Communication Commons^™

Examining Stakeholder Relationships In Chinese Public Relations Practice: A Case Study Of Linkedin China And Its Sub-Brand Chitu, Yingying Li

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative, single case study research analyzes the stakeholder relationship cultivation strategies employed by LinkedIn China and its sub-brand Chitu. It also examines the extent to which the propositions of stakeholder theory and relationship management theory are applicable in a Chinese public relations context. Observations were made through analysis of documentation, interviews, direct observations and participant-observation. The results show that stakeholder theory and relationship management theory alone could not adequately explain the ways in which LinkedIn China and Chitu establish and maintain relationships with their stakeholders. This research discovered that additional theories are needed to explain LinkedIn China's success in …

Why Kids Are 'Lovin' It': A Q Methodology Analysis Of The Appeal Of Mcdonald's, Erica Nelson Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

The dramatic rise in childhood obesity is a major concern nationwide. Unprecedented media exposure, drastically decreased time spent interacting as a family, and the consumption of calorie-dense foods are all heated topics of discussion with ties to weight gain. In this research, possible associations are examined between media, social groups and a favorite fast-food restaurant among children: McDonald's. Q methodology was used to analyze the various factors that draw children to McDonald's. With a theoretical background in social learning theory, this study had 29 children rank-order 30 photographs depicting elements of the McDonald's experience. Pictures included the most and least …

Just Tweet It: Sports Teams' Communication Of Csr On Twitter, David Paul Stephan

Theses and Dissertations

The sports industry has been made distinct from traditional business for many reasons including its body of stakeholders and its position in popular media. For these reasons, corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts and the communication of them in professional sports is known to be addressed differently. The following research has been conducted in order to learn how well professional sports teams are doing to communicate CSR to the particular stakeholders who are also their social media followers. Sports teams' Twitter accounts were analyzed and tweets concerning CSR were identified. Findings suggested that only 3.94% of professional sports teams' tweets were …

To Promote Or Prevent When Near Or Far: Exploring Regulatory Focus In Geographically-Close And Long-Distance Relationships, Adam James Hampton

Theses and Dissertations

No research to date has examined how regulatory focus theory applies to relationships that are maintained long-distance, nor if individuals’ regulatory orientations differ in predicting relationship maintenance efforts between relationships that are geographically-close and those that are long-distance. The current study explores the communication efforts, ideal perceptions, and regulatory behaviors of individuals as a function of their regulatory focus (promotion focus vs. prevention focus) and relationship type (geographically-close vs. long-distance). One hundred eighty participants completed a survey that assessed their relationship type, regulatory focus, and relationship maintenance efforts (i.e., communications, perceptions, and behavior). Overall, it was found that individuals in …

Social Positioning: Positioning Adults With Severe And Multiple Disabilities And Complex Communication Needs For Social Interaction, Dena Bonnike

Theses and Dissertations

This single subject multiple probe study across dyads investigated the effects of social positioning on the nonsymbolic and symbolic communication of adult peers with severe and multiple disabilities and complex communication needs (SMD-CCN) when they were out of their wheelchairs. Social positioning referred to the positioning of adults with SMD-CCN in proximity and facing one another (no more than three ft apart) with access to speech generating devices (SGDs) with appropriate messages for communicating and socializing with peers. Videotapes of the adults were analyzed to collect event recording data of their nonsymbolic (eye gaze, reaching, and vocalization) and symbolic (SGD …

A Rhetorical Approach To Greek Life Scandal, Mark M. Yanoschik

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the incident of Sigma Alpha Epsilon as a case study to analyze the rhetorical strategies that seek to restore an organization’s public image in the face of grave public offense. This thesis demonstrates how SAE national headquarter de-emphasize the idea of “tradition” that grounds its organizational character in order to avoid generalization from the public regarding the racism demonstrated by the University of Oklahoma chapter. By doing so, SAE reconstructs its image as a national organization that was misrepresented by the inappropriate and public actions of a few members. Understanding how apology works allows us to become …

Using Computer-Mediated Communication As A Tool For Mentoring To Latina/O Sophomore College Students, Carly C. Peden

Theses and Dissertations

The sophomore year of college can be challenging for many students specifically Latina/o students. New initiatives are being created to increase Latina/o enrollment, retention, and completion of higher education with research indicating Latinas/os are successful academically when they had a mentor or perceived someone on campus cared about them. Mentoring programs use various tools to communicate, but computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools have not been examined in Latina/o peer mentoring relationships.

The current research study examined secondary data to see if Latina/o sophomore college students in a peer mentoring program were academically successful when using CMC to communicate with their mentor. …

Comunicando Emociones: Language Preferences For Hispanics In The Rio Grande Valley, Elim Hernandez

Theses and Dissertations

According to the U.S Census Bureau, more than one million Hispanic or Latino individuals live in the southernmost area of Texas called The Rio Grande Valley (RGV). However, being Hispanic in the RGV does not mean you speak Spanish. In fact, most of the population speaks English and/or Spanish or “Spanglish” (Tex-Mex). As a result, individuals face code-switching (switching back and forth in two languages) when they communicate with one another. Which language do they prefer to express their emotions in? The study posed a research question along this line. Nine college students who met the research criteria were interviewed …

Towards The Enhancement Of A Critical Cultural Paradigm In Health Communication: An Examination Of The Impact Of Paradigmatic Structures, Laura Elizabeth Arneson

Theses and Dissertations

In the field of Communication there are a wide variety of ways in which scholars can utilize theories to serve as epistemological frameworks in order to examine sociological structures. In this thesis, the subfield of Health Communication will be examined through a positivistic and critical cultural studies paradigm. This work will then examine underlying assumptions related to theoretical approaches in health communication.

With the primary argument of this work being that the dominant approaches in Healthcare Communication have been primarily rooted in positivism, this research study will attempt to show how this assumption continues to extend even into new digital …

Beyond The Millennium Development Goals: An Evaluation Of The War On Hiv / Aids In Kenya, Robert G. Nyaga

Theses and Dissertations

HIV/AIDS remains a threat to Kenya and other developing nations. This thesis aimed at assessing the HIV/AIDS situation in Kenya by examining the knowledge of Kenyans towards infection and spread HIV/AIDS, attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS, involvement of community opinion leaders in the HIV/AIDS campaigns, sharing of HIV/AIDS information, and government efforts to control HIV/AIDS. A sample of Kenyans (N= 103) was surveyed and asked to respond to several scales assessing each of the above items. Quantitative and qualitative methods reveal the knowledge and attitudes portrayed by Kenyans and show that, although much has been achieved, there is need …

Macro And Micro Levels Of University Identification: Using Social Network Sites To Reactivate Latent Social Identities Within College Alumni, Eric James Varney

Theses and Dissertations

This master's thesis sought to extend social identification research further into social network sites by examine how online interactions may affect offline behaviors. In particular, this thesis argues that alumni who interact with their university or major via a social network site, should have an increased intention to donate back to their university or major. Despite a large body of research on both social identification and social network use, less research has combined the two in order to predict external behaviors. As such, data was collected from 277 undergraduate and graduate students at Illinois State University regarding their university and …

Hillman College Is A Different World From Where You Come From: A Thematic Analysis Of Relationships In A Different World, Natilie Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the identity and relationships portrayed in the television series, A Different World. Although the popular series ended in 1993, this show continues to resonate with the African-American community. Specifically, Ron, D. Wayne, and Whitley are the primary characters of focus. Ron and D. Wayne maintain a brotherhood, while Whitley and D. Wayne maintain a romantic relationship. Both of these relationships include implicit expectations, illustrate varying levels of reciprocity, and provide identity-shaping communicative feedback.

Modeling Children's Organization Of Utterances Using Statistical Information From Adult Language Input, Katie Lynn Walker

Theses and Dissertations

Previous computerized models of child language acquisition have sought to determine how children acquire grammatical word categories (GWCs). The current study seeks to determine if statistical structure can be corroborated as a factor in GWC acquisition. Previous studies examining statistical structure have dealt with word order rather than GWC order and only examined an overall success rate. The present study examines how well a computer model of child acquisition of GWCs was able to reorganize scrambled sentences back into the correct GWC order using transitional probabilities extracted from adult language input. Overall, a 50% success rate was obtained, but when …

Catcalling As A"Double Edged Sword": Midwestern Women, Their Experiences, And The Implications Of Men's Catcalling Behaviors, Colleen O'Leary

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the lack of research surrounding the topic of catcalling, it is essential to give voice to women who have experienced the harm, its effects, and those who perceive it as a societal issue. This study generates discourse regarding Midwestern women's standpoints on catcalling through in-depth respondent interviews about women's experiences and perceptions of catcalling. Thematic analysis of the interviews reveals that catcalling is complex. Women conceptualized catcalling as a primarily negative experience as they associated it with negative emotions and affective states. Women never described catcalling as complimentary, rather, they believed that men perceived their own comments to …

The Gratification Niches Of Traditional And Digital Radio, Don G. Shelline

Theses and Dissertations

We live in an age where science fiction is quickly becoming science fact. Dick Tracy's 2-way wrist TVs are Apple Watches. Automated smart homes are plentiful. Cars are now able to drive themselves. And in those cars, riders no longer need to depend on a deejay to choose their music for them; these listeners build their own radio stations, on the spot, out of any music and conversation they want to hear, all at the touch of a button that is fully connected to Wi-Fi, the internet, and unlimited cell data plans.This research will examine digital radio's impact upon traditional …

Rap Lyrics, Music Videos, And Themes Of Sex, Violence, And Prosocial Behavior, Terrell L. Green

Theses and Dissertations

Socially and academically, rap music has been linked to more negative symbolism than positive. This study examined sexual, violent, and prosocial text embedded in rap lyrics and videos, using semiology in the form of connotation and denotation. This study is a textual analysis of twenty-six of the most popular, chart-topping rap music videos from 1995 to 2015. It involved conducting four levels of analysis to code the music videos to determine the presence of sex, violence, and prosocial text. Prosocial text was found to be the most disseminated theme in the rap lyrics and music videos studied. Violence was second. …

Financial Conflict Messages And Marital Satisfaction: The Mediating Role Of Financial Communication Satisfaction, Samantha Josephine Shebib

Theses and Dissertations

The current study explores how methods of handling financial disagreements contribute to, or detracts from, marital satisfaction. In addition, satisfaction with communicating about financial obligations in marriage is predicted to contribute to marital satisfaction.

Exploring Visual Prevention: Developing Infographics As Effective Cervical Cancer Prevention For African American Women, Candace P. Parrish

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the creation of a cervical cancer health prevention infographic, geared toward African American women ages 30 to 65, to be potentially used to raise health literacy and influence positive behaviors towards practicing prevention measures—ultimately preventing unnecessary deaths. This dissertation also produced a cervical cancer health prevention infographic prototype for African American Women ages 30 to 65 to be further tested and implemented within future health communication campaigns.

Cervical Cancer is both preventable and treatable (if diagnosed during early stages); therefore the amount of individuals dying from the cancer should be minimal. Still, …

Public Perceptions Of Genetically Modified Food On Social Media: A Content Analysis Of Youtube Comments On Videos, Nanlan Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Controversy about genetically modified (GM) food prevails on social media. Discussion about GM food includes the implementation of mandatory labeling as well as public concerns about potential health hazards posed by GM food. Previous studies mainly focus on traditional press and broadcast media, few investigate such controversial topics on social media. Interested in public opinion about this issue and possible influences of social media on public opinion, this study uses quantitative content analysis to examine the characteristics of user comments on a specific social media platform, YouTube. The purpose of the study is to investigate YouTube comments from several aspects, …

Toward A Situational Technology Acceptance Model: Combining The Situational Theory Of Problem Solving And Technology Acceptance Model To Promote Mobile Donations For Nonprofit Organizations, Yue Zheng

Theses and Dissertations

Using a nationwide survey of 994 respondents in February 2016, this study combines the situational theory of problem solving and technology acceptance model to refine the conceptual understandings of people’s motivations to make a mobile donation benefiting health-related nonprofit organizations. Findings provide empirical support for the combined model and an emerging situational technology acceptance model. Mobile phone users’ intentions to make a mobile donation are mostly influenced by their attitudes toward using technology and subjective norms. Practical implications are also discussed for nonprofit practitioners to better segment publics, design strategic messages, and disseminate communication campaigns to improve future fundraising.

A Mapping System As A Method In Experiential Culture Learning And Engagement, Faisal Mohammad

Theses and Dissertations

From my observation as a new resident in Education City, I recognize a need for cultural awareness and communication amongst those studying and working in this particular area. With this project I propose a different experience, a new way to use experiential learning as a mechanism to change people’s predetermined opinions about one another and disrupt personal biases in order to foster cultural awareness and friendship.

A mapping system or wayfinding strategy to navigate a new city is the beginning of a visitor’s experience in a new place. This new experience is one way for users to identify locations through …

The Future Of Arabic Music: No Sound Without Silence, Nesma Magdy Khodier Vcuq

Theses and Dissertations

For centuries, Arabic music has been intrinsically linked to Arab culture and by extension bonded to the environmental landscape of the region, reflecting their emotions, moods, and behaviors. Numerous technological advancements in the latter half of the twentieth century, have greatly affected the rich legacy of Arabic music, significantly impacting the natural progression of traditional Arabic musical genres, scales, and instrumentation.

This thesis serves as an introduction to generative methods of music production, specifically music generated through gestures. Through generative music, and its unique ability to map gestures to different musical parameters, music can be produced using computer algorithms.

The …

Characteristics Of Adult General Education Learners And Courses: A Correlational Study On The Elements Of Success, Daniel Jennings Stackhouse

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation exists among characteristics common to successful adult career and technical students in the traditional classroom setting, the online mode of instruction, and a hybrid of the traditional and distance mode of instructional delivery. A gap in the literature exists, resulting in a lack of knowledge specific to the reasons for success or failure of these adult career and technical students, specifically in relation to mode of instructional delivery: traditional classroom, online, or a hybrid of both.

This study is a quantitative correlation study of explanatory and predictive design using …

Redneckaissance: Honey Boo Boo, Tumblr, And The Stereotype Of Poor White Trash, Ashley F. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Tumblr is an understudied social media site with a young, progressive, and queer user base of content creators. This study examines Tumblr posts about Here Comes Honey Boo Boo to understand the nature of Tumblr and the way a convergent culture that includes non-viewers negotiates a television show dependent on stereotypes. Discourses around authenticity, LGBTQ issues, and body acceptance resist the negative white trash connotations of the show, but this resistance is embedded in stereotypes around race, class, gender, sexuality, and geography. The result is a continuum in which users negotiate what the show means in how they use that …

Promoting Hpv Vaccination For Male Young Adults: Effects Of Social Influence, Wan Chi Leung

Theses and Dissertations

HPV vaccination is an important public health issue, but past research has mostly been done on the HPV vaccination for females. This study explores promotions of the HPV vaccination for men, focusing on how social influence plays a role in influencing young male adults’ attitudes toward the HPV vaccine. An online survey was conducted on Amazon Mechanical Turk, and responses from 656 males aged 18-26 in the United States were analyzed. Results indicated that exposure to messages were associated with perceived effects of the messages on others, which related to the perceived descriptive norm of vaccine uptake among other males. …

A Page Of Her Own: How Women Navigate The Public And Private Facets Of Blogging, Emily Marie Flinders

Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores the complexity of the texts women create through blogging and their inherent value. I seek to explore how the mothers who blog are constructing online identities for their family units and family members in this space and how those constructions affect and inform the mothers' construction of their personal identities online. I analyze how perceptions of gender norms and practices of gender performance may affect and inform the identities thus constructed, and further complicate the liminal nature of blogging spaces. I begin with the sociological framework of Erving Goffman, which is commonly used to deconstruct identity performance …

Effectively Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives: A Case Study, Razaz Banoun

Theses and Dissertations

The execution of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy requires that companies maintain clarity in communication of their objectives to the public. The core reason for doing this is so that the companies are not misconstrued on the basis of their intentions. Commonly, people have tended to raise suspicions based on the sudden goodwill of corporations performing well in terms of their profit ratings, given that they are perceived as having a hidden agenda in relation to their active engagements in CSR. This case study has sought to highlight the various ways that are applied by Samsung Inc. to communicate …

The Role Of Documentary Film In The Emerging Social Entrepreneurial Culture, Karyn Elizabeth Daley

Theses and Dissertations

Considering the current skepticism surrounding the impact and efficacy of nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations, some believe that a unique category of innovator known as the social entrepreneur may be society’s best hope for bringing innovative, scalable, and systemic solutions to bear on the world’s most intractable problems. Social entrepreneurs, as defined by Ashoka, have a unique set of characteristics that determine not only how they move within the world of social change-making but also how they communicate their ideas and mission to the public.

This exploratory study reviewed how social entrepreneurs currently use documentary film and visual media in their …

Protecting Professional Football: A Case Study Of Crisis Communication Tactics Demonstrated During The Concussion Crisis By The National Football League And The Introduction Of Cultural Ingrainment As A Component In Crisis Communications Models, Jordan Todd Mower

Theses and Dissertations

This research analyzes the crisis communications tactics employed by the National Football League at key points during the concussion crisis in relation to strategies recommended by models based on image restoration theory and situational crisis communications theory. The discrepancies between the NFL's tactics and recommended situational tactics, viewed in light of the financial and market increases for the league over the duration of the crisis, show the need for an additional component in accepted crisis communications models. Cultural ingrainment is posited as a component to be added to present models as a mitigating factor of organizational harm in cases of …

Reject Or Redemptive Fathers? A Content Analysis Of Father Portrayals In Top Box Office Family Films, Cassidy Jo Wadsworth

Theses and Dissertations

More research is needed to fully understand the way in which parents, particularly fathers, are portrayed in family films and the effects those portrayals might have. Viewers, particularly parents, need to understand how the material their children view presents reality and how it may shape their children's perspectives of the real world, particularly where the family unit and parenting role are concerned. By exploring these portrayals through the lens of Cultivation Theory, this study sought to answer this overarching question: How are fathers portrayed in family films as opposed to television? This quantitative study explores the top twenty films from …