International and Intercultural Communication Commons^™

Stakeholders And Stakeseekers’ Perceptions Of Cultural Violations And International Crisis Communication, Najwa Nishaa Albaqami

Masters Theses

Applying the expectancy violation theory (EVT) to the crisis communication context, this research explores to what extent stakeholders and stakeseekers’ perceive violations in an international crisis context. Specifically, this study investigated to what extent organizations stakeholders and stakeseekers’ perceive cultural and expectancy violations in an international crisis. Through a case study that analyzed tweets, web blogs, and The New York Times articles, this study identified that the cultural violation theme has two components, including (1) perceived responsibility and harshness of the violation and (2) damage done by the company’s transgression. Whereas expectancy violation theme included (1) frequent use of verbal …

Reviewer Perceptions Of Englishes In The International Journal Of Nuclear Security, Rachel Brooks

Masters Theses

Linguistic bias in academic publishing, the idea that a manuscript would be rejected due to its language alone, is a growing area of concern and study. Scholars are particularly concerned that EAL (English as an Additional Language, often referred to as “non-native”) writers face this bias more than first-language English authors. The research on linguistic bias relies on understanding the perceptions about language that belong to reviewers, authors, and other parties involved in publication. This MA thesis project investigates peer reviewer perceptions of English language usage in the manuscripts that they review using the International Journal of Nuclear Security (IJNS) …

Social Media As Precursor To Arab Revolt, Mark D Harmon, Brittany Rose Nauta

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

This research examines the use of the Internet and social media as related to 2011 to 2012 Arab protests and civic unrest, testing the widespread belief that communication revolutions played a large role in the political revolutions sometimes known as the Arab Spring. The researchers take a two-pronged approach. They examine the pre-uprising communication firmament in Egypt, specifically seeking and finding correlation between Internet use and political dissatisfaction. This was done using a secondary analysis of the Egypt portion of the 2008 World Values Survey. Secondly, the researchers use secondary analysis of the Arab Barometer, first wave 2006-2007, seeking and …

Pizza And Poutine: Examining Long-Term Impacts Of The U.S.-Canada Dairy Dispute, Caroline Rogers

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Understanding Social Identity Through Children’S Drawings: Where Is Your Happy Place?, Elizabeth Hampton Hurst

Masters Theses

Civil war and instability in Syria has resulted in mass casualties and the largest migration of peoples since WWII (International Organization for Migration, 2015). The year 2015 witnessed a refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe, a crisis that continues today. Fleeing danger undoubtedly shapes the identities of refugees, and the identities of refugee children are indeed the most vulnerable. This study examines ways in which Syrian refugee orphans communicate elements of social identity. Utilizing social identity theory (SIT) as a lens to analyze children’s drawings, this study not only reveals which social groups are most salient amongst children’s …

Cultural Sensitivity: Importance, Competencies, And Public Relations Implications, Sarah A. Lutz

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Cross-Linguistic Phonosemantics, Raleigh Anne Butler

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Grounded Theory On China’S New Population Policy Reporting By The New York Times, Chen Hu

Masters Theses

The current thesis explores The New York Times’ coverage of China’s new population policy. On November 26, 2013, China updated its one-child policy to the selective one-child policy that allowed couples to have two children if one of the parents is single child. On October 30, 2016, China then erased the one-child policy, implementing the universal two-child policy that allowed all couples to raise two children. The New York Times, as an important western medium extensively covered China’s population policy.

This study collected 40 news articles from The New York Times, using grounded theory to explore the …

Understanding The Relationship Between Country Reputation And Corporate Reputation, Minsoo Kim

Masters Theses

Increasing attention has been paid to the relationship between country reputation and corporate reputation by both public and private sectors. This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the relationship by investigating the factors that influence and are influenced by country reputation. In particular, this study examines (a) the impact of country reputation on foreign consumers’ attitudes toward brand and product purchase intentions, (b) the relationship between corporate reputation on country reputation, and (c) the mediating role of product image. Key findings of the study include the positive impact of corporate reputation on country reputation, and the mediating …

Comparing News Frames About The Syrian Crisis Between The Kommersant And The Financial Times, Anton Dinerstein

Masters Theses

This is an exploratory comparative study aimed to examine media frames about ongoing civil war in Syria. The civil uprising started on March 15, 2011, and turned into a civil war after May 8, 2011. The conflict has lasted for more than four years, and more than 220,000 people have died since it began. During the conflict, both the Syrian government and military opposition were accused of extreme cruelty and of using chemical weapons. However, there was no official proof of using chemical weapons until the August 21, 2013, when Syrian government forces used chemical weapons during their attack on …

Fostering Global Leaders: A Case Study Of The Korea Foundation For The Next Generation Sports Talent And Its Partnership With The University Of Tennessee, Knoxville, Benjamin Hisung Nam

Masters Theses

The Korea Foundation for the Next Generation Sports Talent (NEST) and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville have been collaborating to foster global sports talent through academic cooperation and have been interacting to reeducate retired South Korean elite athletes since December, 2008. The purpose of the partnership is to create mutual international understandings between the two parties. This study explores the intended/initial goals of the partnership and whether these goals have changed (if so how and why) or remained the same. If the goals have remained the same, has anything changed? Results indicate that fostering global leadership skills, English language training, …

News And The Public Sphere: The Boston Marathon Bombing In The New York Times And Le Figaro, Ioana Alexandra Coman

Doctoral Dissertations

The current dissertation explores the online mediatization of the Boston Marathon bombing crisis by an American newspaper (The New York Times) and a French one (Le Figaro) and their publics’ reactions to it. The research was conducted along two main analysis axes: (1) the main frames and themes through which the journalists and the publics gave meaning to the event, and (2) the characteristics of the online public spheres therefore created. The comparative perspective on the journalistic frames showed a strong tendency of homogenization, as the same main frames appeared in both analyzed newspapers. However, the …

Trust In News Media In Post-Communist Eastern Europe: The Case Of Serbia, Ivanka Pjesivac

Doctoral Dissertations

The main purpose of this dissertation research was to examine the influences of cultural and performance factors on trust in news media in Serbia. This was done by conducting a survey on a stratified random sample of the Serbian population (N=544). Before testing cultural and performance theories, this dissertation explored the meanings of trust in news media and trust in other people in Serbia, in order to properly operationalize these concepts and establish their conceptual equivalence needed for their adequate measurement. This was done by 20 in-depth interviews with representatives of the Serbian population. The results of this …

An Examination Of The European Advertising Standards Alliance: The Relationship Between Uncertainty Avoidance And Children's Online Advertising Regulation Code., Nathan Evans

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

No abstract provided.

The New Diplomacy: Devising A Relational Model Of Public Diplomacy, Anne E. Buckle

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

War Of Words: Framing Of The United States In Selected Belarusian Newspapers In 2009, Natalie Manayeva

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the peculiarities of framing of the United States in selected Belarusian newspapers during first six months of the Obama administration. The concepts of anti-Americanism, authoritarian model of mass media and framing were chosen as a theoretical framework. This study was focused on the two main questions: first, what is the difference in how Belarusian state-run and independent newspapers frame the U.S., and second, what is the mechanism of creating negative image of the U.S. in Belarusian newspapers. In order to provide comprehensive answers to both questions the multi-method approach (involving methods of …

Radio-Television Of Serbia (1989-2009): The Changing Role Of State Tv In A Post-Communist Country, Ivanka Radovic

Masters Theses

This study examined the differences in reporting in Radio-Television of Serbia's (RTS) main newscast, Dnevnik 2, between the period of Slobodan Milosevic’s rule (1989-2000) and the period after the establishment of democracy in Serbia (2001-2009). The data were gathered by the content analysis of 63 RTS newscasts in the period 1989-2009. The research included quantitative analysis as well as additional observations of RTS newscasts noted at the time of coding. The major findings suggest that in the democratic period (2001-2009) RTS newscasts become shorter, more consistent in duration, less dedicated to coverage of state and ruling party officials’ activities, and …

Newspaper Coverage Of The South Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement: A Framing Analysis, Yeonah Park

Masters Theses

This study compared how four English-language newspapers in the United States and South Korea covered the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA). A content analysis using QDA Miner was conducted for 354 articles from the New York Time, the Washington Post, the Korea Herald, and the Korea Times to determine how each paper framed the topic. Overall the newspapers’ media framing aligned with their national concerns and interests.

The literature review supported the idea that identifying frames in natural language articles and investigating the relative highlighting of issues was important in analyzing news coverage. The two Korean …

Rural Library Professionals As Change Agents In The 21st Century: Integrating Information Technology Competencies In The Southern And Central Appalachian Region (Itrl), Bharat Mehra, K. Black, V. Singh

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

Rural Library Professionals as Change Agents in the 21st Century: Integrating Information Technology Competencies in the Southern and Central Appalachian Region (ITRL) ($567,660). Institute of Museum and Library Services, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, October 2009 – September 2012. Principal Investigators: B. Mehra, K. Black, and V. Singh. Project Partners: Clinch-Powell Regional Library (Clinton, Tennessee: S. Simmons, Director), Nolichucky Regional Library (Morristown, Tennessee: D. Reynolds, Director), Sevier County Public Library System (Sevierville, Tennessee: K. C. Williams, System Director), and the Watauga Regional Library (Johnson City, Tennessee: N. Renfro, Director).

Hablamos Español: Insights From Three Web Designers Who Design A Bilingual Or Multilingual Websites That Target Hispanic Audiences, Jeremy Brent Hughes

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine particular aspects three web designers use, with regard to layout and content, to effectively create a bilingual or multilingual website that targets Hispanics. In addition, it examines the processes that are used in creating a Spanish-language website. In-depth interviews were conducted with three web designers from top 25 Hispanic-targeted websites, as determined by Hispanic Online. Results indicate a six-step process that web designers should follow when creating a bilingual or multilingual website. Implications for web designers of organizations thinking about creating a bilingual or multilingual website are cited and recommendations for future …