Miriam Meckel

University of St.Gallen · Institute for Media and Communication Management

Media practitioners and policy makers are calling for more public support to facilitate the digital transformation of local journalism. However, newer academic literature focuses on explaining why public support for local media has become a necessity from a market failure and societal point of view. Almost no attention is dedicated to the question...

This paper analyses the persuasiveness of Facebook push notifications. Facebook push notifications are conceptualized as starting point of a chain of persuasive offerings. A push notification is successful, i.e. has high persuasiveness when adressed users react on it, enter the platform and stay longer in Facebook. Facebook push notifications as we...

Recently, much scholarship has investigated how social media use affects citizens' political participation, online and offline. In general, social media use has a positive but weak effect on participation. However, different use types exert a differentiated influence. While information-rich and active uses result in more participation, entertainmen...

This article examines the argument regarding whether perceived social exclusion during unemployment leads to procrastination through online media, which in turn lessens the job search efforts of the unemployed. Based on data from 386 unemployed Internet users, we argue that online procrastination plays an important role in the lives of the unemploy...

Critics worry that algorithmic filtering could lead to overly polished, homogeneous web experiences. “Serendipity,” in turn, has been touted as an antidote. Yet, the desirability of serendipity could vary by context, as users may be more or less receptive depending on the services they employ. We propose a nomological model of online serendipity ex...

Studies on politicians’ social media adoption have focused on structural antecedents, such as race competitiveness or resource availability. Yet theory suggests that new media adoption is heavily influenced by use motives. Based on a survey of politicians active on the federal level in Switzerland, we analyze the impact of use motives on politician...

Innovationen sind wichtig für das Bestehen und den Erfolg von Unternehmen. Organisationen bemühen sich fortlaufend und auf vielfältige Weise, Innovation zu generieren –, sei es in Form von Produkt-, Dienstleistungs-, Prozess- und Geschäftsmodellinnovationen. Doch was macht eine Organisation tatsächlich innovativ? Das St. Galler Business-Innovation-...

The internet, and particularly social media, have brought far-reaching change to journalism by calling into question how journalists' traditional roles are perceived. We introduce social identity theory—specifically the concept of professional identity—as a complementary approach to study journalistic role conceptions from a dynamic perspective. Bu...

Hopes for a new abundance of diverse media content have long been tied to the rise of the Internet. Ensuring diversity remains a fundamental objective of media policy. However, media policy is still largely focused on public service media. In this article, we introduce a new theoretical perspective to inform media policy, focusing on the concept of...

Social media are becoming increasingly popular in scientific communication. A range of platforms, such as academic social networking sites (SNS), are geared specifically towards the academic community. Proponents of the altmetrics approach have pointed out that new media allow for new avenues of scientific impact assessment. Traditional impact meas...

Previous research suggests that user characteristics such as web experience and demographics may affect online trust. Drawing on social cognitive theory, we explore the moderating effect of user characteristics on online trust. Based on a survey of German Internet users, we differentiate three groups by age, web experience, and education. We term t...

Purpose Recent years have seen resurgent interest in professionalism in public relations, with several initiatives to enquire about the state of the communication profession and its part in organizational strategy. This article discusses the findings of a quantitative investigation into the work roles of European communication professionals. In par...

Sociodemographic variables are held to impact Internet users’ willingness and ability to productively use online media. This effect can create a ‘participation divide’ between distinct user groups. Recently, studies have enhanced our understanding of the participation divide by differentiating types of online content creation. They found that socio...

PurposeTechnostress and information overload are serious challenges of the information age. An alarming number of people exhibit dangerously intensive media consumption, while Internet and mobile phone addictions are a widespread phenomenon. At the same time, new media overexposure among young people is understudied, even more so when social networ...

The use of online services, in most cases, requires the disclosure of some personal data. At the same time, online data disclosure has been shown to trigger privacy concerns. The “privacy calculus” states that Internet users are willing to overcome privacy concerns and disclose personal data online if the ensuing transaction provides a sufficient b...

Unemployment is an unfortunate reality, whose overcoming often depends on social support, among other factors. Online social media, such as social network sites and communities, may offer an additional source of such support for unemployed people. This paper posits that online social support plays an important role in unemployed people's ability to...

As organizations become increasingly mediatized, the roles of professionals are reshaped and negoti-ated, and the boundaries between professional and private relationships are blurred. In this context, the extent to which one identifies with his or her organization might play an important role. This paper investigates how professionals construct th...

This article reports the results of a stratified sample survey of 2414 unemployed individuals in Germany regarding Internet usage, accompanied by a small sample of qualitative interviews and time-use diaries. The Internet serves as a structuring device for individuals during unemployment and helps such individuals maintain social contacts; it fills...

Research increasingly explores the opportunities social media provide to public sector organizations. Yet, only few empirical studies have addressed the organizational antecedents of social media adoption in this particular context. Based on innovation diffusion literature, we propose a number of organizational antecedents of social media adoption...

According to Social Identity Theory individuals' identity consists of a personal identity and (several) social identities. Social identities often manifest themselves in jobs and occupations (i.e. occupational identities). When organizations or industries change, employees face new requirements and unknown situations. In identity negotiation occupa...

This paper presents a systematic literature review of the current state–of–research on online participation. The review draws on four databases and is guided by the application of six topical search terms. The analysis strives to differentiate distinct forms of online participation and to identify salient discourses within each research field. We f...

Socio-economic status (SES) is held to impact Internet users’ willingness and ability to productively use online media. This effect can create a “participation divide” between distinct user groups. Recently, studies have enhanced our understanding of the participation divide by differentiating types of online content creation. They found that SES m...

Unemployment is an unsettling reality, affiliated to financial restriction, a loss of social structure, and the risk of mental strain such as depressions and anxiety states. How well people overcome the incriminatory situation of unemployment is among others a matter of social support. Online social media such as social network sites and communitie...

One pathway to alleviate the consequences of technology- induced stress may lie in the role that supervisors may or may not play in mitigating the negative consequences of ICT usage. Based on survey research with 491 salespersons using ICT in their work environment, and tested with structural equation modelling, we discuss the impact of two forms o...

Social media are becoming increasingly popular in scientific communication. A range of platforms are geared specifically towards the academic community. Proponents of the altmetrics approach point out that these new media allow for new avenues of scientific impact assessment. Traditional impact measures based on bibliographic analysis have long bee...

The importance of user trust in online business is well-established in theory and practice. At the same time, the Internet is a dynamic space with constantly evolving user experiences based on new technological developments. A current example of such a development is the increasing use of algorithms in search and recommendation systems. Critics cla...

The far-reaching consequences for individuals and organizations make technostress a crucial issue of management. What impact does leadership have on the negative consequences which may result out of the use of ICT? Management constitutes an influential factor in employee’s work environment and a powerful leverage for organizations to effect employe...

There seem to be specific characteristics inherent in the journalistic system that hinder its ability to integrate new media elements. In our research we explore the question whether the ability of journalistic organizations to adapt and to innovate might be connected to role concepts that individual journalists might hold with regards to their pro...

Through the massive leaking of classified government documents, WikiLeaks has provoked a debate on the link between transparency and political accountability. The central issues of contention in this debate are the degree to which secrecy is compatible with democratic processes and whether WikiLeaks meets its own standard of transparency. This pape...

The concept of Serendipity, i. e. a useful discovery emerging out of chance encounters, has been increasingly discussed with the rise of personalized search and social media. Little is known, however, about what generates Serendipity, supporting the “accidental sagacity” of individuals. In the present paper, we explore the conditions and dimensions...

This paper develops a multi-level model of Social Media Readiness (SMR) in public administration. Social Media Readiness is described as the extent to which an individual, group or organization is willing, able and prepared to use social media for professional purposes. We survey literature that potentially informs our understanding of SMR. In ord...

Social media are continuously gaining ground in PR workplaces as Facebook, Twitter and Co. are on their way of becoming standard tools in professional communication. But even though PR is one of the pioneering fields in terms of social media acceptance, not all professionals make equal use of social media nor do they feel equally at home in the new...

In this paper we discuss the inclusionary poten-tials of participation in social media networks for the unemployed, both with regard to alleviation of the perception of being left behind by society, as well as the consequences on subjective well-being. Based on interviews with unemployed individuals, we show by the example of 809 facebook users tha...

Das journalistische Geschäftsmodell steckt in einer Krise. Nicht nur die Leserzahlen sinken, sondern auch die Werbeeinnahmen – sowohl die Leser als auch die Werbegelder wandern ab ins Internet. Doch genau dort bietet das Internet mit den Sozialen Medien dem Journalismus auch eine Chance, sich neu zu definieren. Durch ein neues Rollenverständnis und...

The article discusses the findings of a quantitative investigation into the work roles of European communication professionals. In particular, our research investigates whether the manager-technician typology, developed in previous role research, still captures the reality of modern communication work, and whether there are any differences in the E...

Online applications support and affect an extensive variety of today's social and business interactions. Trust has been identified as a key prerequisite for the acceptance and adoption of online services or applications. Research has come a long way in exploring antecedents and drivers of online trust. A range of authors have hypothesized that user...

Seit sechs Jahren veröffentlicht das IT-Unternehmen IBM zum Jahresende eine Vorhersage über die fünf wesentlichen Technologietrends. In der jüngsten Vorhersage vom Dezember 2011 lautet Trend Nr. 3: „Gedankenlesen ist nicht länger Science Fiction.“ In einem kurzen Video wird erläutert, wie das Unternehmen daran forscht, das menschliche Gehirn mit te...

Das Projekt Einführungs- und Kommunikationsstrategien für IT-Infrastrukturprojekte startete von der Prämisse aus, dass es ein erfolgreiches eID-Einführungsprojekt wissenschaftlich zu begleiten gilt, um von den dort ergriffenen Maßnahmen zu Einführung und Kommunikation und deren Wirkung Good Practices und Handlungsempfehlungen abzuleiten. Im Gegensa...

The article is a short piece based on our EACD survey on the identity management practices of marketing and communication professeionals on how communications teams can harness the power of online impression management

For many years, the Internet has been heralded as a boon to citizen participation in political decision-making (White, 1997). Research has been quick to explore whether new technologies facilitate direct participation and create access for non-elite citizens (Stromer-Galley, 2000; Davis, 1999; Hacker, 1996). In fact, Internet use has repeatedly bee...

Der Journalismus befindet sich weltweit in einem tief greifenden Umbruch. Der Siegeszug des Internets verändert die Arbeits-weisen von Journalisten ebenso wie das gesamte Journalismus-System. Der User ist nicht mehr reiner Rezipient, er wird zum Informanten, zum Co-Autor. Die einst stumme Masse hilft, Doku-mente und Daten zu sichten. Journalisten m...

Seit sechs Jahren veröffentlicht das IT-Unternehmen IBM zum Jahresende eine Vorhersage über die fünf wesentlichen Technologietrends. In der jüngsten Vorhersage vom Dezember 2011 lautet Trend Nr. 3: „Gedankenlesen ist nicht länger Science Fiction.“

For decades, information has been a key resource of our society. Recently, with the rise of Social Media, the nature of information and information diffusion has changed, thus obliging the workforce to cope with new premises. New technologies, applications and media channels enable practitioners to access more information than ever before. At the s...

Das Soziale Internet (Web 2.0) macht jeden potenziell zum Kommunikator — die Agenda-Setting-Funktion verlagert sich von den Massenmedien zu den Teilnehmern Sozialer Netze. Damit sehen sich Unternehmen einer zunehmend vielfältigen, selbstbewussten und kritischen Öffentlichkeit gegenüber. Um Nachhaltigkeit glaubhaft zu kommunizieren, sollten Unterneh...

This article provides an overview of the most prominent definitions, basic concepts and applications of the term Web 2.0. In addition to the seven principles outlined by O`Reilly, this article will investigate Anderson’s long tail concept, issues of transparency and the effects of an interconnected user base on E-Business. Later, the focus will shi...

This paper uses social network analysis to examine the interaction between corporate blogs devoted to sustainability issues and the blogosphere, a clustered online network of collaborative actors. By analyzing the structural embeddedness of a prototypical blog in a virtual community, we show the potential of online platforms to document corporate s...

Noch nie war es so einfach, mit so vielen Menschen gleichzeitig in eine Unterhaltung zu treten. Soziale

Logik und Sprache müssen verstanden werden - Spielregeln und Abläufe aktiv mitgestalten - Kommunikationskultur ändert sich - Persönlicher Ton ist gefragt

The paper presents the findings of a quantitative investigation into the major working fields of German, Austrian, and Swiss communication professionals. We build upon previous work done in roles research but follow a grounded approach in using an explorative cluster analysis on a sample of 340 communicators. We identify fives typologies into which...

This paper explores the educational backgrounds, work activities, remuneration and job satisfaction of European communication professionals. Based on factor analysis of a sample of 1410 European communicators, five major work activities are identified: lobbying external constituencies, advising and reviewing policies, positioning the firm in the ma...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a quantitative investigation into the major working fields of European communication professionals. Design/methodology/approach – The paper build upon previous work done in roles research, but follow a grounded approach in using an explorative cluster analysis on a sample of 1,410 c...

Das iPhone ist laut TIME Magazine die Innovation des Jahres 2007. Über das innovative Telefon wurde intensiv in den digitalen und analogen Medien berichtet. Apple schaffte es im Gegensatz zu vielen Konkurrenten durch eine gezielte Innovationskommunikation bei potenziellen Käufern bereits weit vor der offiziellen Markteinführung Wissen über den Name...

This paper presents an investigation into the educational backgrounds, working activities, remunerations and job satisfaction of European communication professionals. Based on factor analysis on a sample of 1410 European communicators, five major working functions are identified: lobbying with external constituencies, advising and reviewing policie...

Neue mobile Kommunikationstechnologien, wie Smartphones und Blackberry, flexibilisieren die Arbeitswelt, erhöhen aber auch die Anforderungen an die individuelle Leistungsfähigkeit in Information und Kommunikation. Bei ungesteuerter Anwendung führt das in eine Aufmerksamkeits- und Fokussierungskrise oder gar zu Technostress. Die beiden Hauptursachen...

Mobilization of the work-force is demanding new mobile and wireless technologies to facilitate contact between the growing number of mobile eWorkers and organizations. Smartphones incorporating mobile e-mail functionality enable instant access to e-mail boxes and company resources without complex synchronization. A study amongst sixteen German comp...

Zusammenfassungen Die Kommunikation gewinnt weiter an Relevanz für den Unternehmenserfolg. Die Hauptursache dafür ist eine veränderte Erwartungshaltung der Öffentlichkeit. Dieser Wandlungsprozess fordert innovative Managementmodelle und eine neue Rolle der Kommunikationskultur. Herausforderungen entstehen dabei auf normativer, strategischer und ope...

Informationen sind Waffen. Das gilt besonders in Zeiten asymmetrischer Kriege. So schreibt das Britische Magazin Economist zu Beginn einer Serie über „Terrorism and civil liberty“: „In every war, information is a weapon. In a ‚war against terrorism‘, where the adversary wears no uniform and hides among the civilian population, information can matt...

Kommunikation ist eine anerkannte Führungs- und Gestaltungsfunktion in Wirtschaft, Politik und Gesellschaft. Über Kommunikation etablieren, lenken und entwickeln Unternehmen, Organisationen, Parteien und andere gesellschaftliche Akteure ihre öffentliche Wahrnehmung und Reputation.

Der folgende Beitrag ist der Positionierung des Managements der Kommunikation gewidmet, mit Fokus auf Unternehmen. Wir zeigen, dass Kommunikation nicht nur als Funktionsbereich des Unternehmens professionell gemanagt, sondern als integraler Bestandteil des Wertschöpfungsprozesses eines Unternehmens aufgefasst werden muss. Das Unternehmen und seine...

In Zeiten gravierender Veränderungen lohnt es sich, einmal innezuhalten und die Definitionen zu reflektieren, die bislang gültig waren zur Beschreibung des Themenfeldes, das sich nun verändert. Unternehmenskommunikation verstehen wir immer noch als „the management of communication between an organisation and its publics“ (Grunig/Hunt, 1984, S. 6)....

Die intensive und zielgerichtete Kommunikation mit den Kapitalmärkten ist für Unternehmen heute unverzichtbar, beeinflusst sie doch neben dem Aktienkurs und damit dem Wert auch die strategischen Handlungsoptionen eines Unternehmens. Häufig wird dabei jedoch vernachlässigt, dass sich professionelle Kapitalmarkteilnehmer nicht nur anhand der reinen F...

Der vorliegende Beitrag über Media Relations als Teil der Netzwerkkonimunikation ist als Teil der übergeordneten Public Relations (siehe dazu den Beitrag von Bentele & Will in diesem Band) zu verstehen. Während Public Relations beziehungsweise Kommunikationsmanagement die gesamten Kommunikationsbeziehungen des Unternehmens mit seinen Anspruchsgrupp...

A survey by the European Association of Communication Directors (EACD) and the Institute of Media and Communications Management at the University of St. Gallen on the state and prospects of European communication professionals.

The paper presents a longitudinal survey of the European communication profession. Position and role of communication professionals within organizations, duties and responsibilities, professional background as well as job satisfaction are analysed, aiming to highlight the strategic importance of communication expertise within organizations.

Kommunikation, die Nutzung der medial konstruierten Öffentlichkeit, ist zu einem wesentlichen Mittel zur Durchsetzung von Aktionärsinteressen geworden. Am Einfluss dieser neuen Art von Investoren kann kein Management drehen. Die Chance liegt vielmehr darin, die Unternehmensstrategie nachvollziehbar und überzeugend den verschiedenen Aktionärs- u...

This paper presents an explorative empirical survey of 42 European equity analysts. Based on qualitative, in-depth interviews with this core stakeholder group, the perception of CSR issues on capital markets is described and differentiated. Furthermore, suggestions on how to appropriately frame CSR issues in capital market communication are derived...

Perception is reality, an insight that Chinese state-owned investment funds had to learn the hard way in Europe during the last few years. With their enormous financial means (China is said to have accumulated more monetary reserves in the last years than any other nation state, growing every month by 20 billion $), it is not surprising that Europe...

The empirical findings presented in this paper were gained from interviews with equity analysts at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The interviews sought to identify how mainstream equity analysts, that are not particularly involved in Socially Responsible Investment research, perceive the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility. On the one hand, t...