Digital Commons Network^™

Widr Fm's Constitution: Restatement, Revision, And Analysis Of Genre, Joseph Silver

Honors Theses

I have been involved with WIDR FM for 18 months as its employed Music Director and a volunteer DJ. I am one of six part-time paid student directors who oversee the general management of the station. My tenure at WIDR has been especially exciting in that this is the first year of WIDR's affiliation with Student Media Group–a new organization funded by the University that collaborates WIDR FM with the Western Herald and the Young Broadcasters of Tomorrow. It is designed to guide these organizations toward greater interactivity, scholarship, and fiscal solvency. The Student Media Group brings many changes to …

Preferential Methods Used By Celcis Students To Enhance Conversational Skills., Karina Mariadas

Honors Theses

Conversational skills are something that can be improved over time. For new language learners, conversing in English can be difficult. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the preferential methods to enhance conversational skills used by students from the Center for English Language and Culture for International Students (CELCIS) at Western Michigan University. The study was conducted using a survey questionnaire consisting of 7 parts. The conversation improvement methods that were addressed in the survey included: print, audio-visual, electronic devices/technology, face-to-face conversations and games. 112 students, 35 females, 75 males and 2 unknowns, participated in the survey during …

Mobilizing The Masses: How To Save Your Local Coffee Shop, Dominique Becnel

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Representation Of The Individualism-Collectivism Cultural Value Dimension In Film Portrayals Of Intercultural Communication, Courtney J. Mcmullan

Honors Theses

Globalization and modernization have changed the world in which we live, bringing intercultural communication to the forefront in our daily lives. Cultural values vary around the world, and these values impact the way people communicate with one another. This study focused on the cultural value of individualism-collectivism and how it impacts intercultural, interpersonal communication and the way it is presented in film. The aim of this study was to conduct quantitative analyses of data gathered from intercultural films to identify the way in which nations' individualism-collectivism tendencies are displayed in film in comparison to a cultural value dimension scale and …

The Effect Of Existential Concerns On Evaluations Of Dating Websites, Rachel Frisch

Honors Theses

Previous research has indicated that death-related anxieties are the ultimate threat to the human psyche. In an effort to manage these concerns, individuals tend to turn to their romantic relationships. The present research sought to determine how mortality salience (i.e., death awareness) influences the effectiveness of an advertisement and the desirability of dating websites. A fake dating website was created with four different slogans. The first included an overt death-reminder, the second included a subtle death-reminder, the third included a loneliness reminder, and the fourth condition did not include any psychological threats. Participants were randomly assigned to visit a website …

Targeted Online Advertisements: Effectiveness As A Function Of Need-For-Cognition, Katherine Dorothy Drebin

Honors Theses

Previous research has suggested that targeted online advertising is more effective when users have a preexisting interest in a product or service. While technology now allows marketers to track the demographics and behaviors of potential customers, the current research examines online ad-perception at an individual level, specifically focused on differences in need-for-cognition. Participants were asked to read a short online news article and were randomly assigned to view a webpage containing either gender-neutral or gender-targeted advertisements. While it was predicted that advertisement recall would be stronger for targeted than non-targeted advertisements, no such association was found. Additionally, advertisement recall did …

Online Dating And Relationships On Campus: Gender, Religion, And Parental Marital Status Influencing Expectations And Experiences, Carla Gottlich

Honors Theses

Past research of college campus relationships and dating has found that gender, religion, and parental marital status may each play a role in determining expectations and experiences. Due to the recent popularity with online dating, I explore college student’s expectations and experiences and the roles that gender, religion, and parental marital status play in this pursuit. An anonymous survey was sent to a random sample of 918 student e-mail addresses. Students were asked what they expected from online dating, and what the experiences have been like for those who have participated. The survey, containing both open and closed ended questions, …

The Rise And Fall Of The Friends Of Irish Freedom: How America Shaped Irish American Nationalism In The Twentieth Century, Shanon Delia Douglass

Honors Theses

The Friends of Irish Freedom were an Irish American nationalist organization that consisted of prominent leaders and members from other nationalist groups that also attracted more moderate Irish Americans. This thesis focuses exclusively on the leaders and activities of the Friends between 1916 and 1921. During these years, membership both skyrocketed and plummeted within a matter of months. Contributing to both their rise and fall was American public sentiment, the onset and conclusion of WWI, and interactions with nationalist leaders in Ireland. My Thesis shows how despite their seemingly radical nationalist activities and beliefs, it was the gradual Americanization of …

A Content Analysis Of The 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer Viewed As Public Relations Efforts Using The Social Change Model Of Leadership, Hannah J. Hill

Honors Theses

This research used content analysis to examine how significant events within the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer that were well documented in journals, news articles and other mediums can be viewed as public relations strategies and tactics using the Social Change Model of Leadership (SCM). This research answers how these events can be explained through the SCM as individual, group, and community values. The SCM has not been associated with public relations strategies and tactics before this research was conducted, however social change is commonly seen in public relations efforts as both SCM and public relations seek to influence publics to …

Roots, Rock And Public Relations: A Study Of The U.S. Government’S Use Of Music As A Tactic In Its Cultural Diplomacy Efforts, Katherine Sartain

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Relocation Videos And Their Ability To Persuade Entrepreneurs, Julia N. Martin

Honors Theses

With the Information Age well underway, knowing the best way to reach an audience through digital mediums is more important than ever. Businesses and cities must learn these methods in order to recruit employees and convince people to relocate their companies to a specific city. Online videos are an effective way of attracting and persuading individuals. This study examines two different videos in order to see which of these videos would be more likely according to persuasive theories to change the opinions of individuals in their willingness to relocate. Through a stylistic analysis we find that the first of the …

A Case Study Of Professional Coach-Client Communication., Scott Shank

Honors Theses

Organizations increasingly embrace coaching as a core process to improve employee learning, increase overall performance, and develop leaders. Extant research on coaching is increasing, yet communication-based theories are underrepresented in the literature despite the fact that coaching is fundamentally discursive in nature. Further, although the coaching literature suggests that coaching conversations contribute to client identity growth and potential transformation, studies that specifically explore such activities are underrepresented in existing scholarship. Further, there lacks sufficient research examining how coaching contributes to the ongoing identity development of the coaches themselves. To fill this gap, this qualitative study explored the role coaching plays …

Managing The Credibility Of A Nonprofit Organization In The Face Of Unexpected Publicity, Regan Crowell

Honors Theses

Ethical conduct of a nonprofit organization was suspected to impact the credibility of the organization as perceived by its stakeholders. This study uses secondary research for three nonprofit organizations in order to gain a closer look at the ethical issues of compensation, conflicts of interest, and the combined issues of accountability and strategic management. The nonprofit organizations discussed are United Way, Susan G. Komen, and The ALS Association. Each faced unexpected publicity, either positive or negative, and managed the organization’s credibility through dealing with one of the named ethical issues. Based on the case studies conducted for the three nonprofit …

Rethinking Gender And Image Politics On Social Media In The 2016 Presidential Election: A Case Study Of Hillary Clinton’S And Carly Fiorina’S Twitter Accounts, Kira A. Schuette

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Soul Food: An Interpretation Of The History, Significance And Southern Roots Of The American Cuisine, Sarah Bracy Penn

Honors Theses

This thesis is a collection of stories in which I explored several facets of soul food, the cuisine of the American South. It uses soul food as a prism to view the cuisine's connections to race, politics, economics, class, history and social consequences. Rather than write an academic paper, I presented my findings in a series of articles based on live interviews with food historians, culinary writers, entrepreneurs and chefs. I also examined various books, articles and blogs written by these culinary writers. This is not a comprehensive history of the cuisine, nor does it attempt to take sides with …

Millennial Specific Techniques For Nonprofit Marketing Communications: A Messaging Study For World Relief, Taylor M. Davenport

Honors Theses

Nonprofit organizations are quickly catching up to for profit companies in their marketing communications endeavors. World Relief, a faith-based nonprofit organization that strives to empower the vulnerable, is one of those organizations. While they have made huge strides in recent years, they are missing the mark when it comes to reaching millennials. This thesis sought to research effective millennial specific messaging techniques and implement an integrated marketing communications (IMC) campaign using the findings. This thesis compiles research on millennials from the Pew Research Center and other sources as a background for primary research. A survey and focus group were conducted …

Brands Crossing Borders: Cross-Cultural Issues In Brand Localization In And From China, Molly Catherine Bowman

Honors Theses

As China continues to play a more integral role in the global economy, the ability to do business in, with, and from China is of the utmost importance. With the country's nascent transformation from a manufacturing economy to a value-added hub of innovation, Chinese companies face new challenges in communicating their brands and values abroad, and their Western counterparts face equal if not greater challenges in maintaining their market share on a global scale.

Communication will be the key to success in this dynamic environment. This paper will explore some of the unique China stories of prominent global organizations-- how …

Women Hold Up Half The Internet: Examining The Political Identities Of Chinese Women Bloggers, Taylor Brack

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Italians In The Delta: The Evolution Of An Unusual Immigration, Camille Elise Mullins

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the extraordinary immigration of Italians to the Delta from when they first came in 1895 to modern day. This project updates the Delta Italians' status within the modern era and explores their rise from lowly tenant farmers to some of the largest farm owners in the Delta. In particular, it looks at the Italians through the prism of discrimination, farming and fascinating personalities who have attempted to preserve its history. By using live interviews and journalistic story telling techniques, I hope to give people a flavor of what the early settlers were like and how their culture …

Integrated Marketing Communication Approaches On The Environmental Issue Of Recycling: A Collection Of Secondary And Primary Research To Analyze Trends In College Students Recycling Attitudes And Behaviors And The Conduction Of An Imc Campaign To Premote Recycling In Highland Square, Specifically, Cameron Ellen Klass

Honors Theses

Undertaking this thesis project was a task I was determined to fulfill with the upmost enthusiasm, positivity, and patience. When first deciding the topic of my research, I started with a list of criteria that had to be met: personal interest in the matter, hands on work with people and organizations within Oxford, and a way for me to impact the Oxford community for the better. Choosing to research college students recycling attitudes and behaviors both on and off campus and creating an integrated marketing campaign to raise awareness combined not only information accumulated through my academic years at Ole …

A Tapestry Of War: Three Veterans' Stories, Clancy Lane Smith

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to record and preserve the memories of American war veterans living in the Oxford area. The researcher interviewed local veterans and recorded their recollections in a narrative way, similar to how a feature story is written for publication in a newspaper or magazine. The results of this project demonstrate the stark contrast in a veterans' experiences based on differences in background, faith, family and decision-making. The stories are written so that they might be passed on to future generations.

Film Marketing And The Creation Of The Hollywood Blockbuster, Colton J. Herrington

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to trace the Hollywood blockbuster from its roots, gain insight into how Steven Spielberg's Jaws and George Lucas' Star Wars ushered in the Blockbuster Era, and explore how the blockbuster has evolved throughout the subsequent decades into its current state. This case study uncovers the intertwining relationship between revolutionary film marketing tactics and the creation of the blockbuster as a genre and strategy and observes how increased costs of film marketing and the rise of ancillary markets and new media have led to a contemporary slate of blockbusters alternatingly different and similar from those …

Apartheid In France: Galvanization Of Political Concern For The Role Of Ethnic Identities In French Society, Francesca Talley Diggs

Honors Theses

The French state's colorblind policy prescription is the base of a contentious, current debate over whether or not the government should acknowledge ethnic and racial components of its citizens and collect such data from minority groups. An increasingly colorful population presents new questions to the framework of French identity, legally blind to ethnicity, and tests the durability of the French model. Has the role of ethnic identity in France become a legitimate political concern under President Hollande's administration despite legislation that outlaws ethnic data collection? Is the illegality of ethnic statistics detrimental to combatting discrimination and social fragmentation in France? …

Insights For Marketers: College Student Consumer Trends, Jana Elisabeth Newcomer

Honors Theses

This thesis will aim to examine the ways in which college students can best be reached by marketing efforts. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 21 million students will attend college this year—a whopping 5.7 million more than in 2000. Considering the impact of their preferences and the billions of dollars of discretionary money spent by college students annually, this segment of the market is a critical one. College students are consuming social media constantly, embracing technological change, and desiring for brands and products to help define them. Through the use of quantitative and qualitative data, this thesis …

A Woman's Right: Promoting The Pursuit Of Gender Equality In The Workplace, Lauren Elizabeth Walker

Honors Theses

This thesis examines four questions. What is gender inequality, what is its level in the workplace especially in the public relations field, why does it exist, and what can we do to change that? Finally, an integrated marketing communications campaign will be planned to address the issue among students at the University of Mississippi The first chapter of this thesis examines the current level of gender inequality in the workplace and why these barriers exist in the workplace. In 2013, it was found that ratio of women's and men's median annual earnings was 78.3 percent for full-time/year round workers (Hartmann,1). …

Family Vault: How To Protect And Organize Your Personal Information For Your Family, Mary Daniel Simpson

Honors Theses

Integrated Marketing Communications courses focus on examining marketing campaigns and learning to create pieces of campaigns. Students are taught that new product campaigns must garner brand awareness, and in order to do so effectively, must be weighted heavily in insightful research. This thesis seeks to culminate the knowledge gathered from the curricula by designing both a new product and an integrated campaign from which to launch the product. The new product is a life document organizer, to be used in preparation for a tragedy, such as death or natural disaster. The product's purpose is to easily deliver peace of mind …

Marketing For Entrepreneurs: How To Promote One's Own Craft, Teresa Hendrix

Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to serve as an alternative, cost efficient resource to those creative entrepreneurial ventures with a product (or service) that needs both people to consume it and a profit eventually sufficient to support its creators. By excluding excess details unrelated to promotion, and supplementing with specific, anecdotal advice directly from interviews with successful small business owners, this thesis aims to provide a plethora of marketing techniques that an entrepreneur can test before facing the daunting cost of an agency. Based on an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources*, this thesis explores three common components that manifest themselves …

An Examination Of Crisis Communications At Major Mississippi Universities, Virginia W. Mayo

Honors Theses

This thesis will examine current theory in how to prepare for, handle and communicate in a crisis supported by extensive research. The first chapter includes case studies from other college campuses, the importance of a crisis management plan, and dealing with the media in crisis situations. Next, the crisis communications theories will be applied to three major Mississippi universities through examination from interviews and the study of past crises at these universities. Interviews were conducted via email and in person, depending on the location of the school. The three Mississippi universities examined are The University of Southern Mississippi, Mississippi State …

Content And Character: Modeling Christian Communication After Jesus' Sermon On The Mount, Sophie Demuth

Honors Theses

In order to learn about Jesus’ communication method, I decided to study the Sermon on the Mount. After doing an in-depth study of Jesus’ method (how he taught, the devices he used, and his structure), I realized his method is only a part of his effectiveness as a speaker. Without credibility and integrity as well, Jesus’ teaching would fall flat and cease to have authority. This realization especially struck me because, in the field of communications, method is emphasized over integrity and character. I decided to compare Jesus’ method and character with what the communication field teaches about public speaking. …