BIZ101: Business Communications - Source Analysis Report, Module 3

This report analyzes four sources related to business communications, specifically focusing on the impact of social media in the workplace. The first source, by Cao et al. (2016), examines how social media influences employee work performance, highlighting its role in facilitating organizational knowledge and communication, fostering social relationships, and promoting work performance through social capital and knowledge transfer. The second source, by Holland et al. (2016), investigates the use of social media at work, considering both its positive and negative implications, particularly in relation to HRM and employee job satisfaction. The third source, by Miller-Merrell (2013), discusses the power of social media for workplace communication and information distribution, emphasizing its role in encouraging employee engagement and productivity. The final source, by Taurasi (2015), explores various ways to use social media for employee communications, including platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and company blogs, to deliver messages and enhance employee skills. Each source is evaluated based on its authority, audience, transparency, objectivity, and currency, providing a comprehensive overview of the topic.

Running Head: BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS
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Business Communications
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BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS 1
Cao, X., Guo, X., Vogel, D., & Zhang, X. (2016). Exploring the influence of social media
on employee work performance. Internet Research, 26(2), 529-545.
According to Cao and others, communication in the life of people have been
revolutionizing with widespread application and explosive growth. Also, it has been entered
in the workplace that facilitates organizational knowledge and communication work in recent
times. Social media’s success in the workplace motivated employees and their performance
by using social networking while improving communication among different IoT (Internet of
things). It helps in establishing social relationships by building trust between individuals, and
can also start exchanging information, new acquaintances, capabilities exploitation of others
and collaborating with common objective (Cao, Guo, Vogel, & Zhang, 2016). In the
workplace, the advantages are related to the focusing on personal ties and strengthening
professional, resource locating and knowledge sharing promotion. Hence, social media is
nurturing social capital of employees and facilitating knowledge transfer successively that
promotes work performance.
 Authority: All the authors are specialized in their own field shown in this information
of Internet Research from Emerald Insight.
 Audience: The main focus is on employees in the workplace and their work
performance through impact of social media and mechanism of creating value.
 Transparency: The information is based on social capital and media synchronicity
theories nurturing employees in the workplace through social media promoting work
performance.
 Objectivity: The objective of this study is to motivate staff by communicating with
the help of using social media.
 Currency: It was available online on April 2016 with appropriate information and
collection of data based on the employee’s work performance.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS 2
Holland, P., Cooper, B., & Hecker, R. (2016). Use of social media at work: a new form
of employee voice? The International Journal of Human Resource Management,
27(21), 2621-2634.
According to Holland and others, the most powerful tools of communication in social
media are Facebook and Twitter not online inside of the workplace but outside as well. This
study is focusing on potential destructive and negative implications of social media in the
workplace while less attention on binding social media in a smart way by enhancing HRM
(human resource management). Further, it is based on the issue of HRM and technology
determining relationships among job satisfaction and using social media. Moreover, this is
done by using data from the “Australian Electronic Workplace Survey” related to issues need
to be understood of workplace concerning employees (Holland, Cooper, & Hecker, 2016).
 Authority: All the authors are specialized in their own field published in the journal of
“The International Journal of Human Resource Management”.
 Audience: This study is focusing on the communication of employees through social
media by surveying the data based on the “Australian Electronic Workplace Survey”.
 Transparency: All the data is relevant and authentic maintained by the experts
knowing the performance of the employees in the workplace.
 Objectivity: The main aim of this study is to know the pros and cons of social media
related to the employees’ communicating through the tools in the workplace.
 Currency: The study was published online in September 2016 based on the survey and
knowing employees using social media ethically by applying theories or not. It is
related to the performance of the employees in the workplace.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS 3
Miller-Merrell, J. (2013, November 13). The Power of Social Media for Workplace
Communication & Distribution. Retrieved from Workology:
https://workology.com/social-media-enterprise-communciation/
According to Miller-Merrell, there are various ways that makes social media powerful
in the workplace related to distribution and communication for a team member, manager, HR
professional or business leader as a platform. The information and communication is used in
a way to encourage sharing, input and collaboration of employees in the workplace
particularly. In the company, social media helps in communication and distribution of
information related to work involving employees (Miller-Merrell, 2013). Also,
communication helps in engaging audience based on both professional and personal
purposes. The foremost challenge in business is related to data and studies shared but help in
improving engagement of employees and productivity as well.
 Authority: The source is by an author working as a change agent and human resources
focused in the workplace.
 Audience: It is for the audience including employees who do not the importance of
communication through social media regarding workplace.
 Transparency: There is no guarantee of the information being authentic or not but the
information is relevant and authentic.
 Objectivity: It is based on the basic knowledge of social media having power related
to information distribution and communication in the workplace.
 Currency: It was online by November 2013 by the author being a recognized global
speaker and media influencer in Forbes.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS 4
Taurasi, L. (2015, July 6). 7 Ways to Use Social Media for Employee Communications.
Retrieved from Workplace Care: https://workplace.care.com/7-ways-to-use-
social-media-for-employee-communications
According to Taurasi, social media is growing continuously in the workplace
effectively as a communication tool. Moreover, it is beneficial for the employers to deliver
messages to employees for absorbing and retaining with the help of Facebook, LinkedIn and
more. In the workplace, it is essential to use various platforms to gain power for work
performance formally or informally, and sourcing talent as well. Social media makes it easier
to provide information using all the accessible devices for employees (Taurasi, 2015).
Moreover, the social media that can be used by employees are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
Company Blogs, and Remote Access focusing on employees getting skillful and experienced
with the change in the environment by using these platforms.
 Authority: The information might not be authentic but helpful for employees and
other individuals that do not know the benefits about the social media helping in
communication.
 Audience: It is for general audience those who do not the benefits about using social
media platforms.
 Transparency: There are chances of data and information being appropriate or not
based on the study of this source.
 Objectivity: It generates the basic knowledge and information in the workplace for
employees and helps in developing the use of social media for effective
communication among other individuals.
 Currency: This was published online on July 2015 based on the benefits and platforms
used for better communication.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS 5
References
Cao, X., Guo, X., Vogel, D., & Zhang, X. (2016). Exploring the influence of social media on
employee work performance. Internet Research, 26(2), 529-545.
Holland, P., Cooper, B., & Hecker, R. (2016). Use of social media at work: a new form of
employee voice? The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27(21),
2621-2634.
Miller-Merrell, J. (2013, November 13). The Power of Social Media for Workplace
Communication & Distribution. Retrieved from Workology:
https://workology.com/social-media-enterprise-communciation/
Taurasi, L. (2015, July 6). 7 Ways to Use Social Media for Employee Communications.
Retrieved from Workplace Care: https://workplace.care.com/7-ways-to-use-social-
media-for-employee-communications