Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Crisis Communication For Public Organizations: Examining Pakistan Railways' Use Of Information Technology And Social Media For Image Repair, Shafiq Ahmad Kamboh, Muhammad Ittefaq, Yan Jin

School of Communication Studies - Faculty Scholarship

This study examines the induction of information technology and the use of image-repair focused crisis response strategies on social media by Pakistan Railways amid a recent crisis. A mix-method based content analysis (i.e., qualitative and quantitative) to investigate whether and if so, how Pakistan Railways used Benoit's suggested image restoration strategies on social media to repair its image among customers and in print media. Our results show that Pakistan Railways predominantly used reducing the offensiveness of event (40%), followed by corrective action (34.6%), evasion of responsibility (10.6%), denial (8%) and mortification (6.4%) strategies, respectively. In addition, the use of image-repair …

The Technology Transfer Network Dynamic In The Information Technology Industry Of Yucatan, Mexico, Francisco Cima, Pilar Pazos, Ana Maria Canto

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The present paper explores the technology transfer linkages among universities, research centers, and private companies in Yucatan, Mexico's information technology industry. Social network analysis (SNA) was used as a method to identify the structural characteristics of the technology transfer collaborations, and the changes in the patterns of interactions among institutions over the years. Data were obtained from the National Council for Science and Technology repository (CONACYT). Associations formed to enhance technology advancement and innovation practices between 2010 and 2018 were analyzed in this study. Network transitivity, the patterns of triadic configurations, and heterophily were compared to uncover the evolution of …

Social And Entertainment Media, Justin Bailey

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

This chapter first appeared in Discerning Ethics, ed. Hak Joon Lee and Tim Dearborn, 2020, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. www.ivpress.com

More information about this book:

https://www.ivpress.com/discerning-ethics

Technological Innovation: A Case Study Of Mobile Internet Information Technology Applications In Community Management, Wan Su, Xiaobo Xu, Yangchun Li, Francisco J. Martinez-Lopez, Ling Li

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

The Mobile Internet Information Technology MIIT has been widely accepted as one of the most promising technologies in the next decades, having various applications and different value positions. However, few published studies explore and examine the effects of MIIT on community management. Based on the Dramaturgical Theory, this article uses a case study method to get an insightful understanding of MIIT. This article found that the MIIT was used by grid organizations to realize technological innovation and change organizational routines and structures, but eventually it was shaped by them, so this new technology was only able to embed itself into …

Ngos In Turkey’S Media Field: Causes, Sources And Potentials For Development, Altug Akin, Burak Dogu

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

This study elaborates on the non-governmental organizations in Turkey that operate within the broadly defined media field, where a wide variety of organizations, associations, movements and platforms are observed. Focusing on the two most disputed subdomains of the media in Turkey, namely news and information technologies, this descriptive research, at the first level, examines the causes or existence reasons of the NGOs along with their strategies, operations and achievements or failures. Their organizational forms and resources are studied at the second level. Third level of the study investigates their relations with a particular focus on their operational context. It …

An Empirical Investigation On Ceo Turnover In It Firms And Firm Performance, Peiqin Zhang, David Wierschem, Francis A. Mendez Mediavilla, Keejae P. Hong

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Drawn upon upper echelon theory and organizational theory, this research proposes to examine the impact of CEO turnover in IT firms on firm performance in terms of both sustainable accounting performance and market performance. We find that CEO turnover is a significant determinant of firm performance, especially in IT firms. This paper contributes to the IS literature by investigating the CEO turnover impact in IT firms compared to other industries. This study also has practical implications by providing the guideline for IT firms on the CEO turnover policy. Such firms should place additional emphasis on their succession planning efforts.

Creating A Better World With Information And Communication Technologies: Health Equity, Sajda Qureshi

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Publications

When news broke on 23rd July 2014, that a case of the deadly virus Ebola had been confirmed in Lagos, home to about 21 million people and a major transportation hub, the World held its breath. If not contained, this virus could spread quickly killing a multitude of people around the World. By 15th October, cases of Ebola had been recorded around the World: Liberia reported 4249 cases with 2458 deaths, Sierra Leone reported 3252 cases with 1183 deaths, Guinea 1472 cases with 843 deaths, Nigeria reported 20 cases with 8 deaths, the USA reported 3 cases and 1 death, …

A Study Of The Success Of Group Formation In Virtual Teams Using Computer-Mediated Communications, Eliel Melón-Ramos

CCE Theses and Dissertations

In the digital domain, virtual teams within organizations and corporations are becoming common. Restructuring an organization or corporation is vital because competition and globalization are increasing. In this era of globalization, distributed working groups need to develop a competitive advantage in these ever-changing environments. Historically, teams had experienced problems stemming from geographical and temporal limitations. With the increase of technology in telecommunications, organizations are increasingly forming virtual teams, which have become critical to the survival of nearly any corporate entity.

Virtual teams have some of the same problems that regular teams have. One of the key challenges is the method …

An Investigation Of Socio-Technical Components Of Knowledge Management System (Kms) Usage, Noel Wint Jr.

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Existing literature indicates that although both academics and practitioners recognize knowledge management (KM) as a source of competitive advantage, users are not always willing to use a knowledge management system (KMS). Because of the social nature of knowledge transfer, a KMS can be considered a socio-technical system. Many explanations have been presented for this failure to utilize the KMS. These explanations include a number of the socio-technical factors relating to people, processes, and technologies. While these factors may have significant explanatory power when examined independently, existing studies have not sufficiently addressed the interactions among all three socio-technical factors or their …

Investigating Categorization Preferences For Online Dating Sites, Scott Morrissette

CCE Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine whether a three-category (3C) system for classifying profiles on online dating sites provides advantages over a two-category (2C) system as decision makers evaluate a long list of profiles. Two groups of single heterosexual or bisexual women ages 20 to 30 reviewed a list of 60 male profiles on simulated online dating sites to choose which profiled man they would most like to learn more about. One group (n = 53) evaluated the profiles using a 2C system; the other group (n = 56) used a 3C system. After making their choice, women …

Mathematical Modeling Of Trending Topics On Twitter, Jonathan S. Skaza

Honors Projects in Mathematics

Created in 2006, Twitter is an online social networking service in which users share and read 140-character messages called Tweets. The site has approximately 288 million monthly active users who produce about 500 million Tweets per day. This study applies dynamical and statistical modeling strategies to quantify the spread of information on Twitter. Parameter estimates for the rates of infection and recovery are obtained using Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. The methodological strategy employed is an extension of techniques traditionally used in an epidemiological and biomedical context (particularly in the spread of infectious disease). This study, which addresses …

Communication Constructs That Influence Information Technology Project Failure, Vanessa Lajuan Ruth Mackey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective communication behavioral constructs in the workplace that lead to information technology (IT) project failure and in some cases organization failure are increasingly becoming a management concern. Despite this trend, there is little research on the communication behavioral constructs that contribute to IT project failure rates. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of business analysts, programmers, and programmer analysts pertaining to the behavioral constructs associated with effective and ineffective communication. The research questions addressed these behaviors from a conceptual framework based on communication theory, organizational information processing theory, and critical social theory. This framework …

Summer Youth Blog, Urban Scholars, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Office Of Information Technology, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Office Of Communications, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

In an effort to expose youth to careers in information technology and journalism, Urban Scholars, the Office of Information Technology, and the Office of Communications partnered this past summer to offer two high school graduates an internship focusing on the development of a summer youth blog. The two interns, Jennie Lai and Trammel Griffith, who currently attend UMass Boston and Mass College of Liberal Arts respectively, were mentored by UMass Boston staff Akunna Rosser, Colleen Locke, and Lisa Link. The interns were given the task of developing a blog that would publicize the many youth programs on UMass Boston’s campus …

Episode 7: Karenlyn Baron, Thomas Kenny Mphil

Podcasts - Streaming

Professor Tom Kenny speaks with Karenlyn Barone, alumnus and web editor with the Molloy IT department. Karenlyn talks about her background and what made her an atypical communications student.

Novos Serviços De Informação E Comunicação: Um Quadro De Referência Estratégico, Nikhilesh Dholakia, Norbert Mundorf, Ruby Roy Dholakia

Nikhilesh Dholakia

From the late 1960s onwards, the range of information and communication services available to residential consumers and business users in the technologically advanced nations has been growing. The future of information services will depend on the strategic and structural interactions of firms specializing in content, conduits and components.

A New Definition Of Reading: Exploring Media Literacy In A Changing World, Theresa Navarra

Honors Projects in Communication

The purpose of this study is to look at media literacy and how it is taught. Considering the rapid advances in technology which have led us to read more than just books, this research argues for a new form of literacy. Through focus group discussions and an analysis of a background questionnaire in support of those discussions, this study discovered that media literacy education in its current state may be having more of a negative effect on students than it anticipates. This research demonstrates the students who have taken media literacy courses, in direct comparison with those who have not, …

Striking A Balance: Managing Blogs In Loosely Coupled Systems, Troy A. Swanson, Dennis E. Gregory, Edward E. Raspiller

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

As the oldest implementation of Web 2.0 technologies, blogs present an opportunity to understand how community college administrators are addressing two conundrums: conundrum of control and the conundrum of adaptability. These problems arise from the need of leaders to put organizational controls in place even as these controls limit the tool's usefulness and the adaptability of the technology. The purpose of this study using a multiple case study method is (1) to further the understanding of how community college administrators and blog authors strike a balance between organizational control and adaptability when implementing and using blog technologies and (2) to …

The Effect Of Web Usability On Users’ Web Experience, Molly Herring

Honors Projects in Information Systems and Analytics

The ease with which a website visitor can find what they need is positively correlated with visitor satisfaction(Institute for Dynamic Educational Advancement, 2008). Web usability is a field that studies what factors affect the visitor’s ability to navigate through a website. Although there are publications outlining specific usability guidelines, many of them have little or no academic research to support the claim. HHS developed a list of 209 guidelines and rated each according to their strength of evidence (research-based support, 5 – high, 1 – low). Using heuristic evaluation and usability testing, this study provides additional research-based knowledge for those …

Three Interdisciplinary Studies On It Outsourcing, Sonia Gantman Vilvovsky

2012

This dissertation provides interdisciplinary insights into the role of client's internal collaborative experience in managing communication during a complex outsourced project, building a quality client-vendor relationship and ultimately achieving success in the project. Each of the three studies in this dissertation identifies a gap in existing scholarship and proposes an interdisciplinary research agenda.

The first essay advances the development of the public sector IT outsourcing (ITO) inquiry by consolidating the existing research into an analytical framework and validating a part of the framework with rich qualitative data collected from collaborative initiatives of public safety agencies ("Public Safety Networks", or PSN). …

Building Collaborative Reference And Instructional Services For Distance Education Students, Angela P. Whitehurst, Carolyn N. Willis

The Southeastern Librarian

To meet the needs of rigorous educational programs, academic libraries must make a commitment to serve growing distance education (DE) populations. Students who participate in distance education are typically older, nontraditional students with unique characteristics who need special services provided by their university library in order to obtain an education equal to their on-campus counterparts. Creating a successful reference and instructional service for distance education students not only takes planning, collaboration, and assessment, but also requires knowing your audience, constantly experimenting with new technologies, expecting the unexpected, and being ready to problem-solve at a moment’s notice. In this article, the …

A Phone Of One's Own: Texting At The Bryant University Reference Desk, Laura Kohl, Maura Keating

Library Staff Publications, Presentations & Journal Articles

Librarians take great pride in their continuous efforts to be accessible to their patrons. By summarizing the “Text a Librarian” program at the Douglas and Judith Krupp Library at Bryant University, this article highlights the many ways reference librarians and their services have evolved. This article takes you on a journey through their “eureka moment” to the phone plan and purchase, implemented guidelines and policies and ultimately, their “texting success”.

Civic Engagement, Pedagogy, And Information Technology On Web Sites For Youth, Christine Bachen, Chad Raphael, Kathleen-M. Lynn, Kristen A. Mckee, Jessica Philippi

Communication

Scholars of political socialization are paying increasing attention to how the Internet might help cure the civic disengagement of youth. This content analysis of a sample of 73 U.S.-based civic Web sites for youth introduces a framework for evaluating Web sites’ strategies for fostering active communication for citizenship. We offer the first systematic assessment of the extent to which a broad range of Web sites aim to develop young people’s abilities to use information and communication technology (ICT) as a vehicle for civic participation and to engage with ICT as a policy domain that encompasses issues (such as freedom of …

A New Voice For Chariho, Christopher Barrett

Senior Honors Projects

When the Founding Fathers drafted the U.S. Constitution, they recognized the importance of a free press by protecting it from government interference. Newspapers can wield incredible power in making positive change and building a better community. They also provide fantastic opportunities for journalists to learn about the world around them and become an expert in many fields. Journalists, however, are not limited to professionals in the newsrooms of the nation’s largest daily papers. Reporters of every age have made an impact on their communities. For my Honors Project I sought to bring this ability to high school students by designing …

Communicating With Students Via E-Mail: Creating No Excuse For “There’S Nothing To Do On Campus”, Jessica Rusack

Senior Honors Projects

In the past decade, technology has transformed how society communicates. From the internet to cell phones to iPods and video games, interactive communication has become the norm. At the University of Rhode Island, students adapt quickly to the constantly changing technology. Yet student organizations and the University as a whole have not adapted as quickly to such changes. This has led to an uninformed and uninterested student body when it comes to programming and events on campus. As students instant message on their laptops and text message on their cell phones (simultaneously, of course), organizations, clubs and athletics struggle to …

Comic : An Exploration Into Computer-Mediated Intercultural Communication, Simone Alder

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how cultural differences manifest themselves in computermediated intercultural communication (CoMIC). This study particularly looks at the role and use of digital nonverbals (DNVs) and their regulatory functions. The data analyzed is from a global virtual team working together for a period of three months. The grounded theory method has been employed to code the electronic transcript of the team's communication. Furthermore, the participants were surveyed regarding their personal backgrounds, their work, and their perception of the communication processes that took place. The study shows that in an intercultural communication process DNVs are used to avoid intercultural misunderstandings …

Keynote: Role Of Values & Culture In Information Technology, Prof. Dr. Anis Ahmad

International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies

It is no longer unusual to see, in a remote town in northern area in Pakistan, a practically non-literate wagon driver calling from his Nokia cell phone his uncle in Dubai or in Karachi. He enjoys sharing with him about his success in business and the settlement of family disputes. While he is driving on dangerous curvy roads and having this conversation, in the back seat of the wagon a comparatively young person is playing games on his cell phone. All this was unimaginable a quarter of a century ago.

A Metaphoric Cluster Analysis Of The Rhetoric Of Digital Technology, Michael Eugene Marse, Nicholas Negroponte

Theses Digitization Project

This thesis seeks to identify and explain some technology in order to more fully understand modern communication. This study makes use of metaphoric cluster analysis to examine the technological rhetoric of Nicholas Negroponte.

National Sources Of Leadership In 3g M-Business Applications: A Framework And Evidence From Three Global Regions, Mark Lehrer, Nikhilesh Dholakia, Nir Kshetri

College of Business Faculty Publications

Countries such as Finland and Sweden have exhibited long-established patterns of leadership in mobile telecommunications in general, while Japan's NTT DoCoMo represents an early national-level exemplar of a major m-commerce business system. The task of identifying and profiling the types of national leadership patterns likely to prevail in 3G wireless networks of Europe, Asia, and elsewhere, however, is a challenging one. This is because new technological and other forces are coming into play in the post-GSM world. In this paper, we present a framework and some evidence to show the potential national leadership patterns in 3G mbusiness applications in Asia-Pacific, …

Finding Business Information On The Internet, Andrée Rathemacher

Technical Services Faculty Presentations

Thank you letter from Carol Surprenant, Director of the University of Rhode Island Research Center in Business and Economics, for presenting a workshop, "Finding Business Information on the Internet," offered as part of the Business Intelligence Expo. The Business Intelligence Expo was held in Providence, Rhode Island, on October 21, 1997.

The one-hour workshop was offered twice during the Expo and covered business information available on the Internet. With a total of 25 attendees, this workshop was the most heavily attended of all workshops at the Expo.

Novos Serviços De Informação E Comunicação: Um Quadro De Referência Estratégico, Nikhilesh Dholakia, Norbert Mundorf, Ruby Roy Dholakia

College of Business Faculty Publications

From the late 1960s onwards, the range of information and communication services available to residential consumers and business users in the technologically advanced nations has been growing. The future of information services will depend on the strategic and structural interactions of firms specializing in content, conduits and components.