Downward communications enhancement using a robust broadcasting mechanism

  • Authors:

  • Chih-Chin Liang

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Business Administration, National Formosa University, Taiwan

  • Venue:
  • Expert Systems with Applications: An International Journal
  • Year:
  • 2010

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Abstract

Downward communication is an administrative method by which commands or instructions are sent from the back office to front-line staff. Conventionally, downward communication established via official documents, e-mail and telephone but they are inefficient and unreliable. Efficient downward communication is crucial to large-scaled service companies with dispersed service centers that continually update services or market new products. With the extensive use of networks, two network methods features efficiency or reliability which behaviors are similar to downward communication could be utilized: pull- and push-based approach. Using a reliable pull-based algorithm, packets are retrieved by receivers that frequently generate too many requests and thereby congest the network. Whenever an efficient push-based algorithm is employed, a sender forwards packets actively, but ensure no packets sent to a destination without a robust design. Hence, a fault-tolerant mechanism is required to send packets to the desired destination successfully. Due to congesting the network, a pull-based algorithm is therefore appropriate for distributing messages within a local area network with high bandwidth. That is, a pull-based method could be adopted by a scattered service center with local area network. Conversely, a robust push-based algorithm, due to consuming limited bandwidth, is appropriate for broadcasting messages on the Internet that limited bandwidth allowed. That is, the push-based method is feasible to communicate each scattered service center connected through the Internet. This work presents a novel ROBOT system that integrates both technologies for broadcasting downward messages within a large-scaled enterprise to link offices in various locations scattered geographically and in which data is distributed according to a strict hierarchical organization. Finally, a large-scaled company utilizes the ROBOT system, and the user satisfaction for the system was above 82.2%.