Organizational Communication Commons^™

Discourses That Undermine Union Movements: A Multimodal Analysis Of Union-Busting Videos, Theresa A. Catalano, Julia Schleck

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Labor unions in the United States have experienced decades of decline, but recent years have seen a rebirth of union campaigns and successes. Because unions are once again becoming a threat to large companies, it is reasonable to assume that efforts to discourage organizing efforts will increase and become even more robust in the near future. Although traditionally, companies have worked to suspend union organizing through captive audience meetings in which unions were discussed via verbal or written modes, more recent means of reaching workers with anti-union messages incorporate a variety of communication strategies to get the message across. As …

Building Before: Community Resiliency As Emergency Management, Alexandria Rinne

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This project seeks to address gaps in emergency preparedness education related to tornado response. Through an examination of current research about best practices for tornado emergency management response and an examination of the needs of FEMA Regions 7 and 8, the author has identified key strategies and stakeholders to increase positive outcome through building community engagement and resiliency. Three presentations were created for delivery to key community stakeholders—local government officials; non-governmental organizations, social networks, and associations; and individual private citizens. The project offers an overview of background research and provides presentation slide decks, scripts, and discussion guides, all created with …

Importance Of Good Communications For Generational Ag Business Transfers, Allan Vyhnalek

Cornhusker Economics

Adapted from Right Risk, volume 10, Issue 10, October 2022.

Effective communication within a farm or ranch family, especially when multiple generations are operating and managing the business, is the underpinning of all other decisions made in a family business. It is critical that farm and ranch families identify areas of contention and develop communication skills that will allow them to negotiate satisfying outcomes. This may involve basic skills training, including communication, problem solving, and decision making.

Exploring Factors In Choosing Stem Majors And Careers: Improving Science Education Through The Lens Of Self-Determination Theory, Lauren Mott

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Several barriers currently exist for students who could be successful in science/STEM careers but have not had the support they needed throughout their science/STEM education. This study of the literature applies Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to existing research to identify steps educators can take to remove these unnecessary barriers for their students. SDT defines competence, relatedness, and autonomy as three innate psychological needs that must be met for well-being. An exploratory review of the literature was conducted, and findings were organized using SDT. The results showed that competence, relatedness, and autonomy were all key factors in students’ self-determination of science/STEM careers. …

Creating Dialogic Moments In Municipal Deliberation: The Case Of Recycling In Nebraska, Janell C. Walther

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Networked communication has changed the nature of the public sphere by making it more accessible to more people; however, the networked public sphere also creates issues such as echo chambers, information overload, and polarization. Further, use of algorithms that influence media consumption amplifies to role of information on social identity. This “infocentric identity” driven by algorithms may increase polarization among those interacting in the networked public sphere. Previous research indicates that municipalities are often insulated from such national-level polarization. However, given this infocentric identity, many municipalities may experience polarization to some degree. This study examines if , and how, municipal …

A Checklist For Mortals: Preparing For Death’S Arrival, Becky Daniel

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

We learn everything from our parents—how to walk, talk and treat potential life partners. Yet our culture in the United States makes it difficult to talk to our parents about death and those consequences have a real impact. Closing a loved one’s estate can stretch from months to years without proper planning. While death is constant, the death industry is not. It is ever changing. And while all lives have equal value, there are many preparations that one person may need (veteran, parent, lotto winner) while another does not. The best way to prepare for death is to know its …

Scholastic Journalism Adviser's Guide, Mark Hilburn

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

With a passion for scholastic (high school) journalism, I want my professional project to tailor to that. I hold multiple degrees and certifications in journalism, which have no doubt helped me in the classroom, but not all high school journalism teachers do. Instead, many are taking teaching positions and are told at the time of their interview, or later, that journalism classes (mainly yearbook and newspaper) are part of their teaching schedule. Wanting a job in such a competitive market, these teachers are agreeing and then left scrambling to teach themselves the curriculum before they can teach it to students. …

Negotiating Knowledges And Expertise In Refugee Resettlement Organizations, Sarah Steimel

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Interviews with both refugees and organizational staff in two nonprofit refugee resettlement organizations in the United States reveal the ways in which knowledge(s) and expertise are crafted, threatened, and understood in refugee organizations. Refugee-participants described the need for knowledgeable communication, barriers to the communication of knowledge, and processes of negotiating whose expertise is involved. Organizational staff participants described the duty of communicating expert knowledge, the limits of knowledge as expertise, and alternative communications of expertise. These tensions surrounding “knowing” in refugee resettlement organizations highlights the need for a more complex theoretical understanding of the processes of knowing present in refugee …

Corporate Crisis Communication: Examining The Interplay Of Reputation And Crisis Response Strategies, Dane M. Kiambi, Autumn Shafer

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

This experiment study used a 2 × 3 between-subjects design to assess two factors in crisis communication and reputation management—prior corporate reputation (good and bad) and crisis response strategies (apology, sympathy, and compensation)—on an organization facing high crisis responsibility. Results indicate that stakeholders prefer apology to compensation response strategies. Organizations with a prior good reputation have better postcrisis reviews that those with a prior bad reputation. Crisis managers facing crises that generate high attribution of crisis responsibility and anger are advised to rely on apology rather than compensation strategy. It would also be advantageous for an organization with prior good …

7 Tips To Grow Your Rural Business With Purpose And Meaning, Connie I. Reimers-Hild, Alyssa Dye

Community Vitality Initiative

No one can predict the future; however, rural entrepreneurs and business owners can use a future-focused leadership approach, which includes examining megatrends, to shape the future of their businesses. Megatrends are global shifts that influence society, the economy and the environment. The purpose of this article is to help rural entrepreneurs discover ways to grow their businesses with Living with Purpose and Meaning Megatrend.

Beyond Corruption: Assessing The Organizational Potential In Alternative Discourses Of Struggle In Nigeria, Chigozirim Utah

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Despite decades of initiatives and emphasis on combatting corruption in Nigeria, systemic social change has remained elusive. I argue that the discourse of corruption itself should be called into question, specifically how it constrains possibilities for positive identity construction and social change organizing. This dissertation endeavors to disrupt the dominant discourse of corruption by uncovering alternative discourses of socioeconomic struggle that emerge from lived experience. I turned to the rich organizational landscape of Nigeria’s informal economy, performing a critical communicational phenomenology of the work lives of urban roadside food traders in Lagos who embody socio-economic struggle. The ultimate goal was …

University Of Nebraska Board Of Regents Policies, Contains Amendments Through April 10, 2015, University Of Nebraska Board Of Regents

University of Nebraska Board of Regents: Policies, Acts, and Other Materials

First section:

RP-1.1.1 Direct Responsibilities of the Board Under the constitution and statutes of the State of Nebraska, the Board of Regents has the authority and the responsibility for the general government of the University of Nebraska. It must exercise general supervision over all elements of the University and control and direction of all expenditures and establish the general operating policies of the institution. To assist it in the discharge of its responsibilities, the Board of Regents employs a staff and faculty who have the professional competence to develop and operate the University's programs. The Board delegates, through its Bylaws …

Editors Use Social Media Mostly To Post Story Links, Sue Burzynski Bullard

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

A survey of senior editors of U.S. print broadcast and online news outlets found that while 98 percent of the 376 respondents say they use social media, they primarily use it to post links to stories on Facebook and Twitter. Far fewer use social media to interact with audiences by posing questions and responding to comments

Standing Rules Of The Board Of Regents Of The University Of Nebraska, As Adopted July 18, 2014, University Of Nebraska Board Of Regents

University of Nebraska Board of Regents: Policies, Acts, and Other Materials

SECTION 1. Structure of the Board

SECTION 2. Meetings of the Board

SECTION 3. Agenda for Board Meetings

SECTION 4. Conduct of Board Meetings

SECTION 5. Appearances Before the Board

SECTION 6. Records of the Board

SECTION 7. Waiver of and Amendments to Standing Rules of the Board

SECTION 8. Reference Guide for Board Meetings

SECTION 9. Expenses

SECTION 10. Board Member Requests for Reports

Bylaws Of The Board Of Regents Of The University Of Nebraska, Contains Amendments Through May 30, 2014, University Of Nebraska Board Of Regents

University of Nebraska Board of Regents: Policies, Acts, and Other Materials

Excerpt from 1.2 of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents Bylaws (with amendments through May 30, 2014):

1.2 The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, a body corporate created by the people of Nebraska through the Constitution, has constitutional and statutory power for general supervision over all elements of the University, control and direction of all expenditures, and for general operating policies of the University. The Board of Regents consists of eight elected members, who are elected for six-year terms, and four nonvoting Student Regents, as provided in …

You Bring Yourself To Work: An Exploration Lgb/Tq Experiences Of (In)Dignity And Identity, Sara J. Baker

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The workplace can be a hostile space for people who perform their gender, sex, and sexuality in ways that differ from heteronormative expectations. These employees are often met with messages that are particularly undignifying, thereby denying desires for respectful communication with others and damaging an individual’s sense of self-worth and value. Therefore, the goal of my project was to learn about the experiences of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer individuals in the workplace and what kinds of interactions either affirm or threaten workplace dignity, their strategies for resistance, and how the communication of (in)dignity influences processes of LGB/TQ identity …

Empowered And Engaged: Exploring Social Media Best Practices For Nonprofits, Tessa Warner, Alexis Abel, Frauke Hachtmann

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Although nonprofits see value and potential in social media, many have not yet mastered social media and harnessed their full potential. This phenomenological study sought to identify the best social media strategies and tactics for effectively engaging existing and potential donors, volunteers and stakeholders, according to social media nonprofit professionals. Six themes emerged: listening to the audience; engaging instead of fundraising; sharing relevant, valuable and actionable content; being honest, accessible and responsive; using social media as part of a multi-channel strategy; and that measuring is mandatory.

[The Development Of Public Relations In] Kenya, Dane M. Kiambi

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

This chapter traces the practice of PR from pre-independence Kenya to the 21st century. It emerges that the practice of PR is closely tied to major national events and to social, cultural, political and economic forces. PR roles as understood by the pre-independence colonial government: keeping the public informed on government development projects, assessing public opinion and advising government, endearing government to Kenyans and building the awareness of Kenya abroad have continued to modern-day Kenya.

Cooperative Struggle: Re-Framing Intercultural Conflict In The Management Of Sino-American Joint Ventures, Kathleen J. Krone, Sarah Steimel

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Sino-American economic joint ventures are most often studied through a lens of technical rationality that typically emphasizes organizational efficiency, reduces culture to a manageable resource, and views conflict as discrete disruptions requiring efficient handling. Here, we conceptualize Sino-American business partnerships as sites of struggle where co-managers' accounts of intercultural disagreements reveal friction around action, voice, interests, and identity. We propose cooperative struggle as a critical management practice for working creatively with the multiple forms of difference that arise in this organizational form.

Transformative Engagement In Deliberative Democracies: Exploring A Framework For Engagement Using A Creative, Braided Approach, Janell C. Walther

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Policymakers, scientists, academics, and organizational leaders have long been interested in the best way to engage, persuade, and educate stakeholders, no matter the topic (e.g., Mazer, 2013; Bell et al, 2013). While exploration of information dissemination and presentation is growing (Jones, 2013; Gutkind, 2005), particularly within highly mediatized networked societies (Castells, 2008), the necessity for engaging, persuading, and educating citizens in the public sphere through diverse approaches is increasingly obvious. In particular, it is important and relevant to creatively engage stakeholders and decision-makers in an interactive dialogue to allow for fuller understanding about complex topics, especially in the realm of …

Meet Them Where They Gather: An Analysis Of Nasa’S Communications Approach For The 21st Century, Amanda D. Stein

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Since the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been tasked with not only governing the United States’ space activities, but also sharing those efforts and subsequent findings with the American public. When President Barack Obama issued the Open Government Directive in 2009, NASA was well positioned to meet the objectives. Today, the administration has built one of the most successful web-based information-sharing presences by government agency, largely by tailoring communications efforts to reach the public on popular social media platforms. This paper will explore how NASA has utilized two-way symmetrical communications …

Connecting With Volunteers: Memorable Messages And Volunteer Identification, Sarah Steimel

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Many of the 1.8 million registered nonprofit organizations in the United States rely on the services of volunteers to be able to connect with and meaningfully serve their communities. However, volunteers are less likely to receive formal socialization and training than paid employees. Thus, this study employs the concept of memorable messages as a way for exploring the ways in which messages received by volunteers from a variety of organizational sources may affect their volunteer identification with the nonprofit organization they serve. Three results emerged from the data, including: (a) sources of memorable messages in volunteer organizations; (b) types of …

Trailblazing Healthcare: Institutionalizing And Integrating Complementary Medicine, Barbara F. Sharf, Patricia Geist Martin, Kevin-Khristián Cosgriff-Hernández, Julia Moore

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Objectives — This study examines three integrative health centers to understand their (1) historical development, organizational goals, and modalities, (2) the processes and challenges of integrating complementary and allopathic medicine, while encouraging staff collaboration, and (3) how each center becomes institutionalized within their community.

Methods — We focus on three organizational case studies that reflect varying forms of integrative health care practices in three U.S. cities. Participant-observation and in-depth interviews with center directors were analyzed qualitatively.

Results — Important patterns found within the three cases are (1) the critical role of visionary biomedical practitioners who bridge complementary and allopathic practices, …

Workplace Dignity In A Total Institution: Examining The Experiences Of Foxconn’S Migrant Workforce, Kristen Lucas, Dongjing Kang, Zhou Li

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

In 2010, a cluster of suicides at the electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn Technology Group sparked worldwide outcry about working conditions at its factories in China. Within a few short months, 14 young migrant workers jumped to their deaths from buildings on the Foxconn campus, an all-encompassing compound where they had worked, eaten, and slept. Even though the language of workplace dignity was invoked in official responses from Foxconn and its business partner Apple, neither of these parties directly examined workers’ dignity in their ensuing audits. Based on our analysis of media accounts of life at Foxconn, we argue that its …

Socializing The Nomad: Problematizing The Socialization Of Profession-Specific Temporary Workers, Matthew S. Vorell, Sarah Steimel

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

While growth in the majority of economic areas has slowed greatly over the past few years, the percentage of individuals moving into temporary labor has seen double-digit expansion. However, the understanding of how temporary workers switch from organizational outsiders to insiders has remained largely unexplored as traditional socialization scholarship has focused primarily on linear and sequential steps. This study challenged the nature of the socialization process by analyzing how substitute teachers, as profession-specific temporary workers, assimilated in their work arrangement. We concluded that instead of the linear model dedicated to organisational members with long-term contracts, socialization models encompassing substitute teachers …

Mapping Injustice: The World Is Witness, Place-Framing, And The Politics Of Viewing On Google Earth, Joshua P. Ewalt

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Working from assumptions that inequality is often spatially informed, a set of interactive cartographies has recently proliferated on Google Earth. In this essay, I analyze one of those interactive cartographies: The World is Witness produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). I read the map as an organizational rhetoric that frames place as "embedded injustice." I also argue that thorough analysis of the framing of local place on Google Earth must inherently question whether the map can create a disruption in the viewing subject. While the map presents vital information on excruciatingly despicable acts of injustice, and the …

Negotiating Tensions Across Organizational Boundaries: Communication And Refugee Resettlement Organizations, Sarah Steimel

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Voluntary non-profit organizations play a critical role in mediating the transition of refugees into their new host communities in the United States. Furthermore, mediation is fundamentally a communicative phenomenon, as social services are provided in through communication between nonprofit workers and clients. Critically, for voluntary mediating organizations to create empowering spaces for refugees, communication is central. In this study, I emphasize the tensional processes inherent to mediating interactions and explore how refugee resettlement organizational staff members and refugee-clients describe and manage the communicative tensions which emerge when they interact with one another.

I conducted eighteen in-depth interviews with fifteen organizational …

Psychological Net Worth: Finding The Balance Between Psychological Capital And Psychological Debt, Michele L. Millard

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This multi-level study examined a proposed framework of psychological net worth that builds on the current psychological capital conceptualization of positive psychological assets provided to an organization by articulating the construct of psychological debt or those psychological liabilities in an organization. By describing psychological debt as a collection of negative attributes that occur at the individual level for individuals that hamper productivity, morale, and effectiveness in organizations, this framework of psychological net worth proposes the need to create a psychological balance sheet of psychological capital and debt. Psychological debt is described using the dimension of emotional labor, job insecurity, job …

How New Librarians Used Branding And Outreach To Create Communities Of Practice, Kiyomi D. Deards

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

Want to get involved and make a difference? Come learn how one librarian got involved and used branding and outreach to promote and increase membership in their professional service organization, and developed their personal community of practice. Find out how you can get involved professionally. Learn how you can define and promote a unique brand for a professional group or yourself, and see how getting involved can exponentially increase your professional network while serving others.

The Working Class Promise: A Communicative Account Of Mobility-Based Ambivalences, Kristen Lucas

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

In-depth interviews with 62 people with working class ties (blue-collar workers and adult sons and daughters of blue-collar workers) reveal a social construction of working class that imbues it with four core, positively valenced values: strong work ethic, provider orientation, the dignity of all work and workers, and humility. This constellation of values is communicated through a ubiquitous macrolevel discourse—which I coin the Working Class Promise—that elevates working class to the highest position in the social class hierarchy and fosters a strong commitment to maintain a working class value system and identity. However, this social construction is only a partial …