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Journal Article 7.1: Anders, A. D., Coleman, J. T., & Castleberry, S. B. (2017). Communication preferences of business-to-business buyers for receiving initial sales messages: A comparison of media channel selection theories. International Journal of Business Communication.

Abstract: Recent research on media channel selection theories has called for studies exploring communication in interorganizational business relationships and for specific work functions. The present study addresses this need through an exploration of buyer-seller communication practices in business-to-business contexts. Based on a survey of buyers, it offers a comparison of e-mail and voice mail with an emphasis on preferences for initial or cold call sales messages. The study design compares the explanatory power of three prominent theories of media channel selection: media richness theory, channel expansion theory, and media synchronicity theory. Results indicate that e-mail and voice mail/phone are the most frequently used media channels for business-to-business sales communication. Buyers preferred to receive initial messages from new salespeople by e-mail. Voice mail and phone are preferred for specific processes in established relationships, including conflict resolution, negotiations, and relationship building. Of the three theoretical models, media synchronicity theory offered the most thorough and robust account of buyer media preferences and channel selection rationales. Congruent with the expectations of media synchronicity theory, buyers preferred e-mail for communication processes characterized by the conveyance of information due to its capabilities for information processing. In particular, buyers preferred the higher parallelism of e-mail--including its capabilities for engaging in multiple conversations simultaneously--as it supported multitasking working styles.

Journal Article 7.2: Briggs, M., Grella, L., Burton, T. A., Yarmuth, M., & Taylor, T. (2012). Understanding and engaging key influencers of youth in high-risk urban communities a review of the literature. Social Marketing Quarterly, 18(3), 203-220.

Abstract: A literature review was conducted on behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to inform the development of the communications component of a teen dating violence prevention initiative entitled Dating Matters: Strategies to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships. The review aimed to identify who influences youth in high-risk urban communities and how to best engage them. Sources included published peer-reviewed studies supplemented by publicly available data, research, and trend reports. The review identified four core influencer groups: peers, mass media, role models/mentors, and parents. Peers have a unique influence, especially with regard to dating and dating violence, which teens are more likely to discuss with peers than adults. Mass media is another key influence because of this audience’s high rates of media consumption and because it can deliver messages directly to youth.

Journal Article 7.3: Moon, R. (2017). Getting into living rooms: NGO media relations work as strategic practice. Journalism.

Abstract: Research on the publicity strategies of non-governmental organizations suggests that they seek out coverage from the news media. In so doing, they typically adopt traditional news values, thus adapting to the institutional demands of journalism in ways potentially harmful to organizational goals. This study suggests that, while employees do court news coverage through events and strategies designed to capture media attention, they do so strategically. The research presented here draws on institutional theories of organizational behavior to understand the strategic behaviors undertaken. Through participant observation and document analysis of the media relations office at World Vision US, a key player among international development non-governmental organizations, I find evidence that media relations employees engage in strategic practices of bargaining and compliance. These behaviors allow them to work within and beyond given institutional parameters to accomplish organizational goals not aligned with traditional news values.