Trends in Business Communication Research, Teaching, and Academic Societies in Korean Higher Education

정연권 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2018 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.1 No.1

Objectives: This paper investigates the contemporary academic trend in business communication in Korea. It tries to address the question of whether Korean business communicators are teaching business communication, and if they are, which kinds of business communication they teach, which traditions they follow, and how the teaching trend is projected to research trends in business communication in Korea. Methods: This study first examines web content on business communication curricula and then conducts a content analysis of the websites of Korean communication associations as well as related qualitative interviews with professors whose academic interest is related to business communication in order to address some particular research questions. Results: This study shows that business communication education in Korean universities (in communications departments) has a lack of variety (i.e., a predominance of organizational communication and media studies) and that actual business communication education (with an emphasis on language use in business contexts) is not done in courses titled Business Communication. Conclusions: Nevertheless, interviewees expect a bright future for Korean business communication in both teaching and research (i.e., increasing the number of business communication courses to conduct a government-funded research project; establishing academic associations focusing on business and professional communication).

The Effects of Attachment to Korean Wave Stars and Cultural Proximity on Chinese Consumers’ Purchase Intention of Korean Products

한가록,박정민,이재은 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2022 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.5 No.1

Objectives: The majority of prior studies have identified attachment to Korean Wave stars and cultural proximity as important determinants in the purchase intention of Korean products, but no comprehensive study considering these two factors at the same time has been conducted. Therefore, in order to overcome the limitations of previous studies, this study conducts a comprehensive study to investigate the effect of attachment to Korean Wave and cultural proximity (psychological and experiential proximity) on purchase intention of Korean products. Methods: To collect research data, a survey of Chinese consumers was conducted for about two months from October to December 2020. As a result of the survey, 384 questionnaires were collected, of which 240 questionnaires were finally used to perform regression analysis, excluding 144 questionnaires that were judged to be difficult to use for analysis. Results: As a result of the empirical analysis of Chinese consumers, it was found that both attachment to Korean Wave stars and cultural proximity (psychological and experiential proximity) had a significant positive effect on purchase intention of Korean products. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the attachment to Korean Wave stars and psychological and experiential cultural proximity are important antecedents of the purchase intention of Korean products. These findings will be able to provide meaningful practical implications for Korean companies that need to formulate and implement marketing strategies for Chinese consumers.

The Use of Unified Message System as a Vehicle for Effective Mobile Business Communication: The Case of Morpheus Message

정우석,김병욱,신상우 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2022 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.5 No.1

Objectives: Message integration has played a crucial role in executing a delivery of more relevant and meaningful business messages in the cluttered communication environment. This paper introduces Morpheus Message, a unified message system developed by Uracle, and illustrates its operational characteristics. This paper also presents conceptual discussions on how Morpheus Message can facilitate effective business communications. Methods: The main focus of message integration in both academia and practice has shifted from a company-driven perspective to a customer-driven one. This paradigm shift suggests that the main motive for well-coordinated/integrated messages is message relevance and meaningfulness to the target customer audience, not managerial convenience gained through a centralized message distribution. This paper forwards not only the conceptual justifications for the key operational characteristics of Morpheus Message, but a practical example of how it successfully serves as a platform of mobile message integration. Results: The practical application of Morpheus Message shows that the client company who switches to it from a legacy message distribution system enjoys a 50% reduction in annual delivery costs despite the steady growth of its customer base. The use of Morpheus Message also enables the client company to supply its target audience with more demanded and relevant information, thereby reinforcing existing service channels and/or establishing new ones. Conclusions: The case of Morpheus Message described in this paper sheds light on how the use of a unified message system can facilitate more effective business communications and expand new service opportunities in the mobile business environment.

LG CNS Digital Transformation Using Robotic Process Automation

이정호,임은영,정남호 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2022 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.5 No.1

Objectives: Robotic process automation (RPA) has emerged as a trend in various industries due to the increasing interest in digital transformation and innovations. RPA has been actively applied in the financial and service industries, and the ability to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) technology has prompted firms in many industries to adopt RPA to increase the efficiency of their business operations. This study aims to find out how companies adopt RPA based on LG CNS’ RPA application cases. Methods: The method of collective case studies with multiple case was used. To this end, this study analyzed and organized multiple cases exemplifying the applications of RPA in LG CNS for various purposes, such as the verification of outside information from an unassociated system, simple information verification, system input tasks, and data reconciliation. Results: Several considerations should be kept in mind for the functional implementation of AI-based RPA. Research is needed on the characteristics of specific types of applications, and an optimized RPA solution requires careful consideration of which processes will be automated by AI and how best to do so. Conclusions: RPA automates simple repetitive tasks, standardizing business processes and helping to increase the efficiency of administrative processes. Therefore, RPA should be validated for use in administrative tasks at public institutions. However, there are limits and points to consider from the standpoint of application processes, legislative issues, and governance. For these reasons, there is a need for more research and case studies on RPA technology and related industries before it can be deployed more widely.

Robotic Process Automation: A New Enabler for Digital Transformation and Operational Excellence

복소양,정욱아,고준 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2022 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.5 No.1

Objectives: Due to the explosive growth of the internet, mobile applications, machine learning, and new information technologies, new management methods that do not require face-to-face contact are spreading rapidly. Innovative approaches to process automation are needed in the era of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and firms are actively adopting and implementing solutions such as robotic process automation (RPA) to increase their operational excellence. The objective of this study is to address state-of-the-art use cases of RPA by IBM Korea to determine key factors related to successful RPA implementation. Methods: Multiple case study methods and triangulation of findings were used. This study examined several cases in which RPA was implemented and proposed an analytical framework for RPA. Results: This article described IBM’s RPA usage strategies to accelerate business process management and examined four cases of RPA implementation by client firms of IBM in South Korea. This case study found that IBM’s RPA solutions positively affected the client firms’ performance, suggesting that solutions like RPA could be essential for firms’ survival due to the benefits of process automation. Conclusions: Solutions using RPA can both reduce labor costs and improve the operational excellence of firms’ internal processes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, process automation is increasingly essential. Practical issues such as change management and shadow work caused by process automation are discussed.

Business Communication for Stakeholder Management

박용승 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2022 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.5 No.2

The sincere implementation of the stakeholder paradigm in business management depends on effective stakeholder communication. Business communication in the new era will become the cornerstone of solidarity and common good in the business ecosystem. In a model of stakeholder communication (Figure 1), these essential functions of communication, including interactions among parties and the transfer of information, will be tailored to promote the wealth of the community and accomplishing the vision of responsible management. In this new era of stakeholder management, the field of business communication in management studies may have reached its most important historical turning point.

A Burkean Dramatistic Analysis of Tae-Joon Park’s Rhetoric: The Chairman and CEO of POSCO

이상철 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2022 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.5 No.2

Objectives: This study analyzes the rhetoric of “Korea’s steel king,” Tae-Joon Park (TJ Park), the founder of POSCO (formerly Pohang Iron and Steel Company), with a specific focus on TJ Park’s rhetorical style and strategy, through a close reading of two speeches: his inaugural address at POSCO in 1968 and his speech commemorating the 10th anniversary of POSCO in 1978. Methods: This study applied the work of Kenneth Burke because of the impact of rhetorical analysis on the field of business communication studies. Burke’s approach includes the five qualities that comprise the pentad (scene, act, agent, agency, and purpose). Herein, these concepts are used to analyze TJ Park’s speeches, followed by an examination of how the Burkean notion of identification works in his addresses. Results: The present study demonstrated the basic rhetorical strategies in business communication that have influenced developments in research methodology based on Kenneth Burke’s concepts of the pentad and identification. Burke’s dramatistic method for the analysis of Park’s corporate rhetoric enabled an analysis of the relationship among features of Park’s rhetoric in terms of the business rhetorical situation. Conclusions: With his rhetoric, TJ Park set the scene to encourage employee motivation for the upper hierarchy of values, promoted employees’ future acts, changed the workers’ mentality, habits, and behaviors and turned them into “POSCO men,” shielded the management of POSCO from bureaucratic interference and unreasonable political pressure, and sublimated the corporate mission to a “national duty” and “historical mission.” His unique rhetoric contributed to the success of his management.

Data Visualization as Communication: The Role of Business Communication in Data Analytics

Stephanie Kelly,Tiffany L. S. Tovey 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2022 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.5 No.1

The standards for Accreditation to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business requires that business schools offer curriculums that are “current, relevant, forward-looking” (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business [AACSB] International, 2020, p. 37). Today, there is arguably no more current, relevant, or forward-looking curriculum content for business schools than those topics pertaining to data analytics. Data analytics have become “an integral part of planning and decision making in business” (Clayton & Clopton, 2018, p. 1). Indeed, students from a variety of business majors require basic statistical knowledge as well as the ability to interpret and communicate results to be prepared for the workplace in any business degree (Pan et al., 2018).

Digital Transformation for Efficient Communication in the Workplace: Analyzing the Flow Coworking Tool

조현영,이학준 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2022 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.5 No.1

Objectives: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has necessitated new ways of conducting business, including hybrid work, which requires the active digital transformation of workplaces. This study examined cases in which the coworking tool Flow was adopted and explained Flow’s characteristics and user experiences. Methods: Flow is a coworking tool developed by Madras Check to improve communication efficiency between workers. This case report was based on interviews and surveys of Flow users. Results: Flow was designed to increase productivity related to tasks and efficient management. According to client interviews, surveys, and our case analysis, Flow appears to achieve its purpose. In a survey of 1,429 respondents, Flow was found to reduce the amount of time spent checking messages via email and messenger applications, and respondents felt that Flow was a user-friendly tool and were willing to recommend Flow to others. Conclusions: The present case report shows how the Flow coworking tool contributed to fostering a digital work environment. Our analysis of the benefits and user experiences of Flow indicates that such coworking tools are necessary for digital transformation so that organizations can create a hybrid work environment, which is the primary work format following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Business Communication Digitalized: Accelerated Transformations under the New Normal

장혜정 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 2022 Business Communication Research and Practice Vol.5 No.1

Two years have passed since we first heard of the coronavirus, and our work and personal lives are now a far cry from what they once were. Companies have adapted to a “new normal,” one that acknowledges that the new virus is here to stay. This new context has forced them to turn to non-face-to-face strategies for customer marketing, internal and external communication, and the overall business process (Uzialko, 2021). These new work environments are accelerating digital transformation, expanding the role of information and communication technology (ICT) plays in companies of all fields (Blackburn, LaBerge, O’Toole, & Schneider, 2020).