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Since the organization is not only composed of tennis camps here in Metro Manila but as well as tennis camps in the provinces, they decided to use a website in the hope of enhancing the communication within the organization. Their website, www.philta.com, which was launched in the summer of 1999, was especially designed for the members of their organizations (meaning to say, those that are playing tennis) as well as for those who want to be interested in tennis.
This study will then discuss the whether the said website was useful to the organization as well as rationalize the reason behind its effects.
II. Statement of the Problem
Basically, an organization has many aspects such as its processes, and communication vehicle. However, this research would mainly concentrate on this problem:
What is the relationship between the communication process of PHILTA and the use of a website as a technological advancement towards achieving their goals as well as in disseminating information throughout the organization?
III. Objectives
It is the aim of this study to be able to know whether the website, as a technological advancement for communication in PHILTA, was effective in meeting the goals of the company. This can be done through the feedback that will be gathered in the process of the research.
Further, the study hopes to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of using a website in a company such as PHILTA. And if not, find other types of technological advancement that the organization can use to meet their goals as well as disseminating information to their audience as well as their employees.
IV.Scope and Limitation
A research such as this would be vague if the proper scope and limitation was not set.
First and foremost, the research would only center with the effects of the website to members of the organization here in Metro Manila. Due to time and space considerations, the researchers were only able to conduct an interview here in Manila. Much more, the members were mainly focused on since they are the recipients of the said website.
Furthermore, the researchers would like to emphasize that whatever may work for PHILTA, if applied in other organizations, would not exactly or necessarily have the same effect. It is due to the fact that each organization has their own culture and other factors to consider when it comes to implementing certain procedures.
Since one research cannot possibly exhaust all possibilities and areas in which to focus on, it is the hope of this research to be able to encourage others to study this field.
V.Review of Related Literature/Materials
Severin and Tankard's Communication Theories, as title suggests, gives an in-depth and concise description about communication theories. One of them is the Reinforcement Theory, which falls under the Limited Effects Model.
Among the sites that have been able to guide this research regarding the Reinforcement theory is Reinforcement Theory It explains reinforcement theory as a "process by which the likelihood of a certain response following a certain stimuli is increased. When used in a positive way to encourage improved behavior in learning, this technique is successful." On the other hand, History of Reinforcement is about the history of reinforcement and gives a brief account of the history of the two threads of reinforcement learning and theory. "One thread concerns learning by trail and error and started in the psychology of animal learning. The other thread runs through some of the earliest works in artificial intelligence, which led to the reinforcement learning in 1981." Also about the theory is Reinforcement Theory which contains a description, background, discussion and questions raised regarding the Reinforcement Theory. This site also includes a theory chart and model.
Websites . Gives a detailed process of creating a Website. Each link is very comprehensive in the step-by-step process of creating and designing a Website.
What is a Website? What is a Website. This gives a brief meaning and description of a Website. It provides several links about the topic.
Jack Hustler's Munchkin "Tennis: for Children 9 and under" is a recommended book for beginners of tennis, this can be used of a supplement. Can also be considered as a tennis encyclopedia for it gives a brief definition of each tennis terminology with illustrations.
VI.Framework of the Study
A.Theoretical Framework
The Effects tradition is claimed to have its roots from the Bullet Theory. The Limited Effects Model is one of the variations in this tradition, under which the Reinforcement theory falls. Joseph Klapper, in his book, "The Effects of Mass Communication", has given a list of conclusions about the media, the main idea being that the media is not the sole contributor in reinforcing people's certain set of attitudes - rather, it is only a contributing factor.
Unlike the Bullet Theory, which states that whatever the media says will be accepted directly by the audience, the Reinforcement Theory takes into consideration other factors such as culture that affects a person's attitude about a certain object, event, etc. In Reinforcement theory too, a certain behavior may be only be strengthened but it does not say that it pushes the person to believe in the message. Also, the Bullet Theory assumes that the audiences are passive - that audiences are not at all thinking when given a certain statement and accept it at once. On the other hand, the Reinforcement Theory assumes that the audiences still need further convincing statements to change their attitude because, as said, is not only the media that affects their attitude. However, both theories imply that there is no interaction between the audience and the media since the dissemination of a message is one-way or linear. The audience cannot possibly affect media in this way.
B.Conceptual Framework
A website is one of the advanced tools used in disseminating information. It is said to be practical for it does not require much of an investment in terms of the consumption of resources since everything is encoded in the computer. Further, it can be accessed anywhere - it is worldwide - and is available 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. Being it one of the forms used at this time by organizations in disseminating information, it can be considered as one of the branches or types of media.
Applying it to the theory, it can be said that a website has a limited effect on the audience since there are still other factors to consider such as the background of a person, beliefs, family, etc. Despite the fact that a website must and should contain a lot of information, it still does not guarantee that the audience will accept the contents of a website. It might be the case that they do not share the goals of the organization because of some reasons. In this way, the website will only let them reconsider (reinforce) sharing in the goal of the organization but the medium does not guarantee an outright and positive effect, following the theory.
A problem, however, arrives with the argument that the communication taking place is linear for through a website, a visitor can send via e-mail a reaction. It can then be said that only a part of the theory is applicable. Considering the time when this theory came up, there has not been much of a means by which the audience can react to the media unlike these times.
Bringing this theory down to the organization taken into consideration, it can be said that the contents of the website of PHILTA might be able to affect the beliefs, attitudes of people who come by visiting it. Nonetheless, it does not guarantee that people would simply accept, for example, their vision of bringing forth skillful tennis players. The audience may see their goal but has the option not to act or help this organization with their goal. It is then just a form of reinforcement in such a way that the consciousness of a person is being informed of this organization, which might sooner or later be retrieved. It does not at all guarantee that the person accepting the message would believe in this goal and do something about it. There might be this increased familiarization or at the maximum, a desire to help the organization but it still does not mean that there is an instant effect on the audience.
C.Operational Framework
The effect of the website on an individual may be measured through the number of times the person would visit the site. More so, if the person's behavior has been geared toward the goal of the organization. If, for example, the person has been able to recruit other visitors of the website then, that is one form of a perceivable effect of the website. Thus, it can be said that one other factor that could possibly affect the way by which a medium would affect the audience is by word of mouth. The researchers found out that most of the people who visited or has even come to know about the website is by word of mouth. Further, the fact that some visit the website is only to know about the tournament means that there is only a limited effect by which the usefulness of the website can be claimed.
One of the ways, the researchers believe, by which the organization can further reinforce people's attitudes about the organization is by making some improvements on the website. Perhaps they could improve on the tennis schedules of each upcoming tournament by providing a brief description of the registered players who will be playing in the tournament. The description may be composed of the player's profile (name, birthday, age, school and coach), statistics (ranking and record in previous tournaments, placing in tournaments - i.e. Semi-finalist, Quarter finalist or Winner in previous tournament, and number of tournaments he/she has played in the preceding years). They can also include a brief description or introduction about the presiding umpire for each match-up. It is also advisable to put awards - price money, incentives - what is at stake for each tournament. They can also incorporate a survey where organization members could vote for their favorite player (categories could be as follows: Best Forehand Stroke, Best Backhand Stroke, Fastest Server, Best Double's Partners, Best Dressed Player, etc.) This will hopefully initiate response from its members. Furthermore, they can provide a chat room not only for the members of the organization but for tennis enthusiasts as well in order to give way to the recruitment of new members of the organization.
They can also rope in downloadable online games such as mini-tennis games (like the racket game in Nokia 7110) to promote interactivity in the website. They can also add in their website computer goodies such as wallpapers, screensavers, sounds and desktop themes with a tennis look. To retrieve past articles, pictures and news, an archive would be most appropriate. This will be helpful to its members so that they access past information that was posted in the website. They can also improve on the part of the website where the tennis camps are listed. A brief description of each tennis camp with its corresponding picture(s) can give concrete ideas of the actual camp to the target audience rather than a mere description of words. Additional information about these tennis camps may include number of courts the tennis camp has, type of tennis courts (hard court, shelled court, synthetic grass court, etc.; for these are the bases that determines the way the ball would bounce - i.e., in a hard court, a ball would quickly bounce since there is no friction), and the address and contact number/person of the tennis camp.
Last but definitely not the least, they can at least improve on their website even more to enrich its overall facade by making it eye-catching, friendly and better to look at.
Definition of Terms
Respondents - the audience of the organization to which the website is geared to/addressed. In this study, is only concentrated here in Metro Manila and are already members of the organization for at least one year.
Advertising - communication medium geared to a certain audience. Varies in form - it may be in print, television, etc.
Website - a type of medium, which entertains, educates and informs on-line. It may cover almost every topic possible.
Tennis Terminology
Ranking - one of the means of measuring a player's tennis capabilities it is achieved through adding game points for each match in a tournament.
Statistics - these are measurable data, which is used for comparing the performance of the player from the recent and previous tournament
Serve - signals the start of the game
Forehand Stroke - stroke in tennis in which the tennis arm (if a player is right handed, his/her right hand is her tennis arm) is primarily used
Backhand Stroke - opposite of Forehand stroke
Hard Court - type of tennis court made out of cement
Shell Court - type of tennis court, which is made out of broken shells and sand
Synthetic grass court - type of tennis court, which is made out of artificial grass
VII.Methods and Procedures
A.Research Design
There are mainly three major categories by which the respondents were chosen. First, was the head of the organization, the Webmaster, and the audience. The head of the organization as well as the Webmaster were interviewed personally. On the other hand, their target audience (those that use the website, members of the organization) were given questionnaires.
First, questions have been formulated for the interview as well as for the survey. Then, appointments have been made with the head of PHILTA and their Webmaster, explaining the purpose of the interview, also stating that the interview would be recorded.
Then, survey questionnaires were distributed to the members of the organization during the time the said respondents were out of training.
B.Variables
There are three variables taken into consideration in this study: the independent, dependent and intervening variables. The independent variable in this study is the information that needs to be disseminated because it is already set in the organization. It is an idea that has already been discussed in the meeting of the organization or was already talked about by the members of the organization. On the other hand, the dependent variable is the communication process in the organization since there are many other ways of relaying the information to its target audience depending on the availability of technology as well as some other considerations such as time, location, funds, audience, etc. Lastly, the intervening variable is the website because it is one type of medium by which the message can be relayed.
Other ways by which the organization could possibly use in order to disseminate information would be by fax, phone, posters, etc.
C.Sampling
The researchers conducted a dimensional random sampling. The respondents belonged to a particular group - girls who are tennis players. There were ten (10) respondents nine (9) of which belong to the 14-20 age bracket. Seven out of ten are high school students, two are in the college level and the other is a coach.
The researchers chose these respondents for they are most likely to provide adequate and valuable information since they have direct contact with the organization. Mainly, the respondents were girls because at the time the questionnaires were distributed, they were the only ones available. The coach was also given a questionnaire in order to get a feedback from someone belonging to a higher position in the organization.
D.The Researchers
JBhee Ang Joves is currently a fourth year student in De La Salle University taking up Organizational Communication. Among her past theses include: The Hong Kong Handover, Early Philippine Revolts, Celibacy, Aliens: for Reel or for Real? She has also made numerous critiques on various topics, which include: The Life of Jose Rizal and his works, The Bible as a Text, The existence of God, as well as some art and literary works, and Philippine issues. On the other hand, her main proposals include: Voodoo, The Communication Relationship of the Guidance Center and the Students of St. Paul College of Pasig and Organizational Development Intervention in the Communication Department.
Ma. Angela B. Ocampo is in her junior year taking up Organizational Communication in De La Salle University. Some of the works she has done in the past are the following: Thesis on the Eyesight of Cats, Proposal on the Relationship of the perceptions of the customers of Prudentialife Education Plan and the Educational Plan system of Prudentialife Group of Companies, Research Study on the Radio Station of the University of Sto. Tomas, Research Study on Sexual Harassment (Prudentialife) and Research Study on Pryce Plans. It must be noted that a website runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; is rich in information; and can be accessed globally. If such organization needs to update several information regularly (such as players' ranking), then, a website is really helpful since it is easy to access and does not require too much resources such as paper, folders, etc. Much more, this type of information is advantageous to its users since they will be given information at once by the click of a mouse without having to go to the main office. In this sense, it can also be said that the technology has served its purpose being it accessible (convenient to use).
However, the way by which the organization measures the effectiveness of the website is not reliable since they merely rely on the visitor counter. A counter is not reliable since it can easily be manipulated by clicking on the refresh button. There has not been any feedback from the interviewees that the number of members increased because of the website, respondents even only learned about the website through word of mouth.
The researchers feel that despite the advantages given by the website, it is not that effective in the sense that the organization cannot merely rely on it - they also use other means such as telephone, fax machines, even posters. An example of which is that players, instead of knowing tournament schedules on-line, are informed of these schedules through posters as well as by word of mouth.
It is thus recommended that if the organization desires to continue using the website, they must improve on it by adding certain features as discussed in the framework. But then, this type of improvement might be only beneficial to its members and not to the organization itself. They must also be able to find ways by which they could further inform other people about their website so that it will become their main tool in communicating with their audience.
Otherwise, they should withdraw the idea of having a website since it is not that effective in the totality of the whole organization anyway (the respondents even said that they do not visit it that much). Rather, they must center on other forms of communication tools since a website lives on the assumption that everyone can access the computer and would search for their site.
If Compared to a website, advertising has more impact on the audience since it is more personal - something that can express emotions both verbally and visually. Even though it might only reinforce a behavior among its audiences, it is more powerful since it could address more people since television has long been used as a vehicle in disseminating information and persuasion. It is more accessible and does not require any additional knowledge from the audience (i.e., operating a computer). Based on this short evaluation, the researchers believe that the organization must resort to advertising (commercial on TV) in order to help them attain their goals. Advertising is obviously, more expensive than having a website and it really depends on the organization how they would be able evaluate this - for there are a lot of other factors to consider such as their budget. Then, if this is not feasible, they could simply rely on word of mouth since it is basically what they have unconsciously been using for the past years.
E.Data Gathering
As said, the researchers interviewed the head of the organization and the Webmaster by appointment. Since these people are busy with their jobs and other extra-curricular activities such as playing tennis and coaching, it was decided that it would be proper to interview them personally so that an outright feedback shall be gathered and clarifications be made at once. With the aid of a tape recorder, the minutes of the interview is assured of being complete and intact - no information will be missed out.
F.Instrument for Data Gathering
The questionnaire (survey) is mainly composed of five open-ended questions with follow-ups. These questions basically deal with the relationship of the respondent with the organization as well as their views and opinions about the website. The purpose of having open-ended questions is to give the respondents more freedom in stating in their own words what they think about the website.
G.Data Analysis
In order to analyze the data gathered, the researchers identified the strengths and weaknesses of the website of PHILTA in relation to the feedback that was received in the questionnaires. (For questionnaire, see appendix A). As said, the focus will mainly be on the members of the organization since they are the ones with a direct contact with the organization.
First, we found out that of the ten respondents, three have been with the organization for a year; five for two years; and two for three years. Since the website was launched summer of 1999, it is apparent that some of the respondents were already members of the organization even before the website was launched. The rest, may have been members of the organization some months after the website was launched thus, it would mean that they are already a part of the culture of the organization and thus, aware of the website.
It was verified in the second question that the respondents were already aware of the website. Most of them learned about it through friends, some from relatives, and coach. Basically, it can be said that the website was known through word of mouth.
Unfortunately, most of the respondents stated that they only visit the website once in awhile. In effect, this implies that the website is not that effective in the sense that it is worthwhile to be visited everyday. However, this negative side is overshadowed by the fact that this is visited for tournaments and news, mainly. Thus implying that it is rich in important information for its members since it is being updated whenever it is necessary (ex. Changing the rankings, tournament schedules, feature articles, etc.).
Basically, there has not been any negative comment about the layout of the website. As a matter of fact, the members find it "cool", meaning, it is not that ordinary looking and not boring. Also, they said that navigating through the website is easy for links are properly labeled/named. But then, as things are not that perfect, the members thought that it could further be improved by adding more pictures of sites and members of the organization. The researchers, on the other hand, feel that the website could further be improved by making an interactive means of communication among the members (such as e-groups) and eliminating dead links either by activating those links or totally removing them from the site.
It is to the organization's advantage, as the researchers have found out in the course of the interview, that the Webmaster is part of the organization (he is the over-all coordinator for tournaments exclusive for girls) and that he is loyal and very much involved in the organization (he has a passion for tennis).
Here are the results of the survey:
Question 1: Membership
1 year=2 respondents
2 years=6 respondents
3 years=2 respondents
Question 2: Awareness of the Website
Yes=10 respondents
Question 2.1: Through
Friends=6 respondents
Seminar=1 respondent
Coach=1 respondent
Relatives=2 respondents
Question 3: Frequency
Once a week=2 respondents
Once in a while=6 respondents
Once a month=1 respondent
Thrice a month=1 respondent
Question 3.1: Purpose
Tournaments=4 respondents
News=5 respondents
Routine=1 respondent
Question 4: Comments about the Website
Okay=8 respondents
Cool!=2 respondents
Question 5: Suggestions
More pictures=9 respondents
None=1 respondents
H.Respondents
The first person that was interviewed was the Head of PHILTA, Mr. Bobby Andrada. An avid tennis fan and tennis player, he has been the Head of PHILTA for over 5 years now.
The second person interviewed was Atty. Alberto Agra, currently the over-all coordinator for some tournaments exclusively for girls. He is responsible for the over-all design and layout of the website. Like Mr. Andrada, he is also a tennis enthusiast.
The respondents of the survey are female tennis players who are part of PHILTA. As said, they belong to the 14-20 age bracket.
Lastly, the coach that was included in the survey has been coaching for more than 20 years and he just joined PHILTA together with 3 other coaches to spearhead a tennis camp under PHILTA.
VIII.Conclusion and Recommendations
The researchers have arrived at the conclusion that the website of PHILTA is effective in one way. The reason for this is that the website has proved to be useful in disseminating information because it was rich in content (that which the members need), and well updated. The website is also convenient for its target audience because it made contact easier - they do not have to go to the main office and inquire about tournament schedules, player's ranking and registration forms for tournaments. More so, in a sense, it has made the organization work collaboratively in order to update the website - not only is the Webmaster involved in the production of the website but also the organization as well and this is embodied during their seminars.
In the researchers' point of view, the technology that the organization has utilized has served its purpose.
IX.Bibliography
Severin, Werner J., Tankard Jr., James W. Communication Theories. NY: Hastings House Publications, 1979. P.248.
Jack Hustler, Phd Munchkin Tennis: for Children 9 and under. Chicago1996.
Reinforcement Theory
History of Reinforcement
Reinforcement theory
Cape Net Website Design and hosting
Web Resource: Your Website: First Impression on Everything
PHILTA Website
APPENDIX A: Questionnaire
Interview Schedule for the Head of PHILTA:
1.Please give us a brief background of the company. What are its goals?
2.Prior to the use of a website for your operations, what kind of technology or how did you go about meeting your goals?
3.What were the circumstances that prompted the company to use a website for your operations? (What are the main factors that made the company believe that the website would be helpful in the operations?) How long has the website been running?
4.How did you intend the website to be - merely for the company's employees/members or is it also targeted to a specific audience? (What is the main purpose of the company in putting up a website?)
5.Is the website the only tool you are using to disseminate information to your target audience? What other kinds of technology are you using hand in hand with the website? Among these, which proves to be the medium often used by your target audience?
6.How did you address the audience about your website? (How did you inform your audience about your website?)
7.How did you plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the website? What were the results of your evaluation? Did the website prove to be helpful in your operations?
Interview Schedule for the Webmaster:
1.Were you part of the company when you made the website or were you hired as an outside specialist? If yes, to what group or department did you belong to? If no, what made you believe in this project?
2.Did you take direct order as to how the over-all appearance ("format" but not the content) of the website should look like or were you given the freedom to put your own style into the website? Did you work with other departments?
3.How often do you intend to update the website?
Questionnaire:
Dear Respondent,
We are currently doing a case analysis as to the effects of the website of PHILTA. This questionnaire is designed to gather data, which could possibly be used for the improvement of the technology being used by the organization as well as evaluate the technology. Thus, it is our hope that you will honestly answer these questions to be able to come up with an accurate data in relation to the said topic.
Rest assured that the data shall be kept confidential and shall solely be used for the purposes of this study. Please return this to the researchers upon completion.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jbhee Ang Joves
Angela Ocampo
1.Are you a long-term customer of the company? (How long have you been connected to the company? For what purpose are you in line with the company?)
2.Are you aware of the company's website? How did you come to know about it?
3.How often do you visit the website? Did it meet your needs? Has it been helpful to you in knowing more about the company? If yes, why? If no, what do you think is an alternative way/type of technology the company could use in disseminating information to you as a target audience?
4.What do you think of the website - layout, contents, etc?
5.Do you think some improvements should be done on the website? What are they? What are its strengths and weaknesses?