Annotated Bibliography

  1. Andersona, A.H., McEwanb, R., Balc, J., Carlettad, J. “Virtualteam meetings: An analysis of communication and context” Computers in Human Behavior, September 2007, Volume 23 Issue 5 Page 2558–2580. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2011.03.031
    This study sought to explore the impact of technology configuration on communication in virtual team meetings. The study concluded that if an organization wanted to use a virtual team to encourage communication and interaction, the technology has to be accessible and usable by all. Without the correct configuration of technology, companies using virtual teams cannot actively engage all their employees and some become isolated. Some techniques the study suggested were the training of employees for virtual teams and beyond. In terms of my research, this suggests that for companies that rely on virtual teams to work, the skills of communicating virtually need to be tested for to ensure that the employee will effectively be able to communicate.
  2. Archer, Norman P. “A comparison of computer conferences with face-to-face meetings for small group business decisions” Behaviour & Information Technology, 1990, Volume 9 Issue 4 Page 307-317. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01449299008924246
    This study evaluated different meeting techniques for groups to make decisions. Two groups used face to face communication while the other two groups used computer based conferencing. The study concluded that there was no significant difference in the quality of decisions made despite the media of communication used. This is relevant to my study since it suggests that it is possible that all types of communication media may be just as effective and therefore equally preferred in the interview process.
  3. El-Shinnawy, M. “Acceptance of communication media in organizations: richness or features?” Professional Communication, IEEE Transactions on, Dec 1998, Volume 41 Issue 4 Page 242-253. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=735366&tag=1
    This research explored people’s choices between using electronic mail and voice mail, which is similar to the research I am conducting involving comparisons between phone conversation and email. The study found that voice mail would not necessarily be chosen over electronic mail to improve clarity. The study also found that preferences in choice of media are also derived from ease of use of the media and it’s ability to increase cooperation. This could be relevant to my research since it suggests some reasons why certain media might be preferred over others in business.
  4. Gimenez, Julio C. “Business e-mail communication: some emerging tendencies in register” English for Specific Purposes, Sep 2000, Volume 19 Issue 3 Page 237-251. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889490698000301
    This study considers the impact on wording used in email messages in written business communication. It explores the idea that electronically mediated communication is impacting written communication. This research therefore implies the growing use of email and its impact on the business world. The suggested impact of email communication may be useful to my research question since it shows that email is something that may be gaining popularity.
  5. Hinds, Pamela. “The Place of Face-to-Face Communication in Distributed Work” Distributed Work, May 2002, Page 83-85. http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=3aAwmlgC7YMC&oi=fnd&pg=PA83&dq=virtual+face+to+face+communication&ots=3PbeVZbggF&sig=Zuhb0qLsuaLdxpOUlJmV1AtAPoM#v=onepage&q=virtual%20face%20to%20face%20communication&f=false
    This book compares mediated and face to face communication in distributed work. It discusses the idea that face to face communication can sometimes be costly and disruptive and mediated communication can sometimes be preferable for this reason. However, it also claims that face to face communication is a way to establish meaningful and lasting human relationships. The discussion of positives and negatives of face to face communication may indicate some plausible reasons for employer and employee communication media preferences in my research.
  6. Lengel, Robert H. and  Daft, Richard L. “The Selection of Communication Media as an Executive Skill” The Academy of Management, 1988, Volume 2 Number 3 Page 225-232. http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/4164833?uid=3739560&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=47699016734687
    The purpose behind this study was to understand the impact of the greater number of choices managers have in selecting media channels for business. This study, in part, created a media selection model to determine the strengths of various forms of communication in the business world. The purpose of this study was to help executives understand the richness of each of this media. The study noted that many companies view virtual media as promoting efficiency, however some types of human resources problems are better resolved through F2F communication. This study applied to my research suggests that a large factor playing into the type of media used is whether employers prefer efficiency or richness of dialogue.
  7. McLoughlin, Ian, Preece, David, and Dawson, Patrick. “Technology, Organizations and Innovation: Towards ‘real virtuality’?” Routledge, 2000, Page 62-68. http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=_ktkmmQoQzIC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1659&dq=business+communication+face+to+face&ots=4zd9DCFLJp&sig=1FCH8bC6Hh1SwAtp5I8GMc06OIY#v=onepage&q=business%20communication%20face%20to%20face&f=false
    This book states that network organisations now resolve conflicts through electronic media rather than F2F communication. Due to the efficiency of electronic media, there is a temptation to replace F2F communication. The author goes on to say, however, that for these organizations to work effectively, there has to be a balance between digital and F2F media because certain relationships can only be built through F2F communication. For example, he says, F2F communication is able to capture expressions given-off, allowing a greater and deeper understanding of what and how two people are communicating. Since phone and email interviews may not, according to this author, clearly explain what the interviewee is communicating, a F2F interview might be better suited to truly know the character of who is being hired.
  8. Storper, Michael, Venables, Anthony J. “Buzz: face-to-face contact and the urban economy” Journal of Economic Geography, Jan 2004, Volume 4 Number 4. http://joeg.oxfordjournals.org/content/4/4/351.short.
    This paper aims to research face to face communication in urban society. The study found that face to face communication has four major benefits, which are its efficiency, its ability to solve incentive problems, its ability to encourage learning and socialization, and ability to provide psychological motivation. The research showed that face to face communication is very critical to facilitating rapidly changing environments and encouraging creativity. This research adds to my research because it demonstrates that face to face communication might be essential in business environments for the possible reasons stated.
  9. Suchan, J. “The Communication Characteristics of Virtual Teams: A Case Study” Professional Communication, IEEE Transactions On, September 2009, Volume 44 Issue 3 Pages 174-186. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?reload=true&arnumber=946463&contentType=Journals+%26+Magazines
    Suchan’s research researches virtual teams since many organizations today are relying on them so efficiency in completing projects. This study researched communication technologies used by International Consulting Systems (ICS)  to find the degree to which their systems supported these technologies and the members’ mindsets toward these technologies. Through conducting interviews, it was revealed that that these technologies did support the business structure. However, there was a greater reliance on voice-based technologies, such as voicemail. This shows that communication technologies can be successfully implemented in business, however, the degree of personalization of the technology impacts its effectiveness.
  10. Townsend, Anthony M., DeMarie, Samuel M. and Hendrickson, Anthony R. “Virtual Teams: Technology and the Workplace of the Future” The Academy of Management, 1990, Volume 12 Number 13 Page 17-29. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/4165474
    This research analyzed the benefit of revolutionary digital communication technologies, specifically virtual teams. The study stated that virtual teams allow flexibility, where people can work from any location, which is especially useful when environments today require international collaboration and cooperation. The research also concluded that, with the progression of technology, organisations expect and rely on flexibility and the ability to quickly and efficiently communication information and knowledge. The study projected that in the future, there will be an increased expectation for employees to work in a virtual mode. This suggests that, for the study I am conducting, a possible outcome might be that employers are increasingly wanting their new hires to come in with digital communication skills, and possibly preferring them to face to face communication habits.