Communication evaluation and measurement: connecting research to practice
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the current state of communication evaluation and measurement (E&M) as a vital field connecting academics and practitioners in communication management.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors track recent developments in the field, address the ongoing struggle toward E&M standards, and propose six agenda points for the future E&M debate.
Findings
While the authors see an engaged, international interest community making considerable headway in important E&M issues, the conclusion is that several areas require further work: dynamics of standardization; going beyond the effectiveness-based view; internal services evaluation; addressing intervening variables; closer ties to related fields; and dissemination into the wider practice.
Originality/value
The paper gives a pointed reflection of the state of the field and also provides a comprehensive list of current resources for those who aim to further the E&M debate.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the members of the International Task Force on Standardization of Communication Planning/Objective Setting and Evaluation/Measurement Models (namely: Forrest Anderson, Mark-Steffen Buchele, Nathan Gilkerson, Jim Macnamara, Tim Marklein, Rebecca Swenson, Sophia Charlotte Volk, and Michael Ziviani) for their constructive feedback to an earlier version of this paper.
Citation
Buhmann, A., Likely, F. and Geddes, D. (2018), "Communication evaluation and measurement: connecting research to practice", Journal of Communication Management, Vol. 22 No. 1, pp. 113-119. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-12-2017-0141
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited