Journal of Asian Pacific Communication - Volume 28, Issue 1, 2018

The concept of relationships is one that is central to numerous subfields within communication, including interpersonal, organizational, and public relations. This conceptual paper investigates the notion of relationships and proposes a framework to understand and explicate corporate-community relationships (CCRs), a specific type of organization-public relationships (OPRs). In developing this framework, we draw upon existing literature and our experiences in Liberia related to natural resource management (NRM) as part of a multi-year collaborative peacebuilding initiative. We advance a framework of CCRs that (a) helps develop further empirical research and knowledge about these relationships and (b) contributes to the practice of more transformative relationships between Western and Asian multinational corporations (MNCs) and local communities in West Africa and beyond. This framework puts forth our conceptualization of CCRs as (a) constituted by the communicative, (b) dynamic, constantly influenced by macro and micro factors, and (c) complex. Drawing on our framework, we also advance some guiding questions for a research agenda in this area.

Mainstream ethical leadership studies largely adopt Brown, Trevino, and Harrison’s (2005) conceptualization and operationalization. Ethical leadership has been found to predict positive individual and organizational outcomes. An examination of the mainstream literature reveals several weaknesses that include the lack of a well-developed theoretical framework, the marginalized role of communication in leadership processes, and a low correspondence between conceptualization and operationalization. In addition to these weaknesses, Chinese ethical leadership studies meet additional challenges regarding the relative impacts of universality and cultural specificity. The Chinese literature consists of empirical research adopting the mainstream Western ethical leadership construct, point-of-view articles stressing Chinese cultural roots, and research considering both universal and cultural characteristics. This paper argues that future development in Chinese ethical leadership research can begin by conceiving a construct model that denotes communication as a key leadership behavior, explicates the relative importance of universal versus cultural influences, and defines key cultural components.

Situated in the first stage of Lewin’s Change Management Model ( Lewin, 1947 ), this study examined the strategic communication plan needed to enable Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to embrace learner diversity via diversity engagement. Participants were 56 academics from 14 public and two private universities in Malaysia who attended the Learner Diversity training module at the Higher Education Leadership Academy (AKEPT) between the periods from 2014 to 2015. During the training sessions, participants were asked to diagnose the existing communication strategies of their respective universities that concerned learner diversity, and to suggest ways to fulfill the mission of driving diversity in their respective universities. Each participant wrote three series of reflective writings and these created a total database of 168 reflective notes. The data were analyzed using the six phases of thematic analysis proposed by Braun and Clarke (2006) . The findings have identified three main themes for a strategic communication planning approach: (1) re-examining the institutional mission statement on inclusive diversity practices, (2) changing the mindset of academe, and (3) starting with small steps when introducing change in embracing learner diversity. This study served as one of the baseline studies conducted at the national level to comprehend the potential of a strategic communication planning process in HEIs from the perspectives of employees.

The ongoing development of the strategic communication research in the area of the advertising calls for the development and validation of the measurement instruments that can address the indulgence of the advertising appeals in a specific cultural context. Therefore, the present study examines and validate advertising appeals by considering the norms based on the GLOBE nine cultural dimensions in Malaysian context. The analysis involved data from 10 advertising expert for content validation, followed by 10 advertising expert rating and ranking of the scale of its relevance and clarity to assess the item-level content validation. The results provided to support the impact of cultural norms are substantial for Malaysian advertising, which are identified from content validation procedure.

The manuscript offers an expansion of a traditional view of source credibility based on evaluation of a message source with inclusion of vicarious credibility (evaluation by members of a social network). The move reflects the need to consider differing cultural perspectives on how a message source might become evaluated. Data from 1,149 participants (US, Spanish, Japanese) identify vicarious and source credibility as significantly different. Classification results from discriminant analysis, where vicarious and source become a single function to create new grounds for cross-cultural communication research. The new paradigm requires the examination of both vicarious credibility in conjunction with source credibility that produce a credibility grid.

Researchers are often faced with challenges of measurements for the phenomena of their interest. Progress in such situation can only be done through developing new measurements. Therefore, grounded on the pool of items generated from previous literature, this study takes a qualitative approach to develop a valid measure for internal crisis communication following two stage of Churchill’s seminal theory. This study used semi-structured in-depth interviews for collecting data with a sample of 12 informants who are employees of an electric distribution company in Nigeria. The findings of this study indicated that the new internal crisis communication measure improved the quality of communication between management and employee during crisis. This study could provide policy makers, regulators, managers, and government on how to improve the crisis management among stakeholders. Also, the study is significant to the literature particularly in developing economy on crisis management that is lacking. Further study could look at internal stakeholders during crisis in other sectors.

Purpose – This research investigates the generational differences in workplace communication, expectations and behaviors of employees from the perspectives of female leaders and their direct reports.

Design – This study employs a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews with 12 female leaders and 24 of their direct reports who are working in various organizations in Malaysia.

Findings – Findings include three themes that emerged as key in determining and reflecting the female leaders’ experiences in communicating with their employees in the workplace: (1) attitudes towards power and authority; (2) being creative and taking risks and (3) workplace dynamics.

Research Implications – The workplace setting and the leaders’ stance with regards to workplace interaction have seen adjustment towards a flatter and less-hierarchical structure in line with the challenges associated with the 21st century organizations.

Practical implications – Leaders and members of the organizations should work towards balancing some traditional and emerging expectations and work practices to better engage with each other.

Originality/value – This research highlights the interactions between two distinct groups that are gaining importance and influence in the current workplace; female leaders and the Gen-Ys and uncovers the unique blend between perceived cultural dimensions, the influence of technology advancement and overseas exposure in organizations in Malaysia.

Existing archaeological heritage communication focuses on educating the public by emphasising scientific knowledge from the perspectives of experts (e.g. archaeologists), often sidelining the perspectives of the local community. Nevertheless, the local community’s perspective is equally important in providing humanistic insights and in connecting the past to the present context. This research explores how local communities make meaning of and relate heritage to their social identity. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 purposely-sampled representatives from various local community groups in Lenggong Valley, Malaysia; including village heads, village elders and individuals from various social and cultural backgrounds. The findings provide interesting insights into how the local community defines and connects to heritage. Importantly, this study highlights multilayered dimensions of archaeological heritage that are intricately connected to contemporary society. Incorporating these wider dimensions into archaeological heritage communication will result in communication that is more socially, culturally and psychologically relevant, thus engendering greater interest and appreciation.

Evidence from past news research suggested that people are less interested to read hard news including public affairs news. Focusing on Malaysia, this study examines the role of demographic variables, mobile and social media use for news, perceived news credibility and users’ motivations for news in explaining online consumption of public affairs news in the setting which is known for its tight media control. An online survey was employed to collect data from Malaysian Internet users, aged between 18 and 64, who regularly read news online. Data were analyzed using multiple regression. The findings of the study suggest that digital immigrants, or older news users, are more likely to consume public affairs news than young ones. Malaysians read public affairs news which they perceive to be highly credible to fulfill their information and social needs. News organizations in Malaysia can use these findings to design a strategic approach for a more competitive news industry.