Seeks empirical data on whether communication is an essential element of effective decision making and whether the variance in group decision making is best accounted for by noninteraction or interaction sources. Shows that group communication is related to group performance independent of the influence of noncommunication factors like group…

Finds that zero quotatives (where direct speech is reported with neither a reporting verb nor an attributed speaker) are found when a speaker is clearly constructing attitude; where the omission of a quotative may serve some dramatic effect; and at sights where conversational partners are displaying strongly convergent behavior. (SR)

Reviews scholarly research (from journalism, communication, business, and the humanities) on the specialized business press. Notes the lack of theory building and ties across disciplines, and anticipates that new advances in CD-ROM technology may increase research into the field as well as strengthen ties across disciplines. (SR)

Reviews research on magazine management and economics. Finds that most citations are from business and trade publications; research is being presented at conferences but not published; most management research covers industry trends rather than specific industry topics; and no solid base of conceptual and theoretical magazine management research…

Shows how accident reports in a large government agency fail to account for the multidimensional nature of accidents in tightly coupled technologies. Proposes a three-dimensional model of accident analysis to illustrate how underlying models of causality influence the structure of technical reports and the nature of the argument over…

Reports results of a survey of female debaters and debate coaches attending an NDT debate. Finds high levels of gender harassment, seductive behaviors, and sexual imposition. (SR)

Presents findings from a survey of public relations practitioners and endusers in Singapore to provide insights into the present trends in the industry, what practitioners are doing, public relations skills which need to be developed, and emerging trends in the industry. (SR)

Reports on a meta-analysis of 34 news diffusion studies to show that the general importance of a story is positively associated with the level of diffusion and likelihood of hearing the news interpersonally but not the rate of telling others. Indicates that news that is personally relevant to an individual is more likely to be discussed with…

Responds to J. Sprague's 1992 criticisms of the program of research known as Power in the Classroom. Argues that both the covering law and the critical approach to studying power in the classroom are useful because they provide scholars and teachers with answers to distinct research questions. Identifies ways in which both epistemologies are…

Responds to an article in the same issue. Discusses four levels of scrutiny of the language of a research program: vocabulary choices; transformation of terms with the research process; style, syntax, tone, and organization of research reports; and translation of findings into recommendations and policy. Advocates productive dialogue in the…

Establishes that narrative theorists of the Hellenistic period described the ill-defined technique of architectonic parallelism by way of its absence, criticizing less elaborated works as unfinished and half-finished. Offers two narrative complexes from the "Gospel of Mark" as case examples of his assumptions of audience awareness as a…

Focuses on the cooperative processes occurring during collaborative prose recall by adult dyads differing in age and relationship. Indicates that all groups produced similar proportions of story-related and conversation-related products. Notes that group differences in collaboration strategies were observed only at the end of conversations. (HB)

Discusses the focus group, a relatively new method of communication and organizational research. Describes the need for such research, essential ingredients of a quality focus group session, and the advantages and disadvantages of the method. Establishes a theoretical framework and offers examples of focus group research. Suggests methods of focus…

Conducts a meta-analysis of 23 manuscripts containing information on 30 experiments that examined communication apprehension and cognitive performance. Finds a statistically significant negative correlation between communication apprehension and cognitive performance. (MG)

The effects of rumor contents on rumor transmission were investigated among college students, and, as predicted, a dread rumor was heard and passed by more individuals than a wish rumor. Dread rumors may arouse anxiety because they forecast unpleasant outcomes for persons of lower social power or limited control capacities. (22 references) (LB)