relationship. We find that, in time, the community becomes self-sustaining, and a new set of marketing management strategies is required to move engagement to the next level

Playermaking: the institutional production of digital game players

This thesis investigates how the digital games industry conceptualises its audiences in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Drawing upon research focused on other media industries, it argues in favour of a constructionist view of the audience that emphasises its discursive form and institutional uses. The term “player” is institutionally constructed in the same way, not referring to the actual people playing games, but to an imagined entity utilised to guide industrial decisions. Using both desk research and information gathered from expert interviews with digital game development professionals, this thesis looks at how ideas about players are formed and held by individual workers, transformed to become relevant for game production, and embedded into broader institutional conceptions that are shared and negotiated across a variety of institutional stakeholders. Adapting the term “audiencemaking” from mass communication research, this thesis identifies three key phases of the “playermaking” process in the digital games industry. First, information about players is gathered through both informal means and highly technologised audience measurement systems. Institutional stakeholders then translate this information into player, product and platform images that can be utilised during production. The remainder of the thesis looks at the more broad third phase in which these images are negotiated amongst a variety of institutional stakeholders as determined by power relations. These negotiations happen between individual workers who hold differing views of the player during development, companies and organisations struggling over position and value across the production chain, and the actual people playing games who strive to gain more influence over the creation of the images meant to represent their interests. These negotiations also reflect national policy contexts within a highly competitive global production network, visible in the comparison between the US neoliberal definition of both the industry and players as primarily market entities and the UK creative industries approach struggling to balance cultural concerns while safeguarding domestic production and inward investment. Ultimately, this thesis argues that conceptions of players are a central force structuring the shape and operation of a digital games industry in the midst of rapid technological, industrial, political and sociocultural change