Elucidating influences on superior‐subordinate communication: Attributional confidence and organizational control expectancies

The purpose of this study was to examine how differences in organizational control expectancies affect superior‐subordinate interaction and relational certainty. Employees (N = 280) from several organizations completed measures of perceived control, attributional confidence, and superior‐subordinate interaction. Results indicated significant relationships between subordinates ‘ work locus of control orientation with relational certainty and superior‐subordinate relationship quality. A large effect was observed between subordinates ‘ report of relational certainty with supervisor and supervisor leadership style.     

Keyword: Print‐on‐demand

Abstract

This article examines the state of management in Convergence today and poses questions and potential answers for overcoming cultural problems that exist between newspaper and television newsrooms. The article scrutinizes the seeming abyss between these expected media partners and examines cultural implications through literature in organizational psychology, organizational communications and general business management practices.     

Images of Injury: Graphic News Visuals’ Effects on Attitudes toward the Use of Unmanned Drones

In this study, sanitized coverage of the United States’ use of military drone strikes in foreign countries is pitted against more graphic news images in an experimental setting to determine effects on attitudes toward the use of U.S. military drones. In addition, multiple news exposures are tested to determine whether individuals can become emotionally inured to such coverage, even when images are more graphic. Key results find those who viewed graphic news visuals did not show evidence of desensitization after repeated viewing and expressed higher levels of concern regarding drone use but not reduced support for U.S. drone policy.     

Language attitudes toward varieties of English: An American‐Japanese context

To our knowledge, no data exist on attitudes toward speakers with Japanese accented varieties of American English, an area of profound significance given increasing American‐Japanese contacts across a wide range of applied contexts. This “matched‐guise” study provides such by eliciting Americans’ reactions to a Japanese male talking on two different topics (aggressive versus neutral) using four language varieties (viz., standard, moderate‐accented, heavy‐accented, and disfluent). Speaker evaluations on status, attractiveness, and dynamism traits confirmed certain predictions based on the literature, but some surprising, yet interpretable, patterns emerged in this new domain of American‐Japanese inquiry. Specifically, it was found that Japanese‐accented speakers were evaluated in manner unlike all other non‐standard accented speakers of American English, except those of British and Malaysian background. It is suggested that perceptions of social group competitiveness may be responsible for this pattern of results which, in turn, is discussed in terms of its applied ramifications.     

A refined view of download time impacts on e‐consumer attitudes and patronage intentions toward e‐retailers

Abstract

The following paper is a case study analysis of the Sony Corporation; a leading transnational media corporation in the production and sale of consumer electronics, music and film entertainment and videogame technology. There are two main parts to this study. Part I, examines the history and development of the Sony Corporation. This paper argues that the business strategies and corporate culture of a company are often a direct reflection of the person (or persons) who were responsible for developing the organization and its business mission. Part II. examines the Sony Corporation from the standpoint of business strategy. Special attention is given to the subject of organizational culture and strategic decision‐making. A second argument of this paper is that while Sony is a transnational media corporation, the organization is decidedly Japanese in its business values. The significance of this research lies in its revelations concerning the complex changes facing a company that was once historically Japanese in its origins but is tecoming increasingly transnational ïn scope and operations.     

Effects of imagery‐eliciting on recognition and recall for radio commercials

This experiment suggests that recognition and recall are better for radio commercials with imagery‐eliciting copy than for commercials without imagery‐eliciting copy.     

Management view,power use,and affinity‐seeking: Effects on college student employee identification

This study investigated the effects of management view, power use, and affinity‐seeking on employee organizational identification in organizations that hire part‐time college students. Most managers were identified as manifesting a Theory Y view of management. Manager coercive and expert power were significantly related to employee organizational identification. Results indicated that manager view and affinity‐seeking were significantly related to employee organizational identification. Significant differences in affinity‐seeking and in employee organizational identification were found for Theory X and Theory Y managers.     

Negative relational events and event responses across relationship‐type: Examining and comparing the impact of conflict strategy‐use on intimacy in same‐sex friendships,opposite‐sex friendships and romantic relationships

This study examined negative events and conflict response in individuals’ “closest”; relationships. Sillars’ (1980a,b) typology of conflict responses (avoidance, distributive, integrative) with roommates was applied to individuals ‘ closest relationships. Individuals reported romantic partners, same‐ or opposite‐sex friends as their “closest”; relationship. Results indicated that negative events varied by relationship‐type and that individuals in romantic relationships felt closer to their partner than those in same‐ or opposite‐sex friendships. Participants in this study reported using integrative strategies most across relationship‐type in response to conflict. Individuals using integrative strategies reported significantly higher current relational intimacy than those who used avoidance or distributive strategies. Discussion and implications follow.     

Employee attitudes toward the broadcasting industry: A report from the APBE‐NAB employment study

A 1965 Journal article by James W. Carey, “Variations in Negro/White Television Preferences,”; aroused considerable discussion when it appeared. The following article is on a similar topic, using a different sample. Alan D. Fletcher earned his Ph.D. in Communication at the University of Illinois; this article is based on a section of his dissertation. He presently is associate professor of marketing at Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois.     

The value of goodness‐of‐fit indices in meta‐analysis: A comment on Hall and Rosenthal

In a useful article regarding testing for moderator variables in meta‐analysis, Hall and Rosenthal (1991) suggest, among other things, that when the sample of studies is large enough, it is acceptable to use ordinary inferential statistics such as the analysis of variance to test for moderator variables. However, because meta‐analytic data points (effect sizes) differ in important ways from those for which ordinary inferential statistics were designed, we recommend that analysts use conventional meta‐analytic statistics, which are at least potentially more informative about the literature in question. Hall and Rosenthal also suggest that tests of effect size variability should play a minimal role in meta‐analytic model tests. We concur that these tests of homogeneity cannot alone test for moderator variables and that at least tests between mean effect sizes should be performed. However, consistent with Hedges and Olkin's (1985) meta‐analytic framework, we show how homogeneity tests provide additional and valuable information regarding how completely a moderator (or set of moderators) explains the variation of effect sizes. Therefore, these goodness‐of‐fit statistics may prove quite valuable, especially in meta‐analyses of highly variable study outcomes. We further recommend that in meta‐analyses for which study outcomes are already consistent, analysts should continue to perform model tests if they have theoretical expectations about moderators. We discuss these and other meta‐analytic model testing concerns.     

‘Alive’ on the internet: A user‐centred evaluation of BIS‐online

Recent UK government initiatives have encouraged academic staff to consider using IT to enhance students' experience of higher education in terms of its quality, flexibility and effectiveness. In 1999 second year undergraduate students studying Information Management at Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh were invited to use a set of tailored web resources in support of the module Business Information Sources. This article presents the results of an evaluation conducted to discover the student view of the web site materials and the alternative learning methods employed for the module. Student opinions were sought on the accessibility, retrievability and usefulness of the information presented, and the ‘enjoyment’ of the learning experience. A comparison of the 1998/9 student examination performance was made with that of previous cohorts to determine whether adding another dimension to the experience of taking the module might impact the quality of the students' learning. The findings presented in the article will inform the further development of such initiatives, which in tum should improve the electronic delivery of learning materials in UK higher education.     

Latino children’s ability to interpret in health settings: A parent–child dyadic perspective on child health literacy

To determine children’s ability to interpret in medical settings, 100 dyads of low-income, Spanish-speaking parents and their bilingual children who interpret for the parents were surveyed. Seventy-four children demonstrated adequate health literacy in English. Three theoretical perspectives (social cognitive theory, role-reversal theory, and the team-effort model) guided hypotheses about how parent and child characteristics influenced child health literacy. Structural equation model results supported the team-effort model. Children were more health literate when they were older, had better English abilities, had higher self-efficacy, and had parents with lower self-efficacy and better English language abilities. Children and parents may work as a team in medical interpreting settings, with children simultaneously compensating for and learning from parents.     

The U.S. supreme court 1969‐1992: A shift toward an individualistic style of judging

Prior research has noted the increase of concurrent and dissenting opinions issued by the U.S. Supreme Court. It has been argued that the proliferation of concurrent and dissenting opinions is symptomatic of an “individualistic” style of judging. This paper seeks to answer the question of whether individualism has also become manifest among the sitting Justices on the Supreme Court. It is argued that the number of personal references in Court opinions offers a linguistic clue as to how the Justices see themselves and the Court as an institution. The key issue is whether the sitting Justices see the current Court (and themselves) as an institutional body or as a fractionalized collection of individuals. A content analysis of Court opinions offers some support that an individualistic style of judging has increased over time.     

Effects of “Meaningful” Entertainment on Altruistic Behavior: Investigating Potential Mediators

Recent research has shown that exposure to entertainment media depicting moral beauty may not only influence viewers' affective responses, but also lead to altruistic behavior. Although the process has been tied to a set of feelings commonly referred to as elevation, the mechanisms by which the effects take place have not been examined. This experiment (N = 107) showed that participants who watched a clip portraying moral beauty were more likely to help with an unrelated volunteer task after viewing than those who watched a non-meaningful clip. The effect of the clip was mediated by the degree to which the clip produced mixed affective response in participants. Although the clip portraying moral beauty led to increased empathy with the character and increased feelings of elevation, neither of these predicted helping behavior after controlling for clip content. Helping behavior also increased when the help recipient was less similar to the participants (age, race, and university affiliation).     

Advise with Permission?: The Effects of Advice Solicitation on Advice Outcomes

Two studies examine reactions to permitted (offered and permission granted), volunteered (given without offer or assent), and imposed advice (offered and given even though declined). In Study 1, participants’ ratings of advice quality and implementation intention were higher for volunteered and permitted than imposed advice. Only for a task that was highly personal did recipients have a significantly higher intention to use permitted than volunteered advice. Study 2 replicated results from Study 1 with a nonstudent sample. In addition, Study 2 found stronger differences between volunteered and permitted advice, with permitted advice rated more positively. Study 2 also examined the effect of using you pronouns, which have been linked to confrontation and criticism, when giving advice, but found no consistent effects on advice outcomes.     

A re‐examination of relational repair and reconciliation: Impact of socio‐communicative style on strategy selection

This study examines some of the reconciliation and repair/maintenance strategies in the relational communication literature. These strategies were compared with Bell and Daly's (1984) affinity‐seeking strategies. It was concluded that Bell and Daly's strategies could identify many of the same relational strategies with less contextual confusion. It is argued that affiliation strategies represent a true multiphasic relational communication typology that applies to the range of repair/reconciliation contexts. The study then looks at the degree to which assertiveness, and responsiveness predicts the use/non‐use of affinity seeking strategies in the context of relational repair. The study indicates that self perceived assertiveness and responsive play a role in strategy selection as well. Finally, how others are perceived in terms of assertiveness and responsiveness was found to predict the types of strategies used and not used in relational repair contexts.     

Regulation of on‐line content in the new trade environment: NAFTA and communication policy

Trade agreements are constitution‐like in that they constrain action at “lower” or national and sub‐national levels (Jackson, 1988). This article examines some constitution‐like effects of telecommunication provisions in the North American Free Trade Agreement on U.S. policies regulating pornography. Recent U.S. actions to regulate on‐line pornography, through amendments to the Communications Act and the Comstock Act, and relevant cases, including the recent Amateur Action decision, are discussed. The relevant provisions in the NAFTA are outlined. The paper concludes that U.S. efforts to regulate content of on‐line services which appear to fall within the category of enhanced/value‐added telecommunication services would not be strictly “NAFTA‐legal” under the telecommunication chapter, but could be made so utilizing the privacy, consumer protection or cultural‐industries exceptions which were not intended for this purpose nor were advocated by the U.S. The broader implications for the future of the nation state and for a possible international regime governing offensive speech are discussed.     

The “Mere Presence” Hypothesis: Investigating the Nonverbal Effects of Cell-Phone Presence on Conversation Satisfaction

Prior research has supported the mere presence hypothesis, which suggests that cell phones act as an environmental nuisance that negatively impact the quality of face-to-face interactions. This study conducted an experiment to determine whether cell-phone presence negatively influences conversation satisfaction. Specifically, network member dyads (N = 46) engaged in unstructured conversations where one partner’s cell phone was either absent or present. The results revealed that, whereas the mere presence of a cell phone did not influence conversation satisfaction, individuals’ recollection of whether or not a cell phone was present did significantly negatively impact their pre- to posttest reports of conversation satisfaction. Implications of these findings for research on the mere presence hypothesis as well as directions for future research are discussed.