A sign of the times: An analysis of organizational members' email signatures

Stephen A. Rains, Anna M. Young

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Drawing from genre theory in organizational communication (Yates & Orlikowski, 1992), this study examines the content and function of email signatures used by organizational members. Email signatures are appended at the end of email messages and contain information about the sender such as his or her title, postal address, and phone number. One hundred and ninety-three email signatures were collected and analyzed in this study. A content analysis revealed demographic and occupational differences in signature content and suggests the potential impression management function of signatures. Based on the results from the content analysis, the evolution of the memo genre in email messages and implications of new communication technologies for contemporary organizational life are discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1046-1061
Number of pages16
JournalJournal of Computer-Mediated Communication
Volume11
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2006

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Computer Science Applications
  • Computer Networks and Communications

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