It’s still the media. How professionalism in corporate communication influences the prioritisation of organizational environments

This article challenges the widely accepted understanding that corporate communication has been professionalised through its development from traditional press relations into integrated multi-stakeholder management. Based on a cross-cultural survey in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Australia and Indonesia, we analyse the links between expertise, autonomy and value-orientation indicating the professionalism of senior communication managers on the one hand, and the perceived relevance of organizational environments on the other. Overall, the results show that professionalism in a traditional sense does not promote a wider perspective when dealing with organizational environments. Instead, the more professional practitioners are, the more they focus on the media

The rehabilitation of the “nation variable”: links between corporate communications and the cultural context in five countries

Purpose – Despite an impressive body of international research, there is a lack of empirical evidence describing the ways in which organisational environments influence the practices of corporate communications (CC). A cross-cultural survey in five countries contributes to closing this research gap. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach – What makes the research design innovative is that the questionnaire incorporates both practitioners’ perceptions of the cultural context and the relevance of CC practices. The sample comprises 418 practitioners from the most senior positions in CC in the biggest companies in Australia, Austria, Germany, Indonesia, and Switzerland. By choosing a systematic access to the field the authors circumvent shortcomings of “snowball” sampling techniques. Findings – While cultural perceptions and CC priorities vary to a certain degree, there are hardly any significant correlations between the two. Meanwhile, the “nation variable”, and the institutional settings associated with it, are more instructive when explaining differences in CC. Research limitations/implications – A large cross-cultural survey needs to take a “birds eye view” and, as such, is able to identify only general tendencies when describing relations between perceptions of culture and CC practices. Future case studies and qualitative research could explore more subtle ways in which CC is influenced not only by the cultural context, but also – and probably even more – by institutional environments. Originality/value – This is the first cross-cultural survey to systematically describe on the level of primary data, the links between CC practices and perceptions of the organisational environment. Since the results indicate only a limited impact of culture, the authors would recommend the rehabilitation of the “nation variable”. Provided it is understood and differentiated as a representation of specific institutional contexts, the nation variable is likely to prove highly instructive when accounting for the diversity of CC observed around the world

Optimality regions for designs in multiple linear regression models with correlated random coefficients

This paper studies optimal designs for linear regression models with correlated effects for single responses. We introduce the concept of rhombic design to reduce the computational complexity and find a semi-algebraic description for the D-optimality of a rhombic design via the Kiefer-Wolfowitz equivalence theorem. Subsequently, we show that the structure of an optimal rhombic design depends directly on the correlation structure of the random coefficients.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure

Theoretical Basics for Developing Business Information Systems for Jointly Managing Uncertainty, Communication, and Trust in Supply Chains

Uncertainty is a major problem in any supply chain. Inventory and excess capacities used to cope with uncertainty are significant cost drivers. Advanced information systems have been employed to support information exchange along the supply chain and were successful in synchronizing supply and demand and downsizing inventories. However, close cooperation requires mutual trust as a basis. Current information systems do not specifically address this issue. This paper outlines the relation of uncertainty to communication and trust and sketches approaches for information systems to enable integrated process-oriented cooperation and trust management

Physical Activity in Different Preschool Settings: An Exploratory Study

Introduction. Physical activity (PA) in preschoolers is vital to protect against obesity but is influenced by different early-life factors. The present study investigated the impact of different preschool programs and selected family factors on preschoolers’ PA in different countries in an explorative way. Methods. The PA of 114 children (age = 5.3 ± 0.65 years) attending different preschool settings in four cities of the trinational Upper Rhine region (Freiburg, Landau/Germany, Basel/Switzerland, and Strasbourg/France) was measured by direct accelerometry. Anthropometrical and family-related data were obtained. Timetables of preschools were analyzed. Results. Comparing the preschool settings, children from Strasbourg and Landau were significantly more passive than children from Basel and Freiburg (P<.01). With regard to the family context as an important early-life factor, a higher number of children in a family along with the mother’s and child’s anthropometrical status are predictors of engagement in PA. Conclusion. More open preschool systems such as those in Basel, Freiburg, and Landau do not lead to more PA “per se” compared to the highly regimented desk-based system in France. Preliminaries such as special training and the number of caregivers might be necessary elements to enhance PA. In family contexts, targeted PA interventions for special groups should be more focused in the future

Public Relations aus kommunikationswissenschaftlicher Sicht

Mit Öffentlichkeitsarbeit bzw. Public Relations (PR) wird, ähnlich wie im Journalismus, ein vielfältiges, heterogenes Tätigkeitsfeld bezeichnet, das sich zudem im historischen Prozess kontinuierlich gewandelt hat. Das PR-Verständnis wurde über lange Zeit von reflektierenden Einzelpersönlichkeiten aus dem Berufsfeld beeinflusst, d. h. vor allem von Praktikern und nicht von Wissenschaftlern