Hybrid Toolboxes: Conceptual and empirical analysisof blending patt erns in application of hybrid media

Hybrid media concepts, i.e. especially combinations of face-to-face instruments andelectronic media, represent a standard in many fields of application for quite a long time. Suchcombinations of diverse, and thus hybrid instruments are meanwhile quite commonly used, forexample, in marketing, in retail business, for communication in virtual enterprises, in internalcommunication processes, in human resource development and in higher education. By combiningstrengths of two or more media and by mutually compensating their weaknesses, hybridmedia concepts aim at enhancing performance with respect to effectiveness and efficiency. So far,however, scientific discussion lacks a common understanding of the architecture of hybrid mediaconcepts as well as empirical evidence on the application of hybrid media in practice. Hence, it isunclear to what extent the performance potential of hybrid media concepts is utilized in differentapplication fields and what the drivers of the use and performance of hybrid media concepts are.[...]