Surveys syllabi of MBA (Masters of Business Administration) communication courses around the United States. Finds that the "typical" MBA course focuses on skill development; integrates both speaking and writing, often with emphasis on speech; and builds problem solving and strategic communication skills through experiential learning.…

Describes a prewriting problem-solving plan intended to help students achieve effective organization and persuasion in writing business documents. Finds that business communication students felt the plan was beneficial, particularly for persuasive messages, individual writing, and small-group writing, and that many felt the plan was worth…

Finds that instructors who are viewed as expressive, warm, and involved are most likely to be judged (by students viewing instructional videotapes used in distance education courses) as highly competent and that, when instructors are expressive, warm, involved, and articulate, their course content is likely to be judged favorably, especially if…

Reports on a study of 40 audiotaped reference interactions between librarians and public library users. Data analysis focused on users' problem formulation, librarians' elicitation of information from the user, unsolicited information provided by users and the effect of these factors for the outcome of the interaction. (Author/AEF)

Examines how student perceptions of instructor argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness are associated with their perceptions of the classroom climate, their reported levels of classroom apprehension, and their reported levels of state motivation. Finds that perceived instructor argumentativeness was not related to perceived classroom climate…

Explores the relationship among media consumers, institutional economics, and cultural ethos and suggests that communication researchers must adopt a flexible methodology capable of considering all relevant forces. Uses the case of Norway's broadcasting of the U.S. television series "Dynasty" to help illustrate these premises. (MG)

Argues that cultural studies imported to the United States often lose much of their critical edge. Contends that their misleading affirmation of the power and independence of media audiences is derived from several factors, including (1) overestimating the freedom of audiences in reception; and (2) confusing active reception with political…

Describes a packet of instructional forms to guide students' reflections on their collaborative writing group's process and progress. Reports that student self-reports at the end of the project reveal that group satisfaction did increase and that those groups that used the forms regularly found them useful. (RS)

Argues that television, when used as a secondary activity, interferes with performance on otherwise intellectually demanding tasks. Examines performance on seven different cognitive processing tests for respondents in four television-viewing conditions and a no-TV control group. Finds significant performance decrements for measures of reading…

Examines some interactional details of a court case that took place in the Mexican community of Tenejapa. Suggests that courtroom behavior in Tenejapa uniquely allows for direct confrontation in a society where a premium is placed on interactional restraint. Explores the implications of this Tenejapan phenomenon for the relations between language…

Determines the areas of cooperation and the extent of resource sharing between schools of journalism and mass communication and public broadcasting stations licensed to their institutions. Finds that sharing of resources between schools and stations is common. Finds that most academic units offer student internships. Makes recommendations for…

Examines the means of and correlations between perceptions of willingness to communicate, communication apprehension, communication competence, and introversion of college students in the United States and Sweden. Results indicate that the monocultural research on this topic in the United States has limited generalizability. (SR)

Compares readers' and listeners' perceptions of powerless language features. Examines whether oral versions of powerless messages generate higher credibility ratings than written versions. Finds that subjects note more hesitations in writing but more hedges on tape, and that placing powerless speech in the written transcript reduces…

Examines whether people who are successful in their business careers are more likely to consider themselves lonely than people who are less successful. Finds, contrary to popular and academic beliefs, that there is slightly more loneliness near the lower organizational levels than among the dedicated high-level executives. (KEH)

Examines traditional categories of information/communication system users. Argues that these categories lead to a view of communication systems that make "haves" and "have-nots" inevitable. Describes several alternative communication-based user categories that view users as actors within the information system. (SR)