Communication Commons^™

Communicating Socially Acceptable Risk Judgments: The Role Of Impression Information Insufficiency In The Risk Information Seeking And Processing Model, Timothy K.F. Fung, Po Yan Lai, Robert Griffin

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has created uncertainty and controversy around risk-related issues such as vaccine mandates. People expressing their opinions on these issues to important others, such as employers, may face significant consequences, such as rewards or rejection. Therefore, people may try to find, avoid, or use information in a way that helps them express risk judgments that are socially acceptable in different social situations. This study investigated how people seek, avoid, and process risk information when they are concerned about their impression management. It also introduced the concept of impression information insufficiency (the perceived gap between the information one has …

Introduction To Sharon Dunwoody Memorial Issue, Robert Griffin, Susanna Priest, Lee A. Kahlor

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This introduction to our February 2023 issue is intended to provide context for the issue content, which presents multiple examples of the ongoing influence of the work of the late Sharon Dunwoody. Contemporary research articles, commentary pieces, and the introduction itself reflect Sharon’s deep influence on science communication and science communication researchers and their work.

Employee Sensemaking Of Csr: On Micro-Discourses Of Corporate Social Responsibility, Katharine Miller

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose: Recently, scholars are pushing for an internal corporate social responsibility (CSR) view through employee perspectives regarding CSR efforts, particularly in considering how organizations can act responsibly toward internal stakeholders (May, 2011). Thus, research has begun taking a “micro-turn” in analyzing CSR (Aguinis and Glavas, 2012), focused on individual analysis of such practices within organizations. The purpose of this study is to uncover the organizational sensemaking of CSR by an important yet less understood stakeholder group, employees.

Design/methodology/approach: This study takes a primarily qualitative, micro-approach via interviews (n = 42) to understanding the internal sensemaking of various organizations' CSR …

Whose Public Virtue? Exploring Freedom Of Information Efficacy And Support, A.Jay Wagner

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Little is known about public perceptions of how FOI laws influence government operations or impact citizens’ daily lives. A large representative sample of U.S. adults was surveyed for support of FOI laws and perceptions of FOI efficacy. Findings showed advanced education and higher perceptions of general government efficacy to be strongly significant in predicting both support for FOI and greater FOI efficacy. Males and liberal respondents also demonstrated significance in predicting support for FOI and higher FOI efficacy, while Black race was a significant negative predictor in support for FOI and whether FOI improved government operations and accountability.

The Effects Of Leadership In Corporate Social Advocacy On Positive Employee Outcomes, Sung-Un Yang, Minjeong Kang, Young Kim, Ejae Lee

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Despite the growing attention to corporate social advocacy in the extant literature, little empirical research has examined the effects of corporate social advocacy in the context of employees. The purpose of this study was to delve into the impact of leadership in corporate social advocacy (CSA) on positive employee outcomes, using data from an online survey of full-time employees working in various corporations in the United States. Controlling for the participants’ tenure, demographic information, and company size, this study found that leaders’ facilitation of corporate social advocacy strongly influenced employee advocacy for their organizations, which was also significantly mediated by …

Popular Information: An Analysis Of Foi Use And Behavior, A.Jay Wagner

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

A substantial amount of freedom of information research exists, though a majority is focused on U.S. laws' outcomes and FOI's shortcomings. But little is known about who makes requests and why requests are made in the United States. The exploratory study addresses these gaps via a nationally representative survey across key demographic variables of 1116 U.S. residents. Analysis found advanced education to be a strong, positive predictor of FOI familiarity and request submission. Malegender and a belief that FOI improves government accountability were also found to be significant predictors of FOI knowledge and use. The survey sampled U.S. residents, but …

Exploring The Interrelationship And Roles Of Employee–Organization Relationship Outcomes Between Symmetrical Internal Communication And Employee Job Engagement, Ejae Lee, Minjeong Kang, Young Kim, Sung-Un Yang

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how employee–organization relationship (EOR) outcomes – types and qualities – are interrelated and how employees' perceptions of types (exchange and communal EORs) and qualities (trust, satisfaction, commitment, and control mutuality) play a role in their evaluations of symmetrical internal communication (SIC) and employee job engagement (EJE). Design/methodology/approach This study conducted an online survey of full-time employees (N = 804) from major US industries. This study performed a confirmatory factor analysis to check the validity and reliability of the measurement model using latent variables and then conducted structural equation modeling. Findings The findings demonstrate that …

Understanding The Influence Of Authentic Leadership And Employee-Organization Relationships On Employee Voice Behaviors In Response To Dissatisfying Events At Work, Young Kim, Ejae Lee, Minjeong Kang, Sung-Un Yang

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This study demonstrates how authentic leadership and the quality of employee-organization relationships (EOR) influence employee behavioral reactions to dissatisfying events at work. We conducted a nationwide survey of 644 full-time employees in the United States. The results from the structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that authentic leadership was positively and directly related to employees’ considerate voice but was not directly associated with other behavioral responses. Additionally, the quality of EOR was found to be a strong mediator between authentic leadership and employee behaviors—particularly in enhancing considerate voice and patience and reducing exit—in the context of dissatisfying workplace events. The implications …

Exploring Effects Of Message Framing On Supportive Behaviors Toward Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility, Young Kim, Myoung-Gi Chon

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to shed light on how effective environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication can be achieved through persuasive communication strategies using message framing.

Design/methodology/approach

This study conducted an online experimental study with a 2 (narrative: narrative or non-narrative) × 2 (framing: gain or loss) between-subjects design.

Findings

The findings showed that environmental CSR communication using narrative framing messages is most effective in creating strong CSR associations between a company and the environmental CSR domain and sharing the company's CSR information on supportive communication and advocating for the environmental campaign.

Originality/value

This study highlights the …

Inherent Frictions And Deliberate Frustrations: Examining The Legal Variables Of State Foi Law Administration, A.Jay Wagner

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

FOI laws are of a category of laws acutely predisposed to internal resistance and erosion. The study seeks to better understand these limitations by examining legal elements of the laws through an exploratory field study, or audit, of nine state FOI laws. Among the study’s findings are two uniquely strong predictors of better FOI results: The existence of an independent FOI advocacy organization in the state and a legislature subject to the law. The findings suggest cultivating a culture of transparency may be as or more important than any of the generally considered legal variables, such as deadlines or penalties.

Operationalizing Critical Race Theory In The Marketplace, Sonja Martin Poole, Sonya A. Grier, Kevin D. Thomas, Francesca Sobande, Akon E. Ekpo, Lez Trujillo Torres, Lynn A. Addington, Melinda Weekes-Laidlow, Geraldine Rosa Henderson

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Race is integral to the functioning and ideological underpinnings of marketplace actions yet remains undertheorized in marketing. To understand and transform the insidious ways in which race operates, the authors examine its impact in marketplaces and how these effects are shaped by intersecting forms of systemic oppression. They introduce critical race theory (CRT) to the marketing community as a useful framework for understanding consumers, consumption, and contemporary marketplaces. They outline critical theory traditions as utilized in marketing and specify the particular role of CRT as a lens through which scholars can understand marketplace dynamics. The authors delineate key CRT tenets …

The Year, So Far, In Foi Law: Novel Evasions And Efforts To Undermine, A.Jay Wagner

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Building Organizational Resilience Through Strategic Internal Communication And Organization–Employee Relationships, Young Kim

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This study explores the impacts of internal strategic communication and relationship management with employees for organizational resilience in effective internal crisis communication, thereby filling a gap in crisis communication research. Specifically, it provides empirical evidence for how organizational resilience in a crisis can be achieved through strategic internal communication and relationship building with employees. A nationwide survey (N = 830) was conducted among full-time employees in the United States. The results revealed the important mediating role of organization–employee relationships (OER) between resilience and its antecedent, demonstrating that OER is a strong underlying factor in understanding how two-way symmetrical communication …

Enacting Anti-Racist Visualities Through Photo-Dialogues On Race In Paris, Francesca Sobande, Alice Schoonejans, Guillaume D. Johnson, Kevin D. Thomas, Anthony Kwame Harrison

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

Grounded in experience of co-organizing a two-day photography-based workshop in Paris, this paper explores how photo-dialogues can facilitate anti-racist pedagogy and generative discussions about how race and racism function in marketplace contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on the authors' involvement in a cross-national and cross-disciplinary team of scholars who worked with local community stakeholders—including activists, artists and practitioners—to discuss, theorize and photo-document issues regarding race and racism in the Parisian marketplace.

Findings

This paper contributes to the literature on visual culture studies and critical race studies as it demonstrates the potentials of photography combined with dialogue to challenge the …

The Co-Creation Of Social Value: What Matters For Public Participation In Corporate Social Responsibility Campaigns, Sun Young Lee, Young Kim, Yeuseung Kim

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This study explores the impact of organization–public relationships (OPRs) and issue-related situational factors on publics’ intention to participate in CSR campaigns, based on relationship management theory and the situational theory of problem-solving (STOPS). We surveyed 698 respondents living in the United States about two CSR campaigns, one focused on girls’ empowerment and one on deforestation. The results showed that situational motivation and OPRs were strongly and directly related to publics’ participation intention for both CSR campaigns. Only two situational perceptions – constraint recognition and involvement recognition – were indirectly related to publics’ participation. We discuss the theoretical implications of these …

Piercing The Veil: Examining Demographic And Political Variables In State Foi Law Administration, A.Jay Wagner

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

State and local governments play an important, and growing, role in everyday lives. The exploratory study positions FOI laws as a central mechanism in providing transparency to these more proximate governments. It is premised on a FOI audit, or field experiment, of 1002 requests across 9 U.S. state laws and 334 jurisdictions. The sample represents a broad cross-section of geographic, demographic and political variables, and the study analyzes these variables predictive and correlative value in determining outcomes, timeliness and communication in FOI requests. The results suggest significance in race and political variables in FOI outcomes and processes. The study's strongest …

Considering The Ethics Of Political Communication And Doing The Right Thing, Kati Tusinski Berg

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Collective Sensemaking Around Covid-19: Experiences, Concerns, And Agendas For Our Rapidly Changing Organizational Lives, Keri Stephens, Jody L.S. Jahn, Stephanie Fox, Piyawan Charoensap-Kelly, Rahul Mitra, Jeannette Sutton, Eric D. Waters, Bo Xie, Rebecca J. Meisenbach

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Uncertainty is at the forefront of many crises, disasters, and emergencies, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no different in this regard. In this forum, we, as a group of organizational communication scholars currently living in North America, engage in sensemaking and sensegiving around this pandemic to help process and share some of the academic uncertainties and opportunities relevant to organizational scholars. We begin by reflexively making sense of our own experiences with adjusting to new ways of working during the onset of the pandemic, including uncomfortable realizations around privilege, positionality, race, and ethnicity. We then discuss key concerns about how …

Bork, Robert H. Neutral Principles And Some First Amendment Problems, 47 Ind. L. J. 1 (1971), Erik Ugland

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Effects Of Different Online Syllabus Formats On Student Engagement And Course-Taking Intentions, Young Kim, Daradirek Ekachai

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This study explores how different online syllabus formats affect students’ engagement and their course-taking intentions. Using a 2 (format: online learning management system vs. instructor’s website) X 2 (information amount: more vs. less) between-subjects design, an experimental study was conducted with undergraduate students at a large university in the United States Midwest to examine the effects of online syllabus format. This study found that students who read the instructor’s website syllabus were more likely to engage with and take the course than students who received the syllabus through an online learning management system. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Power Skills, Diverse Workforce Dismantle Racism, Eric D. Waters

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Activating Constructive Employee Behavioural Responses In A Crisis: Examining The Effects Of Pre‐Crisis Reputation And Crisis Communication Strategies On Employee Voice Behaviours, Young Kim, Hyunji Lim

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This study explores how organizational management can promote employee voice behaviours, as positive behavioural reactions with constructive ideas, in responding to organizational crisis. Using an experimental study (N=640) among full‐time employees in the United States, the study found that pre‐crisis internal reputation and crisis communication strategies—accommodative response and stealing thunder—positively and directly affected constructive employee voice behaviours in a crisis situation. Furthermore, the study revealed how post‐crisis internal reputation mediates the influences of pre‐crisis internal reputation and stealing thunder on positive/constructive and negative/destructive employee voice behaviours. The findings of this study contribute to the theoretical development of crisis communication in …

Activating Constructive Employee Behavioural Responses In A Crisis: Examining The Effects Of Pre-Crisis Reputation And Crisis Communication Strategies On Employee Voice Behaviours, Young Kim, Hyunji Lim

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This study explores how organizational management can promote employee voice behaviours, as positive behavioural reactions with constructive ideas, in responding to organizational crisis. Using an experimental study (N = 640) among full-time employees in the United States, the study found that pre-crisis internal reputation and crisis communication strategies—accommodative response and stealing thunder—positively and directly affected constructive employee voice behaviours in a crisis situation. Furthermore, the study revealed how post-crisis internal reputation mediates the influences of pre-crisis internal reputation and stealing thunder on positive/constructive and negative/destructive employee voice behaviours. The findings of this study contribute to the theoretical …

Organizational Resilience And Employee Work-Role Performance After A Crisis Situation: Exploring The Effects Of Organizational Resilience On Internal Crisis Communication, Young Kim

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

The purpose of this study is to explore the positive outcomes of organizational resilience to see how resilient employees can support an organization by adapting to and initiating changes during the recovery process following a crisis. This study focuses on organizational resilience generated by employees, as a resilient system, through their psychological ability and positive communication behaviors. Resilient employees can help their organization bounce back to normal functioning following a crisis. A nationwide survey (N = 830) was conducted among full-time employees in the U.S. to examine the positive effect of organizational resilience on employee work-role performance. The results …

The Hunt With John Walsh: True Crime Storytelling, Amanda R. Keeler

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

In her analysis of The Hunt with John Walsh, Amanda Keeler explores the public service function of true crime television programs that feature unsolved or unresolved cases. Trough an investigation of visual style and narrative elements, Keeler examines the multiple intentions of television programs that seek to entertain audiences and simultaneously help solve crimes.

Coke And The Digital Age, Tao Deng, Daradirek Ekachai, Jean Grow

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Repetition Or Reckoning: Confronting Racism And Racial Dynamics In 2020, Kevin D. Thomas, Judy Foster Davis, Jonathan A.J. Wilson, Francesca Sobande

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

A Structural Imperative: Freedom Of Information, The First Amendment, And The Accountability Function Of Expression, A.Jay Wagner

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Exploring Crisis Communication In The Internal Context Of An Organization: Examining Moderated And Mediated Effects Of Employee-Organization Relationships On Crisis Outcomes, Young Kim, Minjeong Kang, Ejae Lee, Sung-Un Yang

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This study seeks to foster a greater understanding of effective crisis communication from the internal context of organizations. The present research conducted an online experimental study of 640 full-time employees in the United States. Results through OLS multiple regression and path analysis indicated 1) employee-organization relationships (EOR) and timing strategy of self-disclosure (stealing thunder) were positively associated with the positive internal reputation and employees’ supportive behavioral intentions, 2) the positive effects of EOR on the employees’ supportive behaviors appeared differently according to whether or not stealing-thunder was used, and 3) the effects of EOR and message strategy (accommodative …

Maturity As A Way Forward For Improving Organizations’ Communication Evaluation And Measurement Practices: A Definition And Concept Explication, Nathan Gilkerson, Rebecca Swenson, Fraser Likely

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose an explication of the concept of “maturity,” as it applies to communication evaluation and measurement (E&M) practice, along with contextualization of recent maturity model adoption within academic and professional communities.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing from previous work on maturity models within other fields, recent communication scholarship and industry practice, this paper fills a gap in the literature by offering a theoretical conceptualization of communication E&M maturity, including the construct’s core dimensions and sub-dimensions.

Findings

Communication E&M maturity is conceptualized into four essential elements: holistic approach, investment, alignment and culture. The contribution of E&M …