Business Commons^™

What's In A User Story: Is Development Methods As Communication, Rodney J. Clarke, Karlheinz Kautz

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

This paper challenges claims made by Scrum proponents when characterising the communicative nature of user stories: including being more 'authentic' because they comprise spoken language and that they are stories. We argue and decisively demonstrate that neither can be upheld. By incorrectly characterising user stories, we miss opportunities to understand what they are and how they work during development. User stories are better understood by applying a functional theory of communication that emphasises how language is used. By selecting systemic functional linguistics, we can analyse user stories, and have developed a method for factoring unwanted epics into usable user stories.

Communication Accommodation To Achieve Research Student Autonomy, Grace Mccarthy, Rodney Clarke, Ann M. Rogerson

Sydney Business School - Papers

Universities throughout the world are grappling with ways to improve the quality of research supervision and thereby improve successful completion rates. Much effort has been spent on defining the research skills students are expected to develop and how to assist students improve them, e.g. Willison (2012). The concept of developing researcher autonomy has also been the focus of research, e.g. Gurr (2011). As supervisors, we help our students become skilled autonomous researchers through discussions and feedback, in other words, through our communication skills. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) can be applied in …

A Comparison Of Supply Integration And End-To-End Communication Theory And Practice - An Australian Perspective, Fadi Kotob, Lee Styger

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

The concept of supply chain integration and end-to-end communication are well established in supply chain theory. Typically, because of the depth of publications, an axiom has developed that all supply networks are fully integrated and have end-to-end communication protocols. Recent research into Australian supply networks has highlighted a somewhat different scenario, where many networks are fragmented and lack the connectivity that would be expected. This paper offers a comparison of theoretical supply chain management and the actual practices found in Australian businesses. As a result of this grass root research, a scenario is offered that suggest there is a significant …

A Comparison Of Supply Integration And End-To-End Communication Theory And Practice - An Australian Perspective, Fadi Kotob, Lee E J Styger

Sydney Business School - Papers

The concept of supply chain integration and end-to-end communication are well established in supply chain theory. Typically, because of the depth of publications, an axiom has developed that all supply networks are fully integrated and have end-toend communication protocols. Recent research into Australian supply networks has highlighted a somewhat different scenario, where many networks are fragmented and lack the connectivity that would be expected. This paper offers a comparison of theoretical supply chain management and the actual practices found in Australian businesses. As a result of this grass root research, a scenario is offered that suggest there is a significant …

Just Don't Call Me A Feminist: Senior And Junior Women Managers' Perceptions Of Communication Dilemmas At Work, Mary Barrett

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Barrett (2004) found senior women managers evaluated workplace communication strategiesdifferently according to whether they thought a man or a woman was using the strategy. Butorganisationally junior younger women often reject overt feminist standpoints and might evaluatethese strategies differently. To test this, 255 junior women managers evaluated strategies for the samedilemmas older women had. When evaluating strategies for short and medium term dilemmas (egbeing interrupted, getting credit for an idea), junior women managers evaluate less than older womenmanagers on the basis of the communicator's gender. However with longer term dilemmas (eg gettingachievements noticed for promotion), junior women managers avoid some strategies …

People And Process: Making Sense Of Change Management, Patrick M. Dawson

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper is about the ways that we seek to manage, steer, resist and make sense of change. It views change as a fluid process that may take unexpected turns. In clarifying what we mean by change and challenging linear stage models, a more dynamic perspective is advocated. A short case study is used to highlight the political aspects of change and to raise critical awareness of some of the key issues that can arise. The paper concludes with some practical guidelines arguing that it is the processual nature of change that makes it both a difficult yet fascinating area …

Frequency Of Communication Within Npd Projects: Implications For Key Measures Of Success, Elias Kyriazis

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The nature of cross-functional relationships during NPD projects has received considerable research attention with an emphasis on achieving successful integration. To achieve this functional integration new product development activities often require functional specialists to communicate with one another to achieve their respective task goals. This study examines the frequency of communication within NPD projects as reported by R&D Manager from 184 Australian NPD projects. We find that informal methods of communication have a positive relationship with three key NPD outcome variables such as perceived relationship effectiveness, interpersonal collaboration and NPD project success. This study provides empirical support for the proposition …

Gender And Communication At Work: An Introduction, Mary Barrett, Marilyn J. Davidson

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The last three to four decades have seen a rapid increase in numbers of womenin the workplace worldwide, with more women also entering managerial ranks.However, despite legislation in many countries aimed at furthering women’scapacities to move to the top of their organizations, the phenomenon of the ‘glassceiling’ persists (Davidson and Burke, 2004; Ryan and Haslam, 2005). Publicpolicy documents, academic research and popular books advocating government,industry and organization-level policy initiatives to facilitate women’s advancementcontinue to be published. So-called ‘business case’ arguments, that is, argumentsto the effect that organizations that fail to acknowledge and use the skills of allmembers of their workforce …

Investing In Inter-Organisational Communication: The Melbourne Wool Brokers Association, Simon Ville, David Merrett

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Trade associations were common in Australia in the 1960s with an estimated 1250 in existence (Freeman 1968: 443–58). Their primary role, as perceived by economists of the day and the Attorney-General intent on introducing legislation to quell restrictive trade practices, was to create economic gain for the association’s members at the expense of their suppliers and/or customers. While Freeman (1968: 457–58) argued that trade associations were neither necessary nor sufficient conditions for restrictive trade practices, such an interpretation was swept aside by Mancur Olson’s influential work on the rent-seeking ‘distributional coalition’ from the 1960s to the 1980s (Olson 1965, 1982).

Communication And Conflict Between Marketing And R&D During New Product Development Projects, Graham R. Massey, Elias Kyriazis

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Effective cross-functional working relationships (CFRs) between Marketing Managers and R&D Managers are a key factor in successful new product development (NPD). Empirical evidence suggests however, that this CFR is often problematic. This article adds to our knowledge about Marketing/R&D CFRs during NPD by examining the effects of three forms of communication (communication frequency, bidirectionality, and quality) on two forms of conflict (dysfunctional and functional conflict). A hypothesised model of Marketing/R&D CFRs is tested using a sample of 184 NPD projects conducted in Australia, using R&D Managers as key respondents reporting on their relationships with the relevant Marketing Manager. Our findings …

The Effects Of Structure, Communication And Trust Between Marketing And R&D During New Product Development, Elias Kyriazis, Graham Massey

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The ability to effectively manage cross-functional working relationships (CFRs) during innovation is a key success factor in developing successful new products. However, empirical evidence suggests that CFRs during new product development are often problematic, resulting in extremely poor relations between managers, and the development of unsuccessful new products. This paper adds to our existing knowledge on the Marketing/R&D CFR by examining the effects of structural factors, communication behaviours, and interpersonal trust on the dependent variable perceived relationship effectiveness. Our findings reveal that trust has potent positive, direct effects on this CFR. Further, bidirectional communication and quality of communication also have …

An Examination Of Professional Services Quality As A Mediator Between Interpersonal Communication And Repurchase Intention, Les Kirchmajer, Paul G. Patterson

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study examines the role of service quality (SQ) as a mediator between interpersonal communications and repurchase intention in the context of the relationship an individual client has with their personal financial adviser. A new multidimensional scale for interpersonal communications is developed and tested. Three dimensions were identified as: Communications clarity (five items), Social communications (four items), and Information provision (seven items). The results show the communications dimensions play a central role in sharing perceptions of service quality (SQ) and thus repurchase intentions.

The Effects Of Organisational Structure, Interpersonal Trust And Communication During New Product Development Projects, Elias Kyriazis, Graham R. Massey

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study examines the antecedents of effective working relationships between Marketing and R&D managers during NPD projects. Adopting both a structural and individual-level perspective, we examine the impact on relationship effectiveness of formalisation, centralisation, communication frequency and bidirectionality, and interpersonal trust between Marketing Managers and R&D Managers during NPD product development projects. Our hypothesised model is tested using a sample of 184 product development projects conducted in Australia, and our findings reveal two dimensions of interpersonal trust (cognition- and affect-based trust) are potent factors driving effectiveness during product development projects. We also reveal differential effects of the two communication behaviours, …

Social Marketing Communication In A Multicultural Environment: Practical Issues And Theoretical Contributions From Cross-Cultural Marketing, Gary I. Noble, Michael Camit

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Social marketing communication (social marcom) campaign production can be more challenging when the audience includes individuals from ‘culturally and linguistically diverse’ (CALD) communities. Additional issues such as culturally related values, practices, and attitudes need consideration. Normally, social marcoms campaigns for CALD audiences involve directly translating mainstream campaign material into various ethnic groups’ languages. However, little is understood about the issues beyond translation that confront practitioners adapting mainstream campaigns.

This article presents a case study analysis of work undertaken by the New South Wales Multicultural Health Communication Service (MHCS). The Service’s core activity is adaptation of social marcoms campaigns for use …

Envisioning Communication From The Edge, David Mckie, Judy M. Motion, Debashish Munshi

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

In mapping movements on the edge, we explore how scholars redefine the boundaries of what constitutes research and practice. In The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty through Profits, a book that already promises to be one of the seminal business books of the 21 st century, C. K. Prahalad (2004) recounts his difficulties in finding a journal to publish the research that informed his book. Thanks to his earlier success with a prizewinning bestseller on more conventional business strategy, Competing for the Future (Hamel & Prahalad, 1994), Prahalad went on to find a book publisher despite …

Web-Mediated Communication (Wmc) And Social Interaction: A Social Psychological Approach, Koo Won Suh, Helen Hasan, Paul K. Couchman

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

It can be argued that social interaction is a critical factor in understanding Web-mediated communication. While the concept and domain of social interaction has been studied in several disciplines they are underdeveloped in the current Web-enabled environment. This paper adopts a social psychological point of view of conceptual and operational issues in relation to social interaction. Through a review of the literature, two domains of social interaction are identified: task and socio-emotional interaction. The literature review also addresses some problems in defmition related to socio-emotional interaction. In an attempt to fill the gap between conceptual and operational defmitions of social …

The Role Of Interpersonal Communication In The Development Of Client Trust And Closeness In A Sme Professional Services Context, Les Kirchmajer, Paul Patterson

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study develops and tests a model of effective interpersonal communication as an antecedent to client trust and closeness amongst small to medium enterprise (SJ\1E) professional services providerspersonal fmancial planners. A new multidimensional scale for interpersonal communications is developed and tested, resulting in the identification of three dimensions : Communications clarity (5 items),Social communications (4 items), and Information provision (7 items). Client trust is investigated also as a multidimensional construct with credibility trust and benevolence trust being the two dimensions used. Closeness is investigated as a unidimensional construct. The results suggest that there is a positive relationship between communications clarity …

Engendering Healthy Organisational Communication - Evidence From Australian Female Managers And Business People, Mary Barrett

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Keeping 'good' communication in organisations is one of the most frequently prescribed recipes for organisational well being. Training programs for employees in assertiveness, improved communication, career development, and managing oneself and others, have often called attention to the specifics of verbal interactions between managers, employees and others in the organisation. Such training programs generally suppose that direct, open approaches to communication are best. Yet it has often been asserted in sociolinguistic research that men and women communicate differently, including at work. Despite this, precepts for 'good' communication that are recommended for both genders in communication training are usually consistent with …

The Electoral Reform Campaigns In New Zealand: A Political Communication Case Study, Juliet Roper, Shirley Leitch

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Communication professionals employed in the public relations and advertising industries play a central role in the democratic process. They research, design, and implement the campaign strategies that attempt to influence voter choices and public policy. In New Zealand, some special legal restrictions are placed on the campaign activities of politicians during election campaigns. But, for corporations and interest groups, the ability to pay is the major controlling factor. It was within the context of this 'free market' of ideas that New Zealand held a referendum to decide whether or not to adopt a new electoral system. In spite of a …