Digital Commons Network^™

Cauchy Problem And Integral Representation Associated To The Power Of The Qwn-Euler Operator, Aymen Ettaieb, Habib Ouerdiane, Hafedh Rguigui

Communications on Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Generalized Field Operator Associated To The Fractional Lévy Processes, Mounir Dahwathi, Souheyl Jendoubi, Habib Ouerdiane, Anis Riahi

Communications on Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Numerical Methods For Optimal Insurance Demand Under Marked Point Processes Shocks, Mohamed Mnif

Communications on Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Blue Notes, December 1, 2012 (Issue 2012-08), Illinois State University, Department Of Chemistry

Blue Notes

Newsletter of the Illinois State University Department of Chemistry

Table Of Contents

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Talking Chalk: Defacing The First Amendmen In The Public Forum, Marie A. Failinger

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Leadership Development Training: Its Impact On Middle Managers In Law Enforcement, David P. Wedlick

Education Doctoral

The purpose of this study was to explore leadership development training as it relates to the attributes and skills of middle managers in law enforcement agencies. The Skills Approach theory will be discussed relating to how middle managers in a county in New York State, with no middle management leadership development training, assume their positions. A qualitative method was used to capture data about the need for leadership development training versus the attributes and skills law enforcement middle managers already possess. The result of this study revealed that leadership development for this county is cultivated, not through formal training, but …

The Utah Model: Lessons For Regional Planning, Brenda C. Scheer

Brookings Mountain West Publications

Utah has become an unlikely leader in regional planning through a voluntary partnership of key leaders, agencies, local government, and the general public. Given that regional planning efforts around the nation have generally evoked strong reactions from residents concerned about losing local control, the success of Envision Utah—the organization that emerged as a key driver of regional planning in Utah—in building a consensus around regional growth management holds lessons for other regions.

Envision Utah adopted several strategies that have distinguished Utah’s regional planning efforts from other regions and given rise to what can be called the “Utah model” of collaborative …

E-Learning In Multi-Cultural Environments: An Analysis Of Online Cabin Crew Training, Jose Felix De Brito Neto

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Throughout the first decade of this century, the airline industry struggled with many challenges stemming from unstable oil prices and natural disasters. Attention was given to people as tools for competitive advantage. The airline industry focused on Human Resource Management and, as a result, e-learning gained increasing attention as it imparted knowledge on an asynchronous and global basis with substantially reduced costs. However, while focusing on learning technologies, organizations failed to acknowledge learners needs and cultural backgrounds by creating neutral e-learning environments, which resulted in ineffective training and reduced performance improvement. This thesis aimed to study the perceptions of a …

What Are The Effects On Parish Relations When Adding Digital Communication To Catholic Ministry?, Kristina Collmann Costello

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This qualitative study sought to understand the effects on parish relations when those leading Catholic ministry efforts added digital communication to their programs. This study, based on Buber’s philosophy that it is a person’s full commitment and presence in a dialogue that contributes to intimacy, will aim to illustrate that the level of richness in a dialogue relies more on the quality of the information, or messages shared, than the medium used to conduct the dialogue. The study is grounded in the Social Information Processing Theory and the Social Presence Theory. The data for this study was garnered through personal …

Examination Of Employee Work-Life Balance Within Healthy Organizational Cultures, Cari Ann Lyle

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the work-life balance of employees within the U.S. communications industry, specifically focusing on how employees can build collaborative relationships with their colleagues while maintaining active lifestyles outside the office. The effects of a healthy work-life balance on organizational culture has become a popular topic in American organizations during the past decade, and this research used focus groups and interviews to help determine how leaders can encourage employees to prioritize their professional and personal obligations. Study participants were asked questions developed around Edgar Schein’s organizational culture research, Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and communication theories about balance and …

Television And Fanfiction Online: Finding Identity, Meaning, And Community, Erin B. Waggoner

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study focuses on fanfiction culture online, particularly how the stories relate to television fandoms and a need to participate or reinterpret a text on an individual and a global level to find meaning in the encoded messages. The study follows theoretical groundwork from Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding and Walter R. Fisher’s narrative paradigm. Philosophical considerations are given to communitarian ethics and how humans innately need community to successfully fulfill the need to communicate with others. Through ethnographic research, the study discovers how and why fanfiction is being used to uncover and discover identity, meaning, and community by exploring a community …

Tragedy And Touchdowns: Media Coverage And The Impact On Disaster Recovery, Christa Clark Bell

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Media coverage of natural disasters informs audiences, but it also can serve as a catalyst for the formation of rhetorical communities, groups of people who subscribe to the rhetorical vision purveyed in media coverage of events. Existing research literature on communities and on the role of communities in disaster recovery points to the need for community as a basic part of the recovery process. National media coverage of the April 27, 2011, tornadoes that struck Tuscaloosa, Ala., contained fantasy themes that constructed a rhetorical vision of hope and survival. A fantasy theme analysis of three national sports media articles, when …

Listening To Organizational Change: Exploring Dialogue During Sensemaking, Dianna L. Stratton

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This qualitative study explored the role of dialogue during sensemaking and how that affects receptivity to organizational change. The philosophical framework for this study comes from Buber’s (1958) I and Thou dialogue theories concerning the value of existential acknowledgement. Both communication and organizational study theories grounded this research. Bohm (1996) and Isaacs’ (1999) dialogue theories converge with Weick’s (1995) sensemaking theories as a means to explore the role of listening during organizational change. Data was obtained through ethnographic observation and interview. A cultural research framework provided the means to explore the relationships between dialogue, sensemaking and organizational change. The results …

Ethical Sales And Marketing For Small Businesses, Margaret E. Gonzalez

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the importance of ethical sales and marketing in relation to small businesses. Most research in this area has focused on large businesses and therefore ignores the importance of factors such as financial and time limitations. Because of these limitations, many small businesses are viewed as having cutthroat sales and marketing teams that ignore basic ethics and are primarily motivated by business and financial growth. The thesis examines ethical marketing in relation to Kant’s Categorical Imperative, Habermas’ Discourse Ethics, and Pearce’s Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM). A content analysis was completed to determine how small businesses can ethically …

Examination Of How One's Perceived Online Identity On Social Media Affects One's Perceived Real-Life Identity, Kelly Marie Mccarty

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Over the past few decades, the internet has become an important aspect of people's social lives. It has created a place where individuals can express themselves and define themselves to much more than those they live around. A whole new world has been opened for individuals to connect and remain in contact with others. This has created new environments in which to play at identity. Social identity theory states that how one perceives his or her own identity is affected by the environment and those that individual is around. Participation in social media, therefore, should have some effect on how …

Organizational Socialization Practices For Successful Newcomer Adjustment, Stacey L. Holleran

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This research study examines the practices organizational leaders can employ to assist newcomers in their adjustment to the organization, thereby creating an increase in the number of successful, long-term employees. In the workplace setting, organizational newcomers who fail to properly adapt are at risk for early “turnover” or an extended period of disengagement, producing an extremely costly scenario for the organization. Literature in the area of organizational socialization and successful newcomer adjustment suggests myriad ways to positively influence the newcomer’s experience; however, no single source offers a comprehensive approach that can be universally applied. Grounded by interpersonal communication theory and …

Gender, Hegemony, And Country Music, Ashley R. Richards

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Since its inception, country music has proven to be a powerful medium of communication and expression in contemporary culture. Reining as the most popular musical format in radio today, the themes expressed by contemporary country musicians, particularly female country musicians, are diverse and varied, proving the importance of evolution in this once considered homogeneous format. This study explores how modern female country musicians use their lyrics as tools for highlighting dominant, hegemonic gender roles in culture. Guided by Stuart Hall’s encoding and decoding theory (1980) and feminist communication theory (Rakow & Wackwitz, 2004) this study utilizes Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) …

The Propaganda Model: Corporate And Political Collusion In The Creation Of An Oligopolistic Mainstream U.S. Media, Frank Mccloy

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The mass media in the United States have a wide breadth of power and influence over society. Yet, despite the crucial role the media play they are controlled by only six companies that are mega transcultural conglomerates. (Legislation has been passed, namely) The Telecommunications Act of 1996 has encouraged and enabled the rash of media consolidations that has led to the dense concentration of media ownership today. This thesis utilized the Propaganda Model as the theoretical foundation to examine the relationships between the elites of the corporate and political sectors integral to the creation of the current media landscape. A …

The Representation Of A Scandal: A Case Study Of The Jerry Sandusky Sex Abuse Scandal, Rhiannon Rossi

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Crises on a college campus can be especially destructive, as the audience includes students, families, and important stakeholders. The Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal burst into the scene on November 5, 2011, when initial charges were filed against Sandusky for his alleged acts against minors. The scandal rocked the culture and reputation of Penn State University, causing the release of head football coach Joe Paterno and university president Graham Spanier, as well as the charging of perjury against Tim Curley and Gary Schultz in their apparent roles in the incident. Benoit’s Image Repair Theory (1995) is the main theoretical basis …

Communication Between Generation X And Generation Jackass: Creating Communication Rules For Teens And Parents, Aimee Irene Finney

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Technologically addicted teenagers are facing challenges not even imagined by those accepting the challenge of parenthood. Using Deborah Tannen’s Genderlect theory and the phenomenological approach of data gathering, teens and parents were asked about their experiences in communicating with each other. With regards to Gerry Philispen’s Theory of Speech Codes, the patterns of communication with teens and parents were considered. Communication technologies will continue to change at a lightning quick speeds; the importance of collaborative communication patterns continues to remain crucial to open and honest sharing of information between parents and teens. The desire to discover how to create open …

The Impact Of Mergers On Those Left Behind - Maintaining Employee Engagement After Merger-Based Restructuring In A Financial Services Firm, Victoria L. Basinger

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study explored the impact of organizational restructuring on associate engagement in a financial services firm due to a merger. It determined how much weight interpersonal relationships carry on associate opinions of the new organization, and what the new organization can do to reduce uncertainty and re-engage their newly acquired associates. The literature review looked at Uncertainty Reduction Theory, Belongingness and principles from Social Information Processing Theory to identify solutions for a decrease in engagement. A survey distributed to all associates at a financial services firm that recently underwent a merger yielded data for this study, as did five individual …

Tabloidization And The Role Of Agenda Setting, Brooke Brander

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Tabloidization of the news has received a fare amount of attention in the late twentieth century and early twenty-¬‐first century. The reason and cause for the tabloidization of the news is a subject of debate as well as the possible effects on the public. The news media are a gateway to the world around us. Tabloid-¬‐style news does not inform the public of local, national and/or world event, but rather informs the public of celebrity happenings and gossip, failing to be the voice of democracy and instead being the voice of gossip. Tabloid-¬‐style news may be diverting the public’s attention …

Image Management: How Do Fort Mcmurray's Community Leaders Address Their Town's External Media Image, Kiran Malik-Khan

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines how community leaders in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo - Fort McMurray, an oil sands town in northern Alberta, Canada, address the issue of image management when it comes to negative coverage of their community via external media outlets. The ethnographical study employs Goffman’s image management theory, McCombs and Shaw’s agenda-setting theory and Christians’ media ethics theory as its foundation for the need of telling a balanced story about the municipality. In addition, narratives of several other cities around the world have been examined for similar issues. A content analysis of a few of these highlighted …

Practices In Interpersonal Communication To Help Integrate Foster Children Into, Adrielle L. Devora

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explored the question: What effect do familial communication practices and activities have on positive integration of a foster child into their adoptive family? The focus was on foster children adopted between the approximate ages of 3 and 17, as it has been shown they can have more difficulties than children adopted as infants (Barth & Miller, 2000). This research brings practical wisdom and empirically researched data to families, social workers, psychologists, teachers, and anyone who works with families in this challenging category. The research was based in the “I-Thou” interpersonal communication philosophy (Buber, 1923/1984) and utilized recommendations from …

Improving Student Learning In Third World Communities Through The Applications Of Transformational Leadership And Technology, Jan Michael Co Uy

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Students in third world communities often face many economic and educational challenges. The main setback that many kids face today is continued education. Overall, the purpose of this research is how transformational leadership and technology contribute to student learning in third world communities. A few key theories were used in this research, which include Transformational Leadership, Early Childhood, Social Penetration, and Media Richness Theories. From a research method standpoint, meta-analysis was used to determine how these theories relate to themes from various case studies done on improving student learning. The overall finding is that technology in tandem with transformational leadership …

Sharing Intimate Moments On Youtube: Women Who Vlog And Their Sense Of Community, Friendship And Privacy, Julie Smith

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

YouTube, a public video-sharing site, is attracting people who crave a sense of community, and is allowing individuals – specifically women – to maintain social relationships through its web-based system. Groups of these women vloggers document their efforts to conceive, their pregnancies and parenting challenges, which some critics argue are very personal experiences that should not be shared publicly with strangers. Using social penetration theory and elements of communication privacy management theory, this thesis analyzes how self-disclosure through computer-mediated communication converts superficial relationships with strangers into close, social connections by examining the extent to which breadth and depth of self-disclosure …

Leading Higher Education Organizations: The Role Of Humor, Peggy E. Collins

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The role of humor in life is an important one. Though important, few people can explain humor, and can only describe instances of humor. This qualitative study was based on three common communication theories relative to humor: incongruity, relief, and superiority. Senior academic leaders discussed their particular use of humor and their leadership styles through semi-structured interviews. Examination of humor theories and leadership styles revealed a mix of leadership styles (transformational and transactional), and a blending of humor styles, with an emphasis on self-deprecating humor. Humor is a potentially critical communication skill, and a leadership skill. It is also likely …

Identifying And Preventing Cyberbullying Among Adolescents, Matthew Michael Keller

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This project examines the ways adolescent children use the internet to pick on peers; look at ways this so-called “cyberbullying” mirrors traditional schoolyard bullying; and postulate ways to stop the violence. After reports of cyberbullying began appearing in the mainstream media from around the United States, it became imperative to find more detailed and scientific information about this phenomenon. Information from the Cyberbullying Research Center (2004) showed that more than 20 percent of children had been harassed online in 2010. With this type of growth, it is important to identify what makes a person become a cyberbully and more importantly, …

Using Interpersonal Communication And Social Penetration As A Means Of Strengthening Mentorships In High Schools, Jonathan Max Dashner

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Mentoring is an educational process wherein a more experienced person takes time and invests it in a less experienced person in guiding that person in areas of professional life, academic life, and personal life. In today’s high schools, students need teachers to guide them through both their academic lives and also their tumultuous personal lives. Through the Phenomenological Tradition, teachers can mentor students by sharing their stories and listening to the stories of their mentee students. By utilizing social penetration, teacher mentors, through the use of interpersonal communication skills, learn more about their students’ personal lives while divulging more of …