Leadership Studies Commons^™

Creating A Sense Of Community In Online, Graduate Education, Dominique Therese Bredeson

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study investigates aspects of creating a sense of community in online, graduate education environments. Specifically, this study was designed to seek out very precise, practical actions that professors and universities can enact to create a greater sense of community for their online, graduate students. This study conducted research exclusively on a small, private, liberal arts university in the northwest United States, focusing exclusively on the institution’s MA program with online options. The courses observed were comprised of roughly 185 students. This study used both quantitative and qualitative data to uncover specific actions that professors and universities might take to …

Marketing In Ethnically Diverse Markets, Candice B. Ward-Ferris

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

As illustrated by the 2010 U.S. Census data, the demographics of the United States have changed. If companies concentrate their marketing solely on the majority demographic, they could lose an opportunity to capitalize on the spending power of other non-majority consumers or create brand identification with other cultural or ethnic groups. As companies appeal to various demographics, they also have an obligation to avoid harm and produce a benefit – what William David Ross refers to as one’s prima facie duty (Ross, 2002). Appealing to various co-cultures or ethnic groups has been a focus for both advertisers and researchers for …

How Social Is Social? Nonprofit Audience Engagement By Types Of Facebook Posts, Linda Mckay

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

In the 1960s, philosopher Jürgen Habermas introduced his idea of the public sphere—a space where citizens could meet openly to discuss all manner of issues facing society, free of controlling influence like the state. The discussions integral to Habermas’s public sphere rely on Buber’s relational theory of dialogue wherein participants meet in the “between” to understand each other. Modern scholars, conjecture that the Internet and possibly even social networking sites (SNSs) like Facebook and Twitter are the modern-reincarnation of Habermas’s public sphere. This study reviews current literature supporting the theory that SNSs can function as modern-day public spheres and conducts …

Mentoring Latina Leaders: Establishing And Nourishing A Positive Mentoring Relationship, Jacqueline Resendez

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Helping someone maximizes the interaction that takes place between individuals because it provides a purpose for communication. The unique experience of exchanging information and support also results in the gratification of being able to impact another person’s life. Mentoring relationships support Buber’s I-Thou relationship of respectfully helping others when the opportunity exists. The cost and benefits shared while learning from each other also expand on Homans’ (1961) social exchange theory that suggests that the purpose behind human behavior is based from the exchange between each other. With more motivation to engage in a collaborative relationship, aspiring leaders have advanced personally …

Climate Change Discourse And Gendered Communication, Meagan Newsom Pierluissi

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Climate change is one of the most critical threats facing the 21st century. The effects on the planet, humankind, jobs, food supply, and other vital resources increase every year. Those communicating these details to the American public through mass media are doing so with gendered discourse. This study analyzes three speeches from predominant climate change communicators representing three different platforms: politician Al Gore, cultural figure Leonardo DiCaprio, and climate scientist James Hansen. Using discourse analysis informed by feminist standpoint theory, this study suggests that frames, words, phrases, and communication styles embedded in discussions of climate change continue to use gendered …

Increasing Civic Engagement: Adopting A Communities For All Ages Model In Gilbert, Az, Kathleen Mary Stringham

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The Gilbert Historical Society is expanding their vision and programming to encapsulate a Communities for All Ages (CFAA) approach. CFAA is an intergenerational approach where people of different generations purposefully work together to address the needs of a community. Gilbert is seeking to encourage social capital and civic engagement within the town. High levels of social capital, resulting in increased civic engagement, have proven to have a positive effect on many aspects of a community (Debertin, 1996, Forward, 2000, Grillo, Teixeira & Wilson, 2010, Henkin, Brown & Leiderman, 2012, Liberato, Brimblecombe, Ritchie, Ferguson & Coveney, 2011, Putnam, 1995, Robins, 2008). …

Facilitating A Pastoral Leadership Model For The Ulysses Church Of Christ, Warren Baldwin

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project intended to train leaders in principles of character-based leadership. I applied five principles drawn from Proverbs to the current situation of the Ulysses Church of Christ. The principles included community development, integrity, listening, ministering to the marginalized, and shepherding. I intentionally focused this character-based leadership training more on theological principles found in Proverbs than on skill development or leadership theories from the social sciences. I paid some attention to skill development and incorporated some principles from the social sciences, particularly psychology, but I placed greater emphasis on learning what …

Creating A Customer Centric Organization, Theresa Kiefer

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The objective of this research project is to demonstrate how organizations, and their employees, may benefit from following a customer centric business model to include having a better understanding of the organizational goals and roles of employees. The study is built on the philosophy that organizational culture--and messages that both frame and result from that culture—plays a vital role in the daily lives of employees, which can enhance or detract from the customer experience. The research also examines the implication that poor service has on customers, employees and the organization as a whole and investigates the negative, residual effects of …

The Virtual High School: Teaching Best Practices And Diversity, Demetrius Aquino Prado

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Statistics reveal that the enrollment in virtual schooling is ever-increasing in the United States. Current research of online teaching best practices, diversity and differences in post-secondary institutions is more prevalent than research that engages online teaching at high school institutions. This study unveils the experiences of online teachers at the Antelope Valley Union High School District’s (AVUHSD) Virtual Academy in the in Quartz Hill, California. The purpose for the research is two-fold. How cognizant are the AVUHSD’s Virtual Academy teachers in regards to online best practices and techniques (Kerr, 2011, Hlebowitsh, 2012, Pearcy, 2014)? To what extent are Virtual Academy …

Internal Social Media Networks And Team Environments, Tamyra Js Howser

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Internal social media networks have become an effective knowledge-sharing computermediated communication channel for employees within organizations. In a business environment that requires employees to do more with less resources, work in geographically diverse locations and come together quickly for organizational needs, online channels are an accessible and inexpensive way to accomplish goals. Employees are considered the most important audience for an organization and are considered equal in value to investors and external customers. But employees need meaning behind their work for long-term satisfaction. Viktor Frankl, a Jewish psychiatrist and neurologist, survived the Holocaust and experienced the responsibility of living a …

Discussing Race Online: A Study Of Video Conferencing As A Distance Learning Tool, Leland Gilbert

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Teaching tolerance and promotion of diversity is an increasingly important aspect of education programs in the United States (Allen, 2011). Student resistance to ideas related to Critical Race Theory has been documented by numerous scholars, and presents significant challenges to teachers of diversity courses (Alexander-Floyd, 2008, Cooks, 2003, Donadey, 2002, Davis & Steyn, 2012, Heinze, 2008, Johnson & Bhatt, 2003). The distance learning environment presents unique challenges to instructors when dealing with student resistance (Ouzts, 2006), and online diversity education programs may benefit from the utilization of a variety of technologies to facilitate dialogue, discussion, and self-reflection among students (Chang …

Incorporating Situational Crisis Communication And Attribution Theories Into A Crisis Communication Plan For Xyz Organization, Linda Kay Gorman

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

A crisis can be defined as “an unexpected, non-routine event that creates uncertainty and threatens an organization’s priority goals” (Dean, 2004, p. 192). If not handled properly, it may have negative effects on the organization’s reputation and overall viability. Therefore, it is essential that organizations prepare an effective crisis response plan to implement once a crisis occurs. Situational crisis communication theory (SCCT) is a proven theory used in developing effective crisis response strategies. This theory asserts that organizations must select the crisis strategies most appropriate to the type of crisis (Coombs, 2006). Heider’s attribution theory asserts that how we react …

Textese As An Identifiable Genre, Christian Miemiec

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study is focused on determining if textese (the acronyms, shortcuts, emoticons, etc., used in texting) is a definable genre. The study uses communication theory centered on understanding how people interact in the computer mediated communication space to manage and foster strong relationships and understand each other when there are little or no visual and verbal cues. Defining textese as a genre helps support social information processing as the study supports the position that textese can be used for close relationships. Using textese is shown to support social interactionism as textese is an indicator of how well people know each …

Self-Presentation On Fan Sites On Social Media, Christopher Keough

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Sports fans can be emotional and loyal beings, living and dying by their teams’ performance. As people, however, even the most loyal sports fans are aware of how they are perceived by others. This thesis explored fan communication behavior on social media to determine whether sports fans would maintain a strong interest in self-image when surrounded by peers with the same perspective. Tajfel and Turner’s (1986) social identity theory states that individuals use group associations to project a positive self-image. Selective self-presentation states that when people meet online they can curate a positive perception (Walther, 2005). The literature review studied …

Social Change Through Digital Communication: A Project Designed To Explore The Positive Impact That Advertising And The Media Have In Emplowering Change For Women Within Organizations, Katie Anne Albang

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This is a project that examines gender stereotypes, social perception, power and fear as factors as to why there are few women in leadership positions. It also explores how social change through digital communication strategies such as advertising are effective ways to empower women and help reach gender equality in the workplace. This project looks at how advertising campaigns have begun to focus on empowering women, gender equality and the attempt to eliminate stereotypes through digital media and communication initiatives. In addition, the interactive universalism philosophy and ethical assumptions along with the social identity theory are used to support the …

Front-Of-Package Food Labels: Consumer Knowledge And Purchase Decisions, Trisha Deanne Knebel

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study was conducted to determine if a relationship exists between front-of-package food labels and consumer purchase decisions, and whether there is a difference in purchase decisions between those who believed they did versus those who believed they did not understand the meanings of the labels. The philosophical assumption of this research was framed around Aristotle’s Golden Mean (Aristotle, trans. 2014), which guided the study based on the virtue of moderation. Through the theoretical basis of the uses and gratifications theory by Elihu Katz (Katz, Blumler, & Gurevitch, 1973), this study also compared food purchase decisions of participants who did …

Suggestion, Perception, Reality: A Study Into The Relationship Between Suggestion And The Reality It May Produce, Perception, Reality: A Study Into The Relationship Between Suggestion And The Reality It May Produce., Scott Whippo

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Suggestion is a part of communication that cannot be stripped from or be considered separate from verbal and nonverbal communication. It is through the need to view the communication processes from a complete understanding that this study investigated the possible influence that suggestion may have on an individual’s perception of reality. The existing literature was reviewed with various results from different researchers, however, much of the literature supported previous research done by Spanos et al. (1984) and Bartels et al. (2006). Their research showed some indications that suggestion, and possibly priming may have an influence on an individual’s perception. Using …

Acclimation Does Not Mean Equality: Muted Group Identity Management Of Women In The United States Navy, Richard Russell Langbein

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This thesis focuses on identity management amongst women, as part of a muted-group, within the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. This study considers cultural and social conditions encountered prior to their entry into the program to assist in evaluating communication and identity management methods to regain voice. The research is grounded in muted-group theory and seeks to build on existing research that follows the repeal of the Combat Exclusion Law. Existing research following the repeal centers on women in direct combatant roles. This study examines women in a high-paced academic and technical field. Ten women volunteered to participate to include narrative …

Parlance, Perception, And Power: An Inquiry Into Non-Standard Language Use In Digital Media, James Thomas Jarc

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the effects of Internet slang use (inclusive of slang, initialisms, abbreviations, emoji, and hashtags) on perceptions of source credibility among constituents of nonDrit organizations. The author hypothesized that a user’s level of comfort/fluency with digital media would impact how they perceive organizations that use non-standard language online. This study used a content analysis of social media posts from 2 national organizations to analyze patterns of non-standard language use, and applied the engagement index (EI) to quantify constituent engagement actions with those posts on 3 social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). An accompanying survey revealed correlations between …

Names Are Words: A Study Of Age, Gender, Class And Race, Alexandria Michelle Baker

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Just over 4 million babies are born in the United States each year, and as many people know each baby eventually gets a name. In an extension of research demonstrating both Symbolic Interaction Theory and the Coordinated Management of Meaning, through the use of semantics and pragmatics, the present study examined what names communicate about age, race, gender and class. Using data obtained from the first group of participants in Survey 1(i.e. names of each individual and their demographics), Survey 2 participants, a random sampling of Americans, were asked to look at 14 names and determine what those names communicated. …

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.

Ua3/9/7 Budget Summary, Wku President's Office - Ransdell

WKU Administration Documents

Email from WKU president Gary Ransdell to faculty & staff regarding budget.

Fostering Healing Through Reconciliation In The Abernathy Church Of Christ, Randall K. Carr

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This project is an exercise in addressing anxiety as a result of unresolved conflict in the Abernathy Church of Christ. In 2009 emotions escalated to a climactic point, leading a group of participants to separate from the Abernathy Church of Christ. The events surrounding this episode have played an influential role in shaping the narrative of the Abernathy Church of Christ. This project seeks to identify areas of residual pain in the existing narrative and move the congregation into a narrative of hope for the future of the Abernathy Church of Christ. The central theme is reconciliation and results from …

Cultivating The Practice Of Missional Hospitality For Small Groups At West Houston Church Of Christ, Kevin Stewart

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project in which I led a team to develop a plan to cultivate the practice of missional hospitality for small groups at West Houston Church of Christ. I used missional theology as a framework to give shape to the practice of hospitality. The project team met for nine weeks in the fall of 2014. The team practiced lectio divina focused on Luke 10, participated in theological reflection on missional hospitality, and fulfilled assignments to practice missional hospitality. These activities helped form the group spiritually and informed the development of a …

Evaluating An Oral Draft Of Luke 8:4-15 In Uduk, Jeremy N. Harrison

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the findings of a project in which I led a group of immigrants from South Sudan through the process of generating and evaluating an oral draft of Luke 8:4-15 in Uduk. The aim of this project was to provide a substantive field test of an oral translation methodology conducted among immigrants living in the United States who speak a language that lacks a translation of the entire Bible. The project involved facilitating basic translation training and conducting an oral drafting process with a team of three Uduk speakers. This project also involved evaluating the …

Ua3/9/7 Wku Men's & Women's Swim & Diving Team, Wku President's Office - Ransdell

WKU Administration Documents

Email from WKU president Gary Ransdell to faculty & staff regarding the WKU swimming and diving teams.

Ua3/9/7 Accreditation Victory, Wku President's Office - Ransdell

WKU Administration Documents

Email from WKU president Gary Ransdell to faculty & staff regarding accreditation.

Ua77/1 Wku Spirit, Wku Alumni Relations

WKU Administration Documents

WKU's alumni magazine. Contents:

• Jimmy Feix 1931-2014
• Ransdell, Gary. Letter from the President
• Thompson Complex – North Wing Razed
• WKU Yearbook Wins Pacemaker Award – Talisman
• Neale Chumbler Named Dean of College of Health & Human Services
• Six Gatton Academy of Mathematics & Science Students Semifinalists in 2014 Siemans Competition
• WKU Among 30 Most Beautiful College Campuses in the South
• Don Dizney Receives Honorary Doctorate for Public Service
• WKU Named to Military Friendly Schools List for 6^th Straight Year
• WKU Listed in Open Doors Report for Study Abroad Participation
• Six WKU Students Honored by Gilman Scholarship Program
• WKU Graduate …

Documento Conceptual Sobre Redes De Excelencia Para La Investigación Y La Educación, Suresh V. Garimella, David B. Janes, Anne Slaughter Andrew

PPRI Digital Library

“Redes de Excelencia” focalizadas permitirán que las instituciones en América Latina desarrollen ecosistemas de investigación y educación de un modo mucho más rápido que si siguieran procesos "orgánicos" o locales. Una vez implementados, estos ecosistemas no solo permitirán profundas transformaciones que lleven a economías basadas en el conocimiento, sino que también desempeñarán roles claves en las redes necesarias para los sistemas de innovación regionales.

Para acelerar el desarrollo de ecosistemas de investigación y educación en toda América, los autores proponen establecer “Redes de Excelencia” en las áreas claves. Cada Red de Excelencia será multiinstitucional, multisectorial (universidad, empresa, gobierno, ONG) y …

A Critical Analysis: Infusion Of Social Media And Traditional Media Strategies And Tactics In The Recipe For Success For Local, Main Street Usa Restaurants, Tori Partykevich

Senior Honors Projects

Restaurants can benefit greatly from carefully constructed public relations efforts. A strong plan and a dedicated use of both traditional and new media can help restaurants grow their business. It can be much more difficult for local, mom & pop restaurants to gain the attention that will boost their business than for large corporate chain companies who already have a well-known name. A positive public image of a restaurant is vital to its success and public relations strategies can help this to be achieved.

A solid social media presence, community involvement, local newspaper advertisements, special offers and public events can …