The flow of,and access to,information in Bangladesh: A village level case study

This paper identifies the sources and channels of information in the rural areas of Bangladesh and highlights the information flow and access patterns at the village level of Comilla and Chittagong districts in Bangladesh. It proposes some suggestions for effective information services in rural area, as well as a specific model for a Bangladesh Integrated Rural Information System (BD-IRIS) to improve the information system of villagers. This study uses structured interviews through a pilot survey of 20% of the households from each village and information gathered by personal observations and other secondary sources, as well as appropriate statistical methods. A total of 155 responses is included in the study.Existing conditions of information flow and access in this case study indicate that there are problems in access in spite of interpersonal sources and channels of information. Of course, it is important to remember that the low literacy rate in the villages studied and in many similar communities presents many serious barriers. The author recommends establishing a Village Information Center (VIC) to provide integrated and concerted information services, along with an integrated rural information system for the purpose in the villages studies, and more widely, to meet the requirements of all people in villages in Bangladesh. The case study is one of very few studies focusing on the flow and access of information for rural areas of Bangladesh, particularly as regards information sources and channels, system and services. The approach can be replicated in other communities, and the proposed model for future direction to improve information system of village level people of Bangladesh could be modified for use in other countries.     

The third persona: An ideological turn in rhetorical theory

Wander finally answers his critics (who had various rejoinders to his “The Ideological Turn in Modern Criticism,” CSSJ, Spring 1983), with an extension of his original position, including development of the concept of “the third persona.”     

Screen level bureaucracy: Databases as public records

Providing better service by automating “business processes” is an exciting prospect for improving the government. Yet, there has not been the same level of effort at making it easier for the public to obtain information about what its government is doing. This article focuses on the constraints and opportunities in making database information available to the public. The database technology is chosen because it is a central repository of public information. New federal law requires the use of information technology (IT) to make access to public information easier. But the new law has also subtly shifted the burden of proof to the citizen in showing why certain information should be made available. If a “statutory fix” to this problem is not available in the short run, we urge agencies to provide increased access to database information because of the continual development of technology and its effect on citizen expectations.     

The ego function of protest songs: An application of Gregg's theory of protest rhetoric

This essay applies Richard Gregg's theory of protest rhetoric to 705 American social movement songs from 1800 to 1985 to discover how songs enable protestors to identify against others and thus to locate themselves positively in the social hierarchy. Songs are ideal messages for ego‐enhancement because they are movement‐centered, concerned with social relationships, and highly self‐directed. Terms denoting innocent victimage and wicked victimizer dominate the selected songs, and the vision of reality is negative, dangerous, threatening, and unfair. Relatively few songs emphasize the unity, virtue, wisdom, or bravery of protestors. The self‐image contained in songs does not appear to express a strongly positive identity or locate the oppressed very high in the symbolic or social hierarchy. This self‐image would seem to fulfill three ego functions essential for the early phases of social movements: raising consciousness, allaying guilt, and reclaiming or proclaiming one's ego. However, a different self‐image is needed as movements grow, confront opposition successfully, achieve some goals, suffer setbacks, and splinter into factions. This analysis of songs indicates that protestors have difficulty making the essential transition from a self‐image of victim to one of power, worth, and virtue. They cannot extricate themselves from symbolically defensive positions in a hostile environment.     

Refining a theory of cross-cultural adaptation: an exploration of a new methodological approach to institutional completeness

The current study explored a whole-network approach to measure the impact of institutional completeness at an individual-level with regards to [Kim, Y. (2001). Becoming intercultural: An integrative theory of communication and cross-cultural adaptation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.] a theoretical model of cross-cultural adaptation. A new construct of ‘ethnic entrainment’ was proposed as a way to bridge the different levels of theoretical constructs in the model. The analytical challenge of verifying the influence of institutional completeness (a group-level construct in the model) on individuals’ communication patterns was partially overcome in this study by measuring the degree of one's structural embeddedness in various ethnic community networks (i.e. information, emotional support, and tangible help exchange networks). A community member survey (N?=?172) was utilized to construct social networks of a Korean immigrant community. The research tested hypotheses generated from Kim's theorems on the relationships between ethnic group strength and host/ethnic interpersonal/mass communication. Three out of five hypotheses were supported through hierarchical regression analyses.     

网络信息资源评价的理论与实践

随着网络信息资源的日益丰富,网络信息资源的评价问题越来越受到人们的重视。文章系统地分析了国内外不同领域的学者对不同类型的网络资源的不同评价方法,并对一些重要的评价项目做了总结。文章的最后部分还概括了网络信息资源评价中存在的一些问题,并对其发展进行了展望。     

Joining the open government partnership initiative: An empirical analysis of diffusion effects

Prior empirical studies of the Open Government Partnership have failed to take into account possible diffusion mechanisms contributing to the expansion in the number of countries joining the partnership since its beginning in 2010. Notwithstanding the increase in the study of open government policies over the past decade across multiple levels of government, the factors influencing the decision to join multilateral initiatives like the Open Government Partnership are still under-researched. Using data from 175 countries and covering a period that goes from the year prior to the establishment of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) until the year when the latest current members have joined the partnership (2010–2018), this article examines the diffusion mechanisms affecting a country's decision to participate in the OGP. Based on binary response logit regression models, this study analyses the effects of key diffusion variables while controlling for the countries' internal determinants of participation. The findings indicate that diffusion of the OGP takes place through regional proximity, common cultural and system of government traits, and membership in international organization. While democratic countries are more likely to join, autocracies also join conditional on other countries in the same group joining. This suggests further research is needed to uncover the way countries with different regime traits design and implement transparency and open government policies under the banner of this multilateral initiative.     

Rhetorical theory as message reception: A cognitive response approach to rhetorical theory and criticism

Traditional rhetorical theory tends to adopt the rhetor's point of view, emphasizing invention of rhetorical messages, rather than the audience's reception and interpretation of messages. The audience is ordinarily conceptualized in humanistic rhetorical theory as a target, a source of expectations to guide the rhetor's invention, a means to accomplish the rhetor's ends, or even an obstacle. We argue that a more complete view of rhetoric should include the audience as a potentially active part of the process of persuasion. Accordingly, we propose to supplement our traditional theories of rhetoric by sketching a complementary view of rhetoric as the process of an auditor's processing and responding to messages. The inspiration for this conception, Petty and Cacioppo's Elaboration Likelihood Model, is sketched, and implications for rhetorical theory and criticism are discussed.     

Vocally cued personality prototypes: An implicit personality theory approach

Competence and benevolence are two personality prototypes that have emerged in research on voice and personality. While traits comprising these prototypes have been described, there is incomplete information about the interaction effects of speech rate, pitch variation, and loudness during impression formation processes. Five hypotheses and three research questions were advanced to examine main and interaction effects of the three vocal variables on the two personality prototypes. The main effects hypotheses were significant for both prototypes. Rate and pitch variation were the most influential for competence and benevolence, respectively. For competence, one interaction effect (rate by pitch variation) was significant. For benevolence, two interaction effects were significant (pitch variation by loudness, and pitch variation by rate). The results are discussed in the theoretical framework provided by implicit personality theory and the structures of the two personality prototypes.     

Motivations for open data adoption: An institutional theory perspective

During the last few years, government institutions and agencies around the world have been adopting Open Government Data (OGD) initiatives to achieve political, social, economic, cultural and institutional benefits. This study aims to investigate the motivational factors for adopting OGD among government institutions in Saudi Arabia. A qualitative research approach was used to guide the research and the data was collected using interviews and documentation. The results of the study are interpreted and explained using elements from institutional theory. It shows that the adoption of OGD is influenced by existing institutional arrangements, and that the institutional changes that are occurring in the country such as the Saudi Vision 2030, the approval of the Freedom of information Act 2016, and anti-corruption campaigns have contributed positively to the transition from culture of secrecy to openness. In addition, the initiative is influenced by internal and external institutional pressures. Furthermore, the organizations studied perceived several benefits, which can be described as rationalized myths of the OGD such as transparency and accountability, better access to government data, support for innovation, improved government services, operational benefits and encouragement of participation. Based on the findings, the study provides some theoretical and practical implications regarding OGD adoption in government sittings.     

Listening: An empirical comparison of discussion length and level of incentive

This study was designed to compare strategies used to improve listening skills in business communication settings. It analyzed the effect of discussion length and incentive level on the ability of subjects to listen to and identify main points in twenty‐two short dialogues. The results suggest that both discussion length and incentive level have an effect on listening ability.     

Possessions theory of persuasion: An examination of its basis and range

Possessions theory claims that individuals learn to relate to their possessions in either an instrumental or symbolic fashion, and that this object orientation transfers to attitudes. Implicit in the theory is the notion that instrumental and symbolic orientations anchor the poles of a single continuum. The results of the first study tested that assumption and found that a bivariate conception was more empirically defensible than a bipolar conception. Study 2 was concerned with the scope of the theory's predictions for persuasion. The possessions orientation of women at‐risk for breast cancer was measured and they were then exposed to either a symbolic or instrumental message both of which asked them to participate in a clinical trial of a breast cancer preventative. Although no effects were observed on attitude toward participation nor on intention to participate, instrumental orientation showed a reliable, positive relationship with judgments of the persuasiveness of the messages.     

可视化信息检索技术的应用——以EBSCOhost2.0为例

以EBSCOhost2.0为例,介绍了可视化信息检索技术的基本概念、应用于信息服务中的优势及其功能。     

Proximal advantage in knowledge diffusion: The time dimension

This paper intends to explore the impact of geographic proximity on the diffusion of knowledge in the form of publication citations, and argues that codified knowledge is transmitted faster in proximity and is subject to similar geographic constraints as tacit knowledge. The geographic proximity advantage would be particularly relevant in the early stage of dissemination. We collected three sets of research articles published in 1990, 2000 and 2010 and compared the longitudinal citations they received domestically and from abroad. The study found that domestic citations accumulate faster and reach their peak much earlier than foreign citations, and the difference is most evident in the first few years after publication. The result shows that geographic proximity does play a role in the speed of knowledge diffusion and points to the network effect for citations. Those located closer to the knowledge origin would be exposed and react to publications faster due to the additional opportunities of research exchange and network.     

Media's influence on immigration attitudes: An intergroup threat theory approach

The current study tests the influence of threatening-mediated intergroup contact on intergroup relations. A 2 (Immigration: Threat, No-threat) × 2 (Ingroup Group Exemplar: Present, Absent)?+?1 (Control Condition) experimental design was used to examine both the direct and indirect influence of news exposure on attitudes toward immigration. The moderating role of previous local news consumption was also investigated. Results indicate that exposure to a threatening news story about immigration directly affected attitudes toward immigrants’ human rights, but not attitudes toward immigration policy. News exposure also indirectly influenced both types of immigration attitudes through feelings of intergroup anxiety, particularly for heavy news consumers. The discussion highlights the implications for both intergroup threat theory and cultivation research.