Website Communication Research Articles

Back to Basics: All About MyPlate Food Groups

Back to Basics: All About MyPlate Food Groups

Intersex and Intimacy: Presenting Concerns About Dating and Intimate Relationships

The intersex label applies to individuals born with medically classified genitalia, gonads and/or chromosomes that are not solely male nor female. The intersex community must navigate the precarious world of dating and intimacy dominated by heterosexual cisgender bodies and schemas. How do intersex people approach dating and what anxieties do they experience when considering relationships with potential partners? The purpose of this research is to depathologize intersex narratives and study intersex people through the lens of social interaction in the context of intimacy. Data were collected from BodiesLikeOurs.org, a website for communication within the intersex community. From 36 original posts, content analysis identified the following themes: condition description, rejection sensitivity, sexuality and attraction, gender presentation, self-deprecation, genital appearance and function, disclosing the intersex condition, finding potential partners, and reproduction and family. Additionally, some posts were written by non-intersex individuals seeking relationship advice. The present research expands on dating anxiety research by identifying the specific set of dating anxieties experienced by intersex persons when approaching intimate relationships.

Infographics that Communicate Environmental Science

NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) is comprised of three divisions: Emergency Response, Assessment and Restoration, and Marine Debris. Collectively, the Office of Response and Restoration provides comprehensive solutions to environmental hazards caused by oil, chemicals, and marine debris. OR&R has an outreach team whose mission is to share information, promote environmental stewardship, and communicate the Office's expertise. Information on OR&R's activities, services and products are broadcast via social media, a regular blog, a website, media engagement and direct communications with government and NGO partners, legislators, academia, and industry. In the past few years, we have increased the use of info graphics, to make complex messages more easily understood and engaging, and to broaden our reach to interested audiences. Why info graphics? Readers expect visual content. Nearly two-thirds of the updates you see on social media are visual content, according to a recent Citrix report. On average, total views increased by 94 percent if a published article contained a relevant photograph or info graphic when compared to articles without an image in the same category, according to a Skyward study. The average human attention span is 8 seconds (down from 12 seconds in 2000, according to a Microsoft study), and our brains process images 60,000 times faster than text. Info graphics make it easier to engage the viewer before they move on. Working with several graphic designers with distinct styles, we have augmented select stories with info graphics that summarize key points by combining minimal text with related visuals. The info graphics are designed to also stand alone. This poster will show examples of a range of our info graphics employing a range of approaches:Arctic model of oil spill exposure and injuriesNatural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) processQuestions guiding NOAA's oil spill science recommendationsAssessing environmental harm from the DWH oil spillTechniques for responding to oil spills at sea and on shoreLost human and cultural resourcesResponder tools (applications, mapping products) This poster will demonstrate how choosing a compatible style and technique for the specific information you are attempting to communicate is critical. It will also show our process for creating info graphics. With the growth of the internet and amount of information available it is critical to make our information stand out. In general, words, combined well with images into engaging info graphics will convey information in a fast, memorable, and easily transferable way.

Using best-worst scaling to reveal perceived relative importance of website attributes

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review and extend previous work involving branding and website performance and aesthetics by applying a best-worst scaling (BWS) approach. Respondents were tasked with choosing the best and worst from 16-brand attribute statements representing website communications and aesthetics, a more effective understanding of consumer segmentation is revealed between the offline facility to the online retail experience.Design/methodology/approachA research design utilising BWS was deployed to provide an alternate perspective of consumer choice in an omni-channel retail environment.FindingsFindings indicate a bifurcated audience with one-half reliant on communication and the other half on aesthetics is most important in the online environment when generating a positive relationship towards the retail brand.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was conducted within a single retail format category (sportswear and apparel) so future studies need to estimate cross-category implications. The authors also suggest online experimental designs for consumers to compare traditional retail brand images. Finally as this study utilised Australian responses only the authors suggest cross-cultural comparisons to better understand the universal nature of website functionality and its link with traditional retail formats.Practical implicationsRetail executives will find the results from this study useful in two ways. To ensure consistency of brand image across channels managers must communicate efficiently and effectively. Brand managers must mediate between customer segments with some preferring clear concise website communications and others well established aesthetics.Originality/valueThis study adopts a BWS approach to better understand consumer choices in an online/offline branding environment.

A model for gauging the prominence of web-based CSR disclosure

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce a model to assess web-based corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure prominence and use this model to explore the prominence of CSR disclosures of listed New Zealand (NZ) companies. Design/methodology/approach A CSR Disclosure Prominence Indicator Model was constructed using five key elements that include the dissemination medium, accessibility, location, content variety and extent of CSR disclosures. The websites of 65 of the largest listed NZ companies from 11 industry groupings were explored through this model. Findings A significant proportion (81.5 per cent) of listed NZ companies in the sample were utilising their websites for communicating CSR information to stakeholders. The CSR Disclosure Prominence Indicator Model revealed that companies that have CSR-related disclosures on their websites used multiple dissemination media and locations to enhance prominence of such disclosures. CSR commentary on the webpage was the most prominent dissemination medium due to its ease of accessibility, with a separate CSR webpage being the most prominent location. Environmental performance and society-related issues received the most prominent emphasis. Although companies from “sensitive” industry sectors appeared to disclose their CSR information more prominently, those from “less sensitive” industries also attempted to make their CSR disclosure more prominent and noticeable through strategic placement and through the extent of disclosure. Research limitations/implications The paper highlights the importance of managing web-based CSR disclosure prominence, thereby highlighting its significance in communication of CSR information. Practical implications Prominently placed CSR disclosures could be a significant platform for companies to strategically manage their image and identity. The CSR Disclosure Prominence Indicator Model could be utilised by companies to effectively assess and manage the prominence of CSR disclosures on their websites for more effective communication with stakeholders. Originality/value The paper complements earlier studies on CSR disclosures by constructing and applying a model to assess the prominence of web-based CSR disclosures.

Ready for e-electioneering? Empirical evidence from Pakistani political parties’ websites

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of political party websites for e-electioneering and their impact on the outcome of the elections. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical data for the study were collected from the websites of 11 major political parties of Pakistan using modified version of the coding scheme used by Gibson, Rommele and Ward for the evaluation of functionality and delivery of websites. Data were analysed using web content analysis method to achieve the objectives of this study. The study also ranked the party websites based on points scored for functionalities and delivery. Findings – The study found that although Pakistani political parties have started using their websites for communication with their voters during the general elections but they have not utilized the full potential of the website functionalities for e-electioneering. Research limitations/implications – The study focused on content analysis of political party websites of Pakistan only. However, comparisons were made to other studies where possible to contextualize the results of this study in international perspective. It is suggested to replicate this study after ten years to study the changing behaviour of political parties. Practical implications – Political parties might like to improve their websites in the light of findings of this study to spread their message more effectively to larger voter base. Social implications – Findings of the study will help in improving the readiness of political parties for e-electioneering and improved websites will help voters in making an informed decision during election. It will overall improve the electoral process in the country where democratic system is not very strong. Originality/value – With the advent of internet, political parties are using their websites during elections for various purposes. This study, first ever in Pakistan on the topic, provides empirical evidence on the use of political party websites during May 2013 general election in Pakistan and presents its impact on the outcome of the election. The study will be valuable for political science researchers especially those focusing on Asia and Pakistan.

NKF/CRN Message From Chairperson Welcome Summer

Welcome summer! As I enjoy the summer fun, I want to assure you that I am continuing my focus on communication from the NKF/CRN Executive Committee to all regional and local council members. I am also working on more communication options to reach CRN members that do not have a local council in their area. If you are a CRN member who this applies to please contact me with what communication modalities would be best for you. In 2015, we began working on some large projects: the KDOQI Evidence Analysis Project and the National Renal Diet revision. Both of these joint NKF/AND endeavors are ongoing in 2016, hope to have specific updates to pass along to you toward the end of the year. I am excited that I have received e-mails from members interested in working on the low-cost meal plan project. The member volunteers should be underway by the time of this publication, and I look forward to sharing the results with all CRN membership. Some other topics that you may be interested include the following: emergency meals with emphasis on food safety, low literacy educational material, and cooking for one or two. If these topics sound appealing to you and you would like to participate on a committee please contact me or your regional CRN Executive Committee representative. A listing of regions can be found on the NKF Web site professional/dietitian. We are working with the NKF to provide a research grant to a dietitian. Funding is dedicated to a renal dietitian whose research is directed to evaluating the care of the chronic kidney disease patient with the associated comorbidities of iron-deficiency anemia or chronic kidney disease–mineral and bone disorder. The NKF/CRN Executive Committee Region Representatives positions for regions II and IV are currently open and accepting nominations through September 15, 2016. These are the states for each of the open regional representative positions. Below is a description of the Region Representative. If you have an interest or would like to nominate someone please act now. Region II includes: Alabama, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Bahamas, Caribbean, Europe, Puerto Rico. Region IV includes: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Mexico, Central America, South America. Position Description•Represents NKF/CRN in respective regions as a liaison with NKF and local CRN councils and membership regarding opportunities and concerns.•Provides communication between the national and local NKF/CRN members to include: Executive Committee projects for professional and patient education, opportunities for project involvement, policy changes, and Advocacy Alerts. Communicate with local NKF/CRN councils at least quarterly.•Attends the Executive Committee conference at the NKF Spring Clinical Meeting and conference calls throughout the term year.•Chairs and/or participates in activities of the Executive Committee including: NKF Web site communications, publications, membership, professional promotion, professional recognition awards, patient education, research and/or professional resources.•Maintains effective communication with Executive Committee members especially with your Alternate Region Representative. Nominations for CRN Awards have been in progress for past several months. Please check the NKF Web site professional/dietitian/awards for deadlines to nominate a colleague for outstanding work as a nephrology dietitian. As always, feel free to contact me with any question or comment. Have a healthy, safe, and fun summer. I look forward to more updates to pass along in the fall.

The Role of Social Communication Networks in Constructing Public Opinion among Students at Saudi Arabian Universities (Umm AlQura University as a model)

The study aimed to investigate the role of social communication networks in constructing public opinion among students at Saudi Arabian Universities. This study is descriptive in nature and used the survey method. The sample of the study consisted of N 200 students from Umm Alqura university from the practical and theoretical colleges (College of social sciences- Colleges of medical sciences- Colleges of applied sciences). The tools of the study included a questionnaire – public opinion construction scale for the students at Saudi Arabian universities. The results of the study indicated that a high level percentage in constructing public opinion came from the students who used the social communication websites which was 41.86%, where the intermediate level was 55.23%, while the low level was 2.91%.The results showed also that there is a statistically significant difference between the mean score of the study sample in the scale of the role of social communication networks in constructing public opinion among the students according to the different levels in using different social communication networks. There is a statistically significant difference between the mean score of the study sample in the scale of the role of social communication networks in using social communication through the internet according to the different level of experience in using the internet among the participants.

THE EFFICACY OF USING ALTERNATIVE MEDIA IN DEVELOPING ENVIRONMENTAL CITIZENSHIP FOR A GROUP OF YOUTH.

This research purpose is to develop environmental citizenship in a group of youth who are users of the social communication website, namely, the “facebook” measure as one of the media alternative means. Using the quasi-experimental method for the remarkable shortness of traditional media as approved by the pilot study and after reviewing pages and private groups of the environment that exceed (100) groups on the facebook social media in Egypt, researchers have prepared a checklist of the environmental dimensions necessary for developing environmental citizenship in Egypt. The study sample consists of (60) youths divided into three groups, users of facebook, group, page, and the control group. The study results showed the effectiveness and impact of alternative media and its means on developing environmental citizenship for youth in Egypt compared to traditional ones and the impact of one of the two means (page) or (group) rather than the other; using as well the Scale of Environmental Citizenship to be applied on page of “Helwa Ya Balady” and group of “Masr Khadra Bina” Which were established on social communication website, namely, facebook as one of alternative media means. Study results showed that using alternative media models(facebook) has led to development of environmental citizenship for a group of youth, as the first (experimental) group, page of “Helwa Ya Balady” on which the Scale of Environmental Citizenship has been pre/post applied, has shown significant effect and superior performance regarding efficacy of alternative media. The second experimental group “Masr Khadra Bina” shows significant effect post-application more than the suggested group of the control group which has not been exposed to alternative media; because of the direct interactive impact between the receiver and the sender that makes the message clearer affecting in turn the development of environmental citizenship among youth rather than the traditional media. The research recommends the necessity of developing specialized environmental pages on facebook through including dimensions of environmental citizenship in more effective way through modern applications. It also recommends seeking assistance of experts in communication technology field to update proposed approaches for presenting environmental dimensions, preparing specialized videos for exposing how to practice positive environmental activities, including as well environmental dimensions through various publications (videos – texts) not to be limited only on pages or specialized groups as they are less effective.

The Role of Social Communication Networks in Constructing Public Opinion among Students at Saudi Arabian Universities (Umm AlQura University as a model)

The study aimed to investigate the role of social communication networks in constructing public opinion among students at Saudi Arabian Universities. This study is descriptive in nature and used the survey method. The sample of the study consisted of N 200 students from Umm Alqura university from the practical and theoretical colleges (College of social sciences- Colleges of medical sciences- Colleges of applied sciences). The tools of the study included a questionnaire – public opinion construction scale for the students at Saudi Arabian universities. The results of the study indicated that a high level percentage in constructing public opinion came from the students who used the social communication websites which was 41.86%, where the intermediate level was 55.23%, while the low level was 2.91%.The results showed also that there is a statistically significant difference between the mean score of the study sample in the scale of the role of social communication networks in constructing public opinion among the students according to the different levels in using different social communication networks. There is a statistically significant difference between the mean score of the study sample in the scale of the role of social communication networks in using social communication through the internet according to the different level of experience in using the internet among the participants.

Exploring the Effects of “What” (Product) and “Where” (Website) Characteristics on Online Shopping Behavior

Understanding factors that influence online shopping and managing consumer relationships is not a trivial task for firms, considering the many pertinent factors that influence behavior, including the product being shopped (i.e., the “what”) and the context of the website itself (i.e., the “where”). This study investigates the impact of these characteristics on an online transaction's basket value, after incorporating the role of other aspects of the browsing process including page views and visit duration. The authors estimate a multivariate mixed-effects Type II Tobit model with a system of equations to explain variation in shopping basket value, using data involving 773,262 browsing sessions resulting in 9,664 transactions across 43 product categories from 385 unique websites. The results support the assertions that contextual factors are associated with online browsing. For example, a website's scope in terms of product variety is associated positively with visit durations and basket values but negatively with page views. Furthermore, a website's communication functionality is positively associated with basket value for hedonic products. Insights suggest managerial implications involving product and website strategies for online retailers.

Attracting Millennials: Legitimacy management and bottom-up socialization processes within accounting firms

Abstract The competition to attract trainee accountants is fierce among accounting firms. Millennials seemingly have expectations in terms of work experiences and work environments that arguably cannot be ignored by accounting firms. This paper draws on a legitimacy framework to examine legitimacy management strategies utilized by large Canadian accounting firms in website communications directed at future employees. Our results demonstrate accounting firms appear to devote considerable effort to manage their legitimacy in the eyes of prospective employees and apparently use website communications to depict a work environment largely in accordance with Millennials’ system of values and beliefs. This suggests a bottom-up socialization process is taking place whereby accounting firms adapt the workplace in response to future employees’ expectations. Interviews with partners, managers and human resource advisors working in accounting firms support the idea of a bottom-up process. We conclude a two-way socialization process exists, where the firms and the new employees are both instigators and targets of socialization, jointly influencing what it is to be an accountant today.

U.S. Agricultural Productivity: A Review of USDA Economic Research Service Methods

AbstractThe USDA Economic Research Service has emerged as an acknowledged intellectual leader in the construction and integration of national and state‐level productivity accounts in agriculture. The national and state‐level ERS productivity measures are widely referred to and used, and international sectoral comparisons rely on the ERS production accounts for foundation methodology in constructing agricultural productivity accounts in other countries. This leadership role has endured for many decades and accelerated in response to the AAEA‐USDA Task Force review of the agricultural productivity accounts (Gardner et al. 1980). It is against this backdrop of vigorous intellectual leadership that an external review committee has examined the data sources, methodology, ongoing research, documentation, and reporting of the ERS agricultural productivity accounts. Our recommendations are many and some are substantial. Two of the most important recommendations address overarching concerns of documentation and efficiency, two more consider website communication of methods and data, and four focus on the renewal and construction of the state‐level accounts.

Labour Productivity in Kenyan Manufacturing and Service Industries

Labour productivity reflects a firm's ability to generate higher production or value-added. This paper analyses labour productivity and its determinants in the manufacturing and service sectors in Kenya. As the largest economy in East Africa, it is crucial for Kenya to have high labour productivity as it has strong implications for economic growth and welfare. The paper also provides practitioners with a better understanding of the state of labour productivity in the country. Using the World Bank's Enterprise Survey's database for 2013, we find that capital intensity and wage significantly and positively affected labour productivity. A higher female share in the labour force reduced labour productivity. We also found that training and education were associated with higher labour productivity. Reliance on technologies such as emails and websites for communication had a positive but insignificant impact on firms' labour productivity. On the basis of these observations we make a number of recommendations to promote higher productivity of labour.

Optimized congestion aware and rate-adaptive multimedia communication for application in fragile environment during disaster management and recovery

Delivery of multimedia content over network has always been given vital importance since its inception. Different models for content delivery have been proposed with respect to multiple factors like bandwidth, quality of content, importance, and delivery method, etc. In this paper, we propose a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol-based rate adaptive transcoding and streaming technique that maintains its multimedia streaming quality, especially when network grows congested and fragile during Disaster Management and Recovery operations. The proposed solution provides users high-quality audio and video contents even when network resources are limited and fragile. We developed a real-time test bed that can deliver high-quality streaming videos by transcoding the original video in real time to a scalable codec, which allows streaming adaptation according to network dynamics. We also performed validation tests to ensure multimedia delivery in cloud computing, functionality on our hosted website for live communication between transmitter and receiver. From our experiments, we observed that the rate adaptive transcoding and streaming can efficiently deliver information services such as live multimedia in emergency and disasters under very low bandwidth environments.

Sighting of Branded Yeoman Algia fasciata fasciata (Felder & Felder, 1860) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Heliconiinae) in Jaintia and Cachar Hills, northeastern India

We report Branded Yeoman ( Algia fasciata fasciata ) from the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya and Barail Hills of Assam in India which represents a significant range extension from its known distribution across South and South East Asia including Andaman Islands. We consolidate other record of the species posted on social media website and personal communications to update the current extent and status of the species in India.

The Influence of Interactivity on Visit and Purchase Frequency: The Moderating Role of Website Informational Features

As Internet use continues to grow and as firms become more sophisticated in their use of the web, the ability to make the online customer experience unique has become increasingly more difficult. One possible solution may lay in the firm's ability to manipulate interactive elements of its website. The authors propose and test a model depicting the influence of different dimensions of website interactivity (communication, control, and responsiveness) on customer behaviors including frequency of visit and frequency of purchase from a firm's website. They further assess the moderating influence that informational website features, including product specifications, promotions, brand comparisons, and expert ratings have on these relationships. Results show website communication and control significantly influence outcome behaviors. The authors then outline and discuss practical implications drawn from their findings.

Barriers and Solutions to Linking and Using Health and Social Care Data in Scotland

Integration of health and social care will require integrated data to drive service evaluation, design, joint working and research. We describe the results of a Scottish meeting of key stakeholders in this area. Potential uses for linked data included understanding client populations, mapping trajectories of dependency, identifying at risk groups, predicting required capacity for future service provision, and research to better understand the reciprocal interactions between health, social circumstances and care. Barriers to progress included lack of analytical capacity, incomplete understanding of data provenance and quality, intersystem incompatibility and issues of consent for data sharing. Potential solutions included better understanding the content, quality and provenance of social care data; investment in analytical capacity; improving communication between data providers and users in health and social care; clear guidance to systems developers and procurers; and enhanced engagement with the public. We plan a website for communication across Scotland on health and social care data linkage, educational resources for front line staff and researchers, plus further events for training and information dissemination. We believe that these processes hold lessons for other countries with an interest in linking health and social care data, as well as for cross-sector data linkage initiatives in general.

SME stakeholder relationship descriptions in website CSR communications

Purpose– The aim of this paper is to report on an exploratory, qualitative study of how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) describe their firm’s relationships with or impact on stakeholders when communicating corporate social responsibility (CSR) on their websites.Design/methodology/approach– Qualitative content analysis was conducted on 22 Australian SME websites from the information media and telecommunications sector. Stakeholder theory was used as the basis for analysis.Findings– An important aspect of CSR communication is reporting the firm’s relationships with stakeholders such as society/communities, ecological environment, employees, customers and suppliers. This paper provides insights into how these relationships are manifested in SME website communications. For example, three-way relationships between the firm and stakeholders were described on some websites, but few explained the impact of their CSR on stakeholders.Research limitations/implications– This study concentrated on identifying the CSR communication on websites from one industry sector in Australia. These limitations provide the basis for future research to explore and compare CSR communication on websites by SMEs from other industry sectors and countries.Practical implications– The findings offer SME owner-managers ideas on different ways they can incorporate details of stakeholder relationships in CSR website communications.Originality/value– There has been little research on how SMEs use channels such as websites to communicate CSR. This paper addresses this gap in knowledge by providing insights into how SMEs describe stakeholder relationships in CSR website communications.

Selections From the ABC 2014 Annual Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This article, the second of a two-part series, features 11 teaching innovations presented at the 2014 Association for Business Communication annual conference. These 11 assignments included leadership and other-focused communication—detecting communication style, adaptive communication, personality type, delivering feedback, problem solving, and critical thinking—and projects—analytic reports, presentation, slide deck creation, visual tools, ethics, team communication, field observation and reporting, rhetoric, persuasion, advertising messages strategies, delivering bad news, reporting financial data, and cross-cultural and international communication. Additional teaching materials—including instructions to students, stimulus materials, slides, grading rubrics, frequently asked questions, and sample student projects—are posted on the Association for Business Communication website http://businesscommunication.org/assignments .