Nora Denner, Thomas Koch, Benno Viererbl and Alicia Ernst
This study examines the functions of informal communication in organizations. Informal communication can be characterized as any interaction within an organization in which two or…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the functions of informal communication in organizations. Informal communication can be characterized as any interaction within an organization in which two or more individuals assume personal roles rather than their professional roles and in which employees do not intend to solve work-related problems. Despite its central role in organizations, a comprehensive understanding of the specific functions of informal communication within workplace dynamics is lacking.
Design/methodology/approach
We reviewed existing literature to identify the functions of informal communication and then surveyed employees (N = 1,380). We asked them to indicate their agreement with statements measuring the functions of informal communication that we derived from the literature.
Findings
Using exploratory factor analysis, we identified four core functions: stress management and recreation, nurturing private relationships, fostering a sense of belonging and connectedness and facilitating information exchange and coordination. We then examined how these core functions related to job-related and sociodemographic characteristics. Our findings underscore the importance of informal communication in organizations, particularly in facilitating the development and maintenance of social relationships as well as information exchange and coordination, both of which play critical roles in organizational success.
Originality/value
This study is among the first to systematize the functions of informal communication in organizations and to empirically extract core functions that can be used for further research. It is also highly relevant to practitioners of organizational management and organizational communication.
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Cris Koutsougeras, Mohammad Saadeh and Ahmad Fayed
This modeling facilitates the determination of control responses (or possibly reconfiguration) upon such events and the identification of which segments of the pipeline can…
Abstract
Purpose
This modeling facilitates the determination of control responses (or possibly reconfiguration) upon such events and the identification of which segments of the pipeline can continue to function uninterrupted. Based on this modeling, an algorithm is presented to implement the control responses and to establish this determination. In this work, the authors propose using Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT), which is an integrated method to perform the system-wide control based on message exchanging among local node controllers (agents) and the global controller (broker).
Design/methodology/approach
Complex manufacturing lines in industrial plants are designed to accomplish an overall task in an incremental mode. This typically consists of a sequence of smaller tasks organized as cascaded processing nodes with local controls, which must be coordinated and aided by a system-wide (global) controller. This work presents a logic modeling technique for such pipelines and a method for using its logic to determine the consequent effects of events where a node halts/fails on the overall operation.
Findings
The method uses a protocol for establishing communication of node events and the algorithm to determine the consequences of node events in order to produce global control directives, which are communicated back to node controllers over MQTT. The algorithm is simulated using a complex manufacturing line with arbitrary events to illustrate the sequence of events and the agents–broker message exchanging.
Originality/value
This approach (MQTT) is a relatively new concept in Cyber-Physical Systems. The proposed example of feed-forward is not new; however, for illustration purposes, it was suggested that a feed-forward be used. Future works will consider practical examples that are at the core of the manufacturing processes.
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Dennis Schoeneborn, Consuelo Vásquez and Joep P. Cornelissen
This paper adds to the literature on societal grand challenges by shifting the focus away from business firms and other formal organizations as key actors in addressing such…
Abstract
This paper adds to the literature on societal grand challenges by shifting the focus away from business firms and other formal organizations as key actors in addressing such challenges toward the inherent organizing capacity that lies in the use of language itself. More specifically, we focus on the organizing capacities of metaphor-based communication, seeking to ascertain which qualities of metaphors enable them to co-orient collective action toward tackling grand challenges. In addressing this question, we develop an analytical framework based on two qualities of metaphorical communication that can provide such co-orientation: a metaphor’s (a) vividness and (b) responsible actionability. We illustrate the usefulness of this framework by assessing selected metaphors used in the public discourse to make sense of and organize collective responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, including the flu metaphor/analogy, the war metaphor, and the combined metaphor of “the hammer and the dance.” Our paper contributes to extant research by providing a means to assess the co-orienting potential of metaphors in bridging varied interpretations. In so doing, our framework can pave the way toward more responsible use of metaphorical communication in tackling society’s grand challenges.
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Knowing financial and economic information beforehand benefits in planning and developing policies for every country especially for a developing country like Thailand and for…
Abstract
Purpose
Knowing financial and economic information beforehand benefits in planning and developing policies for every country especially for a developing country like Thailand and for other Asian countries. Unfortunately, missing data or non-response plays an essential role in many areas of studies including finance and economics. Eradication of missing data in a proper way before further analysis can gain remarkable outcomes and can be effective for planning policies. This review on the generalized regression estimators for population total can be applied to financial, economic and other data when missing data are present.
Design/methodology/approach
The generalized regression estimators for estimating population total, including the variance estimators under unequal probability sampling without replacement with missing data are explored under the reverse framework. Applications to financial and economic data in Thailand are also reviewed.
Findings
The review of literatures related to the proposed estimator shows the best performance, giving smaller variances in all scenarios.
Originality/value
The generalized regression estimators can assist in estimating financial and economic data that contain missing values with different missing mechanisms and can be used in other applications which help gain more superior estimators.
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Jasvir S. Sura, Rajender Panchal and Anju Lather
The main aim of this paper is to examine the claim that economic value added (EVA) advocates its superiority over the traditional accounting-based financial performance measures, i…
Abstract
Purpose
The main aim of this paper is to examine the claim that economic value added (EVA) advocates its superiority over the traditional accounting-based financial performance measures, i.e. profit after tax (PAT), earnings per share (EPS), return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and return on investment (ROI) in the Indian manufacturing sector and at the same time, give empirical facts. It also tests and examines the information content of various performance measures and their relationship with stock returns.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses the sample of 534 Indian manufacturing companies from the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) during the period 2000–2018. Multiple regression models are applied to examine the information content of EVA and traditional performance measures in explaining shareholders’ returns.
Findings
Relative information content tests revealed that traditional accounting-based measures such as EPS, ROE and ROA performed better than EVA in explaining the returns of Indian manufacturing companies. Incremental information content of EVA adds little contribution to information content above traditional performance measures. The claim of superiority of EVA over accounting-based measures in association with shareholder returns is proved invalid in Indian manufacturing companies.
Originality/value
This study concludes that EVA has no superiority over traditional accounting-based financial performance measures in explaining stock returns of Indian manufacturing companies. To achieve heftiness in outcomes, panel data are tested by using Breusch–Pagan–Godfrey (BPG) test for heteroskedasticity, Hausman’s test for fixed and random effect, variance inflation factor (VIF) test for multicollinearity and Durbin–Watson test for autocorrelation.