[Air-l] Research Methods

[Charles Ess]

Pam,
nice question!
Of the contributions to the CATaC conferences (Cultural Attitudes towards
Technology and Communication) that Fay Sudweeks and I have had the privilege
of co-chairing since 1998,  there is a strong subset of contributions that
focus on international collaboration in office contexts.
Indeed, that list would extensive - but let me suggest that you review the
tables of contents for the Proceedings that are published for each
conference on our website, if you haven't done so already, and see if
anything leaps out at you: <www.catacconference.org>.
You should also join the discussion list and float your question to the
several hundred subscribers.

That said, here are some overviews and additional resources:

Ess, C. 2003. Inter/Cross-cultural communication: research/annotated
bibliography.
<http://www.itu.dk/~chess/IRCulture/AnnotatedBibliography.html>

Al-Saggaf, Yeslam. 2003. Online Communities in Saudi Arabia: An Ethnographic
Study.  Doctoral Dissertation, Charles Sturt University.  Wagga Wagga, NSW,
Australia.

BAUMGARTNER, V. 2003. Diploma Thesis: A Practical Set of Cultural Dimensions
for Global User-interface Analysis and Design. University of Vienna.
<www.mavas.at/val/downloads/ValBaumgartner_
PracticalSetOfCulturalDimensions.pdf>

ESS, C. 2006. «From Computer-Mediated Colonization to Culturally-Aware ICT
Usage and Design», in P. Zaphiris and S. Kurniawan (eds.), Advances in
Universal Web Design and Evaluation: Research, Trends and Opportunities.
Hershey, Pennsylvania : Idea Publishing, pp. 178-197.

ESS, C. and SUDWEEKS, F. 2005. «Culture and computer-mediated communication:
Toward new understandings», Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication,
11(1), article 9. <http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue1/ess.html>
(this special issue collects several presentations from CATaC'04)

C. Ess, F. Sudweeks (eds.). 2003. «Technologies of Despair and Hope: CMC in
the Middle East,» Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 8 (2).
<http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol8/issue2/>

MACFADYEN, L. P., ROCHE, J. and DOFF, S. 2004. Communicating across Cultures
in Cyberspace: A Bibliographical Review of Online Intercultural
Communication. Hamburg : Lit-Verlag.

Yetim, Fahri.  2001.  A Meta-Communication Model for Structuring
Intercultural Communication Action Patterns.  SIGGROUP Bulletin 22 (2):
16-20.

==
Hope that helps!  And, of course, it'd be a treat to have you share what you
find as well!

In all events, best of luck with your project

cheers,
- charles

> Members of AoIR--
>  
> I have a request for resources.   I am a PhD student in technical
> communication and rhetoric and will be conducting my dissertation research
> in order to respond to the following question:  "How do cultural factors
> affect the international online communication that supports today's virtual
> office systems?"  I am speaking specifically of communication across
> international cultures using online tools such as email, instant messaging,
> discussion boards, etc.  In other words, I'm focusing on two-way
> communication.  
> 
>  
> 
> Now to the question--I have an extensive reading list which I won't attempt
> to list here, but I am anxious not to miss any important resources on
> methodology and content.  If you have any suggestions for "don't miss"
> resources, would you please share them with me?  I appreciate your help very
> much.
> 

Distinguished Research Professor,
Interdisciplinary Studies <http://www.drury.edu/gp21>
Drury University
900 N. Benton Ave.              Voice: 417-873-7230
Springfield, MO  65802  USA       FAX: 417-873-7435
Home page:  http://www.drury.edu/ess/ess.html

Information Ethics Fellow, 2006-07, Center for Information Policy Research,
School of Information Studies, UW-Milwaukee
<http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SOIS/cipr/ethics.html>
Co-chair, CATaC conferences <www.catacconference.org>
Vice-President, Association of Internet Researchers <www.aoir.org>
Professor II, Globalization and Applied Ethics Programmes
<http://www.anvendtetikk.ntnu.no/pres/bridgingcultures.php>

Exemplary persons seek harmony, not sameness. -- Analects 13.23