Evaluating Effective Communication Methods: Improving Internal Communication

Relaying information from a Chief Communications Officer (CIO), or centralized communications departments to hospital employees is not always efficient or effective. Employees may not be informed of important changes to department protocols or hospital policies. The purpose of the study was to determine the most efficient and effective forms of internal communications in the hospital setting. A total of 83 surveys were mailed to communication officers working in Tennessee hospitals in and east of Nashville. Sixteen communication officers responded. This low response rate may be attributed to poor designation of communication responsibilities and an abdication of responsibilities to an off campus (corporate) source. One significant difference was found regarding the preference of supervisor contact to relay feedback in the age groups of 31-40 and 51-60. Those 31-40 were less likely to prefer direct supervisor contact as their favored communications channel as opposed to 51-60 year olds who favored this method

The impact of study load on the dynamics of longitudinal email communications among students

With the advent of information technology, emails have gained wide acceptability among students as an asynchronous communication tool. According to the current pedagogy literature the overall trend of the use of email communication by university students has been increasing significantly since its inception, despite the rapid growth of the popularity and acceptability of other social mediums (e.g. Mobile phone and Facebook). In this study, we explore a longitudinal email communication network, which evolved under an increasing study load among 38 students throughout a university semester, using measures of social network analysis (SNA) and exponential random graph (ERG) models. This longitudinal network was divided into three waves, where each wave represents the portion of the complete longitudinal network that evolves between two consecutive observations. An increased study load was imposed through the assessment components of the course. SNA measures of degree centrality (i.e. the activity of an actor or actor popularity), betweenness centrality (i.e. the capacity to control the flow of information in a network), closeness centrality (i.e. reachable to other nodes) and reciprocity (i.e. tendency to make reciprocal links) are considered to explore this longitudinal network. ERG models are probabilistic models that are presented by locally determined explanatory variables and can effectively identify structural properties of networks. From the analysis of this email communication network, we notice that students’ network positions and behaviours change with the changes in their study load. In particular, we find that (i) students make an increased number of email communications with the in-crease of study load; (ii) the email communication network become sparse with the increase of study load; and (iii) the 2-star parameter (a subset of three nodes in which one node is connected to each of the other two nodes) and the triangle parameter (a subset of three nodes in which each node is connected to the other two nodes) can effectively explain the formation of network in wave3; whereas, the 3-star parameter (a subset of four nodes in which one node is connected to each of other three nodes) can effectively explain the formation of network in wave1 and wave2. Interpretations of these findings for the monitoring of student behaviour in online learning environments, as well as the implications for the design of assessment and the use of asynchronous tools are discussed in this paper

Y U No Ansr? A Chronemics Analysis of Electronic Communications

This paper explores current literature related to chronemics in electronic communication to show that emailing, texting, and social media should be studied in order to understand how one’s self-esteem is affected by these forms of communication to bring about a greater awareness. This research describes a sample study of college students’ reactions to response times using a mixed methods approach, specifically an explanatory sequential model. Through an evaluation of Zimbardo’s (1999) time perspective studies, peer reviewed journal articles, and computer-mediated communication chronemic studies, this paper provides an argument that response times in electronic communications indicate priority and hierarchy between communicators which can, in turn, temporarily affect an individual’s self-esteem

The impact of effective communication and information sharing on Spar’s supply chain performance at Queensmead KwaZulu-Natal.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Organizations recognize that effective communication at all echelons of the organization expand and progress organizational success and good customer relationships. Communication has been studied with respect to enactment and customer satisfaction, but the relationship with customer attitude and happiness has not been done on a higher education setting. The choice to be happy and have an affirmative attitude has been the subject of different books, articles, speeches, studies, and workshops. The significance of communication in a customer‟s choice to be content and pleased is enlightened as it affects the individual, team, customers and the overall organizational culture. For all retail companies, this is similar. All these enterprises need to improve their level of collaborations in all their supply chains. Research has shown that there is a lack of collaboration and integration amongst the corporate management and its stakeholders provided how the fast moving consumer goods enterprises deal with the communication process in the entire retail business. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of effective communication and information sharing on Spar‟s Supply Chain performance at Queensmead KwaZulu-Natal. This study focused on how effective communication and information sharing has affects the nine management departments namely overall store management, general assistant management, floor management, assistant floor management, stores, fruits and vegetables, bakery, liquor management, and fast foods management. Concepts such as effective communication, information management and sharing, communication barriers, channels, strategic partnership and managerial communication formed part of the literature for this study. The theoretical framework for this study was based on the Communication Accommodation Theory. A qualitative research methodology was used for this study. Queensmead Spar, a fast moving consumer goods company from Umbilo, KwaZulu-Natal was the participating company for this study. Non-probability sampling technique was used for the study and the chosen technique under non-probability sampling was purposive sampling. Face to face interviews were chosen as the data collection instrument for this study. These interviews took place at the physical location of Queensmead Spar Umbilo, Kwa Zulu-Natal. The sample of the study consisted of individuals (managers) from the overall store management (GM), general assistant management, floor management, assistant floor management, stores, fruits and vegetables, bakery, liquor management, and fast foods management. Therefore, the sample size consisted of the total of 9 managers in all. Content data analysis was used to analyse the recorded data from the interviews with participants from Queensmead Spar. Coding and themes were be generated from the data that was collected and then the recommendations were generated and these can be used for upcoming researches

Exploring Customer Service Through Hospital Management Strategies

Patient demand for a better quality of healthcare and services has increased as insurance companies have decreased payments to hospitals. The purpose of this qualitative single exploratory case study was to explore hospital managers\u27 strategies to improve customer service. Data were gathered from semistructured interviews with 5 hospital managers who implemented customer service strategies in their hospital systems, hospital policy and procedure documents, and qualitative data from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Hospital Compare website. Expectation-confirmation theory served as the conceptual framework that grounded the study. Data were analyzed using methodological triangulation, and 3 themes emerged: the need to improve interpersonal communication, address issues in the hospital environment, and provide employee training. Engaging in interpersonal communication, maintaining a clean and welcoming hospital environment, and providing employee training can help hospital managers increase customer satisfaction by giving internal and external customers a sense of empowerment and self-worth. The findings from the study, regarding the hospital managers\u27 customer service strategies, could apply with other healthcare managers and leaders working to improve customer service within their organizations. Healthcare professionals and leaders, patients, family members, and the community may benefit from the study by gaining knowledge of the successful strategies hospital managers use to obtain quality service. These strategies promote respect, compassion, and a better quality of life, which are essential to social change in hospitals

LITERACY AND LEARNING ACROSS PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL SPACES: A CASE STUDY IN A BLENDED PRIMARY CLASSROOM

In light of technological innovations, schools are increasingly adopting digital tools and promoting online spaces for learning. Consequently, the shape of teaching and learning is shifting beyond the physical classroom. Drawing on sociocultural theory, distributed cognition and a networked learning framework, this case study explores how a blended approach shapes teachers’ practices and students’ learning and literacy processes. The study was situated in a Year Six classroom in an Australian technology-rich independent school. Data was collected during the 2013 school year and included: 1) observations; 2) 125 hours of classroom video-recordings; 3) a collection of digital artefacts designed by the students; 4) interviews with teachers and students; 5) a student survey regarding technology integration in the classroom; 6) entry logs posted by participants on the Edmodo social network site. Multiple approaches to data analysis were used in order to answer the study’s research questions, including: networked learning analysis, thematic analysis, situated discourse analysis, multimodal discourse analysis and a quantitative descriptive analysis. The findings suggest that blended learning spaces support teachers’ distributed orchestration of classroom activities across tools and resources while also leveraging students’ engagement in reciprocal teaching as well as self-driven and collaborative learning. Digital technologies open space for new ways of communication, interaction and learning in the classroom, yet such affordances are dependent upon teacher’s facilitation and expertise. In addition, an interactive pattern of literacy practices was evident in the classroom, where processes of authorship, readership, production, audience, and consumption were established between students. Finally, alignment between teachers’ beliefs and the perceived value of technology was a key factor for technology integration in the classroom

Investigating the Relationship Between Internet Attitudes of College Students and Their Stem (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Career Perceptions

Are our students just consumers of technology or do their interests in technology translate into positive perceptions about STEM majors and careers? This research aimed to describe the role of the Internet in undergraduate students’ academic and career perceptions in STEM areas. The purpose of the research was addressed in three parts. First, the attitudes of undergraduate students towards five functions of the Internet namely tool, toy, treasure, telephone and territory were described. Second, students’ STEM career-related perceptions were described in terms of their science and mathematics self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and attitudes towards a STEM career. Third, the relationship between the five Internet functions and the three STEM career-related perceptions was examined. The participants for this study were 566 undergraduate students from a large Southern university. The research design followed a mixed methods approach using multivariate analyses and content analyses. The findings of the research indicated that there was a small but meaningful relationship between undergraduate students’ Internet and STEM perceptions. In their daily lives, the students perceived the Internet more as a toy and a tool. For general career related purposes, they perceived the Internet more as a treasure and a tool. For STEM areas in particular, they perceived the treasure and toy dimensions of the Internet more relevant. Findings on the differences in students’ Internet and STEM career-related perceptions based on gender, major and enrollment in an Honors program are also discussed