Politeness theory and refusals of requests: Face threat as a function of expressed obstacles

This investigation seeks to extend Wilson, Aleman, and Leatham's (1998) revision of Brown and Levinson's (1987) politeness theory by focusing on the relationship between face threat and refusals to requests. Results support that (a) when requests are refused, threats to the negative face needs of the requester are more prevalent than threats to the negative face of the refuser and (b) depending on the obstacle underlying the refusal, there are differences in type of threat present to the requester's positive face and the refuser's face needs.     

Relational Maintenance and the Influence of Commitment in Online and Offline Relationships

The study of relational-maintenance behaviors has sometimes included the impact of medium as a peripheral variable, but rarely has the impact of medium been tested directly. Participants (N = 1336) delineated themselves into four separate groups depending on the initial and continued use of mediated communication. They reported their use of relational-maintenance behaviors, as well as feelings of commitment towards the relationship. The medium had an impact on the use of relational-maintenance behaviors, primarily between people who had only met their partners in a mediated environment and those who had met them face-to-face. However, commitment level appears to strongly moderate the relationship between group and use of maintenance behaviors.     

Adlai E. Stevenson's United Nations audience

As United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Stevenson, with the assistance of his staff, analyzed and prepared to address three widely varied audiences: the primary audience, his fellow diplomats; his secondary audience, representatives of the world press and the radio and television media; and a spontaneous and ever‐changing group of daily visitors. To influence these audiences and to seek the widest level of support and the least antagonism for American policies, Stevenson had to concern himself with their functions, attitudes, and loyalties.     

Evaluating Group Use of the Information Commons

Evaluating the effectiveness of an information commons has been discussed in many venues since the concept was first implemented. The Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University confronted this same struggle. After two years of activity, the information commons had not been assessed to see whether the purposes for which it was planned were being fulfilled. This paper describes its first assessment. Measuring the number of groups who used the information commons over the period of two years, the assessment showed that indeed the commons is being used to a great extent for group work, one of the goals set for the creation of the information commons.     

Foreign and International

Isaiah Litvak and Christopher Maule's Cultural Sovereignty, The Time and Reader's Digest Case in Canada (New York: Praeger Special Studies, 1974---$13.50)

Survey of Public Attitudes Towards the Computer (Ottawa: Department of Communications, 1973---$1.00, paper)

Bernard Rubin's Propaganda and Public Opinion: Strategies of Persuasion (Middletown, Conn.: Xerox Educational Publications, 1973---copies on request, paper)

Jim Richstad, Michael McMillan, and Ralph Barney's The Pacific Islands Press: A Directory (Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii, 1973---no price given, paper)

Judith Tegger Kildow's Intelsat: Policy-Maker's Dilemma (Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books/Heath, 1973---$12.50)     

Journalism

Michael Wynn Jones' A Newspaper History of the World (New York: Morrow, 1974—$15.95)

Problems of Journalism: Proceedings of the 1974 Convention, American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE, Box 551, 1350 Sullivan Trail, Easton, Pa. 18042—$6.25)

M.L. Stein's Shaping the News: How the Media Function in Today's World (New York: Pocket Books, 1974—$1.25, paper)

Raymond A. Schroth S.J., The Eagle and Brooklyn: A Community Newspaper, 1341-1955 (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1974— $12.95)

American Newspaper Publishers Association News Research Bulletin (write to Mr. William Schabacker, Manager, Information Services, American Newspaper Publishers Association, P.O. Box 17407, Dulles International Airport, Washington, D.C. 20041)     

Film Theory and Criticism

William T. Pilkington and Don Graham, eds., Western Movies (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1979–$13.95/$6.95)

William R. Meyer, The Making of the Great Westerns (New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1979 – $20.00)

Michael Pitts, Famous Movie Detectives (Metuchen, New Jerseys Scarecrow Press, 1979 – $11.95)

Gerald Mast's The Comic Mind (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1979– $7.95 paper)     

Broadcasting

TALK RADIO AND THE AMERICAN DREAM by Murray B, Levin (Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1987—$22.00)

WHO SHOT THE SHERIFF? THE RISE AND FALL OF THE TELEVISION WESTERN by J. Fred MacDonald (New York: Praeger, 1987—$29.95)

LIVE TV: AN INSIDE LOOK AT DIRECTING AND PRODUCING by Tony Verna (Stoneham, MA: Focal Press, 1987—$22.95)

TV CAREERS BEHIND THE SCREEN by Jane Blanksteen and Avi Odeni (New York: John Wiley, 1987—$12.95, paper)

THE BROADCASTER'S DICTIONARY by James R. McDonald (Windriver Books, Box 481, Broomfield, CT 80020—$20.00 incl. postage, paper)

Three recent publications by the National Association of Broadcasters (Publications Dept., 1771 N St. NW. Washington, DC 20036)

TELECOMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT: THE BROADCAST &; CABLE INDUSTRIES by Barry L. Sherman (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1987—$29.95)

CHANNELS OF DISCOURSE: TELEVISION AND CONTEMPORARY CRITICISM edited by Robert C. Allen (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1987—$25.00/7.95)

THE HOUR OF TELEVISION: CRITICAL APPROACHES by N.D. Batra (Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press. 1987—$29.50)     

Television History

SATURDAY MIGHT: A BACKSTAGE HISTORY OF SATURDAY MIGHT LIVE by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad (New York: Beech Tree Books/Morrow, 1986—$17.95)

THE SOAP OPERA ENCYCLOPEDIA by Christopher Schemering (New York: Ballantine Books, 1985—$8.95, paper)

WARNER BROS. TELEVISION: EVERY SHOW OF THE FIFTIES AND SIXTIES EPISODE-BYEPISODE by Lynn Woolley, et al. (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1985—$25.95)

THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN BANDSTAND by Michael Shore with Dick Clark (New York: Ballantine Books, 1985—$12.95, paper)

A COLLECTOR'S GUIDE TO TV MEMORABILIA by Anthony Slide (Wallace-Homestead Book Co., 580 Waters Edge, Lombard, IL 60148—$13.95, paper)     

Mass Media

Communications Industry Report and Communications Industry Forecast (Veronis, Suhler & Associates, 350 Park Ave, New York, NY 10022—$500 each, paper, no ISBN numbers given)

The Annual Report Glossary: 1988 Edition by Richard Loth (FIPS Partners, 4579 Airlie Way, Annandale, VA 22003—$26.00, three-ring notebook, ISBN 0-924399-00-7)

Super Media: A Cultural Studies Approach by Michael Real (Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1989—$35.00/16.95, ISBN 0-8039-3313-4 hard, 0-8039-3314-2 soft)

The Olympic Movement and the Mass Media: Past, Present and Future Issues edited by R. Jackson and T. McPhail (Hurford Enterprises, PO Box 61256, 3630 Morley Trail NW, Calgary, Alberta T2L 1KS, Canada—price not given, paper, ISBN 0-88953-115-3)

Historical Methods in Mass Communication by James Startt and William David Sloan (Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1989—$24.50, ISBN 0-8058-0433-1)

Communication Research: Strategies and Sources by Rebecca Rubin, Alan Rubin and Linda Piele (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1990—price not given, paper, ISBN 0-534-12144-6)

“The Communication Series,”

Mass Communication: An Introductory Survey by James Harless (Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown, 1990)