Business Communication Research Research Articles

Methods Showcase—Using PLSF-SEM in Business Communication Research

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a data analysis method that is widely used in business communication research, as well as research in many other fields, when scholars need to test complex models with multiple outcomes, interactions, or operations across different situations. To date, however, researchers have had to choose between using covariance-based SEM, and dealing with convergence problems; or composite-based SEM, and facing serious methodological issues. This article describes a way to combine strong aspects of both SEM types through PLSF-SEM. By utilizing this novel method, empirical researchers can employ several of the same tests traditionally used in covariance-based SEM, as well as new tests that rely on latent variable estimates, in a succinct and scholarly way. PLSF-SEM builds on partial least squares (PLS) algorithms to generate correlation-preserving factors; the F refers to it being factor-based, as opposed to composite-based. A primer on the use of PLSF-SEM in business communication research is provided, based on an illustrative model inspired by motivating language theory, and where simulated data was analyzed with the software WarpPLS.

Using Scenario-Based Assessment in the Development of Students’ Digital Communication Skills and Professional Competence

In this discussion, we consider how the use of scenario-based assessment (SBA) can provide students with a way of developing the digital communication skills that business communication research has found they will need for the workplace, alongside other aspects of professional competence. This is because SBA can be employed to engage learners in the same types of authentic performance tasks in a situated context that they will likely encounter in their professional lives. In addition, SBA can also be used to maximize the integrity of an assignment by harnessing the positive effects of using generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, while simultaneously mitigating against the misappropriation of AI by students. SBA allows learners to practice both their digital, and other, communication skills as well as contributing to their understanding of professional practice, and it also provides instructors with a powerful form of formative assessment. Our aim is to put forward a motivating and effective way of helping our students to develop the skills that they will need to become successful communicators in a postpandemic professional world.

Automating Research in Business and Technical Communication: Large Language Models as Qualitative Coders

The emergence of large language models (LLMs) has disrupted approaches to writing in academic and professional contexts. While much interest has revolved around the ability of LLMs to generate coherent and generically responsible texts with minimal effort and the impact that this will have on writing careers and pedagogy, less attention has been paid to how LLMs can aid writing research. Building from previous research, this study explores the utility of AI text generators to facilitate the qualitative coding research of linguistic data. This study benchmarks five LLM prompting strategies to determine the viability of using LLMs as qualitative coding, not writing, assistants, demonstrating that LLMs can be an effective tool for classifying complex rhetorical expressions and can help business and technical communication researchers quickly produce and test their research designs, enabling them to return insights more quickly and with less initial overhead.

Mastering Workplace English: A Book Review of 'English for Business Communication' by Mable Chan

Although business English books have been extensively published during the last two decades (Bhatia & Bremner, 2012; Emmerson, 2010; Sweeney, 2003; Talbot, 2009), this book, "English for Business Communication" by Mable Chan (2020), is a comprehensive textbook designed for students and professionals studying English for business or workplace communication. It covers both spoken and written English and incorporates up-to-date research in business communication. The book focuses on the realities of communication in the business world today, including the use of English in social media and the concept of communicative competence. It also includes analysis of email communication, informal English, and English for socialization. Additionally, the book explores persuasive messages and provides an e-resources website with authentic workplace genres and relevant research studies.

Commentary: A Space for Place in Business Communication Research Updated

In a Commentary published in 2017, I urged researchers to consider place both as a setting and an agent fostering collaborative practices in open-plan corporate offices (Andrews, 2017). This Commentary updates that article. The 2020 pandemic shuttered offices and sent individuals home, where they are gaining new habits and personal control in working remotely. To lure reluctant workers back to the office, companies are reimagining and redesigning their workplaces—a biophilic perspective helps—as homey studios or collaboration centers which an individual might choose to come to for the in-person gatherings unavailable at home. Hybrid strategies, negotiated with empathy between employees and employers, are emerging to manage work life and individual well-being across these principal workplaces.

Business Communication Lessons in Agility: Introduction to the Special Issue on the COVID-19 Pandemic

This introduction explains our vision, inclusion criteria, and mission for a curated issue about business communication and COVID-19. We focus on the big picture of communication agility lessons from a VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) environment. We also present a definition and a typology of agile business communication, largely drawn from the papers in this collection. These manuscripts investigate COVID-19 organizational communication measures and related strategies plus their outcomes across diverse stakeholders in multiple countries. Drawing from these contributions and other research, we conclude by outlining an agile business communication research agenda. Finally we inaugurate a new IJBC column, Spotlight on a Thought Leader in Business Communication.

ОРГАНІЗАЦІЯ ДІЛОВИХ НАРАД ЯК ЧИННИК ЕФЕКТИВНОЇ КОМУНІКАЦІЇ В РЕФЕРЕНТНІЙ ТА ОФІСНІЙ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ

<p><strong><em>The purpose</em></strong><em> of the study is to analyze the typology of business meetings as a factor of effective communication in reference and office activities.</em></p><p><strong><em>Research methodology.</em></strong><em> In the course of the research the theoretical methodological case was used: classification method (types of meetings, types of formats), system-value approach through the prism of compliance with the core values of «organization health» and «corporate culture»). </em></p><p><strong><em>Results.</em></strong><em> The article provided the classic classifications of meetings were presented, P. Lensioni’s theory of types of meetings was highlighted: administrative, tactical, strategic, development-related, argued the ineffectiveness of the so-called «meeting rage» (according to P. Lensioni).</em><em> </em><em>It was found that the formation of the agenda, the use of the evaluation card of tactical meetings, document regulation, verification of strategic «anchors» at «field» meetings, inviting experts, consultants, cascading communication, strengthening the functions of the company’s communicator (assistant manager, consultant, information specialist) ) – the main focuses of achieving the benefits of business communication. </em></p><p><strong><em>The scientific novelty</em></strong><em> of intelligence lies in the identified need to organize business meetings in reference and office activities as a factor of effective communication, taking into account the value approach of corporate culture, current trends in the typology of meetings and their formats.</em></p><p><strong><em>Practical significance.</em></strong><em> Analyzed trends in the transformation of strategic meetings to non-traditional formats, including brainstorming, collective and individual «brainstorming», mastermind, the Japanese decision-making system «kingeso» show the practical importance of intelligence and prospects for business communication research and adaptation of these tools to online platforms . The top offers of the digital world for improving virtual events are outlined. Each professional field offers its own specific tools to strengthen communication interaction to effectively address the issue, but the value of the «health of the organization» remains at the core.</em></p><p><strong><em>Key words: </em></strong><em>meeting, types of meetings, effective business communication, cascade communication, reference activity, office work.</em></p>

Driving Employee Engagement through CSR Communication and Employee Perceived Motives: The Role of CSR-Related Social Media Engagement and Job Engagement

Employee engagement and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are two important issues attracting an increasing amount of attention from both business communication researchers and practitioners. A theory-driven model that (1) conceptualizes employee engagement as social media engagement, job engagement, and organizational engagement, and (2) explicates how they are related to an organization’s CSR communication strategies and employee perceived CSR motives is still lacking. To place our study in the context of CSR and business communication, we proposed a strategies-motives-employee engagement model. Results from an online Qualtrics survey (n = 836) supported all our hypotheses except for the direct link between interacting CSR communication strategies and employee organizational engagement. We conducted a two-step Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis to test all our hypotheses. Theoretical and practical implications of the study were discussed.

An Analysis of the Academic Environment in Business and Professional Communication

While previous research in business communication has surveyed business and professional communication instructors regarding their courses, it has not yet asked instructors about additional factors that affect their ability to teach and their students’ ability to learn. These factors include job satisfaction, institutional and collegial support, academic rank, physical teaching environment, teaching and learning resources, and student issues. This study examines the results of a survey of business and professional communication instructors regarding these factors, discusses implications for the disciplines of business and professional communication, and suggests additional avenues for advocacy and research.

Users’ Experience of Digital Wayfinding Screens: A Uses and Gratification Perspective from South Africa

Marketing and business communication researchers have neglected the wayfinding capabilities of digital out-of-home communication in the retailing landscape. The current study focuses on digital wayfinding screens in the South African shopping mall environment. The aim is understanding users’ experience of digital wayfinding screens, guided by the uses and gratification theory. Shoppers were interviewed about their views and actions while engaging in the wayfinding process in large upmarket shopping malls. The in-depth semistructured interviews were recorded and then the content was analysed. The findings provide a rich and comprehensive understanding of shoppers’ content gratifications and process gratifications when utilising this contemporary medium. The current study identifies four uses and gratifications for digital wayfinding screens: convenient process gratifications, interactive process gratifications, informational content gratification, and entertaining content gratifications. Understanding the gratification dimensions of digital wayfinding screens contributes to contemporary media research and forms the basis of valuable guidelines for practitioners in retail media and design.

A Commentary on the Use of Simulated Settings in Business Communication Research

Although there are different views toward the use of simulations for research purposes, interactional data produced in a simulated setting (simulated data) is still common in the field of business communication research. However, little research has been conducted to investigate the extent to which simulated interactional data can be used as an alternative to authentic business communication data. In this commentary, we review the controversy over the use of simulated data and discuss some contextual factors that may influence the authenticity of simulated data. We also provide suggestions for improving the compatibility of simulated data when researching business communication.

Language and Cultural Awareness of a Non-Native ESP Teacher

Introduction. The relation between culture and language is a central issue in foreign language teaching and research where the need to give cultural content the same value as language content and language skills has been stressed. However, conceptualization of teacher language awareness, by focusing largely on formal aspects of language, largely neglects culture as a component of teacher cognition. This paper expands the category of ESP-teacher language awareness suggesting the inclusion of cultural awareness as a separate component of teacher cognition. This concept extension actualizes ESP teaching in the situation shaped by unprecedented mobility and intercultural contacts. Materials and Methods. The historic-logical method was used to determine shortcomings of pedagogical experience and the need to teach culture in ESP. Grounded theory, as an inductive methodology, was utilized to generate conceptual expansion theoretically tied with research in medical and business communication as well as with data on population movement and international s cientific cooperation. Results. We defined ESP-cultural knowledge as a system comprising the permanent (know-that) and temporary (know-of) cultural manifestations in a society as well as how they are manifested through language (know-how). That system practical representation is exemplified in medicine and business English discourse. The study expands the structure of ESP-TLA, claiming the focus on cultural awareness as part of ESP discourse which fosters cultural-response education. Discussion and Conclusion. Such claim is pertinent to practitioners involved in the tourism industry, health care, economics, and academic activities such as research and development. This paper is relevant for teachers of English for Specific purposes in the fields mention ed above as well as for researchers engaged in analyzing the problems and methods of teaching a foreign language. However, because of the multiple manifestations and complexity of student motivation to get ESP course, the paper acknowledges the difficulties in addressing cultural content salient to all student s in class, an aspect meriting further research.

Integrating Rhetorical Criticism into Business Communication as an Interdisciplinary Approach

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to suggest integrating rhetorical analysis and criticism into business communication research and pedagogy. Rhetorical analysis and criticism on public addresses of business leaders can provide important insights into the political and social issues of the community and the economic impact of the participants. Such an analysis would contribute to the development of communication scholarship taking place at the intersection of business communication, rhetoric, and society. Methods: This paper reviews articles on the rhetoric of business leaders published in business communication journals (e.g., Journal of Business Communication, Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, Management Communication Quarterly, Journal of Business and Technical Communication, Technical Communication Quarterly). It examines the purpose of rhetorical criticism in business communication and discusses popular criticism methods. Among the various perspectives on rhetorical criticism in the field of speech communication, this stduy discusses three commonly adopted methods – Neo-Aristotelian criticism, Genre Criticism, and Narrative criticism. Results: Studies on the rhetorical criticism of speeches of business leaders are not systematically integrated into business communication education and research. Rhetorical critics of speech communication are more interested in public speeches by prominent politicians or social leaders, while business communication scholars are more concerned with rhetorical theory and pedagogy. Conclusions: Integrating rhetorical criticism into business communication as an interdisciplinary approach infuses a new approach that goes beyond the domains of contemporary research and pedagogy. Integrating rhetorical criticism into business communication not only improves the quality of discourse in business society but also tests and modifies both the theory and practice of corporate rhetoric.

Trends in Business Communication Research, Teaching, and Academic Societies in Korean Higher Education

Objectives This paper investigates the contemporary academic trend in business communication in Korea. It tries to address the question of whether Korean business communicators are teaching business communication, and if they are, which kinds of business communication they teach, which traditions they follow, and how the teaching trend is projected to research trends in business communication in Korea. Methods This study first examines web content on business communication curricula and then conducts a content analysis of the websites of Korean communication associations as well as related qualitative interviews with professors whose academic interest is related to business communication in order to address some particular research questions. Results This study shows that business communication education in Korean universities (in communications departments) has a lack of variety (i.e., a predominance of organizational communication and media studies) and that actual business communication education (with an emphasis on language use in business contexts) is not done in courses titled Business Communication. Conclusions Nevertheless, interviewees expect a bright future for Korean business communication in both teaching and research (i.e., increasing the number of business communication courses to conduct a government-funded research project; establishing academic associations focusing on business and professional communication).

Business Communication Research and Theory Development in Asia: Past, Present, and Future Prospects

Objectives Multinational corporations headquartered in Asia have steadily taken a greater market share in the global marketplace. This growth will continue, and Asia will be the leading economic force in the 21st century. This article attempts to provide a critical review of the literature of international business and business communication in Asia over the last two decades. Methods This paper describes and reviews intercultural communication and business research and theory development in Asian multinational corporations. It traces the development of cultural, linguistic, and international business streams of research and theory development. Existing models and frameworks that can guide research and theory building are presented to lead to a unified theory of Asian business communication. Results It was shown how distinct management and communication systems developed in Japan, Korea, overseas Chinese countries, and Mainland China. These streams were largely independent and are now going through an initial period of integration. Conclusions There are hopeful signs for expanded research and theory building on Asian business communication. Scholarship and research is shifting to Asia as a way of following the movement of global business communication. A comprehensive framework, theories, and models are needed in order to guide future research endeavors in this increasingly diverse and complex globalized business communication environment and to provide a more complete and comprehensive explanation of international and Asian business communication.

A Space for Place in Business Communication Research

Many corporate leaders believe that the physical environment of the workplace can play a major role in fostering the interdisciplinary collaboration they link to organizational innovation and in creating a brand that attracts and keeps highly talented employees. Their belief aligns with a recent materialist turn in scholarship that addresses the mutual creation of objects and subjects. Taking advantage of ubiquitous communications technology, the open plan design of these new workplaces offers a variety of settings, created more through furnishings than architecture, to support the four modes of 21st-century work: collaborate, socialize, learn, and focus. In this flexible, “mobile” workplace, people and things mutually reconfigure themselves as projects and preferences change. A tension exists, however, between group-oriented communication conducted face-to-face and private, individual thinking. Exploring the fit between the rhetoric of what space can do, especially enhancing collaboration and achieving innovation, and results on the ground, is an inviting, largely untapped, area for business communication research.

Good Pharma? How Business Communication Research Can Help Bridge the Gap Between Students and Practitioners

This article presents a case-based exploration of the complex interactions between learning, research, and practice in the field of business and professional communication. It focuses on a student research project in the area of corporate social responsibility in the biopharmaceutical industry. Adopting an autoethnographic approach, we aim to document the students’ development from researchers to insiders or even consultants. The findings reveal that while the students feel confident in their roles as researchers, they fail to live up to some of the commissioning practitioners’ expectations. The study concludes by providing guidelines to strengthen interaction between students and practitioners.

Nationalism Versus Animal Rights: A Semantic Network Analysis of Value Advocacy in Corporate Crisis

This case study provides an illustrative example of how nationalism can be exploited to shift media attention in a crisis involving international organizations. Semantic network analysis is used to explore the relationships among different meanings packaged in a corporation’s value advocacy messages. The semantic network analysis shows the semantic structure of the value advocacy messages and maps the structure of media coverage before and after the advocacy messages were released. The findings indicate that the value advocacy campaign effectively diversified the focus of media coverage. Implications for business communication research and practice are provided.

Supervisor–Subordinate Communication Competence and Job and Communication Satisfaction

In contrast to the predominant business and organizational communication research on supervisor influence, this article examined communication competence, communication satisfaction, and job satisfaction differences within and between groups in the supervisor–subordinate relationship. The study also examined the relationship among the three communication and satisfaction phenomena. Two survey questionnaires were completed by 152 subordinates and 20 supervisors/managers at a public utility in the first phase. A third survey questionnaire was completed by 32 supervisors/managers in the second phase. The results indicated no support for hypothesized differences in ratings of communication competence, and job and communication satisfaction within and between subordinate and supervisor groups, but positive and significant relationships among the variables. The significance of the results is discussed in terms of the implications for the dyadic and interactive nature of supervisor–subordinate communication and directions for future research in this field.

A Comparison of the Communication Behaviors of Hong Kong Chinese and Japanese Business Professionals in Intracultural and Intercultural Decision-Making Meetings

Past research in intercultural business communication has laid a partial foundation for explaining Asian business communication. Asians are classified as high-context communicators and speak English in intercultural communication. Nevertheless, the relationship of language and culture on communication behaviors has remained unclear. To address this gap in the research, this study compares the communication behaviors of business professionals from two prominent Asian cultures—Japanese and Hong Kong Chinese—when these professionals participate in intercultural and intracultural decision-making meetings. The study reveals some differences in communication behaviors between the two cultural groups in both the intracultural and the intercultural meetings. Although both groups generally reflected their high-context communication orientations, they exhibited some deviations from the general discourse patterns, especially in the ways in which they expressed disagreements.