Suchergebnisse

Pairs of subjects performed a simple negotiation task over one of three media of communication (face-to-face, closed circuit television, or a loud-speaking audio link). One person was required to argue a case which was consonant with his personal views; the other person was required to argue a case that bore no necessary relationship to his personal views. Medium of communication had a significant effect on the outcome of the negotiation: the side whose case was consonant with his personal views was more successful under face-to-face than under audio-only communication. Results in the video condition resembled those in the face-to-face condition. The findings are interpreted in terms of a greater emphasis on interpersonal considerations (as opposed to interparty considerations) in face-to-face discussions than in audio discussions.

Covers the development of the PDF417 barcode symbology, describing
the evolution of the linear bar code and why PDF – the portable
data file – was developed. Examples are given of PDF417 being
used. Techniques including error correction, algorithms and scanning are
described.

To ensure refinancing opportunities for SMEs, answers for bridging the information gap between investor and company are needed; in this context, capital markets are becoming increasingly important. Alexander Zureck focuses on patents as an example of intangible assets and on their importance for the financial communication between SMEs and the capital market. A positive correlation between patent application and stock price development underscores the importance of patents. Based on his findings, the author recommends to take patents and other intangible assets into company's financial communication. While Alexander Zureck studied business administration at FOM University of Applied Sciences, he worked in market research and in a bank. Today, he works for the FOM University of Applied Sciences in the field of financial research and he consults small and medium-sized enterprises.

This article examines the emerging phenomenon of humanoid social robots and human-humanoid interactions. A central argument of this article is that humanoid social robots belong to a special type of robotic technology used for communicating and interacting with humans. These robotic entities, which can be in either mechanical or digital form, are autonomous, interactive and humanlike. Some of them are used to interact with humans for utilitarian purposes and others are designed to trigger human emotions. Incorporation of such robotic entities into the realm of social life invariably alters the condition as well as the dynamics of human interaction, giving rise to a synthetic society in which humans co-mingle with humanoids. More research is needed to investigate the social and cultural impact of this unfolding robotic revolution.

This paper hypothesizes that higher proficiency in the medium of instruction (MI) is a precondition for effective instructional communication (IC), with the latter being essential for higher cognitive processes, positive affects, and better performance in the learning environment. The reported study used questionnaires comprising open-ended questions to survey 341 content instructors who taught on 26 undergraduate programs with English as the MI (EMI) in a Saudi public university. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the resulting qualitative data, and the results reveal four themes. The first theme is the advantages of using the students' mother tongue (Arabic in this case) as an MI; the findings show that doing so is related to robust IC, with the latter leading to better cognition, positive affects, and stronger performance in the learning environment. The second theme is the advantages of using EMI, which can be classified into three main areas: more educational resources, better international research collaboration, and more international job opportunities. The third theme is the use of code-switching in EMI classes because of poor IC; instructors code-switch for three purposes: cognitive, affective, and performance. The fourth theme is suggestions from participants for how to improve IC in EMI programs: the findings recommend the use of IC theory and linguistic relativity to examine EMI programs; also, collaboration among IC researchers, cognitive linguists, and EMI researchers will help understand how the MI influences students' success; furthermore, policymakers must design curricula that consider the perspectives of content instructors and provide them with training to overcome several IC barriers in EMI programs.

PurposeThis study aims to explore the use of a Computer‐mediated Communication (CMC) system in‐group conflict management, with specific attention directed toward analyzing the task effect on conflict management patterns of groups in CMC interaction.Design/methodology/approachTwo tasks are used in experimental design to analyze interactions and conflict management patterns within e‐mail communication environment. Group composition and communication medium were kept constant. The group working relations coding system (GWRCS) was used to examine group interaction patterns that characterize the conflict management process.FindingsThe results demonstrate that task type influences the group conflict management process and the extent to which a group employs different levels of confrontiveness strategy in its interaction and conflict management patterns. Specifically, intellective task conflict is best handled by a high confrontiveness while cognitive task conflict is best handled by a moderate confrontiveness strategy.Research limitations/implicationsThe study used small group size and did not take into account variation in group size. Thus, the degree to which a larger size groups might affect the results is unknown. The study showed that group effectiveness requires different conflict management and interaction patterns for different tasks even within the same communication medium.Originality/valueThe study outlined the importance of task types in conflict management within the same group and within the same communication technology. It also stressed the fact that individuals apply technology differently to negotiate conflict based on tasks.